Reflexion Connexion

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come, Lord, join us here today
This morning we pray for children
For the innocent
Those used
Abused
Neglected
And Forgotten
Those caught up in
ideologies of power
And greed
Used as pawns
In the attempts of some men
To dominate,
Control
To establish a kingdom on earth
In the name of their god
For their own satisfaction
While children are reduced
To collateral damage
Shamelessly
Wantonly
Carelessly

For those children
who are hungry, starving
We pray they will be fed
And cared for
And restored to health
And loved

For those children
taken from their homes
We pray for safe return
And a path to recover
And that they be made whole again
And loved

For those in fear
We pray for their peace
In hope that their suffering will end
And the freedom to grow and heal
And to be abundantly,
Profoundly loved

For those children who have died
We ask for mercy
And justice
And peace
Solace for their families and friends
And your continuing love

And for those with us
Whose wounded child
Still abides within
We ask for healing
And recovery
And freedom from fear
And to be made new

And that we might
find a way to help
In some little portion
Other children
Who are suffering
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified” Galatians 3:15

Intro: In the first half of this chapter, Paul scolded the Galatians

You know how sometimes, as a parent,
– when you’re very worried about your child–maybe they did not arrive home on time
• when they finally show up, your worry turns to anger
◦ if ever our lectures were rougher than they needed to be,
◦ it was because we had agonized over their safety
• I think that’s a little piece of what is happening here
◦ Paul has called the Galatians “foolish” and asked “Who has bewitched you?”
◦ that is because they had him worried about the stability of their faith
– it is often the people who are most concerned with pleasing God,
• that are misled by false preachers and teachers
◦ they desire so much to be absolutely right with God that they fall victim to someone who seems knowledgeable
• anyway, Paul’ agitation rises to the surface in these short, clipped statements that barely say enough
– here in verse 15, he presents Abraham as an example of being true to a promise

Why Abraham? What is so important about him?

First, God’s covenant/s with Israel began with him
Second, Abraham predates the law by four centuries
Third, being chosen to represent God to the world,
Abraham became the spiritual “father of us all” (Ro. 4:16)

Perhaps it will be helpful for us to revisit Abram
(this was before God changed his name to Abraham)

In a vision, God told Abram, “I have a great reward for you”
Abe asked, “What reward, if I have no seed, no offspring, to inherit it?”
God answered, “Count the stars if you can. Your seed will be like that”
Again Abram disputed, “How can I know this is really going to happen?”
Instead of giving him an answer, God gave him specific instructions.

Later, that afternoon, Abram sacrificed a heifer, a goat, and a ram,
all three years old. He also prepared a turtle dove and pigeon.
He cut each animal in half, and laid the halves opposite each other in two rows,
with a path between them. – Then he waited.

As the sun set, Abram began to doze, but soon woke up in a cold sweat.
A darkness spread across the rough terrain–
an eerie dark that was more than just the absence of light,
and as it crept over Abram, it filled him with dread.
The voice of God came to him through the dark,
“Your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land; they will be slaves and mistreated for four hundred years. Then I will bring them back here, bringing great wealth with them. In the meantime, you will life to a ripe old age and die in peace.”
In the silence after God finished speaking, a light appeared,
like a fire burning in an oven or a bright torch,
and it moved along the path between the animal carcasses,
from one end to the other.
Then and there, the LORD made a covenant with Abram.

What this story describes is a formal ritual for enacting a covenant
– the sacrifice of the animals was an expensive investment
• but it’s believed that it was meant as a warning:
So may this be the punishment of one who violates the covenant
• “making a covenant” in Hebrew idiom, literally translated, is “cut a covenant”

Now we return to Galatians 3:15

When two people enter a contract agreement
– after it has been signed and notarized,
• neither one can go back and rewrite terms of their agreement
• that’s the first part of Paul’s point
– his application in verses 16-17, is that God sealed a contract with Abraham
• and from then on it could not be annulled or changed

But then Paul makes an odd observation
– when God extended the covenant to Abraham’s “seed,”
• Paul says seed is singular, and referred to one particular descendant
• I doubt that claim would be convincing today
◦ we are more technical in the way we use words
◦ but the style of rabbis followed the Hebrew Scriptures, which involve a lot of word-play
– we do not need to linger over what Paul does here
• we get what he is saying
• for Paul, that one seed refers to Jesus

The heart of Paul’s argument is that God sealed his covenant with Abraham
– and that covenant was based on a promise, “ratified” by God himself
• so the law, even though it came centuries later,
◦ could not alter or terminate that covenant of promise
• in a lengthier argument, Paul explained this to the Romans
“For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith” (Ro. 4:13)
– in verse 18, Paul says if God switched things up, if he changed the terms of the contract,
• so that now the inheritance came through the law,
◦ then it would no longer be based on his promise
• Paul insists that law and promise are two different types of covenant

So what is the point of the law? Why even bother?

The problem isn’t difficult to identify–humans are still human
– in fact, humans are still animals and the temptation is,
• to live according to our animal nature
◦ if we’re going to rise above that, we need law and order
◦ we need to know the rules and to be held accountable to obey them
• that’s the short answer to Why the law
◦ it was meant to hold our sinfulness in check until the fulfillment of the promise
– but here we find another difference between law and promise
• as the story goes, the law was given to Moses by angels (Acts 7:53)
• the promise was given by God directly to Abraham

We can see an obvious tension between the law and the promise
– so does one contradict the other? Paul says, “Certainly not!”
• IF there was a statute in the law that breathed its life into us,
◦ so that we were made righteous, then that is all we would have needed
• but that is exactly what the law does not do!
◦ it doesn’t heal or fix anything, but takes over everything (“imprisoned everything under sin”)
– the promise is the solution to the problems created by law
• it provides us a way to be right with God through Jesus
• this is what Paul means: made righteous by faith

Paul has one more point to make regarding the law

In Greek and Roman cultures, children were raised by guardians
– they provided training and discipline,
• but their main concern was to keep them out of trouble and have productive lives
• and the guardians main method of keeping children in line was severe punishment
– Paul uses the role of a guardian as an analogy for the law
• he says, in our immature youth, we didn’t know any better
◦ we needed strict discipline and that’s what the law provided
• but since Jesus has come, and brought us to maturity through faith,
◦ we no longer need the mean old nanny
◦ he says we’re all sons of God
This is inclusive of females, but Paul specifies sons, because the oldest son was a privileged role in the family
Once liberated, he became the master of his former guardians

