It has been some time since I posted a message. That is due to faily concerns and a time of renewal granted by my church. I hope to get some of the messages preached in my absence and post them but that may be far into the future. The next few months will be looking at the idea of Immanuel. What does this mean for us in our daily lives? I hope it proves challenging and enlightening.
In Christ
Allan
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Immanuel -God with us
Things were not exactly going right for Ahaz. Many of you probably do not know who Ahaz is. That’s okay, he really wasn’t a guy worth knowing, really. In fact he was a pretty bad guy. Oh he wasn’t a mass murderer or a serial rapist or even a bioenvironmental terrorist. He was just a 20 something king who, and I quote, followed the detestable ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. But he was king of God’s chosen people, that should count for something, shouldn’t it? He was chosen, special, well at least he thought so, and he thought he was entitled, that he could coast along with no real commitment to God.
That’s where many of us are today. We look at ourselves and think we should be blessed by God, empowered by God and loved by God because we are part of a church, or part of a Christian family. That should count for something, shouldn’t it? But we still go about doing the things we know God has directed us not too, we live a life largely apart from God and follow the ways of others. I have often heard and asked, “How can you tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian? You can’t!”
So, here is Ahaz, a descendant of David the greatest king of Israel, one who God himself said was after God’s own heart. Ahaz, descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who had been given the promise of God to be a people as numerous as the stars. Ahaz, leader of a people God had lead out of Egypt, been given the law of Moses and led into the promised land. Ahaz who daily looked out of his palace and saw the temple, the very place God himself said he would be –the heart of the religious, political and social fabric of the nation. Ahaz who had the pedigree, the history and the knowledge to honor God, follow God and serve God, yet he took it all for granted -no he thwarted it –no, he put it all aside and wanted the rights and privileges without the commitment.
And now he faces a series of crisis. The King of Aram which is to the east, comes and takes a large number of people prisoner –slaves, and took them to Damascus. Then his own country-men the king of Israel (Note: about Israel and Judah and the whole split thing), Pekah comes in and wages war against Ahaz and in one day, one battle, kills 120,000 soldiers of Judah. And to add insult to injury Pekah takes 200,000 people prisoner and herds them up to the north. Start adding the numbers here! Things were not going well!
And what does Ahaz do? Why, what any right thinking leader of God’s chosen people would do –he went before God and asked for help! After all, he was one of the chosen people, and wasn’t the temple, the very place where God dwelled, right there in the middle of the city! IS this what Ahaz did, go to God? NO!
Instead he sends for help to Assyria –a kingdom further to the east. And what does Assyria do, well they come and attack instead. So what does Ahaz do? He raids the temple and gives some of the treasures of God to the King of Assyria! In the meantime Edom attacks, the Philistines attack, cities are lost, people are taken, and plunder is made. Things are pressing in from every side. Things go from bad to worse. And still Ahaz, and I again quote, promoted wickedness and was most unfaithful to the Lord. In fact we read in II Chronicles 28:22, “In this time of trouble King Ahaz became more unfaithful to the Lord.”
Can you even imagine the gall of this guy; this king of God’s chosen people who has the history of Moses, the heritage of Solomon and David, the promise and the presence of God Himself in the very temple Ahaz plunders! What does he do? Let me continue to read from II Chronicles 28 verse 23-25.
He ignores God, he rejects God, he denies God, he steals from God, he insults God, he blasphemes God and he replaces God. No wonder things were going wrong!
But did God reject Him or the people of Judah? No. Through the prophet Obed in the north Ahaz was given a chance. Obed comes and says to the king of Israel, Pekah, return the people you have taken. And he does –with clothes and healing and support! Does Ahaz get the message? No.
We read that God was seeking to humble Ahaz though some of these events, to bring him to the place of repentance. But did Ahaz turn to God, did he repent? (explain repent). NO
And then through the prophet Isaiah God even offers victory. Victory of over the enemies, victory over the circumstances. All God says is that Ahaz is to ask for a sign.
We read in Isaiah 7 these words (verses 4, 7, 10-11). Just ask for a sign of my care, ask for a sign of my power, ask for a sign of my presence. Ahaz, just ask for a sign.
In a world of chaos we cry out to God, If you are there, give us a sign, show us that you are there, that you care. I talked with a man, let us call him John, several years ago who was struggling with depression. He had lost his job, was in serious financial stress and was in danger of losing his home and family. He grew up in a Christian home, had gone to Sunday School, youth group and attended church regularly. But his life and ethics were not close too what one would call a follower of Jesus. He knew all the right things to say, but ignored them, He knew the things he should do but didn’t. And now that he was in trouble he sat and talked with me and asked, I just wish God would give me a sign, something to show he cared.
God says to Ahaz, I will give you a sign, just ask. And what is Ahaz’s response? Verse 12. “I will not ask. I will not put the Lord to the test.” In other words, “I don’t want your help! Even if you showed me, I won’t accept it.” Ahaz was so apathetic to the things of God that he even refused to accept the gracious offer –a sign that God would protect the people of Judah –His people! I will give you victory, I will not allow the enemy to come and take the land. It will not happen, it will not take place, just stand firm in your faith in me. And to prove this I will give you a sign.
And what does Ahaz respond? “Here let me think about this, let me pray about this, let me consider this.” No, he says I will not ask.
What is that sign? Verse 13-14. “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel.”
Immanuel means God with us. Israel as a people had been blessed with this singular blessing the presence of God. God showed his presence thought the cloud and fire as he led Israel through the dessert. He showed his presence in the tabernacle. When the temple was built God came down and settled in the holy of holies –we looked at this last week.
Israel was blessed with the presence but still Ahaz and the nation ignored, even rejected. And so God gives this warning and promise tied together. First the promise –If you stand firm in your faith you will stand. In that the warning, if you do not, you will fall.
Set aside the idols –burn them. Turn from foreign gods, look to me. Stop the detestable ways and do the things that honor me. Stand firm in your faith in me or you will not stand!
How often are we warned as God’s people today? For those of us who grew up in the church but never took it seriously. We learned the verses, we may even have gone through something like baptism, but we still set God aside and play around with things that do not honor Him, actions in our lives that do not show we are His.
For those of us who have been calling ourselves Christians for years but other than maybe going to church a few times a month, live no different from our neighbor who has rarely if ever set foot in a church and knows the name of Jesus as a swear word rather than the sweet Name of a savior? Set aside the detestable ways and stand firm in your faith! And I will give you a sign of blessing!
And what is that sign? The same sign God told Ahaz about –a virgin will be with child and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.
This promise was fulfilled 500 years later. Let me read from Matthew 1:18-23. This time the sign was given not to a king in the magnificent city of Jerusalem, but to a carpenter in the lowly small village of Nazareth. This time the sign is given not to the nation of Israel but to all people (Luke 2:10-12).
My friend John, who I talked about earlier, asked for a sign. If God cared, He would give a sign. John, I said, He did!
God did, His name was Jesus, the Christ, Immanuel, God with us. Today we live not in a time of Lord give me a sign, but in a time of God saying I have given the sign. Elmer Towns in his book, “The Names of Jesus,” says, this name Immanuel captures the highest ideals of life and is an affirmation of the highest blessing. Immanuel, God with us! It is not a sign to be looked for, it is a sign right in front of us.
And so we face the same decision as Ahaz, do we accept the sign or not? Do we accept the virgin with child who gives birth to a son and his name is Immanuel, or do we reject him?
We cannot take heritage for granted. Just because our father or grandmother or some other relative was a Christian and we were born into a Christian home we cannot think we are saved. Just because we go to church and do some religious things once and a while does not mean we are saved. Ahaz was born into a great religious heritage and tradition, but that was not enough. God said, stand firm in your faith! That means continue, keep it ongoing, always, daily, hourly, minutely, secondly, moment by moment stand firm. There is another word that I like for this, it is the word abide. Abide means to remain, to be in constant connection, to draw strength from, to always be. Stand firm, remain in me.
Jesus in the last hours before he went to the cross, comforted and challenged his followers with these words –“Abide in me, and I will abide in you.” (John 15:4). The word abide means remain, stay in. We will look at this next week and see it’s power in connection to the idea of Immanuel.
God has given us a sign, that the virgin will be with church and she will give birth to a son and his name will be Immanuel. It is a sign given, a call to trust in God, to stand firm in our faith. Like Ahaz, we can refuse to see, even refuse to commit our faith and trust in God. Or we can accept the sign, accept His presence –God with us! And live in the hope and life He gives.
In the midst of stress, in the middle of trouble, in the turbulence of life, where do you turn? When the enemy closes in, where do you put your faith? God offers us His help, His hope, His power through His presence –Immanuel. God with us.
Over this past few months and especially this past month, we have been facing what seems like the enemies pressing in from all sides. In our family, and in our church family. Not to brag or offer myself as the perfect example, but I can give testimony to the truth of what I speak about here today. My God is a faithful God, He is a present and caring God. In the middle of the storm He is my rock. When the enemy closes in He is my fortress. When the enemy strikes, He is my deliverer. Yes the pressures are still there, the winds still blow, the waves crash, But my God is a mighty God, able to hold me and keep me. Why –Immanuel! God with us, God with me! I accept the gift, the promise and Lord may I live to honor You as I hold on!
That’s where many of us are today. We look at ourselves and think we should be blessed by God, empowered by God and loved by God because we are part of a church, or part of a Christian family. That should count for something, shouldn’t it? But we still go about doing the things we know God has directed us not too, we live a life largely apart from God and follow the ways of others. I have often heard and asked, “How can you tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian? You can’t!”
So, here is Ahaz, a descendant of David the greatest king of Israel, one who God himself said was after God’s own heart. Ahaz, descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who had been given the promise of God to be a people as numerous as the stars. Ahaz, leader of a people God had lead out of Egypt, been given the law of Moses and led into the promised land. Ahaz who daily looked out of his palace and saw the temple, the very place God himself said he would be –the heart of the religious, political and social fabric of the nation. Ahaz who had the pedigree, the history and the knowledge to honor God, follow God and serve God, yet he took it all for granted -no he thwarted it –no, he put it all aside and wanted the rights and privileges without the commitment.
And now he faces a series of crisis. The King of Aram which is to the east, comes and takes a large number of people prisoner –slaves, and took them to Damascus. Then his own country-men the king of Israel (Note: about Israel and Judah and the whole split thing), Pekah comes in and wages war against Ahaz and in one day, one battle, kills 120,000 soldiers of Judah. And to add insult to injury Pekah takes 200,000 people prisoner and herds them up to the north. Start adding the numbers here! Things were not going well!
And what does Ahaz do? Why, what any right thinking leader of God’s chosen people would do –he went before God and asked for help! After all, he was one of the chosen people, and wasn’t the temple, the very place where God dwelled, right there in the middle of the city! IS this what Ahaz did, go to God? NO!
Instead he sends for help to Assyria –a kingdom further to the east. And what does Assyria do, well they come and attack instead. So what does Ahaz do? He raids the temple and gives some of the treasures of God to the King of Assyria! In the meantime Edom attacks, the Philistines attack, cities are lost, people are taken, and plunder is made. Things are pressing in from every side. Things go from bad to worse. And still Ahaz, and I again quote, promoted wickedness and was most unfaithful to the Lord. In fact we read in II Chronicles 28:22, “In this time of trouble King Ahaz became more unfaithful to the Lord.”
Can you even imagine the gall of this guy; this king of God’s chosen people who has the history of Moses, the heritage of Solomon and David, the promise and the presence of God Himself in the very temple Ahaz plunders! What does he do? Let me continue to read from II Chronicles 28 verse 23-25.
He ignores God, he rejects God, he denies God, he steals from God, he insults God, he blasphemes God and he replaces God. No wonder things were going wrong!
But did God reject Him or the people of Judah? No. Through the prophet Obed in the north Ahaz was given a chance. Obed comes and says to the king of Israel, Pekah, return the people you have taken. And he does –with clothes and healing and support! Does Ahaz get the message? No.
We read that God was seeking to humble Ahaz though some of these events, to bring him to the place of repentance. But did Ahaz turn to God, did he repent? (explain repent). NO
And then through the prophet Isaiah God even offers victory. Victory of over the enemies, victory over the circumstances. All God says is that Ahaz is to ask for a sign.
We read in Isaiah 7 these words (verses 4, 7, 10-11). Just ask for a sign of my care, ask for a sign of my power, ask for a sign of my presence. Ahaz, just ask for a sign.
In a world of chaos we cry out to God, If you are there, give us a sign, show us that you are there, that you care. I talked with a man, let us call him John, several years ago who was struggling with depression. He had lost his job, was in serious financial stress and was in danger of losing his home and family. He grew up in a Christian home, had gone to Sunday School, youth group and attended church regularly. But his life and ethics were not close too what one would call a follower of Jesus. He knew all the right things to say, but ignored them, He knew the things he should do but didn’t. And now that he was in trouble he sat and talked with me and asked, I just wish God would give me a sign, something to show he cared.
God says to Ahaz, I will give you a sign, just ask. And what is Ahaz’s response? Verse 12. “I will not ask. I will not put the Lord to the test.” In other words, “I don’t want your help! Even if you showed me, I won’t accept it.” Ahaz was so apathetic to the things of God that he even refused to accept the gracious offer –a sign that God would protect the people of Judah –His people! I will give you victory, I will not allow the enemy to come and take the land. It will not happen, it will not take place, just stand firm in your faith in me. And to prove this I will give you a sign.
And what does Ahaz respond? “Here let me think about this, let me pray about this, let me consider this.” No, he says I will not ask.
What is that sign? Verse 13-14. “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel.”
Immanuel means God with us. Israel as a people had been blessed with this singular blessing the presence of God. God showed his presence thought the cloud and fire as he led Israel through the dessert. He showed his presence in the tabernacle. When the temple was built God came down and settled in the holy of holies –we looked at this last week.
Israel was blessed with the presence but still Ahaz and the nation ignored, even rejected. And so God gives this warning and promise tied together. First the promise –If you stand firm in your faith you will stand. In that the warning, if you do not, you will fall.
Set aside the idols –burn them. Turn from foreign gods, look to me. Stop the detestable ways and do the things that honor me. Stand firm in your faith in me or you will not stand!
How often are we warned as God’s people today? For those of us who grew up in the church but never took it seriously. We learned the verses, we may even have gone through something like baptism, but we still set God aside and play around with things that do not honor Him, actions in our lives that do not show we are His.
For those of us who have been calling ourselves Christians for years but other than maybe going to church a few times a month, live no different from our neighbor who has rarely if ever set foot in a church and knows the name of Jesus as a swear word rather than the sweet Name of a savior? Set aside the detestable ways and stand firm in your faith! And I will give you a sign of blessing!
And what is that sign? The same sign God told Ahaz about –a virgin will be with child and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.
This promise was fulfilled 500 years later. Let me read from Matthew 1:18-23. This time the sign was given not to a king in the magnificent city of Jerusalem, but to a carpenter in the lowly small village of Nazareth. This time the sign is given not to the nation of Israel but to all people (Luke 2:10-12).
My friend John, who I talked about earlier, asked for a sign. If God cared, He would give a sign. John, I said, He did!
God did, His name was Jesus, the Christ, Immanuel, God with us. Today we live not in a time of Lord give me a sign, but in a time of God saying I have given the sign. Elmer Towns in his book, “The Names of Jesus,” says, this name Immanuel captures the highest ideals of life and is an affirmation of the highest blessing. Immanuel, God with us! It is not a sign to be looked for, it is a sign right in front of us.
And so we face the same decision as Ahaz, do we accept the sign or not? Do we accept the virgin with child who gives birth to a son and his name is Immanuel, or do we reject him?
We cannot take heritage for granted. Just because our father or grandmother or some other relative was a Christian and we were born into a Christian home we cannot think we are saved. Just because we go to church and do some religious things once and a while does not mean we are saved. Ahaz was born into a great religious heritage and tradition, but that was not enough. God said, stand firm in your faith! That means continue, keep it ongoing, always, daily, hourly, minutely, secondly, moment by moment stand firm. There is another word that I like for this, it is the word abide. Abide means to remain, to be in constant connection, to draw strength from, to always be. Stand firm, remain in me.
Jesus in the last hours before he went to the cross, comforted and challenged his followers with these words –“Abide in me, and I will abide in you.” (John 15:4). The word abide means remain, stay in. We will look at this next week and see it’s power in connection to the idea of Immanuel.
God has given us a sign, that the virgin will be with church and she will give birth to a son and his name will be Immanuel. It is a sign given, a call to trust in God, to stand firm in our faith. Like Ahaz, we can refuse to see, even refuse to commit our faith and trust in God. Or we can accept the sign, accept His presence –God with us! And live in the hope and life He gives.
In the midst of stress, in the middle of trouble, in the turbulence of life, where do you turn? When the enemy closes in, where do you put your faith? God offers us His help, His hope, His power through His presence –Immanuel. God with us.
Over this past few months and especially this past month, we have been facing what seems like the enemies pressing in from all sides. In our family, and in our church family. Not to brag or offer myself as the perfect example, but I can give testimony to the truth of what I speak about here today. My God is a faithful God, He is a present and caring God. In the middle of the storm He is my rock. When the enemy closes in He is my fortress. When the enemy strikes, He is my deliverer. Yes the pressures are still there, the winds still blow, the waves crash, But my God is a mighty God, able to hold me and keep me. Why –Immanuel! God with us, God with me! I accept the gift, the promise and Lord may I live to honor You as I hold on!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Police recognition September 26, 2010
It was in March of 2005 that 4 RCMP officers were shot and killed in Mayerthorpe Alberta. I was a pastor in a church in Alberta at the time and though the news had national and international attention, Alberta still feels the shock of this tragedy. At the memorial service held for the officers, it was stated of one officer, Constable Brock Myrol (the one on the right), "He wanted the opportunity to work with people and be able to make a difference."
It struck home closely to me and my family because the death of these officers came just after the time that my brother had joined the RCMP. These words, "He wanted the opportunity to work with people and be able to make a difference," could be said of my brother as well, he wanted to join because he wanted to help people and make a difference.
