tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26217353500069414432024-03-04T23:47:55.672-08:00Bethel Chapel Sermonssermons from the pulpit of
<a href="http://www.bethelcommunity.ca">Bethel Chapel</a> in Pointe ClaireDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-48614812372087211862019-06-09T11:00:00.000-07:002019-06-10T05:16:48.069-07:00Getting to BlestHave you ever been asked to do something that you actually wanted to do, but the way that you were asked made you suddenly change your mind? I expect that I’m not the only one with that kind of experience. On the flip side, have you ever been asked to do something that you really didn’t want to do, but the way that you were asked made you agree? And I’m not talking about salesmen here -- that’s a whole ’nother conversation. I’m talking about friends. There are those friends to whom I have a really hard time saying “no”. But they manage to remain my friends... by never asking for too much, I suppose. Whenever they ask me for something, they always seem to know what to say, and how to say, and when to say it to win me over.<br />
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Did you know that research has been done into the ingredients of persuasion? There are things people can do to increase the chances that their requests will be granted. For example, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology published an interesting result: did you know that a request was more likely to be granted if it was asked for at the beginning of a conversation rather than at the end of it? And, of course, entire books have been written on negotiating skills -- even some famous ones -- books all about, as they say, “getting to yes”.<br />
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But does any of this stuff work on God? After all, God can see through any tricks we might be trying to pull on him. “Negotiating” may be the entirely wrong approach when it comes to God. As Paul wrote (Romans 11:35):<br />
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<i>“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”</i><br />
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And as it never hurts to be reminded of the words of Isaiah (55:8,9):<br />
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<i>“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”</i><br />
<i>declares the Lord.</i><br />
<i>“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways </i><i>and my thoughts than your thoughts.</i><br />
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In fact, if there was ever a formula for influencing God, it would likely start with “don’t ever think that there is a formula for influencing God.” So this morning, please understand that we aren’t looking for a formula, or talking about influence, or even negotiation. Instead, we are going to discover some principles: habits of the heart that we can develop so that we would get to know God more and begin to recognize how he operates in this world.<br />
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And to do so, we are going to look at an event in the gospels in which a man experienced God's activity on his behalf. And I pray that when we look closely at this encounter with Jesus, we would pick up some pointers about how to approach God and how to ask for things that only God can provide.<br />
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Our text this morning is found in Mark chapter 5 and Luke chapter 8. An abbreviated version is found in Matthew chapter 9. But Mark and Luke put this story in context for us. Jesus had just gone across the Sea of Galilee in order to seek out and deliver the man who was, very likely, of all people on the planet, the furthest from the Kingdom of God -- an event that Mark concludes with the words, “and all the people were amazed.” But now Jesus and his disciples are coming back across the lake to the towns and villages that they consider “home”. And our text begins with the words:<br />
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<i>When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.</i><br />
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A crowd had gathered. They were waiting. Jesus was coming and they knew it. They were all expecting him. But our text does not give us an exact location. That's likely because those disciples of Jesus who were fishermen had all manner of favorite spots up and down the shore. They chose to go to one of those, but they didn't text the crowd to let them know where they were going.<br />
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This last February, I had the privilege of visiting the Sea Galilee with Esther. Now it isn’t a “Sea” exactly. It is a large-ish freshwater lake, only ten kilometers across. And the other side is easily visible. So if a vessel were coming across the lake, people would notice it a long ways out. With a bit of observation, they could even estimate where it was going. And then, they could connect with the boat simply by hiking along the shore to meet it. And so in our text this morning, the crowd is waiting for Jesus -- a crowd that had devoted a chunk of their day to track him across the lake, and perhaps even walked a ways in order to make that connection.<br />
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But here we find our first principle this morning: If we would like Jesus to act on our behalf, we do well to make some effort to connect with him. Now that might sound obvious. But I’ve encountered far too many people who seem to think that they can snap their fingers and Jesus will be at their beck and call. Of course, when he isn’t, they then use that as an excuse to conclude that he doesn’t care, or doesn’t exist, or something equally absurd. If we would like Jesus to act on our behalf, we may need to invest some time and effort.<br />
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Now each of you here invested some time and effort to come out to church this morning. But did you come here to meet Jesus? Are you expecting him this morning? Did you know that he was going to be here this morning? As you likely remember, Jesus said, “where two or three gather in my name,” said Jesus, “there am I among them.” Well, we've covered the "two or three" part. But what about gathering in Jesus' name? I pray we do. Of course, Jesus warns us not to claim that we are doing things in his name when we really are not. But scripture gives us enough clues to understand that doing things in Jesus name means operating in the will of God and trusting Jesus. Now I know that many here this morning desire to do God’s will. And I know that many here this morning are also trusting in Jesus to do all that he has promised for us. So I'm going out on a limb this morning to claim that we do, indeed, have two or three gathered in Jesus' name, which means that -- according to Jesus’ words, that will never pass away -- that he is here among us now.<br />
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What makes us so special? Nothing. We are broken; we are tired; we are sinful. But the good news this morning is that Jesus makes it his signature behavior to look after the broken, and the tired, and the sinful. He binds up the brokenhearted. He heals the sick. He sets the captives free. And “he is here among us.”<br />
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But back to our text. We read:<br />
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<i>Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. </i><br />
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Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet in an expression of humility and honor. Humbling himself, and giving honor to the one at whose feet he fell. And here we find our second principle this morning: if we would like Jesus to act on our behalf, it is highly recommended that we approach him with an appropriate attitude. Now this one, too, should be obvious. But once again, I’ve encountered far too many Christians who seem to pray as if they can boss God around. Jesus is the Lord of Creation and the King of Glory. We need to remember that when we approach him. Sure: the Bible encourages us to approach the Throne of Grace with confidence. But there is an important difference between confidence and arrogance.<br />
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On Thursday mornings, T. and I (with E., when she is in town) like to go to La Corde to make sure those students get some breakfast. I’m there to feed and to bless and to love and to take care of those dear children. And while those children can always approach me with confidence, I don’t tend to respond well when they try to order me around. Now God is much more gracious than I am, but I strongly suspect that there are attitudes that keep God from showing up when we would like him to. If we would like Jesus to act on our behalf, we, too, should approach him with an appropriate attitude. Let’s read on:<br />
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<i>Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.</i><br />
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Yes, this man was desperate. But desperation isn’t one of our principles this morning. It doesn’t hurt, of course. But it is tragic that so many people wait until they are desperate before responding to Jesus. Or let's say the same thing in different words: it is such a shame that so few people are aware of just how desperate their situation is without Jesus. As Paul writes (in Ephesians 2:12), “[those who are] separate from Christ…[are]... without hope and without God in the world.”<br />
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In any event, at this stage in the story, the scene changes abruptly. In spite of this man’s desperation, Jesus becomes distracted. Back to our text:<br />
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<i>As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.</i><br />
<i>“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.</i><br />
<i>When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”</i><br />
<i>But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”</i><br />
<i>Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him...</i><br />
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Now this represents a remarkable encounter in its own right, and well worth its own sermon, but today we need to call attention to a few details -- especially in light of the law of Moses as it was understood and practiced in Jesus’ day. You see, an open wound or bleeding that wouldn’t stop -- as this woman was experiencing -- would have made this woman “unclean” according to the law. And we need to understand just how big a deal being “unclean” was to a Synagogue leader like Jairus. Here is how Leviticus puts it (15:25-27).<br />
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<i>When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. </i><br />
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And we see the implications of being “unclean” explicitly in the following two verses:<br />
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<i>Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean... and anything she sits on will be unclean.... Anyone who touches them will be unclean.</i><br />
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Naturally, this woman wanted to be as subtle as possible about touching Jesus’ clothing; she wanted, in fact, to go entirely unnoticed! -- because religious men didn’t take particularly kindly to strangers making them unclean! But the fascinating thing about the entire encounter is that Jesus isn’t at all interested in the secrecy that this woman is trying so desperately to maintain. He seems to want everyone in the crowd to know that this woman has touched him. And he also seems to want everyone in the crowd to know exactly why she touched him. We read in Luke 8:47 that she explained why she touched him in the presence of all the people.<br />
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So everyone would know. She was unclean. She touched Jesus. That means, according to the law of Moses -- the same law that leaders of Synagogues went to great lengths to follow to the letter, and then some -- that Jesus was unclean. Now that’s inconvenient. Leaders of Synagogues would never let an unclean person into their home. Everyone in the crowd would have known that. And this particular leader of the Synagogue was urging Jesus to hurry in order to enter his home to heal his daughter.<br />
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Can you feel the tension? Can you sense the drama? Jairus was exercising remarkable restraint throughout this entire distracting episode. We could hardly blame him for becoming increasingly agitated throughout the process. His beloved daughter was dying. Notice that at this stage in the game, only Jesus and the woman are aware that she has been healed. But before we go on, we need to call out our third principle: if we would like Jesus to act on our behalf, it is highly recommended that we be gracious with others who are equally in need of Jesus’ attention.<br />
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Now this one isn’t nearly so obvious as the previous two principles. Just to remind you, they were: 1) put some work in and 2) adopt an appropriate attitude. But now, we also need to be willing to let Jesus reach out to others. Even in ways which are inconvenient or awkward or bothersome. In other words, we need to get over the common difficulty that many Christians have with… other Christians. Did you know that there are actually some Christians who voted for Donald Trump? Did you know that there are actually some Christians who voted for Hillary Clinton? For some people, issues like that are huge. But as big as they are, I’m afraid that being ceremonially unclean in Jesus’ day was much bigger.<br />
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This was a test of faith for Jairus. And I wonder how many similar tests of faith we encounter on a regular basis. Jesus is reaching out to all manner of people that we might be inclined to disapprove of. Whether we disapprove of people’s politics, or lifestyle, or theology, or forms of worship, or choice of Bible translation, we need to be able to pass these tests. And that means permitting Jesus to minister to them -- even if it might make us feel uncomfortable.<br />
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When we encounter someone who troubles us, and we think that it could be a test of faith for us, are we focused on being right or are we focused on being compassionate? Are we focused on the law or are we focused on grace. In our story today, the grace that Jairus showed toward a very troublesome and inconvenient interruption might well have been a key ingredient in the result to follow.<br />
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This was a test of faith for Jairus. Would he pull rank? Many people in the crowd would have been appalled that Jesus would delay his visit to this important Synagogue leaders’ house for the sake of a poor, miserable, outcast woman. But Jairus keeps his cool, and good thing, too. I'm so glad that he represents an example for us this morning. When God operates in ways that aren’t according to our agenda or timing, we would do well to recognize the ways in which He is caring for others of His beloved children. If we would like Jesus to act on our behalf, we would do well to be patient with interruptions, trouble and even inconvenience.<br />
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But now, in the instant that it was revealed that Jesus was ceremonially unclean -- or was he? -- poor Jairus is pushed to even greater limits. Two things happen in quick succession, and both would have certainly increased his emotional turmoil. First, let’s go back and finish the previous story:<br />
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<i>In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”</i><br />
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Hello! Now for the first time, Jairus gets a glimpse of why Jesus might have chosen to stop, and delay his progress. In this moment, Jairus would have reason to rethink everything he had ever been taught about being “unclean.” Instead of the touch between Jesus and this woman causing Jesus to become “unclean”, that touch seems to have caused the woman to become whole by the power of Jesus.<br />
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And I love this detail, a detail that would not have been lost on Jairus: Jesus addresses this woman as “daughter.” Jairus wanted Jesus to have compassion on his daughter. Jesus wanted Jairus to have compassion on all of the children of God -- even compassion that came at considerable personal cost to him. But even before Jairus has the time to process all of this, we read:<br />
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<i>While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” </i><br />
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Can you imagine? What a heartbreak! I don’t know about you, but whenever I experience disaster, I scan the past, thinking about all the “what if?s” Putting myself in this poor man’s shoes, I’m sure that in that moment I would be estimating how much time Jesus had been distracted, and be comparing it to how much time was needed to make it home. After all, this woman had been suffering for a long while -- surely another twenty minutes or so wouldn’t kill her. Why couldn’t Jesus have looked after her once he had healed my daughter? But as we see from our text, Jesus is aware that Jairus is finding it all too much to handle. (v50)<br />
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<i>Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”</i><br />
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Believe? Believe in what? Believe in Jesus, of course. Jesus is saying, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” And trust in Jesus, Jairus did. And that, of course, is our fourth principle this morning: we must trust him, even when things seem particularly dire. And this is the difficult principle, of course. It is so easy, especially in our day and age, to put our trust in our government, or in technology, or in our employment, or in our family, or in our circle of friends. Now none of those things are bad, necessarily. But in each case, there will come a time when their claims will come into conflict with the claims of Jesus -- and that is going to be when it makes all the difference.<br />
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So let’s review. If we would like Jesus to act on our behalf, we do well to put in some work, to approach him with the right attitude, to be patient with interruptions, and we do well to trust in Jesus fully. Now let’s read to the end of our text:<br />
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<i>When [Jesus] arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”</i><br />
<i>They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.</i><br />
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Now this is the result that Jairus was begging for. But it didn’t exactly happen in the way that Jairus anticipated. Far from it. It was more difficult -- much more difficult -- but it was also much more glorious. Healings had taken place in the past, but here was someone with the power to raise the dead.<br />
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The crowd would have been tempted to consider Jesus to have been unclean. But on the other hand, the crowd would have been sympathetic if Jesus refused to touch a dead body (which was also considered “unclean”). In either case, Jesus would have been kept from performing this miracle of compassion and of power. But Jesus shattered both of these expectations, as he continues to shatter expectations today. I wonder how often Jesus is only limited by our refusal to give him the opportunity to act. It is like Jesus’ experience in his hometown, about which we read (Matthew 15:38):<br />
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<i>he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. </i><br />
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But our four principles are simply expressions of faith, aren't they: If we have faith in Jesus, we will put in some Work; we will approach him with an appropriate Attitude; we will be patient with Interruptions -- letting him follow his own agenda and timing; and we will Trust in him fully. But embedded in these four principles, there is an important message: “WAIT”. This is a word that both helps us remember our principles, but it also represents a final principle. And scripture tells us that there is a blessing built into following this one:<br />
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<i>Do you not know? Have you not heard?</i><br />
<i>The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.</i><br />
<i>He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.</i><br />
<i>Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;</i><br />
<i>but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength.</i><br />
<i>They will soar on wings like eagles;</i><br />
<i> they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.</i><br />
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There may be many things on your mind this morning. There may be many things weighing you down or breaking your heart. I don't know what they could be. But to you, Jesus is saying, “don’t be afraid. just trust me." "Just believe.” Believe that Jesus is here, among us, just as he promised that he would be. Believe that the one who has the power to raise the dead also has the power to provide what we need. But you may also need to believe that Jesus’ method and timing might very well push you to your limits, as it did to Jairus.<br />
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Psalm 27:14 gives us this challenge:<br />
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<i>Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.</i><br />
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This is my testimony this morning. May everyone here come to experience it as well.<br />
<br />Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-56726501414993142782019-03-17T11:00:00.000-07:002019-03-26T13:23:37.046-07:00VocationGood Morning, Bethel Friends. Welcome back to our series of sermons on Faithfulness in the Moment. We have been comparing the recent experience of the church with the Biblical experience of the people of Israel. After they were conquered by the armies of Babylon, they were hauled off into exile by a people with no respect for their values and no awareness of their God. But Babylon also shows up in the book of Revelation. It is an image of all that is violent and corrupt in the world. You’ve got to love the book of Revelation. It isn’t often that we get a glimpse of how things are going to turn out. And while the book isn’t always easy to interpret, it is impossible to miss the ultimate message of the book of Revelation: that is, God wins. Babylon will fall. (Rev 18:21,24)<br />
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So Babylon the great city will be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more … for in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth.<br />
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We know how the story ends, folks. No matter how much it feels like the church is giving up territory, this, too, is part of God’s plan. And God’s plans will be fulfilled. God wins.<br />
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Just a reminder of where we are in our sermon series. As you likely recall, we have entered a practical phase, where we were highlighting practices that are critical to our role of representing God in an increasingly secular environment. We have considered and will consider the practices of: generosity, community, prayer, engaging with scripture, thanksgiving & hospitality. These are the things that should make Christians stand out in our society. They should challenge the citizens of Babylon to recognize that we have been radically changed by Jesus, and changed for the better -- giving us larger measures of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And while the world may talk about “community”, the people of God are to live it.<br />
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But this week, we will consider a practice that we call “vocation.” Now that’s not a common word: “vocation.” And our culture has messed with our habits of thinking on the topic: we have become conditioned to think that “vocation” is a word that fits somewhere among the words “work” “job” “occupation” and “career.” But scripture doesn’t ever go there. On the topic of our work, we have 1 Thessalonians (4:10,11):<br />
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But we urge you, brothers, to… aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.<br />
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And Ephesians 4:28<br />
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Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands<br />
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And in the cases of individual examples, when Jesus calls his disciples with the words, “follow me,” they simply left their jobs and followed him. But how does that help us to understand “vocation”? And how do we disentangle the idea from “job”? I’m afraid that it is might take some work this morning. So fasten your seatbelts.<br />
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By way of introduction, let me tell you about something I've learned from E. But I’m not going to talk about her work as much as I’m going to talk about her practice at work. After all, your practice at work is far more important than your actual work. As most of you know, E. works as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. In her work, there is a strong temptation for the medical professionals to label their patients, but E. tries to avoid such labeling. For example: instead of referring to “the twenty-four weeker”, E. prefers to say, “the baby born at twenty-four weeks gestation.” In this way, her patients are not being defined by their medical conditions.<br />
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Now you might be tempted to think that this is just a subtle quibble about the way we use words. I get that. But the fact is that it is an act of grace to choose to describe people instead of attempting to define them. Because nobody likes being pigeon-holed. And one of the most basic ways in which we can love our neighbours is to avoid defining them. Last month, one of the principles of Jesus’ interaction with culture was “don’t let others define you.” And today, in the spirit of the Golden Rule, we need also to altogether avoid trying to define others.<br />
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The root of the problem may be due to the English language itself. In particular, this verb that we call “to be” is peculiar. It can describe or it can define. We say “it is Saturn” (a definition) and we also say “it is large” (a description). We use exactly the same phrase -- in this case, “it is” -- for both description and definition. It doesn’t come with any warning signs as to which one of those two it is doing. And this ambiguity can cause us grief. Now philosophers make the helpful distinction between “essentials” and “incidentals” (or, as they used to say, “accidentals”). A definition is essential, but a description is incidental. And I hope to convince you this morning that occupations are incidental, but vocation is essential: in fact, vocation is what we are designed to be doing, it is the activity that matches our very definition.<br />
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It used to be -- not long ago -- that if someone were to say (for example) “I am Mennonite” (and I am!) that everyone would understand that he was just describing himself and his heritage -- the fact that his family came from that tradition is just incidental. But in the last few decades, this understanding has shifted: the descriptive has retreated, the definitive has advanced. And now, if someone says, “I am Mennonite” it is often taken as less of a description of the speaker, and more to be part of the definition of the speaker -- even essential to his very identity. Why is this happening? In a word, politics.<br />
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You may have noticed that politics has become an enormous enterprise, and expanding daily. The amount of money being spent on political campaigning has been growing at the rate of seven percent per year over the last five years. During that time, the value of real estate in Canada grew seven percent per year. Considering that there is usually something close to a fifty-percent risk of a political campaign failing, the returns on successful political money must be substantial! After all, people don’t usually want to throw their money away. So if people are investing differentially in politics rather than in stocks or real estate they must expect a huge return on those investments. And sure enough: careers in politics can be absurdly lucrative. But not only that: the levers of power can be manipulated for immense financial gains for the people that control them. Just ask SNC-Lavalin, for example. Of course, political power simply means the power to control… people.<br />
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But politicians have noticed that it isn’t very efficient to try to control people one at a time. They need to be able to control people in groups. In the past, politicians would position themselves as champions of economic classes -- representing the middle class or representing the working class, for example. But other strategies have recently come into play. Now, instead of attempting to manipulate economic classes, politicians are now focusing on classes that derive from race, and from sex, and even from religion. How is that working out for them? Follow the money. It is making people very wealthy indeed. But in order to manipulate people in this way, it helps to first convince them that their race or their sex or their religion doesn’t just describe them, it defines them. Politicians have learned that definitions are hugely more powerful motivating forces than mere descriptions. And because definition establishes identity -- because our identities are grounded in our definitions -- it makes sense to call this new trend “identity politics”.<br />
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Now politicians and their supporters have a different story to tell, of course. They would say that the expression “identity politics” just describes minorities banding together to fight injustice. But labeling “fighting for justice” as “identity politics” is a bit peculiar. Let me explain. While justice is the most noble of goals, when folks fight for justice they are always fighting for everyone to be treated the same. It is a great injustice if white folks get treated better than others because they are white. It is a travesty of justice if men get treated better than women because they are male. The essence of justice is fairness for everyone. But you know what that means? It means that as far as justice is concerned, the only human essential is our shared humanity. The very nature of justice requires this to be true. And scripture testifies to this (Gal 3:28):<br />
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There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.<br />
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In the body of Christ, there are no racial or economic or sexual classes. As far as justice is concerned, the only human essential is our shared humanity. The essence of justice is fairness for everyone. There just aren’t any other human essentials when it comes to justice. So when folks try to convince us that incidental things are actually essential, they are really just trying to deceive us and control us.<br />
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But that brings us back to the English language. You see, in order to exercise this kind of control, politicians would like us all to think that when they use expressions like “I am” and “you are,” these are not so much descriptions as they are definitions. And their success in this direction has gotten out of hand, now having a huge impact on our ability to think not just about our identity, but also to think about our work and our vocation.<br />
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Because we hear people say things like, “I am a plumber” or “I am a librarian” all the time. And while we used to understand that these were just descriptions, we’re more and more being conditioned to think that expressions like these are definitions. And the result has been that work, career, job -- perhaps even activity -- have been elevated to identity-defining levels, with tragic consequences. Derek Thompson wrote about this problem in the Atlantic a few weeks ago:<br />
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In the past century, the American conception of work has shifted from jobs to careers to callings—from necessity to status to meaning.<br />
[And the ] mismatch between expectations and reality is a recipe for severe disappointment, if not outright misery, and it might explain why rates of depression and anxiety in the U.S. are “substantially higher” than they were in the 1980s....<br />
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And the problem is compounded, of course, when this trend of thinking of our jobs as our callings coincides with jobs becoming less secure and careers growing shorter. What a recipe for anguish! Because when we begin to trust in our job, when we put our faith in the company that we work for, then, being laid off or having to retire is the worst possible event, and we could collapse under its burden. And that’s just the negative consequence when the job turns out to be a good one! If, on the other hand, we have been conditioned to think that we should find our fulfillment and identity in our work but we find our work to be soul-crushing it can lead to identity crisis, and even psychological breakdown.<br />
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Instead, we need to be vigilant about who we give the authority to define us. Our identities are precious commodities. So many people will try to convince us to sacrifice our identities to their cause. But as Jesus says (John 10:10):<br />
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The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.<br />
But I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.<br />
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Giving others the power to define us always results in our being used up and discarded. Only Jesus has the power to define us in the direction of life itself. In order to understand our vocation, we need to understand a key principle:<br />
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Your Lord defines you; Whoever defines you is your Lord.<br />
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We could even say that, "whoever we give the authority to define us becomes our lord." Now, of course, some folks imagine that they are capable of defining themselves; that they can be their own Lord. There is a proverb for them, though -- one that is so important, that it shows up twice in scripture (14:12 & 16:25)<br />
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There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.<br />
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There will be great disappointment for anyone expecting to define themselves or letting their government or employer define them. There is great risk to letting anyone define you by your incidentals, because those are the things that will change and eventually fade away. And as much as our identity rides on things that will pass away, when those things pass away... so do we! On the other hand, if we let Jesus define us; if we let him become our Lord, then he will provide life, and life abundantly. Because we can count on him to be the way and the truth and the life. As scripture says (Hebrews 13:8),<br />
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Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.<br />
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Now it might come as a surprise to some that the abundant life that Jesus is promising has no connection to money, or status, or comfort. It is a Babylonian idea that abundant life must rely on any one of those things. But Jesus knows that his followers can and do go through hard times. At the same time, he also knows that we can experience abundant life in spite of life’s greatest challenges. This is what he said (Matt 7:24-27):<br />
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“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”<br />
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Jesus knows that when the storm comes, we need to be connected to something deep down and secure -- unmoving -- to ensure that our lives do not crumble. Do you want to have the internal strength to be able to not just survive but to thrive in whatever circumstances life throws at you? Jesus is telling us how to equip ourselves for even the worst of eventualities. He is calling out for us a principle that every builder knows: it is the foundation that is critical -- it is who we permit to have the authority to define us that makes all the difference. If we allow Babylon to define us, we are going to crash. If we allow Jesus to define us, we will stand firm.<br />
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The wise man builds his house upon the unmoving rock. The trends of yesterday are forgotten today. Yesterday’s superstar is today’s has-been. Yesterday’s rallying cry is today’s hate speech. Don’t waste your time attempting to build your life on what isn’t going to last. Instead, the only Rock worth building your life upon is Jesus himself. As scripture says, “The Rock is Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4)<br />
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So who does Jesus say is this wise man? Not the one who just listens to him, but the one who listens to Jesus and also puts his words into practice. Which words are these? Well, the previous three chapters are a good place to start. These chapters represent what we call the “Sermon on the Mount” -- a capsule of Jesus’ teaching. And with the time remaining, we’re going to unpack what Jesus says about the true definition -- the true “vocation” -- even the identity! of his disciples (Matthew 5:13):<br />
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“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its saltiness, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.<br />
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Now when Jesus was walking the earth, salt was worth more than diamonds. The English word “salary” comes from the Latin word that means “salt”. So before going any further, we need to appreciate that when Jesus tells us that “we are the salt of the earth”, he wants to define us as having great value. Seriously! But salt has no value to anyone if it is left on the shelf. The point of salt is not just to be salt: it is pointless if it just sits around. Salt is useful when it gets used up. As Jesus also said, “Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.” And saltiness is the behavior of salt and not just the character of salt.<br />
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The primary value of salt in those days was in its preserving properties. Left on its own, raw meat will go rotten very quickly -- typically within just a few days. But properly cured -- with salt, of course -- meat can be kept edible for months. Similarly, the world will also go rotten left on its own. And the same tendency toward rottenness also exists in human relationships. Misunderstandings happen so easily. They cause irritation, then bitterness, and then grudges. But the salt of the earth is to be engaged in a "ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18), reversing this natural decay.<br />
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We sometimes say that the Christian life is all about a relationship with Jesus. And so it is. But Jesus himself says that whatever relationships we have with the marginalized, and the sick, and the injured, and the needy, and the hungry -- the very least of his brothers -- that is the relationship that we have with Jesus himself. And it is our willingness to reach out to the downtrodden, to love our enemies, and to see the good in people who may be messed up but really, really need to know God’s love, that make us as different from the world as salt is from rotting meat. When we behave that way, we aren’t just acting like a preservative, we’re also acting like good medicine. But that’s another property of salt, isn’t it?<br />
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When I was growing up, my parents liked to have wood burning in the fireplace. To this day, just the smell of a wood fire can bring back happy memories. But to make that happen, my father would often be chopping and stacking wood, and he would occasionally damage his hands in the process. Now having grown up in the badlands of Alberta -- mostly outdoors -- my Dad hadn’t developed the habit of caring for the cuts, and scrapes and splinters that he would receive in this way. As a result, every so often -- perhaps as much as once a year -- I would discover my Dad in the kitchen with his finger or thumb in a mug full of piping-hot salt water. It was always too hot for me. And it was super-saturated in salt. As a result, any infection that might have been troubling him would soon disappear. Within a few days, the pain and swelling would be gone. Are you that kind of person this morning? When you walk into a room, does the irritation level go down?<br />
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In our calling -- our vocation -- as the salt of the earth, we are to act as preservatives, sure, but we are also to act as good medicine. But if we direct those activities inward, or if what we offer is indistinguishable from what Babylon offers, we have become like salt that has lost its saltiness. We need to do more than just hear Jesus definition of us: “You are the salt of the earth.” We need to put it into practice.<br />
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How else does Jesus define us in the Sermon on the Mount? (5:14-16)<br />
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“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.<br />
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Now Jesus also says that he is the light of the world. In fact, our being the light of the world is entirely due to our following him and being a reflection of his nature in the world. As you know, a mirror can only reflect a light if it is oriented toward that light. Let our fix our eyes on Jesus this morning, in order to truly be the light of the world.<br />
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Light is the most practical of God’s gifts to humanity. It provides the basis for the most basic human ability to orient oneself, to navigate, and to interact with the world around us. And it provides dimensions of beauty for those who open their eyes to creation. This, too, is part of our calling: to give the world an environment in which they, too, can orient themselves toward God; an environment in which they can also experience the incomparable beauty of His participation in their lives.<br />
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I can still vividly remember a particularly blustery winter day many years ago. I was driving home from Ottawa in a snowstorm. It was one of those snowstorms in which I could barely see the highway, let alone the lines on the highway, high beams or not. So I prayed. And just then, a semi-trailer pulled onto the highway in front of me. But not just any semi-trailer. This one was beautiful. It was going the perfect speed: I could settle in behind it quite comfortably. It had beautiful bright red lights all around the border of its tail panel. Those lights just ahead of me guiding the way made all the difference. But most important, it was heading home. I thanked God for the answered prayer.<br />
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And our calling as the light of the world will make others want to settle into our neighborhoods, and to follow us, too. Let's make sure we're steering them in the direction of their one true spiritual home. We need to do more than just hear Jesus definition of us: “You are the light of the world.” We need to put it into practice. And the world will indeed see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.<br />
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This morning, our topic was “vocation” -- much more than just our “jobs”. Rather, vocation reaches deep down to our very definition, and touches the very root of our being. But it is when we receive this vocation from Jesus that will make us be able to stand up in the storms of life. It is his vocation that will result in abundant life -- in spite of challenging circumstances. As the salt of the earth, we are called to a ministry of reconciliation -- acting as medicine and preservative in a corrupt world. And as the light of the world, we are also called to a ministry of illumination -- demonstrating the impact of Jesus’ Lordship by the way we live our lives.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-78747976449519705892019-03-03T11:00:00.000-08:002019-03-10T12:38:42.241-07:00Community
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<span class="s1">Good morning, and welcome back to our sermon series on Faithfulness in our Moment. Before we dive in, let me first tell you a little bit about Esther’s and my recent tour of Israel. It had been something that we had been talking about for a long time, and it was a very special experience. We got to see the foundation of the synagogue that Jesus would have taught in at Capernaum. We got to stand on the steps of the Temple that Jesus would have taught from. We got to visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed before his arrest and trial. We saw the Roman steps up to what was very possibly the Palace of Caiaphas, where Jesus could have been taken after his arrest. We saw the garden tomb, which some think might have been where Jesus rose from the grave. What a fascinating place. Such history. Such meaning. (We also saw the ancient walls of Jericho, Hezekiah’s tunnel, the pool of Bethesda -- near the Sheep Gate, just like the gospel of John says -- the ancient church built over the house of Peter, and the pool of Siloam, among many other sights.) But when one of the students at the TESL class asked me what was best part of the trip, I had to answer that the best part of the trip was the group of people with whom we spent those eight days.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">From all over the United States (we were the only Canadians), these were Christians of all ages who were committed to drawing closer to Jesus through this experience. And I will never forget our final dinner together at the Yad HaShmona moshav (until recently a kibbutz), seated beside a wonderful brother (who had been an almost complete stranger) talking -- not about politics, not about professional sports, not about entertainment -- but about Jesus and his love. The fellowship we had throughout that whole trip was very special. And it is that kind of fellowship that can make so much of a difference in any church. It is that kind of fellowship that forms the basis of community.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A quick recap of our series so far: Al opened it up by introducing the theme of exile throughout the Bible, reminding us that in a very real way we are “God’s chosen exiles”. The following week, we were reminded that Jesus’ response to the culture that he lived in was often unexpected to his disciples: but that the needs of each individual were always front and center for him. In the third week of the series, Andy highlighted the value of spiritual training. And I loved Andy’s illustration of the boys learning to play volleyball. Like most of us, those boys have little appreciation of how valuable the repetition of training exercises could be. We all need training. <i>Everything</i> that we want to become good at requires training. And God is calling each of us to training -- training in godliness. As Paul puts it (1 Timothy 4:8):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">So that’s why we’ve begun to get really practical, and to look at the elements of God’s training program. Last week, Al reminded us that “generosity” is a critical component of this “training for godliness.” And this week, we will consider the element of “community”. Now “community” is a much-abused word these days, and no wonder! We live in a culture that idolizes privacy, individualism, and independence. It should come as no surprise that when we use the word “community” we are often referring to some cheap imitation. Either that, or someone wants to make a political point or sell you something.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Considering how slippery the word “community” is, in order to understand it correctly, we need to have a fixed point of reference; we need an anchor that won’t slip. Let me suggest that that anchor we need this morning is Jesus himself. The firstborn from among the dead, and the image of the invisible God. Now, when we consider community as it relates to Jesus, we will find that first, community and community-building is a necessary <i>result</i> of knowing Jesus, but that (second) community can draw people to Jesus as well. How do we know these things? Well, Jesus lays down a number of hints for us (John 13:34,35):<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will </i></span><span class="s2"><i>prove to the world that you are my disciples</i></span><span class="s1"><i>.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Of course, there can be no true community without love. And Jesus is saying that the love that we have for one another will convince the world that following <i>Jesus</i> makes all the difference. When we are not to be looking out for ourselves but instead are (Phil 2:2-4):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do[ing] nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility valu[ing] others above yourselves, not looking to [our] own interests but each of [us] to the interests of the others.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">When we are like that, the world will sit up and take notice. And if we were to even take baby-steps in that direction, we would all not only experience a greater level of community, but we would make the gospel that much more attractive to those who are watching. There is nothing like the love we have in community to draw people to Jesus. We see this principle again in Jesus’ prayer for the church (John 17:21) (Jesus speaking to God):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that </i></span><span class="s2"><i>the world will believe you sent me</i></span><span class="s1"><i>.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Once again: there can be no true community without unity. And Jesus is saying that it is the unity that we have in him that will help bring the world to appreciate the good news that Jesus has been sent by God to be the Savior of the world. Please notice, however, that the unity that Jesus prays for involves a unity with God himself: it is as we truly connect with God that we have the ability to connect with each other on a deep and meaningful level. What’s more, the unity we have is also based on the unity that Jesus has with his Father. That is, community is actually an attribute of the God we serve. It isn’t some nice tack-on to our relationship with Him -- it is built into His very nature, and He calls us to participate in it with him.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">So community -- and the love and unity that it embodies -- is clearly something that can help draw people to Jesus. In fact, it is the only thing that scripture tells us will be <i>effective</i> in bringing people to the truth. There is no such suggestion, for example, that <i>preaching</i> could be anywhere near as effective. You know what that means, don’t you? It means that the steps <i>you</i> take to bring a deeper sense of community among us are likely more valuable toward spreading the gospel than any words spoken from this pulpit. I expect that if we were to ask the people who have started coming to Bethel over the last few years why they keep coming, the kindnesses that they have received would feature higher than the quality of the teaching.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">But not only is community something that can draw people to Jesus, community is also something that <i>always </i>happens when people have truly come to know him. Because it is impossible to get to know Jesus without being faced with the challenge that loving Jesus means loving those around us. Jesus tells us that how we treat the least of his brothers is how we treat him. And yes: that means the lonely, and the broken, and the troubled, and the difficult. And it is this principle -- the principle that how we treat the people we encounter on this earth is how the Eternal King takes us to have treated him -- that is reflected in the teaching that we -- together -- are the body of Christ.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">But when Christians think about “the body of Christ,” we often have something else in mind, don’t we? After all, in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus tells his disciples that the bread is his body, broken for us. As you know, many churches place considerable emphasis on the Lord’s Supper. And there is good reason for that. This meal that we celebrate is, after all, one of only two practices that Jesus himself instituted for his followers.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">In fact, let me take this opportunity to encourage you to set your alarms a little earlier on a Sunday morning, and to come out to our earlier service in order to participate in this important reminder. There is something quite profound about obeying Jesus’ command to remember him in this way.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">But the fact that we call the Lord’s Supper “communion” is no coincidence. Communion simply means fellowship. And communion is naturally the basis for community. It is a tragedy that community has, over centuries, become an increasingly minimized aspect of communion. But God’s intention for communion, and something that we can help regain, was always that it be a springboard for community. For it is in communion that we can strengthen our connection with God, and it is also in communion that we must be aware of the connections that we have with one another. Paul is quite explicit about this. In discussing the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians, Paul warns (11:27,28):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>...whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">And many Christians stop reading right there. So they think that Paul was telling his readers to examine themselves for unconfessed sin or something like that. But that wasn’t what Paul was saying at all. The next verse makes it clear (v29):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>For those who eat and drink </i></span><span class="s2"><i>without discerning the body of Christ</i></span><span class="s1"><i> eat and drink judgment on themselves.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Discerning the body of Christ, is, quite simply, being aware that the people around you are part of the body of Christ. How do we know that this is what Paul is getting at? Well, only a very few verses later, Paul explains what he means, ultimately telling us:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>All of you together are Christ’s body (1 Cor 12:27)</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">And this is a theme in Paul’s writings, also showing up in Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and the first chapter of Colossians.<i> </i>So communion (the Lord’s Supper) points backward to Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, but it <i>also</i> points toward the <i>community</i> of the body of Christ as an integral part of God’s plan for his people. These two important truths are brought together in communion. For community is something that <i>always </i>happens when people have <i>truly</i> come to know Jesus.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">As an illustration of this, let’s now turn to an example of community in the Bible. And not just any example. Let’s consider how the Bible describes the earliest Christians -- the very first “church” -- and the way that they interacted together (Acts 2:42):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now here at Bethel, we also want to take the teaching of the apostles very seriously. And recently, we’ve also recognized a greater need for fellowship. So at least two home groups have been started (on Thursday and Saturday nights, to which you are all encouraged to consider coming). And while I’ve already given a shout-out for our first service (where we share the Lord’s Supper), this is also the Sunday in the month that we will be having a prayer meeting: five o’clock today in the carpeted room downstairs and all are welcome. Teaching. Fellowship. Sharing. Prayer. These were and continue to be the hallmarks of the community of God.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">But the book of Acts goes on to describe this community in more detail (Acts 2:41-47):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>...all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Wow -- that’s serious commitment: selling possessions and sharing the money with those in need; sharing everything they had. That would likely be a stretch for most of us. So I’m not going to suggest that that is something that God is calling us to be doing this morning. But I <i>am</i> going to suggest that God <i>is</i> calling us to be at least a step or two closer to that kind of behavior -- generosity was, after all, what we discussed last week.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now I’m sure that you’ll agree that if this is the standard for churches, the bar has been set awfully high. But a few chapters later, the writer of Acts comes back to reinforce this description of this earliest church, with many of the same highlights (Acts 4:32-37):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Sharing everything they had? Now that sounds far too much like a <i>community</i> turning into a <i>communism</i> for many Christians. The difference, of course, is that historic examples of communism, whether the Soviet Union, or China, or Cuba, had the communist experience imposed upon a nation by greedy, corrupt, and violent men. In marked contrast, the first Christian community took shape quite naturally and voluntarily.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">But why do we see so few churches today living out this radical generosity? Well, it is exceedingly difficult to sustain. Even the early church soon found challenges in such a lifestyle. We can read about it two chapters later (Acts 6:1-7):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">So even the spirit-filled church of the first century struggled to maintain their idyllic community in short order. Why was that? Well, quite simply there are always ties -- family ties, ethnic ties, linguistic ties -- whose communal demands are in competition with the communal demands of the church. This kind of thing <i>always</i> happens. It cannot be avoided. But even its <i>perception</i> undermines community. If people detect that family, or ethnic or linguistic loyalties come first, community will suffer. In fact, let me tell you a true story.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Many years ago, I was sitting near the back of a congregation in a church service. In front of me were two young people who had been attending that church for most of their young lives. At the end of the service, I overheard one of these young people turn to the other and say, “well, I guess I won’t ever come back to <i>this </i>church.” And, as I found out later, they didn’t. So what troubled them so much? Well, it seemed to them that there was unfairness going on. They had two friends who -- it seemed to them -- were in very similar circumstances. But those two friends were receiving very different treatment from the church. One of their friends seemed to be ignored, and the other friend seemed to be celebrated. The perceived injustice toward their ignored friend was a deal-breaker for them. The tragedy was that those young people chose to walk away rather than to talk to someone about their concerns.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Because exactly the same problem was plaguing the earliest church. There was a perceived injustice -- that the Greek-speaking widows were regularly getting a bad break in the distribution of food. But someone in the early church spoke up to the Apostles with <i>their </i>concerns of unfairness. Believe me: no matter how uncomfortable you think that it might be for us, the elders sincerely hope that you come and talk to one of us if you perceive any significant injustice at Bethel!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">So when this injustice was reported to the Apostles, what did they do?</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>...the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. [And] we will give them this responsibility....”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>So God’s message continued to spread.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now at first glance, this might seem like a perfectly understandable bureaucratic move: assign the problem to other people. But hidden in this text is a remarkable fact. You see, all of the earliest converts to the Way of Jesus -- including the twelve Apostles -- were Aramaic-speaking Jews. But the names on <i>this</i> list -- those given responsibility to resolve the problem of inequality toward the Greek-speaking widows -- are <i>all Greek names</i>. That is, they were all representatives of the disenfranchised widows. They were all part of the group experiencing the unfair treatment.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">But please note that the fact that they represented the disenfranchised was by no means a sufficient qualification for their appointment. Rather, the explicit qualification was that they be well respected and full of the Spirit and wisdom. And this is crucial. Because without the participation of the Spirit of God, communities will splinter into groups of people looking after their own interests.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">If we “keep in step with the Spirit,” and as we “fix our eyes on Jesus,” we should naturally be drawn into community and also draw others into true community. But other claims on our communal energies will always be in competition with the claims of the church. We can’t avoid that. And appropriately committing our energies to marriage, and family, and neighborhood, <i>as well as</i> church will always be a challenge. But the dynamic of the Kingdom is that if we are able to experience fellowship with Jesus, then we are asked to draw upon that experience to minister within our churches. And if we are able to experience community in our churches, then we are asked to draw upon that experience to minister within our marriages, within our families, and within our neighborhoods. This is what Paul is getting at in Philippians (2:1,2):</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? ...Then ... be like-minded, having the same love, united in spirit, with a single purpose.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Because the encouragement, comfort, and fellowship we find in Christ should be leading us to a common mind, a common love, a common spirit, and a common purpose.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">But just before I wrap up, I’m going to get really personal, and tell you about one of the hardest lessons that I ever learned -- right up there with “doing the dishes is never a problem for an adult.” (that was a hard one for me) When I was an early teen, I once asked my father why I had no friends. Now I don’t mention this for sympathy: that was a long time ago and you folks have made up for any lack of friends that I might have had a hundred-fold. But it is true that as a teenager, I had no friends. I just couldn’t get excited about any of the stuff that my peers were so into. But I will never forget my father’s advice in that moment. He said, “instead of worrying about other people becoming your friends, why not work on becoming a friend for others.” Rock my world -- difficult stuff for an adolescent. “Instead of worrying about other people becoming your friends, why not work on becoming a friend for others.” But the same is true about community, isn’t it? If we are not experiencing community ourselves, why not work on providing a community for others?</span></div>