The rite-of-passage for the Galatians, when they came of age spiritually
– was the threshold experience of their baptism
• that’s when they sloughed off the law and “put on Christ”
◦ the same way we put off the old self to put on new self
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, [they are] a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17)
– it’s as if Paul says, “Now look around you; everything has changed!”
• the law identified all sorts of distinctions and divisions of people
• but that disappears in the promise where there
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ” Galatians 3:28-29

Conclusion: When my son Will was two years old, he was constantly singing – all the time

Songs about his toys, songs about his mom and dad, songs about cats and dogs
One day I told him, “O Will, to you everything’s a song”
He immediately sang, “Everything’s a song”
We were in a restaurant one evening, when I noticed people at other tables looking over at us
It was then I realized Will was singing loudly–I’d gotten used to it
For me, that’s what it means to be “free to be me”
Paul tells us, through his message to the Galatians,
“You are free to be you. Don’t let anyone spoil it for you”
Sing your heart out to God – in Jesus, everything’s a song

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today.
Thank you for all the good in our lives
And thank you that our lives are ever changing
That people come and go
That situations arise and are resolved
That nothing is forever
Except for you.

For those among us who are tired and sick
Grant comfort
For those anxious and afraid
Grant peace
For those hurt and wounded
Grant healing
For those who are lonely
Grant companions

Lord grant us
the courage and strength
We need to follow you
Grant us
the humility and wisdom
to listen when you speak
Grant us
the patience and hunger
to wait on you

We are full of gratitude
for all you give
We look forward
for all to come
Knowing some days will be glorious
And some will be difficult
Trusting you and
Your great love
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Galatians 3:1-6

Intro: Do I need to mention that Paul does not try to hide his frustration with the Galatians?

To our ears, his language–“foolish” and “Who has bewitched you?” sounds offensive
– later on he will say, if they’ve truly taken this wrong path,
“You are severed from Christ . . . you have fallen away from grace” (Gal. 5:4)
• he doesn’t mince words, because he’s terrified for their sake
◦ he wants to make the strongest possible impression on them
• and this is just the beginning
– we’re going to spend some time in verse 1
• first, because the truth in it is so rich and enlightening
• second, because here Paul constructs a foundation for everything else

Paul begins laying into the Galatians with a question: “Who?”

Later in his letter he will press this question on them again
“You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” (5:7)
– someone did this to them, cast a spell over them, was pulling their strings
• Paul isn’t demanding that they give him names
◦ he’s simply saying the Galatians did not come up with this on their own
◦ that is, others told them they were not true believers because did not follow the law
• he is alerting them to the fact that others had done this to them
◦ had influenced them, deceived and manipulated them
– when religious leaders manipulate vulnerable believers,
• it’s for one reason: that is, to control them
◦ perhaps Paul’s question could be a wake-up call for millions of American Christians
“Who did this to you? Who programmed you?”
• who caused you to become so terrified, so paranoid?
◦ of secular humanists? of New Age gurus? of Evolution?
◦ of liberated women? of immigrants? of a communist take-over?

Contrast the current worry and fear with Jesus’ instruction,
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Mt. 10:28)
and Paul’s confidence that,
“in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Ro. 8:37)

At any rate, the answer regarding who bred these fears in believers is that it’s been going on for fifty years from Christian organizations that discovered fear is a stronger motivation than love for raising tax-free contributions
– so every newsletter they mailed us was peppered with warnings
• “Your freedom is being taken away, unless you support us”
◦ “They’ve taken prayer our of schools, and next they will take God out”
(as if such a thing were even possible)
• conspiracy theories have become profitable for the people who spin and publish them
– that is Paul’s first question, “Who has done this to you?”

Paul then reminds them of where their faith began and who it’s about

Now this is a fascinating claim that Paul makes
– the Galatians lived far from Jerusalem and most likely never been there
• yet the crucifixion of Jesus had been played out before their eyes
◦ this is a critical factor in being exposed to the Christian faith
◦ the truth is not merely information you can learn, it must be experienced
• but how can we experience something so distant in space and time as Jesus’ death and resurrection?
◦ the answer is “story”
◦ we can go anywhere in the world and time through a well-told story
– we read technical books for education, for information
• we read novels and poetry for an experience of people, places and events
◦ listen to how John introduced others to Jesus:
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life–the life was made manifest and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us–that which we have seen and heard we proclaim to you . . .” (1 Jn. 1:1-3)
• the Jesus we encounter in the story, is the one to whom we open our hearts
◦ the One we receive, follow, and to whom we remain faithful

The Galatians began their spiritual journey with Jesus
– that is what I miss most about the Jesus Movement
• Jesus was everything for this huge mass of human lives
• he was in our stories, our songs, our prayers, our every conversation — our lives
– that many allowed themselves to be drawn away from him is tragic
• Christianity is Christ–not politics, entertainment, commerce
• Paul was coaxing the Galatians to return to where they began

Paul builds an argument on logic and their own experience

His first argument: he draws a contrast between works of the law and faith in Christ
How did they receive the Spirit of God?
– was it by obeying the law of Moses that he entered their lives,
– or from hearing the message of Jesus and putting trust in him?
His second argument: he draws a contrast between the Spirit and the flesh
– here the point is, when they became Christians they were immediately mad alive in God by his Spirit
– so now, do they think they must use material means to complete the journey?
(Note: To be spiritually energized to God’s will is much more powerful than legal, moral, or ethical motivation)
His third argument: had they wasted their time following Jesus?
– apparently, they had suffered for their faith in Christ
– Paul as if now they considered their experience was “in vain”? – for nothing?
His fourth argument: God’s continued work in their community
– was it supernatural or the result of following rules and procedures?