I believe that is true of all the officers who serve in our community –both in the OPP and with Treaty Three. And that is the ideal of any 5 year old boy or girl who wants to be a policeman when they grow up. At least it was for my boys. Both expressed that they wanted to be policeman when they grew up –why? So they could drive a car really fast or shoot a gun? Well, maybe in part, but both said so they could help people in trouble.
Helping others and making a difference. That is the key theme to my address this morning. As a church which holds to the truth and teachings of the Bible, we have at our core this theme as well. In fact, it is one of the core tenants of the law of God. In the Bible we read that a lawyer came to Jesus and asked which law was the greatest. We find the account in Luke 10. Please read this from the NIV. (10:25-36).
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” It seemed the lawyer had no trouble with the idea of loving God, but there was something that he had a concern about in loving others as himself. So he asked, who is my neighbor? And to that, Jesus gives in response a parable about the good Samaritan.
The term “good Samaritan” has become ubiquitous in our culture with someone who does good, they want to help someone and make a difference. There are organizations which bear the name Samaritan, hospitals, charities, foundations all to express their ideal of helping others. Even in our speech today we refer to someone who has done something good for no reason except to help someone else as a good Samaritan.
This morning I would like to draw a few parallels for us between this parable and our police services. Perhaps this can give us a better appreciation for the tough job that these men and women face simply because they want to help others and make a difference.
The first is that the good Samaritan put himself in danger. Although the road going down to Jericho was well travelled, it had a reputation for being dangerous. It was referred to sometimes as “The Way of Blood.” Robbers would often lay in wait for someone who may be passing by who was alone or unsuspecting. That may be one of the reasons why the other two people passed him. It was not uncommon for thieves to rob and beat someone, leave them by the side of the road, and then when someone came to help to rob and beat them as well.
The good Samaritan was putting himself in danger. And this danger can come so quickly. The four Mounties who were killed in Mayerthorpe were ambushed while providing scene security for what initially was for repossession of a truck. After arriving at the scene, officers found stolen vehicle parts and a grow-op on the farm. No one really expected what would happen that day. Whether it is stopping a vehicle for speeding, going to the scene of a domestic argument or even trying to help someone laying on a sidewalk, officers place themselves in danger all the time. But even more, they will purposefully step into the place of danger to help someone else –literally putting themselves on the line of fire. That is what the good Samaritan did –knowing that there was the very real danger of being attacked and robbed himself, he went to help another person. Why? Because of help and wanting to make a difference.
Another thing we see is that there was a cost to what the Good Samaritan did. We read that he not only bandaged the man but poured oil and wine on the wounds. That may not seem like much today, but back then this was significant. This healing/medicinal care that the man gave would have been expensive. And we add to that the good Samaritan also paid for the man’s care and lodging.
In a country that enjoys health care and emergency rooms and social programs we don’t often face the personal expense of helping someone. But there are other costs for those who want to help people and make a difference. There is a great psychological, social, emotional and spiritual cost in seeing things that most of us would have a hard time imagining. I have talked with officers that are a part of our church enough to know the deep impact that policing our community and the communities that surround Kenora can have. The stress and the strain can be costly emotionally, physically and yes, spiritually. It can even affect the very reason that someone became a police officer –to help others and make a difference, the cost of compassion and hope in seeing that what is done does make a difference, does offer help.
It was several years ago when I talked with a city constable in the community we lived in about how he was doing. He expressed a sense of numbness. “It just wears you down after a while and you begin to look at people with pessimism.”
And there is also a cost to families. They see firsthand the stress and strain of the job of helping others and making a difference. It is hard to leave the job out of the home –to not talk shop or about the day. I can catch a glimpse of this as a pastor in trying not to bring the problems of church into the home. But there is also the added costs of transfers to different communities, worry over long shifts, wonder about the dangers that I mentioned earlier.
At LBC we are seeking to provide an environment where the families of our policing community can connect, find support and encouragement. I know that many of the wives of officers are connecting in our small groups and that the youth are connecting through our youth program.
The Good Samaritan knew there was a cost to what he did, and he still did it. How often do we shy away from helping someone because it may cost us time, effort, even money. Why? Because they want to help, to make a difference.
A third thing we see in this account of the good Samaritan was the time he spent in helping this man. We read that he not only went out of his way to help him, but also took the man to an inn and spent the night caring for him. I know that many of our officers in this community and across Canada spend a lot of time in being a part of their community. In this church we have several officers who give a lot of time in various ministries and activities that we have. And though this can be said of all our church members, I just want to say how much I appreciate the time and energy these men and women spend in helping our church and our community.
I know it is easy to step back and not be very involved –you spend a lot of time dealing with people each day and to come and help out in a youth event when you would rather spend time with family, or fishing or just crashing in front of the TV. But even while on duty you often give that extra time in a busy day –to stop and talk at the farmers market, to have a cup of coffee with someone when there is a pile of paperwork to do, even spending that extra time with someone who is stressed because of something that happened.
It was 22 years ago when my wife and I lived in Seattle, WA. My wife had just given birth to our oldest son and was still in the hospital when our house was broken into. I had arrived home about 11 PM to find our front door kicked in and our house a mess. The officer responding to the call spent about two hours with me that night. I just wanted to make the report and get the paperwork done and get the house in order. But the officer spent time with me. He walked with me through the house, sat and explained things, and then just sat on the couch and talked for over an hour. In hindsight I see that is exactly what I needed –someone to be there in this time of trauma. He didn’t have to stay –it was a busy time in Seattle in those days with an arsonist lighting fires all over the city, the Green River killer and the gang problems that were happening. But he did –he stayed and gave his time.
The Good Samaritan did not have to stop, and he certainly didn’t have to stay the night, but he did. And he didn’t have to come back but promised he would. It was 3-4 days later, after my wife and son were home, that the officer who came the night of the break-in stopped by just to check on how we were doing. He didn’t have to, it was not expected –but he did. He showed his care for us as a part of the community and in this small but significant way made a difference, just by spending some time. Te officer who had made the call to our home after the break-in stopped by a few days later, while off duty, just to see how we were doing. Why? Because he cared, he wanted to make a difference.
A fourth and final part of the Good Samaritan account is that this Samaritan was probably not too welcome in helping this man. We are not told this in the account, but some historical background sets this up. Several hundreds of years earlier Israel was divided into two nations –they had two kings and didn’t always get along. Then along came the Assyrians who conquered the northern kingdom and forced them to intermarry with non-jewish people. These people became known as the Samaritans because of the area in which they lived. They were looked down on by the pure Jew. In fact they were despised as a people and most Jews of that day would even avoid walking into Samaria –even if it meant a longer and costlier trip. They would avoid talking with them and most certainly would avoid touching them.
And so here we see a person, this good man –a Samaritan, as an unwelcomed source of help. We don’t know if this man who was beaten, if he were conscious, would probably even have refused help from a Samaritan.
I can imagine that as police officers you are not always welcomed with a red carpet. In fact, I bet that there are times, even when you are simply there to help, you are not too welcome. And yet you still come forward. Like the Samaritan you cross the boundary and step into a situation where you may not be welcome. Why? Duty –perhaps. But dare I say, perhaps more because you want to help and make a difference.
Police officers are a special part of our community, they are a special breed of men and women who step out of the norm and put themselves in places of danger, often at a cost –giving time and crossing boundaries to help people and make a difference. We want to honor that today and to say thank you.
As families of police officers we want to honor you as well, recognizing some of the pressures you face. As a church and as a part of this community we want to say thank you and to let you know we are here to support and encourage you.
May God bless you, sustain you and supply your needs through Jesus Christ our Lord.
It struck home closely to me and my family because the death of these officers came just after the time that my brother had joined the RCMP. These words, "He wanted the opportunity to work with people and be able to make a difference," could be said of my brother as well, he wanted to join because he wanted to help people and make a difference.
I believe that is true of all the officers who serve in our community –both in the OPP and with Treaty Three. And that is the ideal of any 5 year old boy or girl who wants to be a policeman when they grow up. At least it was for my boys. Both expressed that they wanted to be policeman when they grew up –why? So they could drive a car really fast or shoot a gun? Well, maybe in part, but both said so they could help people in trouble.
Helping others and making a difference. That is the key theme to my address this morning. As a church which holds to the truth and teachings of the Bible, we have at our core this theme as well. In fact, it is one of the core tenants of the law of God. In the Bible we read that a lawyer came to Jesus and asked which law was the greatest. We find the account in Luke 10. Please read this from the NIV. (10:25-36).
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” It seemed the lawyer had no trouble with the idea of loving God, but there was something that he had a concern about in loving others as himself. So he asked, who is my neighbor? And to that, Jesus gives in response a parable about the good Samaritan.
The term “good Samaritan” has become ubiquitous in our culture with someone who does good, they want to help someone and make a difference. There are organizations which bear the name Samaritan, hospitals, charities, foundations all to express their ideal of helping others. Even in our speech today we refer to someone who has done something good for no reason except to help someone else as a good Samaritan.
This morning I would like to draw a few parallels for us between this parable and our police services. Perhaps this can give us a better appreciation for the tough job that these men and women face simply because they want to help others and make a difference.
The first is that the good Samaritan put himself in danger. Although the road going down to Jericho was well travelled, it had a reputation for being dangerous. It was referred to sometimes as “The Way of Blood.” Robbers would often lay in wait for someone who may be passing by who was alone or unsuspecting. That may be one of the reasons why the other two people passed him. It was not uncommon for thieves to rob and beat someone, leave them by the side of the road, and then when someone came to help to rob and beat them as well.
The good Samaritan was putting himself in danger. And this danger can come so quickly. The four Mounties who were killed in Mayerthorpe were ambushed while providing scene security for what initially was for repossession of a truck. After arriving at the scene, officers found stolen vehicle parts and a grow-op on the farm. No one really expected what would happen that day. Whether it is stopping a vehicle for speeding, going to the scene of a domestic argument or even trying to help someone laying on a sidewalk, officers place themselves in danger all the time. But even more, they will purposefully step into the place of danger to help someone else –literally putting themselves on the line of fire. That is what the good Samaritan did –knowing that there was the very real danger of being attacked and robbed himself, he went to help another person. Why? Because of help and wanting to make a difference.
Another thing we see is that there was a cost to what the Good Samaritan did. We read that he not only bandaged the man but poured oil and wine on the wounds. That may not seem like much today, but back then this was significant. This healing/medicinal care that the man gave would have been expensive. And we add to that the good Samaritan also paid for the man’s care and lodging.
In a country that enjoys health care and emergency rooms and social programs we don’t often face the personal expense of helping someone. But there are other costs for those who want to help people and make a difference. There is a great psychological, social, emotional and spiritual cost in seeing things that most of us would have a hard time imagining. I have talked with officers that are a part of our church enough to know the deep impact that policing our community and the communities that surround Kenora can have. The stress and the strain can be costly emotionally, physically and yes, spiritually. It can even affect the very reason that someone became a police officer –to help others and make a difference, the cost of compassion and hope in seeing that what is done does make a difference, does offer help.
It was several years ago when I talked with a city constable in the community we lived in about how he was doing. He expressed a sense of numbness. “It just wears you down after a while and you begin to look at people with pessimism.”
And there is also a cost to families. They see firsthand the stress and strain of the job of helping others and making a difference. It is hard to leave the job out of the home –to not talk shop or about the day. I can catch a glimpse of this as a pastor in trying not to bring the problems of church into the home. But there is also the added costs of transfers to different communities, worry over long shifts, wonder about the dangers that I mentioned earlier.
At LBC we are seeking to provide an environment where the families of our policing community can connect, find support and encouragement. I know that many of the wives of officers are connecting in our small groups and that the youth are connecting through our youth program.
The Good Samaritan knew there was a cost to what he did, and he still did it. How often do we shy away from helping someone because it may cost us time, effort, even money. Why? Because they want to help, to make a difference.
A third thing we see in this account of the good Samaritan was the time he spent in helping this man. We read that he not only went out of his way to help him, but also took the man to an inn and spent the night caring for him. I know that many of our officers in this community and across Canada spend a lot of time in being a part of their community. In this church we have several officers who give a lot of time in various ministries and activities that we have. And though this can be said of all our church members, I just want to say how much I appreciate the time and energy these men and women spend in helping our church and our community.
I know it is easy to step back and not be very involved –you spend a lot of time dealing with people each day and to come and help out in a youth event when you would rather spend time with family, or fishing or just crashing in front of the TV. But even while on duty you often give that extra time in a busy day –to stop and talk at the farmers market, to have a cup of coffee with someone when there is a pile of paperwork to do, even spending that extra time with someone who is stressed because of something that happened.
It was 22 years ago when my wife and I lived in Seattle, WA. My wife had just given birth to our oldest son and was still in the hospital when our house was broken into. I had arrived home about 11 PM to find our front door kicked in and our house a mess. The officer responding to the call spent about two hours with me that night. I just wanted to make the report and get the paperwork done and get the house in order. But the officer spent time with me. He walked with me through the house, sat and explained things, and then just sat on the couch and talked for over an hour. In hindsight I see that is exactly what I needed –someone to be there in this time of trauma. He didn’t have to stay –it was a busy time in Seattle in those days with an arsonist lighting fires all over the city, the Green River killer and the gang problems that were happening. But he did –he stayed and gave his time.
The Good Samaritan did not have to stop, and he certainly didn’t have to stay the night, but he did. And he didn’t have to come back but promised he would. It was 3-4 days later, after my wife and son were home, that the officer who came the night of the break-in stopped by just to check on how we were doing. He didn’t have to, it was not expected –but he did. He showed his care for us as a part of the community and in this small but significant way made a difference, just by spending some time. Te officer who had made the call to our home after the break-in stopped by a few days later, while off duty, just to see how we were doing. Why? Because he cared, he wanted to make a difference.
A fourth and final part of the Good Samaritan account is that this Samaritan was probably not too welcome in helping this man. We are not told this in the account, but some historical background sets this up. Several hundreds of years earlier Israel was divided into two nations –they had two kings and didn’t always get along. Then along came the Assyrians who conquered the northern kingdom and forced them to intermarry with non-jewish people. These people became known as the Samaritans because of the area in which they lived. They were looked down on by the pure Jew. In fact they were despised as a people and most Jews of that day would even avoid walking into Samaria –even if it meant a longer and costlier trip. They would avoid talking with them and most certainly would avoid touching them.
And so here we see a person, this good man –a Samaritan, as an unwelcomed source of help. We don’t know if this man who was beaten, if he were conscious, would probably even have refused help from a Samaritan.
I can imagine that as police officers you are not always welcomed with a red carpet. In fact, I bet that there are times, even when you are simply there to help, you are not too welcome. And yet you still come forward. Like the Samaritan you cross the boundary and step into a situation where you may not be welcome. Why? Duty –perhaps. But dare I say, perhaps more because you want to help and make a difference.
Police officers are a special part of our community, they are a special breed of men and women who step out of the norm and put themselves in places of danger, often at a cost –giving time and crossing boundaries to help people and make a difference. We want to honor that today and to say thank you.
As families of police officers we want to honor you as well, recognizing some of the pressures you face. As a church and as a part of this community we want to say thank you and to let you know we are here to support and encourage you.
May God bless you, sustain you and supply your needs through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sermon on the Mount final -Christ Alone!
“I believe in God is perhaps one of the most meaningless statements that we can make today.” This is a statement by Erwin Lutzer, current senior Pastor at Moody Church in Chicago. He goes on to say in his book, Ten Lies About God, says “the word God has become a canvas on which each is free to paint his own portrait of the divine; like a boy scribbling on his desk, we can draw God according to whatever specifications we please. “ (page 3) I would agree with him in this statement –to say I believe in God is almost meaningless.
We live in a time when, in our Canadian culture, many people believe in God. Polls and surveys state a majority of people believe in God. But that definition of God varies quite widely. And that is why to simply say, I believe in God, is almost meaningless. God, by someone’s definition, can be anything from the God of the Bible to the God of Islam to the God of our inner self to the psychic energy that exists in the universe to, well, a door knob.
And in many ways to even say “I am a Christian” is almost meaningless. Now don’t get me wrong here, I tell you right now I am a Christian and I do believe in God. But there are many who say, I am a Christian but are not really followers of Jesus Christ. They are Christian because they were raised on a Christian home, or they live in Canada which they perceive to be a Christian country.
The danger, the very real and eternal danger, is that we can slip through life and into life after death and be suddenly faced with the truth that just saying we believe in God or that we are a Christian isn’t enough –in fact it is terrifyingly inadequate!
All we have to do is top and seriously look at the teachings of Jesus Himself, not some interpretation, not some preacher or religious guru or television evangelist but the very words of Jesus himself. We look this morning at the words of Jesus, the last bit of teaching that we find in his sermon on the mount found in Matthew 5-7. This morning we look at the last of that wonderful, enriching, deep and powerful teaching where Jesus give some very sobering warnings about being a true and authentic follower of Himself.
We read from Chapter 7 the following verses. (verses 15,16, 21-27.
Over the summer we have been going through what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. We started with the beatitudes found in chapter 5. Jesus has been giving some good practical guidance and also some pretty hard teachings. But the overall focus has been the glory of the Father. All through the life and teachings of Jesus he has had that one central theme –the glory of the Father.
As he teaches this theme, although not overtly stated is underlying everything. We see elements of it in such verses as 5:16; 5:48; 6:4; 6:9-10; 6:24; 6:33. Jesus now ends his discourse with first the choice of entering the narrow gate or not. This narrow gate is Jesus Himself. In John 10 we read that Jesus said, I am the gate and whoever goes through him will be saved (verse 9). He later says in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by him. We are given a choice –we can either accept Jesus as the way to the Father or not –we can enter the gate and become a follower of Jesus, have our sins forgiven, find our way to God the Father, or we do not. Simple choice –to believe that Jesus is the son of God, died for our sins, buried and risen again, to believe in Him as the only way and John 1:12 says all who receive him, accept him as Lord and savior, he gives the right to become the children of God.