<br />Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-60094985828129266862019-02-03T11:00:00.000-08:002019-02-04T15:25:19.052-08:00Faithfulness in Exile<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span class="s1">Good Morning, Bethel friends. In case you missed it, last week, we launched a series of sermons to help us understand the place of the church in society today, to help us understand the times that we live in and the Biblical response to all of its challenges. As Al walked us through last week, the ideas and the ideals of the church are being increasingly marginalized in twenty-first century Canadian society. In only a very few generations, the church in Canada has gone from being seen as a source of stability, guidance, truth, and justice to being seen as out-of-date, out-of-style and out-of-touch.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Last week, Al compared our current situation to the people of Israel having been hauled off to Babylon. Their temple had been burnt to the ground. The city of Jerusalem had been sacked. And now they were in a foreign land trying to be faithful to the God Who was largely unknown to the people around them. Their customs were -- at best -- looked down upon. At worst, they were abused for their distinctives.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now that's a depressing way to begin a sermon... so why am I smiling? Only because this moment in history represents such an amazing opportunity. History is, after all, <i>his story</i>, and it is a story of redemption and deliverance from first to last. This is not the first time or the first place that the church has found itself in this kind of situation. And, believe it or not, feeling exiled in the world might actually be quite a healthy place for the church to be.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Consider, for example, the church in China. Under Mao’s rule, tens of thousands of Christians were sent to labour camps, and perhaps as many as half a million Christians were harried to death (according to an article published in the Economist in 2014). Check out the result:</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Many experts, foreign and Chinese, now accept that there are probably more Christians than there are members of the 87m-strong Communist Party. Most [of those Christians] are evangelical Protestants.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">That’s about two-and-a-half-times the number of <i>Christians</i> in China as there are <i>people</i> in Canada. Of course, in the same time-frame, the church in Canada, for all its material blessings and legal freedoms, <i>decreased </i>in size. But in China, there has been so much recent Christian influence in the corridors of power that there has been talk of much greater religious freedom for them. But here’s another quote from the same article toward the end:</span></div>
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<span class="s1">...one Beijing house-church elder declared, with a nod to the erosion of Christian faith in western Europe: “If we get full religious freedom, then the church [in China] is finished.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Isn’t that remarkable? When things appear disastrous for the church, it flourishes, but when things appear advantageous for the church, it withers. But this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with history: describing the lives of the earliest Christians, Rick McKinley writes:</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Life for these believers was one of suspicion and persecution. Their newfound faith had nowhere within mainstream culture to rest its head, and their way of life was viewed as peculiar.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Does that sound familiar? If it doesn’t resonate with your experience as a Christian, you might only have to wait a few years. The life of the church today seems to be going in that direction. And yet, in spite of their marginalization, the early church grew remarkably. In his book <i>The Patient Ferment of the Early Church</i> Alan Kreider documents how, in spite of disincentives, harassment, and the occasional persecution, the church came to be seen as a refuge to an empire that was rotten at its core -- the good news of Jesus was attractive because those who held to it clearly had something special, something that the rest of the world was missing. The early Christians were people who lived differently; they were examples of patience, kindness, and generosity in a society longing for all those things. And so the early church blossomed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">But after a few hundred years, everything changed -- what had began as a disruptive influence throughout the Empire became a part of the mainstream. How did that happened? Well, along came this guy named Constantine. And when he became the emperor,</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Persecution was over. [T]he faith that was once marginalized was now celebrated in the public square and the halls of government.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Of course, some people cheered that moment. Christians were able to enjoy a place in the sun. Christians were given some respect. Christians were given some freedom. But in only a few generations, the church became as corrupt as the empire was. Instead of Christians being able to define the empire, the empire took the opportunity to define the church.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">When things appear disastrous for the church, it flourishes; when things appear advantageous for the church, it withers. Why is that? When the power-structures of society support the church, Christians become tempted to lean on them, and they lose their dependence on God. But when those structures are no longer a support, Christians must return to the only truly reliable source of security: they must once again rely <i>entirely</i> upon God. But the strong temptation among all people -- Christians no exception -- is to want a bigger piece of the pie, and a higher place on the ladder. In contrast, Jesus asks,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The greatest failure of the church throughout history has been its habit of selling its soul for a greater portion of the world: the respect of the world, a place at the table with the world, some influence in the affairs of the world. Sure: there is discomfort in being marginalized, and it isn’t fun to be mocked or derided. But Jesus also says:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory....</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">So we have a choice to make. Are we going to hang onto the things of the world? Are we going to continue to grasp for more of the things of this world? Or are we going to trust in the one who conquered death, and follow the one who has had more of a positive impact in the world than everyone else in history put together?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The challenge for Christians has always been, and continues to be: following Jesus means carrying a cross even as he carried his cross -- it is and remains the only path to the resurrection, after all; it means a willingness to lose this life to find the eternal life that he alone can offer. And to so follow him means to embrace the exile that it implies.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">In Philippians, Paul tells us that “our citizenship is in heaven.” Not on earth; in heaven. And in his first epistle, Peter tells us that we are “strangers and exiles [in the world]”, and -- as Al mentioned last week -- Peter addresses us as “chosen exiles according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” In the original language, the fact that we are <i>exiles </i>is every bit as much a part of God’s foreknowledge as the fact that we have been chosen<i>.</i> That is, God is very much aware of the unsettledness of our position. He is quite familiar with the discomfort we experience as exiles in the world. But it is all part of His plan. And God also works in <i>this</i> for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">But how are we supposed to behave as exiles? Well, that’s part of what this sermon series is intended to address. After all, the church has developed all kinds of bad habits over the last many centuries: habits of an institution close to the levers of power; habits that the church has actually <i>acquired</i> from the empire; habits that have got the church into a great deal of trouble as they compromise our message, and undermine our identity as salt (preservative) and light (guidance) in the world.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As ever, the best remedy to the church’s failures are to fix our eyes on Jesus. But we also need to appreciate that even the disciples were often not on the same page as Jesus. In the gospels, when Jesus was threatened, Peter pulled out his sword and took a swipe at a man in the crowd. But Jesus rebuked Peter, and healed the injured man. Sometimes, our instincts may be to fight when Jesus would call us to refrain. At another time, the disciples would have likely imagined (along with the rest of the culture) that the Temple, and all its activities, were sacred. But Jesus made a whip and drove out the animals and the money in order to purify that same Temple. Sometimes, our instincts may be to accept “the way things are” when Jesus would call us to take a stand. If the disciples were so routinely out-of-sync with their master, we need to proceed with great caution and humility.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">But this morning, I’d like to focus on a particular encounter in the life of Jesus that can help us understand our role as his disciples in our cultural environment. This event takes place in a remote area. Jesus is far from home. The environment isn’t particularly welcoming. But in spite of that, he asked his disciples to go into town for some provisions -- and he was left all alone. And while he is alone, someone arrives with a bucket to draw water from the well. That’s when Jesus asks her for a favor. John 4:7,9 --</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” ... The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now let’s appreciate that the attitude of the Samaritan woman here represented the society that she lived in. As far as she is concerned, a Jewish man asking a Samaritan woman for a drink is unthinkable. And yet here it is: it is happening right in front of her. Jesus is defying cultural expectations. And that’s the first lesson for his followers:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Don’t let others define you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now when the Samaritan woman asked, “How can you ask me for a drink?” she wasn’t trying to be pick a fight. She was simply reflecting the attitudes that she had encountered from Jewish men until now. In the culture of the day, the Jewish men would have had nothing but contempt for Samaritan women. But Jesus was by no means constrained by the attitudes or behavior of others. This is very useful to remember, since the church has made so many blunders throughout history. But we do not need to be constrained by their attitudes or behaviors.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">What the woman was really saying with the words “How can you ask me for a drink?” is, “you can’t do that -- that kind of behavior doesn’t fit into the nice neat little stereotype that I have of you.” I imagine Jesus chuckled at her words. And we must not let others define us either. Don’t waste any energy making excuses for other people’s nice neat little stereotypes of you. Just break it. Go ahead: break it. That’s what Jesus did. As followers of the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth, those stereotypes have no power over you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Instead, you have the freedom to provide dignity where no dignity could have been expected. You have the freedom to speak truth where the truth has gone out of style. You have the freedom to show love where the word “love” has only been a front for exploitation. You have the freedom to deliver hope into the lives of people who have given up hope. Don’t let others define you. Instead, define yourself as a follower of Jesus. Let's see what he says next.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">With the words “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman,” the woman was reminding Jesus of history. History of oppression. History of abuse. History that would have connected the two of them to opposite poles in the dynamic of oppression. Him: man; her: woman; him: Jew; her: Samaritan. But Jesus isn’t playing that game. And that’s a very interesting point in a day and age in which the history of oppression looms so large. Instead, Jesus recognized this woman was a human being, and as a precious soul made in the image of God, she had needs in common with everyone else -- needs that were vastly more important than any labels. And this is our second lesson this morning. We must look beyond all the labels that we are told are so very important, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Of course, saying this could get us in trouble -- unless we actually live it. As<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Cyprian wrote in AD 256, “We are philosophers not in words but in deeds; … we know virtues by their practice ...; we do not speak great things <i>but we live them</i>.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">And when Jesus said "If you knew who it is that asks you for a drink." -- that is, if you knew <i>him. </i>"you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Not only does Jesus recognize the need in this woman, but he knows exactly what it is that could fulfill that need, and is ready, willing, and able to supply it. But let’s read on:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>17 “I have no husband,” she replied.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Please notice that while Jesus found a way to <i>agree </i>with what this woman said, he did nothing that could be described as “affirming” her choices? Some folks seem to imagine that it is impossible to love someone without affirming everything about them. Clearly Jesus thought otherwise. And, as followers of Jesus, this is something that we need to learn, too. We must love people without having to affirm everything about them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">But please also notice, that while Jesus did nothing to “affirm” this woman’s lifestyle, he did nothing to condemn her either! Perhaps we also need to learn to avoid being so quick to condemn people, too. Of all the people Jesus ever met, this woman was likely high on the list of those that he could condemn. But he didn’t. He continued to dignify her with conversation, and let her immediately change the subject.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>“Sir,” the woman said, “... Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Having just been called out over the fact that she had been with six different men, the woman diverts the conversation toward a controversy that she feels certain to “win.” After all, she has heard countless times how wrong the Jews were in this regard. Similarly, folks today have heard the media or the academy tell us countless times how wrong the church is in so many respects. And you may have experienced conversations suddenly veering toward controversies yourself. Some people today are convinced that making reference to American politics, or scandals in the Catholic church, or the Spanish Inquisition, or the Crusades will immediately give them the upper hand in any conversation with a Christian. But please pay careful attention to how Jesus responds. The woman jumps for what she thinks is a window of opposition, but Jesus immediately turns it into a window of opportunity.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem -- [a time] when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The woman thought that by invoking an historic wedge issue, she could put Jesus on the defensive and save some face. But Jesus wasn’t playing that game either. Instead, he takes her chosen topic and uses it as an opening into which he speaks wisdom and truth. And that’s our third lesson today:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Don’t let others trap you in controversies.</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Whenever we waste our time caught in the vortex of controversies, the enemy is quite content. It really doesn’t matter how correct we are. It really doesn’t matter how much in error the other guy is. That time is wasted. Jesus didn’t go around giving the final answers to all the controversies of his day. If anyone could, it would have been him! But he knew better! Instead, he was content to be continually asking good questions. Read the gospels and you will see for yourselves: his example is a master-class in <i>avoiding </i>controversies.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Do you remember when the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus? “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar,” they asked him. They thought there was no escape. If he said “yes,” he would look like a wimp and a traitor to the people. If he said “no,” they could report him to the authorities as a subversive. Instead, he asked for a coin, and asked them whose picture and inscription was on it. Of course, the answer was “Caesar”, and so Jesus rose above any controversy with his famous answer, “then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but give to God what is God’s.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Please also note that Jesus’ answer to this woman implies that “his people” haven’t got it all together. As far as she is concerned, Jesus would have been expected to argue for Jerusalem as the place of worship. But he doesn’t. There is a higher Truth. Jesus doesn’t defend Jerusalem. Jerusalem is just a shadow of the reality to come. This is a principle that shows up in Paul's writings, too (Col 2:17):</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">And as we follow Jesus, let us not get hung up on the shadows -- such an 'empire' thing to do -- but may we receive a clear vision of higher Truth that brings us back to Jesus. Here’s the end of their conversation:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">And that’s the final lesson for us this morning:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Jesus is the answer.</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now while this lesson might sound like the easiest one, it really is the most difficult. Sure: it is an answer that every Sunday School child might be able to repeat, but until Jesus becomes the answer in my life -- the answer to my hopes, the answer to my worries, the answer to my failures, the answer to my aspirations -- why should anyone listen to me if I tell them that Jesus is the answer in their life?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the conversation we’ve just considered, Jesus first broke down a number of barriers. He avoided being defined by others. He recognized the needs of the woman as a human being and he brought her to the place where she was willing to acknowledge her need. He didn’t get trapped in controversies. Rather, he turned a window of opposition into a window of opportunity, and then -- and only then -- the woman was ready to hear that truth that she so desperately needed to hear -- that Jesus was truly the answer.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And in this conversation, we see a miniature of what Jesus would like to do for each of us. Just like he was willing to share in the woman's story, he wants to share in each of our stories, and bring us to the point where our story converges with his story. Then, he would love to give us that living water that wells up inside us and changes us from the inside out.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Jesus is the answer, but Jesus is smart enough to recognize that it is an answer that is really difficult to receive from a place of power. Rather, it is a message that is best received from a place of exile. Our Savior left his throne and came to walk among us and to be born as a baby into a poor family and into a marginalized community. Our Savior was willing to die the death of a criminal in order to get the message through to us.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Sure, there is discomfort in exile. It can be messy. It can be dirty. But exile is the soil in which the gospel can grow the best.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-83084037070755696012019-01-06T11:00:00.000-08:002019-01-07T07:28:26.962-08:00Discipleship Essentials<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy New Year! And welcome back… to the normal? I’m afraid that that’s what this coming week will feel like to most of us. The last two weeks might have had some vacation, and four statutory holidays, Christmas among them. I hope that time included some special festivities and food. Or perhaps contacts with family and friends -- we had the joy of almost a week in Edmonton with [my daughter] and her family and my Mom who flew there from Victoria. So much fun! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps your last two weeks also included a shopping excursion or two -- either in the Christmas rush or the Boxing week sales. Now with apologies to anyone who really likes shopping, I just don’t. I’m the guy who either walks very quickly into a store, finds what I want, and am out of there in record time, or I go into a store, and agonize over the options and leave frustrated. The only stores I can relax in are thrift stores.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But on at least one occasion, my inability to make up my mind in a store resulted in a bit of fun. You can picture it: I’m putting a package back on the shelf (possibly for the third time), and someone approaches me -- thinking that I must work in the store! -- to ask me where to find something. Has that ever happened to you? Or perhaps worse: have you ever approached another customer thinking they were a store employee? I confess: I’ve done that, too. Both experiences were at least worth a chuckle... to make up for the discomfort. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But experiences like this remind us that life is a whole lot easier to navigate when our roles are clear and we understand the roles of those around us. Our society has customs around store employees, and being able to easily identify them avoids the occasional awkwardness. But knowing one’s role is valuable in all manner of situations, from sports to business. Bill Parcells, a celebrated football coach turned “knowing one’s role” into something of a mantra. These other two guys [in the slide], both business consultants, also highlight the value of knowing one’s role. But this leads us to a very important question, doesn’t it? What is our role in the Kingdom of God? What is my role in the Kingdom of God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as I was thinking, studying and praying about my role at Bethel, I realized that understanding my role at Bethel is a very different thing from understanding my role in the Kingdom of God. Now perhaps talking about roles at Bethel is appropriate for another day, but this morning, I’d like to talk about roles in the Kingdom of God. And I became convinced that my role in the Kingdom needs to be exactly the same as… yours! Now this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone here. After all, with its Brethren background, Bethel Community Church has a history of participation in ministry, and the elders have long been impressed by your involvement in the ministries of the church, whether Awana, or Sunday School, or Praise in the Parlour, or the Missions Committee, or La Corde, or any other ministry at Bethel or elsewhere. At Bethel, while an elder takes responsibility for equipping the church, we recognize that elders aren’t in a “special spiritual category.” There are only </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">two </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“spiritual categories.” As Jesus says:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make every effort to enter through the narrow gate (Luke 13:24)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matt 7:13,14)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Simply put, there are those who have found life, and those who have yet to find life. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As far as God is concerned, there are those inside the Kingdom of God, and those outside the Kingdom of God. And in a very important sense, inside the Kingdom of God there is only </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">role: the role of a disciple of Jesus. So while it is my role at Bethel to encourage you in your role as Jesus’ disciples, my role in the Kingdom of God is exactly the same as yours: being Jesus disciple. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And this morning, I’d like to turn our attention to perhaps one of the most important stories in the gospels -- a story that reveals to us the expectations that God has for the role of Jesus’ disciple. In fact, I’d like to suggest to you that this story was understood by the early church to be like “the Kingdom of God in miniature” -- a picture of the proper function of the Kingdom’s outpost in the world that we call the church. This story is often called “the feeding of the five thousand.” And you can find it in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, or John 6. And a hat-tip to Dr. Yves Cheng is in order, as I once again consulted the lessons he has published on his website.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now how do I know that this story is so important? Well, it shows up in every one of the gospels. The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">only </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">other elements of the gospels that appear in all the gospels are those that occur toward the end of Jesus’ life on Earth: his arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection. So that puts the story that we are going to look at this morning in some </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">really </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">important company. Now most of you are familiar with the story, so I hope you don’t mind if I read you an amalgam of all four: that is, I’ve put all four of the accounts together. This way, we can get most of the details in one go. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to his twelve disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things about the kingdom of God, and healed those who were sick.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When they had all eaten and were satisfied, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. And when the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now before getting to the story itself, I’d like to highlight at the outset… the roles in this story. First, there is Jesus. Of course, he’s in a class by Himself. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. No-one comes to God except through him. Please understand: Jesus is much bigger than anything we can think of him or say of him. He can and does work in ways that will surprise even his closest followers. But if people make it to God, they do so through Jesus. If people come to Jesus, he draws them to God. The secret ingredient in the story we’ve just read is Jesus. And we are going to come back to him, but before we do, let’s consider the other roles… </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next comes the disciples. These are not those who just </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">claim </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to be Christians.These are not those who just hang around churches. These are not those who have seen Jesus from a distance and have enjoyed a free lunch. These are those individuals who have </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">been called by Jesus</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. These are those who have </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">found </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the narrow gate leading to life, and have entered it. Now there is no pride in this role. We know that it is all grace that has drawn us into fellowship with our Lord and Savior. As scripture says (Eph 2:3-5):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By our very nature we </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">were</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> subject to God’s anger, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">just like everyone else</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life [as] when he raised Christ from the dead. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are no better than anyone else, but we have, by God’s grace, been given a new life -- experienced in the here and now and with the promise of a resurrection from the dead, as we follow in Jesus footsteps. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So the story involves Jesus, and the story involves the disciples, but the story also involves the people in the crowd. Now there might be some here who are not yet disciples of Jesus. We’re certainly glad you’ve been willing to come out this morning. As we saw from our text, Jesus sentiment toward the crowd is one of compassion, and true followers of Christ should feel exactly the same way toward those needing to meet Him for the first time -- regardless of politics, ethnicity, or life-style. But if you are not yet a disciple, Jesus has a message for you this morning. In John 6, the day after being fed by Jesus, a large portion of the crowd found him. And this is what he said to them -- and to anyone who is not yet his disciple (6:27):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure: Jesus’ compassion for the crowd involved his making sure that they didn’t go home hungry that previous day. He also told his disciples to pray, “give us this day our daily bread.” So he understands the need for “the food that perishes.” But he also wants them to understand that there are more important things in life than physical food. He challenges us to “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">work for the food that endures to eternal life.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Remember that narrow gate Jesus tells us to strive to enter? The one on the path to life? Well, there is a nourishment that fortifies us for that journey. There is a food that endures to eternal life. And what is the source of that food? Well, Jesus tells us that, too: “The Son of Man” is just how Jesus referred to himself. So the challenge is to come to Jesus and receive what he is offering this morning. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are three roles in this story. But only two roles for us. We are either lost without a shepherd -- in which case we are in serious need of coming to Jesus, or we are one of his disciples -- in which case the rest of the story is intended for you. Now while it is probably comforting to put ourselves into one role or other, I wonder if there are aspects of our lives that are split between the two roles? But did you notice that the story begins with Jesus wanting to take his disciples on a retreat where they would have a chance to eat and rest? That’s how the story begins :</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to his twelve disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Mark 6:31)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And yet, when they get out of that boat, there’s a crowd there to meet them. Now Jesus, feeling compassion for the crowd, begins to teach them and to heal them. And it is only some time later, when Jesus’ compassion finally rubs off on the disciples, that it occurs to them that the crowd could be beginning to be hungry, too. And they suggest that the crowd be sent away to look after their own needs. The fact that by this time the disciples are even more tired and more hungry just might be in play.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But that’s when Jesus puts them on the spot and asks them to do the impossible. “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You give them something to eat,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” he says. Say what? Jesus -- you can’t be serious! You want </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">us </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to give them something to eat? They start to do the math: five, perhaps as many as eight thousand people; three dollars per person for a modest meal; that’s twenty-four thousand dollars! They don’t have access to that kind of money. And they want to make sure that Jesus is aware of the absurdity of what he is asking them to do. Then, they do an inventory (at Jesus’ suggestion): five small loaves and two small fish. As Andrew says, “how far will they go among so many?”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What they have is so little. What they have been asked to do is so great. I wonder how often we’re tempted to throw in the towel because our assessment of our resources and our gifts is to be desperately insufficient for what we know that God is calling us to? But the disciples know Jesus well enough by this time that they are going to pay close attention to his next moves. “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have the people sit down in groups of about fifty each.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Dividing thousands people into groups of fifty is a non-trivial undertaking, likely taking a significant amount of time. Yet, these tired and hungry disciples did as they were told, and then... they came back to Jesus for instructions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And what does Jesus do? He gives thanks for God’s provision -- five small loaves and two small fish -- small as it is. No matter how small our resources seem, if we would like God to use them, it is critical that we bring them to God with gratitude. After giving thanks, Jesus breaks the food, and he gives it to his disciples. And he does it again. And he does it again. And as he does, he demonstrates that he is the Lord of Creation. He demonstrates that he has authority over nature. He has authority over the laws of nature. He was, after all, the one who </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">made</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> those laws. He knows just how matter was formed and how the fundamental particles interact with the fundamental forces. He is the One who came up with all that in the first place. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And while the ring of disciples around Jesus might have made it difficult for those in the crowd to see, the people closest to Jesus would likely have been aware that something amazing was happening. But those a little further out </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">might </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">have been unaware! And there were almost certainly people in the fringes of the crowd who were oblivious of the fact that they were in the presence of the Creator of the Universe -- not even aware that a miracle was happening at all! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are two important principles here to think about. First: if you really want to see God at work, get closer to Jesus. Second: the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">effects </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of Jesus’ work in the world </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">always </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">go far beyond the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">human perception</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Jesus’ work in the world.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But those in the crowd who were paying attention understood that something very special was happening. These are the people that exclaim, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” What prophet is that? The one Moses had prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:15: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” And for his part, Jesus identifies with that prophet (John 5:46 -- directly before this morning’s reading): “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was an expectation among the Jewish people in the first century that the coming Messiah would bring manna even as Moses did -- feeding the people of God with miraculous bread. This is expressed in rabbinical writings (here’s the quote) “What did the first redeemer? He brought down the manna. And the last redeemer will bring down the manna.” It is also found in the apocryphal book of 2nd Baruch: “at that time the treasury of manna will again descend from on high.” And now in our story this morning, Jesus is also distributing miraculous bread to the people of God. All that to say that this event -- at least for those in the crowd who were paying attention -- would have shaken their Jewish souls to the very core. No wonder they said, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But let’s turn back to the disciples as they carry food out to the crowd. Likely those twelve baskets the story refers to at the end were the only thing they had to work with. So they carried a basket of food out, and carried an empty basket back to get more. Feeding such a crowd in such a manner would have taken at least another half-hour. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did I mention that they were already tired and hungry? It makes us wonder, doesn’t it? Since Jesus was miraculously creating food in the first place (which was certainly the most difficult part of the whole process), how much harder would it have been for him to literally make manna come down from heaven? I expect that he could have done that with no more effort at all!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Jesus chooses to do the things he does the way that he does as lessons for us. And we see the disciples needing to return again and again to their Master for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">his </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">provision. Jesus chose not to “solve the problem” without his disciples’ involvement. Instead, he insisted on using his disciples, and he </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">still </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">insists on using his disciples -- on using us! -- to bring the Bread of Life -- the bread that endures to eternal life -- to a starving world. But this isn’t something that we can do on our own. We need to return, again and again, to our Savior -- for without him we can do nothing. We return to him for the living bread, but we also return to him for his instructions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what are his instructions for us this morning? What are his lessons from this story? First, we must develop compassion, emulating our Savior in His concern for the world. Second, we must be willing to exercise that compassion in service. And finally, we must return to Jesus regularly, trusting Him to look after the rest. Perhaps we could add one more: as disciples, we need to be patient in obedience if we really want to see God at work.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because it is only when we are willing to come to Jesus, and to come back to Jesus, and to come back to Jesus again, that our eyes and our hearts can be opened in compassion to a world that desperately needs the bread that endures to eternal life.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are two roles in play for us this morning. (to reiterate) In the crowd, those on the periphery would have just been grateful for the lunch. Closer to the action, there would have been those curious about the proceedings. Those looking over the shoulders of the disciples would have been blown away. But once Jesus got the attention of the crowd -- those yet to become his disciples -- he would nudge them toward the truth (John 6:35,51):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst…. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The bread that endures to eternal life is Jesus himself. Let 2019 be the year in which you are able to meet him, to learn from him, to receive this amazing blessing from him. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those who are already his disciples, let 2019 be the year that we develop a more compassionate heart, that you learn what it means to serve, and learn how to trust Jesus more fully. These essentials are critical to doing the work that God has prepared for us to do. With the words of Paul in mind:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">let 2019 be the year that we develop a habit of returning, again and again, to Jesus, to receive His living bread, so that even our friends and neighbors will “taste and see that the Lord is good.”</span></div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-50011678711147325982018-11-25T11:00:00.000-08:002019-03-10T12:41:54.436-07:00Who 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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:<br />
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<i>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.’</i><br />
<i>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.’</i><br />
<i>14 “I tell you [says Jesus] that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.”</i><br />
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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).<br />
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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.<br />
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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:<br />
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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…<br />
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…<br />
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?<br />
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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.”<br />
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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)<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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?<br />
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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?<br />
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?<br />
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.<br />
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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…<br />
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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?<br />
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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.”<br />
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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…<br />
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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.<br />
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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:<br />
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Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.<br />
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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.<br />
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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!<br />
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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”<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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:<br />
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<i>God, [has] reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ</i> (2 Cor 5:18)<br />
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And the amazing thing is that this reconciliation enables us to come to God as our loving Father. The Bible also says (Hebrews 4):<br />
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<i>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.</i><br />
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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):<br />
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<i>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 <u>justifies</u>.</i><br />
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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.<br />
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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.”Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-18475978566462133132018-10-14T11:00:00.000-07:002018-11-06T12:35:24.463-08:00The Wisdom from Above<i>Who is wise and understanding among you? </i><br />
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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.<br />
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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):<br />
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Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?<br />
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?<br />
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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.<br />
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But if we’re serious about wisdom, we need to have some respect for tradition. As Jeremiah wrote:<br />
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<i>This is what the Lord says:</i><br />
<i>“Stand at the crossroads and look;</i><br />
<i> ask for the ancient paths,</i><br />
<i>ask where the good way is, and walk in it,</i><br />
<i> and you will find rest for your souls.</i><br />
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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):<br />
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<i>My son, if you [turn] your ear to wisdom</i><br />
<i> and [apply] your heart to understanding—</i><br />
<i>Then you will understand what is right and just</i><br />
<i> and fair—every good path.</i><br />
<i>For wisdom will enter your heart,</i><br />
<i> and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.</i><br />
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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.<br />
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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.”<br />
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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):<br />
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<i>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....</i><br />
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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:<br />
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<i>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. ...</i><br />
<i>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.”</i><br />
<i>22 Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.”</i><br />
<i>“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.</i><br />
<i>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.</i><br />
<i>25 Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”</i><br />
<i>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!”</i><br />
<i>But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”</i><br />
<i>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!”</i><br />
<i>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.</i><br />
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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.<br />
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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:<br />
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<i>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.</i><br />
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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.”<br />
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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.”<br />
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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.<br />
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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.”<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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And James has given us plenty more to go on in order to distinguish between true and counterfeit wisdom (v17):<br />
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<i>...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.</i><br />
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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.<br />
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“<i>Then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruit, without partiality and without hypocrisy.</i>” 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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):<br />
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<i>It is God who justifies. </i><br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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):<br />
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<i>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.</i><br />
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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):<br />
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<i>[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.</i><br />
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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.<br />
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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.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-25754495909812843702018-09-02T11:00:00.000-07:002018-09-05T09:54:50.616-07:00A Prescription & a Promise<div>
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. </div>
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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. </div>
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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.</div>
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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. </div>
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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. </div>
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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.<br />
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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. </div>
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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:</div>
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“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,”</div>
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And about those early days of the church, we also read:</div>
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"On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria."</div>
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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.</div>
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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! </div>
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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. </div>
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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! </div>
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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:</div>
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...that you may be perfect and complete</div>
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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.</div>
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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:</div>
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"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,"</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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):</div>
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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,<br />
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.<br />
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.</div>
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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. </div>
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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:</div>
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we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope</div>
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1 Peter 1:6,7:</div>
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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.</div>
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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:</div>
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“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....” </div>
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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. </div>
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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. </div>
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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:</div>
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No Pain; No Gain</div>
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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.</div>
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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):</div>
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I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.</div>
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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. </div>
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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.</div>
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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. </div>
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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:</div>
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5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. </div>
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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: </div>
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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.</div>
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“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.</div>
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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.” </div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-45969139350617590112018-08-12T11:00:00.000-07:002018-08-13T09:33:25.815-07:00Pleasing God<div>
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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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)<br />
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<i>(NCV) “Try to learn what pleases the Lord” or (NIV) find out what pleases the Lord.</i><br />
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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.<br />
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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?<br />
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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:<br />
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<i>“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.”</i><br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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?<br />
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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.”<br />
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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:<br />
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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.<br />
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.<br />
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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:<br />
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<i>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)</i><br />
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And then, just a few verses later (v21),<br />
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<i>God was pleased through [what many consider] foolishness ... to save those [of us] who believe.</i><br />
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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 -- <br />
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<i>...a voice [was heard from] the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.</i><br />
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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. </div>
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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):<br />
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<i> ...we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts.</i><br />
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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:<br />
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<i>Rom 15:2 - Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.</i><br />
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Or, how about:<br />
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<i>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.</i> <br />
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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):<br />
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<i>Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.</i><br />
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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)<br />
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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):<br />
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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: <br />
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<li><i>bearing fruit in every good work; </i></li>
<li><i>increasing in the knowledge of God; </i></li>
<li><i>being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;</i></li>
<li><i>giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom </i>of light.</li>
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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”).<br />
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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:<br />
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<i>I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I remain in you, you will bear much fruit.</i><br />
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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. <br />
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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):</div>
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I consider everything [in my past] a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.<br />
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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.!<br />
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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.<br />
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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?<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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If we want to be “fully pleasing” to God, then we need to [closing the fingers of one hand to count] be:<br />
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Bearing [F]ruit, (that’s an “F”)<br />
[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)<br />
being [S]trengthened with God’s power (that’s an “S”)<br />
joyfully giving [T]hanks to the Father (that’s a “T”)<br />
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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. <br />
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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.</div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-28367212106595823082018-07-22T11:00:00.000-07:002018-07-31T07:53:53.163-07:00Royal InvestmentsHow 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 <i>learning</i> these important life-changing secrets is just a matter of <i>hearing</i> them.<br />
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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:<br />
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<i> “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.’”</i><br />
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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.<br />
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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 <i>appreciating</i> 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 <i>apprehending</i> 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 <i>apprenticing</i> level -- where you don’t just know; you don’t just understand; you actually come to <i>own</i> the secret. <br />
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Playing the piano is similar. At a <i>appreciating</i> 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 <i>apprehending</i> 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.<br />
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Now the secrets of the Kingdom of God are all apprenticeship-level secrets, or, if you prefer, <i>discipleship</i>-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. <br />
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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...<br />
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<i>“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.’</i><br />
<i></i><br />
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. <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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 <i>ultimate</i> 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)<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Hold on. Did you notice that this master is saying that <i>five million dollars</i> 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!<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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):<br />
<br />
<i>“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.”</i><br />
<i></i><br />
...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.<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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.” <br />
<br />
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:<br />
<br />
<i>For</i> <i>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.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
Does that sound familiar? It should: that’s what we read from chapter 13 earlier: <br />
<br />
<i>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.’”</i><br />
<i></i><br />
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:<br />
<br />
<i>Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
That’s why Jesus, elsewhere, says:<br />
<br />
<i>“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”</i><br />
<i></i><br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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. <br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.” <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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? <br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-3353771506185406762018-05-20T11:00:00.000-07:002018-06-20T14:43:15.678-07:00Ten Bridesmaids<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">As most of you know, I have three children. Have you ever noticed that your
children's greatest weaknesses were likely... inherited from you? Here's
another observation: your children's greatest weaknesses are often the
flip-side of their greatest strengths.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">My oldest, Grace, was a wonderful child. She was always most contented. But
the flip-side of that meant that she seemed to resent any influence toward
change at all. (I know where she got that from!) The first breakthrough we had
in that respect took place after Grace started school. In Kindergarten, there
were four words that could light a fire under Grace. Perhaps if you are a
parent of young children you know what is coming. Those four miracle words
were: “don’t miss the bus!” Grace would invariably accomplish more in the
thirty seconds after hearing those words than she had in the thirty minutes
before hearing them. And after a few months of Kindergarten, she even seemed
willing to forgive me, even though I was disrupting her life regularly, because
she realizes that when Daddy said “don’t miss the bus!” -- I never said it
unless it was coming soon -- it was always entirely out of love for her.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">You see, contrary to much of what the world will tell you, it really is
loving to disrupt someone in the present to protect them from a much worse fate
in the future. Having experienced the consequences of missing the bus
(receiving grief from her teacher and her classmates), she recognized that a
little bit of loving disruption was a small price to pay to be protected from
those consequences.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">This morning, we’re going to consider some of Jesus words -- words spoken
out of love for us -- words coming from two different places in the gospels --
and words that should have for us the same impact that “don’t miss the bus!”
