Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun
Come Lord join us here today
We are happy to be together again today
Happy to see each face
Giving hugs
Handshakes
Smiles and laughter
Thank you for this.
Grant us the gift of continuing to grow as a community
Engaged in each other’s lives
Pulling us together
Knowing and sharing each joy
Each fear
And every sorrow.
Help us to find ways to serve each other
And to serve others together.
Let this be our joy
And our shared life
Amen
Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
Intro: It’s STORY TIME
Pastor Allen was a preacher in Small Town, U.S.A. Relaxing at home one evening he settled into his recliner, pushed his reading glasses up to the bridge of his nose, and reached over to his side-table for something to take his mind off of work. He could have picked up one of the magazines lying there, or a novel with a bookmark where he left off, or if all else failed the TV remote.
He accidently grabbed his Bible.
Normally, when worn out in the evening, all he wanted was a distraction; anything that didn’t require exertion. The Bible, however, was “work.” He was never able to read it in a light-hearted way or for entertainment. The Bible required a serious attitude. One needed to come to it with reverence, humility, and focused attention.
His inner voice told him, “Read this.” So he chose to glance at a couple verses and move on. Without looking for any particular place to begin, he let his Bible fall open wherever it would, only being careful not to land in the Old Testament. Looking down he found himself in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 8. Skipping to the red letters, he began to read and heard Jesus saying,
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
He stopped, closed his Bible over his index finger to not lose his place, and drawing a slow deep breath he stared into nothing. Pastor Allen allowed the verse to enter his mind and create its own impression. Then he read it again.
“Well,” he thought to himself, “this isn’t the first time these words have bothered me. The sons of the kingdom being the rightful heirs will be displaced in favor of outsiders.”
His thoughts then went to the many Christians he had known who boast with smug assurance that they will walk the streets of gold. “I take the promise of life after death as seriously as anyone. But it’s not something I worry about.” And after a brief pause:
“Perhaps I should worry. At least a little.”
He continued his introspection, “There’s a faith that’s child-like, and a faith that’s childish. I’ve avoided the childish faith, because I find the beliefs and behavior of that type of Christian embarrassing. But maybe I’ve been mistaken. Maybe there’s a wholesomeness to a childish faith that doesn’t question Jesus, but places its complete trust in Jesus--always.”That’s our story time for this morning – now this:
I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 and 12-13
I’ve mulling over Paul’s letters to the Corinthians the past three weeks
This week it occurred to me that the church in Corinth,
– was a lot like what the church in America has become
• the Corinthians fancied themselves well-informed and independent thinkers,
◦ as if they didn’t need Paul’s help
• at the same time, they chased after new and exotic teaching
◦ as a result, they had no stable theology
• their sense of entitlement and egoism were undeserved and out of control
• they made bad choices regarding their loyalties,
◦ following whoever told them what they wanted to hear
• and they were more interested in charisma and unfettered zeal,
◦ than a life of solid faithfulness to Jesus and his teaching
– the culture of Corinth had a lot to do with shape of their church
• but how did we get where we are today?
I was raised in Christian Fundamentalism
From the start, Fundamentalism was a reactionary movement
– Bible-believing Christians felt threatened by three modern developments
• first, the rise of science during the Industrial Revolution
◦ Darwinian evolution challenged long standing notions of creation
◦ Freudian psychology challenged long standing notions regarding the human soul
• second, the sinfulness of popular forms of entertainment
◦ especially the saloons of the wild west, that included:
◦ burlesque shows, gambling, alcohol, dancing, and prostitution
• third, the rise of higher criticism in the study of the Bible
◦ especially in Germany, theologians were using new tools to research the Scriptures
◦ archeology and ancient Semitic cultures including their languages and religions
Conservative Christian scholars took a stand against these trends
– they stressed what they considered the fundamentals of Christian belief
• above all, they emphasized the reliability of the Bible
• not just on matters of faith, but science, societies, and just about everything else
– Fundamentalists saw themselves as the true Christians,
• the guardians of “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”
• and, it became the most popular brand among low and middle class churches
Something that a lot of people miss
Fundamentalism in America is not just about religion
– it also became a subculture within larger national culture
• its tendency was to be combative, legalistic, and self-righteous
– Fundamentalism was defined culturally by what they opposed and did not do
• in our case, as children we weren’t allowed to: go to movies or dances, or play card games
◦ these were carry overs from the late 19th and early 20th century, as I mentioned above
◦ in the Fundamentalist mind set, these were related to burlesque, flirtations, and gambling
• and women weren’t allowed to wear slacks or make-up (like those “painted ladies” in the saloons)
By the mid-20th century, Fundamentalism was becoming irrelevant
– a new Christian movement rose out of it: Evangelicalism
• it loosened the legalistic emphasis
◦ and relaxed some of the doctrinal rigidity
◦ and it influenced a wider segment of the population
– it was named “Evangelical” because of its emphasis on “evangelizing sinners”
• by the mid-1970s Evangelicalism was becoming less relevant
• but as a subculture it had made significant progress
◦ it had built large and well-funded institutions that would be around for years to come
◦ but it demonstrated a shift in emphasis to increasing political influence
– in the 1980s I became disillusioned with Evangelicalism
• it’s not that I totally disagree with its theology,
• but the subculture has drifted from its spiritual center
This is what I hear in Paul’s message to the Corinthians
He worried that they were losing their spiritual virginity
– rather than having a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ,”
• they were being lured away to “another Jesus”
– how this very thing may be happening today is worth exploring
In our nation, “another Jesus” may be:
– a “marketable Jesus”
• an entrepreneur hears something about the Lord, and says,
◦ “This will sell!” – the marketable Jesus is useful make money
◦ books, music, a clothing line, jewelry, and other religious and nonreligious odds and ends
• related to a marketable Jesus, but not quite the same is:
– a “Hollywood Jesus”
• even if this is done well, is entertaining, and we enjoy it,
• this Jesus will always be a god we make in our own image
– a “conceptual Jesus”
• this is a thoroughly constructed theology of Jesus
• our “Christology” becomes a perfect idea rather than a person
(see “The Idolatry of Ideas” in John Mackay’s, Christian Reality and Appearance (John Knox Press)
– a “political Jesus”
Francis Schaeffer warned Christians of this danger in 1971. He explained how promoters have used Jesus as a symbolic figurehead to influence and manipulate people. “Words like Jesus are separated from all reason and have no real base. So what is the word Jesus? A [banner without content] which men take and say, in effect, ‘Follow me on the basis of the motivational force of the word Jesus.’”
– an “my imaginary friend Jesus” (a slight twist of this is a “storybook Jesus”)
Conclusion: I worry that so many believers have lost their way
But we need to tend to our own garden
Let’s make certain we don’t fall for a knock-off Jesus
Let’s not settle for anything other than the original, one and only Lord Jesus Christ
2 Samuel 13:30-36
Intro: In May we completed our trek through the Sermon On the Mount
Since then, I have not felt a strong direction toward bringing another series
– Nancy Lopez, whom I love and trust,
• suggested that we go through the Minor Prophets
◦ I’m still mulling that over
• meanwhile, I’ve been sharing on Sundays my own random musing from the past week
– today I’ve chosen an odd place to drop into the Scriptures
• and it will require some explaining,
• but I promise, the point I want to make is important
One of the biblical metaphors for right living sowing and reaping
God told the prophet Hosea, regarding Israel,
If they “they sow the wind,
. . . they shall reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7)
– this was David’s situation in 2 Samuel 13, after he had abused his royal authority
• that wasn’t unusual for rulers at that time and part of the world,
◦ but it wasn’t something God allow his king’s to do
• this chapter charts the beginning of God’s discipline of David
◦ his family and his reign over Israel begins to unravel
Amnon was David’s oldest son, and under normal circumstances would have been heir to the throne
– he thought he was in love with his half-sister Tamar
• how the story plays out, his passion was more lust that love
◦ a first indication of his lust, is that he wanted her instantly (cf. Jacob in Genesis 29:30)
◦ not having a way to approach her, Amnon experienced “frustration overload”
• but he had a friend, Jonadab who is described as being “very wise”
◦ he suggested a plan that allowed Amnon to be alone with Tamar
◦ and when alone with her, he raped her
“Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her” (2 Sam. 13:15–another indication that his feelings for her were lust rather than love)
– devastated, Tamar went to the home of her older brother Absalom
• he took her in and cared for her, however his advice sounds terrible
◦ although it was typical for that male-dominated (misogynist) social structure
“Now hold your peace, my sister,” he told her, “He is your brother; do not take this to heart” (v. 20)
◦ this advice sounds cruel, but their hands were tied
• what did Absalom mean, “do not take this to heart”?