That becomes the distinction between believing in God –a generic kind of faith in some higher power or the belief in the Eternal Father in heaven who gave his son. It makes the difference between being born into a Christian home or just going to church or even being a good person and having faith in the one and only way to the Father –Jesus Christ.
Belief is more than just mental ascent. Belief, as Jesus states here and elsewhere, is to live for the glory of the Father, to live in obedience to the teachings of Jesus, to show the fruit of our belief. Belief in Jesus is a transformative belief –it is a belief that is transforming us into the image of Jesus himself. Jesus says we are to follow Him, to submit to him, to “seek” him –to set our sights on Him and Him alone and pursue Him. We follow the narrow way –His way.
Jesus now gives a warning about three types of people who claim to be Christians, but are not. The first he names in verse 15 –false prophets. A prophet is someone who comes and claims to give a word from God. A prophet is not just someone who tells about future events, but speaks the words of God for the present day. We could put in the word preacher, evangelist, spiritual guru, any religious type that claims to speak for God or even about God.
These prophets, Jesus says, come looking like they belong –like sheep (note Jesus would in John 10 call those who follow him sheep and he is the shepherd –the same place he talks about being the gate. He even warns there about those who come to steal His sheep). But they are no teachers, or true speakers for Godt –they are wolves –they are seeking to distract, dissuade and destroy the followers of Jesus. How do they do this?
Paul talks about this in his letter to the Galatians. Let me read to you 1:6-9. Preaching or prophesying a false or different gospel. What is the gospel –Jesus Christ, the son of God, come to this earth, living a sinless life, dying on the cross for our sins, rising again on the third day, sitting at the right hand of God and someday to return. The gospel is this -believe in Him as the only way and you will be saved. The gospel is this we can have peace with God, eternity with the Heavenly father through Jesus Christ –only though Jesus Christ, completely through Jesus Christ, by faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone! Any other message, any other gospel is, as Paul says, perverted, any other good news, Jesus says, is false!
There were those then and there are those today who will say just believe in God! You don’t really need Jesus. There are other paths other ways to God. Well, okay you can believe in Jesus AND do this or believe in that as well. You don’t need to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, just follow the law. Paul says let those who preach any other Gospel be condemned! Strong words, Yes Why? Because eternity is at stake! Your soul is at stake, your being in heaven with the heavenly father is at stake!
Back to the words of Jesus –Watch out! Their fruit is destruction! Listen again to the words of Jesus (19). What is the fruit? That God is glorified, That He is exalted, that His son Jesus is proclaimed and believed in. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we have salvation. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we can enter Haven. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we come to the Father. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we have any hope of eternity with the Heavenly Father. It is not Christ and, it is not Christ or - it is Christ and Christ alone. Any other message from a prophet or messenger is false. Jesus himself says watch out! They will seek to take you off the path –the narrow path Jesus talked about in verse 13 –the narrow path of following Him.
The second group Jesus cautions against are those who think they are on the path but are not. These people are good people, they do good things and do good works. Jesus here says that they are ones who have prophesied driven out demons and even performed miracles. But Jesus says, he will tell them “I never knew you. Away from me evil doers!” Those are pretty harsh words, very serious words, very sobering even scary words. These words should make everyone of us sit up and take note.
What does Jesus mean by this statement, “I never knew you?” We look again to John 10, the same passage where Jesus talks about being the gate or the door, about being the great shepherd and about thieves trying to steal his sheep. Let me read for you chapter 10 verses 14-15, 27.
His sheep, his followers, those he knows first know him. Not about him but know him. The word is not a mental or intellectual acknowledgement, but one of a deep relationship. To say I never knew you means there was never a relationship –a connection. Those who know Jesus know that he is the Christ, the son of God, they know that he has laid down His life for them, they know that he is the way the truth and the life and the only way to the father. They know in a personal relationship Jesus.
These are sheep –people, who have accepted Him as shepherd, who believe and have become the children of God. They have come by faith and given themselves in faith to Jesus Christ as the Good shepherd. It is not by their good deeds, not by their performing miracles, not by their speaking or doing good things –it is by faith they are saved, by faith they are his by faith they are on the narrow path. And Jesus adds in verse 27, they follow me.
There are a lot of good people, well intentioned people, people who believe in God and may even say they are Christian but they have never come to Jesus by faith and accepted him as the way, the truth and the life. They have never given themselves over to Him and follow Him. One of the deeply troubling things is that these are not just people who are outside the church but people who are in the church! And the horror the deep sadness is Jesus will say “I never knew you, away you evildoers!” Evil doers?
To understand this we need to look back a bit to verse 21 –those who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do the will of my Father in heaven. What is the will of the Father in heaven? Well, let’s catch a glimpse (and this glimpse is enough for today) of what this is from what Jesus has already said –the beatitudes, bringing praise and glory to the father (5:16), seeking His kingdom first (6:9-10, 33), serving Him alone (6:24), entering in through the narrow gate and following the narrow path (7:13-14), bearing good fruit. Evil doers are those who have the veneer of being a Christian but not the relationship with the Christ and do not live as a follower of Christ and for the glory of the Father –they do not seek the kingdom of God first and foremost!
As a pastor, as a prophet, as a messenger of God, judge my words by the words of Jesus, judge these things I say with what Jesus says –if you are not in a relationship with Jesus, if you have not submitted to Him as the shepherd, if you do not know the Him and are following him heed the words of Jesus –I will tell you plainly I never knew you –depart from me, you evil doers. I must tell you, Jesus is the only way –not good works, not being in a Christian family, not being baptized or going to church –faith in Christ and Christ alone is the way though the gate. The good news, the great news, the gospel message is this –to all believe in Him he gave the right to become the children of God.
The third group Jesus gives warning about are those who, as Jesus says here, hear the words of Jesus but do not put them into practice (verse 26). This may be where many of us are today and many in the church today. We hear and ignore or we hear and do not put into practice what Jesus teaches. And we do so at the peril of collapse.
The parable or example Jesus gives is a clear as can be –build on solid rock versus building on sand. Often we think of Jesus as the foundation –which he is –He is the rock, the solid rock. But that is not what Jesus is saying here. The context is one of hearing and doing. Listen again carefully to verse 24 –hear my words and put them into practice. Versus hear my words and do not put them into practice.
It comes down to a word we don’t much like to hear –obey. Jesus said, if you love me obey my commands He said this three times in his last night with his disciples. We have it just a few verses earlier in the warning about those who have good intentions but never give their lives to Christ. The ones who do the will of my Father.
Now we have those who appear to start the relationship but have no intention on following through with the obedience. The mark of an authentic disciple is one who has the relationship AND the obedience. If you love me obey what I command (John 14:15 and 23).
The words of Jesus are a time for us to take a serious look at our spiritual journey. There will be those who seek to distract, dissuade, and even destroy us in our pursuit of following Jesus. Jesus says Watch out! And there is the serious need for us to look at our relationship with the Father through the Son, Jesus Christ. Have we through faith confessed out separation and sin, have we through faith accepted the gift given through Jesus Christ, have we through faith, not of works but through the work of Jesus become a child of God? And even more, are we living out his commands and teachings –do we obey. The words of Jesus in warning against the false prophets are equally valid here –does our life show the fruit of our connection with Christ? Is our life being built up as a house on rock or sand?
To live as an authentic follower of Jesus Christ we look to Christ and Christ alone –he is our shepherd, our guide. IN him is truth and in focusing and knowing His truth we can stand against the false prophets. In Christ and His truth we can come into a relationship with the Father and be assured of our eternity with Him. In Christ and His truth we can live such godly lives that are built in the solid truth of Christ that we can withstand the storms, the winds, the surges of life that buffet against us. In Christ and His truth we can find the life that is blessed and glorifying to the Father in heaven. In Christ is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him. Praise be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We live in a time when, in our Canadian culture, many people believe in God. Polls and surveys state a majority of people believe in God. But that definition of God varies quite widely. And that is why to simply say, I believe in God, is almost meaningless. God, by someone’s definition, can be anything from the God of the Bible to the God of Islam to the God of our inner self to the psychic energy that exists in the universe to, well, a door knob.
And in many ways to even say “I am a Christian” is almost meaningless. Now don’t get me wrong here, I tell you right now I am a Christian and I do believe in God. But there are many who say, I am a Christian but are not really followers of Jesus Christ. They are Christian because they were raised on a Christian home, or they live in Canada which they perceive to be a Christian country.
The danger, the very real and eternal danger, is that we can slip through life and into life after death and be suddenly faced with the truth that just saying we believe in God or that we are a Christian isn’t enough –in fact it is terrifyingly inadequate!
All we have to do is top and seriously look at the teachings of Jesus Himself, not some interpretation, not some preacher or religious guru or television evangelist but the very words of Jesus himself. We look this morning at the words of Jesus, the last bit of teaching that we find in his sermon on the mount found in Matthew 5-7. This morning we look at the last of that wonderful, enriching, deep and powerful teaching where Jesus give some very sobering warnings about being a true and authentic follower of Himself.
We read from Chapter 7 the following verses. (verses 15,16, 21-27.
Over the summer we have been going through what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. We started with the beatitudes found in chapter 5. Jesus has been giving some good practical guidance and also some pretty hard teachings. But the overall focus has been the glory of the Father. All through the life and teachings of Jesus he has had that one central theme –the glory of the Father.
As he teaches this theme, although not overtly stated is underlying everything. We see elements of it in such verses as 5:16; 5:48; 6:4; 6:9-10; 6:24; 6:33. Jesus now ends his discourse with first the choice of entering the narrow gate or not. This narrow gate is Jesus Himself. In John 10 we read that Jesus said, I am the gate and whoever goes through him will be saved (verse 9). He later says in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by him. We are given a choice –we can either accept Jesus as the way to the Father or not –we can enter the gate and become a follower of Jesus, have our sins forgiven, find our way to God the Father, or we do not. Simple choice –to believe that Jesus is the son of God, died for our sins, buried and risen again, to believe in Him as the only way and John 1:12 says all who receive him, accept him as Lord and savior, he gives the right to become the children of God.
That becomes the distinction between believing in God –a generic kind of faith in some higher power or the belief in the Eternal Father in heaven who gave his son. It makes the difference between being born into a Christian home or just going to church or even being a good person and having faith in the one and only way to the Father –Jesus Christ.
Belief is more than just mental ascent. Belief, as Jesus states here and elsewhere, is to live for the glory of the Father, to live in obedience to the teachings of Jesus, to show the fruit of our belief. Belief in Jesus is a transformative belief –it is a belief that is transforming us into the image of Jesus himself. Jesus says we are to follow Him, to submit to him, to “seek” him –to set our sights on Him and Him alone and pursue Him. We follow the narrow way –His way.
Jesus now gives a warning about three types of people who claim to be Christians, but are not. The first he names in verse 15 –false prophets. A prophet is someone who comes and claims to give a word from God. A prophet is not just someone who tells about future events, but speaks the words of God for the present day. We could put in the word preacher, evangelist, spiritual guru, any religious type that claims to speak for God or even about God.
These prophets, Jesus says, come looking like they belong –like sheep (note Jesus would in John 10 call those who follow him sheep and he is the shepherd –the same place he talks about being the gate. He even warns there about those who come to steal His sheep). But they are no teachers, or true speakers for Godt –they are wolves –they are seeking to distract, dissuade and destroy the followers of Jesus. How do they do this?
Paul talks about this in his letter to the Galatians. Let me read to you 1:6-9. Preaching or prophesying a false or different gospel. What is the gospel –Jesus Christ, the son of God, come to this earth, living a sinless life, dying on the cross for our sins, rising again on the third day, sitting at the right hand of God and someday to return. The gospel is this -believe in Him as the only way and you will be saved. The gospel is this we can have peace with God, eternity with the Heavenly father through Jesus Christ –only though Jesus Christ, completely through Jesus Christ, by faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone! Any other message, any other gospel is, as Paul says, perverted, any other good news, Jesus says, is false!
There were those then and there are those today who will say just believe in God! You don’t really need Jesus. There are other paths other ways to God. Well, okay you can believe in Jesus AND do this or believe in that as well. You don’t need to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, just follow the law. Paul says let those who preach any other Gospel be condemned! Strong words, Yes Why? Because eternity is at stake! Your soul is at stake, your being in heaven with the heavenly father is at stake!
Back to the words of Jesus –Watch out! Their fruit is destruction! Listen again to the words of Jesus (19). What is the fruit? That God is glorified, That He is exalted, that His son Jesus is proclaimed and believed in. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we have salvation. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we can enter Haven. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we come to the Father. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we have any hope of eternity with the Heavenly Father. It is not Christ and, it is not Christ or - it is Christ and Christ alone. Any other message from a prophet or messenger is false. Jesus himself says watch out! They will seek to take you off the path –the narrow path Jesus talked about in verse 13 –the narrow path of following Him.
The second group Jesus cautions against are those who think they are on the path but are not. These people are good people, they do good things and do good works. Jesus here says that they are ones who have prophesied driven out demons and even performed miracles. But Jesus says, he will tell them “I never knew you. Away from me evil doers!” Those are pretty harsh words, very serious words, very sobering even scary words. These words should make everyone of us sit up and take note.
What does Jesus mean by this statement, “I never knew you?” We look again to John 10, the same passage where Jesus talks about being the gate or the door, about being the great shepherd and about thieves trying to steal his sheep. Let me read for you chapter 10 verses 14-15, 27.
His sheep, his followers, those he knows first know him. Not about him but know him. The word is not a mental or intellectual acknowledgement, but one of a deep relationship. To say I never knew you means there was never a relationship –a connection. Those who know Jesus know that he is the Christ, the son of God, they know that he has laid down His life for them, they know that he is the way the truth and the life and the only way to the father. They know in a personal relationship Jesus.
These are sheep –people, who have accepted Him as shepherd, who believe and have become the children of God. They have come by faith and given themselves in faith to Jesus Christ as the Good shepherd. It is not by their good deeds, not by their performing miracles, not by their speaking or doing good things –it is by faith they are saved, by faith they are his by faith they are on the narrow path. And Jesus adds in verse 27, they follow me.
There are a lot of good people, well intentioned people, people who believe in God and may even say they are Christian but they have never come to Jesus by faith and accepted him as the way, the truth and the life. They have never given themselves over to Him and follow Him. One of the deeply troubling things is that these are not just people who are outside the church but people who are in the church! And the horror the deep sadness is Jesus will say “I never knew you, away you evildoers!” Evil doers?
To understand this we need to look back a bit to verse 21 –those who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do the will of my Father in heaven. What is the will of the Father in heaven? Well, let’s catch a glimpse (and this glimpse is enough for today) of what this is from what Jesus has already said –the beatitudes, bringing praise and glory to the father (5:16), seeking His kingdom first (6:9-10, 33), serving Him alone (6:24), entering in through the narrow gate and following the narrow path (7:13-14), bearing good fruit. Evil doers are those who have the veneer of being a Christian but not the relationship with the Christ and do not live as a follower of Christ and for the glory of the Father –they do not seek the kingdom of God first and foremost!
As a pastor, as a prophet, as a messenger of God, judge my words by the words of Jesus, judge these things I say with what Jesus says –if you are not in a relationship with Jesus, if you have not submitted to Him as the shepherd, if you do not know the Him and are following him heed the words of Jesus –I will tell you plainly I never knew you –depart from me, you evil doers. I must tell you, Jesus is the only way –not good works, not being in a Christian family, not being baptized or going to church –faith in Christ and Christ alone is the way though the gate. The good news, the great news, the gospel message is this –to all believe in Him he gave the right to become the children of God.
The third group Jesus gives warning about are those who, as Jesus says here, hear the words of Jesus but do not put them into practice (verse 26). This may be where many of us are today and many in the church today. We hear and ignore or we hear and do not put into practice what Jesus teaches. And we do so at the peril of collapse.
The parable or example Jesus gives is a clear as can be –build on solid rock versus building on sand. Often we think of Jesus as the foundation –which he is –He is the rock, the solid rock. But that is not what Jesus is saying here. The context is one of hearing and doing. Listen again carefully to verse 24 –hear my words and put them into practice. Versus hear my words and do not put them into practice.
It comes down to a word we don’t much like to hear –obey. Jesus said, if you love me obey my commands He said this three times in his last night with his disciples. We have it just a few verses earlier in the warning about those who have good intentions but never give their lives to Christ. The ones who do the will of my Father.
Now we have those who appear to start the relationship but have no intention on following through with the obedience. The mark of an authentic disciple is one who has the relationship AND the obedience. If you love me obey what I command (John 14:15 and 23).
The words of Jesus are a time for us to take a serious look at our spiritual journey. There will be those who seek to distract, dissuade, and even destroy us in our pursuit of following Jesus. Jesus says Watch out! And there is the serious need for us to look at our relationship with the Father through the Son, Jesus Christ. Have we through faith confessed out separation and sin, have we through faith accepted the gift given through Jesus Christ, have we through faith, not of works but through the work of Jesus become a child of God? And even more, are we living out his commands and teachings –do we obey. The words of Jesus in warning against the false prophets are equally valid here –does our life show the fruit of our connection with Christ? Is our life being built up as a house on rock or sand?
To live as an authentic follower of Jesus Christ we look to Christ and Christ alone –he is our shepherd, our guide. IN him is truth and in focusing and knowing His truth we can stand against the false prophets. In Christ and His truth we can come into a relationship with the Father and be assured of our eternity with Him. In Christ and His truth we can live such godly lives that are built in the solid truth of Christ that we can withstand the storms, the winds, the surges of life that buffet against us. In Christ and His truth we can find the life that is blessed and glorifying to the Father in heaven. In Christ is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him. Praise be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Communion thoughts August 1, 2010
In a few moments we are going to have communion. Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is a time of remembrance that Jesus called us to. Just before his going to the cross, Jesus met with His disciples in the upper room. There they had a last meal together before that fateful day when He would be taken, beaten, tried, nailed to a cross, lifted high and give up His life as a ransom for many. It was on the cross that he took our sin upon himself. It was on the cross that he took our guilt and became a guilt offering. It was on the cross that Jesus too our place of death and became death for us. It was on the cross that Jesus took our separation from God and became separated from God.