Paul makes a sudden turn, and gives the answer to his questions (verses 9-14)

He reminds them of Abraham
– in the second half of the chapter, Paul will use Abraham as an example
• but here he summarizes what he sees as essential
• one moment in history is the exact point where Paul’s theology of our relationship with God begins
◦ it seems like a small parentheses in Abraham’s story,
◦ but for Paul, it reveals the essence of God’s love and acceptance
– God made extravagant promises to Abraham regarding his future progeny
“And he [Abraham] believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6)
• here’s the point: How was Abraham made right-with-God?
◦ certainly not be the law, which had not yet been revealed
◦ but by faith and trust in God

What is God is after? What does he want from human persons?
– is there any gift we can give him? Any monument big enough?
– is there any accomplishment we can achieve?
• is he impressed by new inventions or space travel?
• can we be good enough for God?
– anything we can do for God he can do for himself (and infinitely greater)
• what he wants is what every lover wants!
◦ he wants us to choose him, to choose to love him
◦ and the way we show him our love is by placing our complete trust in him
• that’s why when Abraham believed, God said, “You’re right with me”
◦ the gift of love we present to God is our complete trust
– Paul says this is for Gentiles as well as Abraham’s descendants, because God told him,
“In you shall all the nations be blessed”

In verses 10-14, Paul sets the blessing of faith over against the curse of the law

Paul pulls out several verses from the Hebrew Scriptures to show how it fails us
1. a curse is pronounced on everyone who doesn’t obey it
• for Paul, this applies that to every single commandment
2. a prophecy of Habakkuk is proclaimed that reveals God’s will: “The righteous shall live by faith”
• Paul contrasts that with the Law, because the law is not of faith
• he supports this claim with another quote from the law: “The one who does them shall live by them”
3. another verse from the law explains how Jesus saves us from the curse (v. 13)
So, a blessing comes through Abe and a curse through the law (v. 14)

Conclusion: In the churches of my early youth, we sang a hymn, “There Shall Be Showers of Blessings”

First of all, I don’t believe it (life is often hard and our path is not always showered with blessings)
Secondly, I don’t need it
There is one necessary blessing, and that is being right with God
That is everything we need to carry us through life
It is also enough to open our hearts and minds to inspiration
We can find inspiration in all that is around us–the sky, the sea, every living thing
To feel it requires looking, and patience and a calm state of mind
And sometimes we feel the need to paint it, sing it, write its poetry
There are little imitations of inspiration (i.e., greeting cards)
But the real deal ultimately transcends expression
and can only be savored

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us today
Sometimes we have hard passages
And sometime our friends and family do.
Sometimes we see it in our neighbors
There are disappointments
Frustrations
Even suffering

And Suffering hasn’t gone out of fashion
Lord
It has grown
Become more abundant
in some places
Even calculated
Planned
Perpetrated
intentionally

And there are endings Lord
Losses to come
Lives that pass
And we ache for them
and for those we know
who are facing them
As we all will one day.

So we ask for compassion for those who suffer
Fill our hearts with mercy
Grant us the courage to not look away
Show us when
and how we can
Come alongside
Caring
Serving
Even sacrificing if need be
To ease the pain
Standing with others in patience
Gentleness
Kindness
Tenderly Lord
And steadfast
Unafraid
Not blinking
Like the lovers
You have made us to be.
Amen.

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God Galatians 2:17-19

Intro: Paul has shared with the Galatians a brief autobiography

He completed it with a story about his run-in with Peter
– when Peter first came to the Gentile church in Antioch,
• he allowed the wall between Jews and Gentiles to collapse
◦ but when rigid and dogmatic believers arrived from Judea,
◦ he broke away from close contact with Gentile believers
• how sad, when a person withdraws from generous gestures,
◦ ones that represents acceptance and camaraderie,
◦ and make the break for fear of being attacked by narrow-minded zealots
– somewhere along the way, Paul left off telling his story
• it was a backdrop for the point he wanted to make;
• namely, Jesus–and not the law–works God’s righteousness into believers

These verses are a bit tricky, and I tend to get lost in the labyrinth

Biblical scholars have different opinions regarding what Paul is saying
– what I’ll share with you is my interpretation
• I hope this helps make sense of this passage

Paul can imagine an argument a Pharisee might make
“It’s a sin for you, Paul, to say Gentile Christians do not have to follow God’s law”
– in his letter to the Romans, Paul clearly stated his teaching to Gentiles regarding the law
“For by works of the law no human being will be [made righteous] in [God’s] sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Ro. 3:20)
• to the Pharisees, this sounded like Paul dishonored the law
◦ the Pharisee party that took a hard line on the law and considered Paul a heretic or rogue apostle
“some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses’” (Acts 15:5)
◦ in other words, they demanded that Gentiles convert to Judaism to become Christians
• what Paul hears them saying about him is something to the effect,
“You are saying that we are ‘sinners’ for trusting God to make us righteous through Jesus rather than through perfect obedience to the law”
– is this starting to make sense?

Before going on, I want to defend Paul’s respect for the law
“So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” (And later in the same chapter, “I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my [body parts] another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my [body parts]” (Ro. 7:12 and 22-23)
– his deep respect for the law and for what it does is obvious
• namely, it separates light from darkness, good from bad, righteousness from wickedness
◦ the delineates clear boundaries, revealing what is sinful
“if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin” (Ro. 7:7)
• I’m convinced this is how people in Old Testament viewed the law; that is,
as a relief from the moral confusion evident in other cultures
◦ so Psalm 19 sings the beauty and perfection of God’s law
◦ and the entire 176 verses of Psalm 119 praise the law
“Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97)
– in Romans, Paul argues that faith in Jesus supports the law
“Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary we uphold the law” (Ro. 3:31)
• so here in Galatians 2:17, Paul asks this question, then answers it emphatically:
“If we’re sinning in our attempt to be made righteous in Christ, does that mean Christ is a servant of sin? Certainly not!”
• through Jesus, God does for us what the law could not do
◦ the law doesn’t change people, it doesn’t produce life
◦ it only shows us what we’re doing wrong

Next, in verse 18, Paul says that if he reverted to depending on the law,
– he would be rebuilding what he had torn down
• then he would be a sinner (transgressor)
• he would have given up on his faith in Jesus and shifted his confidence to himself