had for Grace. The first passage we need to look at is in Luke chapter 13,
starting in verse 22:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">[Jesus] went on his
way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23
And someone asked him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”</span></span></i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">“Someone asked Jesus, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’” Now whoever that
someone was, they were clever enough to ask the right person the right
question. Did you know that the name “Jesus” means “God saves?” And do you
remember that the angel Gabriel, announcing the birth of Jesus, said to his
mother, Mary, “...and he will save his people...” So right on! Jesus is
particularly committed to saving people. And there are those in this room who
have had more than a glimpse of this salvation: they know what it is to be
saved, and they know Who it is that saves them.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">If you haven’t experienced that salvation this morning, you might one day
come to realize that you (also) desperately need it -- just like the rest of
us. And I have some good news for you when that time comes: the Bible says
that, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” And to help us
out, God even sent Jesus, who came dying to save us.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">What does it mean to be saved? Well, in the Biblical language, the poor
will receive good news; the blind will receive their sight; and the oppressed
will be freed. Sure: there have been many who have come claiming to be able to
deliver such things, but their ideas inevitably turn out to be like “shuffling
deck-chairs on the Titanic”. (You understand that expression, I'm sure: the
Titanic is going down, and shuffling its deck-chairs isn't going to help).
There is only one person in history who is actually able to address our deepest
needs and our deepest problems. As the Bible puts it:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Jesus is the only
One who can save people. No one else in the world is able to save us.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">But “will only a few be saved?” Let’s read on (Luke 13:23):</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">...someone said to
him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24“Make
every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek
to enter and will not be able.”</span></span></i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">“Many will try to enter and will not be able to!” Well! Clearly, it is only
a few that will be saved. But that’s not all: Jesus is also saying that if we
want to experience salvation it will take some effort on our part! For many
people, that doesn’t sound much like good news. But since Jesus is the source
of this salvation we’re talking about, we would do well to pay close attention
to what he’s saying. Please listen carefully to what Jesus continues to say in
Luke chapter 13:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">For many, I tell
you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house
gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading,
‘Sir, open the door for us.’</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">“But he will answer,
‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">[verse 29] 29But
people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at
table in the kingdom of God. 30And behold, some who are now last will be first,
and some who are now first will be last.”</span></span></i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Not only is it the case that only a few will be saved, but it also sounds
like there will be folks who expect to be saved … and they won’t be. And what
an uncomfortable rejection they receive: “I don’t know you or where you come
from.” You know, it really can be stressed enough: our salvation depends on
knowing Jesus and being known by him! And here, Jesus is clearly saying that
there will be some who think they should be known, but aren’t. Of course, this
means that we need to be careful and we need to be humble.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">At the same time, it also sounds like there are folks who we might not
expect to be saved … but they will be! That’s the point Jesus is making in
verse 29 (...people will come from east and west, and from north and south):
there will be plenty of surprises among the rolls of the kingdom of God. How do
we know that’s what Jesus was saying? -- well, it isn’t the first time he said
it: in Matthew 8:11 he says the same thing (“many will come from east and west
and recline at table ... in the kingdom of heaven”) while commending a Roman
centurion -- someone who, in the minds of the Jewish folk listening, was a
representative of everything corrupt and evil. So no matter where you are from,
no matter what you have done, no matter how much of a mess you have made of
your life, you aren’t beyond the reach of his mercy. We have good grounds for
being both careful and for being optimistic.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">But another thing to notice here is that there doesn’t appear to be any
warning at all that the owner of the house is about to close and lock the door.
We need to be aware that that kind of surprise is in our destiny, too. There is
going to come a time in every one of our lives when it will be too late.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>At that point, it is going to be “game over:
no more lives; no more chances.” For many of us, it could be the day we die.
For others, they might get into such a habit of turning away from God, and
turning God away. But it could also be when Jesus returns in glory to judge the
living and the dead. The Bible makes it clear that:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">... it is appointed
for men to die once, but after this the judgment, (Hebrews 9:27)</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We aren’t going to be given any warning, folks. And we all want to be on
the inside when that time comes and that door is closed. So “Don’t miss the
bus!”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Oh: did you notice that the original question was about being saved, but
Jesus’ answer is all about making it into the kingdom of God. (right? that’s
verse 29: “But people will come from [all over the place], and [feast] in the
kingdom of God.”) So we’re going to look at some of the things that Jesus says
about the kingdom of God this morning, understanding that, as far as Jesus is
concerned, our entrance into the kingdom of God represents salvation for every
one of us.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now I’m sure that you are aware that Jesus taught in parables. And Jesus
introduces twelve of his parables with words to the effect “the kingdom of God
is like” or “the kingdom of heaven will be like”. So this morning, we are going
to take a closer look at one of those parables. It is found in Matthew chapter
25, starting at verse 1.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><i>Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their
lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five
were wise. 3For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,
4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was a
long time coming, they all became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was
a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those
bridesmaids rose and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said to the wise,
‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise
answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather
to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10And while they were going to buy, the
bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage
feast, and the door was shut. 11Afterward the other bridesmaids came also,
saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do
not know you.’</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’m sure that you noticed the similarity between this parable and the
passage that we read earlier. In both places, a door is shut. In both places,
no warning is given. In both places, there are people who are kept outside. In
both places, those outside desperately want to be granted entrance. And in both
places, we hear those scariest of all the words in the Bible: “I do not know
you.” Please understand: Jesus is using these foolish bridesmaids and their
failure as a warning to us! He doesn’t want us to be caught out. In his great
love for us, he wants us to be ready; he wants to tell us “Don’t miss the bus!”</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">That wedding banquet? It represents no less than our eternal salvation. It
is an image that shows up elsewhere in scripture, too. In the book of
Revelation (19:9), we read:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">And the angel said
to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been invited to the wedding
supper of the Lamb!” And the angel added, “These are the true words of God.”</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Participating in this wedding reception represents the ultimate blessing.
Revelation goes on to describe what it will be like in that day:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now God’s presence
is with people, and he will live with them... He will wipe away every tear from
their eyes, and there will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain, because
all the old ways are gone.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">If you receive that invitation to Lamb’s wedding supper, you wouldn’t think
twice about letting everything else go in order to attend. Seriously.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yesterday, a royal wedding occurred [May 19, 2018: Prince Harry &
Meghan Markle]. For many people throughout the commonwealth, it was a really
big deal. Estimates suggest that the wedding itself cost in the vicinity of $5
million. And that’s not even including the security, which might have been as
much as fifteen times the rest of the event. Nice budget for a private party.
You can well imagine that some of the 600 people who received invitations<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>changed their plans when they it arrived.
There were very few, if any, who were invited and didn’t attend.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">But the wedding supper of the Lamb will blow yesterday’s wedding out of the
water -- nobody is going to be bored there, that’s for sure. For starters, our
host will be the source of all things good. But the number and quality of the
people will also be unprecedented. Not convinced? You mean you aren’t impressed
with some church people? Well, you are not alone. But two things about that.
First, scripture makes it clear that none of our failings or uglinesses will be
present: in that day, we read that (Eph 5:27)</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">the church [will be
presented to him] in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that
she might be holy and without blemish.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We’re going to tidy up real nice, people! But, second, it certainly seems
from our parable this morning that there are some within the church who won’t
make it at all. That is, our ideas of who belongs in the church and God’s ideas
of who belongs in the church are not necessarily in sync. Sure, when we go to
church, we expect the people to be citizens of the kingdom, but God doesn’t
take any steps to fulfill that expectation!</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In fact, Jesus makes that clear in other parables, doesn’t he? The kingdom
of heaven, he says (in Matthew 13), is like a field full of both wheat and
weeds. There, the landowner gives instructions that no action will be taken to
separate the two until harvest time. And the kingdom of heaven, he says (toward
the end of that same chapter), is like a net catching both good and bad fish,
and -- once again -- their separation only happens at the “end of the age”.
Even in our parable, the difference between those who make it in and those who
are kept out is really subtle, doesn’t it? Right up until the very last second,
even the foolish bridesmaids had every expectation to be granted access to the
marriage feast, didn’t they?</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In Jesus’ day, wedding feasts were great occasions. They involved many
guests, lots of food and drink, and they lasting a long time. The feast would
begin “when all was ready.” Of course the food had to be prepared, but there
were also last-minute negotiations taking place between the groom, his family
and his in-laws about the terms of the marriage contract. The contract needed
to be signed and the dowry needed to be paid before the feast began.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">And while these negotiations took place, the bride, surrounded by
bridesmaids, would be waiting at her house. In the custom of the day, the
arrival of the bridegroom meant that everything was ready: the wedding feast
was about to begin with a procession: musicians and dancing would accompany the
groom as he brought the bride to his parental home.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now isn’t it interesting that all the action -- all the good stuff that
folks would naturally anticipate -- occurs after the bridegroom arrives, but in
Jesus’ parable, all the real drama takes place during the wait for his arrival.
Because it is always during that “long time coming” that folks struggle. We see
a similar thing going on in the parable of the Talents, don’t we? There, the
kingdom of God is like a king who has gone off to a foreign land with a promise
of return. His servants are expected to make responsible use of his resources
while the master is away.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">But it is that time that God seems far away that all the important
decisions are made -- because, after all, that is when we are beset by constant
temptation. Human psychology is peculiar. Scripture says that (Ecclesiastes
3:11b):</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">God has set eternity
in the human heart.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Developing that theme, Pascal says that:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">...this infinite
abyss can [only] be filled ... by God himself.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Similarly, Augustine writes:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">You have made us for
yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We might not recognize it, but we are wired to desire what only God can
provide. And that inner craving is so strong, when God seems far away we are
sorely tempted to punish him -- yes, you heard that right: we attempt to punish
God. How do we do that? -- well, by... punishing others and punishing
ourselves. (Perhaps you might have seen children “punish” their parents in a
similar way). Theodore Dalrymple said, “We live in societies in which an
unprecedented proportion of the total of suffering is self-inflicted.” So we indulge
ourselves; and we take advantage of others. And we deceive ourselves into
thinking that actions like these are to our benefit, when, in fact, they only
damage us, making us very much less of the person that God intended us to be --
actually reducing our potential. It is those times that God seems far away that
are the most critical times in our lives. And it is during that “long time
coming” that the bridesmaids make decisions that make all the difference for
them.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Your entrance into his Kingdom -- your eternal life and happiness --
depends on being wise rather than foolish. And considering how important this
is, I can’t help but be reminded of something Einstein once said:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">If I had an hour to
solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first
55 minutes determining the proper question to ask...</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The reason this principle is so important is that the parable before us
this morning is almost certain to generate a huge number of questions.
Questions like “what’s the deal with the oil?” Or “why wouldn’t the wise
bridesmaids share?” But because our very lives really do depend on the
“solution to this problem”, we need to carefully consider the proper question
to ask about this parable. But let me suggest that in order to find the proper
question, we need to consider a lead-in question first, that is:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Why weren’t the foolish bridesmaids admitted to the wedding celebration?</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now this one isn’t difficult to answer: the answer is all over our text. In
the introduction to our parable (in the previous chapter), Jesus says (24:44):</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Therefore you also
must be ready</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">And if we look at the verse immediately following our parable, Jesus says,
(v13 AMP)</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Therefore, be on the
alert [be prepared and ready]</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Similarly, in the parable itself (v10), we read:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">those who were ready
went in with him to the marriage feast</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">So the answer to our first question (“why weren’t the foolish bridesmaids
admitted?”) is simply: “they weren’t ready!” But, of course, that leads us
directly to the proper question (which is):</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">What does this parable tell us about how to be ready?</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’d like to offer three answers to that question this morning, starting
with:</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">1 - It is personal.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">You can’t make your way into the kingdom of God on anyone else’s coattails.
The wise bridesmaids were ready, and the foolish bridesmaids thought they could
use their friends’ readiness for their own advantage. But they couldn’t.
Instead, it was necessary that they should make their own personal
arrangements.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">It doesn’t matter who you hang out with. And it doesn’t matter what your
last name is. You have to take personal responsibility for your own entrance
into the kingdom of God.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is also an interesting implication here: if (may it never be), you
someday hear those fateful words, "I never knew you," you can't blame
your parents; you can't blame your church; you can't blame your politicians.
There is only one person that is to blame.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">2 - Yes: readiness is personal, but it is also precious.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Being ready requires time and resources. The fact that the foolish
bridesmaids are sent off to buy extra oil indicates as much. And, of course,
that investment of time and resources is the wise things to do. But you know, Jesus
does not trick anyone into his kingdom, giving us flowery promises of an easy
life. Rather we are told to count the cost -- and in this respect, Jesus
doesn’t pull any punches, saying (Luke 14:33):</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">you cannot become my
disciple without giving up everything.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">No question about it: Jesus knows that many are going to weigh the options
and walk away from his offer. But those who do can’t blame him when they hear
those fateful words. But for those willing to trust in him, the more they
invest, the more they find joy in their investment. Elsewhere, Jesus says
(Matthew 13:44):</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The kingdom of
heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.</span></span></i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">So don’t think of your investment in the Kingdom as “pricey” -- think of it
as “precious”: it is so much more than worth it.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">3 - Readiness is personal, and it is precious, but it also needs to be is
priority.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Did you notice that every one of the bridesmaids had plenty of opportunity
to be ready? Even the foolish bridesmaids could easily have gone to buy their
extra oil during that “long time coming” -- rather than waiting for it to be
too late. So we must invest in our readiness now. As the Bible says (2 Corinthians
6:2):</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Behold, now is the
favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">For some, perhaps even here this morning, this could be the critical time
in your life. Now if you are thinking that you've done just fine up to the
present and don't need to take any action -- well, that's precisely the mistake
that the foolish bridesmaids made, isn't it? You're being given a chance to
respond appropriately even now. As we read in Peter’s second letter (3:9):</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px 24px;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The Lord is ...
patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should
reach repentance.</span></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span lang="EN" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is going to be a party, folks -- it is going to be amazing, and you
won’t want to miss it. But you’re going to have to take some responsibility if
you want to make it in. In fact, you’ll want to “make every effort” to be
ready: and being ready is something you’ll want to take personally; being ready
is something you’ll want to consider precious and being ready is something
you’ll want to make a priority. “Don’t miss that bus!”</span></span></div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-21435262221019304802018-03-11T13:16:00.000-07:002018-03-15T11:33:05.787-07:00The Most Astonishing Promise<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">What a fascinating
passage of scripture (John 16:16-33). But if you -- like me -- find some things about this
passage to be puzzling, isn’t it comforting to notice that the disciples <i>also
</i>appear to be confused? In verse 17, they say to each other, “<i>What does
he mean</i>?” (that is, “What does Jesus mean?”) And in verse 18, after
repeating that same question, they say quite explicitly, “<i>We don’t
understand what he is saying.</i>” </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Isn’t it great that the
gospel writers aren’t at all shy about acknowledging when the disciples were
out of sync with Jesus? Of course, the good news is that in spite of their
inability to grasp what Jesus is saying, Jesus didn’t give up on them. So
whenever <i>we</i> struggle to understand something Jesus is saying to us,
whenever <i>we </i>struggle to be in harmony with him, we can be assured that
he is not about to give up on us, either…. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But isn’t it also
interesting to notice that the things that confuse Jesus’ disciples aren’t the
same things that puzzle us? In verse 18, the disciples ask about this “little
while” business. But when Jesus says, “<i>in a little while you will no longer
see me,</i>” we <i>now</i> know that he could well have been speaking about his
approaching crucifixion and death -- it is, after all, something that he
predicted at least three times. And then when he adds, “<i>and then after a
little while you will see me</i>”? Well, we <i>now </i>know that Jesus would
also rise from the dead in great victory. And so we aren’t as puzzled today as
the disciples were when Jesus said these words. Having the death and
resurrection in mind also helps us understand verses 20-22:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and
mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to
joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but
when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child
is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will
see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. </span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Can you imagine being
one of those disciples between Jesus death on Good Friday and his resurrection
Easter Sunday morning? When their leader and friend was executed they very
likely did “weep and mourn” (as Jesus predicted). It would have appeared to
them that they had made a failed investment -- that they had “bet on the wrong
horse”. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Now <i>that’s</i> a
terrible feeling, isn’t it? You take a chance on someone or something, and it
fails, or -- even worse -- they fail you. And the more time or money or energy
you invested, the more it hurts. The disciples left everything to follow Jesus.
They had spent three years of their lives dedicated to him. So you can imagine
the disciples’ emotional turmoil during that longest and darkest of Saturdays.
But you can also imagine their exceeding joy the following day -- when the
reality of Jesus’ victory over death began to sink in. But here, in our text
this morning, we aren’t there yet. Neither the death or resurrection of Jesus
has happened. It is only with the benefit of hindsight that we can appreciate
what seems to have confused the disciples. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But now we come to the
most difficult portion of our text -- at least for us (there is no indication
that it was a concern for the disciples). Before we read it, I’d like to give
you a “heads-up:” We will be reading Jesus’ promise to his disciples -- his
promise to us, and one of the most significant promises in the Bible! But in
order to understand it better, it could help to consider an important question:
that is, what is the purpose of a promise? </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">If your child is
participating in a play at school, and you promise her that you will leave work
early in order to attend, well, there isn’t just <i>one </i>purpose of such a
promise. First, there is the <i>immediate</i> purpose -- that is, attending her
play. If you were to ask her, “why did your Daddy promise to leave work early?”
She might reply, “so he could see me!” And she would be right. But there can
also be an <i>ultimate </i>purpose. If someone asked <i>you</i>, “why did you
promise to leave work early?” you might reply, “to build a relationship with my
daughter!” And you would <i>also</i> be right, naturally. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The Bible is full of
promises. And while we might understandably be inclined to focus on the <i>immediate
</i>purpose of those promises (being human as we are), scripture make it clear
that there are also <i>ultimate</i> purposes, including nothing less that
re-making us in the image of our Lord and Savior -- grafting us into the True
Vine that Real spoke about last week, enabling us to abide with him, and he
with us. As Peter writes (2 Peter 1:4):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">he has granted to us his precious and very great
promises, <u>so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature</u>,
having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful
desire.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">So now, as we turn to
Jesus’ amazing promise to us, let’s not focus entirely on the <i>immediate</i>
purpose, or we could easily lose sight of the <i>ultimate</i> purpose.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">23 In that day you will no longer ask <u>me</u> anything.
Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,
and your joy will be complete.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Now to us, hearing these
words almost two thousand years later, they sure sound like Jesus is writing a
blank cheque for us, don’t they? “<i>My Father will give you whatever you ask…</i>”
But I’m sure that I’m not the only one here who has prayed earnestly, prayed
fervently, prayed committedly, prayed faithfully, <i>without</i> receiving the
thing that was prayed for. So how do we deal with that? For starters, we must
not get hung up on the <i>immediate</i> purpose of this promise -- that is,
receiving whatever we ask for. We will only begin to begin to appreciate this
promise if we also consider its <i>ultimate</i> purpose.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">There is, after all, a
whole lot riding on this promise. Because there is nothing like a broken
promise to rip your heart out; nothing like a broken promise to make other
promises seem worthless. After all, if we can’t take <i>this</i> promise
seriously, how can we take Jesus’ other promises seriously? When Jesus says:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And behold, I am with you always, to the end of
the age.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And when Jesus says,</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Let not your heart be troubled; …. I go to
prepare a place for you.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">We <i>must</i> be able
to trust him, and so we must also be willing to wrestle with -- perhaps
understand -- <i>this </i>promise. But more importantly, we need to <i>experience
</i>it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The problem, of course,
is that this promise sometimes doesn’t seem to stand up to the tragedies we
face in life. Those heartbreaking prayer requests -- asking for the health of
someone we love -- or perhaps even more heartbreaking -- asking for the
salvation of someone we love -- they all too often go unfulfilled. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And it won’t do to say
that “well, God answered those prayers… he just chose to answer with a ‘no’.”
Have you ever heard that? Except that Jesus doesn’t just promise that the
Father will just hear, or even respond. No: he says: “<i>my Father <u>will give
you whatever you ask</u> in my name.</i>” And to lay it on even thicker, Jesus
doesn’t just give this promise <i>once</i>. We see it at least four times in
the gospel of John alone. In chapter 14, we read:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My
name, I will do it.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And in chapter 15, we
read:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is
glorified</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And later:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and
appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should
remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These
things I command you, so that you will love one another.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And the same promise
appears twice in the gospel of Matthew (7:7, 21:22), once in the gospel of Mark
(11:24), once in the gospel of Luke (11:9) as well as in the first letter of
John (5:14,15). This is some serious business. We can’t just brush it off. It
even appears that Jesus is insisting that we take him seriously here -- that
is, he is encouraging us to make a point of regularly coming to him with our
requests! Here is verse 24 again:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Until now you have not asked for anything in my
name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">At this point, let’s
agree that these nine passages are really nine different expressions of the
same promise. Let’s also notice that there are two types of details in some or
all of these passages. On the one hand, there are some we could call the “gate”
for this promise, and on the other hand, those we could call the “goal” for
this promise. These are the bookends, and between the gate and the goal is
where the game is played. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Suppose you participate
in a long distance run like the Boston Marathon. Going in, you’re told that
successful participants will receive a certificate indicating their completion
of that prestigious endeavor. But a few kilometers before the finish line, you
spy Rosie Ruiz ahead of you. She was the runner who, in 1980, “won” the race,
only to be stripped of the honor when it was found that she didn’t start with
the rest of the runners. She didn’t enter through the “gate”, so she couldn’t
claim the prize. Similarly, if a runner lost his way, and even ran the full
distance in record time without crossing the finish line, you’d feel very sorry
for him, but you wouldn’t give him the prize, either. He didn’t achieve the
“goal”. Between the gates and the goal is where the game is played.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">In the slide, I’ve
colored the text. In green, you see the promise itself. In yellow, what we
could call the “gate”, and in red what we could call the “goal”.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">In our text (at the top)
in order to receive what we ask, the “gate” is that the asking be done “<i>in
Jesus name.” </i>(as it is in John 14 and John 15:16) In Matthew and in Mark,
the gate is to ask “in faith.” In 1 John, the gate is to ask “according to
God’s will.” In John 15:7, the gate is to be “abiding in the True Vine (that
is, in Jesus, himself).” But “operating in Jesus name” <i>just is </i>“abiding
in Jesus” which <i>just is</i> “being aligned with the Father’s will” which<i>
just is</i> “living by faith in Him”. As Tom Short says, “<span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">Our faith activates the promises of God and makes them
real for us.” </span>Those of the nine passages that have an explicit “gate”
are simply different expressions of the same “gate”.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But this “in my name”
business needs a bit more attention, especially given the common Christian
practice to simply tack on “in Jesus name” to the end of our prayers. There is
nothing wrong about doing that, of course. It usually expresses our <i>intention</i>
to pray in Jesus’ name. But to <i>express </i>an intention and to <i>actually </i>pray
in Jesus’ name are two quite different things. After all, Jesus makes it clear
that it doesn’t matter if <i>we </i>imagine that we are acting in his name; it
only matters if <i>he </i>considers what we do to be in his name. In the sermon
on the mount, Jesus tells the crowd (Matthew 7):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; margin: 0px;">21 </span></sup></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. </span></i><i><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; margin: 0px;">22 </span></sup></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy
in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in
your name?’ </span></i><i><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; margin: 0px;">23 </span></sup></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew
you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Jesus isn’t buying it
when these people think that they have done so much “in his name.” Instead, his
reply is the scariest sequence of words in all of scripture: “<i>I never knew
you,</i>” he says. <i>Knowing</i> him is important. Knowing <i>him</i> is
critical. Clearly, we can’t enter the Kingdom without knowing him. But at the
same time, it is also those that do the Father’s will who will enter the
Kingdom. Once again: doing God’s will and knowing Jesus and operating in his
name are aspects of one and the same thing.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, how did it go? After “our Father”, we are to pray, “Hallowed be your name.” That is, before we go any further, we must recognize the respect that is due to his name. We don’t treat it as a light thing. Instead, becoming a representative of his name is the goal of a lifetime. After that comes: <i>“Your Kingdom come; your will be done -- on Earth (i.e., in my life) as it is in heaven.” </i>That is, we can only begin to learn to pray if we start with acknowledging <i>his</i> purposes, and <i>his </i>goals. We need our heart’s desire to be in harmony and alignment with the Almighty.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
But to really appreciate
this “in my name” idea, let me remind you of one of its few modern applications.
Suppose you are heading down the highway, without paying attention to how fast
you are going, and a policeman pulls you over for speeding. He has stopped you
“<i>in the name</i> of the law.” It means, among other things, that the
policeman is <i>representing</i> the law. In the same way, when we do something
in the name of Jesus, we are <i>representing </i>him. But just as the policeman
needs training in his profession, needs qualification as the law’s
representative, and needs to be well-versed in the law before acting in its
name, we, too, need to get to know Jesus before we can legitimately claim to be
doing anything in his name. As we said: knowing <i>him</i> is critical.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“In Jesus’ name” is not
just something we tack on at the periphery of the Christian life. Rather, it
represents something fundamentally pivotal in our Christian experience. In
testimony to this fact, the expressions “in the name of Jesus”, “in Jesus”, “in
Jesus’ name” and “in Christ” appear over one hundred times in the New
Testament, where we also read:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And whatever you do, in word or
deed, do <u>everything in the name of the Lord Jesus</u> (Colossians 3:17)</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">So that’s the “gate”: if
we are willing to get to know Jesus so deeply that we can represent him to the
lost world around us -- because that’s what it means to operate “in his name”
-- then we will fulfill the requirements for the promise.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But what about the
“goal?” Here, we consider the <i>ultimate </i>purpose of Jesus’ promise. In our
text, Jesus says that the goal is to make “<i>our joy complete</i>.” That
sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? But how about those other passages? In John 14
and 15:7, the goal of the promise is to glorify the Father. In John 15:16, the
goal is to have us bear much fruit and to love one another. As the Sunday
School memorably reminded us a few weeks ago, “love” and “joy” are the first
two of the fruit of the spirit. In John 15:8, Jesus indicates that our
demonstrating this fruit is the truest manner by which we glorify the Father:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">By this my Father is glorified, that you bear
much fruit.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">So, once again, when
these passage include a “goal” they are just different expressions of the same
goal. When we come to God with our requests, if our purpose is in harmony with
the purpose of the promise, then the promise is ours. <span id="docs-internal-guid-0f231e63-2aec-f400-c154-556c3e5ca6ac" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">As Samuel Gordon writes in <i>Quiet talks on prayer</i> “The roots of prayer lie in oneness of purpose” -- our purpose must become more aligned with His purpose.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But even with all that
I’ve said this morning, there is an uncomfortable reality in this promise that
can’t be avoided. That is, no matter how many times our prayers have been
answered, when the time comes that we ask and we <i>don’t </i>receive, then it
implies that we simply weren’t in harmony with Jesus in the first place. Either
we missed the gate or we missed the goal. “But I tried!” our heart cried out.
“I did all I could,” we say to ourselves. It sometimes feels like Jesus must
have been setting us up for heartbreak. What more can we do to be in harmony
with him? Now that’s the right question to ask!</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But in response, let me
remind you that our text began with the disciples struggling with Jesus words
-- <i>they</i> weren’t in harmony with him at the time. And Jesus gave them
this promise in the context of their disharmony. Confusion on the part of the
disciples is also part of the context of the same promise in chapter 14. I
don’t think that is a coincidence.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Let me suggest that our
attempts to ask in Jesus name are <i>the best possible remedy</i> for being out
of harmony with him. That is, Jesus knows that our asking, expecting and hoping
to have our requests answered is actually an effective means of getting to know
him better and beginning to abide in him more! </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">This is how it works:
whenever we know an important rule <i>in principle</i>, but are unsure about
how that rule applies <i>in practice,</i> what do we do? We give it a try. When
it doesn’t appear that the rule “worked”, it simply means that we either missed
the gate or missed the goal. It isn’t fun when that happens, but we don’t give
up. After all, Jesus tells us that there is great joy and great reward in
discovering exactly how this rule “works”. So we must not give up. Will it mean
developing patience? Certainly (that’s the fourth fruit of the Spirit,
incidentally). Will it mean some heartbreak? Certainly. If we are in harmony
with Jesus, our hearts will break at the suffering in the world, even as his
does. But will it be worth it in the end? Absolutely.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">In Luke 18, Jesus “<i>told
[his disciples] a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not
lose heart</i>.” Jesus knows that there is nothing able to align our hearts
with God more -- nothing that brings our hearts into harmony with him more --
than coming to Him again and again with our requests, carefully paying
particular attention to the requests that are granted, and adjusting ourselves
accordingly. As Andrew Murray wrote: "All this must be learned. It can only be learned in the school of much prayer, for practice makes perfect."<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-0f231e63-2aee-852d-7474-acb5154f97ac" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">How does Paul put it? </span></div>
</b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><i>in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus. </i>(Phil 4:6,7)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">God
knows that our hearts can be slowly brought in harmony with his Son Jesus if we
follow this advice: <i>in everything let your requests be made known to God.</i>
If you, like the disciples, still aren’t sure, why not start small -- start
with the basics. Start with requests that scripture indicates are in God’s
will; start with requests that scripture indicates are “in his name”. What
would those things be? In 1 Thess 5, we read:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Rejoice always and<b> </b>pray
without ceasing and<b> </b>give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Have
you ever prayed that God would help you to learn to pray? Have you ever prayed
that God would help you be thankful? Have you ever prayed for access to the joy
of the Spirit? Those are great places to start. But this morning we’ve
encountered a number of other things that God clearly wants for us. Have you
ever prayed to be more securely established in Jesus? Have you ever prayed to
be living according to his will? Have you ever prayed for more of the fruit of
the Spirit in your life? How about for more of the Holy Spirit in your life? </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">If we
remain faithful in <i>those</i> prayers, we will <i>first</i> begin to
experience the <i>ultimate</i> purpose of this promise. And then (and only
then) will we experience its <i>immediate </i>purpose, that is -- receiving
whatever we ask for in his name.</span></div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-77281115507820251882018-02-04T04:11:00.000-08:002018-03-07T09:19:46.229-08:00Suffering ...and Glory<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Welcome back to 1st Peter. It’s been a while.