Thin on that for a moment –we, mankind, humanity, because of sin, are separated from God. The Bible describes it as being lost, even as being dead and in darkness. Jesus when he went to the cross, took all our sin and because he was now sin was separated from God!
But this is the good news –Jesus died and rose again! Jesus being separated from God was raised from the dead and now gives us the opportunity to come into a relationship with God, no longer separated but as his children! Jesus became and is the way to the Father! That all who receive him and believe in Him, he gives the right to become the children of the heavenly Father.
Do you believe? Have you received? Are you a child of the heavenly Father because you have believed and received the gift of life Offered by and through Jesus Christ? Communion is a time for followers of Jesus to affirm their faith. Then communion is a time of celebration and remembrance –it is a time to honor and worship Jesus Christ for who he is and what he has done. It is a time to affirm again your belief in Him.
If you are not a follower of Jesus, you have not yet believed and received, communion is a great time to become a follower –to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father, to accept the gift of life he offers through His death and resurrection. Communion is a great time to give your life to Jesus –to begin that journey to eternity with the Father.
Even more it is a time to renew your faith in Him. Sometimes we tend to wander, to go off of the narrow path Jesus talks about in Matthew 7. We take our eyes of Jesus and wander away. Perhaps not far, but far enough to know we are not following Jess as we should –as we need to, as He leads and commands. Communion is a time to remind us that Jesus dies for us, that He gave his life for us, that He was separated from God on our behalf in order to lead us back to the Father. Communion is a time to come back –find forgiveness, and find renewed strength. It is a time that the Bile calls to confess and to repent. Confess means to agree with God we are wrong. Repent means to turn from the way we are going and get back on track with Jesus.
But even more, communion is a time to come to the cross and lay your burdens down. Because Jesus died on the cross, because he rose again we can know that he is able, more than able, to carry not only our sins, but our burdens. In the Psalms we read that we are to cast our burdens before him and He will sustain you (55:11). Can God carry your burdens? Can he sustain you? The cross answers that with a resounding yes! Further in Psalm 68 we read that He daily bears our burdens (19).
Jesus himself offered us these words –“Come all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” What a great promise, what a great promise! But we must see the rest of this passage where Jesus says, “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11:24,ff)
Yes, Jesus takes our burdens. Yes, Jesus gives us rest. But He also walks with us! The yoke here is a beautiful picture of him walking beside us. When a new ox is being trained he is always paired with one that is stronger and more experienced. The experienced and stronger ox not only takes much of the burden, but also leads the way and shows the new ox where to go.
Jesus not only takes the burden of our sin, but the burdens of life. He shows us the way to the father, how we should go. As we walk with him towards the Father, as we walk that narrow path, he takes the burdens. And what does he give us? Oh, we know the promises –I give you my joy. I give you my peace. I give you my love. I give you my strength. I give you my spirit, the comforter, the teacher, the guide.
Communion is so much more than just a remembrance. It is a time of renewal, refreshing, recommitment and relief. Come all who are weary and I will give you rest!
Thin on that for a moment –we, mankind, humanity, because of sin, are separated from God. The Bible describes it as being lost, even as being dead and in darkness. Jesus when he went to the cross, took all our sin and because he was now sin was separated from God!
But this is the good news –Jesus died and rose again! Jesus being separated from God was raised from the dead and now gives us the opportunity to come into a relationship with God, no longer separated but as his children! Jesus became and is the way to the Father! That all who receive him and believe in Him, he gives the right to become the children of the heavenly Father.
Do you believe? Have you received? Are you a child of the heavenly Father because you have believed and received the gift of life Offered by and through Jesus Christ? Communion is a time for followers of Jesus to affirm their faith. Then communion is a time of celebration and remembrance –it is a time to honor and worship Jesus Christ for who he is and what he has done. It is a time to affirm again your belief in Him.
If you are not a follower of Jesus, you have not yet believed and received, communion is a great time to become a follower –to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to the Father, to accept the gift of life he offers through His death and resurrection. Communion is a great time to give your life to Jesus –to begin that journey to eternity with the Father.
Even more it is a time to renew your faith in Him. Sometimes we tend to wander, to go off of the narrow path Jesus talks about in Matthew 7. We take our eyes of Jesus and wander away. Perhaps not far, but far enough to know we are not following Jess as we should –as we need to, as He leads and commands. Communion is a time to remind us that Jesus dies for us, that He gave his life for us, that He was separated from God on our behalf in order to lead us back to the Father. Communion is a time to come back –find forgiveness, and find renewed strength. It is a time that the Bile calls to confess and to repent. Confess means to agree with God we are wrong. Repent means to turn from the way we are going and get back on track with Jesus.
But even more, communion is a time to come to the cross and lay your burdens down. Because Jesus died on the cross, because he rose again we can know that he is able, more than able, to carry not only our sins, but our burdens. In the Psalms we read that we are to cast our burdens before him and He will sustain you (55:11). Can God carry your burdens? Can he sustain you? The cross answers that with a resounding yes! Further in Psalm 68 we read that He daily bears our burdens (19).
Jesus himself offered us these words –“Come all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” What a great promise, what a great promise! But we must see the rest of this passage where Jesus says, “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11:24,ff)
Yes, Jesus takes our burdens. Yes, Jesus gives us rest. But He also walks with us! The yoke here is a beautiful picture of him walking beside us. When a new ox is being trained he is always paired with one that is stronger and more experienced. The experienced and stronger ox not only takes much of the burden, but also leads the way and shows the new ox where to go.
Jesus not only takes the burden of our sin, but the burdens of life. He shows us the way to the father, how we should go. As we walk with him towards the Father, as we walk that narrow path, he takes the burdens. And what does he give us? Oh, we know the promises –I give you my joy. I give you my peace. I give you my love. I give you my strength. I give you my spirit, the comforter, the teacher, the guide.
Communion is so much more than just a remembrance. It is a time of renewal, refreshing, recommitment and relief. Come all who are weary and I will give you rest!
Ask, seek, knock Mathew 7:7-12
One of the things that I found confusing, even discouraging over the years was asking God something in prayer. Now it may seem a little odd for a pastor to admit struggle about prayer, but let me give you some background.
I mostly grew up in a Christian environment. Not necessarily a Christian home, but my parents saw to it that my brother and sister and I went to Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and sometime to church. My grandparents were devotedly religious and whenever I was with them they took me to their church. And so I heard from an early age things like read your Bible pray every day, Jesus loves me, This little light of mine let it shine and memorized verses like John 3:16, the Lord’s prayer and psalm 23. Even verses and promises like that found in Matthew 7:7-8 were a part of my growing up.
But when things in my family went bad –like my dad’s alcoholism becoming more impacting on our family, I would ask God for things and found he didn’t seem to listen or perhaps not care enough to answer. As I grew older I found there were more verses and statements in the Bible like Matthew 7:7-8, where it Jesus, for example would say, ask anything in my name and it will be given to you. Even the Lord’s prayer or Psalm 23 seemed to give the impression that all I had to do was ask and “Poof” God would answer.
But I found it wasn’t so. Brook Shields (some may remember her) never did answer my letter to come and be my girl friend, I still haven’t been asked to make a movie, my songs haven’t made it on a CD, the Beatle’s didn’t get back together, I haven’t won the lottery, and well, you get the picture. Is it that God is not able to answer my prayers, unwilling to answer my prayers, uncaring about my wants, am I not getting the formula right –saying the right words? Why is this not working?
This morning we are going to touch on this area of prayer and God answering. It deserves a much longer and more detailed examination but for this morning we will look at this oft quoted and often misunderstood passage that Jesus gives found in Matthew 7:7-11. Please stand with me and read it out loud together.
Pray
Over the years I have sat with many people who have asked basically the same question: “why doesn’t God answer my prayer?” Many times I have sat by a hospital bed with someone dying or with family who ask why doesn’t God answer my prayer for healing? I have sat with men and women who ask why hasn’t God given me a job? I have had people hold open their Bible and point to this very verse or to John 16:24 which records Jesus as saying, “Ask anything in my name and it will receive.” And when the answers don’t seem to come, they wonder –does God still love me? Have I done something wrong? Does God not care? And yes, I admit, sometimes I come to that point too. God, why do my parents struggle so? When our prayer go unanswered (at least we think they are unanswered because they are not answered the way we want), it challenges our faith, our trust in God.
In looking at such passage as Matthew 7, we need to see not the verses or words of Jesus in isolation, but in the context of his life, ministry and teaching. Where we often end up in trouble or struggle, is when we take these verses out of context. And we know how that can change totally the meaning of something.
For example, several years ago a movie was playing and one of the reviews quoted in the advertisement was “…most amazing…” This gave the impression that the movie was really good. What the movie review actually said as, “This film is a most amazing waste of time ever produced for the big screen.”
When we come to this passage in Matthew 7:7-11, we must put things in context. Taken on its own, as it often is, we can get the impression that all we have to do is ask and God will give. The context is first the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the mount. Jesus is calling those who would follow Him to authentic discipleship. We’ve looked over the last several weeks on what this means, and bottom line is God first in all things. Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life says, “It’s all for Him. The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God. It is the reason for everything that exists, including ourselves. God made all for His glory.” (page 53). We need to see this as we look carefully at three key words in this passage
–ask, seek, knock. The key to understanding these important action words is this aspect of all for the glory of God and the key to our understanding about God answering our prayers.
First in the word ask we find the primacy of God. The word “Ask” which Jesus uses here, it is a word which in the Greek means to ask of a superior. And we must also keep in mind we ask according to His nature. God will not do anything which will go against his nature. (eg. someone to die). The apostle John further gives us insight as he writes in His letter I John 5:14 (ask –same word, anything according to His will.) When we “ask” we are placing ourselves in a position of submission –God is superior. Yes, Jesus refers to God as our heavenly Father and we are His children, but still the position is clear –ask our superior –someone greater than us, better, able to do what we cannot.
All through the sermon on the mount, in fact all through the life and teaching of Jesus, God the Father is first and foremost. One of the key verses we must take note of in understanding this 5:16 –the praise and glory of the Father was and is first and foremost for Jesus. The angels shouted out at the birth of Jesus, “Glory to God in the highest!”, Jesus we read in John 17 in his high prayer makes it very clear that he came to bring glory to the Father in coming to the earth and completing the work the Father gave him (verse 4). Even beyond the life and teaching of Jesus, the Bible is literally saturated with this focus –the glory of God. (Psalm 89:5-8 eg.)
He is the everlasting God, the Lord of all, creator of all. He is the almighty and eternal one. He is the holy God, most holy God. Even as we sit here, even as we struggle, even as we enjoy the lake or sit down to lunch, as we work and play cry and sing, as we run and leap or feel the ache of arthritis, even as we breath and pulse –God is everlasting, God is eternal, God is holy. Even as we pause to utter our prayer –to ask we must remember, we cannot forget he is a holy God sitting on his throne, high and exalt, whose glorified and to whom the angels continually praise “Holy holy Holy, Lord God almighty!” (Revelation 4 and Isaiah 6)
When we approach God in prayer –to ask or seek or find, this is the environment in which we enter –Imagine His throne high and exalted, angels flying around, the cacophony of praise and we, dare to come into his presence without recognizing this! We dare come before the almighty God to ask and not join in the praise?
Often when we come and ask God we come on the pretense of our rights, our goodness, our wants, our demands and we fail, we fall so far short of seeing He is our Father in heaven –hallowed is His name. Robert Dickie, in His book on worship, says “we have become man-centered rather than God centered in our worship [and in our prayers]. To pretend homage to God and intend only advantage to ourself is to mock God. When we believe that we could be satisfied rather than God glorified we set God below ourselves and that He should submit to us.” (page 23).
What Did Jesus say in the beatitudes? We are poor in spirit, we are mourning for our sin, we are meek and submit to the Father –then we see his kingdom and we are blessed!
The primacy of God is always kept in the forefront of our coming to God in prayer and asking Him. Ask, yes, ask, Jesus says to ask and keep on asking, but ask with the high view of God and His supremacy.
The second word seek has already been used by Jesus. We find it in chapter 6 verse 33. Jesus says we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then he says “And all these things (food, shelter, provision, clothes) to you as well.” To seek is to put ones full attention towards, to earnestly pursue and deliberately strive. Set your mind fully on the kingdom of God, His righteousness. What this means is placing God first, making it our priority to live the way he requires. This means living under God’s kingship and God’s rule. Again we look to the Beatitudes –blessed are the meek. And then to the Lord’s prayer, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
But this word, seek, has a further dimension that we may find helpful. It means to earnestly pursue and to follow with single mindedness. Jesus, in the days or weeks prior to the sermon on the mount, called to two fishermen Simon and Andrew. “Come follow me,” Jesus said. To follow is to come behind and focus on the one ahead. Earnestly pursue in following Jesus. Seek –keep your eyes steadfastly on Him. Seek, follow after his example. Seek his kingdom, his righteousness (not our own for we have none!) seek Jesus and you will find Jesus. And as you follow you will walk as Jesus walked, Yes, even to places of suffering, persecution and struggle!
Jesus knew struggle, Jesus knew thirst, Jesus knew hunger, Jesus knew persecution, Jesus knew loss of friends and family, Jesus knew the gamut of life and the stuff of life. Jesus knew suffering, even suffering to death on the cross. Keep this in mind when you listen to the words of Jesus. He had the cross before him, he knew he would suffer and die he knew that he could ask God to take that suffering away –to remove that cup –in fact He did. BUT he kept the glory of God first –your kingdom come your will be done! In all and through all he kept the Father first –your will, not mine, your glory not my comfort, your kingdom Father!
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given –added, to you. Seek and you will find. Oh how often do we get that turned around. Why does God seem silent when we ask, why does God seem to not answer? Often I think this is because we ask for the things first –we give the foxhole prayers rather than the life of submission and seeking his kingdom.
Lord, give me a car then I will use it to serve you. Lord save me from this mess and I will go to church. Lord, let me pass this test and I will go to youth group. How backwards we have it, instead of following Jesus seeking Him and keeping our eyes on Him we look behind to see if he is following us to give us what we want! Seek, yes, Jesus says to seek and keep seeking, ut with His kingdom first.
Knock I believe, carries this same idea of seeking God’s kingdom and his glory first and foremost. We read knock and the door will be opened. In the Greek the verse actually reads “knock and opened to you.” The translators have used the parallel passage in Luke 11 to give us this idea of the door (read Luke 11:5-10). And this is a good understanding and helps us to picture what Jesus is saying here in Matthew.
There are two aspects from Luke that I would like to draw upon. The first is that the man who comes is a friend to the one inside –he knows him, there is a relationship. And this brings to mind the question, “What is our relationship to God?” The good news is this –God wants a relationship with us. Sin keeps us apart, but God provided a way for sin to be removed –Jesus died. God wants a relationship with us and it is not based on our efforts or works but in faith –for as many as received him and believe in His name (Jesus) he gave the right to become children of God!
The relationship we can have with God is as a friend –Jesus call us friends when we follow Him, but even more the relationship we can have with god is one of father. (refer to John 14:12-14)
The second aspect is that we can come with boldness. This boldness is not a brash or demanding pushing of our rights, but a confidence and assurance. It literally means lack of feeling shame. Without Christ we are lost –separate from God. We are sinners, dead. Not nice to hear, but true. We cannot approach the throne of God –we cannot even go to the door and knock! But in Christ, because he died on the cross, because he rose again, because he stands at the right hand of the father, when we come to faith in Him and are a follower –an authentic disciple, we are cleansed, alive, spotless, and have no shame –He is our father, he is our God, He is our provider and in Him we can trust.
And this brings us to the rest of the passage. Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. If a son asks for bread –he gets bread. If he asks for fish, he gets fish (the two main food staples of Galilee). And how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask!
It has taken me a long time to come to being comfortable with seeming unanswered prayer. I may not always get the results I ask for but I have a confidence in my heavenly father to provide. I know he hears my prayers. I know he cares deeply for me. I know he will provide what I need. I know that He is Sovereign and all He does is for His glory. I know he is faithful, I know that as I seek first His kingdom and His righteousness all things I need will be given to me. I know I need to ask, seek and knock and to keep on asking, seeking and knocking. I know He works all things out for His glory and my good. I know I can approach with boldness because of Jesus and through Jesus and in Jesus’ name. I know My Heavenly Father will give me good gifts. I may not get what I want, when I want or how I want, but in faith I can know My God will provide. He is Jehovah Jirah, my provider, his grace is sufficient for me.
Prayer
All this now understood, we can come with an assurance and confidence in the words of Jesus. When we ask we will receive, When we seek we will find, when we knock it will be opened. God will give us good things, only good things always good things.
Jeovah Jirah –song!
I mostly grew up in a Christian environment. Not necessarily a Christian home, but my parents saw to it that my brother and sister and I went to Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and sometime to church. My grandparents were devotedly religious and whenever I was with them they took me to their church. And so I heard from an early age things like read your Bible pray every day, Jesus loves me, This little light of mine let it shine and memorized verses like John 3:16, the Lord’s prayer and psalm 23. Even verses and promises like that found in Matthew 7:7-8 were a part of my growing up.
But when things in my family went bad –like my dad’s alcoholism becoming more impacting on our family, I would ask God for things and found he didn’t seem to listen or perhaps not care enough to answer. As I grew older I found there were more verses and statements in the Bible like Matthew 7:7-8, where it Jesus, for example would say, ask anything in my name and it will be given to you. Even the Lord’s prayer or Psalm 23 seemed to give the impression that all I had to do was ask and “Poof” God would answer.