“Don’t let this ruin you”? – “Don’t brood over it?” – “Don’t retaliate?”
“Don’t risk making things worse for yourself, because he’s the king’s oldest son and possibly heir to the throne”
• perhaps Absalom was thinking, “Don’t you worry about this, because I’ll deal with Amnon”
◦ because a verse later we read,
“But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar” (v. 20)
Absalom did nothing about his brother for two full years
– then he approached his father with an invitation
• in Old Testament times, people raised sheep primarily for their fleece
◦ when it came time to shear their flocks, they made it a festive celebration
◦ the picture of those occasions we find in scripture is of wine, feasting, and good cheer
• though David resisted, Absalom insisted his brothers come and party with him, until his father finally relented
◦ in the compressed time of the story, where two years pass in between the space of two verses,
◦ it is pretty easy to see what Absalom had in mind
– Absalom commanded his servants to keep their eyes on Amnon
“when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him” (v. 28)
• when the brothers witnessed Amnon’s murder, they took flight
• other servants of David were present and were the first to arrive in Jerusalem
So “news came to David, ‘Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not
one of them is left’” (v. 30)
◦ David was devastated and immediately collapsed, grieving
◦ that’s when Jonadab spoke up (we’ll soon come to his speech to David)
Now let’s break this down
Something had happened, and it was big
– it would affect the king and the entire nation
• those of us about my age remember the national impact
◦ of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy
◦ or the more recent shared tragedy that rocked the nation September 11, 2001
• what happened in this story was of the same magnitude for Israel
– there was an assassination and it was reported to David
• but the report was influenced by, at least, two factors:
◦ those who brought the news first had not witnessed the seen entire event
◦ they hysterical report to the king was grossly exaggerated
• strong emotions color our most intense experiences
◦ and it colors the story we tell about our experience
(this is one reason why the testimony of a witness sometimes changes weeks or months after the even)
David was given two different stories about what happened
Now, Jonadab’s story:
“Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. Now let not the king take it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead” (vv. 32-33)
– isn’t it interesting that the eye-witness story was distorted and wrong,
• but Jonadab, who wasn’t even there, gave the correct version
• how is that possible?
◦ first, Jonadab had a deeper understanding of the backstory
◦ second, he was wise and therefore able to read the situation more accurately
I’ve been told by more than one person,
– that when listening to me teach from the Scriptures
• they follow me to a point but then begin asking,
“Chuck, where are you going with this?”
• I never try to confuse you on purpose
◦ it’s just that my mind works this way
– when I’m learning something new,
• especially if it seems abstract
• I need to establish a reliable foundation to make sense of the material I’m going over
◦ most people catch on more quickly than I do
In the Bible God reveals himself and what he has to say to us
Moses explained it to Israel this way:
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29)
So we embrace the Scriptures as true for all time and everywhere
– yet something we may not realize, is that as we read the Bible we are interpreting it
• David heard two stories about what occurred at Absalom’s feast
◦ one story was partially accurate, but wrong overall
◦ the other story provided greater clarity and accuracy
– when we hear someone say, “The Bible says . . .”
• we have to remember they’re giving us their interpretation
◦ and no one’s interpretation is absolutely perfect
• Jonadab illustrates that we can get a truer meaning of scripture,
◦ when we have a fuller idea of the entire backstory
◦ and we read and interpret it wisely
• Jonadab proved to be right when the soldier on watch lifted his eyes and looked, and behold – (v. 34)
◦ we can improve our interpretation of scripture if we, too,
Read, Look Closely, and Take In what is there before our eyes
I wish that were enough for us to be able to say, “End of story”
But I learned a crucial truth years ago from a brilliant and gifted man
Chuck Kraft, “God’s word is inspired; our interpretations are not.”
– as we learn and understand more of what the Bible is saying,
• our interpretations deepen, become refined and purer
The the Bible is not static
– it has a vitality that’s powerful and sharp as a sword
• as cultures change and new discoveries are made
◦ we must return to the Scriptures for new interpretations that apply to those changes
◦ too often I hear Christians give old answers to new questions
– the Bible is not trapped in one time or culture
• in the late 1990s, Simon Chan published Spiritual Theology
• an interesting facet of his book is that he included Asian perspectives when interpreting the Bible
(for example, Asian interpretation is includes experiential facets of exploring the text)
◦ the cultures of Asia are closer to biblical cultures (both are located in the Orient)
◦ Chan provides keys to interpretation our western minds may have missed
Conclusion: It seems like we’re living in an age of nonsense
That includes the way people mis-use the Bible
Don’t take the word of others when they say,
“What the Bible says . . .” or “What the Bible means . . .”
On the other hand, I don’t want you to be afraid of reading and misinterpreting the Bible
Our best understanding will always have imperfections
It will help if we keep a humble attitude
Always the student, never the expert
Always the disciple, never the master
Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Luke 7:18-23
Intro: The way Luke introduces John the Baptist has a familiar ring:
“The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Lk. 3:2)
For example: “The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri” or “The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel”
– Luke is obviously forging a link between John and previous prophets
• Jesus will soon say, John was a prophet “and more than a prophet” (v. 26)
◦ John also appears as an eccentric character
• we usually focus on John’s wardrobe and diet
◦ but his message was edgy too – “fire and brimstone”
“He said to the crowds . . . ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? . . . . His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So with many other exhortations he preached the good news to the people.” (Lk. 3:17-18)
◦ was wrath and unquenchable fire John’s version of “good news”?!
– well, not really–his central message was that people needed to prepare for Jesus’ arrival
• I’m going to concentrate on John this morning,
◦ but first I want to say something about Jesus
◦ because each scene in this chapter is extraordinary
• Luke keeps Jesus at the heart of the chapter,
◦ even though every story is about someone else
In the breadth of fifty verses, we cross paths with:
- A Roman centurion whose faith greatly impressed Jesus
- A widow whose loss of her only son aroused Jesus’ empathy
- John, whose question revealed uncertainty about Jesus,
but also inspired Jesus to explain John to the crowd - A Pharisee, who invited Jesus into his home, but failed to show him customary curtisies
- A woman, “a sinner” Luke says, who found forgiveness in Jesus
So the chapter begins with a Gentile centurion with strong faith in Jesus
– and ends with a Pharisee who cannot believe Jesus is even a prophet
• in between the two we meet, a crowd who witnessed Jesus’ miracle and said,
“A great prophet has risen among us!”
• then immediately after that, the disciples of John arrive
◦ bringing a question from one who was “more than a prophet”
– it feels to me that Luke has built a lot of tension into this chapter
• and the most intense suspense comes with John’s question
• that passage spoke to me this week – and this is why I’m sharing it with you
John is certainly not an ordinary figure
The first mystery is how did he wind up in the wilderness?
– there is a famous site in Israel where Christians are baptized
• it is in the north at the Sea of Galilee and head waters of the Jordan River
◦ tourists are sometimes told Jesus was baptized there
◦ he wasn’t – Matthew says that John baptized in the “wilderness of Judea”
• the Gospel of John tells us, that the Baptist was baptizing “in Bethany across the Jordan” (Jn. 1:28)
◦ that is located today in the nation of Jordan, near the Dead Sea
◦ but my concern isn’t that we know the exact spot
– the unanswered question is, How did John end up out there?
• he was born into a priestly family in one of the towns of Judah
◦ but when he makes his first appearance,
◦ it’s in the wilderness, where he had been living
• even if his clothes and rations were sparse and simple,
◦ how had he survived in that desert region?
◦ for years I imagined he had lived a solitary existence
There was a settlement not far from where John baptized
– it was much like the monasteries that would dot desert regions 200 hundred years later
• it is believed that the men who lived there were Essenes
◦ we don’t read about them in the New Testament,
◦ but they were one of the three major religious divisions in Judah:
Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes
• the Essenes were the most rigid and devout of the three
◦ they didn’t marry, they were devoted to scripture, and they would not touch money
◦ it was this community at Qumran who wrote and preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls
(which have provided a major contribution to studies of the Hebrew Scriptures)
– among dwellings and other structures,
• excavations at Qumran have unearthed a communal eating area
◦ a large pool that stored water for ritual cleansing (“baptisms”)
• it’s possible that John visited that community or even lived among them for a time
(although they would have never encouraged or sponsored baptizing anyone outside their community)
◦ but this is part of the mystery of John
◦ another part is of his mystery is how so many people had heard of him and visited him in the desert
In this episode, Jesus asked the crowd what drew them to John?