Humans do not have the capacity to be good enough
to earn or deserve the acceptance of the one true, holy God

◦ yet God loves us, so he provided a way to be right with him and others
◦ therefore Paul could not revert to a legalistic approach to righteousness
– much of Galatians seems to be a brief summary of Paul’s letter to the Romans
• for instance, verse 19 is the very conclusion he drew after the first seven chapters of Romans as he was building his argument
“if it were not for the law, I would not have known sin. . . . I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died” (Ro. 7:7-9)
◦ what the law tells us becoming righteous on our own is, “The bridge is out”
• but if the law kills us (as Paul says) that death of the old self becomes the birth of our new self

Modern Christianity has turned some of Paul’s remarkable theology into slogans

We joyfully confess that we are “saved by grace”
– we defend our freedom from the law, because we’re “justified by faith”
• we know “Christ died for our sins” and though “We’re not perfect, we’re forgiven”
◦ and so on and on, yet many believers barely understand what any of this truly means
• the theological foundation of Christian faith is profound and we may never understand its fullness,
◦ but we can still learn to appreciate its depth

Paul concludes the first big drive of his Galatian lectures
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose Galatians 2:19-20

I’m going to jump over verse 20 for now, but come back to it
– this last sentence has the effect of a crescendo
• it is a daring statement – an “all or nothing” warning
First, we learn that God’s grace can be nullified in a person’s life
– to me, that is a terrifying thought
• especially, because it seems the Galatians were moving this direction without knowing it
Second, he repeats the problem at the heart of his entire argument
– the bogus idea that a person could keep the law perfectly — it can’t be done
Third, if that were possible, then “Christ died for no purpose”
– in the context of our Christian belief and all we know about the life and ministry of Jesus–
◦ that hits us like the greatest tragedy imaginable
• Jesus came to live among us, but also and especially, to give up his life to us

I think it’s obvious that Paul intended to disturb his readers
– he uses extreme statements to reveal the danger they face
– if they had been tempted to take the path of the law,
• they need to know what they were sacrificing

Now, coming back to verse 20, I want to change my tone

There is solid theology in this verse – but also something more
– I believe it’s important to recognize that this is mystical teaching
• in verse 19, Paul said he died to the law,
◦ but how did he die? and in what sense did he die?
◦ he was obviously still alive when he wrote these words
• he died by being “crucified with Christ”
◦ we could say this was a “symbolic” death,
◦ but I think Paul would argue, “No, it was more than that”
– there is a mystical death that occurs at the core of our being (Ro. 6:3-7)
• as we mature, we develop ideas about who we are
◦ we ask questions, like, “What is my purpose?”
◦ “What am I good at?” “Who am I?”
• when we come to Jesus, we present this “fabricated self” to Jesus
◦ he tells us to take that self to the cross. daily
◦ and become our new and true self in him

When Peter was able to identify who Jesus truly was,
– Jesus, in turn, revealed to Peter his true self (Mt. 16:16-18)
• becoming his new self was a process – the cross is not easy
• in Christian mysticism there is a teaching referred to as The Dark Night Of the Soul
(in my opinion, this is at times overplayed and gets more attention than it deserves)
◦ if the dark night enters our lives at all, it isn’t everything or always
◦ it may, however, be a stage or a path, but it is not a destination
• in some way, we need to recognize the dying for what it is
– Paul had this beautiful vision of “being-in-Christ” and Christ living in him
Albert Schweitzer, in The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle, wrote,
“The concept of being-in-Christ dominates Paul’s thought in a way that he not only sees in it the source of everything connected with redemption, but describes all the experience, feeling, thought and will of the baptized as taking place in Christ. Thus the phrase ‘in Christ Jesus’ comes to be added to the most varied statements, almost as a kind of formula.” (He then lists more than twenty instances in which Paul mentions being in Christ in different contexts)
“Certainly in this it is entirely different in character from the Hellenistic mysticism, which allowed daily life to go its own way apart from the mystical experience and without relation to it.” [emphasis added]
(Sadly this is what we see that Christianity has become today for too many people in our nation)
• too few believers seek the intimate, inward, and dynamic experience of the real presence of Jesus
◦ or communion with the Spirit of God from one day to the next

Conclusion: I only have enough time left to say this:

Our ongoing relationship with God is experiential
It is not imprisoned in our mind in the form of intellectual concepts or doctrines
God’s close friends who have walked this path before us invite us into the experience of God himself

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psa. 34:8)

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today.
It is enough that you know our name
It is enough that you call us
Each of us
To you

It is enough that you hold us close
Walk us along
That you meet us in our loneliness
Our disappointment
Our fading hopes
Our burning anxieties
That you restore us
Make us whole
Bring us to life

It is enough that you invite us to
Work with you
Alongside
Together
In the little things
On the margins
In the world as it is

Protect us from our desires to be big
Great
Important.
From our desires to dominate
Control
Impress
From our need to be the center
The people of power
People of wealth
People of influence

It is enough to be great
As you have described greatness
To serve
To give
To sacrifice
To love
All who come into our lives

Lord it is enough that you know our name
It is enough that you call us
Each of us
To you
Because then,
we are yours.
It is enough
It is more than enough
It is everything
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy Galatians 2:11-16

Intro: If you remember from last week, Paul is telling his story

Now, at the end of his autobiography he mentions Peter (Cephas)
– this is the only record of them ever having a personal encounter
• as Paul approaches the primary purpose of his letter
• he uses this story to illustrate his central point
– the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem recognized
the difference between his ministry and Peter’s
“they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted to the circumcised” (v. 7)
• he used those “circumcision” terms to distinguish between Gentiles and Jews, because he wanted to make a point
• they all belonged to Jesus, but Jewish believers had an obligation that did not apply to Gentiles
◦ circumcision is shorthand for all the laws of Moses

There’s a chapter from life Peter that is relevant to Paul’s theology

It’s a tale of two visions, both received in seaside cities
– the Romans had a garrison posted in Caesarea
• Cornelius was the centurion in charge of the troops there
◦ after being exposed to Judaism, he became a God-fearer (though not a proselyte)
• he was devout, generous with charity to needy people, and prayed continuously
– one afternoon an angel appeared to him in a vision
• he told Cornelius to send messengers to Joppa (a few miles south of Caesarea)
◦ they were to inquire for a man, Simon-Peter
◦ and bring him to Caesarea – that was the angel’s message, nothing more