Since the previous 1st-Peter sermon, we had Christmas -- and I hope that the
holidays were a blessing to everyone -- and then we had three missionary
Sundays. So if you are anything like me, you forgot a bunch of what we covered
from 1st Peter back in November. So, for review, we made it through three
chapters out of five; today will be chapter four, and next week we’ll wrap up
the series with chapter five.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now if we were to summarize the theme of Peter’s
first letter in a single word, you might choose the word “suffering”. In fact,
a little more than <i>one in six</i> -- almost 20% -- of all the verses in 1st
Peter make explicit reference to suffering. So today we can’t help but revisit
this theme. Especially now that we’re into chapter four, that begins with these
words (4:1):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with
the same attitude.”</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">It appears that Peter is hung up about
suffering. And that might be troubling for many people these days. After all,
if the Christian life is going to involve suffering, why do we want to have
anything to do with it? How can we expect people to be willing to sign up for
it? And how has the Christian message done so well in the marketplace of ideas
if suffering features so prominently?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Well, if we think that the apostle Peter is
simply trying to comfort his readers in their suffering, then we’ve totally
misunderstood him. We need to appreciate that throughout this letter, Peter is
actually building an <i>argument </i>concerning suffering; he is <i>explaining</i>
the <i>purpose </i>of suffering. He is situating suffering in a bigger picture.
So let’s explore that bigger picture this morning.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">For starters, suffering is certainly part of the
human condition. 350 years ago, there was a philosopher [Thomas Hobbes] who
famously said that human life is typically “nasty, brutish and short.” Another
famous philosopher, occasionally known as “the man in black”, put it this way:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">“Life is Pain... Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">And, sure enough, verses from 1st Peter tell the
same story (1:24):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">“For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flowers of
the field.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The grass withers, and the flower falls,”</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The message is clear: suffering is just part of
being human. Over the last three weeks, we heard speakers coming from
Kurdistan, from Syria, and from Sudan -- war-torn places where the value of
human life seems downgraded, and where evil can appear suddenly and deliver
great suffering. We heard of livelihoods and possessions destroyed. We heard of
hunger and hardship. And whenever we turn on the news, we witness human
suffering around the world.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">“But hold on,” you might say, “modern medicine
and modern technology have changed things; things are much better here, and we
can hope that they will eventually change things throughout the world.” It’s a
nice story, but the fact is that in spite of technological progress, incidence
of diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, depression and anxiety are all
up -- not down -- in first world countries. And the incidence of ...death?
Well, that’s still at the 100% it’s been throughout history.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">We just like to avoid <i>looking at</i>
suffering. We just want it to be kept at arm’s length. If people are sick, we
have hospitals. If people are dying, we have palliative facilities. Now both of
those are wonderful things, but the point is that they create the illusion for
the rest of us that suffering is an exception rather than the rule that it is.
We might be able to avoid looking at suffering, but we can’t avoid suffering --
that’s just part of being human.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">So how do we respond to suffering? How <i>should</i>
we respond to suffering? The key is found in our very first verse - the one
we’ve already read:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with
the same attitude.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now what attitude would that be? Let’s have a
look at that this morning. On the one hand, we’ll keep our Bibles open to 1st
Peter. But on the other hand, we’ll also spend some time in the rest of the New
Testament -- gimplsing, where we can, Jesus’ attitude.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">As we know from all the gospels, Jesus knew
ahead of time that he was destined for torture and execution -- he explicitly
predicted as much to his disciples at least three times, but in John’s gospel <i>six
chapters</i> are dedicated to the last few days and hours leading up to that
crucifixion. And at the beginning of those six chapters, we read (John 12:23):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be <b>glorified</b>….</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now, as you know, “the Son of Man” was how Jesus
referred to himself. He knew he was on the road to great suffering, but how
does he describe it? “<i>The Son of Man [is] to be <b>glorified</b>.</i>” And
at the end of those same six chapters, right before the soldiers come to arrest
him, we find Jesus praying with these words:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Father, the hour has come. <b>Glorify</b> your Son.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Isn’t that remarkable? The hour had come for his
beating. The hour had come for his torture. The hour had come for his ridicule,
his humiliation, and his suffocation on that Roman cross. But Jesus can see <i>through</i>
that <b>suffering</b> -- it is as if it were just a transparent door for him --
and he can see the <b>glory</b><i> </i>that awaits him on the other side. Now,
as Peter puts it, we are to</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">arm ourselves with the same attitude.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now the idea that <b>glory</b> can be a
consequence of <b>suffering</b> also shows up in our text (4:12,13):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has
come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But
rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the <b>sufferings</b> of Christ, so that
you may be overjoyed when his <b>glory</b> is revealed.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Yes: we will be overjoyed with Christ in his <b>glory</b>.
But more than that, we will also <i>participate</i> in his <b>glory</b>. We
will <i>share </i>in his <b>glory</b>. That’s what we read a few verse later
(5:1): Peter says that he has witnessed Jesus’ <b>suffering</b> and will share
in his <b>glory</b>. And this same idea shows up elsewhere:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God
and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his <b>sufferings</b> in order
that we may also share in his <b>glory</b>.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">2 Cor 4:17 For our light and momentary <b>troubles</b> are
achieving for us an eternal <b>glory</b> that far outweighs them all.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Yes: the <b>glory</b> to come naturally belongs
to our Lord and Savior, but it is a <b>glory</b> that he is willing to share
with us! We may share in his <b>glory</b> -- but only if we are willing to
share in his <b>suffering</b>.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">You know, once you’ve encountered this
interesting side-by-side placement of <b>suffering</b> and <b>glory</b> in the
New Testament, it seems to show up everywhere. In fact, I did a quick check,
and I encountered at least <i>twenty</i> such instances -- and I’m sure I
missed at least a few. For our purposes this morning, two are particularly
important, because they speak specifically to the attitude of Christ. The first
is from the book of Hebrews (12:2):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before him,
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Yes: we fix our eyes on Jesus, so that we can
learn from him -- so that we can consider his attitude, that ability to see <b>glory</b>
through <b>suffering</b>. The attitude that Peter instructs us to adopt. And it
isn’t just Peter. In Philippians, Paul writes these same instructions to us:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">have the same attitude as Christ Jesus:</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6 </span></span></sup></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Who, being in very
nature God, did not [cling to his rights as God];</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7 </span></span></sup></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">rather, he made himself
nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, ...</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8 </span></span></sup></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to [the point of]
death...</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">9 </span></span></sup></i><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Therefore God exalted
him to the highest place....</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">This theme, of <b>glory</b> through <b>suffering</b>,
isn’t just the theme of the fourth chapter of 1st Peter. It is the theme of the
entire book of 1st Peter. And not just the theme of the book of 1st Peter,
either. It is the theme of the entire New Testament, resting as it does on the
death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. So we fix our eyes on him, and his
attitude of... as we read:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Endurance</span></li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Servanthood</span></li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Humility</span></li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Obedience</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Scripture makes it clear: this is the only sure
path to glory.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now, of course, it is one thing to say that
there <i>can </i>be glory through suffering, but it is another thing altogether
to be able, like Jesus, to <i>see </i>that glory, particularly when we are <i>experiencing</i>
significant suffering. But let me suggest that if are willing to pay close
attention to Jesus attitude -- as described in the gospels and echoed in 1st
Peter -- we will discover three necessary ingredients to experiencing victory
in suffering.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">But before we consider those three elements, it
is appropriate to notice from our text that not just <i>any </i>suffering can
be turned into glory. As you will notice in verses fifteen and sixteen, Peter
makes it clear that we can’t expect glory for just <i>any</i> suffering -- and
certainly not suffering resulting from our own misbehavior:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">If you suffer, it should not be ...even as a meddler. <sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">16 </span></sup>However,
if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear
that name.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">So what does it mean to suffer as a Christian in
Canada today?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">As you may recall, introducing the theme of
suffering from 1st Peter last fall, Andy very wisely reminded us that while we
may not face violence for our faith in Canada, there is a very real sense in
which the culture around us feels (and this is quote from Andy’s notes) “<i>that
church is ... out of step with Canadian values.”</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Well, that observation was perhaps prophetic. As
you may know, quite recently the federal government decided to add an <i>ideological
purity test</i> to their applications for summer work grants. This is how the
government website puts it:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">applicants will be required to attest that both the job and the
organization’s core mandate respect individual human rights in Canada...</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now that sounds great -- what could be
objectionable about that, right? Who would ever be disrespectful of individual
human rights? Well, the very next sentence clarifies:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">These [human rights] include reproductive rights.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">“Reproductive rights” -- hmm, later, that’s made
a little more explicit: it means “access to safe and legal abortions.” It
doesn’t matter that Canada doesn’t actually have an abortion law; apparently,
disagreement with elected officials on this topic makes you a second-class
citizen: if you do disagree with them, don't bother applying for a student work
grant.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now the great irony in all of this is that on
their website, in order to justify such an unprecedented action, the government
invokes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But it is that very Charter that
explicitly <i>protects </i>the "fundamental freedoms" of, freedom of
conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, and freedom of belief. But
somehow, according to the present government, <i>those</i> freedoms aren't
quite as important as the need to toe the party line on the topic of abortion.
Sure: we may not suffer violence for faithfulness to Jesus Christ, but we will
certainly be treated differently for it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Of course, when we are treated as second-class
citizens, there is enormous temptation to get all bent out of shape at the
injustice of it all, but that could be exactly what our text is telling us <i>not
</i>to do. Instead, the message of 1st Peter is that when we encounter such
things -- rights abuses, marginalization, discrimination, mistreatment and
injustice -- that we consider the attitude of Christ. In particular, if Christ
did not cling to his rights as <i>God</i>, if we claim to be his followers, it
shouldn't be our first instinct to cling to our rights as Canadian citizens.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">After all, in the first chapter of 1st Peter
(v17) and also in the second chapter (v11), Peter tells his readers to consider
themselves “foreigners” in this world. Are we being treated like we don’t
belong? Do we feel like we don’t really “fit in”? Peter says, “own that.” Is
the church out of step with “Canadian values”? Peter is saying “Amen to that”!
As Paul put it (Romans 12:2):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Don’t be conformed to the pattern of this world.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Or, as Jesus says in John chapter 17, where he
is praying for us:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">They [(meaning us)] are not of the world, even as I am not of it.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">The attitude here is to be looking forward to
another city, whose architect and builder is God. So the first element of
Jesus’ attitude -- enabling the ability to see <b>glory</b> through <b>suffering</b>
-- is to consider oneself a foreigner, knowing that our home is not of this
world. Let’s could call this element “belonging elsewhere”. And on this point,
our text (verse 3-5) reads:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans
choose to do [and] They are surprised that you do not join them in their
reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give
account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">That longing to belong, that our culture drills
into us as early as primary school? On the one hand, it tempts us to conform
ourselves to this world. But on the other, it reminds us that we were really
wired for another one altogether. If we want to experience victory -- even in
suffering -- we need to recognize our “belonging elsewhere.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now the second common element between 1st Peter
and the gospels is the repeated admonition to love each other. In our text, we
read:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">4:8 Above all, <b>love each other deeply</b>, because love covers
over a multitude of sins.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">(which, incidentally, is an echo of)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">1:22 <b>love one another deeply</b>, from the heart.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">(and also)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">3:18 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one
another, be compassionate and humble.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Suffering always comes with temptation -- the
temptation to turn inward. In the grip of suffering, it is terribly difficult
to see beyond oneself. And so developing a habit of love, which is <i>always</i>
outward-facing, is a wonderful antidote. Loving each other deeply gives God the
opportunity to plant his glory in our hearts. Of course, suffering can also
increase our sympathy for others who are going through hardship. Are we willing
to accept suffering if it represented an act of love to those around? Well,
that’s what Jesus’ attitude certainly was. The gospels say that Jesus showed
“the full extent of his love” by going to the cross for us. And it was with
that in view that Jesus gives his most famous instruction to his disciples
(15:9, 13, 13:34):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my
love. <span style="background: white; margin: 0px;">Greater <b>love</b> has no one than this:
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. </span>A new command I give you: Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Those five words -- “as I have loved you” --
contain such a challenge. If our love is to be anything like the variety of
love that Jesus has shown to us, we must be willing to suffer for it. How often
do we let <i>inconvenience</i> dictate the limits of our love to each other,
when Jesus didn’t allow suffering -- and even death -- to become a limitation
on his love. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">This last week, I encountered a really
interesting English word -- the word “insufferable”. Of course, we use that
word when we speak of someone else whose behavior we can hardly tolerate - or
more accurately, whose behavior we are unwilling to <i>suffer</i>. But there is
nothing that anyone has ever done that Jesus found to be “insufferable.” In
fact, <i>his </i>suffering was enough to address the sins of every human being
who has ever lived. And we are, as Peter puts it, to “arm ourselves with the
same attitude”. If you want to experience victory this morning -- even in
suffering, “be loving others”.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">So far, then, our two key elements of Jesus’
attitude are then:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Belonging elsewhere -- considering ourselves
foreigners;</span></li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Be loving others -- letting our suffering improve our
ability to reach out in love.</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">And finally, we need to have an attitude of:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Believing in God</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now you might think, “that’s no surprise,” but
let’s check out a few examples in this regard. In the final verse of our
chapter, we read:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">4:19 those who suffer according to God’s will should <b>commit
themselves</b> to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">When we are overwhelmed in our suffering, we
fall back on our trust in God. We know that he is the only eternal hope. We
know that we can count on his promises. As we read in the book of James (1:12):</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he
has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to
those who love him.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">That’s right: the glory that we have been
talking about is <i>promised </i>to us -- if we are able to remain faithful in
the face of suffering. And we know that we can count on our faithful Creator,
because we have seen how he has glorified his son. Remember Jesus’ final words
from the cross? In Luke 23:46, we read:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I
commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">In the extremity of his suffering, even at the
point of death, Jesus turned to his Father, knowing that he was absolutely
trustworthy. And in his final action, Jesus’ reliance on God becomes an example
for us. That’s what it says explicitly in 1st Peter:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">2:21-25 “For to this you have been called, because Christ also
suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his
steps. <sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">22 </span></sup>He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his
mouth. <sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">23 </span></sup>When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he
suffered, he did not threaten, but continued <b>entrusting himself to him who
judges</b> <b>justly</b>.</span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">This commitment to believe in God -- no matter
what trials we are facing, whether frustration, mistreatment, pain or even
injustice -- this is the third key element of Jesus’ attitude. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">But one more thing to notice: “Christ suffered
for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”
Similarly, in Colossians, Paul writes that he “rejoice[s] in what [he is]
suffering for [his readers].” Could it be that the example that Christ is
setting for us, and the example that Paul is setting for us is a willingness to
suffer <i>for the sake of others?</i></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Here, in my hand, I have a document written by
my father-in-law, Chester Perkins, who went by his nickname, Chet. Its title
is: “60 Years as a Paraplegic.” In it, Chet describes the experience of
contracting polio in 1954, and the agony and the humiliation that it
represented. As a young husband, father, and farmer, his world was shattered.
He prayed fervently for healing, or at least for some use of his legs. But more
than that, he prayed that God would protect him from bitterness. While God
declined to answer the first prayer in the way that Chet had hoped, He
generously answered the second. For anyone who knew him, Chet was the most
gracious and delightful of men. This is how he closes his reflection on sixty
years of physical suffering:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 24px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Sixty years have passed so quickly. I have no reason to complain
about my lot in life, nor to question God as to why I should be afflicted. The
Lord has been very good to me and has helped me see that His ways are better
than anything I could have planned.… I would not have chosen to have polio and
be disabled, but I choose to believe that my life has been better used in the
roles I have been directed to due to my disability. In no way do I feel that I
have been cheated.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Now, if you ever met my father-in-law, you’d
appreciate that he was entirely sincere as he wrote this. This is what it means
to believe in God. We trust him to inject glory even into our suffering.
Because not only is it possible to <i>see</i> the <b>victory</b> God intends
for us <i>through</i> <b>suffering</b>, but it is possible to <i>experience </i>the
<b>victory</b> that God intends for us <i>in spite of</i> <b>suffering</b>.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">You can’t avoid suffering, but you can avoid
being crushed by it. If we want victory -- even in suffering, we need to adopt
the attitude of Jesus:</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Belonging elsewhere -- considering ourselves foreigners
in this world</span></li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Be loving others -- even as Christ loved us</span></li>
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Believing in God -- committing ourselves to the one who
judges justly.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<br /></div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-41822924588208231772017-10-22T11:00:00.001-07:002018-12-05T07:59:59.780-08:00Our identity in Christ<b style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-123717ec-4f64-eb87-c2b1-cae334e86b5d" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Last week, Andy introduced our sermon series with a look at the life of the apostle Peter. This morning, we will take the next step in that series by looking at Peter’s first letter. </span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<br />
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For all those who were taught how to write letters -- I suppose it is mostly texting and e-mail now -- I am sure you remember that we were taught a traditional format, with return address there, the date there, and all. And back when Peter wrote his letter, there was also a customary format. In those days, a letter was begun by identifying the author, then identifying the recipient followed by a greeting to the recipient. And Peter does exactly that in the first two verses. But before I read it, I’m going to go out on a limb and claim that based on Peter’s identification of his intended recipients, this room is full of people to whom he is writing. See if I’m right. So please turn with me to the first chapter of first Peter, and I will be reading from the first verse. Peter writes:</span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<br />
</b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Peter, a missionary representing Jesus Christ, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[that is, he identifies himself]</span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To God’s pilgrims scattered throughout the [world -- you’ll notice Peter lists a bunch of Roman provinces, but he would likely permit his audience to stretch beyond them], 2 [those] who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[and now the customary greeting:]</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grace and peace be yours in abundance.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Peter’s self-identification is no surprise. He is a missionary representing Jesus Christ. But what about his identification of the letter’s intended recipients? </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As I’m sure you know, not that long ago, people identified with their occupation, or their education, or their activities, or perhaps who they hang out with. But we now live in a world where we are increasingly told that our identity is determined by the color of our skin, or by our sex. Unfortunately, there is no liberating power in such things, and the accompanying trend is to become more isolated and disconnected and resentful. We see this all around us today.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And so it is refreshing, inspiring and even liberating to see Peter identify his readers in a way that gets beyond such insignificant identifiers. Now Peter was by no means unfamiliar with such things. Peter grew up in a society with enormous barriers between Jews and Gentiles -- a racial divide -- so you might almost expect such a thing to feature in his identification of his intended readers, but it doesn’t. Similarly, Peter grew up in a society with slaves and freemen and citizens, but those distinctions don’t appear in his identification of his readers either. Peter grew up in a society where women were treated as inferiors, but as we will see in a few weeks, this letter was clearly written to women as much as men.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So how </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">does</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Peter identify his intended audience? Verse 2:</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[to those] who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">First, Peter writes to those who “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">have been</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> chosen by God the Father.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” That’s the “already”. That’s our position. It is in the past perfect tense. This is our foundation: we have been chosen by God. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you remember what it was like at recess in the third grade? I can tell you how it was for me: A crowd would form out on the soccer field, and two of the older children -- usually those in sixth grade -- would “choose teams” dividing everyone up to play the game. One after another every child in the crowd would be chosen to play on one side or the other. Naturally, I wanted to play on the team with the best captain. That’s the team that always had the best chance of winning. I don’t know about you, but I l-i-k-e-d winning. Now Peter is writing to the team that has been chosen by the best Captain. He is writing to the team that is certainly going to win. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But back in grade school, I noticed that the best players were always chosen first, and the choices being made for the best players were done with much deliberation. As long as the team captains still seemed to care, it wasn’t so bad being picked toward the end. But oh, the humiliation, if there were five or six of us left, and the captain just waved his arm and said: this half of you are on one team and that half on the other - it doesn’t matter. Back then, I desperately wanted to be older and better and faster and stronger and bigger -- just so that I would be chosen... with greater dignity. And perhaps that I might be chosen sooner; or that the best captain would want to choose me. Nobody had written the rules down, but everyone just knew that the teams were chosen according to the skill of those being chosen. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But please notice the basis for our being chosen by God. It isn’t our skill; it isn’t our virtue; it isn’t our piety. Here’s how Peter puts it: [those] who have been chosen </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">according to the foreknowledge of God the Father</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Paul says the same thing in Ephesians (1:4):</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">he chose us in [Christ] before the creation of the world.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That means the choosing was done ahead of time. And we weren’t chosen because God knew how wonderfully we were. The testimony of the Apostle Paul -- someone who certainly knew that God had chosen him -- is that he was the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">chief of sinners</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. And about us he says that, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">we were by nature deserving of wrath</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Ephesians 2:3)” and that we were reconciled to God while we were </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">his enemies</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Being chosen by God is like being chosen by the best captain on the soccer field when you are the smallest and the slowest. No wonder Peter’s next words are those of praise: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” Nothing we do can </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">make </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">God choose us. Instead, in his second letter, Peter encourages us with these words:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">you must do all you can to ensure that God has really chosen ... you (2 Peter 1:10)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Isn’t that curious? God might well have chosen you, but it is up to you to be increasingly aware of his choice of you; it is up to you to recognize the implications of that choice. Has God chosen you this morning? Take the time to explore that possibility -- and become sure about it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So that’s our foundation: we are chosen by God. But there is a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">reason</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> for our having been chosen (it is toward the end of the verse): “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">to be</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” That’s the “not yet”. It is in the future tense. This is our potential and our purpose. This is the blueprint for our lives -- what our lives are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">supposed to</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> look like.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And that obedience to Jesus? Nowadays we don’t like the word “obedience” so much, but we are usually quite happy with the word “employment”. My older brother works for Google, and when he got that job, many people were “oh! Google” -- he received status for working for one of the richest and most powerful companies in history. But his employment? It represents an “obedience” of sorts doesn’t it? He plays by their rules, and does the work that they ask him to do, and he doesn’t publish company-wide memos that could embarrass anyone...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But you know: Google won’t last forever. Does anyone remember Nortel? Well, earlier in his career, my brother worked for Nortel. Even the best and the biggest companies can and do collapse in the space of a frighteningly few years. In contrast, our King Jesus will reign forever and ever. And if the word “obedience” makes you uncomfortable, you can use the word “employment” for the time being. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you remember that call from the employer offering you a job. Either a job you really need or a job you really want? They </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">chose</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> you. This is the kind of thing that Peter is talking about: and just like your employer chose you with some expectation that you would be obedient to them. God chose us with the expectation that we would be obedient to Jesus Christ. But in the same way that you felt pride and joy landing that job, Peter gushes over finding himself (along with the rest of us) chosen by God, the best captain, the top employer -- that’s the next verse: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What do you think Peter had in mind, exactly, when he wrote “to be obedient to Jesus Christ”? After all, Peter had had the privilege of hanging out with Jesus over the space of years, listening to Jesus’ teaching. Peter had heard Jesus tell all those who would listen: “Repent!” I’m sure that this is an important component of “obedience to Jesus.” Peter had heard Jesus say: “come, follow me!” to him, personally. It must have had great significance for him. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Peter had heard Jesus tell everyone: “[strive] to enter through the narrow door.” And he had heard Jesus tell his disciples, “Love one another” and later, “make disciples of all nations”. Peter could have been thinking of any of those things, but together, they represent a short summary of Jesus’ teaching, don’t they? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Repent; follow; strive; love; witness</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -- this is what it means to be obedient to Jesus. Do you want to be obedient to Jesus? You could do much worse than to keep these words on hand: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Repent; follow; strive; love; witness</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and challenge yourself by them regularly. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But five things is a lot to remember -- when I go grocery shopping and my list is longer than three items, I'm sure to forget at least one. So here's a mnemonic that could help: "real flowers sure like water" (repent follow strive love witness)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oh, and that business of being sprinkled with his blood? That is an image that had been drilled into the Jewish consciousness. It shows up again and again back in the book of Leviticus: a sacrifice was made, and the sprinkling of the blood of that sacrifice was an act of purification. Seriously! We might think, “ew!” But the Old Testament is clear: nothing was considered good enough for service at the Temple unless it was so sprinkled. So that’s what Peter would have had in mind. Jesus, making the ultimate sacrifice in his death on the cross for the sins of the world, purifies us with his blood, as long as we’re willing to experience that sacrifice “up close and personal.” You can’t be sprinkled with the blood if your only interaction with Jesus’ sacrifice is distant or abstract or superficial.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So Peter identifies us according to our foundation (being chosen by God), and he identifies us according to our blueprints (to be followers of Christ, purified with his sacrificial death). But he also calls out the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">means</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to get from where we are (the “already”) to where we want to be (the “not-yet”). If we want to live up to our potential, if we are to fulfill our purpose, we need what Peter calls “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">the sanctifying work of the Spirit.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” God’s action in the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">past</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is to choose us. But God’s action in the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">present</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is this work of his Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit working in your heart this morning? In Romans, Paul writes:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The mind governed by our old nature is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In Galatians, the message is similar:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whoever sows to please their old nature, from that old nature will reap destruction; [but] whoever sows to please the Spirit, from that Spirit will reap eternal life.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you aren’t experiencing that life and peace this morning, if you haven’t received a glimpse of that eternal life, let me encourage you to pray to God for his Spirit. After all, in Luke’s gospel, Jesus promised that this is one prayer that God is certain to answer:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Which of you [asks Jesus], if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So let’s come to God asking for his Holy Spirit today. For by his purifying work (that’s what “sanctification” means) we who have been chosen by God become formed according to our blueprints as Jesus’ disciples.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By the way, this verse (1 Peter 1:2) isn’t the only one of its kind in the Bible. In fact, it might even represent an early formula of Christian identity. We find a very similar passage in one of the earliest of Paul’s letters, written to the Thessalonians. There, (2 Thess 2:13b,14) he writes:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">...</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">God chose you ... to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit ... that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The three important elements are in both passages: (1) chosen by God and (2) sanctified by the Spirit as (3) we follow our Lord Jesus. And I hope that you picked up on the fact that obedience to Jesus implies sharing in his glory! May this be the reality in each of our lives. May this form our identity this morning. Established by God, pointed toward Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit. So let me ask you: is this where you find </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">your</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> identity this morning? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At this point, having identified his intended audience, Peter then greets them with the customary Christian greeting: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grace and peace be yours in abundance.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” Then he turns to the body of his letter (verse 3)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In his great mercy, God has given us new birth.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” New birth -- being born again -- now sometimes folk who hang around churches misunderstand this concept. Too often, we are tempted to imagine that being born again means having another, parallel, fall-back life that we can hop over to whenever our “real life” gets rough. This unfortunate tendency: to cling to the old life and to treat the new life like a “plan B” isn’t right, and it isn’t new. Paul writing to the church in Galatia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #980000; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">asks them (4:9):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But this isn’t God’s intention at all. Instead, God grants us new birth because the old life is of no value at all. As we already read:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The mind governed by our old nature is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You see, the alternative to the new life is death. The “new birth” is not like a “new convertible”, that we admire in the garage and take out to show off on sun(ny) days, but otherwise use the family minivan. Instead, imagine the Titanic, having already hit the iceberg and pitching heavily. It is going down, people. And that “new birth” is the opportunity to climb on board a rescue vessel. Let me remind you of another verse you all know (2 Corinthians 5:17):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The old has passed away. It isn’t just “mostly dead”. It is no more. It has ceased to be. And it needs to be out of the way in order to make room for the new life! Because with this new birth, God has given us every reason to discard that old life, with all of its obsolete identifiers, and to put on the new identifiers that he provides: established by God, pointed toward Jesus and empowered by the Spirit. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Peter blesses God for the opportunity we have to experience this new birth. And then Peter lists two consequences of this new birth. First, we have been given new birth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Peter’s hope -- this </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">living</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> hope -- is grounded in a sure historical event. In his resurrection, Jesus demonstrated once and for all his victory over death and his power over those principles of this world. Power even over those worldly principles we call the laws of physics. I find it odd when people object to the resurrection on the grounds that such an event would represent a “violation” of the laws of physics. Because those laws didn’t just magically appear. Whatever determined those laws -- I should say “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whoever</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> determined those laws” -- is bigger than the laws themselves. After all, God owns all the patents on matter and energy and all the relationships between them, and he can do anything he well pleases whenever he well pleases -- including raising someone from the dead. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And what a world-changing, history-defining event that was. Paul writes, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” But Christ has indeed been raised, and we are confident that his resurrection is a trailblazing effort, for he is expecting to bring many of us to glory, experiencing this same resurrection even as he has. As we read in Romans (6:5):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hey: there it is again -- a death is necessary before the resurrection takes place. A death is necessary before a new birth takes place. The earlier that we are willing and able to write off that old life, the better off we’ll be.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We have been given new birth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. But we have also been given new birth </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, reserved in heaven for you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. An inheritance: you know, I’ve never known an example of an inheritance that was earned. Instead, an inheritance is received on the basis of your family -- usually your birth. And the basis for our firmly established heavenly inheritance is our </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">new birth</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. No wonder Peter is full of praise to God for such a wonderful gift.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Because it isn’t like earthly inheritances. I’ve been talking recently to someone whose grandfather’s considerable estate is still being fought over three years after his departure. Before it gets resolved, the lawyers will have spent a huge chunk of it. And then there is inflation, and worse. That’s all part of the territory of this old life that leads to death. Our new birth, on the other hand, is into the living hope of an undiminished inheritance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oh! And did you notice that this passage that we just read highlights once again the tension between the already and the not-yet? On the one hand, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In his great mercy [God] </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">has given</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">us new birth” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- this is the “already”. On the other, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This inheritance is kept in heaven for you ... until the coming of the salvation that is ready </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">to be revealed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> in the last time.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And this is the “not-yet”. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But strangely, this “future-tense” salvation comes as a surprise to many Christians. Aren’t we </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">already</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> saved? What does it mean that the salvation is “coming”? What does it mean that the salvation is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to be</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> revealed in the last time? Well, it means what it says. And this isn’t an isolated passage on the matter, either.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In Philippians, Paul writes that we should “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”. Hmm, that make salvation sounds very much like something that we requires effort, doesn’t it? As we already heard, Jesus himself says, (Luke 13:24) that we should, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Make every effort. That also sounds an awful lot like “work” doesn’t it. In fact, the word that Jesus uses here is a Greek word that you would likely understand immediately: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ἀγωνίζομαι</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">agōnízomai</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. That is, our salvation -- our entrance through the narrow door -- is something that we can legitimately </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">agonize</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> over. “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Many will try to enter, and will not be able to.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” So we need to put in the effort, or we will be in the same boat.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As we read before, Peter echoes Jesus’ words in his second letter “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My friends, you must do all you can to ensure that God has really chosen and selected you.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” All you can. Make every effort. Fear and trembling. Work it out. God has done his part. He has chosen you. He has sent his Son, who died for our sins and was raised to life to demonstrate his Lordship over creation. Now, in between the “already” and the “not-yet” it is our turn to make the effort. It is our turn to do all we can. It is our turn to show that God really has chosen us. This is no small calling. This is no small task. But it isn’t a burden. In fact, God’s promises to make this task a joy. And that’s what Peter says clearly in the next passage:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. … 8 Though you have not seen [Jesus], you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once again, we notice that salvation is the “end result” -- it is something that we “are receiving”. But in the process, we can be “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy”. And that even in the face of trials. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our society is funny: we are richer than ever in history. We have huge resources of education and entertainment at our fingertips. We enjoy freedom and leisure as never before. Our medical system keeps us healthier and we grow older and are nourished with a greater variety of good food. But at the same time, people today suffer from more anxiety and from more depression than ever before. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In contrast, when Peter writes about “grief in all kinds of trials,” he knew what he was talking about. Those trials were greater than anything we’ve ever experienced by a wide margin. But they weren’t significant enough to cut into his “glorious joy” - he knew what that was all about, too. The salvation of our souls isn’t just something for the next life. It has significant impact on the present. Because even though we find ourselves between the “already” and the “not-yet”, the effect of the Holy Spirit in our lives can be that life and peace and great joy in the here-and-now. Notice that Peter uses the present tense: “you greatly </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">rejoice</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”; you “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">are filled</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> with a glorious joy”. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When we started, I asked if you could identify with the intended recipients of this letter: chosen by God, pointed toward Jesus, and empowered by his Spirit. Perhaps some could, and some less so. But now I’m asking a different question: would you like to experience this glorious life and peace and joy? Would you like to be on the winning team? Would you like to be led by the best Captain? Perhaps he’s chosen you. If you’re not sure, you could make sure. Start obeying Jesus now, and you might find God’s Spirit will increasingly participate in your life. How? Repent, Follow, Strive, Love, Remember, Witness. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">do all you can to ensure that God has really chosen ... you</span></div>