After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’” (vv. 24-27)
– John wasn’t a weak person, a reed swaying with every gentle breeze
• and he wasn’t a pampered groupie
• he lived an independent and uncompromised life
◦ Jesus showed deep respect for John
◦ but now John was slipping
I imagine that I hear frustration in John’s question
Maybe even an implied insult, as if he were asking Jesus,
“Are You the Messiah or not? If You are, then get on with it!”
– John’s question suggests he was having doubts about Jesus
• as strong as he was, how could this happen?
• I’ll explain how
– if you’ve been in a dark place long enough, or pain long enough, or severe poverty long enough,
• you start to question God – you question his will for you; you question your status with him,
• you start to lose faith
William Barclay wrote, “John, the child of the desert and of wide-open spaces, was confined in a dungeon cell in the castle of Machaerus. . . . . Shut in his cell, choked by the narrow walls, John asked this question because his cruel captivity had put tremors in his heart.”
John was slipping
– he needed confirmation that he had not made a mistake regarding Jesus
• this can happen to anyone
◦ we find a classic example in Psalm 73 (see the entire psalm!)
“But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (vv. 2-3)
– I’ve told you before that I lived with depression for most my life
• after I began to practice contemplative prayer, the depression lifted
◦ for roughly ten years I felt freed from that misery
◦ but gradually I became less diligent with my daily practice
• now–well,
I wake up twice every morning
◦ first, I wake up in a terribly dark mood – it’s oppressive, hopeless, miserable
◦ then, after my meds and during my time in the Bible and prayer,
I wake up a second time in a better mood, ready for what’s next
I’ve recently returned to being more faithful and diligent in my daily practice
John did the right thing; he took his question to Jesus
Even if his reason for asking was asking his frustration and doubt
– Jesus sent his answer to John, in the eye-witness account of the messengers
• but the Lord tagged that message with a crucial insight
“And blessed is the one who is not offended by me”
◦ Jesus is saying,
“If I don’t meet your expectations, if I walk my own path, if you’re way is hard and you think I should change it, don’t be offended and give up on Me.”
– William Barclay says, “this is not the answer John expected”
• John wanted to see might, Jesus showed mercy
• John expected fire, Jesus brought healing
Conclusion: We have entered a dark period of history
Many people are struggling financially – barely getting by
– many of us feel caught in a riptide with complete loss of control
• we’re like John in his prison cell, uncertain and doubtful
◦ we need to take our doubtful questions to Jesus
Peter was once in a prison cell, assuming he was doomed
“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell” (Acts 12:7)
Wonderful!
We need that slender ray of hope to beam into our dark pit
“For it is you who light my lamp;
the LORD my God lightens my darkness” (Ps. 18:28)
For me, returning to contemplative is like calling a time-out
We need to have those moments when we call time-out
Coaches will call for a time-out to get their team to settle down
when they’ve started to play emotionally rather than strategically
A time-out can be used to slow or stop momentum of the game,
if the other team has scored too many points in a row
A time-out can be used to change a strategy midway through game,
or to give the team a rest, or a chance to refocus
During our time-out
listening prayer awakens our awareness of God in the here and now
The light shines in our darkness
and Jesus has answered our question
Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun
Come Lord join us here today
Grant us gratitude
Recognizing how you show up in our lives
Your great loving care
Your instruction
Your discipline
Your affection
Moment by moment abiding with us
And grant us hope
Knowing that what we do matters
And that positive changes are possible
That with you
And in you
All shall be well
And grant us compassion
The strength to confront suffering
The strength to care for others
The strength to stand up
And stand in for others
Like you have for us
Amen
Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. 1 Corinthians 8:1-6
Intro: Thursday morning I was meditating on this chapter
It’s not one of my favorites, but this time something happened
– it was like I saw a glint of light sparkle from one of the verses
• so I started digging at it
◦ I took my investigation as far as I could,
◦ but when that wasn’t enough, I consulted a biblical scholar
• in a few minutes I’ll share with you what I discovered,
– but first, we’ll take a brief look at this passage
Paul stresses a key thought through repetition
Eight times in the first four verses he mentions knowing
– two different Greek words are translated as “knowledge”
• it seems to me that Paul used those words strategically
• first oidamen, then six times gnosin, then oidamen again|
◦ so he enclosed gnosin within oidamen
◦ I believe that was strategic
– when meat was sold in the Corinthian marketplace,
• it would have come from local temples where it had been offered before idols
◦ the ancient belief was that worshipers provided food for their gods
◦ this was a problem for some of the believers
• but there were those in the Corinthian who were not bothered by it
◦ they justified there freedom by saying,
“Now that we’re Christians, we know that Idols are nothing”
I think that Paul would agree with this group in general principle
– a couple weeks ago we learned that Paul identified to types of Christians in Rome:
• those who were weak in faith and those who were strong in faith
◦ those who felt free to purchase and consume meat from the marketplace were the strong in faith
◦ but in this instance, Paul wanted to modify their freedom
• here he uses the same argument here as he did in Romans 14
◦ “your convictions can’t be the only criteria for exercising your freedom”
◦ you have to consider how it might affect others
“For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died” (vv. 10-11; and notice the role “knowledge” plays in this argument!)
– so Paul begins his instructions by pointing to knowledge
• he says we already understand that we all know some things
◦ that was the argument of the freedom crowd — they knew some things
• but there was a drawback to using knowledge
◦ it inflated one’s ego, justifying their actions in spite of how it affected others
◦ his argument goes like this:
“If you assume you’re knowledgeable about something,
you really don’t know it as well as you think you do”
– what was missing in their education?
• the effect their well-informed freedom had on others
◦ or to put it more clearly: they failed to see the importance of love!
• this one line is powerful and we need to hear it
◦ no matter how much you think you know about God,
◦ it’s more important that God knows you
“if anyone loves God, [they are] known by God”
(do you remember when Jesus said in the Sermon On the Mount, “I never knew you”? Mt. 7:23)
Many Christians have been misled and it’s damaged their influence in the world
They’re convinced that learning correct doctrine is knowing God
– no one’s theology is perfect – its formation is ongoing throughout our lifetime
• and even if our concepts came close to the best information,
◦ God is not a concept!
◦ he transcends every idea we can possibly think
• biblical knowing is personal and experiential
◦ we know God by opening our hearts to him and others,
◦ by listening to him, and walking with him
– to know God requires an ongoing pursuit (Php. 3:8-16)
• but loving God is our natural response to him,
◦ and like a child’s love for its parents, it comes instantly
Now I want to get back to what sparked my curiosity on Thursday
In verse 6, Paul affirms our belief in one God
– we know him as our Father and through Jesus our Lord
• when I read that through Jesus “we exist,” I wanted to find out what was the Greek word for “exist”
◦ surprise! – there wasn’t any word translated exist in the Greek text
• the entire verse, in fact, is rather sparse – and more than one English word is implied rather than present
◦ but thinking about that sent me in another direction
– for several weeks I’ve been reading the Psalms
• all 150 of them are written as poetry
◦ most verses consist of two lines or, less often, three lines
◦ the thought in the second line runs parallel to the first
• the poetry is fascinating in how the parallel is worked out
◦ three examples:
– the first line is repeated, in the second but using different words
– the first line is repeated, the second line but in reverse order
– a statement in the first line is intensified in the second line
When I looked at the Greek text, it looked to me like four poetic lines
– the first line contained fourteen syllables
– the second line contained six syllables
– the third line matched the first line with fourteen syllables
– the fourth line matched the second line with six syllables
• reading it translated literally, Paul introduces it with “Yet to us”
“One God the Father of whom all things,
and we in him,
and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things
and we through him”
– the message itself is profound
• God is identified as our Father,
◦ and all things are of (or from ) him
◦ and we who are from him as well, are also in him
• Jesus is identified as our Lord,
◦ and all things come through him
◦ and we also are through him
This looked so much like the poetic form of the Psalms,
– that I had to check with a friend who is more knowledgeable than I
• he wrote back:
“Here is a quote from a Corinthians scholar:
‘Verse 6 also has a creedal sound to it (and is set off in poetic form in [one ancient manuscript NA27]), leading many to believe that Paul is citing (or slightly modifying) creedal material from the early church. [N.T.] Wright is not exaggerating when he asserts that the writing of this text ranks ‘as one of the greatest pioneering moments in the entire history of Christology.’”