The next day, Peter, who was staying in a home in Joppa,
– went up on the roof to pray, while a meal was being prepared in the house
• he fell into a trance, and saw a vision in which the sky opened
◦ a landscape appeared as if spread across an enormous sheet
◦ a voice told him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat”
• but instead, Peter argued that he did not anything unkosher (unclean or common)
◦ the voice answered,
“What God has made clean, do not call common”
◦ this was repeated two more times
(significant things happened for Peter in threes: his denial of Jesus, his reconciliation with Jesus, and now this)
– while Peter was trying decipher the meaning of his vision, Cornelius’ messengers came to the home,
• they asked if a man named Simon-Peter was there
◦ at that moment, the Spirit told him to go with them
“without discrimination”

Cornelius had invited all of his relatives to be there,
– and we’re given a vivid sense of what Peter felt entering his home.
• as he stepped into a room crowded with Gentiles
◦ immediately Peter began to explain and justify his presence there
“You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation”
◦ that wasn’t in the law of Moses, but for the devout believer, Jewish tradition had become law
◦ what Peter says next solves the puzzle of his vision
“but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean” (Acts 10:28)
• Peter then told them the story of Jesus
◦ and while he was still talking, the Spirit fell on all of them
“And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles” (Acts 10:45)
– afterward, Peter returned to Jerusalem and we’re told,
“the circumcision part criticized him, saying, ‘You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them’”
• so Peter had to tell them the whole story
“When they heard these things the fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life’” (Acts 11:18)|
• Peter witnessed with his own eyes God’s merciful acceptance of Gentile followers

Now we can catch up on what Paul tells us about Peter

First he says Peter had come to Antioch
– we’ve seen that this was the first Gentile mega-church
• in fact, we learn something important about this church
“And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26)
◦ what is the significance of that statement?
• a new spiritual movement was collecting many people
◦ but what were they?
◦ they were none of the Roman religions and not the Jewish religion either
• so the people in Antioch labeled them by what they heard from them
◦ and what they heard from them was Jesus the Christ
◦ “Christian” became the name for members of the new Gentile church
• this was the formation of a new identity
◦ now Jesus’ church consisted of two distinct cultures

When Peter first arrived in Antioch, he mingled with Gentiles

This is what he had learned from his vision
– but visitors came from Jerusalem,
• and they happened to belong to “the circumcision party”
◦ that means they imposed the law of Moses on Gentile Christians
• if the believers in Antioch weren’t circumcised,
◦ then “religious” Jews could not have close association with them
◦ last week I read to you from Acts 15
“But some men came down [to Antioch] from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved’” (Acts 15:1)
– what happened to Peter? Paul says,
“he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party”
• perhaps afraid of their criticism or judgmental nature
◦ perhaps he assigned them too much respect
• so he separated himself from the Gentile believers
◦ an interesting side note is that the word Pharisee means “separate” (one)
◦ and, sadly, Peter’s actions influenced others

Peter had to be corrected, and it had to be in front of the community
But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Justified by Faith

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified Galatians 2:14-16

Paul put a label to Peter’s actions: hypocrisy
– he was acting like one kind of person around Gentiles,
• and another kind of person around the ultra-rigid believers from Jerusalem
• it was alright for the ultra-rigid to maintain their Jewish identity,
◦ but there were two problems:
they were not to force Gentiles into a Jewish identity
their strict behavior was not their salvation
– Peter’s actions are an illustration of what salvation is not

Which brings Paul to what was for him the central message of gospel
“yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus”
– in his letter to the Romans, he explains this in detail
• to be justified means to be made righteous
◦ this is the central requirement for finding acceptance with God
◦ we’ve seen that righteousness is not ethical, but relational
• in two verses, Paul uses word “justified” three times
◦ and his emphasis is on how it replaces “the works of the law”
◦ for both Jew and Gentile, this meant freedom!
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1)
– Paul said that Peter “drew back and separated himself”
• in other words, he knew better – he had that awesome vision
• sometimes we feel like returning a rigid religious regimen because we thought it was “safe”
◦ if we become afraid and have doubts about God’s acceptance of us,
◦ we might be tempted to draw back to a do-it-yourself salvation
◦ the benefit: it creates for us the illusion of certainty
• sometimes old people panic over all the changes in the world
◦ then they’re tempted to return to a previous rigidity that made them feel more secure
– I saw this happen in the ministry of two men I greatly respect
• during the period of Calvary Chapel’s greatest growth, the theme of my Dad’s ministry was grace
◦ but in the last period of his ministry, drew back to fundamentalism
• in John Wimber’s early ministry, mercy was his key theme
◦ that brought me much needed healing from my damaged past
◦ but later on what I heard was a persistent emphasis on repentance
and exactly the condemnation that was rife in my Pentecostal upbringing

Conclusion: There is much about Judaism that is attractive

Some people assume that Messianic Christianity is the authentic brand
But referring to Jesus as Yeshuah Messhiach doesn’t bring anyone closer to God

I can tell you from my childhood in a legalistic religious subculture,
trying to make ourselves holy, only makes us weird
Don’t go backwards – don’t doubt God’s love for you
Trust his grace and mercy – and continue to be a good person

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Parable inspired by Megan McKenna:
There was a woman out shopping
Who came across a store
she had never seen before
Inside she found all sorts of lovely things.
As she looked closer she even found such rare
Items like hope
and forgiveness
and patience
on the shelves.
She desperately wanted these things
And so sought the shop keeper.
Behind the counter she found Jesus
He said, “Make a list of all you want
And give it to me.”
She made out her list with things like
“Peace on Earth and peace with my sister,”
And “To lose a few pounds and
to end starvation,”
And plenty more
Until she had run out of room
on her piece of paper
She handed the list to Jesus
Who went to the back of the shop.
In a few moments he returned
And handed her many packs of seeds
She looked confused and said,
“Don’t I get to take the things on my list with me?”
And Jesus said, “Oh, this isn’t a gift shop,
it’s a gardening center.”