But I found it wasn’t so. Brook Shields (some may remember her) never did answer my letter to come and be my girl friend, I still haven’t been asked to make a movie, my songs haven’t made it on a CD, the Beatle’s didn’t get back together, I haven’t won the lottery, and well, you get the picture. Is it that God is not able to answer my prayers, unwilling to answer my prayers, uncaring about my wants, am I not getting the formula right –saying the right words? Why is this not working?
This morning we are going to touch on this area of prayer and God answering. It deserves a much longer and more detailed examination but for this morning we will look at this oft quoted and often misunderstood passage that Jesus gives found in Matthew 7:7-11. Please stand with me and read it out loud together.
Pray
Over the years I have sat with many people who have asked basically the same question: “why doesn’t God answer my prayer?” Many times I have sat by a hospital bed with someone dying or with family who ask why doesn’t God answer my prayer for healing? I have sat with men and women who ask why hasn’t God given me a job? I have had people hold open their Bible and point to this very verse or to John 16:24 which records Jesus as saying, “Ask anything in my name and it will receive.” And when the answers don’t seem to come, they wonder –does God still love me? Have I done something wrong? Does God not care? And yes, I admit, sometimes I come to that point too. God, why do my parents struggle so? When our prayer go unanswered (at least we think they are unanswered because they are not answered the way we want), it challenges our faith, our trust in God.
In looking at such passage as Matthew 7, we need to see not the verses or words of Jesus in isolation, but in the context of his life, ministry and teaching. Where we often end up in trouble or struggle, is when we take these verses out of context. And we know how that can change totally the meaning of something.
For example, several years ago a movie was playing and one of the reviews quoted in the advertisement was “…most amazing…” This gave the impression that the movie was really good. What the movie review actually said as, “This film is a most amazing waste of time ever produced for the big screen.”
When we come to this passage in Matthew 7:7-11, we must put things in context. Taken on its own, as it often is, we can get the impression that all we have to do is ask and God will give. The context is first the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the mount. Jesus is calling those who would follow Him to authentic discipleship. We’ve looked over the last several weeks on what this means, and bottom line is God first in all things. Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life says, “It’s all for Him. The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God. It is the reason for everything that exists, including ourselves. God made all for His glory.” (page 53). We need to see this as we look carefully at three key words in this passage
–ask, seek, knock. The key to understanding these important action words is this aspect of all for the glory of God and the key to our understanding about God answering our prayers.
First in the word ask we find the primacy of God. The word “Ask” which Jesus uses here, it is a word which in the Greek means to ask of a superior. And we must also keep in mind we ask according to His nature. God will not do anything which will go against his nature. (eg. someone to die). The apostle John further gives us insight as he writes in His letter I John 5:14 (ask –same word, anything according to His will.) When we “ask” we are placing ourselves in a position of submission –God is superior. Yes, Jesus refers to God as our heavenly Father and we are His children, but still the position is clear –ask our superior –someone greater than us, better, able to do what we cannot.
All through the sermon on the mount, in fact all through the life and teaching of Jesus, God the Father is first and foremost. One of the key verses we must take note of in understanding this 5:16 –the praise and glory of the Father was and is first and foremost for Jesus. The angels shouted out at the birth of Jesus, “Glory to God in the highest!”, Jesus we read in John 17 in his high prayer makes it very clear that he came to bring glory to the Father in coming to the earth and completing the work the Father gave him (verse 4). Even beyond the life and teaching of Jesus, the Bible is literally saturated with this focus –the glory of God. (Psalm 89:5-8 eg.)
He is the everlasting God, the Lord of all, creator of all. He is the almighty and eternal one. He is the holy God, most holy God. Even as we sit here, even as we struggle, even as we enjoy the lake or sit down to lunch, as we work and play cry and sing, as we run and leap or feel the ache of arthritis, even as we breath and pulse –God is everlasting, God is eternal, God is holy. Even as we pause to utter our prayer –to ask we must remember, we cannot forget he is a holy God sitting on his throne, high and exalt, whose glorified and to whom the angels continually praise “Holy holy Holy, Lord God almighty!” (Revelation 4 and Isaiah 6)
When we approach God in prayer –to ask or seek or find, this is the environment in which we enter –Imagine His throne high and exalted, angels flying around, the cacophony of praise and we, dare to come into his presence without recognizing this! We dare come before the almighty God to ask and not join in the praise?
Often when we come and ask God we come on the pretense of our rights, our goodness, our wants, our demands and we fail, we fall so far short of seeing He is our Father in heaven –hallowed is His name. Robert Dickie, in His book on worship, says “we have become man-centered rather than God centered in our worship [and in our prayers]. To pretend homage to God and intend only advantage to ourself is to mock God. When we believe that we could be satisfied rather than God glorified we set God below ourselves and that He should submit to us.” (page 23).
What Did Jesus say in the beatitudes? We are poor in spirit, we are mourning for our sin, we are meek and submit to the Father –then we see his kingdom and we are blessed!
The primacy of God is always kept in the forefront of our coming to God in prayer and asking Him. Ask, yes, ask, Jesus says to ask and keep on asking, but ask with the high view of God and His supremacy.
The second word seek has already been used by Jesus. We find it in chapter 6 verse 33. Jesus says we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then he says “And all these things (food, shelter, provision, clothes) to you as well.” To seek is to put ones full attention towards, to earnestly pursue and deliberately strive. Set your mind fully on the kingdom of God, His righteousness. What this means is placing God first, making it our priority to live the way he requires. This means living under God’s kingship and God’s rule. Again we look to the Beatitudes –blessed are the meek. And then to the Lord’s prayer, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
But this word, seek, has a further dimension that we may find helpful. It means to earnestly pursue and to follow with single mindedness. Jesus, in the days or weeks prior to the sermon on the mount, called to two fishermen Simon and Andrew. “Come follow me,” Jesus said. To follow is to come behind and focus on the one ahead. Earnestly pursue in following Jesus. Seek –keep your eyes steadfastly on Him. Seek, follow after his example. Seek his kingdom, his righteousness (not our own for we have none!) seek Jesus and you will find Jesus. And as you follow you will walk as Jesus walked, Yes, even to places of suffering, persecution and struggle!
Jesus knew struggle, Jesus knew thirst, Jesus knew hunger, Jesus knew persecution, Jesus knew loss of friends and family, Jesus knew the gamut of life and the stuff of life. Jesus knew suffering, even suffering to death on the cross. Keep this in mind when you listen to the words of Jesus. He had the cross before him, he knew he would suffer and die he knew that he could ask God to take that suffering away –to remove that cup –in fact He did. BUT he kept the glory of God first –your kingdom come your will be done! In all and through all he kept the Father first –your will, not mine, your glory not my comfort, your kingdom Father!
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given –added, to you. Seek and you will find. Oh how often do we get that turned around. Why does God seem silent when we ask, why does God seem to not answer? Often I think this is because we ask for the things first –we give the foxhole prayers rather than the life of submission and seeking his kingdom.
Lord, give me a car then I will use it to serve you. Lord save me from this mess and I will go to church. Lord, let me pass this test and I will go to youth group. How backwards we have it, instead of following Jesus seeking Him and keeping our eyes on Him we look behind to see if he is following us to give us what we want! Seek, yes, Jesus says to seek and keep seeking, ut with His kingdom first.
Knock I believe, carries this same idea of seeking God’s kingdom and his glory first and foremost. We read knock and the door will be opened. In the Greek the verse actually reads “knock and opened to you.” The translators have used the parallel passage in Luke 11 to give us this idea of the door (read Luke 11:5-10). And this is a good understanding and helps us to picture what Jesus is saying here in Matthew.
There are two aspects from Luke that I would like to draw upon. The first is that the man who comes is a friend to the one inside –he knows him, there is a relationship. And this brings to mind the question, “What is our relationship to God?” The good news is this –God wants a relationship with us. Sin keeps us apart, but God provided a way for sin to be removed –Jesus died. God wants a relationship with us and it is not based on our efforts or works but in faith –for as many as received him and believe in His name (Jesus) he gave the right to become children of God!
The relationship we can have with God is as a friend –Jesus call us friends when we follow Him, but even more the relationship we can have with god is one of father. (refer to John 14:12-14)
The second aspect is that we can come with boldness. This boldness is not a brash or demanding pushing of our rights, but a confidence and assurance. It literally means lack of feeling shame. Without Christ we are lost –separate from God. We are sinners, dead. Not nice to hear, but true. We cannot approach the throne of God –we cannot even go to the door and knock! But in Christ, because he died on the cross, because he rose again, because he stands at the right hand of the father, when we come to faith in Him and are a follower –an authentic disciple, we are cleansed, alive, spotless, and have no shame –He is our father, he is our God, He is our provider and in Him we can trust.
And this brings us to the rest of the passage. Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. If a son asks for bread –he gets bread. If he asks for fish, he gets fish (the two main food staples of Galilee). And how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask!
It has taken me a long time to come to being comfortable with seeming unanswered prayer. I may not always get the results I ask for but I have a confidence in my heavenly father to provide. I know he hears my prayers. I know he cares deeply for me. I know he will provide what I need. I know that He is Sovereign and all He does is for His glory. I know he is faithful, I know that as I seek first His kingdom and His righteousness all things I need will be given to me. I know I need to ask, seek and knock and to keep on asking, seeking and knocking. I know He works all things out for His glory and my good. I know I can approach with boldness because of Jesus and through Jesus and in Jesus’ name. I know My Heavenly Father will give me good gifts. I may not get what I want, when I want or how I want, but in faith I can know My God will provide. He is Jehovah Jirah, my provider, his grace is sufficient for me.
Prayer
All this now understood, we can come with an assurance and confidence in the words of Jesus. When we ask we will receive, When we seek we will find, when we knock it will be opened. God will give us good things, only good things always good things.
Jeovah Jirah –song!
Choices -Matthew 7:13-14
Choices. We have a lot of choices. This past week I heard on CBC how they are seeking to get more on-line movie accessibility in Canada for such things as Netflix. The commentator said this was to meet our “insatiable appetite for choice.” We want choice, we almost demand choice and see it as a right. When Jodi, Chris and I lived in Cameroon (more than 15 years ago) one of the things we found almost quite disconcerting was choice. There we have one channel on TV. There we had one type of cheese. There we have one type of tea. You go to a restaurant and you had chicken, fried Irish and greens. Yes, we had choice –take it or leave it. When we came back to the US, Jodi and I were almost stymied the first time we went to a supermarket. We wanted some cheese. Not a choice of one but dozen’s. And add to that high fat, low fat, aged or mild, and a host of other options on our options. TV –wow! Now there is so much it is easier to decide not to watch anything! And restaurants? Just think about the choices you have to make for lunch this afternoon! (no wait you have a BBQ here so your choice is limited!) sit down, take out. Fast food, slow food. Buffet, menu. 20 different entrée’s with choice of soup, or salad. Two choices of soup! And cup or bowl! And garden, chefs, Caesar, or Cole slaw! And on it goes. And in all of those choices, if there is something we might want and it is not on the menu –we grumble, complain or even leave.
Choices. Yes, we seem to have an insatiable appetite for choice. And we see that in our spiritual lives as well. We want choices –choices in what we believe, how we worship, who we believe in. And this problem goes back all through the history of God’s people. Choices. God said to Israel, “I am your God, you are my people.” They said, sure, can we worship Baal too? God said, “I am your king.” Yeah, sure, can we have someone like maybe Saul?
Even in the time of Jesus we see a society that was full of choices. Pharisee or Sadducee. Roman, Greek, Hebrew. Strict follower of law or loose interpreter. And many of these religious choices in Israel still are seen today –orthodox, ultra-orthodox, secular, moderate, liberal, progressive.
Jesus comes into this environment of choice and calls the people to something familiar yet harsh. It was a call that echoes back through the history of the people of God and continues to today: chose this day who you will serve.
Stand and read Matthew 7:13-15, 20. Pray
Jesus has already given us the choice of following or not. Over and over in this Sermon we find Jesus laying it clearly and in no uncertain terms either you follow the narrow path or not. Look back with me to some of the earlier statements made by Jesus.
-Blessed are the poor
-blessed are the meek
-let our works be to the glory of your Father in heaven
-live in obedience to the law of the father (not in so few words, but the main bulk of chapter 5 says this
-pray like this, “our Father –your kingdom come, your will done
-you cannot serve God and Money
-seek first the kingdom of God
Jesus would go one to make such definitive and strong statements –I am the way, no one comes to the father but by me. God so loved the world…Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.
Jesus wants to make it very clear –there are no other choices, no options, no alternatives. There are not many paths to God there is one, only one –a narrow path through a narrow gate. But, but that’s exclusionary –yes. It is discriminatory –yes it is. It is not politically correct –that’s right.
Scripture has made it clear, Jesus made it clear, God made it clear in this book –there is one way, a narrow way. I cannot get around it if I believe that this is the word of God –which I do. I cannot ignore it is this is God speaking –which I believe it is. There is only one gospel, one way, one gate, one path. There is a choice –very limited. And given our insatiable appetite for choice we chafe at this.
A former friend of mine, and I have to say former because he has never again spoken to me, did not like this narrow interpretation of the Bible (excuse the pun). I shared at a meeting of our ministerial (not in Kenora) as a devotional this passage. I said, one of the common things we have as ministers is that we proclaim and preach the same message –Jesus as the only way to the Father. This former friend took exception (yes he was a minister in the community). His response was something like this, “I don’t believe we can put God in a box like that. He has opened many paths to heaven and people of sincere faith, no matter what path they follow, will get to heaven. Jesus is just one of those paths. As a ministerial we cannot be exclusive and say there is only one way.” And he was right. As a ministerial we could not, but as a Christian ministerial, which we were, we could and should and must! That is the bedrock of our faith –Christ, the only begotten son, took on flesh, lived amoung us, died on a cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day. Christ, who said, I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father but by me.
It was soon after that several of us formed an evangelical Christian ministerial group. My former friend became chairman of the ministerial but soon after left the community. I still pray for him.
Jesus in these verses in Matthew 7 presses us more and more to the point of evaluating our being an authentic follower. The first is what we have already touched on –making the choice to go through the narrow door and follow the narrow path. Choosing this is not easy nor popular. Jesus has already told us that in the beatitudes –there will be opposition –persecution. Our insatiable appetite for choice even rails against this and people become offended when you tell them that Jesus offers an exclusive.
In this passage there are several views as to the exact picture Jesus is drawing here. Two popular ones are that you can imagine yourself standing and looking at two gates –one going to the broad path, the other to the narrow. You choose. The other is that we are on the broad path and we see the narrow gate and choose to go through it going off the broad path. Either way the choice given by Jesus is clear –enter the narrow door that leads to life or go on the broad road that leads to destruction.
The choice is simple –the door to life –this door, or not. In Cameroon we had simple choices -cheese or not. TV channel one or not. Chicken or not. No smorgasbord; no satellite dish with 2,000,000 channels; no brae, Swiss, gorgonzola, light fat. Choose this door or not!
What is the door or gate? Well, more precisely who is the door or gate? We have already read some of Jesus own words on this but let me read to you from the gospel of John 10:9. “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” That is the great news of the gospel. Anyone who believe, anyone who enters the gate, anyone who enters through me will be saved! That is the good news!
Enter through Christ into the kingdom. Enter though Christ to life eternal. Enter through Christ, the gate to a relationship with the heavenly father. We read in John 1 that all who receive him, to those who believe in His Name, he gave the right to become the children of God.
Over and over we have this wonderful promise, the great news. BUT we must choose to enter the gate! That is the choice –enter or not. Jesus or not. The narrow gate or not. Simple, demanding, exclusive –but open to all who will enter. You are not born inside the gate, you are not baptized to get in the get, you do not work your way inside the gate, there are no brownie points offered in life and if you have enough you get in it is a matter of faith, believe in his name –Jesus, the gate.
Now for many of us we have made that choice. And, I admit I am preaching to the converted in most cases. But there are some here today who have not made that choice. For whatever reason –perhaps you have never been given the choice, or had it presented that a choice needs to be made. There are those opportunities that come and somehow can slip by if we do not act.
Many times I have gone to a store and seen something I knew I should get. Oh, there’s plenty of them, lot of time –I’ll come back tomorrow and low and behold it is gone. Many people see the door of Jesus and hear the invitation but pass by –there’s plenty of time. My friend Allen when I was 10 came to a VBS and did not accept the invitation to enter the door. He told me after he wasn’t ready. Two days later he was killed as a pile of logs he was climbing on rolled. Or my friend Leanne in High School who came to youth group and was shown the door but said it was not for her, maybe when she was older and married –she died in a motorcycle accident just after graduation –I never knew if she had that chance again to go through the door. I could go on about many people who did not and have not. I still pray they may yet.
Jesus didn’t muddle it all up with a bunch of choices or options or alternatives. He made it clear –there is one way, the narrow gate -I am that gate, any who enter through me will be saved. If you haven’t yet, why not today? Spirit of the Living God, fall on us and move us to a deeper life with you –a life that today can begin by entering in the gate –Jesus.
Entering the door is not just an insurance policy for heaven –something we just do and then carry on as usual. Once we enter the gate we need to take serious what we have done. Entering the door is not just easy believism. The rest of the sermon gives warning to us who have entered. First and foremost is that the path itself is narrow.
Many people who have entered the gate believe that they can just go on the way they have been. They see the path as “broad” beyond the gate of Jesus. Jesus says that narrow is the way, the road that leads to life. Jesus gives us three challenges or obstacles that can keep us from that path. We are going to look at them in more detail next time, but they are something that every follower of Jesus, every person who had chosen to enter the door, every person who is on the narrow path needs to take serious.
The first is a warning about pretenders –those who are on the outside pretending to have entered the door but have not. The second is the warning of those who think they have entered but have not and the third is those who have entered but do not follow the path. Jesus gives strong words –even harsh words, that should cause each of us to seriously take note. Statements like verse 19 and 23. Again, we’ll look at these next time as we come to a close of the sermon on the mount.
This morning, we simply and deeply consider Jesus’ offer of entering the door accepting his call, his invitation to come into a restored relationship with the Father. Jesus is the only way, he is the door or gate and any who enter through will be saved. If you have not entered, today is the time, this is the time that the door is before you. Knock and it will be opened.