– Paul may have been quoting an early Christian hymn
• or perhaps some believers had begun to write Christian psalms
• but why poetry? and why place it here in his letter?
When the human soul is moved by profound experiences,
– it’s not enough to try to describe it in words; our vocabulary fails us
• some experiences cannot be expressed in normal speech
◦ for instance the death of someone you have loved deeply
• if we’re going to try communicate at all,
◦ we want to communicate the powerful feelings within us
◦ and for that, we need the arts: paint, poetry, music, dance, woodworking, and so on
– that is why we sing our faith – and why Paul quotes a poem
• he wants us to feel this profound connection with God and Jesus
Not finding the word “exist” in Greek text sent me to Acts 17
“[God] is actually not far from each one of us, for
‘In him we live and move
and have our being’” (Acts. 17:27-28)
– “have our being” is not in the Greek text there either
• but the point Paul makes is clear God’s presence fills his universe
◦ we are surrounded by him everywhere at all times
“Am a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD (Jer. 23:23-24)
(I often remind myself of this when I settle into God’s presence)
• my desire is to increase, deepen, and maintain a constant awareness of his immediate presence
◦ and that’s what the poem in 1 Corinthians impressed on me this past week
Conclusion: I will close now with a bit of my meditation from Thursday
My med, “My present moment realization is that God brought me into existence, and that I can enjoy this here and now experience of him is possible through Jesus. There did not have to be a ‘me.’ I did not have to be brought into God’s universe to see the splendor of a sunset or the flight of twenty pelicans riding a thermal. I never had to feel minuscule while gazing into a star-studded sky, or fall in love, or hold my infant child in my arms, or hear a song that every time made me cry. Nor did I have to live these seven decades. I am only because God is. That I have this awareness in the space of each breath, is the gift of knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord, my Savior, my Brother, my Friend.”
Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun
Come Lord join us here today
It is easy for us to be distracted
In truth much in our culture encourages it
Our massive entertainment industry pumps out endless distraction
To soothe us
Pacify us
Our news outlets often leave us in a swirl
Of frustration
Overwhelm
And despair
Looking everywhere
All at at once
Hope fading
If we are not careful
Our lives can be consumed
By big doings over little things
Of focusing on other people’s business
The ups and downs
The comings and goings
Of things we can’t influence
Lord, give us a way through these days
And the days to come
To find and focus
On what is essential
What is real
What matters
But above all lead us to you
Our hope
Our rock
Our life
Amen
Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” John 14:1-9
Intro: Reading the stories of Jesus,
Have you ever wished you could hear the tone of his voice?
– for instance, I imagine a note of disappointment or sadness when says,
“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?”
• Philip was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus
◦ so he’s traveled with him as long or longer than the others
◦ if anyone should know Jesus, it’s Philip
• Jesus has completed his work, and his time with his disciples is winding down
◦ now, near the end, Philip doesn’t know Jesus as well as the Lord desired
– bear with me as I read through statements Jesus made re: himself
“I am the bread of life” (Jn. 6:35)
“I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12)
“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (Jn. 8:23)
“I am the good shepherd” (Jn. 10:11)
“I am the Son of God” (Jn. 10:36)
“I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11:25)
“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am” (Jn. 13:13)
In an ultimate statement regarding his person, “Truly . . . before Abraham was, I am” (Jn. 8:58)
And in this same conversation: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”
In a few minutes Jesus will say, “I am the true vine” (Jn. 15:1)
• the cumulative effect of these self-revealing statements,
◦ should have convinced Philip he’s seen the Father in Jesus
• one insight we can draw from this conversation:
◦ Jesus wants to be known by his followers,
◦ and in knowing him, he wants us to know God, his Father
To know Jesus, we must face the challenge he presents
In John’s story, people were constantly baffled by what Jesus said
– the crowds, of course, but even his disciples
• what did he mean, he was the bread of life,
◦ the light of the world, the good shepherd, the true vine?
◦ how were they supposed to know what he meant?
• the times the disciples tried to treat his words as a riddle,
◦ using logic and taking him literally, they got it wrong
– some folks won’t like me saying this, but Jesus forces us to use our imaginations
• he came to lead us into a realm that doesn’t exist in our world
◦ he came to change our lives into something we’ve never been
• the only way to envision that realm or our new selves is with our imagination
If you know anything about period of the Reformation in Britain,
– then you’ve heard of Thomas Moore – one notable quote:
Moore, “True change takes place in the imagination”
• a French philosopher in 20th century picked that up
Paul Ricoeur, “If you want to change people’s obedience then you must change their imagination.”
• an American theologian also grasped importance of this idea
◦ Walter Brueggemann observed how Christians were shaped by culture
◦ he realized, any significant change begins with imagination
• I want to honor his passing this past week with several quotes
Brueggemann, “So the first question is How can we have enough freedom to imagine and articulate a real historical newness in our situation? . . . We need to ask not whether it is realistic or [politically] practical or [economically] viable but whether it is imaginable.”
– in one of his books, he emphasizes the role of the prophets, The Prophetic Imagination
Brueggemann, “The prophet engages in futuring fantasy. The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented, for questions of implementation are of no consequence until the vision can be imagined. The imagination must come before the implementation.”
◦ he also stressed the role of artists
Brueggemann, In totalitarian states “imagination is a danger. Thus every totalitarian regime is frightened of the artist. It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the ministry of imagination, to keep on conjuring and proposing alternative futures to the single one the king wants to urge as the only thinkable one.”
◦ in Finally Comes the Poet, he writes,
“The link of obedience to imagination suggests the toughness of ethics depends on poetic, artistic speech as the only speech that can evoke transformation. Even concerning ethics, ‘finally comes the poet.’”
• the biblical story of Samson begins with angel announcement
“he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Jdg. 13:5)
◦ he wouldn’t finish the job, but someone had to start it
◦ that’s what defined his role as a judge in Israel!
• in one episode of Samson’s life, 3,000 men of Judah came to apprehend him and hand him over to the Philistines
They said to him, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us?” (Jdg. 15:11)
• they had surrendered to that situation as if it were an unalterable reality
◦ in Samson’s mind, he did not consider the Philistines as his rulers or being over him
◦ and in his own imagination of how things were, Israel’s liberation began
From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, his message was:
“Things can be different! People can change. Religion can change”
Brueggemann, “Jesus is presented and trusted as the one whose very person made a difference”
– Brueggemann lists ways Jesus demonstrated this message
• first, his birth challenged the rule of Herod and of Rome
◦ then his ministry of forgiveness, of healing (and on Sabbath!),
◦ his acceptance of, and association with outcasts, and then,
Brueggemann, “Jesus in his solidarity with the marginal ones is moved to compassion. Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism, for it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously, that the hurt is not to be accepted as normal and natural but is an abnormal and unacceptable condition for humanness.”
(At this point we might be tempted to think of Senator Ernst’s heartless comment this past week regarding cut backs in Medicaid,
“We are all going to die” – like’s it’s an inevitability, so we’ll just let it happen)
Brueggemann, “Thus the compassion of Jesus is to be understood not simply as a personal emotional reaction but as a public criticism in which he dares to act upon his concern against the entire numbness of his social context. Empires live by numbness.” And further on, “Jesus’ compassion is not only criticism of what is deathly, for in his criticism and solidarity he evidences power to transform”
Someone might assume I’ve been talking politics
I haven’t (except for that one crack regarding Ernst) – I’m not political and I don’t follow politics closely
– what I am–or at least what I try to be–is Christian,
• a follower of Jesus – so it affects me to hear him ask,
“Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me?”
• I have lots of questions and requests for Jesus
◦ I wonder how many of them he would give the same answer that he gave Philip
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”
◦ or as he said to Thomas, who complained,
“Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
“I am the way . . . . If you had known me, you would have known my Father also”
• this isn’t political; it’s personal and relational
◦ it’s about knowing Jesus
Conclusion: I hope you find encouragement in this morning’s talk
That you’re not thinking,
“I’ve already learned this. And I already know Jesus.
I was hoping to hear something else this morning;
maybe something new, or more relevant or practical”
Okay, I get it. And maybe I’m only talking to myself
Like you, I’ve already learned this too
And I’ve shared the same message for years
But with all the energy and effort that I’ve put into knowing Jesus,
I still do not know him as well as I wish
And in this way, if not so much as in other ways,
I identify with St. Paul,
who after meeting Jesus for the first time,
and having served the Lord and his people for many years, wrote:
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things . . . in order that I may gain Christ . . . that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, become like him in his death . . . . Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has ade me his own” (Php. 3:8-12)
Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun
Come Lord
Join us here today
In all things let us give thanks
Make our hearts sensitive to the good you bring to us.