</b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-3758700141811753072017-09-03T11:58:00.002-07:002017-09-03T11:58:52.953-07:00Parable of the Soils<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This last spring, Crosswalk ministries published an article whose title was “3 Kinds of Students That Leave Christianity After High School”. For some, this isn’t just an academic exercise. It was only last week that a teenage daughter of someone very close to me announced to her parents that she wasn’t interested in the whole church thing anymore. But I’m afraid that the article was a little late to the game: Jesus already addressed this topic -- and his list of “3 kinds of people that walk away from the gospel” is, well, a little more authoritative.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This morning we continue in our series of sermons on Jesus’ parables. Now while all of Jesus’ parables are important, if we had to choose the one that is the most important, it might turn out to be the one that we will consider this morning. Jesus could easily have given this parable the title: “3 kinds of people that walk away from the gospel.” There are four clues for us that this parable is really important. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First of all, most of Jesus’ parables only show up once in the four gospel accounts. For example, last week, M. took us through the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. But that parable only appears in the gospel according to Luke. Two weeks previous to that, A. took us through the parable of the unmerciful servant. But that parable only appears in the gospel according to Matthew. You get the idea.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are only three parables that show up in three of the four gospel accounts. Now when that happens with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">any</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> teaching, it is like the Spirit of God is underlining it for us. If something shows up in one of the gospels, that’s enough to make it significant, of course; but if it shows up in more than one of them, then it deserves special attention. This is the first indication that this morning’s parable is an important teaching of Jesus: it appears in the gospel according to Matthew, and in the gospel according to Mark and also in the gospel according to Luke. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact, in every one of those accounts, the parable we will consider this morning is the first of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus’ parables (depending on definition of a parable). And this is the second indication that this parable is an important teaching of Jesus. This parable is like a lead-off batter: introducing the parables of Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let’s read (from Mark -- the parable is essentially the same in Matthew or Luke):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 6.6pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 6.6pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">5 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 6.6pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">6 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 6.6pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">7 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear fruit. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 6.6pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">8 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times. And he said, Whoever is able to hear – let him hear!</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now before we get to the meat of it, notice how much like what we’ve just read is like a sandwich: meat between two slices of bread. Before he begins, Jesus tells everyone in earshot to “Listen!” Now, to us, this way to start teaching is perhaps interesting, or perhaps quirky. But to Jesus’ hearers, this would be big. Even today, devout Jewish people often recited an important passage of the Old Testament twice a day. This is the text that Jesus himself said was the greatest of all the commandments. I’m sure you remember it: “love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength.” But the common Jewish recitation actually starts with the previous verse, and, in fact, it gets its name from the first word in that previous verse, the word </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shema</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In English: “Listen, O Israel: the Lord is our God; the Lord is One!” Listen! And this word </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shema </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">didn’t just mean “listen” it also means “pay attention” and even “obey!” In fact, when your English Bible has the word “obey” in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word being translated is usually </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shema. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So when Jesus starts his teaching with this word, every ear would perk up for sure.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But then, as reinforcement at the end, Jesus says, “whoever has ears, let him hear!” (more or less: “pay attention!”) These two bookends, these two slices of bread for the meat sandwich, these are a third indication that this parable is an important teaching of Jesus. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let’s quickly summarize this parable. Here, Jesus is telling the story about a farmer who was sowing seed. He wanted his seed to take root, and to grow up, and to provide food for his family and also to provide seed for the next season. It is pretty simple, really: Jesus seems to be saying that not all of the seed that a farmer throws around actually takes root. But we all know that. And not all the seed that takes root grows past a sprout. But we know that, too. And not all the sprouts become mature and give fruit. No news there. But instead of talking about the sower or the seed or the plants, Jesus spends this parable talking about the soils! So what is Jesus really trying to say?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, we aren’t the only ones asking such a question. The disciples listening to Jesus were smart enough to know that Jesus wasn’t just describing the experience of most of the local farmers -- he had a deeper meaning in mind. So they ask him what this parable is all about. And Jesus himself provides an explanation of this parable. Now this is a fourth indication that this is an important teaching of Jesus -- it is one of the very few parables that Jesus explained, and is certainly the longest explanation that Jesus ever gave for one of his parables. And this is how his explanation begins (Luke 8:11-15):</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hearts</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The seed, says Jesus, is the word of God. The soil, says Jesus, is our hearts. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hearts</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">heart</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and bear fruit with patience.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus’ focus is on the soil, and now we know why: the soil is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">our hearts.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the good soil…[we read] are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">heart</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and bear fruit.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But before we get back to our hearts, how about that fruit? We can imagine how important fruit was in the Middle East at the time. We don’t have to go far to be reminded, either. One of the last times I paid a visit to our Syrian friends down the highway, dear A. brought out an item that she bought from Provigo. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What is this?” she asked.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“A mango!” I replied.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Do you like it?” she asked, with some evident skepticism.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Sure,” I replied.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 18pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“But it doesn’t taste like anything.” she said, with some dissatisfaction. And she proceeded to cut it up, serve it to me and watch me eat it, as if there was something terribly wrong with it. And then I learned what fruit is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">supposed </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to taste like: that is, what fruit is like in Syria. The pomegranates; the apricots; the grapes; the figs; the citrus: each one more delicious, and succulent, and marvelous than the next. If there wasn’t a war going on there, we should all move to Syria… and not just for the weather: for the fruit! The fruit is what makes life worth living! And I believe her: I’m sure that the fruit in Syria is as wonderful as she claims! And I expect that the fruit in Jesus’ day was just as wonderful, but back then, agriculture was also a primary economy-driver. So it is no surprise that Jesus used fruit as an illustration again and again and again. As Jesus says to his disciples (John 15:16): </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You did not choose me, but I chose you ... so that you might go and bear fruit</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What Jesus is telling us is that the whole purpose of Christianity is that we go and bear fruit. The reason why you are in church this morning (whether you know it or not -- or whether you even like it or not) is that God wants you to go and bear fruit. And this fruit that Jesus is talking about isn’t just some “spiritual” thing. This is the stuff that makes life worth living. As we were reminded a few weeks ago, the Bible says that (at least some of) the fruit of the Spirit is love, and joy, and peace. I’m sure we can agree that we could all use more of those. Some of this kind of fruit even shows up in Jesus’ explanation: patience and goodness in verse 15, joy in verse 12. And in verse 13, we’re told that even salvation could be the result of receiving this seed.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But an easy lesson to miss from this parable is simply that there is no fruit without seed. The seed might be tiny. It might even go unnoticed. But if there were no seed, there would be no fruit. The soil doesn’t deserve all the credit for the fruit, after all. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my office, we used to call this the “mailman principle”. Perhaps you call it something else. The mailman principle is the flip-side of the tendency to shoot the messenger. Shooting the messenger happens when the one bringing bad news gets blamed for it. Not cool, even though it happens far too often. Similarly, the mailman principle simply says that when the news is good, the one delivering the news gets far more credit than he deserves.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But we do this all the time. When something good happens to us, we forget that God’s investment in our lives is behind it. When we do something good, we want to take all the credit for it, naturally. But the Biblical principle is two-fold. On the one hand, we read that, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">there is no one righteous, no not one,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” and that “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” And on the other hand, we also read (1 Cor 4:7): “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the good things in life come from God. And God participates in every good thing that we ever do. Now some people find this offensive. Atheists like to say -- it is kind of a motto for some of them -- that they can be “good without God.” Well, I have news for the atheists. Sure, they can be good without </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">acknowledging</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> God. But that is a far, far different thing from being good </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">without </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God. Wherever there is good, God is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">always </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">involved. I expect that God himself would laugh at the idea that just because someone stops believing in God then God must stop His involvement in that person’s life. As Jesus himself says, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">your Father in heaven... causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” God doesn’t cut himself off from people, not even if they think that they are cutting themselves off from him!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now the first lesson was that all good things come from God. But the seed is the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">word</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of God. Does that mean that all good thing ultimately derive from the word of God? It certainly does. Now if you aren’t so sure about that, please remember that the Bible doesn’t just say “the Word was with God.” It also says that “the Word </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> God.” You see, the Word of God is not just a message -- He is also a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">person</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And all things were made by this Word. And all good things come through him. I like how John Ortberg puts it:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus had no place to lay his head, yet he became the primary inspiration for architectural progress. We don’t know what Jesus looked like, yet he became the most recognizable figure in the world. He had “no beauty that we should desire him”, yet he became the subject of more paintings and sculpture than anyone else in history. He never wrote a book, but he became the most written-about person ever and the greatest inspiration for global linguistic development. He is associated with no known music, but is the subject of more songs and music than any other human being. He died alone, yet people die for him still.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You see, the consequences of the Word of God in the world, its fruit is not just love, and joy, and peace, but all the things that make life worth living ultimately derive from the word of God. Those who held fast to the word of God were even responsible for the entire scientific enterprise: Newton, and Faraday, and Pascal, and Maxwell, and Kepler… and the list goes on. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But now I’d like to change gears and ask you to use your imagination. I’d like you imagine that you are really young (perhaps grade eight or nine). And I’d like you to imagine that there is someone in the world who could be your best friend </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for life</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This is someone who would stick by you in the hard times, and celebrate with you in the good times. This is someone you could wake up in the middle of the night to talk to. This is someone you will eventually marry and be your perfect partner. I’m not saying that your happiness depends on this development, but -- and I speak from experience -- I am saying you will never know what happiness could really be without it. But now please also suppose that as this really young person that you are imagining yourself to be, you have never actually connected with this special person yet! </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let’s ask the very practical question: what does it take for this hypothetical young you and this other person </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">who is just perfect for you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to get together? Well, obviously, first you need to meet. You need to meet as human beings. Have you ever wondered if you’ve ever bounced off someone who could have been a really good friends? That would be pretty sad. Tragic, really. Avoiding that tragedy is the first step: you need to meet.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the second thing that you need to become friends with this special person, is to somehow get past all the teasing that, as a young person, you would certainly get from all of your siblings and friends. You know – that’s what happens. Now they don’t do that because they don’t like you. They aren’t trying to keep you from future happiness – they just don’t know any better. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The summer before after kindergarten, my daughter G. had a best friend. They spent all day every day running around and playing in the neighborhood. But when school started, all the boys in the class started to tease J. about “liking a g-i-r-l”. And in a short time, in order to demonstrate the falsity of these outrageous accusations, J. began treating G. very cruelly. Naturally, G. was heartbroken. But that’s the kind of thing I’m talking about. J. couldn’t take the heat. So he would never know how wonderful a person that G. was.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So you have to meet, but you also have to be willing to take the heat. And the third thing that you need to become friends with this special person – and this is the really hard one – you’ll need to spend </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">less </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">time with everything else. If you like to watch TV, well, you’ll need to watch less. And if you like to go shopping, you might need to shop less. You get the idea. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nobody goes through life leaving big chunks of their time doing nothing in anticipation for that special person to come along and fill it in. Instead, our lives are typically full at all times, and adjustments will be necessary -- deciding to invest in this new person at the expense of other things and even other people -- in order to develop a relationship. And if we aren’t willing to make those adjustments, then we might as well give up the thought of ever having a healthy friendship let alone a healthy marriage.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let’s summarize. What is necessary to make the deepest friendships? Three things:</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to MEET.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to be able to take the HEAT.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to allow this new friendship to comPETE.</span></div>
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</ol>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then, and only then, will you be able to discover that amazing human experience of a deep and healthy relationship. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But these three things are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">exactly </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the things that Jesus is talking about with the soils. With the pathway, the seed never really sinks into the soil. But that’s like never really meeting someone. With the rocky ground, the seed starts to sprout, but it gets scorched by the sun. That’s like giving up on the relationship when the going gets rough. With the thorny ground, the “competition” wins. The plant get choked out before it can bear any fruit. That’s like not taking the time to invest in the right person, because toys and superficial things are easier to handle.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What a tragedy it would be to meet a wonderful friend, but never get to know them; What a tragedy it would be to get to know this wonderful friend but then to abandon them when things get difficult; and it what a tragedy it would be to get to know his wonderful friend, but not give them the time or energy to really build a relationship… But this wonderful friend isn’t a hypothetical. This is the Word of God. This is someone who loves you enough to be willing to die for you. This is Jesus. As he says, </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a [seed] falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the message of the parable of the Sower: the seed is the Word of God. He has come and sacrificed himself so that you can bear fruit, fruit that will last. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure, it is nice to meet someone special and even marry them. But as nice as that is, this is just a shadow of the reality to come -- another wedding, between this Word, the Lamb of God, who will come again in his glory, and his spotless bride. As the angel told John in Revelation: ‘“Write this!” he said, “Blessed are those who are called by name to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”’ But not everyone will be able to receive this blessing. As Jesus says (Matt 7:19), </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These days, in some circles, it is trendy to reject the word of God. And those who reject God’s word like to pose as if their decision represents clear thinking and honest reflection. But there are only three reasons why people don’t accept the word of God, and Jesus calls them all out for us in this parable. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Number one: some people just don’t get it. Their hearts are hard, and they aren’t able to recognize the truth. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Number two: some people can’t stand the heat. They are easily bullied out of the truth – sometimes it is easier to go along with the crowd that to hang on to what you know to be true. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Number three: some people are easily distracted. There are other voices which are more appealing and easier to listen to. </span></div>
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</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s it; that’s all. These are the reasons -- and the only reasons -- that the word of God is rejected. In this parable, Jesus gives us “3 kinds of people that walk away from the gospel.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Four types of soil; four responses to the word of God. And only the good soil bears fruit. But here’s the thing: as God looks at his church, he sees every type of soil in every one of his children. There are aspects of His word we just don’t get. There are aspects of His word that we are shy about. And there are aspects of His word that we don’t give nearly as much attention to as they deserve. But thank God there are also aspects of His word that we take to heart.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So how do we become less like those other soils and more like the good soil? Well, as any gardener knows, the major difference between a dirt path and the fertile soil (right beside it) is some muscle: the path could be turned into that fertile soil with some serious cultivation. Same with the rocky ground. Sure, cultivation can seem like work, but remove the big stones and bury the little ones, and the rocky ground could yield a crop, too. Same with the soil overgrown with weeds. Weeding is work, sure, especially when some of those weeds have deep roots that go deep down into your soul, but weeds don’t ever mean that the soil couldn’t be recovered. But here’s an interesting thing: the soil that is the most fertile is often the most messy, isn’t it? </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But soil doesn’t cultivate itself. In the same way that the seed from God is necessary in our lives if we are to bear fruit, God’s cultivating activity is also necessary if we are to be able to permit the seed to sprout. It might be uncomfortable as God overturns the habits of our hearts. But it will certainly be worth it. But we need to be aware: God won’t be doing any heart-cultivation without our invitation, and certainly not without our permission. This morning, let’s ask God to prepare our hearts for his word, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to help us with the removal of the stones and the distractions. And let us meet the King, allowing God to break down the spiritual barriers in our lives that keep us from understanding; let us resolve to take the heat, being prepared in advance to withstand mistreatment for his sake; and let us always allow the Kingdom to compete for our attention, for our loyalty, and for our energy. Amen.</span></div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-80035619495172893972017-08-06T12:26:00.001-07:002017-08-08T11:42:58.276-07:00Parable of the Wise Manager<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good Morning -- please turn with me to Luke chapter 16, where our text begins at verse 1. This morning, we will look at another one of Jesus’ parables, the third in the sermon series that we started a few weeks ago. In particular, we will consider what is often called the parable of the Dishonest Manager, or possibly the parable of the Shrewd Manager. But as you can see from the slide, this morning I’m going to call it the parable of the Wise Manager. Now the manager was both dishonest </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> wise. But let’s not be distracted by his dishonesty. After all, the aspect of his behavior that Jesus is calling out for us is not his dishonesty, but his wisdom. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-e5ff9a69-b8f7-de9b-bd14-b3d464e9c8e6" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the word of our Lord:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his resources. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">commended the dishonest manager</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for his wisdom. For the children of this world are wiser in dealing with their own kind than the children of the light.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now before we get into the meat of it, I’d like to point out that Jesus is telling this parable for us. First, the text begins by telling us that Jesus said this parable to his disciples. And that’s also the clear implication of the last line. “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the children of this world are wiser in dealing with their own kind than the children of the light.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is, Jesus wants us -- John tells us in his gospel (12:36) that we are the children of the light if we believe in the light -- Jesus wants us to be wiser in our dealings with each other than we often are, and that to that end, we can learn from this crook of a manager.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But that’s a problem, isn’t it? The main character in today’s parable has been caught being irresponsible with his employer’s money, and he is on his way out. But in the final moments of his employment, he </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rips off</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> his employer by lowering the balances on all of his employer's debtors! And then, as we are reeling from the deception of it all, his employer -- and by implication, Jesus! -- </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">commends</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> this dishonest employee for his “wisdom”. And yes: that’s the word Jesus uses here to describe the man’s actions -- even though it is translated in many Bibles as “shrewd”. It is a word that only ever means “wise” throughout the rest of the New Testament. So Jesus says the dishonest man is wise, and commends his actions to his disciples -- he sets up this manager as an example for us.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what’s going on? Well, interpreters seem torn. On the one side, there are those that are pretty clear that this manager is a terrible person -- he’s selfish and dishonest. But they can’t seem to understand how Jesus could possibly commend such a person, and so their interpretations are often all about avoiding the clear fact that Jesus’ commends him. The end result then becomes an odd story about a dishonest individual with very little point. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other side, there are those that are pretty sure that Jesus commendation is the key, but they struggle to understand why he should be commending such a crook. So they imagine that the manager is helping the poor or that he is discounting interest. But none of those interpretations work, either. There is no hint that the debtors are poor, and the interest on these debts couldn’t possibly represent half of the balance, as it would in the case of the oil. Besides, all of Jesus’ other parables are tightly connected to their meaning. If Jesus wanted to teach us to help the poor, for example, this parable would be a really odd way to do it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So how can we understand this parable? I’d like to answer that question by comparing the parable of the Wise Manager with a number of other Jesus' parables that I hope you are familiar with. The exercise will be a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. There are three themes that I’d like us to see in those other parables. And I hope that when we put them together, the meaning of the parable of the Wise Manager will come into focus.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first of these themes is the easy one: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>God’s Reign</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. In a number of Jesus' parables, there is a boss (or king, or landowner, or employer) who likely represents God and there are also underlings (that is, the servants, the employees) who represent people -- and very possibly us. Let’s look at a few examples among many. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember the parable of the Talents? That’s the one where the king entrusts his wealth to three of his servants, whose handling of it makes all the difference. Clearly, it teaches us to take seriously those valuable things that God has entrusting to us. The parable of the Minas has the same message. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How about the parable of the Laborers? That’s the one where the employer pays everyone the same, even though some have worked through the day, while others have worked only a few hours. That parable reminds us that God doesn’t have to explain himself to us. He’s in charge, after all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The parable of the Unmerciful Servant has the same structure. The master represents God, and the servant represents us. And it reminds us that we want God to treat us with mercy, and so we had better extend mercy to those around us.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How about the parable of the Tenants? There, the landowner is expecting tenants to pay him their rent. Similarly, God also has expectations of us.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But these are just a few of the many parables with this structure. Now wouldn’t it be odd if the parable of the Wise Manager was the only parable with an employer and an employee, but these represented something entirely different? Let's see how far we can go with the assumption that this parable is like all those others: that is, the employer represents God, and the manager represents us. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, of course, that makes many people uncomfortable. But if we are tempted to imagine that Jesus would never use an unsavoury character to represent us, it doesn't hurt to be reminded that in another of Jesus' parables, he even uses an unsavoury character to represent God (in the parable of the Persistent Widow or Unjust Judge). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I understand: we don’t want to be associated with such a crook. But if we are honest, we find ourselves in exactly the same shoes as the manager. What was the accusation levelled against this manager? That he was wasting his employer’s resources. I’m guilty of this all the time. I don’t know about you, but one of my (many) failings is puzzles. I like puzzles; I spend time solving puzzles. And if God were to tell me that I spend far too much time -- even a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wasteful </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">amount of time -- solving puzzles, I would have nothing at all to say in reply. He could only be right! But in our culture of personal entertainment, for some people it could be television, or Facebook, or video games, or shopping, or gardening, or toys … you know the toys I’m talking about; and God certainly does, too. Anyway, you get the idea. Every one of us could legitimately be accused of wasting God’s resources.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Besides, The Bible tells us that “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” A few chapters later, we read that, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the wages of sin is death.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” The manager was found wanting by his employer and was not going to last forever in his position. Similarly, none of us are perfect, and none of us will last forever, either. We are the manager in the parable. And God is the rich man, our boss.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the next obvious question is “then who are the debtors?” To answer that, let's consider the debts -- and for that, we need to consider the next piece of our puzzle. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second theme from the parables is that as King, God has expectations of us: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>God’s Requirements</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. Did you notice that the debts collected in our parable were not expressed as cash but as produce? Oil (in those days, this would be olive oil) and wheat are both the fruit of a harvest. But fruit-bearing and harvest images are throughout the teaching of Jesus. In the parable of the Sower, for example, we are to be like good soil, accepting the message of the Kingdom, and so being able to bear fruit. The parable of the Fig Tree also plays with the same theme: it’s message? God is expecting a delivery of the fruit of the harvest from each of us. Similarly, in the parable of the Tenants, there is the clear expectation that the landowner should receive </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>a portion of the harvest</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as their rent payment. Of course, this theme is also made explicit elsewhere in the gospels. Here are three quick examples:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I chose you and appointed you so that you should go and bear fruit”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now in our parable (the parable of the Wise Manager) the debtors owe a portion of their harvest to their Lord. Now, since we are working with the hypothesis that the manager represents us, then the debtors must represent others. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">So God is the master. We are the manager. Those around us are the debtors. Now let’s consider the final piece of the puzzle.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The final theme to understanding the parable of the Wise Manager is “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>God’s Representatives</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. Remember the Sheep and the Goats? There, the King judges his people according to how they have treated him. But if you recall, this surprises both the good and the bad. The King needs to explain to them both that the way his </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">representatives</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> have been treated is the way that he considers </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">himself</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to have been treated. And who are his representatives? As the King puts it, “the least” -- the least attractive, the least wealthy, the least talented, the least interesting: these are the ones that the King chooses to represent Himself. We don’t get to choose who God’s representatives are -- God does. We might not even like them. It doesn’t matter. That’s not God’s problem -- it is ours! This truth is often hard to swallow in a generation that chooses </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everything</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. We choose our friends, our entertainment, our wardrobe, our diet, the place we live…. We even get to choose the church we go to and the preacher we listen to. But God isn’t limited by our choices, and he is continually sending us representatives that we might not even recognize.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This idea is present in other parables as well. In the parable of the Unmerciful Servant, when that servant is unkind toward a lesser servant, the master seems to take it quite personally. There, the lesser servant is taken to be his master’s representative. In the parable of the Wedding Banquet, the invitees don't just refuse to attend, they also mistreat of the King's representatives. And how about the parable of the Tenants? There, the landowner repeatedly sends his representatives to his tenants requesting payment on their debt. Those tenants’ failure was both their refusal to deliver a portion of the harvest <i>and </i>their mistreatment of the landowner's representatives. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is also a theme that shows up elsewhere in Jesus’ teaching. He tells his disciples: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (in Matthew)” and “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (in Luke)”. Clearly, Jesus wants his disciples (that’s us) to understand that <i>we</i> are his representatives. Elsewhere, Jesus even says: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me, but the one who sent me.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” But if even <i>children</i> can be his representatives, then it isn’t a stretch to conclude that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we are all God's representatives </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to each other</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Let me say that again: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we are all God’s representatives to each other</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So now we have our three puzzle pieces: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>God’s Reign; God’s Requirements; and God’s Representatives</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Now for anyone who reigns, the combination of their reign, their requirements and their representatives is a good summary of their kingdom, isn't it? So now we have a picture of the Kingdom of God. These three puzzle pieces don't just tell us about the Kingdom of God, they also tell us how it operates. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the first piece (<b>God's Reign</b>), the dynamic of God’s Kingdom becomes clear: we must treat God as our King. That means we pay our debts to him. But the second piece (<b>God's Requirements</b>) indicates that God is expecting that payment in the form of harvest-fruit. So what is this fruit that God is requiring of us? Perhaps the best possible answer can be found in Galatians 5:22,23, where we read: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” These are the things that, as children of the Kingdom, we are expected to be delivering to the King.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the final piece of our puzzle (<b>God's Representatives</b>) adjusts this picture ever-so-slightly. We must still deliver this harvest-fruit to God, but now, we must make that delivery </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">through his representatives</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. After all, when we show kindness to “the least”, then we are showing kindness to the King. And it makes sense that that should also be the case for patience and gentleness and all the rest. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So now I’d like to try to convince you this morning that the parable of the Wise Manager is the flip-side of the parable of the Tenants. The parable of the Tenants deals specifically with our role as</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> </i>debtor, or <i>fruit-deliverer</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In that parable, the King (representing God) sends his servants (representing all those we encounter) to his tenants (representing us), expecting delivery of the fruit of the Kingdom to God through them. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When M. shows P. kindness, he is delivering the fruit of the Kingdom to God through P., as God’s representative. When A. is gentle with T., she is delivering the fruit of the Kingdom to God through T., as God’s representative. You get the idea. This is the dynamic of the Kingdom: we remit the fruit of the Spirit -- the fruit of the Kingdom -- to God through each other, and we owe more of this to God than we can possibly deliver. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the parable of the Wise Manager now deals with our role not as </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fruit-deliverer</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but as the representative, or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fruit-receiver</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that, of course, is exactly what we see in the parable: the manager is the rich man’s representative engaged in the recovery of huge debts. Likewise, we are God’s representatives to those we encounter. And the parable tells us how to deal wisely in that role.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But this is where it gets really interesting: the essence of the manager’s “wise” behavior is that he downgrades the debt that each of his master’s clients owes the master. Now if that debt were paid in the currency of love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control, to downgrade such a debt would simply be to require less of all those we encounter than God requires of them -- to be merciful in our assessment of their behavior!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we know of God’s requirements are very high indeed: Jesus’ sermon on the mount sets that bar for us. There, Jesus tells us: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” In that day, the scribes and the Pharisees literally </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">defined </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what it meant to live righteously. But Jesus is saying their best efforts don’t cut it. We must do better. And Jesus’ summary at the end of that section is explicit: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the enormous gap between this standard of (perfect) behavior and our actual behavior -- this is how much we “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fall short of the glory of God</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” -- and this is also the debt we owe to God. This is the “ten thousand talents” in the parable of the Unmerciful Servant; this is the “hundred measures” in the parable of the Wise Manager. This is what we are legitimately expected to deliver to those around us, receivable in the currency of the Kingdom.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But far too often, Christians demand God’s standard of behavior of each other. After all, if God demands that standard of behavior of us, aren’t we doing God a favor by demanding that standard of behavior from each other? Many seem to think so. But that bar is set too high for us! We aren’t being fair to our brothers and sisters if </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> rely on God’s mercy while insisting that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> live up to God’s standard. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The way that it usually goes is this: Christians don’t ever </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">actually </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hold each other to God’s standard. Instead, we hold each other to the aspects of God’s standards that we, personally, are comfortable with. Now this is all well and good if we only engage with those Christians whose comfort zone is in sync with our own. This is, of course, how denominations start. But there are other Christians -- those who might be quite uncomfortable with some of those aspects of God’s standards that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are comfortable with. But here’s the thing: they might be quite comfortable with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">other</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> aspects of God’s standards that we have been avoiding -- because we know (perhaps subconsciously) that they would make us uncomfortable. Of course there is no wisdom at all in fighting over which aspect of God’s standards are most important. Instead, our parable encourages us, not to lower our standards -- by no means -- but simply not to impose God’s standards on our brothers and sisters whose wiring or circumstances are different than ours.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let me re-read Jesus’ comment at the end of the parable: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the children of this world are wiser in dealing with their own kind than the children of light.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The children of this world often have no worries about using their employer’s resources to facilitate their friendships. In our parable, the manager extends mercy to all those who owe their harvest to his master. Of course, the mercy is ultimately the master’s. It is he who must now absorbs the cost. The scandal, of course, is simply that the Wise Manager is reducing his master’s debts </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">without authorization.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> But the surprise of the parable -- and in Jesus’ parables, the lesson is often found in the surprise -- his master is not at all offended by this unauthorized mercy. In fact, the manager receives commendation from the rich man for it. Similarly, we, too, are wise to extend mercy to all those we encounter, not holding them to the standard of God’s requirements -- even as God, in his mercy, does not hold us to the standard of His requirements. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God will never be offended if we extend a certain amount of “unauthorized mercy” or “unauthorized generosity” to those around us. If you are a parent, you’ve likely experienced some of this dynamic. If you pay for your child’s room and board and schooling and clothing and entertainment and transportation and allowance, when your child decides to be charitable, you might feel a bit of conflict. On the one hand, you’re proud of your child for their generosity. On the other hand, you appreciate that it is always easier to be generous with someone else’s resources -- namely, yours! So what do you do? Well, unless your child’s generosity is absurdly disproportionate, you treat your child as your agent, and you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">participate</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in their charity. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, our parable this morning is telling us that God is willing to extend the same kind of grace to us as we are willing to extend to our children. Even when the mercy we show to others is “unauthorized”, God is willing to bless it and commend us for it. The fact that Jesus uses a dishonest character to illustrate it is simply to remind us of our own falling short of God’s glory.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So this week, this month, this year… consider the dynamic of the Kingdom of God. Consider how you can deliver a portion of the harvest of love and joy and peace to those around you. And if those around you don’t seem to return the favor, show them mercy, because our Lord and Savior teaches us that it is the wise thing to do, and we will receive commendation for it.</span></div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-37968957214511176972017-06-25T11:00:00.000-07:002018-04-27T19:46:45.873-07:00Haggai<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is almost vacation time… some of our members might be on vacation already! Victor Borge told a story about a couple going on vacation:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Standing in line waiting to check their bags at the airline counter, the husband (a musician) said to the wife, "I wish we had brought the piano." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The wife replied, "Oh honey, this was supposed to be a vacation! And we've already got six bags!" </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The husband: "Yes, I know-- but I wish we’d brought the piano: I left the tickets on the piano!"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s a silly story, but it reminds us that the important thing is to prioritize the important things. And that’s the theme of our text this morning, because we will be looking at the Old Testament book of Haggai. Now Haggai is one of the shortest books in the Old Testament, second only to Obadiah. It starts with these words:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">second year of King Darius</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai ...</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second year of King Darius... with these words, Haggai clearly wants to situate his prophecy in history, so I hope that you don't mind if I give a bit of historical background. Way back in Deuteronomy, when the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River to enter the promised land, one of the first things that they were to do was to shout at each other. Seriously (you can find it all in Deuteronomy 27): six of the twelve tribes were to gather on Mount Gerizim, and the other six were to gather on Mount Ebal. The banks of these two mountains are almost a kilometer apart, but the two of them form a remarkable natural arena -- words shouted from the bank of one can be heard on the bank of the other! And Moses gave the people these instructions: those on one side would pronounce blessings, and those on the other side would pronounce curses. And these were the first words to be shouted (Deut 27:15):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Cursed is anyone who makes an idol—a thing detestable to the Lord...—and sets it up...” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you are likely aware, avoiding idolatry is a big deal in the Old Testament. The first of the ten commandments is, after all “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you shall have no other gods before me.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” And because of their idolatry, the people of Israel met their downfall. Only a few centuries later, the prophet Isaiah could write (Isaiah 2:6,8):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You, Lord, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob….</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Their land is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">full of idols</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">; they bow down to the work of their hands,</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now before we become smug about how much better we are, we need to appreciate that idolatry continues undiminished up until the present -- just in different forms: idolatry can be subtle. David Foster Wallace said, “There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.” Paul describes the dynamics of idolatry clearly in Romans 1:25:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creat[ed] rather than the Creator</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we do that all the time. Knowing how susceptible we all are to this tendency, Paul also wrote (1 Cor 10:14):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my dear friends, flee from idolatry.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But back in Deuteronomy, God had made the consequences of such idolatry clear:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(28:15)...if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today…(36) The Lord will drive you a... to a nation unknown to you or your ancestors. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that, of course, is precisely what happened. The people of Israel were taken into captivity by the Babylonians in the sixth century BC. But this was not the end. God had not </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fully</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> abandoned his people. In chapter 30 of Deuteronomy, God anticipated the whole thing in advance! We read:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 9 Then ...The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 8...the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you…. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, sure enough, after the Persian empire conquered Babylon, the Persian King Cyrus encouraged the Jewish exiles to return to the land of Israel and rebuild the temple, as we read in the first chapter of Ezra:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But shortly after laying of the foundation for the temple, the people encountered opposition, resulting in a delay of about twenty years mentioned at the end of Ezra chapter 4:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So that’s the history; that catches us up to Haggai… But that twenty year delay -- a delay between the laying of the temple foundations and getting to work on building the rest of the temple -- will help us understand Haggai, where we will (finally!) turn (1:2):</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this (my) house lies in ruins? 5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consider your ways! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6 You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hold on. That’s not right. In Deuteronomy, Moses had promised prosperity! It’s right here: after being gathered from the nations, Deut 30:9 says:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And yet Haggai is reporting just the opposite! So what’s going on? Well, in the next few verses, Haggai explains it all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7 Thus says the Lord of hosts, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consider your ways</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! 8 Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9 “You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the Lord of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Consider your ways,” says the prophet. That seems to be one of his themes. He wants us to be aware that our behavior and our experience could be closely related. Do we want to know why things aren’t working out for us? Do we want to know why our efforts seem to be ineffective? Do you want to know why we put so much in and get so little out? -- because we have our priorities wrong. God’s House lies in ruins, while our houses are receiving all of our time, and resources, and energy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now of course there are always all kinds of forces conspiring against the building of God’s House -- just like the opposition encountered by the people in Haggai’s day. After all, the building of God’s House requires work. It requires dedication. God understands this, and that is why He is encouraging us through Haggai this morning: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(2:4) Be strong, all you people of the land declares the Lord. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Work</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, for I am </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> you, declares the Lord of hosts, [echo of 1:13]... My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the people obeyed the words of the Lord (this is what Haggai writes -- 1:14,15):</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the remnant of the people... came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sixth month</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, in the second year of Darius the king.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Notice: it took a little more than three weeks for them to get their act together toward obedience.) But the task is not easy. The task involves sacrifice and investment. The task involves setting our face against the tide of corruption and self-worship. God is aware of all this, too, and so He challenges us through Haggai (2:10):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the twenty-fourth day of the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ninth month</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, … “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now then, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">consider</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from this day onward. Before [work began on] the temple of the Lord, 16 how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. 17 I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord. 18 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consider</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ... Since the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, [remember: that was twenty years previously] </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">consider</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: 19 Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But from this day on I will bless you.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did you notice that God waited </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">three months</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to deliver that blessing? They got to work on the twenty-fourth of the sixth month, and now it is the twenty-fourth of the ninth month, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">now</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> God says that he will start to bless the people. I wonder how often we are impatient for God’s blessing. Do we come to church expecting -- perhaps even demanding -- to be blessed in the moment, when it is God's preference to provide the blessing at the end of a long obedience. What kind of obedience? Well, God is instructing us this morning -- telling us through Haggai to work on his House.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But how does that look in ‘real life’? Well, the key question is clear: how do we understand the Temple today? In the time of Haggai, God put great value on his Temple. What is it that God puts such value in today? </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s not make the mistake of thinking that the modern equivalent of the Temple is the building that we meet in. After all, the early church met in homes and on hillsides and anywhere they could. Rather, the New Testament tells us that (Col 2:17):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These [things -- including the Temple! --] are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance [that is, the reality] is found in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And remember those famous words of our Lord? (John 2:19)</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [and John explains that] He was speaking of the temple of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His body</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The reality is found in Christ. The New Testament equivalent of the Temple is the body of Christ. But the Bible has more to say about the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or how about (Romans 12:6):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who are many, are one body in Christ </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or how about (Ephesians 4:15,16):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s right: we are the body of Christ; we are God’s Temple. The proper understanding of the Temple for today is the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">church</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! It is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! And scripture even makes it explicit. 1 Cor 3:16,17 says:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you not know that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? ...God's temple is holy, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are that temple.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the word “you” in all these verses is the plural form, so that the NIV renders it “you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">together</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are that temple.” As Jesus says, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” The fact that the church is the true Temple is also found elsewhere:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are the temple of the living God (2 Cor 6:16)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the house of God... is the church of the living God (1 Timothy 3:15)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are ... members of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">house of God</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…., Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">holy temple in the Lord</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. 22 In him you also are being built together into </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a dwelling place for God</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by the Spirit. (Eph 2)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So we can’t escape it: the New Testament equivalent of the Temple is the church -- not the building but the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">people</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! In the Old Testament, it is clear that God had great concern for His Temple. It was a place to meet Him; it was a place to gather. It was a place to worship and to be challenged and to experience community. And today, God’s concern is for the church. The church is now where God prefers people to meet him. God wants people who encounter </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>you</i> to see God in you! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The church is now where God prefers people to gather, to worship, to be challenged -- "spurring one another on to love and good deeds" -- and to experience community. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now if that is not your experience at Bethel, may I offer a humble apology on behalf of us all, and on behalf of the elders. If that is not your experience at Bethel, then too many of us are giving too much thought to our own houses at the expense of God’s house.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God isn’t asking for a “trickle-down” investment in the House of God -- as if God is grateful with our leftovers -- the message of Haggai this morning is that the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">real blessing</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> occurs only when we make the House of God a primary rather than a secondary concern! If we aren’t experiencing the blessing of God, it might simply be a question of our priorities</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God wants to bless us, but he also wants us to appreciate that the path to the greatest blessing is counter-intuitive. “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoever wants to keep his life will lose it,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” says Jesus, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">but whoever loses his life for the my sake, will find it.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” And that’s the principle in play here: if we primarily invest in ourselves (or even our families), those investments may not return all that we hope them to. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scripture is clear: we are not to bring leftovers to the House of God. We are not to bring discards. Instead, we must bring our firstfruits: the best portion of our resources. As it says in Exodus 23 and again in Exodus 34:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">best</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now I know that this is a challenging message. But let’s face it, when Jesus introduced the church, he made it clear that it would be in direct conflict with the gates of Hell -- so we should expect challenges! And, of course, knowing that doesn’t discourage us. Rather: we can legitimately be energized. As Jesus promised: “the gates of Hell will not prevail" -- the church wins!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact, Haggai’s message makes it clear that the new Temple will be greater than the old Temple (2:7):</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.... 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let me repeat the words of God to Haggai as the message to the church this morning:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be strong, all you people of [Bethel] declares the Lord. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Work</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[God knows it takes work. If we see someone struggling, it is always so much easier to go home to our 'panelled houses' and forget about our brother or sister. Work: become the people who represent God to the world. Work: become a people of worship, and a people of challenge, and a true community] </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for I am </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> you, declares the Lord of hosts, [echo of 1:13]... My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. (Haggai 2:4,5)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or, as Paul puts it:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what are we doing to build up the church this week? Haggai tells us to “consider our ways”. He challenges us to put God to the test. If we commit to the construction of his House, the church; if we’re willing to invest in those beyond our families and our close friends, if we are willing to share his vision for a church and make it our primary, rather than our secondary investment, then his blessing will follow. Let’s recommit ourselves this morning to an investment in God’s Temple -- even in the lives and the concerns of the people seated all around you this morning.</span>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-33496750774416448082017-03-19T12:09:00.000-07:002018-03-07T09:18:28.333-08:00Joseph and Jesus<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good Morning - this morning, we’re going to return to our series of sermons on seeing Jesus in the Old Testament. As you recall, we started with Adam, then considered Abraham and then before taking a break for a few weeks, we looked at the scapegoat ritual, and how it prefigured Jesus. And this morning, we’ll be turning to Joseph, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-2b27dc1f-e7e8-d8d4-42fa-8d5caa22cf9a" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Joseph is, without question, one of the most important figures in the history of the Jewish people. Without him, the people of Israel would never have survived. Of course, without that survival, they would never have been put into slavery in Egypt. But on the other hand, without that slavery, there would never have been experienced God’s miraculous deliverance, and with it, freedom and recovery of the promised land. Life can be complicated, can’t it? </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, Joseph’s life certainly was complicated. Let me remind you of his (most remarkable) story (which can be found in Genesis 37-50):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preamble</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Joseph was the beloved favorite son of his father. And Joseph had a strong sense of what was right and what was wrong, which unfortunately resulted in his tattling on his brothers when they weren’t behaving well -- and that didn’t go over so well. Joseph was also given special treatment by his father -- famously receiving a “coat of many colors” -- and his brothers didn’t like that, either. Joseph was also a dreamer. And not just one of those dreamers that you can roll your eyes at and safely ignore. No: Joseph was one of those dreamers who thinks that you, too, must participate in his dreams. And one day, when Joseph was seventeen years old, his father sends him off to find his older brothers. He needs to go on quite a hike, because they had moved the family sheep around to greener pastures. But he eventually catches up to them, and this is what we read (Genesis 37:18-20):</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pain</span></h4>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He came unto his own, but his own did not receive him. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Jesus was killed by his own, and it certainly seems that Joseph might also have been killed -- his brothers only changing their mind at the last minute because some slave-traders came along and his brother Judas, I mean Judah, convinces them to sell Joseph for a few pieces of silver. So Joseph received a second life, but ended up being hauled off to Egypt at the end of a slaving caravan. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now some people, having just been mugged and sold as a slave by your family might be a tiny bit bitter about the whole experience. Some people might even have blamed God for it all. And since he was only human, it likely took Joseph a while to be able to handle the whole slavery thing. But we know that he eventually came around, and concluded that if God was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> him, and he was in Egypt, then God was also in Egypt, too.</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now being a slave has never been fun, and being a slave in Egypt no different. Joseph was sold to a guy named Potiphar. That was a good thing: Potiphar was wealthy and powerful, so he could afford to treat his slaves well – especially the good slaves. And Joseph turned out to be one of the very best slaves that Potiphar had. That’s already a good indication that Joseph was trusting in God. When we trust in God, God often helps us do our work better, even when it could so easily be getting us down. So after a while, Joseph’s life wasn’t so bad. </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But just when Joseph was about to get comfortable, Potiphar’s wife comes along. Now I told you that Joseph was a tattle-tale. But there are two types of tattle-tales: the first type tells those things that you’d prefer to be kept secret. That’s the kind of tattle-tale that Joseph was with his brothers. But Potiphar’s wife was the other kind of tattle-tale: she </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">made up</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> lies to tell Joseph’s master in order to get him into trouble. And who is Potiphar going to believe, this slave he bought from the camel traders, or his wife? Well, he believes his wife, and Joseph gets thrown in a dungeon.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now some people, having been thrown into a dungeon because someone made up lies about them might be a tiny bit bitter about the whole experience. Some people might even have blamed God for it all. And since he was only human, it likely took Joseph a while to be able to handle the dungeon smells. But we know that he eventually came around, and concluded that if God was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> him, and he was in a dungeon, then God was also in that dungeon, too. </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can you imagine? Joseph gets thrown into a well, sold as a slave, wrongfully accused, thrown into a dungeon… Joseph might have been tempted to imagine that God had abandoned him altogether. But the Bible says that God was with Joseph this entire time. And since the Bible story almost certainly comes directly from Joseph’s telling of it, it is remarkable that Joseph recognizes God in the depths of his suffering. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But that’s an important lesson, isn’t it? Just because we don’t think that God is around to look after us, doesn’t at all mean that he has left us alone. When God says “I will never leave you, I will never forsake you,” he doesn’t sneak in some fine print “as long as you do such and so.” As long as we live, God is there watching out for us, and showing his grace to us. The Bible says, “In him we live and move and have our being,” and “in Him all things hold together.” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is common for people today to claim that there is too much suffering in the world to believe in God. Strangely, this claim often seems to be inversely related to the amount of suffering that the person making the claim has actually experienced. Joseph, having experienced incredible injustice and suffering, knew that God was there beside him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Promotion</span></h4>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so as a picture for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, as an illustration of His love that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can learn from almost four thousand years later, God came and rescued Joseph. It only took thirteen years from the time that he was thrown in that old well. Thirteen years! How did it happen? It was all about dreams. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Joseph found himself between two criminals in that dungeon. Both of them had dreams. Neither understood what their dream meant. Joseph interpreted their dreams for them. One of the dreams meant that Joseph’s companion would be executed. The other dream meant the deliverance of the other criminal beside him. Almost like Jesus on the cross, who famously told the criminal beside him, “you will be with me in paradise.”</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So the butler was reinstated to the coveted position of waiting on Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Years later, when Pharaoh had some troubling dreams, the butler remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh that this guy in the dungeon could interpret dreams. So Pharaoh hauled Joseph out of the dungeon and asked for the meaning of his dreams. The dreams indicated that the whole land was going to have seven years of good crops followed by seven years of famine. And Pharaoh was so pleased with Joseph for the warning he provided, that he made him the ruler of the entire land. And it was a good thing, too, because Joseph had the people store away food before the famine, they had enough to survive when the famine came.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One day, long before, Joseph left his father's house wearing his fancy coat, but he ended that day with his coat stripped off him and having been thrown into a pit, to begin thirteen years of slavery and abuse. But on this day, he woke up in a pit (the Hebrew for dungeon and pit are the same), , but he ended that day wearing royal robes in charge of the greatest civilization in the world at the time. If that isn’t a picture of resurrection, nothing short of coming back from the dead could be! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Purpose</span></h4>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After those seven years of bountiful harvests, the famine came to Egypt and all the surrounding area. It was so bad that people from all over came to buy food from Joseph. And one day, ten men arrived from a long distance away to buy food. Joseph recognized </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">them</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but they didn’t recognize him (it had been twenty years, after all). That’s right: it was his </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">brothers</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> who had come to ask for food. You can picture it: here is a ruler in the greatest kingdom on earth, flanked by squads of guards. And his enemies come groveling before him. These are the same enemies who had come “this close” to killing him the last time they had met. Instead, they just sold their own brother as a slave. Now Joseph is the boss, and they are nobodies. But Joseph ends up being really kind to them, and talks the entire family into staying in Egypt (where there was food). And Joseph makes sure that they live in the best part of the entire country.</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Romans chapter five, we read that Christ died for us, and elsewhere, we understand that this death meant life for us. But we are told that Christ died not when we were already God’s friends, but while we were still his enemies -- while we were still sinners. Similarly, Joseph took a punishment he didn’t deserve; he suffered remarkable hardship; but by the powerful intervention of God, he is raised up to sit on a throne in order to provide life and peace for his enemies, and turn them into his family.</span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Punchline</span></h4>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So everyone lives “happily ever after,” more or less. But the best part of the lesson of the story comes a little later on. When Joseph’s father Jacob became old and died, Joseph’s brothers all got together and came to Joseph, and the Bible says that they threw themselves down before him, expecting that he would deal with them harshly now. But listen carefully to what Joseph says in reply. He says two things, and both are so important. First, he says, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?” Now Joseph is, of course, implying that “no, of course not, he is not in the place of God.” </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is so easy, so convenient, and so seductively empowering to take the place of God, isn’t it? And it all goes back to the Garden of Eden. What did the serpent say to Adam and Eve? He said, “if you eat of the fruit, you will become like God, knowing good from evil.” This is the most primal of human temptations – it always has been and it always will be. We </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">want</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to be in the place of God. We </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">want</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to decide what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. We want to judge, we want to be in control. But we all need to come to the place that Joseph came to, where he knew that it was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> his place to judge, it was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> his place to decide what is right and what is wrong. He was not in the place of God, and neither are we. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But here’s an interesting twist: the Pharaohs of Egypt were actually given god-like status. Their absolute rule was the grounds for the practice. And Judah explicitly says that as far as they are concerned Joseph was “like Pharaoh himself (44:18).” So by the custom of the land, it would have been natural to have treated Joseph as God. But here he is humbly acknowledging that he is by no means God. As we read in Philippians chapter 2:</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not cling to equality with God, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How very much like Joseph, who </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">also</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> did not aspire to equality with God. And Joseph </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">also </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was highly exalted and given a name second only to Pharaoh, just like Jesus has been and will be exalted:</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second thing that Joseph says is found in Genesis 50:20, as his brothers are groveling before him after the death of their father, Joseph says to his brothers, “Even though you might have meant it for evil, God meant it for good.”</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“God meant it for good.” Being thrown in a well? “Yes, God meant it for good.” Being sold as a slave? “Yes, God meant it for good.” Being wrongfully accused? “Yes, God meant it for good.” Being thrown in the dungeon? “Yes, God meant it for good.” Now it is one thing to recognize God’s work in your life when He has picked you up and dropped you on the throne of the greatest civilization in the known world, but it is quite a different thing to recognize God’s work in your life when you are still in the dungeon. But this trick here is just this: if Joseph wasn’t able to recognize God’s work in his life while he was in the dungeon, God never would have elevated Joseph to the throne in the first place. </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now when Joseph says that God meant it for good, it shows that he understood God. One of the greatest of all human experiences is simply to be understood. And I expect that God appreciates being understood, too. Joseph understands that God’s purpose is to turn evil into good. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">And if we let him, God wants to be with us, too, and similarly redeem our lives from destruction. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most vivid illustration of this in history, is, of course, the cross. We meant it for evil. God meant it for good. The greatest act of injustice ever committed -- the greatest punishment ever imposed on the one who deserved it the least. Yet God used this event for the good -- in order to bring many children to glory, in order to provide life and peace for his enemies and turn them into his family.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Postscript</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></h4>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So Joseph’s life is central to the story of the people of Israel. In fact, his story spans almost one quarter of the entire book book of Genesis. Almost as much ink is devoted to Joseph’s story as is given to the story of Abraham. But strangely enough, mention of Joseph is almost absent from the New Testament. Abraham is featured again and again in the writings of Paul - almost seventy times! but Paul never mentions Joseph at all! </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mentions of Joseph in the New Testament are usually references to other people: Joseph the husband of Mary, Joseph Barnabas, or Joseph of Arimathea. Apart from the final address of Stephen the Martyr in Acts chapter 7, the only mention we have of Joseph the son of Jacob in the New Testament is found in the famous eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the Hall of Faith, or the Faith Hall of Fame. And this is what it says (11:22):</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Say what? Joseph, the man who trusted God in the pit, who trusted God as a slave, who trusted God in the dungeon, and who was raised by God to the highest earthly position. And what does he get commended for in the New Testament? Instructions about his bones. It is a reference to one of the final acts of Joseph (at the end of the book of Genesis -- 50:24):</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will deal with you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely deal with you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, sure enough, the people of Israel took this vow very seriously. From Exodus 13:19 :</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had made the children of Israel swear, saying, God will surely visit you; and you shall carry up my bones from here.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A story that came to its conclusion in Joshua 24:32: </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, were buried in Shechem.... </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This clearly was a big deal. But what is this telling us? Two things. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, God is primarily interested in what we’ve done for him lately. Sometimes it might be tempting to imagine that past service is of some importance, or a prayer prayed in the past is enough. But that isn't the model of the Christian life the Bible presented to us. In Colossians 2:6 we are told that "in the same way that you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him." The Christian life is a continual present business. Considering that it is only the very last thing that Joseph did in his life is called out as an example for us, let’s plan our lives to end well, starting even today. Let’s get in the habit of faithful commitment to his word today, so that we’ll not be taking chances with the future. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But second, let’s also take God’s promises really seriously. This is what made Joseph insist that his bones be returned to the land of Israel, wasn’t it? He had heard from his father, and perhaps even from his grandfather, that the land of Israel has been promised to his family. He was certain that God was going to keep his promise, and he wanted his bones to end up in the right place.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And if we want to end up in the right place after we die, we, too, would do well to follow Joseph’s lead and pay close attention to God’s promises. After all, in Joshua 21:45, we read:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And if God’s promises were good to the rebellious house of Israel, how much more will he keep his promises to his beloved children. That’s why Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7:1:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the promises of God don’t just drive us to purify our lives, they enable our purification:</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 Peter 1:4 [Jesus] has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What promises are these? Well, this book is full of them. Let me encourage you to find them for yourself. And not just find them, but apply them to yourself. Take them seriously. Take them personally. It could change your life. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I’ll close with one example, from the book of Isaiah, God promises (41:10): </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You could take a lifetime taking a promise like that seriously. And that might, in fact, be exactly what God intended. Let God mean this for good in your life this morning.</span></div>
<br />Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-71893186460520487182017-01-15T11:00:00.000-08:002017-01-16T11:01:44.198-08:00Hospitality<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the six months or so before Christmas, Bethel sermons were mostly focusing on Jesus. And that, of course, is all well and good in a Christian church. Beginning in June of last year, the sermon series was called “Glimpses of Jesus”, and in those months, we saw Jesus change water into wine, heal the sick, calm the storm, raise the dead, drive out the merchants in the temple, and walk on water (among many other things). Immediately following that, we had a series of sermons on the Sermon on the Mount. First we witnessed Jesus in action, then we gave him the opportunity to speak to us. And having been immersed in Jesus’ life and teaching for six months, we hope that his example and instruction will take root in our lives and transform us into the people that God intended us to be.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But what, exactly, does that look like? Well, the present series of sermons is intended to respond to that very question -- to talk about the practical reflection of God’s work in our lives; to apply what we’ve learned in concrete terms. Last week, Andy challenged us to draw near to God. And as you see from your bulletin, the topic of this morning’s sermon is “hospitality”.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But how in the world did I get this assignment? After all, our church has a number of real experts in hospitality, and I do not pretend to be one of them. To tell you the truth, God put it on my heart as something that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">need to learn, that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> need to practice and that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> need to develop. Knowing my own shortcomings in this regard, I suggested to Andy that this subject should be addressed… and, well, so here I am. Wow. That’s just how it goes sometimes. So I don’t come to you this morning as anything of an expert. Instead, I come as a student, perhaps as a student whose assignment was to study a topic and make a presentation to the rest of the class.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now the first thing I discovered as I looked at the teaching on hospitality in the Bible is that it shows up much more than I had anticipated. In fact, the topic is addressed by almost every one of the New Testament writers (not every book, mind you, but all but one of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">writers</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Only Jude (the writer of only a single-chapter book) doesn’t address it. (Now we don’t know for sure who the author of the book of Hebrews was, so I’ve added an extra line for him, just to be safe). And some of these mentions of hospitality are quite explicit. For example, 1 Peter 4:9 says:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How do you like that? At one point, a command like this would be enough to make me </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">start</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> grumbling -- which isn’t Peter’s intention at all, of course. But very likely the reason for our discomfort over this directive is that the meaning of the word “hospitality” has drifted a bit since Peter wrote his letter. That is, when </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> hear the word “hospitality”, we often think of something different from what the Biblical writers intended when </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">they</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> used the word “hospitality”. So let’s take a few moments to understand that difference. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In our society, we often use the word “hospitality” to describe the business of hosting a dinner party: choosing the right guests, making sure that they are sitting in the right place, serving the right food, keeping the conversation going, and making sure everyone has a good time. To use another word (thanks, Ruth), this is the business of “entertaining”. And while entertaining can be an enormous blessing to both the host and the guests, entertaining is a blessing </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">because of the hospitality shown in the process</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. That is, entertaining can be a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">vehicle</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for hospitality, it is not hospitality in itself. As this diagram shows, there is lots of overlap between hospitality and entertaining, but there can also be one without the other.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Entertaining without hospitality happens when it is all about social status and the exchange of social favors, with the priority going to the host. So if the instruction to “practice hospitality” makes us uncomfortable, it might simply be that “entertaining” can be socially awkward</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But please be reassured: Biblical hospitality does not depend on social positioning</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instead, true Biblical hospitality is focused on those to whom the hospitality is offered and its purpose is to address their needs. This is made clear for us in Romans (12:13): </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Entertaining without hospitality also happens when its basis is luxury. Let’s face it: dinner parties are expensive, and having the facilities to host such a thing to the standards of the day also represents significant expense. Just this last Friday, I was talking to one of the men in Esther’s extended family, who, with his father, run a high-end renovations company in X. He laughed at the fact that his clientele were all part of a wealthy group that regularly invite each other over for dinner parties. When one gets a renovation done, then all the others need to have renovations, all trying to one-up one another. So if the instruction to “practice hospitality” makes us uncomfortable, it might simply be that “entertaining” might be beyond our means. But please be reassured: Biblical hospitality does not depend on your financial situation. Instead, true Biblical hospitality is an opportunity for us to share the love that we have received from our Lord and Savior. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While entertaining can be a great vehicle for hospitality, we shouldn’t limit our understanding by it. I was made exceedingly grateful this last week but an expression of hospitality from the ladies of the church: a number of you sent over some baking that we were able to take for the visitors at Esther's father's funeral. Thank you for that! We can make others feel at home in public, or at work, or in church, or even at someone else’s house. In fact, when Jesus gives us an example of hospitality, it doesn’t involve entertaining at all. Rather, he tells the famous story of the Good Samaritan. There, the hero of the story has a chance encounter with a man near death: someone who has been robbed and beaten and left by the side of the road. He does everything that he can to look after this man, arranging for his rest and recovery, without playing host to him at all. And when Jesus is through telling this story, he says:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go and do likewise (Luke 10:37b)</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I fully suspect that the success of the early church depended in no small part on the fact that those early believers took these words of Jesus seriously. Hospitality does not require entertaining. In fact, we can also find Jesus’ instructions about entertaining in Luke (in chapter 14). There, we read: </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now between this and the Good Samaritan, our common thinking about hospitality should be quite shaken to the core. Jesus knows that only a fundamentally new understanding of value and social status will make us able to understand true Biblical hospitality. That’s why we also see this (following) teaching of Jesus in all four of the gospels:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luke 9:48 “Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” (Matthew 18:5; Mark 9:37; John 13:20)</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the first century, children, particularly </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">other people’s children</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, were on the lowest possible rung of the social ladder. They were the last people that anyone would spare a thought for. So when Jesus clearly connects our treatment of those children with our treatment of our Lord Himself, he is overturning the common understanding of status and value. And then, just in case we missed it, he makes it explicit:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we are finally able to take these words of Jesus to heart, we will discover that hospitality does not depend on a large house, or even a clean one. Nor does it depend on an expensive meal. The poor and the hurting and the lonely have no interest in critiquing your interior decorating. They just long for a chance to connect with someone who cares for them.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact, last year, we had a survey go around to the congregation, and that’s one of the needs that many of you expressed. Connecting with the church as the family of God isn’t nearly as easy as it should be, and it isn’t nearly as natural as it should be -- even at Bethel. The church was never intended to be a collection of independent family units that just happen to share a roof once a week. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are called to be a family. We are called to be the body of Christ. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About ten weeks ago, Esther had an accident while skating, the radiologists summary of the fractures was two lines long, including all those wonderful medical abbreviations. I can’t tell you what things were like for the first few hours, but by the time I got home to take her to the hospital, she was holding one arm with the other. All of her movements were a little more deliberate, and all of her movements were extra aware of risk to that one arm. If there was doubt, her body would turn to protect the suffering member. And much of her energy was devoted to immobilizing that wrist so that no further damage was done. How well this illustrates how a high-functioning body operates! When one of our members is suffering, how critical it is that we all make special allowance for them!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are called to be a family: to share with the Lord’s people who are in need -- and that’s not just physical needs, but social and spiritual needs as well. This, of course, is one of the reasons that we are looking at the topic of hospitality this morning. But just last week, we were given another great reason to consider hospitality: we were challenged to “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">spur one another on toward love and good deeds</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, and hospitality is certainly a practical opportunity for good deeds among us.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But to fully understand Biblical hospitality, let’s consider a really interesting example from scripture. In his letter to the churches, the apostle James uses two stories from the Old Testament as examples of “faith in action.” The first of these examples is “the big one” -- Abraham himself!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the second example that James uses is the one I’d like to draw your attention to this morning. It is quite fascinating -- both for its choice and for its details. It is found in verse 25:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? (ESV)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You remember the story: Joshua, upon entering the promised land, immediately encountered the walled city of Jericho. It really didn’t look like anything the people of Israel had experienced before. So Joshua sent two spies in to check it out. The king of Jericho got word of their “visit”, and sent soldiers to capture them. But they had been welcomed by this woman named Rahab, and she hid them so that the soldiers couldn’t find them. And then, when the coast was clear, she made sure that they escaped unharmed. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Imagine jumping from Abraham to Rahab! James is covering a lot of territory here, isn’t he? On the one hand, the father of the faithful, the patriarch of the patriarchs, the friend of God, the example to all the children of promise. On the other hand, a pagan, Gentile, prostitute -- ew! It would have been hard to have made a greater contrast between individuals in the minds of his listeners. But instead of a contrast, James is making a comparison! He is saying that both Abraham and Rahab were justified by their faith expressed by their works. </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And in particular, Rahab’s faith is expressed in her hospitality to the Israelite spies. But let’s look carefully at the wording that James uses here: in describing her hospitality, he says that she “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">received the messengers</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. And these words, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">received</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” and “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">messengers</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” are critical to a Biblical understanding of hospitality. We’ve seen the first one (“received”) before, haven’t we? </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoever </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">receives</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> this little child in my name </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">receives</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> me (Luke 9:48)</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Matthew, one expression is slightly different (Matthew 10:41):</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoever receives </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And another expression of this is also found later in John (13:20), where Jesus says:</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">whoever </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">receives</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the one I send </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">receives</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> me</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So Jesus is making it clear: the way that we receive other people is the way that we receive Jesus. Whether it is the little child, or you, or the one he sends, that reception also involves how we receive not only Jesus, but also how we receive God himself! And, of course, Jesus doesn’t want us to limit our thinking here: we know from elsewhere in the gospel that whenever we show kindness to the least of Jesus’ brothers or sisters, he will take that kindness as being shown to him. But that word (“receive”) also shows up in another famous verse in John, doesn’t it (1:10-12)?</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">receive</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> him. Yet to all who did </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">receive</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But what this implies is staggering: nothing less than that our inclination to be hospitable may be directly connected to our very salvation! No wonder so many of the New Testament authors make a point of calling it out! So if we receive the marginalized; if we receive the hurting; if we receive the needy -- then we receive Jesus himself and, as a result, obtain the right to become children of God. </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But let’s back up a bit. “The one I send”. Who are those that are sent? In those days, and even today, someone who was sent out is often a messenger. And that brings us to the second of those two important words.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">received</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">messengers</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and sent them out by another way? (ESV)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But at this point, I’m afraid that I need to disagree with the translation that you have in the pews. In the (NIV) pew Bibles, the translation used for this word (that the ESV translates “messengers”) is “spies”. Now while “spies” certainly reflects the historical reality of Rahab’s experience, it isn’t accurately transmitting </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how James expresses it</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But don’t take </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> word for it. On Bible Gateway, there are 54 different (though not necessarily independent) translations of the New Testament. Of those, 65% translate this word “messengers” rather than “spies”. But don’t take </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">their</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> word for it. The Greek word that James uses is “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">angelos</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” which is, of course, the word that we also translate “angel”. In the ancient Greek language, there was no word for "angel", so the New Testament writers chose this word -- "angelos" meaning "messenger" -- for that purpose. An angel, of course, is simply a messenger from God. But this reminds us of another verse concerning hospitality, doesn’t it? -- Hebrews 13:2:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">angels</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> without knowing it.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that word in Hebrews translated “angels”? It is also “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">angelos</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, of course: the same word translated “messengers” in James. Now I don’t think that this is a coincidence. In fact, I’d be willing to go so far as to use it to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">define</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Biblical hospitality: that is, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Biblical hospitality is simply treating those we encounter as messengers of God.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please note that, in the world’s way of thinking, the hospitality referred to in Hebrews is being offered to strangers and the hospitality referred to in James is being offered to spies -- that is, Rahab’s natural </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">enemies</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. But simultaneously, in God’s way of thinking -- the way of thinking that ultimately counts -- the hospitality is being offered to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His messengers</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, if God were to send a messenger to you, and you knew it, I’m sure that you’d go out of your way to make them feel completely at home. I expect that they would make the transition in your mind from stranger to guest to family to VIP in no time. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But when John tells us that we need to show hospitality; when Paul tells us that we should practice hospitality; when Peter tells us to offer hospitality without grumbling; when James uses hospitality as an example of saving faith in action; when the author of the book of Hebrews tells us not to forget to show hospitality to strangers, they aren’t just encouraging us to be satisfied with society’s common forms of hospitality. I don’t think that it is inappropriate to extend Jesus’ words in the sermon on the mount to the present subject (see Matt 5:46-47) -- now my modifications are in brackets, but you can look up the passage and decide if Jesus could also mean this or not: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you [invite over] those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you [look after] only your own family, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instead, we need to be challenged to go beyond all that - challenged in our thinking and in our habits of life. God really does looks at things very differently than we do. And He (as usual) is asking us to think more like He does. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: -9pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last week, we were challenged to first draw near to God -- and then to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Practicing Biblical hospitality might be exactly the kind of good deeds God had in mind. And God knows how far it could go toward forming this church into C</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">hrist’s body for His glory. (Romans 15:7)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.</span></div>
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<br />Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-14272029401696089712016-12-19T14:09:00.000-08:002016-12-22T07:35:07.279-08:00The True Spirit of Giving<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are a parent, can you remember the first time your child opened a gift-wrapped present? If you have a little sister or little brother, can you remember the first time they opened a gift-wrapped present? Some small children don’t seem to understand the concept. They seem to be confused about the activity, or at least hesitant, for sure. Those are the children I like. After all, the pretty paper shouldn’t be damaged, right? And what is this colorful box inside? Other children seem to naturally grasp that this shiny new package somehow now belongs to them, and everyone else better back off. Those are the children who grow up to be dangerous...</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-b3277e4e-18db-c069-2935-6c825842781a" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But in any event, this business of gift-wrapped-parcel-sharing is by no means something that comes naturally. You need to learn it. You need to be taught it. And the better your teacher is, the more you will enjoy it. And the better your teacher is, the more you will appreciate the marvelous opportunity for relationship-building that gift-sharing is meant to be.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so, this morning, in anticipation of Christmas, we come to God -- the best possible teacher -- asking Him to teach us. May His example be our standard, and may His gift to us transform us into the people that he has meant us to be. (let’s pray)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As time progresses, it seems to be getting more and more difficult to give and receive gifts. In the not-so-distant past, when folks struggled to make ends meet, a sacrificial hand-made gift could have been the best thing ever. But today, when most folks have everything they need, and many also have everything they want, even an expensive gift can fall flat. We’ve become quite spoiled. Perhaps we’ve become something like that little child, who has become so used to being looked after in every possible way that we’ve lost the magic of gift-sharing.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you open an internet browser, and ask Google to look up the phrase “the person who has everything” (including the quotes), you get half-a-million hits. Apparently, the challenge of buying a gift for someone who doesn’t need anything is not at all uncommon. Now if you do the same thing with the phrase “the perfect gift”, you get twenty-three million hits! In the history of the world, gift-giving has never been hotter, but I might be tempted to say that in the history of the world, gift-giving has never been emptier. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the Bible has something to say about that, doesn’t it? (James 1:17) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps if we were to come to the source of all good gifts, we wouldn’t be quite so confused about the whole business of gift-sharing. Unfortunately, of those twenty-three million websites giving advice for the “perfect gift”, God is mentioned in only a tiny fraction of them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps the problem can be brought into focus with a few slides. Now these are very much oversimplified, I know, but perhaps in a way that illustrates something important. Here, we see the space in which we can talk about “the perfect gift” of the “Earthly Realms” -- it may be an odd expression, but give it a chance: I hope it will make sense in a minute or two.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqR-48jjTHM7YTEP1txvq7xDDeou72eZbDMcZbF6ZN4d8Maj-5fDu1C-eq5b-9_QN69S9jFcD8EAgGi7eKTd8IsSI3UsqGzgtKTiRUFxPP-QFMTNRPtZ8NcocJlzE5Ku8L8E_nCyUhSQ/s1600/slide1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqR-48jjTHM7YTEP1txvq7xDDeou72eZbDMcZbF6ZN4d8Maj-5fDu1C-eq5b-9_QN69S9jFcD8EAgGi7eKTd8IsSI3UsqGzgtKTiRUFxPP-QFMTNRPtZ8NcocJlzE5Ku8L8E_nCyUhSQ/s320/slide1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Horizontally, we have history: then on the left and now on the right. Vertically, we have “stuff” -- after all, that’s what the Earthly Realms consist of. And this red horizontal line represents the amount of stuff that the average human needs to survive. Basically from the time of Adam and Eve until now fundamental human needs have more or less remained the same: we need food, we need water, we need air, we need shelter, we need clothes. Now the green line represents the amount of stuff that the average human being has. For most of history, the average person has been able to survive -- that is, their basic needs have been met (the green line and the red line were more-or-less the same). But as time progresses, the average person has had more and more, until quite recently, the average person (in Canada, at least) has considerably more than we really need.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Given this situation, we could reasonably describe a gift of something that we already have (that is, below the green line) is, well, pointless. After all, the recipient already has whatever it is that you’ve just given them. On the other hand, how do we describe a gift of something that we don’t need </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> don’t have (that is, above the green line)? Well, perhaps we need to add another line to our picture. What the average human </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wants </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is now represented by the blue line</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> So when advertisers talk about “the perfect gift”, they are talking about anything that we don’t have (that is, above the green line) and really want (that is, below the blue line). Of course, it is also worth mentioning that those same advertisers make their living trying to make us desire more and more… stuff.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNk7l6WkDz1w3Z_rWCKDSzSljT1-3307pQf-QUcld2xwLB9xik8MOmbtYhORLs-zGOKFgsINfF2mvycq8XMOFoNBGrX8b9yywsFGaioBGv-0Z79w2dCxR6ZkZd4vz62b56gAa20Pne5MI/s1600/slide2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNk7l6WkDz1w3Z_rWCKDSzSljT1-3307pQf-QUcld2xwLB9xik8MOmbtYhORLs-zGOKFgsINfF2mvycq8XMOFoNBGrX8b9yywsFGaioBGv-0Z79w2dCxR6ZkZd4vz62b56gAa20Pne5MI/s320/slide2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now while this picture might tell us something about perfect gifts in the “Earthly Realms”, God would like us to appreciate that there are other -- and considerably more important -- dimensions in life, which we could call the “Heavenly Realms”: spiritual, intellectual, social, and moral dimensions of humanity, where love and joy and peace and hope reside. And in these (more important) dimensions, nothing much has really changed throughout history. What the average person has is very little in comparison to what we as humans really need. </span><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But here, in the Heavenly Realms, when scripture talks about a “perfect” gift, this is what it means: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzriF06UQuPlmB_ZJiFoTLV9vpJNzbf8cLflBy4qTVMqCktRTmy-3YUj9BoMgjKjmVtb4eD9CZHJpeC5j8h0oHWHJozJt8sfaAJzzXPszTvoPM3Gpdt9MVh8rMY0GcaZ6ukjTCCRj2Rms/s1600/slide3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzriF06UQuPlmB_ZJiFoTLV9vpJNzbf8cLflBy4qTVMqCktRTmy-3YUj9BoMgjKjmVtb4eD9CZHJpeC5j8h0oHWHJozJt8sfaAJzzXPszTvoPM3Gpdt9MVh8rMY0GcaZ6ukjTCCRj2Rms/s320/slide3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes: by “perfect”, the Bible means complete -- entirely filling up the space between what we currently have and what we actually need. Nothing could possibly be added to it. And this is, of course, what it means when we read in 2 Peter (1:3):</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His divine power has bestowed on us </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everything we need </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for life and godliness</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Everything we need” -- when Jesus cried, “it is finished”, he meant it! There really was nothing more to be done. Every spiritual blessing -- including the fellowship that we can share; including the resurrection that we will share with him; and including the Holy Spirit and the gifts that he bestows -- flow naturally from this gift package that God is offering to us this Christmas. That’s what it means when we read in Ephesians (1:3):</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">every spiritual blessing</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the heavenly realms.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, there’s that phrase: “Heavenly Realms”. While we might be tempting to imagine that when the Bible talks about Heavenly Realms that it is talking about something other-worldly and far in the future, this simply cannot be the case. The expression “Heavenly Realms” is just biblical language for those dimensions of experience that I mentioned earlier -- the domain of love and peace and joy and hope. We can see this clearly just one chapter later (2:6), Paul writes:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms with Christ.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please note that the phrases “raised us up” and “seated us with him” are both in the past tense. This means that the heavenly realms aren’t part of our future experience at all (something to look forward to). Instead, we are expected to participate in the heavenly realms in the present.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But let’s return for a moment to that curious gap between what we </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">want</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and what we </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">need</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It is, unfortunately, a gap that we rarely, if ever, think about -- even as it grows larger and larger in the Earthly Realms. Perhaps this is because we are so strongly tempted to pretend that the things we want are, indeed, the things we need...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gC_UVeWNOv91reQYmo9Zk6Jk_PCtZl3CK0mWK2qzUEn7E0r0bJ_PozQP08LkJyTE-QwJnzdptQI27l6IjMzPXGs71-17h5bN61ru0B3Y-J813uc09DV7E0sm95fAQURQGjyYDp-QOjE/s1600/slide4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gC_UVeWNOv91reQYmo9Zk6Jk_PCtZl3CK0mWK2qzUEn7E0r0bJ_PozQP08LkJyTE-QwJnzdptQI27l6IjMzPXGs71-17h5bN61ru0B3Y-J813uc09DV7E0sm95fAQURQGjyYDp-QOjE/s320/slide4.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But there is a similar gap between what we want and what we need in the Heavenly Realms, except that here, it is actually the other way around! When it comes to peace and love and joy, it is strangely difficult to “want” even a fraction of what we really “need”. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQh1G4kO5k1OVXvZ80-HG0tSiSjMPXdJ1sC4rCy6qADQE6OO9Qdd_z8t3QlT0qfN5iuKrAFqfIUvrTC6di_WFFbj3beVU7JrtNyeKo3O_8Kn1Pyn2vV2tcRIGEFucRPRD7OvAJk0nmcnE/s1600/slide5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQh1G4kO5k1OVXvZ80-HG0tSiSjMPXdJ1sC4rCy6qADQE6OO9Qdd_z8t3QlT0qfN5iuKrAFqfIUvrTC6di_WFFbj3beVU7JrtNyeKo3O_8Kn1Pyn2vV2tcRIGEFucRPRD7OvAJk0nmcnE/s320/slide5.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As C. S. Lewis put it:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or, as Albert Hayhoe used to say:
</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic;"> We can have as much of Jesus as we want, and our lives will show how much we want.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that’s why Paul prays for the church with words like these (Ephesians 3:16-19):</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit; that Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him;... and that you might have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.... Then you will be fulfilled with all the fullness of God’s life and power!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Loving Heavenly Father wants to give each of us -- in the present life, spilling over into the life to come -- the spiritual fullness that He makes available through the gift of his son. That’s the language that the Bible uses, over and over, when describing Jesus’ life purpose:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Son of Man [came] to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">give his life</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as a ransom for many. - Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45 </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He … did not spare his own Son, but </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gave him up for us all</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Romans 8:32a </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Lord Jesus Christ… </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gave himself </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">... to rescue us from the present evil age - Gal 1:4 </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Son of God … loved me and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gave himself</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for me. - Gal 2:20b </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ loved us and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gave himself up for us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Eph 5:2 </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ Jesus… </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gave himself</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as a ransom for all people - 1 Tim 2:6 </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus Christ… </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gave himself</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for us to redeem us from all wickedness - Titus 2:14 </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For God so loved the world that he </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gave</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> his Only Son… - John 3:16</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And these words “redeem” and “rescue” and “ransom” give us the sense of great chasm of spiritual need -- that gap between what we have and what we need -- that Christ has come to fill in for us . . And that last one? (you all know it) “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” …the gift is given [so that] we won’t perish. We were born into a world that promises far more than it can deliver. We became slaves to sin, having been tricked by its false and worthless assurances. And now we’re stuck. In moments of clarity, we realize the dilemma we find ourselves in -- a world full of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chaos, corruption and conflict</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -- and we recognize that we have no means within ourselves to escape. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But now that God has provided a way of escape through his Son, we can say with the apostle Paul (2 Cor 9:15): </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And this provision of deliverance was part of God’s plan from the get-go! We see it powerfully prophesied for us in Isaiah (9:6-8):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a child is born, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a son is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">given</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the government will be on his shoulders.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And he will be called</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Isn’t it wonderful to know that in the middle of any political upheaval in the world that the government will one day come down squarely on Jesus’ worthy and capable shoulders? In our mixed-up day and age, we often put our trust in our local government -- expecting them to provide all those things that we need in the Earthly Realms -- as we imagine that these are the most fundamental of human needs. But as we see roughly every four years, local governments don’t last. And they can only very rarely be trusted at all. Jobs come and go; health-care only goes so far. And local governments can never touch the emptiness we so often encounter in the cores of our being. In order to address our inner </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chaos, corruption, and conflict</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, we need to come to God, the giver of truly perfect gifts. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And here it is: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a child is born; </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a son is given. And if you don’t think this could possibly be talking to you personally, let me remind you of the Angel Gabriel’s words to the shepherds on that first Christmas morning (Luke 2:10,11): </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all the people</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. For </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">unto you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And this child, given to us at Christmas time, has come to address our deepest needs -- not our earthly wants, but the deepest longings of every human heart -- not to band-aid them, but to finally and completely resolve them in each of our lives. As D. A. Carson writes:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If God [knew] that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he [knew] that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God [knew] that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he [knew] that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he [knew] that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and [so] he sent us a Savior.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This Savior is the son who was born for us. This Savior is the child who has been given to us. And the words that are used to describe him are remarkable indeed:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s consider each of these briefly, as we unwrap this marvelous gift!</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wonderful: this Hebrew word means “miraculous”, in the same way that “signs and wonders” means “signs and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">miracles</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. And the fact that our gift this morning is miraculous colors every other aspect that we we be considering shortly. It signals that the domain of this gift really and truly is beyond the Earthly Realms! And what could be more miraculous than the Creator of the Universe voluntarily squeezing himself into human form to demonstrate his love for other human beings? As many of you know, I’m a fan of babies. And I would like to think that any well-tuned human being must marvel at the wonder of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">any</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> baby. But this Christmas baby was a marvel among marvels -- as the Bible has it, he is the very image of the invisible God. “Wonderful” simply means supernatural -- and our deepest needs are only met with a touch of the wonderful.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Counselor: in ancient Hebrew, the role of a counselor is not so much to give advice as it is to give purpose. In fact, the Hebrew word “counselor” comes from the root word that is translated “purpose”. What this means is that this Christmas child was part of an eternal plan. We say (and rightly so) that Jesus is the true meaning (or purpose) of Christmas... but Jesus is also the true meaning of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>history</i>! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But he is not just the intended focus of history; he is the source of true purpose himself. Purpose is the most powerful antidote to the human condition. It is impossible for boredom or depression to take hold of a life lived to this purpose. And with these two words (“wonderful, counselor”) this Christmas baby is presented to us as a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">miracle of purpose</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, given to us, born for us, dispelling the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chaos</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that can so easily take over our lives. And remember what the Bible says about those </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">called according to His purpose</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? God is working in everything for their good.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But there’s more! This gift is not just a miracle of purpose. After wonderful and counsellor, we see this gift to us will also be called the Mighty God and Everlasting Father; let there be no doubt: this is no ordinary baby. He represents the Great and Eternal God of Heaven and Earth like no-one else. As Jesus says in John 14(:9): </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the adjectives are also important: Mighty God calls out his great power. And it is a power that he wants to share with us. But we need to understand that power in the heavenly realms is very different from power in the Earthly Realms. In the Earthly Realms, power is outward-directed -- the ability to manipulate and control people, resources or events. But in the Heavenly Realms, power is directed inward. We’ve already read Paul’s prayer for the power to understand God’s love, but in Colossians, we are told that God’s power strengthens us, giving us endurance and patience. This is where the power needs to be applied in each of our hearts. Yes: we are that messed up. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But that’s not all: this gift to us is also Everlasting. In this, He provides the perfect solution to the decay that we all suffer from. Instead of things that fall apart and things that wear out, what we are offered instead is a powerful permanence. And what could be better to combat the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">corruption</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that eats away at our enjoyment of life. This permanence, too, is part of God’s Christmas gift to you.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, this Wonderful Counsellor Mighty God Everlasting Father is also the Prince of Peace: He is the source and the dispenser of peace. In John 14:27, Jesus says to us:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the peace that passes all understanding, eliminating </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">conflict</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, first in our souls and subsequently in our relationships. Yes: in the package of His Only Son, God bridges the gap, filling in our needs. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Earthly Realms, we already made a list of all the things that humans really need. Now we can make a similar diagram for the Heavenly Realms. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloxGwtcE8RBeoSNNwJMYLL_2CEX7AVTMwVSTq4iNWSRenzyDo7_tJY-sjrgqHn53IoEcZzJv4sl9oRV-SPQ9eozBxN_dh6BoviYVS6Kx4VmNByRB6Vpkw1lq5jeSONMP0B7OdvN6Nce4/s1600/Slide6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloxGwtcE8RBeoSNNwJMYLL_2CEX7AVTMwVSTq4iNWSRenzyDo7_tJY-sjrgqHn53IoEcZzJv4sl9oRV-SPQ9eozBxN_dh6BoviYVS6Kx4VmNByRB6Vpkw1lq5jeSONMP0B7OdvN6Nce4/s320/Slide6.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each of us needs purpose, and power, and permanence and peace. These are our needs in the spiritual and moral dimensions of life. And these are also the things that God bountifully supplies to us as part of his Christmas package to us.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> By His </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">power</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, His </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">purpose</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ransoms us from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chaos</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, His </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">permanence</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> redeems us from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">corruption</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and His </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">peace</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> rescues us from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">conflict</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what can we expect if we unwrap this indescribable gift? Well, I can guarantee that it won’t wear out in a day or a week or a month. That’s what happens with gifts in the Earthly Realms, isn’t it? Here’s a picture of it: the impact that even a “perfect gift” has almost always looks like this. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRCkYB2K9LNmu0V_mVh_WozLDE1-BDrVBRUwrQFvEl9Svi_YsMqi7oXrceHn39xrBkl9551_GZYZRYnwe639-NOH_j1Jg99sNxbJooo9dbWlVzmQoiu0-ULowTBiAxz50bpGVWoGfWz0/s1600/slide7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfRCkYB2K9LNmu0V_mVh_WozLDE1-BDrVBRUwrQFvEl9Svi_YsMqi7oXrceHn39xrBkl9551_GZYZRYnwe639-NOH_j1Jg99sNxbJooo9dbWlVzmQoiu0-ULowTBiAxz50bpGVWoGfWz0/s320/slide7.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Father always used to marvel at how short-lived were even the most hotly-desired Christmas gifts. He used to tell us that we ended up playing with the boxes long after the toys were forgotten in the closet. But that only happens when one’s desires run so far ahead of one’s needs. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Heavenly Realms, where the opposite situation is the case, the impact of God’s perfect gift has a much different shape: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgJ8wFwMKUOF-tGTRrlM8PnYnLff7_EnwdyFPON3KS4Zn1Z4iUME2PkYBSp96ScLNSt2Ene1ZbczZrHSZURWTGxVALxnHh0zTRdKhxW8gEacBHuork5pIktJCka_3RwxV9C-GtG6Kjwo/s1600/slide8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgJ8wFwMKUOF-tGTRrlM8PnYnLff7_EnwdyFPON3KS4Zn1Z4iUME2PkYBSp96ScLNSt2Ene1ZbczZrHSZURWTGxVALxnHh0zTRdKhxW8gEacBHuork5pIktJCka_3RwxV9C-GtG6Kjwo/s320/slide8.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">No one can predict what the immediate impact is. For many, this can be huge; for others, it starts gradually. But as we continue to unwrap this perfect gift, its impact builds on itself, until the point when those Heavenly Realms become the sum of our human experience.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So how do go about unwrapping this gift? Well, the gift is a person, the person of Jesus. And as a result, the way forward is to develop a relationship with Him. Read the gospels; get to know him better. Talk to him: he will hear your prayers. Hang around his brothers and sisters. Invest some of your life in his service -- for where your treasure is, your heart will be also. Be intentional and be patient. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have a choice this morning. We can give in to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chaos</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">corruption</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">conflict</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or we can follow this Wonderful Counselor Mighty God Everlasting Father Prince of Peace. He can be trusted, and he will deliver -- not just what we imagine that we need, but we can count on him to provide </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">purpose</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">power</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">permanence</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">peace</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: these are our deepest needs; these are part and parcel of God’s Christmas gift to each of us. Do take the time to unwrap it this Christmas.</span></div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-71225071767118979382016-10-23T11:00:00.000-07:002018-03-07T09:30:27.405-08:00Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve just been through a series of sermons on glimpses of Jesus, mostly focusing on </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">events </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in Jesus’ life, giving us the opportunity to see the way Jesus operates -- healing the sick, raising the dead, going out of his way to help the needy, comforting the shaken, and shaking up the comfortable. And we hope that these glimpses of Jesus have made him attractive to you, and made you curious about he might have to say! So this morning, we’re kicking off another series of sermons, this one focusing on Jesus’ </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">teaching</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In particular, we are going to do a high-level walk-through of what is called the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5-7. This morning, we will have an introduction and consider the first part of Matthew chapter 5. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-631a08cd-f145-140a-e0c4-07c30c717c29" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But before we get there, let’s set the stage a bit. Here, in the fifth chapter of Matthew, we have </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of the first public words of Jesus presented to us in the New Testament. But not exactly </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">first public words. Those are found in verse 17 of chapter 4, where we read: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“From that time on Jesus began to preach [with these words],</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’ or, perhaps better, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Change your way of thinking, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now to help us understand what Jesus is trying to say, let’s consider the historical context of his words. As you likely know, the land of Israel has been a very strategic one throughout history. On a narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the desert, the people of Israel found themselves again and again the victims of powerful conquering armies. Early on, there were the Assyrians; then came the Babylonians; then the Persians; then the Greeks. Now at that point in history, the Jewish people recovered their pride for almost a hundred years. But then along came the Roman armies; and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nobody </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">could hold out against the Romans. So for as long as anyone could remember, the land was being overrun by foreign kingdoms roughly once every hundred years or so. And if that pattern was going to continue, the land was just about due for another conquest… just when Jesus arrived on the scene, saying, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Change your way of thinking, for [a new Kingdom is coming! T]he Kingdom </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of Heaven</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is near.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When a massive army comes and overruns your homeland, you know that your plans are going to get disrupted. Don’t count on any of your investments. Dividends? Forget about them. The currency you’ve been using? Worthless. When any new kingdom took over, the people would need to do some “repenting” -- that is, some serious life-rearrangement. And this, of course, is what Jesus is telling us. This is what John the Baptist was telling us. This is the message that Jesus gave his seventy-two disciples when he sent them out to heal and preach. The Kingdom of Heaven -- the Kingdom of God -- is coming. And we better get ready for it. It is going to radically change your life whether you like it or not!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now you might say, “all that ancient history is interesting and all, but what has this to do with me?” But you see, the kingdoms of this world aren’t just the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">political </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">kingdoms -- they also include the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">personal </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">kingdoms. Our domains of control, our spheres of influence, our possessions, our investments, our families, our careers, our hobbies, our recreation, or even our wardrobe -- these often represent personal kingdoms, which could very well be in competition -- and perhaps even in conflict! -- with the Kingdom of Heaven!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, churches and Christians throughout history have been altogether too quick to imagine that they have “made it”: that they are entirely in the center of God’s will, and doing precisely what God wants them to do. But when Paul tells us to “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">work out our salvation with fear and trembling</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, he does so knowing that there are continual risks and challenges in the process. And when the Son of Man in Revelation tells the church in Ephesus to repent, and the church in Pergamum to repent, and the ones in Thyatira and Sardis and Laodicea all to repent, it should be a clue to us that this business of repentance -- this business of “thinking differently” -- should become a habit, something as natural to a healthy Christian life as breathing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we ever imagine ourselves to be beyond repentance, then we find ourselves in particular need of... </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">repentance</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! And if we think that having a full-time job, getting married, raising 2.5 kids, and attending church regularly represents participation in the Kingdom of God, Jesus may well be telling us to think differently this morning.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Change your way of thinking, for the kingdom of heaven is near.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end of this amazing book, in the book of Revelation, we see the progress of the Kingdom of Heaven reaching its inevitable conclusion (Rev 11:15):</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The kingdom[s] of this world [have now] become</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and he will reign for ever and ever.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God has plans for the world, and His plan will always succeed. The Kingdoms of this world (including all of our personal concerns!) are on their way out! God’s Kingdom -- that is, the activity of God in the world and the working out of His plans -- is the only one that will last. And this is the Kingdom that is front and center when we come to Chapter 5, where we read:</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now before we go any further, I’m afraid that we need to deal with a linguistic problem. What is this word “blessed”, anyway? It really isn’t a word we ever encounter outside of church -- and that’s the problem.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This word translated “blessed” is the Greek word μακάριος (makarios). And perhaps the closest that we can come to translating makarios today is using the word “happy”. But “happy” is such a shallow, diluted, weak-sauce kind of word. It really doesn’t come close to capturing what Jesus is really expressing. We have all experienced “happy”. And we all know that it can come and go. Sometimes, it can go as fast as it comes. But that isn’t the kind of “happy” that Jesus is talking about here. Instead, Jesus wants to do w-a-y more for us than just make us “happy”. This “blessedness” that Jesus is talking about involves fulfillment, serenity, and wholeness. He’d like to give us that living water, that will well up inside of each of us to eternal life. Yeah: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eternal </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">happiness. As Peter read for us last week, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Daniel 7:14)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But to better understand what Jesus is saying, I’d like to briefly return to the historical context... I’ve already told you that the people listening to Jesus were all-too-familiar with being overrun by foreign armies. And they were also familiar with the behavior of conquering kings. After a victorious campaign, a typical earthly king would gather the representatives of his newly-subjugated people, and with his armies standing behind him he would address those representatives with words such as these:</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are the rich, for they will partner with us to rebuild your country.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are the well-connected, for they will be given the opportunity to govern.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are the influential, for they will be given positions of responsibility.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And by doing so, this earthly king would be telling his new subjects about himself: what he values, his priorities, and how it is that others can become part of his inner circle. And smart people would pay close attention. But what about those who weren’t rich, or well-connected, or influential? Well, they wouldn’t panic. They would simply try to establish friendships with those who were, ministering to them, and in so doing, they contributing to the king’s plans and purposes. Obviously, when a conquering Kingdom has established itself, you want to find yourself on the right side of power. And understanding the priorities of the new King is the best way to do that. Now, the people listening to Jesus had heard all this type of thing before. And it is in the context of these kinds of addresses that Jesus utters these game-changing words:</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How different from the typical earthly King! Obviously, the values expressed by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King are the polar opposite of those of earthly kings. But just as important, this coming Heavenly King is giving us clues as to how to align ourselves with the coming Power </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ahead of time</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -- that is, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah has eliminated the Kingdoms of this world. What a gift to us! How very gracious of him! To be given the opportunity to pay attention to change our way of thinking, to change course, redirecting our energies and resources in service to the coming King, before it is too late!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And remember: Jesus is telling us about the coming King. The King’s priorities. What kind of people are the King’s kind of people. And this King seems to be concerned for all those whom the rest of the world has overlooked, doesn’t he? That certainly describes the “meek”, anyway. Now if you don’t immediately recognize yourself on Jesus list of those close to the heart of the King of Heaven -- don’t panic! Instead, set aside some time to minister to the mourning, the poor, or the hungry. And in so doing you will be an agent of the Kingdom of Heaven.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You might also have noticed that the King of Heaven does not seem to be at all concerned about anything political. After all, the poor, the meek, the hungry, and the persecuted are simply those who are on the margins of political life, aren’t they? Now while it might be tempting to say that there isn’t anything particularly religious here, either, that could only be true if we consider religion the way the Pharisees did -- as a movement, as a deep social identity, or as a means of control. Instead, those that Jesus singles out as being close to the heart of the King of Heaven are entirely in alignment with the definition of religion that we find in James:</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After all, the orphans and widows -- those are the poor and the meek. And the merciful and the peacemakers are those who look after them. The pure in heart and those who prioritize righteousness are simply doing their best to avoid being polluted by the world. It is very much like James has taken the time to gather the common elements in Jesus’ beatitudes to help him arrive at his definition of “pure religion”.</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what have we got? On the one hand, we have a firm personal moral agenda. That’s what it is to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. That’s what it is to be pure in heart. That’s what it is to hunger and thirst after righteousness -- even to the point of being willing to suffer for it. But on the other hand, we have a gracious and generous position toward the rest of the world. That’s what it is to be a peacemaker. That’s what it is to be merciful. That’s what it is to be meek. That’s what would motivate us to look after orphans and widows.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A firm personal morality, and a grace toward the world. These are the characteristics of the citizens of the coming Kingdom. But that isn’t a very popular message in some churches these days. After all, it feels that the world is pushing us to keep our beliefs to ourselves, to drive us to the margins of public life, and that isn’t very comfortable at all. In fact, it sometimes feels quite a bit like persecution.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But it is almost as if Jesus anticipates this objection, doesn’t he? In verses 12 and 13, he repeats the last beatitude for clarity and emphasis:</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure, the nations can (and will) rage in vain, continually seeking to disqualify and discredit and marginalize and even persecute God’s people. But they don’t understand that Heaven operates on fundamentally different principles than they do, and that God has decreed victory not only </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in spite of -- but perhaps even </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">because of</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -- that very persecution</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Remember those haunting words of Jesus, found in all four of the gospels as many as six times: </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[W]hoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And as Paul writes:</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[W]e declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">None of the rulers of this age understood it</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (1 Cor 2:7,8)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You see, Jesus didn’t just give us this mind-blowing teaching and then leave us to fend for ourselves. He demonstrated the principles himself. He showed in his life and death and resurrection that a poor carpenter on the margins of “civilization”, condemned by the authorities, rejected by the religious establishment, executed in the most degrading way possible, leaving only a ragtag band of outcasts for followers, could change the course of history for the good and establish an eternal Kingdom of righteousness and justice. Yes: even bringing justice for the poor, and the hungry and the persecuted, and the disenfranchised.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And by conquering death once and for all, Jesus demonstrates that the things that consume us and the things that concern us are trivial matters from a heavenly perspective. Let’s change our way of thinking this morning, and begin again to be more serious about our commitment to the coming kingdom and its heavenly King. In closing, please listen, once again, to Paul’s reminder of what that looks like (Philippians 2:5-11):</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His Kingdom is coming. It will not fail. Let’s align ourselves with the coming King of Heaven this morning. Change your way of thinking! The Kingdom of Heaven is near.</span></div>
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Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-39870731142860281202016-09-18T11:57:00.000-07:002017-06-29T13:38:29.347-07:00Distracted by the Law<h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Distracted by the Law</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -- October 30, 2016</span></h2>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9bf3f2ea-1b34-d09a-56d7-b47f5f8d12f6"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9bf3f2ea-1b34-d09a-56d7-b47f5f8d12f6"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the face of it, it seems like a simple story -- another healing in Jesus’ catalog of healings. But there is so much here beneath the surface. You’ve heard of the three R’s in school (Reading, wRiting, and ’Rithmetic), well, there are three R’s in this story, too. And I hope to convince you that these three R’s represent the three stages of the Christian life. Do you want to take your Christian experience to the next level this morning? Perhaps this story will give you the clues you need to do exactly that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As our story begins, Jesus encounters ten people suffering greatly from what was likely the most frightening disease in recorded history, but by the end of the story, they have been made entirely well. And so the first of this morning’s R’s -- is the Remedy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you likely know, up until very recently, leprosy was incurable, deadly, insidious, and mysteriously contagious. You didn’t know that you had it until it was too late, and its discovery was a death sentence. And that death wasn’t going to be a “short sharp shock”, either. It was a long and lingering suffering. And that suffering wasn’t just a physical one. It was also a social one. Lepers were invariably cast out from society, and left to fend for themselves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The primary effect of leprosy is nerve damage. The first sign of the problem is the inability to feel pain. Now at first this might not seem to be a bad thing. But when you don’t know that your finger is cut open, and you don’t know that that cut has become infected, the end result is often the loss of that finger, with a disgusting putrid smell to go along with it. A leper’s experience often involved a great deal of disfigurement to hands, and feet and face. How much better to be sensitive to pain!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so it is no surprise that leprosy has often been compared to sin, as its effects are so similar. Sin’s infection in our lives might also starts small -- perhaps even barely noticeable. But sin also desensitizes us, making it easier and easier to not notice its effects. Sin, too, represents a long and lingering suffering causing irreparable damage to our souls and to our relationships. Sin, too, distorts our very image. Finally, sin is also a sentence of death. As Paul writes in Romans 7: </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death? </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But isn’t it marvelous that he is also able to write the very next verse: </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks be to God [who delivers me] through Jesus Christ our Lord! </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes: it is only through Jesus that we can find the Remedy; only through Jesus can we find God’s wholeness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And Jesus would like to provide the Remedy for us this morning, too! Just like these lepers, he wants to set us free from our sins, forgiving us and cleansing us, and starting us on the path to become the person we were meant to be. If we would like Jesus to provide the Remedy for us, we could hardly do better than using the words that the lepers used: </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m convinced that these words, uttered sincerely, will never be ignored! At the same time, Jesus doesn’t usually answer in the way we expect, does he? And there may be a bit of a surprise in his healing of the ten lepers, too. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After all, what does Jesus do in order to heal these men? Does Jesus touch them…? Well, no.. Does he pray for them…? Well, no he doesn’t do that either. So what does he do? He just tells them to go show themselves to the priests. Now while this might be a bit of a “what’s up with that?” thing for us, this was a really big deal in the context of the first century. You see, Jesus is sending the lepers to the priests in keeping with Leviticus 14. And what a fascinating passage that is! It starts with these words:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leviticus 14:1 - Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sure enough. In the book of Leviticus, Moses had been given laws for all manner of life situations. Chapters of instruction about sacrifices, chapters on dietary restrictions. There are chapters on the habits of the priests, and chapters on lawful sexual relations. Chapters on festivals, and chapters on commerce. But here, right in the middle of the book (chapter 14 out of 27 chapters -- it really is the central chapter of the book!), there are thirty-two verses of detailed instruction concerning what a person is to do if they are healed from leprosy. That’s almost four percent of the entire text of Leviticus! So it must be important, right? Only one problem: since the days that these instructions were written down to the days of Jesus, there had never been an opportunity to put them into practice! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So when the nine former lepers arrived at the priest, he very likely had to look the matter up in Leviticus. It certainly wasn’t something that he had any experience with. The ceremony involved finding two birds, killing one of them, and letting its blood spill into an earthenware bowl of water. Then the other bird, along with a length of scarlet yarn, a branch of hyssop, and a stick of cedarwood would be dipped in the water and the blood, and sprinkled seven times on the man who had been healed. And then the living bird was to be released to fly away. Then the healed leper was to wash all his clothes and shave his head and have sacrifices made on his behalf. It was quite an involved procedure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But in all of recorded history, and in all of oral tradition, there simply had never been a post-law Israelite leper having been healed. Sure, there was Miriam, Moses sister. But she was healed of her leprosy before the law was given. And then there was also Naaman, but he wasn’t an Israelite. So what do we make of this remarkable fact that Moses provided the ‘law of the leper’ right in the heart of the book of Leviticus, but that that law was “dormant” -- it was simply never used for around 1500 years? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, regardless of what we make of it, I can tell you what the Rabbis made of it. The Jewish teachers who took David’s words to heart, and meditated on God’s law day and night -- when they looked at this ‘law of the leper’ in the context of the rest of the Hebrew scriptures, they concluded that this law was </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">finally</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> going to be used when the Messiah came! That’s right: long before Jesus’ arrival on the scene, the Rabbis were convinced that one of the signs of the Messiah’s arrival would be that this law -- ‘the law of the leper’ -- would finally be used. And every educated Jew would have known that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So any Jewish person hearing this gospel for the first time in those early centuries would get a serious case of goosebumps at the point where Jesus says “go, show yourself to the priests.” It would be a moment of “w-o-a-h”. But it would have been an even bigger deal for the former lepers, of course. Can you picture the conversation that they would have had? Clearly, these men came to Jesus with intent: “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” they cried. They had an inkling of what Jesus could do for them. And then can you imagine the excitement when Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priests? This would have been a validation for them: they had thought that he could help, but now Jesus is telling them that he is, indeed, the Messiah. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, oh! What about the discovery that they had been healed. Can you put yourselves in their shoes and feel the elation. But then… then one of them realizes that they have been put in a bit of a bind -- they are now in a conflict situation: as you recall, the text told us that Jesus was “on his way”. And the priests were likely “out of the way” (that is, perhaps in a nearby town). That would mean that by the time they made it to the priests, and participated in the requirements of the law (which, as we just saw, were anything but trivial), that Jesus would have been long gone by the time they were done. They were walking away from the Messiah!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so there would have been a bit of a discussion about this. I don’t know what you might have done if you were in their shoes, but I know what I would have done. If I was a leper, and someone gave me instructions, and in the process of obeying those instructions I became healed from my leprosy, wild horses couldn’t keep me from following through on those instructions to the very end. I would have certainly gone all the way to the priests with nine of those men. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the twist in this story; the surprise -- the shock, even -- is that the majority, those who (like me) were inclined to dutifully follow the law -- indeed: those that obeyed the words of Jesus by going to the priests -- they don’t seem to receive Jesus approval. It is outsider, the outcast, the marginalized who wins Jesus approval. “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he asks.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s attempt to make sense of this remarkable situation this morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the best way to explain this is by way of showing the contrast between our two remaining R words. On the one hand, nine out of ten of these lepers knew that going to the priest was the right thing to do. After all, in verse twenty of Leviticus chapter fourteen, it says, “and the priest shall make atonement for him and he shall be clean.” and, of course, back in that culture to be clean was to be good. You see, as much as we might be inclined to make a distinction between the moral law and the ceremonial law today, the Bible makes no such distinction at all. Jesus makes no such distinction. Paul makes no such distinction. As far as they are all concerned, the law is the law is the law. Or, using a word that begins with R -- the law is a Ritual. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now for some of us, the word “ritual” isn’t a nice one. But for first century Jews (and many Jews and Christians since), Ritual </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> morality. After all, law-keeping just </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ritual. And Ritual was a means to stability; it represented the established order of things. To follow the law’s prescribed rituals was to find oneself to be a full participant in society. And these ten lepers knew that by this means, they, too could regain their place in the Jewish community, having been excluded for so long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I said “ten” didn’t I? Perhaps only nine. Because one of those healed lepers was an outcast for two separate reasons. First, he was a leper like the rest of them, but second, he was also a Samaritan. And as a Samaritan -- someone who, through no fault of his own, had Gentile blood in his veins -- he could never be welcomed back into the community of Israel, because he was never welcomed there in the first place. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And somehow, perhaps even because of the fact that he was an outcast, this Samaritan was able to see the situation more clearly than the other nine. Our first R this morning is Remedy -- many people find help and even wholeness in following Jesus’ teaching. Our second R is Ritual. Everyone who has ever encountered Jesus correctly recognizes that there are moral implications in Jesus’ redemption, and that usually translates into being more careful about behaving according to God’s instructions. But in our text this morning, it would seem that the majority can be so distracted by those moral implications, that they miss out on the third and final R, namely, Relationship. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You see, the dynamic that we see in our text this morning is a lot like the dynamic that exists in so many churches throughout the world. Too often, we are tempted to imagine that the point of the Remedy is the Ritual. We imagine that the purpose of being cleansed is to be clean. We imagine that “the straight and narrow” isn’t actually leading anywhere, but that just being on that path is good enough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s the thing: the law -- that is, ritual and morality -- helps communities function. Ritual has value in bringing us together and making a strong community. That’s as it should be. That’s a good thing. And for many people, church just </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> society. And the established means to enter and function in church societies is one of Ritual, one of morality -- being a law-abiding member. But if we get distracted by our place in that community, when we begin to consider our status in society -- even a church society -- as the goal, then we can totally miss out on the reality of a relationship with Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We know that Ritual can clash with Relationship. Let’s face it: one of our shared rituals is to attend church on Sunday mornings. Some of us add to that ritual, and make sure to attend church… on time. Some even add to that, and make sure to tidy up and wear good clothes to church. But anyone who has ever been the parent of small children knows that ritual can sometimes clash with even the most important relationships. Or, to consider another example, imagine attempting to make a change to some aspect of the church service. Relationships would almost certainly suffer for it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the majority of those cleansed by Jesus -- nine out of ten in the present case -- ritual took priority over relationship, and society took priority over salvation. They just didn’t seem to get it. Like the church in Colosse, they needed someone to remind them:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Colossians 2:16,17 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day [i.e., a ritual!]. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And Jesus says to these people:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John 5:39,40 - “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So Jesus uses the Samaritan as an object lesson for us, to shake us up a bit, and to take us (if we are willing) to the next level -- to take us from clean (having experienced the Remedy) to whole (experiencing Relationship). And aren’t Jesus words interesting in this context? “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Were not all ten made clean?</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” he asks. You see: it really wasn’t following the thirty-two verses of ritual that made those lepers clean. It was their encounter with Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And our text leaves us with the very distinct impression that this Samaritan, by putting his relationship with Jesus before the legal requirements of the law had chosen the “better portion” (just like Mary did last week). Indeed, that was also the lesson for us in the story of Mary and Martha, wasn’t it? Martha was caught up in the Ritual (with its elements of power and status in the household), while Mary was focused on the Relationship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So how do we go about developing a relationship with Jesus. Pretty basic question. And so important. But the Biblical answer might surprise you. After all, if we want to know what it is to have a relationship with Jesus, it makes sense that the first thing that we should do is to listen to what Jesus says about having a relationship with him. Please listen carefully to Jesus words:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matthew 25:31 ...when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are the marks of a real relationship, aren’t they: caring about someone enough to think of their hunger, to think of their cold and their discomfort and their loneliness. And Jesus makes it clear that “all nations” will be judged on this basis. Do I indeed have this kind of relationship with him? I don’t know about you, but this teaching makes me </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">really </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">insecure. But Jesus continues:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matthew 25:37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh my! I wasn’t the only insecure one. It certainly seems like these, the righteous, the blessed of the Father, the inheritors of the kingdom, they are </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">also </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">insecure of their relationship with the King -- even though it is clear that it is this very relationship that establishes their standing in the Kingdom! But now Jesus gives us the punchline:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matthew 25:40 </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here, then, is Jesus own prescription for having a relationship with him: care about his brothers and sisters. And not just the fun ones, or the bright ones, or the popular ones, or even the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">good</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ones, either. Care about the needs of the “least” -- the outcasts, those on the margins. And by developing a relationship with them, Jesus assures us, we are developing a relationship with Jesus himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But there is such a strong tendency for Christians to become stuck at Ritual, without ever making it to Relationship. This is quite natural, of course! After all, following Ritual is naturally status-conferring. It makes us look good. But the need to look good often keeps us from engaging in relationship, doesn’t it? It particularly keeps us from engaging in relationship with the </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">least </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of Jesus’ brothers and sisters, which can often feel like it takes more humility than we have at the moment. So are we willing to be humble enough to develop those relationship this morning? It isn’t easy. And it isn’t comfortable. But please listen to Jesus words one more time: “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jim Dixon writes: “Instead of reaching out to the people Jesus wants us to care for, we isolate and protect ourselves from them, building barriers that prevent us from having any contact.” No doubt we have good reasons to behave that way. It is “safer” for our children; it takes vastly less energy; and it is far more comfortable to use the resources that we have to cater to ourselves -- or at a minimum engage them on our own terms. But whether we like it or not, we can’t escape the fact that our lives will be judged on our ability to extend ourselves beyond that comfort zone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe that most people here have experienced at least a little of Jesus’ Remedy in your lives. If you haven’t, you don’t know what you are missing! Freedom from sin is true freedom. But the point of the Remedy is not the Ritual. The point of the Remedy is Relationship with Jesus. In fact, the Ritual is intended to reveal the Relationship -- not to replace it. Let’s take our spiritual lives to the next level this morning, and meet with Jesus in the way that he himself has recommended. May we, too, be greeted into the Kingdom with those wonderful words: “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you.”</span></div>