To those who have entered the door, entered the gate, now is a time to give thanks, to rejoice in the God of your salvation. Affirm your entering the gate, give praise to the Father for the life he has given you through Jesus Christ. Renew and recommit your life to follow the path of Jesus which leads to eternal life, and as e said at the beginning of the sermon on the mount –blessing! Seek the Lord while he may be found, seek first His kingdom and righteousness.
Choices. Yes, we seem to have an insatiable appetite for choice. And we see that in our spiritual lives as well. We want choices –choices in what we believe, how we worship, who we believe in. And this problem goes back all through the history of God’s people. Choices. God said to Israel, “I am your God, you are my people.” They said, sure, can we worship Baal too? God said, “I am your king.” Yeah, sure, can we have someone like maybe Saul?
Even in the time of Jesus we see a society that was full of choices. Pharisee or Sadducee. Roman, Greek, Hebrew. Strict follower of law or loose interpreter. And many of these religious choices in Israel still are seen today –orthodox, ultra-orthodox, secular, moderate, liberal, progressive.
Jesus comes into this environment of choice and calls the people to something familiar yet harsh. It was a call that echoes back through the history of the people of God and continues to today: chose this day who you will serve.
Stand and read Matthew 7:13-15, 20. Pray
Jesus has already given us the choice of following or not. Over and over in this Sermon we find Jesus laying it clearly and in no uncertain terms either you follow the narrow path or not. Look back with me to some of the earlier statements made by Jesus.
-Blessed are the poor
-blessed are the meek
-let our works be to the glory of your Father in heaven
-live in obedience to the law of the father (not in so few words, but the main bulk of chapter 5 says this
-pray like this, “our Father –your kingdom come, your will done
-you cannot serve God and Money
-seek first the kingdom of God
Jesus would go one to make such definitive and strong statements –I am the way, no one comes to the father but by me. God so loved the world…Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.
Jesus wants to make it very clear –there are no other choices, no options, no alternatives. There are not many paths to God there is one, only one –a narrow path through a narrow gate. But, but that’s exclusionary –yes. It is discriminatory –yes it is. It is not politically correct –that’s right.
Scripture has made it clear, Jesus made it clear, God made it clear in this book –there is one way, a narrow way. I cannot get around it if I believe that this is the word of God –which I do. I cannot ignore it is this is God speaking –which I believe it is. There is only one gospel, one way, one gate, one path. There is a choice –very limited. And given our insatiable appetite for choice we chafe at this.
A former friend of mine, and I have to say former because he has never again spoken to me, did not like this narrow interpretation of the Bible (excuse the pun). I shared at a meeting of our ministerial (not in Kenora) as a devotional this passage. I said, one of the common things we have as ministers is that we proclaim and preach the same message –Jesus as the only way to the Father. This former friend took exception (yes he was a minister in the community). His response was something like this, “I don’t believe we can put God in a box like that. He has opened many paths to heaven and people of sincere faith, no matter what path they follow, will get to heaven. Jesus is just one of those paths. As a ministerial we cannot be exclusive and say there is only one way.” And he was right. As a ministerial we could not, but as a Christian ministerial, which we were, we could and should and must! That is the bedrock of our faith –Christ, the only begotten son, took on flesh, lived amoung us, died on a cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day. Christ, who said, I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father but by me.
It was soon after that several of us formed an evangelical Christian ministerial group. My former friend became chairman of the ministerial but soon after left the community. I still pray for him.
Jesus in these verses in Matthew 7 presses us more and more to the point of evaluating our being an authentic follower. The first is what we have already touched on –making the choice to go through the narrow door and follow the narrow path. Choosing this is not easy nor popular. Jesus has already told us that in the beatitudes –there will be opposition –persecution. Our insatiable appetite for choice even rails against this and people become offended when you tell them that Jesus offers an exclusive.
In this passage there are several views as to the exact picture Jesus is drawing here. Two popular ones are that you can imagine yourself standing and looking at two gates –one going to the broad path, the other to the narrow. You choose. The other is that we are on the broad path and we see the narrow gate and choose to go through it going off the broad path. Either way the choice given by Jesus is clear –enter the narrow door that leads to life or go on the broad road that leads to destruction.
The choice is simple –the door to life –this door, or not. In Cameroon we had simple choices -cheese or not. TV channel one or not. Chicken or not. No smorgasbord; no satellite dish with 2,000,000 channels; no brae, Swiss, gorgonzola, light fat. Choose this door or not!
What is the door or gate? Well, more precisely who is the door or gate? We have already read some of Jesus own words on this but let me read to you from the gospel of John 10:9. “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” That is the great news of the gospel. Anyone who believe, anyone who enters the gate, anyone who enters through me will be saved! That is the good news!
Enter through Christ into the kingdom. Enter though Christ to life eternal. Enter through Christ, the gate to a relationship with the heavenly father. We read in John 1 that all who receive him, to those who believe in His Name, he gave the right to become the children of God.
Over and over we have this wonderful promise, the great news. BUT we must choose to enter the gate! That is the choice –enter or not. Jesus or not. The narrow gate or not. Simple, demanding, exclusive –but open to all who will enter. You are not born inside the gate, you are not baptized to get in the get, you do not work your way inside the gate, there are no brownie points offered in life and if you have enough you get in it is a matter of faith, believe in his name –Jesus, the gate.
Now for many of us we have made that choice. And, I admit I am preaching to the converted in most cases. But there are some here today who have not made that choice. For whatever reason –perhaps you have never been given the choice, or had it presented that a choice needs to be made. There are those opportunities that come and somehow can slip by if we do not act.
Many times I have gone to a store and seen something I knew I should get. Oh, there’s plenty of them, lot of time –I’ll come back tomorrow and low and behold it is gone. Many people see the door of Jesus and hear the invitation but pass by –there’s plenty of time. My friend Allen when I was 10 came to a VBS and did not accept the invitation to enter the door. He told me after he wasn’t ready. Two days later he was killed as a pile of logs he was climbing on rolled. Or my friend Leanne in High School who came to youth group and was shown the door but said it was not for her, maybe when she was older and married –she died in a motorcycle accident just after graduation –I never knew if she had that chance again to go through the door. I could go on about many people who did not and have not. I still pray they may yet.
Jesus didn’t muddle it all up with a bunch of choices or options or alternatives. He made it clear –there is one way, the narrow gate -I am that gate, any who enter through me will be saved. If you haven’t yet, why not today? Spirit of the Living God, fall on us and move us to a deeper life with you –a life that today can begin by entering in the gate –Jesus.
Entering the door is not just an insurance policy for heaven –something we just do and then carry on as usual. Once we enter the gate we need to take serious what we have done. Entering the door is not just easy believism. The rest of the sermon gives warning to us who have entered. First and foremost is that the path itself is narrow.
Many people who have entered the gate believe that they can just go on the way they have been. They see the path as “broad” beyond the gate of Jesus. Jesus says that narrow is the way, the road that leads to life. Jesus gives us three challenges or obstacles that can keep us from that path. We are going to look at them in more detail next time, but they are something that every follower of Jesus, every person who had chosen to enter the door, every person who is on the narrow path needs to take serious.
The first is a warning about pretenders –those who are on the outside pretending to have entered the door but have not. The second is the warning of those who think they have entered but have not and the third is those who have entered but do not follow the path. Jesus gives strong words –even harsh words, that should cause each of us to seriously take note. Statements like verse 19 and 23. Again, we’ll look at these next time as we come to a close of the sermon on the mount.
This morning, we simply and deeply consider Jesus’ offer of entering the door accepting his call, his invitation to come into a restored relationship with the Father. Jesus is the only way, he is the door or gate and any who enter through will be saved. If you have not entered, today is the time, this is the time that the door is before you. Knock and it will be opened.
To those who have entered the door, entered the gate, now is a time to give thanks, to rejoice in the God of your salvation. Affirm your entering the gate, give praise to the Father for the life he has given you through Jesus Christ. Renew and recommit your life to follow the path of Jesus which leads to eternal life, and as e said at the beginning of the sermon on the mount –blessing! Seek the Lord while he may be found, seek first His kingdom and righteousness.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Lord's Prayer -Matthew 6:9-13
(Note: from the message given June 20)
How do you connect with someone you are growing in love with? I am not talking about a kind of infatuation, but a deep growing connection. One of the things we can do is try to impress them. We bring them gifts, do things for them, we may act a certain way that we know pleases them. If you watch the commercials and look at the advertisements of today you’ll see an array of different ways to impress someone. Wear this cologne, use this toothpaste, chew this gum, drive this car, take this trip, dye your hair this color, have this tattoo, take this pill, use this cream, listen to this song, drink this beverage, use this fabric softener, spray this gunk, run this fast, have this phone, dance this way, perform-appear, impress.
All of it surface, all of it window dressing. Does this really connect you any closer with the one you are really, I mean really wanting to connect with? Not really. And even more so when it comes to God. God, quite frankly, is not impressed with what car you drive up to church in, or what clothes you wear, or the type of toothpaste you used this morning. He is not overwhelmed by our outward show. He sees through the façade, through the veneer and looks to the heart, looks to the character, looks to the soul.
I believe that each follower of Jesus wants to have that closer, more intimate connection with God. In fact, I believe that it is the deep desire and longing of every person. It is something created in us, that empty space that seeks, needs, to be filled and can only be filled with God himself. Blasé Pascal, Augustine of Hippo, many others through the ages have described it as a God shaped hole in our soul that only God can fill.
We long for that deeper connection, but we get caught up in the veneer. We can dress for success but inside be a mess, we can put on the makeup and look good, but inside we are breaking up and our hearts hurting. We can put on the clothes and wear the popular labels, but inside have a ripped and torn soul. We get caught in the business of life and lose track of the journey of the soul to God.
Jesus, in the sermon on the mount calls us to a life that goes beyond the appearance of religion. He beckons us to a life of rich fertile depth with the eternal God who made us and calls us to be in a relationship with Him. Imagine –being in a relationship with the Creator!
And people saw this in Jesus. They saw the reality of what he was talking about. They saw the saltiness of his soul and the light of his heart shining and they longed for the same thing, they saw the answer to the hole in their hearts lived out in Jesus Christ.
I would like to have us read together a very familiar passage of scripture. In fact it is probably the most well known of passages in our culture.
Read from Matthew 6: 9-13. Let’s finish this off with the rest of what we know from years of hearing and repeating –“For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”
It was sometime later, how long we don’t know, but I imagine it happened more than one, when the disciples were watching Jesus. He had just come from a time of prayer and we read in Luke 11, one of the disciples said to Jesus, Lord, teach us to pray…
It is the only time I could find in scripture when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them something. They had been with Jesus for perhaps a year of more. They had seen him heal many people, heal a man with leprosy –but they didn’t ask him to teach them healing or to heal people of leprosy. They had seen him raise children from the dead –but they didn’t say, Lord teach us to raise people from the dead. They had seen Jesus calm a storm with just a word, but they didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to calm storms. They had even seen Jesus cast out a legion of demons from a man but they didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to cast out demons. They had seen Jesus feed 5000 men plus women and children with just a few fish and buns, but they didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to work miracles like that. Oh, Jesus gave them the power to do so, he even sent them out to do these and other things. But when they saw Jesus pray –not a big showy prayer, not a spectacular event like feeding 5000 or casting out demons, but a deep personal heart connection prayer –this, THIS, they asked, “Jesus teach us!”
This they wanted, this they longed for, this they wanted –teach us to pray. Not the words, Jesus, not the appearance, but the heart connection. They saw in Jesus not the shell of religious action but the relationship of adoration.
Let me give you my definition of prayer –prayer is our heart connection with the living God. More than words, more than posture, more than ritual, more than anything it is our heart connection with God.
The Pharisees had the words and the posture down. They had the ritual, they had the outward appearance, but they lacked an essential key –heart. Jesus, when he prayed, when he made this intimate connection with God, and these disciples saw it and wanted it. Lord, teach us to pray like that, like you do!
I can almost see Jesus shake his head and then with gentle patience say, “Don’t you remember, I told you about this before –back on that mountainside. When you pray, pray like this, “Father…”
This intimate name for God, this calling the creator of the universe, the Lord of heaven and earth, the El Shaddia, the calling of God Father was an extremely intimate connection. There are a few times in the OT where God is referred to as Father. One of the most interesting is found in Jeremiah 3:19. This is spoken by God to his people in the last days before Israel was conquered by the Babylonians. We read God declares, “I said to myself, how gladly would I treat you, like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I thought you would call me Father and not turn away from following me.”
Can you hear the longing of God’s heart for us to have that intimate, close relationship with Him? Lord, teach us to pray! When you pray, do not pray like the hypocrites who stand and do it for show, show do t for the praise of men, who do it to look good and be noticed. When you pray to your Father… (6:6).
17 times Jesus in the SOTM refers to God as Father. Over 100 times in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to God as Father. This term was a reflection of the intimate connection –the heart connection, that Jesus had with God.
This wonder, this passion, this delight in God is anchored in the intimate heart connection we have with God as Father when we become His children. Jesus has already outlined for us how we begin and travel this path of a relationship with God in the first part of the SOTM –the beatitudes. Notice chapter 5 verse 9, “blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons of God.” The Apostle John, who records Jesus as referring to God as Father more than anyone else, says this in chapter 1 beginning at verse 12. It is through our faith in Christ, our being a follower of Jesus that we have the “right to become the children of God.” WOW! And then the Apostle Paul writes this “those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God, for you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of son ship, and by him we cry Abba, Father! (verses 14-15). And then again, the Apostle John in his first letter, I John 3:1, “How great is the love the Father as lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE!
Our heart speaking to his heart. Child to Father. Lord, teach us to pray like you pray, teach us to be close to God like you are! How do we grow in our closeness to God, how do we grow in our passion for God, how do we delight more and more in God, how do we get that “OH!” for God? When you pray, pray like this “Father…”
When you pray, seek to draw closer to God. It is interesting to see the parallel of this prayer with the earlier words of Jesus, particularly with the beatitudes.
-Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Thy Kingdom come
Blessed are those who mourn
-forgive us
Blessed are the meek
-your will be done
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…
Give us this day our daily bread
Blessed are the merciful, and the peacemakers
-father forgive us as we forgive others
Blessed are the pure in heart
-lead us not into temptation
Blessed are those who are persecuted
-deliver us from evil (the evil one)
Let men see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven
-yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!
I don’t want to stretch the parallel too far, but for me it keeps me connected to the spiritual path Jesus lays out in the beatitudes. How do we keep ourselves connected? How do we grow in our spiritual walk, when you pray, pray this…Father
This heart connection, this seeking to grow in a relationship with God gets beneath the veneer, the façade, the show and helps us to draw closer to the eternal lover of our souls, God our Father. This prayer is not to become a rote piece of speech that we sputter out, but a deepening connection with our amazing, saving, graceful Father in Heaven, who loves us and yes, longs for an intimate connection with us.
How do you connect with someone you are growing in love with? I am not talking about a kind of infatuation, but a deep growing connection. One of the things we can do is try to impress them. We bring them gifts, do things for them, we may act a certain way that we know pleases them. If you watch the commercials and look at the advertisements of today you’ll see an array of different ways to impress someone. Wear this cologne, use this toothpaste, chew this gum, drive this car, take this trip, dye your hair this color, have this tattoo, take this pill, use this cream, listen to this song, drink this beverage, use this fabric softener, spray this gunk, run this fast, have this phone, dance this way, perform-appear, impress.
All of it surface, all of it window dressing. Does this really connect you any closer with the one you are really, I mean really wanting to connect with? Not really. And even more so when it comes to God. God, quite frankly, is not impressed with what car you drive up to church in, or what clothes you wear, or the type of toothpaste you used this morning. He is not overwhelmed by our outward show. He sees through the façade, through the veneer and looks to the heart, looks to the character, looks to the soul.
I believe that each follower of Jesus wants to have that closer, more intimate connection with God. In fact, I believe that it is the deep desire and longing of every person. It is something created in us, that empty space that seeks, needs, to be filled and can only be filled with God himself. Blasé Pascal, Augustine of Hippo, many others through the ages have described it as a God shaped hole in our soul that only God can fill.
We long for that deeper connection, but we get caught up in the veneer. We can dress for success but inside be a mess, we can put on the makeup and look good, but inside we are breaking up and our hearts hurting. We can put on the clothes and wear the popular labels, but inside have a ripped and torn soul. We get caught in the business of life and lose track of the journey of the soul to God.
Jesus, in the sermon on the mount calls us to a life that goes beyond the appearance of religion. He beckons us to a life of rich fertile depth with the eternal God who made us and calls us to be in a relationship with Him. Imagine –being in a relationship with the Creator!
And people saw this in Jesus. They saw the reality of what he was talking about. They saw the saltiness of his soul and the light of his heart shining and they longed for the same thing, they saw the answer to the hole in their hearts lived out in Jesus Christ.
I would like to have us read together a very familiar passage of scripture. In fact it is probably the most well known of passages in our culture.
Read from Matthew 6: 9-13. Let’s finish this off with the rest of what we know from years of hearing and repeating –“For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”
It was sometime later, how long we don’t know, but I imagine it happened more than one, when the disciples were watching Jesus. He had just come from a time of prayer and we read in Luke 11, one of the disciples said to Jesus, Lord, teach us to pray…
It is the only time I could find in scripture when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them something. They had been with Jesus for perhaps a year of more. They had seen him heal many people, heal a man with leprosy –but they didn’t ask him to teach them healing or to heal people of leprosy. They had seen him raise children from the dead –but they didn’t say, Lord teach us to raise people from the dead. They had seen Jesus calm a storm with just a word, but they didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to calm storms. They had even seen Jesus cast out a legion of demons from a man but they didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to cast out demons. They had seen Jesus feed 5000 men plus women and children with just a few fish and buns, but they didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to work miracles like that. Oh, Jesus gave them the power to do so, he even sent them out to do these and other things. But when they saw Jesus pray –not a big showy prayer, not a spectacular event like feeding 5000 or casting out demons, but a deep personal heart connection prayer –this, THIS, they asked, “Jesus teach us!”