Fill us with gratitude
Make us noticers of your presence
Your hand
Your loving care
Let us feel our contentment in you
And live truthfully before you
Without mask
Without pretense
Without shame
Help us step out of our defenses
Our roles and stances
Our postures and reputations
And help us to step into you
Our need of you
Knowing you are trustworthy
Knowing you are kind
Knowing you are making us new
Whole
And for this we give thanks again
And again
Amen
Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,
‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.’
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God Romans 14:10-12
Intro: For some theologians and many believers,
Paul’s letter to the Romans is the heart of the Christian faith
– but what they see as the central message isn’t my favorite part
• chapter 8 and this chapter speak directly to our need
• that is, our connection to God and life in the Spirit
◦ then chapter 14, where we learn what living our faith looks like in practice
– a natural division occurred in churches of the Roman Empire
• the split occurred along both ethnic and cultural lines
◦ they consisted of both Jewish and Gentile members
◦ Paul was clear re: his ministry, to Jews first and also to Gentiles
• in some churches, this became a problem – Galatians
◦ there is a hint of that same tension here (and in Colossians)
◦ only it has a slightly different look – based on practice
In verse 1, Paul introduces us to these two groups in Rome
He labels one group, “weak in faith”
– I think he’s being delicate by not labeling the other group as strong
• however, at the beginning of chapter 15, he does say,
“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak”
• in what way were some Christians “weak in faith”?
– this where I think we can discern Jewish roots
• what “weak in faith” means
◦ they were uncomfortable with idea of right with God by grace
• they had learned that obeying the law was their salvation
◦ so for them, they were saved by grace + something else
◦ Sabbath-keeping, dietary restrictions, circumcision
• those, strong in faith, didn’t share those convictions
I’ll pause here long enough for us to realize,
– there are many Christians who still carry similar beliefs
• we are saved by grace plus something more
◦ grace + baptism, grace + their doctrine, grace + politics
• some people will always struggle with grace
◦ at the same time, we must be aware of the danger of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace”
◦ grace that makes no demands
– grace is life-transforming–result: we live differently than before
• but even still, the essence of grace is relational not legal or doctrinal
Paul had many run-ins and conflicts with the promoters of legalism
The first significant Gentile church was in Antioch in Syria
“But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And . . . Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them . . . .” (Acts 15:1-2)
– in time, Paul reached the realization:
• he would never be able to change their minds
• they were as Christian as he was, despite their convictions
– so the challenge became working out a peaceful co-existence
• what he taught the Ephesians: Jesus is the bridge between the two groups
“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility . . . that he might create in himself one new [people] in place of the two, so making peace” (Ep. 2:14-15)
So now Paul makes a similar appeal to these two groups in Rome
He tells each group what they need to hear:
– to the weak in faith”
“Don’t judge, criticize, or condemn the others who don’t share your opinions”
– to the strong in faith:
“Don’t despise or look down on the others as less enlightened, spiritual, or educated”
The information Paul provides in the first nine verses is thorough
– but I get the feeling that he didn’t think that was enough,
• that it was important that they take the message inside them
◦ he wanted his Christian readers to live this truth
• so he moves to another way of communicating to them
◦ he doesn’t pour more information into them
◦ instead he challenges the to do some soul-searching
“Why do your pass judgment on your [Christian brothers and sisters]?”
– sometimes a “why” question is rhetorical
• the person who asks, is convinced there’s no valid answer
◦ other times, the question is real,
◦ but the person asking has another purpose than to get an answer
• if a Christian community is divided over an issue,
◦ it can be a wise move toward resolve and reconciliation,
◦ if everyone involved asks themselves,
why they feel as they do, why they hold their ground, and why they allow it to lead to division
– whether the question is effective in repairing the division,
• depends on each person taking the challenge seriously
◦ “why” must be answered as truthfully as possible
◦ to do that requires deep and thorough probing of our hearts
• I confess, it isn’t easy for me to get to my truth
◦ I must include searching my mind and heart–i.e., reason and emotion
◦ facts vs assumptions, my prejudices and preferences
also, what personal and cultural influences play into this?
When Paul asks us, “Why?” we must answer on our own
– it won’t work to refer to general consensus or public opinion
• as in the final judgment Paul mentions,
◦ we will stand alone before God and answer for ourselves
• I think my intention for saying this is the same as Paul’s
◦ I believe we must take this interior exploration seriously
– everyone finds it difficult to admit that they’re wrong
• especially if the person we’re debating is belligerent and aggressive
• knowing that it’s our spirit or attitude that is wrong, makes it even more difficult
Let’s get out the magnifying glass and take a closer look at the text
Paul get’s personal – he’s not talking about an anonymous crowd
– he says, “Why do you pass judgment”
• and he doesn’t make it “us” and “them” or “you” and “them”
◦ he addresses one group, “you,” and says, “Or you!”
– I can’t remember if I’ve noticed this before,
• that he says, “why do you despise your sibling”
◦ that is to say, “treat them with contempt”
– this is a frustrating defect of our human nature
• we cannot simply disagree with someone regarding a serious issue
◦ we are gripped with strong negative feelings toward them
• “despise” is a strong word, but sometimes we have strong feelings
◦ and this person, Paul says, is my brother, my sister
◦ we share a familial bond in Jesus
There is a key phrase in this section of Romans I want to emphasize
It is found first in verse 1, where Paul says, “welcome him”
– “Don’t judge, don’t despise, don’t argue, just welcome them”
• to welcome someone is to receive them, open you heart and your arms to them
• Paul comes back to this in verse 3
• and then again in Romans 15:7 (where Jesus is our example)
If Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son had a longer ending:
– the Prodigal–the little brother–, would have told his father,
“Don’t invite my older brother to my party! He’ll ruin it. He’s always judging me. He’ll ask how much everything cost. He’s too uptight. He always has to be right. Father, I want to be with you, but not him.”
• and his father would have answered,
“Son, never forget how much I love your older brother. He, too, is my son. And he hasn’t caused me as much heartache as you. True, he has taken fewer risks, but he’s always been very careful not to offend me. You love me. I love you and I love him, and I want you to love him as well.”
• in the longer ending, the brothers would have been reconciled
– that was what the message Jesus wanted his audience to hear and put into practice
Conclusion: Several times, I’ve started to respond to someone on social media
But I felt the Lord telling me, “Don’t do that”
– people are already doing too much name-calling, derision, and throwing obscenities at each other
• perhaps he wants me to use the platform for good
It’s one level of relief when we realize we can’t “fix” others
but there’s even greater peace when we realize, we don’t have to fix anyone else
God hasn’t put that on his list of things for us to do
Paul says “each one of us will give an account of their selves to God”
So which case should I be working on?
prosecuting my neighbor’s case or preparing my own?
Regardless of what everyone else may be doing,
we are ambassadors of God’s love in the world
Let’s commit ourselves to working on that
Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
“When I call out, answer me, my righteous God.
In the straits, You set me free.
Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer” Psalm 4:1
Intro: Do you have a favorite psalm; for instance, Psalm 23?
Whether one psalm speaks to me and another one doesn’t,
– depends a lot on my mood at the time I read them
• the Psalms are moody, and some of them match my mood perfectly
• whenever a psalm speaks to me, it’s effect is palpable
◦ it not only gives me something to think about,
◦ but also stirs up significant feelings
– the Psalms speak to our frustrations, conflicts, and heartaches
• there are psalms that encourage and console
• others give us wise counsel and guidance
• more than once, a psalm has met me in my grief
• many psalms are reminders that God is with us
Walking through Psalm 4 yesterday morning was therapeutic
– what I want to do this morning,
• is share with you what that psalm did for me
– I am reading Robert Alter’s translation of the Psalms
• he is a scholar who appreciates the uniqueness of Hebrew poetry
• and is able to bring out the literary beauty of the Psalms
The psalm begins with what all of us desire when we pray
“When I call out, answer me, my righteous God.
In the straits, You set me free.
Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer” Psalm 4:1
When we call out to God, we want an answer — a word of advice:
I have found it’s best to not ask for a specific answer
• like most everyone, I have financial concerns
◦ but I know better than to ask God to rig the lottery
• we can specify our situation or our need,
◦ but prepare ourselves for however God chooses to meet it
◦ sometimes–maybe often–we get an answer like Paul received
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9)
– I can accept an answer like that, but can I accept it as well as Paul did?