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</span>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-56221791018277660482016-08-07T11:00:00.000-07:002018-05-31T07:58:22.653-07:00An Awkward Walk Down the Street<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-39c41efc-b6b2-2316-f36d-3a86fa1843b6" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Bible says:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 24px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> James 1:22</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now in the time that Jesus lived, the Rabbis had come to the conclusion that when the Messiah came, he would be known by performing certain miracles. One of those was the healing of a Jewish leper. After all, the law records detailed instructions for what someone was to do if they had been healed of leprosy -- but since the law was recorded, not a single Jewish leper had had the opportunity to make use of those special laws. So the Rabbis had concluded that the Messiah would change all that -- that he would be able to heal a leper. And, sure enough, Jesus heals a leper in Luke chapter 5.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But another of the miracles expected of the Messiah was to heal a man born blind. This was partly based on an understanding of Isaiah 35:5 “then will the eyes of the blind be opened.” Over the years, blind people had recovered their sight occasionally, and the Rabbis were convinced that Isaiah’s prophecy was uniquely Messianic, so they reached the conclusion that while anyone empowered by God could heal someone who had gone blind, only the Messiah could heal a man </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">born</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> blind. We see this reflected in the discussion that takes place after the fact (verse 32): “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” A bit later, we’ll come back to the implications of this.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today, we are going to have another glimpse of Jesus -- this one from the book of John. And it starts one day when Jesus and his disciples were visiting the temple in Jerusalem. At the end of chapter eight, we discover that Jesus had caused great offence among some of the religious people of the day, and they were intent on punishing him as a blasphemer. And the Bible says that he slipped away from the temple grounds. But on his way out (and this is where chapter nine begins) Jesus and his disciples walked past a beggar. Asking for money, there, just outside the temple, was a blind man. Now the Bible doesn’t explain how they knew, but the disciples seemed to know that this man was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">born </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">blind. Maybe he had a sign: “born blind – please help.” Perhaps he made his history known in the hopes of receiving more charity. We don’t know. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now when we’re exposed to suffering, it is only human to ask “why?” Have you ever asked God “why me?” When one’s life falls apart, it is the most natural question to ask! We want to know, don’t we? But here the disciples are asking the similar, compassionate question: instead of “why me?” they are asking “why him?” Why was this man born blind? This will be the first of a number of questions that we will ask this morning. Why was this man born blind?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like most people that ask good questions, the disciples started searching for what the answer to their question might be. One of them wondered out loud, “Is he blind because he sinned?” Now it would seem a little strange if the man was being punished in such a severe manner for sins committed before he was even born! But imagine for a moment how the blind man feels as the disciples are offering up these ideas in front of him. After all, he’s blind, not deaf! He’s been poor, and blind, and suffering for many years. And these strangers add insult to injury by suggesting that his suffering is his own fault! He likely knows that he isn’t perfect, but he also senses that their answer just isn’t right.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another one of the disciples, perhaps sensing the difficulty in this position, had an alternative idea: perhaps the man was born blind because of the sins of his parents. Of course, this idea </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">also</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> has some difficulties. It seems strange to be punished for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">someone else’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sin!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But we should be grateful that the Bible doesn’t just leave us with the disciples’ ideas about why this man was born blind. Even those closest to Jesus can have crazy ideas sometimes. Even those who walk with him daily can interpret life in mixed up ways -- particularly when it comes to interpreting the events in other people’s lives! But I’m glad that the Bible records Jesus’ response to the question “why?” in order to set his disciples straight. And this is it (this is so great!): “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” What an awesome answer to a difficult question: “… so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This morning, I’d like to suggest to you that this is the reason for whatever difficulties that you might be going through, too. I’ll grant that I don’t know the details; I haven’t walked in your shoes; I can’t and I won’t claim to understand how difficult life might be for you. But I am </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">still </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">going to be so bold as to claim that the reason for any difficulties you might be going through or even any difficulties you might go through in the future is precisely “so that the work of God might be displayed in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">your</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> life!” God is the master of bringing victory out of tragedy. God wants to work in your life too. </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that doesn’t mean that we will achieve victory in all matters. Sure, the blind man in our story is eventually healed (should I have given a spoiler warning?), but by the end of the chapter he has also been kicked out of the synagogue and even his parents don’t want to talk to him. The form that God wants His work to be displayed in our lives might very well surprise us. But just knowing that God wants to work in our lives can be incredibly empowering! </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1946, the psychiatrist Victor Frankl published a book called Man’s Search for Meaning. He had been an inmate in German concentration camps, including Auschwitz, during the war. And while he was there, he observed weak and sickly men survive years of punishing hardship, but he also observed strong, healthy men enter the camp, only to shrivel up and die in a very short time. And the book he wrote was his answer to the fascinating question: what gives human beings the inner strength to struggle on even in the face of the worst life has to offer? His answer (it is in the title)? Meaning. After talking to many of the survivors, he concluded that those who believed that there was purpose in their experience were not only able to survive, but to enjoy life’s blessings (little though they may be) along the way.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” Here, almost two thousand years ahead of his time, Jesus is giving meaning to all we will ever go through.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And these aren’t just empty words, either -- they aren’t just to make us feel better as life’s tragedies overwhelm us -- Jesus proves his words in his actions. What did he do? He spat on the dusty trail. He bent down, and made some mud out of the dust there on the ground, and put the mud on the blind man’s eyes. Then, he told the blind man to get up and to go down the street, past the market, beyond the synagogue, and then wash the mud off in the pool of Siloam. And in our text, we read these remarkable words, almost hidden near the end of verse seven: “So the man went and washed and came home seeing.”</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Talk about understatement! If Hollywood were to produce this story, that half-verse would be done in slow motion accompanied by spectacular music. Here was a man who had never seen light. He had never seen color. He had never seen clouds, or birds flying overhead. He had never seen what it was that he was touching. He had never seen a smile! And now… now a whole new world was open to him! But the light that suddenly flooded into this man’s eyes, amazing as it was, is just a symbol of the Light of the World that needs to come and illuminate every aspect of our lives.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For now, we have a man born blind obeying Jesus and being healed of blindness. But let’s back up a bit and consider the process. How did the blind man get to the pool in the first place? Or to put it another way, “Why did this man do what he was told?” After all, there was no promise of healing in our story; Jesus doesn’t say “go wash and you will be healed.” He just says “go wash.” </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It reminds us of the story of the great catch of fish, doesn’t it? The disciples had been fishing all night, and they had caught nothing. Jesus arrives and tells them “throw your nets on the other side of the boat”. Jesus doesn’t tell them what the result will be. He doesn’t promise them any reward. He doesn’t assure them of the future. He just says “throw”, and they can either ignore his words, be content with the life that they are living -- as shallow and unfulfilling as it is -- or they can follow him into a whole new world of amazing. </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Same with the blind man in our story. He can sit where he is, unable to see for himself, satisfied with eking out an existence by the charity of others, or he can listen to Jesus, and have his eyes open to a life that he never imagined. Same with us. God has his ways of whispering to each one here this morning. Are we satisfied with the status quo? Are we willing to struggle against the inertia of gravity? Are we willing to exert ourselves in obedience?</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In our case, we might like to have it all explained to us in detail. That’s how we’ve been brought up, after all. We want to know what it all means and how it all works. We want to have the future laid out for us. But the blind man wasn’t given that, was he? He was simply told “get up and go”. And he got up and went. And that’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">after </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus’ disciples made him feel uncomfortable. Do Jesus’ followers ever make you feel uncomfortable? He got up and went. And that’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">after </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus makes him look really odd by applying mud made of spit -- ew! -- to his eyes. Do you ever worry that obeying Jesus will make you look odd? He got up and went. And I’m sure that he was ever grateful that he did.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You know, one of the biggest gifts that we as a church could ever give to our young people would be to connect them with people who’ve come to the end of their long obedience to Jesus. I’ve talked to enough of them to tell you what they’d say. If you asked them, “Was it sometimes difficult?” They’d likely tell you, “yes!” If you asked them, “Was it sometimes uncomfortable?” They’d usually tell you, “yes!”. But if you asked them, “Was it worth it?” They would certainly tell you, “absolutely!”. That’s what life is like when God displays his work in people’s lives. He doesn’t take all the challenges away. But when you get to know him, the road of life is just so much more enjoyable.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But we’re not finished asking questions about our story this morning. I’ve got a couple more in store. What do you think: Did Jesus need the mud to heal the blind man? Of course not. Did Jesus need the pool of Siloam to effect the healing of this man’s eyes? Of course not! So </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">why</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on earth would Jesus submit this poor handicapped man to such indignity? First, why the mud? Second, why the long walk?</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2004, archaeologists found the ruins of the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem. It was about six hundred meters away from the temple. That’s five minutes of walking very quickly. When you can see to navigate through the crowds. And the route to take seems to be the major thoroughfare in Jerusalem. Think Leicester Square in London or Times Square in New York. It would have been teeming with people throughout the day. And it is through this crowd that Jesus asks this blind man to walk. </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now back in those days, the man would not have had a white stick to warn people that he was blind. Very likely, he would have been escorted to his begging spot by a family member in the morning, and escorted home at night. It might very well be the case that he has never walked any distance on his own -- particularly not through a hot and largely unsympathetic crowd. After all, people can often tell that a man is blind by looking at his eyes. But how do you imagine they respond to someone walking around with mud on their eyes? That’s just weird.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And six hundred meters is about the distance across Lake Wallace at Frontier Lodge. There, every summer, dozens of campers take up the challenge to swim across that lake for the prestige of wearing the coveted white gimp. It isn’t easy. Not everyone makes it. It can take a young swimmer almost twenty-five minutes of really pushing themselves to make it that far. I suspect that this blind man was considering giving up along the way almost as many times as some of those campers.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So again, “why?!” Well, I strongly suspect that Jesus didn’t ask the blind man to go through this obstacle course for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">him</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at all. I think that Jesus did this for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">us</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! That’s right: the blind man didn’t need the mud or the hike to the pool to be healed. But </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> need to see them, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> need to meditate on them, and to understand them. Jesus was giving us a “living parable” – he was creating an illustration for us.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You see: everyone who has ever heard the words of Jesus -- including you, because you’ve heard his words this morning -- are like the blind man in the story. And every one of us are trying to work out just how much we need to be paying attention. </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some might decide not to bother -- you know, to ignore those words -- even though we know that when God displays his work in our lives, it will change us forever and for the better. Those people would be like a blind man who says “just give me money and leave me alone”. And for sure: some seem set on self-destruction, or at very least seem totally allergic to self-improvement. Perhaps the majority of humanity is like that. What a shame! God only wants the best for you. And while he knows that the path there might be uncomfortable, what’s waiting at the end of that long obedience is always worth it.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Others would be more aware of their need to be whole, and would get up and head down the hill to the pool. But on the way, they’d have to navigate their way through the market, where they would heard people making fun of them (and who likes to be made fun of?) they might feel -- just like the blind man -- that walking around on a hot day with mud covering your eyes and dripping off your face was crazy to begin with. And, embarrassed, they might take cover, clean themselves off, and decide to call it a day. The next day, of course, they would find themselves right back where they were today: begging for money at the temple, in spite of the fact that they had encountered the source of life and health himself. What a mistake. What a tragedy.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Others would get farther, they might make it as far as the bridge before the pool. But at that point, being blind and all, they might stumble and fall, or perhaps even worse, stub their toe. There is nothing like physical pain to make one re-think where one is going. And if they were anything like me, pain would make them really angry -- and that doesn’t help one think clearly, either. But at that stage, they’d be sorely tempted to decide that the whole thing really wasn’t worth the effort. Hey -- they can always go back to begging, right? They might be blind, but at least they are alive, right?</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, some -- perhaps not very many -- would make it as far as the pool. And not knowing at all what to expect -- after all, a man born blind has no idea what it is to see -- he might wash in the pool and… have a whole new world open up before him.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s what Jesus wants for you. Perhaps not today, perhaps not this week, perhaps not this year. But he is in the business of having God display His work in people’s lives. But here’s the thing. That’s only going to happen at the end of an obedience -- and for some people perhaps a long one. </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But there is more to this story, isn’t there? Sure, the gospel writer gives us, “So the man went and washed and came home seeing.” But that was only in verse seven, and the story continues through to verse 41. If the expression is any indication, this big dramatic healing was no big deal. For the rest of the chapter, we see this man, formerly blind, now able to see, attempt to explain to the religious authorities how it must have been God who had done this miracle in his life. On their part, they’re skeptical. After all, Jesus didn’t operate in a manner that they approve of. He rarely does, actually. The displays of God’s work in the world are as often a surprise to the most religious as they are to the least.</span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But check out verse 35: ‘Jesus heard that they had thrown [the man who had been blind] out [of the synagogue], and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked.’ “who is he?” That means that this man didn’t even recognize Jesus. He certainly didn’t know him very well. But that becomes the climax of the story, doesn’t it? In verse 38, we read: “Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.” But as part of this living parable, Jesus wants us to appreciate that so much of God’s work can happen in our lives long before we get to know Jesus personally. But it is in that moment, when we come to recognize Jesus as our Lord and as our Savior, that we find the greatest fulfillment possible. </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.08px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.66px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now you might not feel that you know Jesus very well this morning. No matter. You might not feel like you’ve heard his words of instructions very clearly. Well, in that case, let me remind you of his words of instruction to the disciples -- words that he’d like you to consider for yourself: he simply says, “follow me.” That’s it: “follow me.” Now you might not know how seriously to take them. But I’ve got to tell you: nobody who has gone the distance has ever been disappointed. You might not know now what is at the end of that journey. But if you are brave enough, and smart enough, and diligent enough to follow him right to the end, then, and only then, will you discover the work of God displayed in your life. And like the blind man, it will open up a whole new world for you, too. </span></div>
<br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-45794842458853905242016-06-12T14:00:00.000-07:002016-08-29T08:49:25.285-07:00The Resurrection and the Life<h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 16pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #434343; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lazarus</span></h3>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remove the stone.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 40 Jesus said to her, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and … cried out with a loud voice, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lazarus, come forth.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unbind him, and let him go.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of all the miracles recorded of Jesus, this one is perhaps the most dramatic. And in these verses we have another glimpse of Jesus -- a glimpse of amazing compassion and power. Imagine calling out to a dead body and making it become alive and whole! And this isn’t just a resuscitation after a a few minutes. We’re talking </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">days</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> here. We need to appreciate that this is so far beyond any modern technology, it isn’t even close. The power Jesus demonstrates here is no less than the power demonstrated by God himself in the creation of the universe or the creation of life: here, matter and energy configure themselves self according to his authority.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-2e7f643b-d6fc-1513-867b-c7c7a1fb0e74" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, chances are that when you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">first </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">heard the Lazarus story, it surprised you. But most of us have heard this story so many times before that we are hardly surprised by it any more. What a tragedy! People coming back from the dead should never get old. But there just might be another tragedy this morning: that the raising of a man from the dead is so distracting to us that we easily miss some this story’s other surprises -- and in the process we might miss some of its important lessons, too. So let’s go back to the beginning of the chapter, and look at the details...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany. [His] sisters sent word to [Jesus], saying, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This sickness is not to end in death, but </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for the glory of God</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, … 11 “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 12 The disciples then said to Him, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lazarus is dead, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So... Jesus’ friend Lazarus gets sick. And, hearing about it, Jesus says, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This sickness is not to end in death...</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” But just ten verses later, we read “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus then said to them plainly, ‘</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lazarus is dead.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Now this isn’t so much a problem for us. After all, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> can clearly see the truth in Jesus’ words: “This sickness is not to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">end</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in death…” But here’s the thing: we are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">only</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> able to appreciate Jesus words -- recognizing them for the truth that they are -- because we already know how the story turns out! </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let’s take a minute to imagine how the disciples felt at the end of verse fourteen. They has just been told that “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this sickness is not to end in death.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” And now they discover that Lazarus had died. Can you picture just how shaken up they could have been? It would have been so tempting to imagine that Jesus had been wrong!</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And to make the struggle all the greater, the possibility of a resurrection from the dead was a matter of some controversy at the time. You’ve heard of the Pharisees. You might have heard of the Sadducees. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the two big political and theological parties in Jesus’ day. But did you know that the Sadducees were much bigger and more influential than the Pharisees! It’s true. Most of the members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, were Sadducees. Only the minority were Pharisees. Now the Pharisees believed in a resurrection from the dead. But not the Sadducees. And since they didn’t believe in the resurrection, as far as the Sadducees were concerned, this present life was the be-all and end-all of existence. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But aren’t there plenty of people </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">today</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with the same attitude? And just like in Jesus’ day, these present-day Sadducees wield plenty of power in our society -- in media, in education, in politics. In fact, it is often quite a struggle not to get drawn into their attitudes and not to entertain their basic assumption -- that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> life is all that matters.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so we should easily be able to sympathize with Jesus’ disciples’ experience here. In verse fourteen, in order to be willing to trust in Jesus’ words in the face of what appears to be a conflicting reality, they would have to be going against the grain -- the grain of politics, the grain of fashion, the grain of power, the grain of education. There would have been all kinds of pressure on them to imagine that Jesus was either mistaken or lying. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let me ask you -- how would you respond if you were to ever find yourself in a similar situation? What do we do when the reality before us makes it difficult for us to see the truth in Jesus’ words? There are plenty of people today who would love to try to convince us that any apparent contradiction is a real contradiction. And there are also plenty, who, faced with any conflict between Jesus’ words and an apparent reality, would prefer to discard Jesus’ words. So what about us? </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that’s just the first challenge from our text. Now let’s consider the second, reading verses five and six again: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” What’s up with that? On the one hand, we’re told that Jesus loved this family. On the other hand, we discover that he deliberately postponed his arrival to come and help them out. And this was literally a matter of life and death! Imagine! </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This behavior is in such sharp contrast to our current ways of thinking. If you have a friend, and that friend needs your help, and it is in your power to help, you drop everything and come at once. But not Jesus. He hangs around where he is for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">two days</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And then it takes him </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">another </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">two days journey to make it to Bethany (if we read the tail-end of chapter ten, it says that Jesus had gone across the Jordan). So four days after his best friends have sent him their emergency help signal, only then does Jesus arrive. So at the end of verse fourteen, not only might the disciples to tempted to question the truth of Jesus words, but they might also be tempted to question the love behind his actions. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Life can be like that sometimes. Perhaps the struggles you face are enough to make you question Jesus’ words, or even question his love. Perhaps the world’s ways of thinking have gotten to you. Perhaps the way that the world interprets reality looms large in your thinking, making it hard to credit Jesus’ words. If so, then this story just might for you this morning. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But before we proceed with it, let’s see how Jesus’ disciples respond to this difficult situation that he’s put them in. Well, they don’t judge Jesus. And they don’t give up on him, either. They’ve been around him for a while, and they have heard him say difficult things. Chapter six, verse sixty: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard [these words of Jesus] said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (and verse 66): </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You do not want to go away also, do you?”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You [alone] have words of eternal life.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes: the disciples might have been tempted to question Jesus’ words, but they had good reason to believe that Jesus had knowledge and power beyond their understanding. Yes: they might have been tempted to question Jesus’ love for Lazarus, but they had good reason to believe that Jesus exercise of love was on another level entirely to their own. They knew from experience (and we can learn from their experience, as well as from the experience of many saints throughout history) that if you want to see the glory of God, sometimes you need to be patient. If you want to know the truth of the words of God, sometimes you need to be patient. And if you want to feel the depth of the love of God, sometimes you need to be patient.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Isaiah 40:31 “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">those who wait for the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” With that, let’s return to our text at verse seventeen...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">17 So when Jesus came, He found that [Lazarus] had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 23 Jesus said to her, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your brother will rise again.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 24 Martha said to Him, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 25 Jesus said to her, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 27 She said to Him, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Teacher is here and is calling for you.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, 34 and said, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where have you laid him?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” They said to Him, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord, come and see.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See how He loved him!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” 37 But some of them said, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the earlier part of the chapter, we saw that Jesus’ behavior is often far outside human expectations. We saw that his words and actions could be puzzling, to say the least. Yes: he had permitted his friend Lazarus to die, but he had given hints that this is all for a greater purpose: In verse 4, Jesus says that “this sickness… is for the glory of God!” And in verse 15, he tells his disciples: “Yes, Lazarus is dead… but I am glad for your sakes that I was not there.” Jesus isn’t telling them the whole story; he might even be making the puzzle even greater for them. But that’s often how God operates, isn’t it? Things happen that we can’t explain. Sometimes they hurt. Sometimes they challenge our faith. Sometimes they make us really uncomfortable. But along the way, God always provides hints of His plan. Sometimes they are easier to recognize than others. But may we catch those glimpses and hang onto them! Anyone who can raise a man from the dead after four days can certainly work out the details of our lives.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, here, in verse 17, Jesus has come to the town that his friends live in, and our glimpse of Jesus comes into sharper focus. Martha runs out to greet him. And they have this interesting exchange. “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” We can well imagine Martha’s struggle here. On the one hand, her loss is heart-breaking. But on the other, she realizes that Jesus is no ordinary prophet. After all, she has seen his compassionate healing and listened to his teaching, which she acknowledges with these words: “I know that my brother will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” But in response, Jesus confronts her with this remarkable truth: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> am the resurrection and the life,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” he says. “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now please understand: Jesus is not addressing personal anguish with theology here. (May God forgive us if we are ever tempted to make that mistake). Jesus is always remarkably sensitive to whoever it is that he is talking to, and this is certainly the very thing that Martha needed to hear. Jesus is not interesting in getting Martha to acknowledge intellectual propositions about himself. Instead, Jesus wants Martha to trust in him in a personal way. Because when we do that, when we invite Jesus to work in our lives, then he delights to act on our behalf. Notice Martha’s response here: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…” Here, Martha gives glory to the Son of God -- exactly the reason Jesus had given for Lazarus’ sickness in the first place. I suspect that our willingness to give the glory to Jesus is also a key to his work in our life and circumstances.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So then Martha runs and tells Mary that Jesus wanted to see her. And Mary comes, but while Martha was ready and open to be pointed to the source of life and the source of comfort, Mary is overcome by the emotion of the last few days and lets the tears flow freely. Then we read these remarkable, amazing words: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Jesus therefore saw her weeping... He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled… Jesus wept.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes: Jesus wept. The source of all joy was crying. The source of all comfort was perhaps even sobbing. Every angel in heaven must have gasped at the sight. What could possibly reduce the Lord of Glory to tears?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some have suggested that it was to demonstrate appropriate empathy. Yes, but that can’t be the full reason. Some have suggested that it was an expression of compassion. Yes, but that can’t be the full reason either: after all, Jesus knows what he is about to do, and the raising of Lazarus will surely dry Mary’s tears. More likely, Jesus tears are nothing less than a response to our inability to see the truth because of our unhealthy attachment to this present life. What else could keep this dear woman, Mary, someone who knew and loved Jesus, from being completely unable to anticipate the triumph that Jesus’ presence meant in that very moment? </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now at this point you might be tempted to say, “hold on -- the moment of triumph hadn’t arrived yet! Jesus needs to call Lazarus out of the tomb first.” But no! The triumph really is in Jesus’ presence. The raising of Lazarus was just a demonstration -- a picture for us! -- of that triumph. You see, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the resurrection and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he is</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the life. And the experience of his presence is glory itself. To riff on C.S.Lewis: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[This life is] not the thing itself; [it is] only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.” Let’s not be distracted from the eternal by the things of this life.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But don’t you love how the story ends? Even in the face of Mary’s weakness, even if her words implied, “Lord, if only you would see things my way, and work according to my timetable, and appreciate the wisdom of my insight into this situation, things would have worked out...” (may God forgive us when we think that way!) Even if she is too hung up on this life, Jesus, in his great mercy and compassion, gives this woman her heart’s greatest desire -- </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">anyway</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And in the process, Jesus gives us a dramatic demonstration, not just of compassion, not just of power, but of the greatest reality in the universe: the fact that in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">him</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (and only in him) is eternal, glorious, abundant life. </span></div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2621735350006941443.post-3691674466450823492016-02-28T11:00:00.000-08:002016-10-04T07:53:27.622-07:00Freedom and Tradition<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just outside of the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island is a wonderful place called Goldstream Park. Known for its ancient gold mine, Goldstream Park is also the home of a beautiful clear-water stream that is the playground for children in the summer, and the habitat of a large number of spawning salmon in the late fall. In the parking lot beside the picnic area, there are thousand-year-old trees eight feet in diameter. But towering over the stream is Mount Finlayson. Though Mount Finlayson is only a little more than 400 meters above sea level, there is a sign at its foot that reads:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mt. Finlayson trail access is steep slippery and rugged. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trails are poorly marked at this time, and are not suitable for small children.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-b7c2cd5f-2d87-fbf7-9f96-c38a515b9826" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you climb higher and higher on that mountain, on the one hand there is a drive to press on, to get to the summit. But on the other hand, the vista is magnificent, and on a clear day, the view of the city of Victoria is spectacular. So taking the time to turn around and take it all in -- taking the time to appreciate how far you’ve come, is sometimes quite fulfilling.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you know, for the last eight weeks, we’ve been walking through the book of first Corinthians. And it has been rough going in some spots. So at this point in the series, I hope you don’t mind if we start with a bit of a review. Almost like hesitating on the slope of a mountain to catch your breath and take in the view.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the first six chapters of this epistle, we see Paul addressing those things that he considers important: He isn’t impressed, for example, with divisions in the church or incest or lawsuits among believers. In the next six chapters, Paul is answering questions that the people of the church have been asking: questions, for example, about marriage and spiritual gifts (a topic we’ll get to in a couple of weeks).</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Along the way, we see a number of “reversals” -- that is, Paul is looking at things in a remarkably different way than the church of Corinth expected. Listen again to 1:27,28:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But these reversals should not be very surprising. In Isaiah 55:9, God says “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, of course, the folks in Corinth in the first century were influenced by the world’s standards and priorities and causes, in exactly the same way that we find ourselves influenced today. And (just like today), those influences are so very often precisely counter to the direction that God would have us go.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now I'm going to be a little brave (and perhaps a bit crazy) and try to summarize the first nine chapters of first Corinthians in two slides: on one hand, Paul considers behavior: what is good, what is right, what is true. This “horizontal” dimension is, of course, just as important today as it has always been. But in a second (“vertical”) dimension, Paul is simultaneously addressing the themes of freedom and wisdom and power. And we discover that the wisdom and freedom and power from God are demonstrated in unexpected ways. That is, interesting lessons are to be found at the intersection of these two dimensions.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s consider a very quick summary of the second “vertical” dimension:</span></div>
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<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Corinthians recognize that there is a wisdom to be found in Christ. But Paul warns that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">if the church is tempted to focus on wisdom itself rather than the source of that wisdom, the whole point of wisdom could be lost</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And we should be aware that God’s wisdom is far greater than what most people would recognize as wisdom. He writes (1:25): “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Corinthians recognize that there is a freedom to be found in Christ. But Paul warns that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">if the church is tempted to focus on freedom itself rather than the source of that freedom, the whole point of freedom could be lost</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And we should be aware that God’s freedom is far greater than what most people would recognize as freedom. As Jesus said (John 8:36) “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If the Son sets you free, then you will be free indeed.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Corinthians recognize that there is a power to be found in Christ. But Paul warns that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">if the church is tempted to focus on power itself rather than the source of that power, the whole point of power could be lost</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And we should be aware that God’s power is both far greater and far more subtle than what most people would recognize as power. Back to 1:25 -- “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The weakness of God is greater than man’s strength.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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</ol>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In each case, the principle is deeper than folks usually appreciate, and there are some surprises in the application of those principles; surprises for the church in Corinth, and perhaps surprises even for the church in Pointe-Claire as well.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This we see when we consider that other dimension -- our behavior. And this is where it gets really interesting. You see, there is a primitive misunderstanding of the gospel that Jesus came to make us better people by giving us some good rules to live by. As if we trade the Old Testament Law for a New Testament Law. We don’t, you know. That’s not what the gospel is about at all. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If the church is tempted to focus on behavior itself rather than the one who enables us to behave correctly, the whole point of behaving well could be lost</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Because the rules by themselves have no power to change us, nor are we, in ourselves, capable of effecting the necessary change. Paul makes this clear in Colossians 2:(21-23) “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These rules,”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> he writes,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “ ... and ... regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom ... but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” </span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that brings us to our text this morning. But before we dive into it, it will likely help to explain the situation in Corinth at the time this was written. You see, there were some in the church who were really, really uncomfortable going to the butcher. That’s right: the butcher. Why? Because in most Roman cities, buying meat meant buying meat that had been sacrificed to an idol. And that meant participating in idol worship, right? Well, not exactly. In fact, it would seem that the majority of the church in Corinth argued just the opposite: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“an idol is nothing at all in this world</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Paul quotes them as saying in chapter eight. These people were arguing that they now have a freedom in Christ to eat whatever they want!</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sounds simple enough. But it’s more complicated than that. You see, the pagan temples were also the places that well-connected folk met and mingled. Being important in Corinth meant hosting your share of parties and participating in all the right gatherings as well. Inevitably, these meetings were attended by the pagan priests and involved a ritualistic element to them. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But as if that didn’t make it tricky enough, the plot is thickened by Church history. Back in Acts chapter 15, when the church was just starting to branch out beyond the Jewish community, this issue had come up before. And it was such a big deal, that they had the first church council in history. The big names were all there, including Paul. That event resulted in the first church document: a letter outlining the council’s conclusion on the matter. And this is what that letter said: “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it [seems] good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols....” (and there are a few others, but this is the first one, and the one we are considering here)</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So the precedent has been set: abstaining from eating food sacrificed to idols has been a requirement. But the challenge is on: the church is claiming that idols aren’t real, and so (they claim that) in a culture that sacrifices all meat to idols, idols shouldn’t force everyone to become vegetarians. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So how does Paul respond? How does this very interesting example of church history become resolved? Well - for starters, it is both interesting and instructive that Paul takes a full three chapters to respond. It is a difficult issue and it requires a careful response.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On one hand, Paul warns the Corinthians to be careful of associating with idols. In the first part of chapter ten, Paul recounts the history of the Jewish people. Four times he repeats that they </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">received the same blessings, and four times he repeats that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some of them</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> received a harsh judgment due to their being seduced into idolatry. And Paul insists that this history is an example to his readers (and to us!), and he ends with the strong warning (v14) “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The members of the church in Corinth are saying that idols aren’t real. And as we will soon see, Paul is in agreement on this point. But while idols are just carvings of stone, Paul also knows that idolatry is very real indeed; and he knows that it is every bit as much a temptation to the “enlightened” people of Corinth (and, I might add, of Pointe-Claire) as it has always been throughout history. Indeed, whenever any good thing becomes disconnected from God, and when it is set up as good-in-itself, it becomes an idol. Freedom can easily become an idol. Knowledge can easily become an idol. Power can easily become an idol. Wealth can easily become an idol. And before Paul finishes addressing the topic, he wants this to be very clear. But here is his punchline.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Verses 24-33 “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(v31) So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (end of v33) For [we should] not seek[ our] own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then, in the first verse of the next chapter, Paul says “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">follow my example, even as I follow the example of Christ.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” If you were here last week, you appreciate what chapter nine was all about: Paul was intentionally setting aside all his rights and privileges for the sake of the Kingdom of God. This is the example Paul is referring to. And he is following the example of Christ who laid down his life down for the sake of the world.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But isn’t this fascinating? Paul isn’t applying a blanket principle. Paul isn’t invoking the precedent on the matter. The folks wanting to exercise their freedom aren’t wrong. But their freedom isn’t the highest value, says Paul. The folks afraid of eating meat aren’t right. But they are of greater value than the freedom of the others. Too often, people make the mistake of thinking that if someone is wrong on any point that they suddenly lose their value. Paul is making it clear that this kind of thinking is a terrible mistake. As Paul has been arguing consistently throughout this letter, the worth of those people, however wrong they might be, is even sufficient to make us change our behavior, however right we might be. I wonder what kind of impact the church would have in this world if we understood this fully.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please also notice: if we were to imagine (incorrectly) that the gospel was all about ethics, then it would certainly look like Paul’s response to the Corinthian question was wishy-washy: a “don’t ask; don’t tell” policy about where meat comes from. But that’s just it: short of the love of God in Christ, ethical concerns are just not the heart of the gospel at all. And Paul’s response is a very wise (and pragmatic) solution to a difficult situation.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the beginning of this letter, Paul addressed divisions in the church, and everyone is expecting him to take sides -- after all, one of the factions was using </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">his </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">name as its banner. But he didn’t. Instead, the gospel demands a radical unity. Here we see a similar dynamic in action. Some were convinced that Paul would take their side. But he only partly does. Yes: they are right that we are free to eat anything. Yes: they are right that a pagan ritual has no power against the children of God. But there is a bigger principle at work here. Paul opens the passage with it “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” And he closes the passage with it “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For [we should] not seek[ our] own good, but the good of many, so that they may be saved.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes: we have a radical freedom, but that doesn’t mean that a radical </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">exercise</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of that freedom is appropriate. Instead, we are called to exercise self-discipline rather that the radical exercise of freedom. As you recall from the previous chapter, Paul challenges us to behave like athletes training for the games. Paul would like us to appreciate that God does not give us freedom for freedom’s sake. And we see this lesson elsewhere in the New Testament, too:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Galatians 5:13 “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Peter 2:16 “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A radical exercise of freedom is of no value in itself. In fact, it could very well get us into deep trouble. Rather, the Spirit of God working in our lives permits us to live according to those most challenging of verses (Phil 2:3,4): </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now it is really important to understand this lesson as we step across the threshold of chapter 11. Because there, we read (verse 2):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hmmm: tradition -- that’s considered a bad word in some circles these days. There seem to be some in our society that imagine that any support for tradition is backward, and any break from tradition is “progress”. But anyone with a number of decades of life experience knows that tradition isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, tradition can be a very positive influence toward stability and well-being. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And considering Paul has a great desire for Christian unity in the Corinthian church, it is no surprise that he commends them for adopting at least some traditions. After all, traditions are a shared habit -- something that everyone can have in common. And, as long as we don’t make idols out of those traditions (a mistake churches throughout the centuries have occasionally made), traditions aren’t so bad.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the prophet Jeremiah writes: “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is what the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 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.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After all, when everyone follows tradition, it is easier to get along. When everyone wants to break with tradition, they inevitably all end up going their own ways -- remember how Tolstoy famously put it about families? The same is true for churches: “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All [healthy churches] are alike; each [unhealthy church] is [unhealthy] in its own way.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But at the same time, we could legitimately say </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">if we are tempted to focus on traditions themselves rather the reason for tradition, then the whole point of those traditions could be lost</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. But if we seek for the good of all, particularly working toward their salvation, we will find that tradition can be a force for their benefit.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having said that, the particular tradition that Paul is referring to in our passage is not a small point of contention in our day and age (verse 3):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But as easy as it is to bring our prejudices to bear on this verse, let’s please permit the Bible to speak for itself on this point. Let’s examine those places that make reference to Christ as the head of the church. After all, this is the explicit model that Paul gives for the headship of man toward woman. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are five other times in Paul’s writings that he mentions the headship of Christ toward the church. And if we pay attention to those passages, we’ll discover the same dynamic at work here as we’ve seen in 1 Corinthians already a number of times. That is, Paul doesn’t come down on one side or the other. He gives enough support to the traditional idea that to be a “head” is to be the authority. But he also qualifies it in a radical way that requires us to consider it carefully. Here are three representative passages:</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Colossians 1:18 – “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Clearly, there is an authority element of this “head” business. But let’s read on: “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For God was pleased to ... reconcile to himself all things [through Christ], whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” And so we see that this </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">supremacy is expressed in a sacrificial death and a ministry of reconciliation. Similar to this passage is Ephesians 1:22.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ephesians 4:16 – “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Here we see that the role of the head is to be the source of life and growth and stability. This is similarly indicated in Colossians 2:19.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ephesians 5:"(23)</span><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 24px;">Christ is the head of the church,</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29328AL" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29328AL" title="See cross-reference AL">AL</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="color: black; line-height: 24px;"> his body, of which he is the Savior...(29)</span><span class="text Eph-5-25" id="en-NIV-29330" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px;">Christ feeds and cares for his body the church</span></i><span class="text Eph-5-27" id="en-NIV-29332" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; line-height: 24px;"><i>" </i>We can add an element of provision to this role.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So given that Paul defines the “head” role of the man toward the woman by the “head” role of Christ toward the church, what we have is a very radical form of headship -- one where authority is expressed in sacrificial love. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So just like we saw earlier that while we have freedom, care must be taken in the exercise of that freedom -- because the good of others is the highest value, here was also see that while a man might have authority, care must be taken in the exercise of that authority -- because the good of others (in this case his wife) is the highest value. And</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> if we are tempted to focus on authority itself rather than the source of that authority, then the whole point of that authority could be lost.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (likely, both those who turn their authority into a power-trip and those who are offended by the very idea are both making this same mistake) As Peter wrote about freedom, “do not use your authority as a cover-up for evil.” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At this point in our hike through the book of first Corinthians, we might have come to a difficult stretch. At a time like that, if you look back, it is only to remind oneself how far one’s come. But when the hike is challenging, it is also important to look forward, and consider the goal of all that effort.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And this morning, I would like to remind you that Paul has been developing an argument from the very beginning. As we saw from the discussion about eating meat, life is complicated, and the scripture is both faithful to the complications of life, and appropriate to it. And in the details of life, it is rarely as simple as “you people are right” and “you people are wrong”. The Kingdom of God doesn’t work according to the world’s rules. Wisdom and freedom are found in God, but their best expression has in mind the well-being of others. Tradition and authority are received from God, but their best expression </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">also </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">has in mind the well-being of others. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But in the next few weeks, as we approach the ‘summit’ of the book, we’ll be able to appreciate where Paul has been going all along. At the end of chapter 12, there is the promise of a “more excellent way” or (to put it another way) a “better path”. And when we discover the markings indicating that “better path” we’ll realize that this is what has been Paul’s focus from the beginning. Remember how he starts that following chapter? It could have been “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I have all wisdom, but have not love, I am nothing; If I have all freedom, but have not love, I am nothing; If I have all power, but have not love, I am nothing.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wisdom, ethics, freedom, authority, tradition -- they all take a second seat to the principle of love</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -- that we might consider each other before we consider ourselves. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.08px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m looking forward to the rest of the hike.</span></div>
Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16197663817396506388noreply@blogger.com0