Let’s pray
Come Lord and join us here today
Give us the good grace
And the good sense
To be your soil.
Break up our hardness
Clear away the rocks
Cut off the dead wood
Make us a place that
Is nutritious, fruitful.

Let us be rooted and grounded
In your love
Cultivate us
Shape us
Train us

Help us become
The good in this world
We yearn for
The gentleness
The courage
The healing
The hope
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:11-12

Intro: Last week we ventured into Paul’s letter to the Galatians

Right away we learned that he was not pleased with these Christians
– he accused them of deserting Jesus for “another gospel”
• but he hasn’t defined that other gospel specifically
• that’s what he does in the next section of the letter that we will cover today
– beginning in verse 11, Paul writes a brief autobiography
• he does this because his personal history tells a story
• as we make our way through this passage I’m going to include details supplied by the Book of Acts
◦ that will give us a fuller perspective of the problem in the region of Galatia

The preface: “I would have you know”

Paul informs us that he is about to present his next big idea
– it’s so important to Paul, he already spilled it in verse 1
• Paul had heard about Jesus–for instance, when Stephen was stoned (Acts 7)
◦ but he had not believed the testimonies about the Lord
◦ in fact, at one time he confessed,
“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts. 26:9)
• the great majority of Christians living in Jerusalem and Israel had:
◦ either been followers of Jesus
◦ or had come to know him through his apostles’ preaching
– not Paul! – for him it took a personal revelation to bring him to Jesus
• the Lord had to knock him down and appear in a blinding light
• and he had continued to receive revelations of God’s truth
“Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has become made known to all nations, according to the command of God, to bring about the obedience of faith . . . .” (Ro. 16:25-26)

Chapter 1 Early life: Before Paul became an apostle
For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. Galatians 1:13-14

Paul’s conversion was big news
– I think that Paul himself was fond of telling his experience
• you also have a story of turning to Jesus
◦ and it may be more important than you realize
◦ everyone’s story is surprising and beautiful
• Paul’s was unusual, because previously he had tried to destroy the movement
– he was a rabbinical student of the famous Pharisee, Gamaliel,
• and was making significant progress that caught the attention of others
• at that time, he was devoted to the traditions passed down by the fathers
◦ these were the very traditions Jesus ignored
“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus . . . and said, “Why do your disciples break the traditions of the elders?” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Mt. 15:1-3)

Paul’s reference to “Judaism” is significant
– this is a specific religion that belonged to a specific ethnic race
• it was the religion of the children of Abraham,
◦ and followers of the teaching of Moses and the Prophets
• this is an important factor in Paul’s story

Chapter 2 The turning point (“But”) when Paul meets Jesus
But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Galatians 1:15-17

Paul doesn’t tell the whole story here (they’ve heard it)
– he relates only the key features:
• he met his destiny, which was determined before he was born
◦ so this applies, not just to that moment on the road, but to his entire life
• God chose to reveal his Son “in” Paul – this was his life’s mission
– again, the big idea is that Paul did not immediately run to others
• having had a divine revelation, he did not “consult with flesh and blood”–that is, any human person
• and in particular, he mentions Jerusalem and those who were apostles before him

Chapter 3 The next stage of his life, when Paul began his ministry
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas [Peter] and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” Galatians 1:18-24

What happened to Paul in Damascus became a repeated pattern
“For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ . . . When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul.” (Acts 9:19-25)
– Paul would stir up trouble in a city until his friends moved him along
• after he was gone, they enjoyed a period of peace and quiet
For instance: “And when the brothers learned this, they brought him [Paul] down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up” (Acts 9:31
• in Jerusalem, Paul was introduced to Peter (Cephas) and James
◦ this James was not the brother of John, but one of the Lord’s brothers
◦ James had become a leader and main spokesperson for the apostles in Jerusalem
• from there Paul traveled north into Gentile territory
◦ meanwhile, he was not well known in Judea
◦ people knew of him by reputation, but not personally

Chapter 4 A historic visit to Jerusalem
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. Galatians 2:1-10

Paul returned to Jerusalem with two companions
– Barnabas was already well-known with church there and its leaders (Acts 4:36-37)
• Titus was a stranger to them – and he was a Gentile (Greek)
◦ this troubled some of the believers in Jerusalem that Titus was not Jewish
• Paul had his own purpose for returning to Jerusalem
◦ he wanted to present to the leaders the message he preached to Gentiles
◦ their support was vital to his credibility in foreign countries
– something happened during that visit,
• and it brings us to the critical point of this whole autobiography
◦ none of the leaders were forcing Titus to be circumcised
◦ but there were people who weren’t pleased with that
• Paul calls them “false brothers” who crept in to spy on him and his companions
◦ what bothered them was Paul’s “freedom”
◦ and the freedom he gave to Gentile Christians
• if those people had their way,
◦ Paul and his Gentile churches would have become enslaved (v. 4)

I want to make a brief observation:
– Christians who spy on other Christians in order to find fault, have lost their way
• Paul told the Corinthians to examine themselves, not each other
◦ and he asked the Romans,
“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? . . . So then each of us will give an account of [ourselves] to God” (Ro. 14:10-13)
◦ be aware that there are people who do that, and avoid them

What we’re going to do now is probe deeper into Paul’s story

Paul mentioned his purpose for being in Jerusalem,
– but he didn’t give all the details – and they’re important
• a large church had emerged in Antioch (a large city in Syria)
◦ it was the first big church consisting of Gentiles; non-Jews
(and it was there that followers of Jesus were first called “Christians”; Acts11:26)
“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’” (Acts 15:1)
(note that the threat was so great that their “salvation” hinged on it)
◦ Paul and Barnabas got into a heated argument with these agitators
• the leaders in Antioch decided to sent a delegation to Jerusalem
◦ they wanted to learn the opinion of the apostles
◦ the same argument erupted there
“some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them and order them to keep the law of Moses’” (Acts 15:5)
– did you hear that? there was a “Pharisee party” within the church
• a few years later, the leaders informed Paul
“You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law” (Acts 21:20)
• previously, if a Gentile (male) wanted to convert to Judaism he had to be circumcised and keep the laws of Moses
◦ naturally, Jewish believers considered Christianity to be a branch of Judaism and therefore the same rule would apply to Gentiles who converted to the Christian faith
◦ that is what the issue with Titus was about
– those who added this requirement to Gentile converts
• were not helping people who wanted to become Christians
• but creating a deterrent