“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10)
• I’m probably not there yet – and that may be God’s answer to my prayer;
• that I need to move to a place of greater maturity
In the straits – the Hebrew word translated straits means a narrow or tight space
– when we experience “dire straits” like intense stress or anxiety,
• our brains automatically fixate on the problem
◦ this is sometimes referred to as “tunnel vision”
◦ we lose sight of the big picture
• so the poet begins by recalling his history with God:
“In the straits, You set me free”
◦ more than once, a psalm has expanded my vision
◦ peace came immediately – and soon after peace, the answer arrived
– the poet’s opens his prayer with a third significant thought:
“Have mercy upon me”
• it would never occur to me, to think I deserve an answer (or anything from God)
◦ I’m well aware that everything that comes from God is a gift
“and hear my prayer”
• in Hebrew, “hear” combines two thoughts: listen and respond
◦ the same word is sometimes translated “obey”
◦ God’s mercy allows us to go forward with our prayer, anticipating his response
“Sons of man, how long will My glory be shamed?
You love vain things and seek out lies.
But know that the LORD set apart His faithful.
The LORD will hear when I call to him” Psalm 4:2-3
I doubt we could have seen these lines coming
– the voice shifts from the poet to God – with an immediate response
• God knows already what’s on the poet’s mind and the contents of his prayer
• besides that, God shares his concern–in fact, he takes it personally
– sometimes–many times–people are the problem
• in this instance, rather than honor God by right actions,
◦ they ignore God’s glory, as if it meant nothing, had no value
◦ they’re actions are an embarrassment to God (they shame his glory)
• the poet instantly picks up on that – he agrees with God
◦ this is the problem, and why he prays
– he definitely does not share the crowd’s values or actions
• but he is content to leave them in God’s hands
◦ and in that way he is enabled to go on and find the peace he craves
◦ God doesn’t always require us to butt heads with buttheads
• the poet belongs to God’s faithful followers, set apart from others
◦ now he’s confident that God will hear his prayer
After verse 2, there’s a strange little word in right hand margin,
– selah – and no one knows for certain what it means
• most conjecture that it’s a musical notation
• I usually ignore it, but sometimes I treat it like a prompt to “stop and think about this”
The remainder of the poem is a sequence of instructions
I assume that all of us are familiar with the agitation the poet felt
– the belligerent, hurtful, foolish, or threatening words of others
• the “vain things,” as God says in verse 2, and the lies that people rant
◦ empty words actions pouring out of empty heads,
◦ stirs up unpleasant emotions that can keep us awake at night
• the poet has some enlightened advice for us
◦ we’ll take it one step at a time
“Quake, and do not offend.
Speak in your hearts on your beds, and be still” Psalm 4:4
Quake: I think he’s saying, “Acknowledge your agitation”
– bring awareness to what you’re feeling – name it
• negative feelings and emotions have more force when not identified
• there’s a “part two” in this verse: do not offend – sin, miss the mark
◦ don’t ruminate on those feelings or act on them
◦ don’t make a bad situation worse
– then, do some “heart talk” – Speak in your hearts
• there’s a good example of this in Psalm 42
“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Ps. 42:5)
◦ another “part 2” in the second line: “and be still”
◦ develop healthy habits of self-soothing (it’s easy to adopt bad ones)
• when our brains are most reactive we find it hard to shut them off
◦ cultivate stillness – relax every muscle in your body
◦ release every thought in your mind
Next:
“Offer righteous sacrifices
and trust in the LORD” Psalm 4:5
Do the right thing when others are doing wrong things
– I suggest we go with modern meaning of sacrifice, which is above and beyond
– trust is the centerpiece of the psalm – of everything in the psalm and in the whole of the Scriptures
• I love the word TRUST, and God brings me back to it all the time
• this is what makes the other instructions work
Next:
“Many say, ‘Who will show us good things?’
Lift up the light of Your face to us, LORD” Psalm 4:6
– our response to the negative attitude of the “many” voices
• a dismal outlook, that nothing good is coming to us from any direction
– to dial into those good things, receive God’s benediction – his blessing
• that is essentially the thrust of the second line of this verse
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace (Nu. 6:24-26)
Then:
“You put joy in my heart,
from the time their grain and their drink did abound” Psalm 4:6
– look for joy – open your heart to joy
And finally:
“In peace, all whole, let me lie down and sleep.
For You, LORD, alone, do set me down safely” Psalm 4:7
– one of the great concerns in our nation today is safety and security
– this is a beautiful way for the poetic prayer to resolve
• we sleep peacefully while God continues to work through the night
Conclusion: I’ll wrap this up with lyrics from an old hymn
Be still, my soul! the Lord is on your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul! your best, your heav’nly friend
Thru’ thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun
Come Lord join us here today
When you speak, help us be eager to hear you
When you call, cause us to come to you quickly
Let us grow weary of all of our ploys and workarounds and distractions
Let us grow weary of depending on our wealth and position and power
Let us bring our anxieties and fears and concerns to you instead
Trusting you to make us whole
Trusting you to bind up our wounds
Trusting you in and for all things
Knowing your great good love is
Our deepest need
And most valued treasure.
Amen
Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
The story I am going read to is found in both Matthew and Mark, but each one highlights different details. I’ve combined both versions of the story, because I didn’t want to leave out any of my favorite lines.
And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. [And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.]
And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region [a Gentile] [whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet] . . . crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
And he answered, “[Let the children be fed first, for] It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! [For this statement you may go your way . . . .] Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. [And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.] Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30
Intro: Jesus crossed an international border looking for rest
Matthew says, he “went away” and “withdrew”
– he needed space where he was free from the desperate crowds
• care givers have to be careful to care for themselves
• otherwise burn out can take out a care giver
◦ during this brief respite, Jesus and disciples were off the clock
– last thing they wanted was to hear the cry of a Gentile woman
• Jesus buries his face in a newspaper or checks his cell phone
◦ seeing that he ignores her, she begins pestering his disciples
◦ and it worked – in frustration they went to Jesus
“Send her away, for she is crying out after us”
• they broke but not because they were more merciful than Jesus
Helmut Thielicke, “They can’t take the woman’s misery. The woman clearly feels that too, otherwise she would have turned to the weary and therefore more helpful disciples. She realizes, however, that they are not merciful in yielding to her cry for help. They just have weak nerves.”
◦ so far, she has been rejected and not helped
This woman is a hero
– a desperate mom – she’s a mother who won’t give up
• up till now, her daughter has had no hope for a cure
◦ but she heard about the Jewish rabbi who came to Sidon
◦ a miracle worker – an exorcist who cast out demons with a word
• he wasn’t from her country or culture,
◦ but, if need be, she’ll become enough of a bother to wear him down
◦ she easily broke through his ring of bodyguards
– having crossed the line, she fell down at Jesus’ feet,
• and prayed this short prayer: “Lord, help me”
• now, for all her work, what does Jesus give her?
◦ a hard time, a refusal – he tells her,
“This isn’t right. You’re not a lost sheep of Israel.
What I have to give isn’t for you.
You’re torn to pieces over your daughter–I heard you,
but I have children of my own to think of, and to care for.
The needs of my children come first. My provisions are for them.
It wouldn’t be right to take food from them and throw it to the dogs.
Your name is not on my list. I can’t help you.”
• for a moment Jesus sounds like a stone-faced bureaucrat
“I can’t approve this for you. You don’t have the right papers.”
Or, “We’re returning your application because you signed on the wrong line”
If we feel uncomfortable with how Jesus acts in this story–and we do–,
– it’s not that it lacks beauty or power
• but because we don’t like seeing Jesus in this negative light
◦ we’re uncomfortable with the way he treats her
◦ if ever he’s rude or severe, it’s with self-righteous, judgmental, hypocrites
• how we see this scenario is:
“So what if she’s from the wrong side of the tracks? What does it cost Jesus to meet her desperate need?”
◦ this is not the lovely image of Jesus that we treasure
– so now, do we have to give up our idea of a loving and kind Jesus?
• should we fret that perhaps he isn’t always “nice”?
◦ whenever we find Jesus one-to-one with any person–e.g., Nicodemus, Bartimaeus, or Peter
◦ he is always working a specific strategy – he’s after something
• perhaps Jesus is testing this soulful mother
◦ challenging her like he did with two blind men in chapter 9, whom he asked,
“Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Mt. 9:28)
◦ if Jesus discourages someone, he has a reason; he makes his move to win them, not lose them
When Jesus says “dogs,” the suspense is tangible
– can this story in any way have a happy ending?