This they wanted, this they longed for, this they wanted –teach us to pray. Not the words, Jesus, not the appearance, but the heart connection. They saw in Jesus not the shell of religious action but the relationship of adoration.
Let me give you my definition of prayer –prayer is our heart connection with the living God. More than words, more than posture, more than ritual, more than anything it is our heart connection with God.
The Pharisees had the words and the posture down. They had the ritual, they had the outward appearance, but they lacked an essential key –heart. Jesus, when he prayed, when he made this intimate connection with God, and these disciples saw it and wanted it. Lord, teach us to pray like that, like you do!
I can almost see Jesus shake his head and then with gentle patience say, “Don’t you remember, I told you about this before –back on that mountainside. When you pray, pray like this, “Father…”
This intimate name for God, this calling the creator of the universe, the Lord of heaven and earth, the El Shaddia, the calling of God Father was an extremely intimate connection. There are a few times in the OT where God is referred to as Father. One of the most interesting is found in Jeremiah 3:19. This is spoken by God to his people in the last days before Israel was conquered by the Babylonians. We read God declares, “I said to myself, how gladly would I treat you, like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation. I thought you would call me Father and not turn away from following me.”
Can you hear the longing of God’s heart for us to have that intimate, close relationship with Him? Lord, teach us to pray! When you pray, do not pray like the hypocrites who stand and do it for show, show do t for the praise of men, who do it to look good and be noticed. When you pray to your Father… (6:6).
17 times Jesus in the SOTM refers to God as Father. Over 100 times in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to God as Father. This term was a reflection of the intimate connection –the heart connection, that Jesus had with God.
This wonder, this passion, this delight in God is anchored in the intimate heart connection we have with God as Father when we become His children. Jesus has already outlined for us how we begin and travel this path of a relationship with God in the first part of the SOTM –the beatitudes. Notice chapter 5 verse 9, “blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons of God.” The Apostle John, who records Jesus as referring to God as Father more than anyone else, says this in chapter 1 beginning at verse 12. It is through our faith in Christ, our being a follower of Jesus that we have the “right to become the children of God.” WOW! And then the Apostle Paul writes this “those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God, for you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of son ship, and by him we cry Abba, Father! (verses 14-15). And then again, the Apostle John in his first letter, I John 3:1, “How great is the love the Father as lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE!
Our heart speaking to his heart. Child to Father. Lord, teach us to pray like you pray, teach us to be close to God like you are! How do we grow in our closeness to God, how do we grow in our passion for God, how do we delight more and more in God, how do we get that “OH!” for God? When you pray, pray like this “Father…”
When you pray, seek to draw closer to God. It is interesting to see the parallel of this prayer with the earlier words of Jesus, particularly with the beatitudes.
-Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Thy Kingdom come
Blessed are those who mourn
-forgive us
Blessed are the meek
-your will be done
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…
Give us this day our daily bread
Blessed are the merciful, and the peacemakers
-father forgive us as we forgive others
Blessed are the pure in heart
-lead us not into temptation
Blessed are those who are persecuted
-deliver us from evil (the evil one)
Let men see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven
-yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!
I don’t want to stretch the parallel too far, but for me it keeps me connected to the spiritual path Jesus lays out in the beatitudes. How do we keep ourselves connected? How do we grow in our spiritual walk, when you pray, pray this…Father
This heart connection, this seeking to grow in a relationship with God gets beneath the veneer, the façade, the show and helps us to draw closer to the eternal lover of our souls, God our Father. This prayer is not to become a rote piece of speech that we sputter out, but a deepening connection with our amazing, saving, graceful Father in Heaven, who loves us and yes, longs for an intimate connection with us.
Do not worry -Matthew 6:25-34
(note this is from the message given June 27)
Worry. Stress. Anxiety. Words that sound familiar? These have words have become the focus of a major industry in our society. More antacids, aspirin and medication have been taken because of stress than any time in our society. More people are getting stressed out, burned out, hung out, fried out, dried out, and washed out. We worry about our jobs, our family, money, cloths, food, retirement, football, war, weather, politics and the Leafs. We stress out over cars, houses, mortgage, gardens, traffic, bills, deadlines and exams. We are anxious about relationships, fashion, technology, upgrades, downsizing, global warming, oil slicks, flooding rivers, rain forest fires and interest rates.
It is enough to get you depressed. And that is another sign of stress. With all this pressure that is on us, with all this potential for worry what can we do?
In our natural, human way, we see these are just some of the ways we deal with stress and worry. We use medication, alcohol, anger, we may pass it off, divert our selves, or just fret and fuss. Jesus says there is a better way, the way God intended for us. Authentic Disciples of Christ deal with worry by giving it over to God. What is God’s way? How can I deal with worry and anxiety God's way? Let’s look at what Jesus and scripture had to say about this.
Read Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. (4:4-7). And then Matthew 6:34.
Let’s set the stage here first. Jesus is speaking to a people that are experiencing some pretty tough economic stress, emotional stress, spiritual stress, social stress and physical stress. The people of Israel were a conquered people –Rome had been around for many years and Israel was under their rule –they were not a free people. Add to this the economic strain of a high tax base. We think we have it bad now with the coming of the HST, but there they were even taxed on the number of chickens they had. Spiritually they were a burdened people with the religious people placing rules and sacrifices and a heavy burden on them. They worried about their next meal, their taxes, their crops, whether their even coming together would constitute an illegal gathering, whether they were breaking some religious law or spiritual law.
We need to understand this because often we look at a passage like this and think it was different then –they had it easy. But I want us to see that things are not much different. Oh, they didn’t have the pressures and stresses we have today mortgage payments, car payments, school fees, HST, income tax, inflation, job loss. But they did have it, and probably worse than we think we have today. These were people who scratched out a living and for Jesus to say “don’t worry” would have raised some eyebrows.
The Word for worry literally "worry anxiously". It is a very strong word indicating preoccupation and excess. It is used only a handful of times in the NT, all by Jesus and all, except once, in connection to the scripture passage used today. Interestingly anxious is only used once in the NT and that by Paul in the passage read a moment ago. This worry, this anxiety is the kind of worry that can lead to despair, anger, obsession.
When Jesus talks about worry he also means it in opposite to trust or faith which is found hundreds of times in the NT –particularly trust in God. Jesus is talking about trusting in our heavenly father, trusting in God. R.T. France in his commentary on Matthew, says “worry is the antithesis of the practical trust in God which is the essential meaning of faith. Those who worry show their lack of faith.” (page 266). (cf. verse 30)
Jesus started off the sermon on the mount in giving us the beatitudes and within them is the strong thread of trust –blessed are the poor in spirit who need to trust the Father for salvation –blessed are the mourn who trust God for comfort and cleansing of sing, blessed are the meek who trust God and place themselves fully under his leading –and so on. Trust.
All through this sermon on the mount the thread of trust can be seen. Particularly in the prayer Jesus taught them, which we looked at last week –give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil –from the evil one –trust.
A further understanding of what Jesus is talking about here is looking at the immediate context. Jesus starts of verse 25 with the word therefore –this indicates we must look back to what Jesus has just talked about. He has given two powerful statements which we must keep in mind -6:21 and then verse 24 –“”Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and “No one can serve two masters –you cannot serve both God and money.”
We keep this in mind as we come to the passage on worry. Jesus uses these startling contrasts to make the deep and powerful point of faith.
If your heart is on treasures on earth –you worry because moth and rust corrupt
If you serve money it can consume you because it can be stolen or lost and take away from your serving God.
Therefore do not worry about your earthly life –about treasures, about money, about food, about clothing –life is more important than these –the life you have in the Father, the life you have in your journey to get closer to God, the life you have that is blessed, life, this eternal life that you are building for heaven!
Our journey of drawing closer to God, to be a part of and to experience His kingdom, is one of trust. ¬Worry pulls us off the path, worry takes our attention off of God and His kingdom. Worry keeps us from seeing and receiving God’s blessing as we seek first His kingdom. Worry robs us of experiencing His blessings and the peace we can enjoy as His children. Worry is the opposite of trust.
Jesus says do not worry –do not take your eyes off of the Father. Keep Him center, keep him first. Seek first his kingdom (verse 33). What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? Look to the beatitudes –look to the prayer, keep your eyes on Him and all these things, all what things? All these things you need will be added, poured out to you.
Jesus, remember is sitting on the side of a mountain. As he speaks I am sure he now points to a bird flying overhead, or perhaps pecking at the ground. God cares for this part of creation, are you not more valuable than they? He points to the flowers dancing in the breeze, will he not care for you?
And notice the contrast of faith in verse 30. Worry equals little faith. Trust God.
Now does that mean we just live a carefree sit back and chill life? No! And that is one of the interesting things about the illustration Jesus uses of the sparrows. Jesus says don't worry about food. Look at the sparrows, they get what they need and God provides for them. What Jesus is saying here is not that God will provide everything for you so kick back and enjoy. Rather we see that the sparrow is busy at work getting its food. The sparrow doesn't reap or sow or store in barns. It goes about its tasks in life and God provides.
I think that the lesson for us here is to do the best that we can, knowing that we have gifts and abilities that God has given us. We trust in God to provide for us as we do our part. We do not worry about what we cannot do, or what we wish we could do. As we realistically look at ourselves and do the best we can, God will provide! Worry, Jesus says, cannot add to your life.
In the NIV it says add a single hour to your life. The KJV says a span, referring to height, in that can worry make you taller. Jesus uses a hyperbole here to make the point –who here can add 18 inches to your height (as an adult?) Who here can add a span of time to your life?
Again, the word for worry literally "worry anxiously". It is a very strong word indicating preoccupation and excess. Jesus says, almost tongue in cheek, worry won't make you taller or live longer, so why worry!
Another side of this is using what God provides for us. Often we are looking for something bigger or better and fail to see what is already there. Worrying or looking to tomorrow can hamper our efforts today. We need to see what God gives us this day in our daily bread.
There is the story of the man who was caught in a flood. As the waters were rising he went to the top floor of the house. First a man comes by in a canoe and offers to help. He is refused. A man in a boat came by and offered to rescue him. The man refused saying God will rescue me. Soon the water drove him to the roof and a helicopter came by. Again the man refused help saying God will rescue me. Finally the man drowned and stood before God in heaven. Why didn't you rescue me God? the man asked. To which God replied, But I sent you a canoe, boat and a helicopter.
God provides for us, he gives us as we need and we need also to act.
The sparrow is an example of knowing our abilities and working with them. The flowers give us a picture of our limitations.
The flowers do not work, yet are beautiful because that is how they are created. Yet their beauty is quickly over and they are cast into the fire. The picture is one of using the dried flowers to start a fire or to bring a quick blaze. The lilies can do nothing to enhance or change their beauty, nor can they change what is to come.
We need to see the same in our own lives. There are certain things that we can do. We can work and use our gifts and abilities that God has given us. Yet there are things that are beyond our control, things that we can do nothing about. We cannot change the weather or stop the rain. We cannot slow the world from turning or the sun from shining. We cannot stop death, or bring the dead to life. Individually there are things that we know about ourselves. For me, I know I am never going to be wealthy, or famous. I am not mechanical or a concert pianist.
We need to realize both our God given abilities and limitations and live peacefully in them. The point that Jesus is making here is that worry adds nothing to this.
As we realistically see ourselves, our abilities and our limits, and place them in God’s hands He provides for us. ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU. IN this God will give us what we need and we will be satisfied. As we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, He provides.
An Authentic Disciple of Christ is one who places all he has and is in God's hands. An authentic disciple is one who seeks to place God first and foremost in all he does. An authentic disciple seeks to honor God in what he does so that others will see and glorify God. An authentic disciple does not worry but trusts in God.
The issue for us as Christians, as ones who truly seek to honor God, is this. Do NOT WORRY. When we worry, we say we do not trust God. WHOA! Yes that is right, when we worry it says we do not trust God, nor do we have confidence that He will keep his word.
What testimony do we bring about our faith and trust in God when we do not give things over to Him? Well I trust God, but…What kind of salt are we in the world when we are caught up in things we can do nothing about? Well I put my faith in God, but…What kind of light are we when we are so anxious about tomorrow that it darkens all our thoughts and actions for today? Well, I trust God, but…
Authentic discipleship places our life completely in God's hands. Authentic Discipleship says I seek your kingdom first and your righteousness.
When things do start getting to us, when the worries do start to come what do we do?
In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul tells us to PRAY. Prayer is the release of that which concerns us. Prayer is the giving over to God and LEAVING IT THERE.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace that passes All understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Worry. Stress. Anxiety. Words that sound familiar? These have words have become the focus of a major industry in our society. More antacids, aspirin and medication have been taken because of stress than any time in our society. More people are getting stressed out, burned out, hung out, fried out, dried out, and washed out. We worry about our jobs, our family, money, cloths, food, retirement, football, war, weather, politics and the Leafs. We stress out over cars, houses, mortgage, gardens, traffic, bills, deadlines and exams. We are anxious about relationships, fashion, technology, upgrades, downsizing, global warming, oil slicks, flooding rivers, rain forest fires and interest rates.
It is enough to get you depressed. And that is another sign of stress. With all this pressure that is on us, with all this potential for worry what can we do?
In our natural, human way, we see these are just some of the ways we deal with stress and worry. We use medication, alcohol, anger, we may pass it off, divert our selves, or just fret and fuss. Jesus says there is a better way, the way God intended for us. Authentic Disciples of Christ deal with worry by giving it over to God. What is God’s way? How can I deal with worry and anxiety God's way? Let’s look at what Jesus and scripture had to say about this.
Read Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. (4:4-7). And then Matthew 6:34.
Let’s set the stage here first. Jesus is speaking to a people that are experiencing some pretty tough economic stress, emotional stress, spiritual stress, social stress and physical stress. The people of Israel were a conquered people –Rome had been around for many years and Israel was under their rule –they were not a free people. Add to this the economic strain of a high tax base. We think we have it bad now with the coming of the HST, but there they were even taxed on the number of chickens they had. Spiritually they were a burdened people with the religious people placing rules and sacrifices and a heavy burden on them. They worried about their next meal, their taxes, their crops, whether their even coming together would constitute an illegal gathering, whether they were breaking some religious law or spiritual law.
We need to understand this because often we look at a passage like this and think it was different then –they had it easy. But I want us to see that things are not much different. Oh, they didn’t have the pressures and stresses we have today mortgage payments, car payments, school fees, HST, income tax, inflation, job loss. But they did have it, and probably worse than we think we have today. These were people who scratched out a living and for Jesus to say “don’t worry” would have raised some eyebrows.
The Word for worry literally "worry anxiously". It is a very strong word indicating preoccupation and excess. It is used only a handful of times in the NT, all by Jesus and all, except once, in connection to the scripture passage used today. Interestingly anxious is only used once in the NT and that by Paul in the passage read a moment ago. This worry, this anxiety is the kind of worry that can lead to despair, anger, obsession.
When Jesus talks about worry he also means it in opposite to trust or faith which is found hundreds of times in the NT –particularly trust in God. Jesus is talking about trusting in our heavenly father, trusting in God. R.T. France in his commentary on Matthew, says “worry is the antithesis of the practical trust in God which is the essential meaning of faith. Those who worry show their lack of faith.” (page 266). (cf. verse 30)
Jesus started off the sermon on the mount in giving us the beatitudes and within them is the strong thread of trust –blessed are the poor in spirit who need to trust the Father for salvation –blessed are the mourn who trust God for comfort and cleansing of sing, blessed are the meek who trust God and place themselves fully under his leading –and so on. Trust.
All through this sermon on the mount the thread of trust can be seen. Particularly in the prayer Jesus taught them, which we looked at last week –give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil –from the evil one –trust.
A further understanding of what Jesus is talking about here is looking at the immediate context. Jesus starts of verse 25 with the word therefore –this indicates we must look back to what Jesus has just talked about. He has given two powerful statements which we must keep in mind -6:21 and then verse 24 –“”Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and “No one can serve two masters –you cannot serve both God and money.”
We keep this in mind as we come to the passage on worry. Jesus uses these startling contrasts to make the deep and powerful point of faith.
If your heart is on treasures on earth –you worry because moth and rust corrupt
If you serve money it can consume you because it can be stolen or lost and take away from your serving God.
Therefore do not worry about your earthly life –about treasures, about money, about food, about clothing –life is more important than these –the life you have in the Father, the life you have in your journey to get closer to God, the life you have that is blessed, life, this eternal life that you are building for heaven!
Our journey of drawing closer to God, to be a part of and to experience His kingdom, is one of trust. ¬Worry pulls us off the path, worry takes our attention off of God and His kingdom. Worry keeps us from seeing and receiving God’s blessing as we seek first His kingdom. Worry robs us of experiencing His blessings and the peace we can enjoy as His children. Worry is the opposite of trust.
Jesus says do not worry –do not take your eyes off of the Father. Keep Him center, keep him first. Seek first his kingdom (verse 33). What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? Look to the beatitudes –look to the prayer, keep your eyes on Him and all these things, all what things? All these things you need will be added, poured out to you.
Jesus, remember is sitting on the side of a mountain. As he speaks I am sure he now points to a bird flying overhead, or perhaps pecking at the ground. God cares for this part of creation, are you not more valuable than they? He points to the flowers dancing in the breeze, will he not care for you?
And notice the contrast of faith in verse 30. Worry equals little faith. Trust God.
Now does that mean we just live a carefree sit back and chill life? No! And that is one of the interesting things about the illustration Jesus uses of the sparrows. Jesus says don't worry about food. Look at the sparrows, they get what they need and God provides for them. What Jesus is saying here is not that God will provide everything for you so kick back and enjoy. Rather we see that the sparrow is busy at work getting its food. The sparrow doesn't reap or sow or store in barns. It goes about its tasks in life and God provides.