Three times Paul says Jerusalem’s Christian leaders “seemed” to be something
– “influential” (twice) and “pillars” — in which we pick up a tone of sarcasm
• they were obviously sensitive to the Pharisee party
◦ maybe also overly impressed with them and eager to please them
◦ it is possible they felt the Pharisees improved the status of Christianity in their culture
• I think Paul considered the leaders to be compromised
◦ for instance, he significantly “edited” the instructions he was to carry back to the Gentile churches
(compare Acts 15:28-29 and Galatians 2:10)
– but the point is, the teaching that the false brothers and Pharisee party were promoting was
• Christians are saved by grace plus something else!

Conclusion: The church in America today is plagued by spiritual illnesses

One of them is the implied (or asserted) claim that grace alone is not enough
We’re saved by grace, and something else
Perhaps it’s biblical inerrancy – or pro-life – or a political party
Our task is to discern the additives we’re being fed, and avoid them
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:8-10
And don’t make it harder for people to come to Jesus
Build bridges, not barriers

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Be with us
Present in our struggles
In our successes
With us in our sorrows and joy
Together, even in,
Maybe especially in,
The everyday
The commonplace
The ordinary
These unexceptional days
Most of us live
Most of the time

And join us together Lord
One body
One community
One family
Loving
Serving
And seeking you
To know you
To join in your work
To heal and repair
This world
With your love
Day by day
Step by step
Moment by moment
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:1-5

Intro: I’m going to make this simple, and show you what I see in the introduction to this letter

First, there’s something different about the way it begins
– in Paul’s usual typical greetings he identifies himself, his title, and whoever else is with him
• then, he greets and blesses his readers with, “grace and peace”
• but in this letter, before he mentions his companions, he takes a detour
◦ he turns this simple greeting into a strong assertion
– humans had nothing to do with Paul becoming an apostle
it was “not from man nor through man”
– this cuts to the heart of what Paul wants to say in this letter
• he’ll spend most of the first two chapters with autobiography
◦ how he was inspired and the revelations that came to him
• but that is because Paul is very upset, as will become obvious
◦ if you’ve ever been “lectured” by a parent, a police officer, or a teacher,
◦ you will recognize how Paul is dealing with the Galatians

In the next three verses,
– Paul turns a simple greeting into a theological lesson
• when he mentions God and Jesus,
◦ he also reminds us of our relationship to both of them
◦ the Father has adopted us, and our Lord guides and trains us
• working together, they “deliver us from the present evil age”
(which means we enter instead “the kingdom of his beloved son”–Col. 1:13-14)
◦ personally, I want to hang on to this word “deliver”
◦ I can discipline myself to break many bad habits but I can’t break them all – not on my own
Jesus gets us unstuck from what holds us back or drags us down
– “to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” is a doxology – (Greek, doxa is “glory”–praise to God)
• doxologies are often read or sung in church liturgies
◦ every doxology has a theological foundation
• isn’t it lovely how Paul slides so easily into worship
◦ it’s like a second language to him
◦ he can be wading through profound truth,
or writing a simple greeting,
or telling the story of his conversion,
and praise flows naturally from his heart
• a bit later, I want to return to what worship means to us today

Paul jumps into the thick of his message
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7

I think we need to feel the force of the key words in verse 6:
– “astonished,” “so quickly,” “deserting,” and “turning”
• Paul is intentionally using strong language
◦ have you ever been reading a book when you realize
you have no idea what the paragraph you just read was about because your mind was elsewhere?
◦ Paul uses a shock tactic to guarantee he has the Galatians’ attention
• these verses in the King James Version contain an odd contradiction
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another“
◦ this is because the Greek language has two words for “another”
◦ allos means “another of the same kind” and heteros means “another of a different kind”
– the other gospel that came to Galatia wasn’t totally “new”
• it still contained elements of the life and teaching of Jesus
◦ but a twist had been added that “distorted” the gospel,
so that it was no longer the gospel Paul preached
• what did that do to the Galatians?
“but there are some who trouble you”
◦ “trouble” refers to a mental or emotional state of upset, agitation, disturbance–a kind of unhappiness

Some people had passed through Galatia preaching a gospel; supposedly the same as Paul
– but what they taught contradicted Paul’s teaching
• in my years of ministry, I’ve talked with many people who have goofy interpretations
◦ I can overlook the majority of them
◦ their relationship with God isn’t seriously threatened
• but there are other interpretations I can’t ignore or overlook because they’re patently wrong
◦ there are streams of doctrine that carry people away from Jesus
– we must take these things seriously

Listen to how Paul instructs the Galatians to respond to these people
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8-9

What the Galatians had been fed was so wrong,
– that even if it Paul came preaching it or “an angel from heaven”
• the Galatians were to pronounce a curse on those people
• in fact, that is what Paul does in verse 9 where he says, “let him be accursed”
– this other message was not like a generic medication,
• a cheaper version of the same product
• it was something so warped it was no longer Christian
◦ it did not heal or cure anything
◦ it could only make them spiritually ill, or worse

As we go on in Galatians, we’ll learn the threat was severe enough,
– that it could have torn them away from Jesus
• it could have canceled the work of God’s grace in their lives
• they would have been deceived into believing they were still Christians,
◦ when in reality they had left the path of Jesus

Paul loved the people he introduced to Jesus,
– and whose faith he had nurtured
• he felt very protective of them
◦ when he heard they were buying into a different gospel,
◦ he reacted like a concerned parent or best friend
• he had to insist that they trust in Jesus and their relationship with him
◦ that they not allow anyone to turn them a different direction
◦ or judge them, or influence them to doubt their faith
regardless of how knowledgeable those preachers seemed to be
or how clever and impressive they were,
or how powerful their presentations
– whenever people commandeer Christianity, it turns ugly

Paul asks two rhetorical questions
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

This loops back to what he expressed in verse 1
– it was God who called him and equipped him to be an apostle
• he wasn’t worried if he angered the other preachers
◦ he wasn’t worried if they didn’t respect him
• if his life was driven by what others thought of him,
◦ God’s mission would have no longer been his priority
– today there are many people in every strata of society,
• who are scared to death to let their ideals and loyalties be known
Perhaps if all people who consider themselves believers,
– asked themselves a couple of questions, like Paul asks regarding himself
• the church could produce Christians with greater integrity and courage
– the first question might be:
“On what grounds do I consider myself to be a Christian?”
• let me give you a hint:
◦ if your answer is, “Because I was born in America,” your kite ain’t gonna fly!