• it’s her move now, and she says, “Yes, Lord”
“Refuse my prayer that’s fine. Okay, I’m a dog. I have no right to bother You, no right to demand anything from You. I’m an outsider. But Lord, I’m not asking for the children’s bread! I’m not applying for discipleship. But about those dogs You mentioned? Well, even those dogs are allowed to eat whatever scraps fall from the table.”
◦ anyone who has children and a dog or two, knows for sure,
◦ more than a few scraps will fall under the table
(I wonder if there are any dogs that eat lima beans)
• before approaching Jesus, she had already decided no matter what he tells her, she will say “Yes”
◦ and that’s what Jesus wants–is her “Yes”
– do you remember what we’ve gone over these past two weeks?
(It’s okay if you don’t. I don’t either, but I have it in my notes)
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord, and not do what I command you?”
Why do you call me ‘Lord,’ but your actual response to me is not a ‘Yes, Lord’?
– here is a woman–a Gentile–who accepts the conceptual frame in which Jesus placed her
• but then she re-frames HIS concept to create a loophole for herself and her daughter
• it’s as if this were a game, like chess, and she just countered his move
“Yes, Lord, I’m a dog; but even the dogs get something”
“Then Jesus answered her, O woman, great is your faith!”
Was Jesus smiling when he said this? I think so. I think he enjoyed her riposte. After all, it was precisely the sort of response he hoped for, only perhaps even more clever.
– there’s another story like this, but involving a Roman centurion (another Gentile)
• Jesus said of him,
“Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Mt. 8:10)
◦ the woman won the match, because her faith wouldn’t allow her to give up
◦ Luke, in his gospel, tells us that one time Jesus
“told . . . a parable to the effect that [we] ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Lk. 18:1)
• that describes this woman — she did not lose heart, even when rejected and insulted
– she won because she was ready to surrender
• ready to accept any deal Jesus offered, meet any demand he made
• and her surrender, her “Yes, Lord,” is what Jesus was after
◦ he did not want her to walk away discouraged or hopeless
◦ he did not want the rich young man to walk away discouraged, but he did
and that was because he wasn’t prepared to meet Jesus’ demands
his response was a, “No Lord, not that!”
Some of the people I love–and whom I know love Jesus–
– have given up on prayer – not that they stopped praying
• but they never ask for anything out of the ordinary
◦ they ask for assistance, forgiveness, safe travel, and their daily bread
◦ all the basic stuff and typical necessities
• they ask for God’s help with things they can also do on their own,
(just in case he doesn’t come through)
◦ but they avoid asking for anything that depends totally on God
– most people I know have a limit on how far they’ll trust God,
• and when they reach it, they “lose heart”
◦ I, also, have my moments of despair
◦ but when God is silent, I’m learning to listen more closely
• there’s often a message in God’s silence
◦ I’m learning to say,
“Lord, since You haven’t answered the question I asked, what’s the question I should be asking?”
Or, “Since You have given me what I requested, what should be my request?”
– that’s an important lesson, however, not today’s “big idea”
Conclusion: I have another point I wish to make clear
It’s not a law, or a rule, or a magic formula to get the answer you want to every prayer
– in fact, it’s rather simple:
• we don’t have to pray long prayers to get God’s attention
• its enough to pray, “Lord, help me!”
Every week I pray for my extended family – it’s a long list
– for years, I’ve prayed my heart’s concerns
(with lots of details and ‘suggestions’ for God)
• so working my way through that list took a long time
• one morning I realized God didn’t need all the details and instructions that I gave him
◦ after that, when praying, I paused at each person’s name, and without words,
◦ I felt, briefly, my concern for their needs and what I hoped God would do for them
– so in my prayers now, I respect God’s wisdom in deciding how he will assist them
• and that gives me more time to rest in his presence
• short prayers can be as effective as long prayers,
◦ if they are sincere and backed by faith and surrender
From the example of this desperate woman, we learn
that “Lord, help me” can be enough of a prayer
or, as in Peter’s case, “Lord, save me!”
(If he had tried to pray a longer prayer, he would have drowned)
God is not waiting for us to find the right words
He waits for our, surrender, our “Yes, Lord, your will be done”
With friends or walking alone, we can pray out loud if we want
(Public prayer must be prayed aloud, so that others can say “Amen” to our prayer)
anywhere else we can pray silently at the altar of our hearts
Because we make our prayers,
whether long or short, loud or silent, with tears or laughter,
to our infinite Father in heaven anything is possible – all things are possible
Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
“And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” Matthew 7:24-27
Intro: My grandchildren have been helping me with social media, by interpreting a slew of new acronyms
Acronyms are abbreviations for phrases, titles, or names, using only the first letters of each word
– for instance, USA, BTW, or RFK
• acronyms look strange, initially
◦ a popular political insult is RINO: Republican In Name Only
• this came to mind when reading a quote by Justin Martyr
◦ a first century philosopher who became a Christian
– he quoted the part of Jesus’ Sermon we’ve been going over (Mt. 7:21-27)
Justin Martyr, “. . . let those who are not found living as He taught, be understood to be no Christians, even though they profess with the lip the precepts of Christ; for not those who make profession, but those who do the works, shall be saved . . . . And as to those who are not living pursuant to these His teachings . . . are. . . “Christians only in name”
• Jesus continues with his theme from last week
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”
◦ and now he concludes the Sermon with a parable
The parable illustrates two prerequisites for a stable future
Last week the theme was saying and doing; here it is hearing and doing
– this might remind you immediately of the letter of James
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (Jas. 1:22)
• this is a dangerous self-deception
• there are several people I worry about, because they assume they’re fighting a righteous battle,
◦ but what they’re doing is not of God at all
– Jesus sets two characters side-by-side; one wise, the other foolish
• this is a familiar contrast in the OT wisdom literature
“The wise lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near” (Pr. 10:14)
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice” (Pr. 12:15)
• both characters in the parable are building a house
◦ we could take this to mean that each one is constructing a life
◦ its stability depends the the values each one adopts and the habits they form
First there is the wise man, “who built his house on the rock”
Luke records the same parable, but there Jesus tells it differently
“he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock (Lk. 6:48)
– Soren Kierkegaard wrote an essay, “Love Edifies” (builds up)
• he stresses the important first stage in building up, which is “digging down”
Kierkegaard, “It is commendable that a man, before he starts to build, should reflect on ‘how high he will be able to build his tower,’ but if he decides to build, then let him take care to dig deep . . . .”
“In the simple story about a house, a building, everyone knows what is understood by the ground and the foundation. But what is, spiritually understood, the ground and the foundation of the spiritual life which shall support the building? It is simply love; love is the origin of everything, and, Spiritually understood, love is the deepest foundation of the spiritual life.”
• as you can see, he was a poet as well as a philosopher and theologian
– of course, he was right about love being the foundation
• Jesus has stressed that all through the Sermon
• love is the righteousness that exceeds that of scribes and Pharisees (Mt. 5:20)
Jesus then describes how sturdiness of house was tested
– rain fell, floods came, and winds blew and beat on that house
• no human person is immune from trouble
◦ inconveniences fall on us
◦ trouble comes to us
◦ storms rage and blast against us
• being a minister means that we have not only our own problems,
◦ but we’re exposed to the problems of many other people
◦ illness and injury, financial problems and job insecurities,
troubled friendships and aggressive enemies
all the usual (and some unusual) anxieties of life,
as well as our own actual losses and miseries
– all these things come as trials (think of a “trial run”)
• they test the stability of our lives
◦ and we’ve seen that whatever tests us can also tempt us
◦ but if we have a firm foundation, we won’t crumble
• that is what Jesus has provided us through the entire Sermon
◦ hearing his teaching is good–that much we can take for granted
◦ but doing as he says is like “building to code”
(then, even moderate earthquakes won’t bring our house down)
Now we come to the foolish man
Jesus makes it obvious that this person paid no attention to the foundation of his house
– not only did he fail to dig down to rock bottom,
• he didn’t even bother to consider the soils composition
◦ constructing a building in Orange County requires soils test
◦ builders need to know the compaction of the ground on which they will build
• what happens when you stand on a sandy shoreline and let the water roll over your feet?
◦ the water shifts the sand under your feet and undermines your stability
– in Luke, Jesus says, the foolish builder
“built his house on the ground without a foundation” (Lk. 6:49)
Jonathan Pennington, “the difference” between the two houses “is at the hidden level of the foundation.”