I think that the lesson for us here is to do the best that we can, knowing that we have gifts and abilities that God has given us. We trust in God to provide for us as we do our part. We do not worry about what we cannot do, or what we wish we could do. As we realistically look at ourselves and do the best we can, God will provide! Worry, Jesus says, cannot add to your life.
In the NIV it says add a single hour to your life. The KJV says a span, referring to height, in that can worry make you taller. Jesus uses a hyperbole here to make the point –who here can add 18 inches to your height (as an adult?) Who here can add a span of time to your life?
Again, the word for worry literally "worry anxiously". It is a very strong word indicating preoccupation and excess. Jesus says, almost tongue in cheek, worry won't make you taller or live longer, so why worry!
Another side of this is using what God provides for us. Often we are looking for something bigger or better and fail to see what is already there. Worrying or looking to tomorrow can hamper our efforts today. We need to see what God gives us this day in our daily bread.
There is the story of the man who was caught in a flood. As the waters were rising he went to the top floor of the house. First a man comes by in a canoe and offers to help. He is refused. A man in a boat came by and offered to rescue him. The man refused saying God will rescue me. Soon the water drove him to the roof and a helicopter came by. Again the man refused help saying God will rescue me. Finally the man drowned and stood before God in heaven. Why didn't you rescue me God? the man asked. To which God replied, But I sent you a canoe, boat and a helicopter.
God provides for us, he gives us as we need and we need also to act.
The sparrow is an example of knowing our abilities and working with them. The flowers give us a picture of our limitations.
The flowers do not work, yet are beautiful because that is how they are created. Yet their beauty is quickly over and they are cast into the fire. The picture is one of using the dried flowers to start a fire or to bring a quick blaze. The lilies can do nothing to enhance or change their beauty, nor can they change what is to come.
We need to see the same in our own lives. There are certain things that we can do. We can work and use our gifts and abilities that God has given us. Yet there are things that are beyond our control, things that we can do nothing about. We cannot change the weather or stop the rain. We cannot slow the world from turning or the sun from shining. We cannot stop death, or bring the dead to life. Individually there are things that we know about ourselves. For me, I know I am never going to be wealthy, or famous. I am not mechanical or a concert pianist.
We need to realize both our God given abilities and limitations and live peacefully in them. The point that Jesus is making here is that worry adds nothing to this.
As we realistically see ourselves, our abilities and our limits, and place them in God’s hands He provides for us. ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU. IN this God will give us what we need and we will be satisfied. As we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, He provides.
An Authentic Disciple of Christ is one who places all he has and is in God's hands. An authentic disciple is one who seeks to place God first and foremost in all he does. An authentic disciple seeks to honor God in what he does so that others will see and glorify God. An authentic disciple does not worry but trusts in God.
The issue for us as Christians, as ones who truly seek to honor God, is this. Do NOT WORRY. When we worry, we say we do not trust God. WHOA! Yes that is right, when we worry it says we do not trust God, nor do we have confidence that He will keep his word.
What testimony do we bring about our faith and trust in God when we do not give things over to Him? Well I trust God, but…What kind of salt are we in the world when we are caught up in things we can do nothing about? Well I put my faith in God, but…What kind of light are we when we are so anxious about tomorrow that it darkens all our thoughts and actions for today? Well, I trust God, but…
Authentic discipleship places our life completely in God's hands. Authentic Discipleship says I seek your kingdom first and your righteousness.
When things do start getting to us, when the worries do start to come what do we do?
In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul tells us to PRAY. Prayer is the release of that which concerns us. Prayer is the giving over to God and LEAVING IT THERE.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace that passes All understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Judging versus grace -Matthew 7:1-5
(note: the images referred to are those of motorcycle riders) What would you think if this guy moved in next door? How would you react if these guys were passing you on the highway? What is going though your mind as you look at this guy? As your travelling along this summer and at the rest stop you saw a bunch of these would you pass by? What if I told you that all of these guys are Christian bikers? Would that change your view? Maybe, maybe not. My point is that each of us here had formed an opinion about people who may look like or dress like these guys. I happen to belong to a motorcycle club to which some of these guys belong. I ride a motorcycle. Does that change your opinion about me?
We all suffer to a degree with this ailment of judging others. Oh, admit it, you do. I admit that do. I sometimes will look at another person and think I have them figured out –just by a short glance. He’s riding a Harley, wears leathers and has a scruffy beard –biker –bad news! Or, he’s a pastor, he must be perfect! Yeah, right!
These little pre-judgments are normal to everyone. Where it grows to be a problem is when we see ourselves as better than someone and begin to judge them in relationship to ourselves. One of the clearest examples of this is the issue of slavery –particularly as it was played out in the history of the US. Because of skin color I am better than you! We can see the devastating impact such judgment of others can bring.
And as Christians we are not immune. There can be a tendency to think of oneself as “holier than thou.” We are better than someone else because we are Baptist, or we are long time members, or we have attended Sunday School for eons. When I was growing up we used to get these little pins (probably done here too) for attendance in SS. There was one gentleman who had pins each year for perfect attendance for over 50 years! He took great pride in this and often mentioned it almost looking down on others who had few if any pins.
In the time of Jesus this religious righteousness was quite prevalent. Jesus addressed it many times in his ministry. There was a particular group called the Pharisees who took great pride in their religious position. They looked down on others, even thanked God they were not like others. They judged people over the bridge of their nose! They thanked God they were not like the gentiles, or like women. They judged themselves as being better, more righteous, closer to God. Jesus gives a strong warning against spiritual pride and a call to live a life of grace rather than judgment.
Read Matthew 7:1-5.
Before we read the passage I mentioned that Jesus gives strong warning against spiritual pride and a cal to live a life of grace rather than judgment. Some of you who are bible scholars may immediately want to challenge me on that. Why? Well for one thing Jesus doesn’t mention the word grace in this passage, nor anywhere else in the Sermon on the mount. In fact, Jesus never utters the word grace that we can find in scripture. The only time it is mentioned is in a description of Jesus in the second chapter of Luke and the first chapter of John (read 14-17).
Even in the OT we rarely find this word grace (6 times -1in psalms, 4 in proverbs and 1 in Isaiah). It isn’t until after the resurrection as the church is emerging that we find this word grace becoming descriptive of the church and the follower of Jesus. Grace is mentioned or used in every other NT letter except I and II John. But does that mean we ignore it here? Does that mean we do not examine it for our lives and our growth in Christ? Of course not.
Look again carefully at John 1:14-17. WOW! Jesus is full of grace and truth. Jesus is the fullness of God’s grace! Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ! It is in Christ and through Christ that grace has been poured out, as John record here in chapter 1, from the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another (wave after wave!). But even more, Paul expands this in Ephesians.
Ephesians for me is one of those tingle books –When I read it I get all excited, my heart rate picks up, my energy increases. Even as I prepared this I noticed my typing reading I noticed I started to type faster and my pulse increased. Let me read some of these fantastic words by Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in his letter to Ephesus.
-1:3-8
-2:1-10
-3:14-21 (no mention of grace but you can hear it crying out in the background!)
4:1-7
By his grace we are justified, by His grace we are chosen, by his grace we are provided for, by his grace we are forgiven, by his grace we are given sufficient power to move ahead, by his grace we experience peace and joy and love, by his grace we may approach his throne, by his grace we saved and lifted up and seated in the heavenly realms, by his grace we are united by his grace we are given strength and purpose, by his grace we are helped in time of need, by his grace we are judged according to his grace, his love, his son Jesus Christ, by grace we are saved through faith, not of works that anyone should boast, be proud or stand in judgment of another! Do not judge lest you be judged!
Jesus uses an analogy from his own life –that of a carpenter. You can imagine him standing in the carpenter’s shops learning the trade from his earthly father Joseph. Like us, I can well imagine Jesus getting splinters and yes, even small pieces of dust or wood in his eyes (they didn’t use safety goggles!). And when that little splinter gets in there, it can be HUGE! It is a matter of perspective.
Just take your thumb and point it up and hold it as far away from your eyes as you can. Now slowly move it towards you left or right eye. Gets bigger! Now, if you want jab it into your eye! NO! has the size of your thumb changed? No, but the perspective has. Do not judge the splinter in another’s eye when you have a plank in your own!
Jesus says that we should look first to our own "speck/plank" before we look at others. Our sin is just as great as anyone else’s, we are all sinners, we all fall short of God’s glory and His righteousness. We are all saved by grace –not works, not righteousness, grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all my planks! Do we see our own sin? Do we see our destitution before God? Do we cry out over our position?
Jesus says remove your own plank from your eye. How do we do this? We find the solution in I John, one of those letters I mentioned that does not mention the word grace, but let me read a verse many of you know –If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cease us from all unrighteousness. Let me put it to you this way. If we admit we have a plank –something in our life that is against God, that hurts his law, that hurts our relationship with others, that separates us, we confess it “I have a plank!” He, the only one who can, Jesus Christ, is faithful and just, he is the judge to come and say Yes you have a plank, he is faith and just to forgive, to remove our plank as only he can do by his grace, by his love, through his power showed in the cross (interesting that he who was killed on a plank now removes planks!) and cleanse out our eye of the plank, the unrighteousness, so we can see and he as he alone can do, and then he gives us clean eyes to see that others also have specks and we can help them as brothers in Christ, as forgiven followers and those who live by grace, as ones who have experienced forgiveness, then we can help those who have specks –not in judgment of their sins not in our own righteousness, but in Christ’s –because he has cleansed us we can now be peacemakers to show others the one who removes splinters!
Brothers and sisters, beloved in Christ, this is a powerful lesson for us all. Let us remember where the sermon on the mount started –with the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit –those who know they are lost and separate from the Father, blessed are those who mourn over their sin. We all fall short, we all have planks in our eyes, we all are blinded because of our lostness. Blessed are those who in meekness place their lives in the hands of God, that He takes out the planks, that he removes out sins, that He is in control, that He and He alone pours out his grace, wave upon wave, into our lives, that he alone forgives and cleanses. Blessed are those who are merciful who after being shown mercy and having their planks removed are merciful to others. Blessed are the peacemakers, those who bring others to the Father that they may find peace with God and yes, have the linters in their lives removed.
Only when the planks are removed from our lives, only when we have received and experienced the carpenter removing out planks can we show others to the carpenter –and who better t know about removing splinters than Him!
I encourage you to read from Eugene Petersons “The Message,” a paraphrase of Matthew7:1-5, and then here is a rephrase verse 1-2 in terms of grace. “Show grace to one another and you too will be shown grace. For in the same way you show grace to others, you will be given grace and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
One of my biker friends, several years ago was not going to church. When asked why he said, “because I don’t have a suit. I am scared to go into a church dressed like this. The church that is supposed to love me will not accept me unless I look like them!”
Judge not, lest you be judged. Show grace and in the same way grace will be poured out to you!
Beloved, we must never forget that we all fall short of God’s glory and perfection. This passage reminds us that we are to find grace from God and give grace to others that they may find God.
The call to authentic discipleship is one that realistically sees yourself and seeks to help others, not to judge out of selfish arrogance and pride, but to live in grace.
We all suffer to a degree with this ailment of judging others. Oh, admit it, you do. I admit that do. I sometimes will look at another person and think I have them figured out –just by a short glance. He’s riding a Harley, wears leathers and has a scruffy beard –biker –bad news! Or, he’s a pastor, he must be perfect! Yeah, right!
These little pre-judgments are normal to everyone. Where it grows to be a problem is when we see ourselves as better than someone and begin to judge them in relationship to ourselves. One of the clearest examples of this is the issue of slavery –particularly as it was played out in the history of the US. Because of skin color I am better than you! We can see the devastating impact such judgment of others can bring.
And as Christians we are not immune. There can be a tendency to think of oneself as “holier than thou.” We are better than someone else because we are Baptist, or we are long time members, or we have attended Sunday School for eons. When I was growing up we used to get these little pins (probably done here too) for attendance in SS. There was one gentleman who had pins each year for perfect attendance for over 50 years! He took great pride in this and often mentioned it almost looking down on others who had few if any pins.
In the time of Jesus this religious righteousness was quite prevalent. Jesus addressed it many times in his ministry. There was a particular group called the Pharisees who took great pride in their religious position. They looked down on others, even thanked God they were not like others. They judged people over the bridge of their nose! They thanked God they were not like the gentiles, or like women. They judged themselves as being better, more righteous, closer to God. Jesus gives a strong warning against spiritual pride and a call to live a life of grace rather than judgment.
Read Matthew 7:1-5.
Before we read the passage I mentioned that Jesus gives strong warning against spiritual pride and a cal to live a life of grace rather than judgment. Some of you who are bible scholars may immediately want to challenge me on that. Why? Well for one thing Jesus doesn’t mention the word grace in this passage, nor anywhere else in the Sermon on the mount. In fact, Jesus never utters the word grace that we can find in scripture. The only time it is mentioned is in a description of Jesus in the second chapter of Luke and the first chapter of John (read 14-17).
Even in the OT we rarely find this word grace (6 times -1in psalms, 4 in proverbs and 1 in Isaiah). It isn’t until after the resurrection as the church is emerging that we find this word grace becoming descriptive of the church and the follower of Jesus. Grace is mentioned or used in every other NT letter except I and II John. But does that mean we ignore it here? Does that mean we do not examine it for our lives and our growth in Christ? Of course not.
Look again carefully at John 1:14-17. WOW! Jesus is full of grace and truth. Jesus is the fullness of God’s grace! Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ! It is in Christ and through Christ that grace has been poured out, as John record here in chapter 1, from the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another (wave after wave!). But even more, Paul expands this in Ephesians.
Ephesians for me is one of those tingle books –When I read it I get all excited, my heart rate picks up, my energy increases. Even as I prepared this I noticed my typing reading I noticed I started to type faster and my pulse increased. Let me read some of these fantastic words by Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in his letter to Ephesus.
-1:3-8
-2:1-10
-3:14-21 (no mention of grace but you can hear it crying out in the background!)
4:1-7
By his grace we are justified, by His grace we are chosen, by his grace we are provided for, by his grace we are forgiven, by his grace we are given sufficient power to move ahead, by his grace we experience peace and joy and love, by his grace we may approach his throne, by his grace we saved and lifted up and seated in the heavenly realms, by his grace we are united by his grace we are given strength and purpose, by his grace we are helped in time of need, by his grace we are judged according to his grace, his love, his son Jesus Christ, by grace we are saved through faith, not of works that anyone should boast, be proud or stand in judgment of another! Do not judge lest you be judged!
Jesus uses an analogy from his own life –that of a carpenter. You can imagine him standing in the carpenter’s shops learning the trade from his earthly father Joseph. Like us, I can well imagine Jesus getting splinters and yes, even small pieces of dust or wood in his eyes (they didn’t use safety goggles!). And when that little splinter gets in there, it can be HUGE! It is a matter of perspective.
Just take your thumb and point it up and hold it as far away from your eyes as you can. Now slowly move it towards you left or right eye. Gets bigger! Now, if you want jab it into your eye! NO! has the size of your thumb changed? No, but the perspective has. Do not judge the splinter in another’s eye when you have a plank in your own!
Jesus says that we should look first to our own "speck/plank" before we look at others. Our sin is just as great as anyone else’s, we are all sinners, we all fall short of God’s glory and His righteousness. We are all saved by grace –not works, not righteousness, grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all my planks! Do we see our own sin? Do we see our destitution before God? Do we cry out over our position?
Jesus says remove your own plank from your eye. How do we do this? We find the solution in I John, one of those letters I mentioned that does not mention the word grace, but let me read a verse many of you know –If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cease us from all unrighteousness. Let me put it to you this way. If we admit we have a plank –something in our life that is against God, that hurts his law, that hurts our relationship with others, that separates us, we confess it “I have a plank!” He, the only one who can, Jesus Christ, is faithful and just, he is the judge to come and say Yes you have a plank, he is faith and just to forgive, to remove our plank as only he can do by his grace, by his love, through his power showed in the cross (interesting that he who was killed on a plank now removes planks!) and cleanse out our eye of the plank, the unrighteousness, so we can see and he as he alone can do, and then he gives us clean eyes to see that others also have specks and we can help them as brothers in Christ, as forgiven followers and those who live by grace, as ones who have experienced forgiveness, then we can help those who have specks –not in judgment of their sins not in our own righteousness, but in Christ’s –because he has cleansed us we can now be peacemakers to show others the one who removes splinters!
Brothers and sisters, beloved in Christ, this is a powerful lesson for us all. Let us remember where the sermon on the mount started –with the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit –those who know they are lost and separate from the Father, blessed are those who mourn over their sin. We all fall short, we all have planks in our eyes, we all are blinded because of our lostness. Blessed are those who in meekness place their lives in the hands of God, that He takes out the planks, that he removes out sins, that He is in control, that He and He alone pours out his grace, wave upon wave, into our lives, that he alone forgives and cleanses. Blessed are those who are merciful who after being shown mercy and having their planks removed are merciful to others. Blessed are the peacemakers, those who bring others to the Father that they may find peace with God and yes, have the linters in their lives removed.
Only when the planks are removed from our lives, only when we have received and experienced the carpenter removing out planks can we show others to the carpenter –and who better t know about removing splinters than Him!
I encourage you to read from Eugene Petersons “The Message,” a paraphrase of Matthew7:1-5, and then here is a rephrase verse 1-2 in terms of grace. “Show grace to one another and you too will be shown grace. For in the same way you show grace to others, you will be given grace and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
One of my biker friends, several years ago was not going to church. When asked why he said, “because I don’t have a suit. I am scared to go into a church dressed like this. The church that is supposed to love me will not accept me unless I look like them!”
Judge not, lest you be judged. Show grace and in the same way grace will be poured out to you!
Beloved, we must never forget that we all fall short of God’s glory and perfection. This passage reminds us that we are to find grace from God and give grace to others that they may find God.
The call to authentic discipleship is one that realistically sees yourself and seeks to help others, not to judge out of selfish arrogance and pride, but to live in grace.
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