• maybe no one else could see how the builder cut corners
◦ no one else knew the way he violated building codes
◦ or failed to do what he heard Jesus teach
• but eventually, the truth came out
The assault on the foolish man’s house, was exactly the same as the wise man’s house
– but the foolish man’s structure was not prepared to pass the tests
• not only did it fall, but “great was the fall of it”
• that extra notation could cause me a panic attack
◦ ultimately, his was a life that served no purpose
◦ a life that did not benefit anyone–not even himself
– the obvious questions I need to ask myself are:
• Am I living Jesus’ Sermon On the Mount?
◦ am I becoming a kinder, more merciful person?
◦ am I practicing the true righteousness of the law?
◦ am I avoiding all the ways of acting like a hypocrite?
◦ am I learning to control my anxiety
◦ am I seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness?
• Jesus has brought us back to the crossroads
◦ the narrow gate that opens to the hard way
and the wide gate that opens to the easy way
◦ the wise way and the foolish way–one is ultimate success and the other is ultimate failure
Conclusion: We are not quite done
“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”
“When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him” Matthew 7:28-8:1
Matthew encloses Jesus’ sermon in a tidy envelope structure
– the sermon began when Jesus climbed the mountain, followed by a crowd
• and now it ends as Jesus descends the mountain, with great crowds following him
• but what stands out at the end of the Sermon, is that
“the crowds were astonished at his teaching”
and that because
“he was teaching them as one who had authority”
• how did they experience Jesus’ authority?
◦ who is Jesus? Why listen to him and then do what he says?
– Jesus exerts his authority all the way through the Sermon
• remember when he was saying (repeatedly):
“You have heard that it was said . . . . But I say to you”
Jesus, the Son of God is an astonishing person
He carries authority within himself
He doesn’t need a badge, a weapon, or a university degree
His is the truest, the most real kind of authority
The words of Jesus stay with us as we descend the mountain,
and return to the desperate crowds below
But we return with a new vision, and a transformed life
Amy-Jill Levine, “If you let the Sermon be your guide, you will not only have one foot in the kingdom of heaven but also be able to experience that kingdom in your life and in your heart.”
Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun
Come Lord join us here today
Help us remember every good thing in our lives
Full of gratitude
And giving thanks from our hearts
Especially for the people we love and who love us too
Their kindness and care
Their affection and consideration
Show us how to love them well
Better than ever before
In our gratitude
And if we have caused pain in their lives
Or there are misunderstandings
Resentments
Help us to make repairs as needed
To make amends
To set things right
To bring peace into the world
And help us find ways to resolve our concerns
Our difficulties and problems
Without causing unnecessary hurt
So that as far as it depends upon us
We can be at peace with everyone
Especially those close to us
Make your life full in ours
Help us embody your way
Knowing our healing and wholeness comes
Through loving others
And help us become the sort of people
who have the capacity to love
As you have loved us
Amen
Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Matthew 7:21-23
Intro: We’re nearing the end of Jesus’ Sermon
I think we must admit, there have been surprises along the way
– but it has been a journey of wonder, skirting the edges of the kingdom of God
• at the same time, the Lord has exposed us, to truth that is deep and difficult
• so, what does Jesus want to say to us this morning?
– though he’s never one to sugarcoat the hard things, Jesus is being rather blunt, don’t you think?
• maybe what we hear is a tone of voice that offends
◦ we ask, Where is God’s compassion and mercy?
• if Jesus must deliver this truth, couldn’t he at least be polite?
◦ but is there a polite way to shout, “The building’s on fire”? or “Run for your lives”?
◦ when Jesus is direct and rough, even then he loves us
in these verses, Jesus does not give us new information, but a clear application
– because, if we look closely, we find all the Sermon’s central themes
• the kingdom of heaven–from the Beatitudes on
• the heavenly Father–which like the kingdom, is in Lord’s Prayer
• the will of my Father–also in the Lord’s Prayer
• the Law (here: lawlessness)–and, by implication, true righteousness
– reiterating these themes, Jesus encloses them in a classic package:
“Actions speak louder than words”
• the scale is balanced between what one “says” and “does”
◦ after he makes his point, he illustrates it with a parable
◦ and again later in Matthew with another slightly different parable
“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you” (Mt. 21:28-32)
• people can change their minds about what they’ve said
◦ but they cannot change what they’ve done or not done
V. 21, The message is simple
In fact, it shouldn’t take longer to explain than it is to read
But if some people are in for a dreadful surprise, we need to see why
– next week, Jesus tells parable about two men building houses
• he told almost the same parable another time
◦ we find that one in Luke’s gospel, where Jesus introduces his story with:
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?” (Lk. 6:46)
◦ this is the heart of the problem; the huge inconsistency
• for now, Jesus is “Lord,” but only for those who do what he says
– entrance into the Father’s kingdom is contingent on doing what the Father says
• that is the one necessary qualification
V. 22, The credentials these people present are impressive
They do not look like your ordinary followers of Jesus
– in fact, that’s why the whole issue at the entrance to the kingdom of God is shocking
• if the miracle-workers are turned away, what hope is there for an average Christian like myself?
– I’m curious if this group will include preachers and evangelists,
• who think they’ve worked miracles in Jesus’ name
◦ and built multi-million dollar organizations with sprawling campuses and private jets
• do any of these famous, and infamous, people,
◦ assume amassing fortunes and building empires in Jesus’ name,
◦ is the sum total of what God expected of them?
Now, if you’re wondering, how a person who
– prophesied, cast out demons, and did many might works, “in Jesus’ name”
• would not make it into the kingdom of heaven, then you haven’t been paying attention!
• remember last week, “You will recognize them by their fruit” ?
◦ what fruit? — that’s the question we should be asking
– I try not to be hyper-critical – or even moderately critical,
• but there are many things people do in Jesus’ name, that have nothing to do with Jesus
◦ but everything to do with their own agenda, popularity, and profit
• they turn the name of Jesus into a banner,
◦ and wave it over their own projects and personal goals
◦ they use, and misuse, the name of Jesus to attract followers
I listen carefully to the words Jesus says,
– specifically, “On that day” – the effect those words provoke is chilling
• standing in the threshold of the kingdom of heaven,
◦ is not the place where you want to be surprised
◦ where you want to learn that you are not granted access
– what does Jesus say to these people who,
• use his name without his authorization?
V. 23, “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you’”
Now we learn what it was they were doing wrong:
“depart from me, you workers of lawlessness”
– to appreciate the point Jesus is making,
• we have to turn back a couple of pages
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. . . . Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven . . . .For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:17-20)
• is it staring to come together for you?
– how does Jesus “fulfill” the Law and Prophets?
• by taking us below the surface of the “words” of the Law down into their intent
“You have heard that it has been said . . . . But I say to you . . . .”
◦ there is a superficial righteousness practiced by scribes and Pharisees
• Jesus revealed a greater righteousness
◦ when sifted to its essence, the Law’s true form is love (cf. Rom. 13:8-10)
◦ a righteousness that is not merely ethical or moral, but relational
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (Mt. 22:37-40)
Repeatedly in the Sermon Jesus has brought us back to this revelation
– what is the “fruit” Jesus wants to see in us and for us to look for in others?
“the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Gal. 5:22)
One year, reading these verses left me feeling disturbed
Especially by Jesus words of rejection: “I never knew you; depart from me . . .”
– I’m sure that many of those people who hear Jesus tell them this, ask,
“How could he have never known me?”
• so I asked myself, “How can I get Jesus to know ME?”
◦ obviously, not by boasting “big” displays of power or even miracles
◦ not by making a name for myself
• the answer was right in front of me:
“do the will of my Father who is in heaven”
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love [them] and manifest myself to [them]” (Jn. 14:21)
“if anyone loves God, [they] are known by God” (1 Cor. 8:3)
– in Matthew chapter 12, Jesus redefined family
• his mother and brothers were outside wanting to speak to him
“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Mt. 12:46-50)
Conclusion: Now you and I have all we need to know
No one is going to talk or argue their way into the kingdom of heaven
Jesus knows those whose love for others is like his own
He knows those who “hear the word of God and do it”
It is the people who bear his family resemblance
In Matthew 25 we learn that Jesus is especially fond of those who
Feed people when they are hungry and have nothing to eat
Give drink to people when they are thirsty
Welcome strangers who need assistance
Clothe others when what they wear is inadequate for their need
Visit the infirm, the elderly, the prisoner
Whatever else you and I will be doing this week,
Let’s be on the lookout for someone who needs love
Don’t worry about “who” or “how” or “where” or “when”
Just show love
Be creative
Daily Meditations From the Scriptures