Contemporary Christian worship has gone off course
(This does not apply to all churches, but more than I’d like to admit)

On Thursday I had a long conversation with a friend regarding worship
– we had similar experiences when for the first time our worship felt real
• maybe for you, the first time you experienced worship it brought tears to your eyes,
◦ was because you had found your way to your true home
◦ you had come out of the darkness and into the light
• you realized God’s mercy was setting you free
◦ and the love of Jesus was embracing you
◦ you were forgiven and God was going to make you whole
– that experience of worship was not a result of being hyped up
• it wasn’t sentimental or schmaltzy
• it was more like returning home from active duty in the army
◦ we were wounded, we had battle fatigue,
◦ we had fought for our lives and seen our companions die
– worship wasn’t entertainment then–at least not at first
• it was being rushed into the emergency room and receiving triage
• it was our first sensation of hope
◦ Jesus cam near to us and our hearts were singing to him, “You are awesome and I love You”
– but in the last twenty years, “worship music” has become a commodity;
and for the musicians and singers who take the stage, a performance
• it is loud and energetic, the lyrics have become formulaic,
◦ and instead of turning believers into worshipers, we’ve turned them into an audience
• many leaders have little experience of worship’s transcendence
◦ there is more froth than substance, more hoorah than hallelujah
and we don’t experience the closeness of Jesus in it like we once did
◦ but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of today’s troubled church

Conclusion: What Paul wanted is what we are also longing to see in our lifetime

To hang our heads for what we have been willing to swallow,
to drop out of pop-religion and just get back to Jesus
I’m hoping that going through Galatians will help us do that

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
Lord, protect us from our
Bitterness
Rage
And resentments

Hold us safe from our
Fears and our
Desires to
Dominate others
To retaliate
To lay waste

Focus us
And refocus us on
The intrinsic worth
The unending value
Of each person we encounter

Let this community
Be a place where
We practice loving
Our brothers and sisters
In you
In all of our messy contradictions
And in all of our shame and need

And from this community
Let us be
Those known to love
Our neighbor
In all their guises
Of poverty
Of anxiety
Of illness
And of belligerence

This love from you
An endless gift
This life you have brought us to
For healing and repair
Bringing peace to ourselves
As we bring peace
into the world around us.

And our love for you
Rising like incense
Full of gratitude
We thank you
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit . . . .” Galatians 5:16 and 25

Intro: For a few weeks we’ve been bouncing around in Scriptures

Next week we’ll settle into something more consistent,
– and I’ve chosen to hike through Paul’s letter to the Galatians
• but not today–
• my talk this morning will be another random meditation
– what I will say about this letter,
• Paul was not at all pleased with the churches in the region of Galatia
◦ he had introduced them to a life in God through Jesus
◦ but others had followed Paul with a “distorted gospel”
• so the Christian faith was represented by two different forms
◦ the distorted version emphasized a deadly legalism
◦ Paul’s version was a new life in the Spirit of God
“Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:2-3)
– I believe this letter identifies a problem that’s prevalent today

Paul keeps edging his readers toward a Spirit-infused life

We’ll learn more about what this means as we go along
– but in this chapter alone we learn that we read:
“through the Spirit” (v. 5)
“walk by the Spirit” (v. 16)
“the desires of the Spirit” (v. 17)
“led by the Spirit” (v. 18)
“the fruit of the Spirit” (v. 22)
“live by the Spirit” (v. 25)
“keep in step with the Spirit” (v. 25)
– a cliche entered our religious subculture maybe sixty years ago
• people started talking about “a Spirit-filled” life (or person)
◦ it was as if a believer could be “regular” or “spirit-filled”
• but the fact of the matter, there’s no Christian life without the Spirit
◦ the Holy Spirit is our new life in Jesus

We are dependent on the Spirit’s work in our lives

Like breathing, and eating, and movement, this is a real need
– and not only when we’re reading Bible, praying, or ministering to others
• in every situation of our daily lives
◦ whether I’m sick or in good health
◦ whether I have unpaid bills or I’m caught up on all of them
◦ whether the workload is overwhelming or I’m on vacation
◦ whether I’m walking on the beach or stuck in traffic

I wonder if we realize how busy the world keeps us
– having space for peace and quiet should not be a luxury, but the norm
• it is as important to our health as nutrition and balanced exercise
◦ our brains require a degree of tranquility to think deeply
◦ but our intrusive world won’t allow that;
◦ it’s always in our face and crowds out everything but itself
• the original purpose of cell phones was two-fold:
◦ convenience and emergency
(lots of people are conditioned to jump and answer their phone whenever it chimes)
◦ many of us think we need to be informed, minute-by-minute of every event as it develops
• or we have to be constantly entertained
◦ it’s too easy to plop down on couch, grab the remote, and get absorbed in whatever appears on screen
– so I ask myself,
“How can I become more aware of God’s presence?”
“How can his nearness be more real to me than each ‘breaking story’”?

A few years ago, a man walked into our meeting for first time

I introduced myself to him, and realized I knew who he was
– his wife had told me about him, and she was desperate to see him become a Christian
• he said,
“I’ve been practicing Eastern religions for thirty years and taken vows in a Buddhist monastery, but I’m looking for something more definite”
– I told him, “Jesus is definitely more definite!”
• you don’t get more definite than another human person
• I think “more definite” is a sincere spiritual need
◦ there will always be unsolved mysteries and wonders beyond our comprehension,
◦ but we also need solid footing for our walk of faith
– in English, the word “spirit” (if we’re not talking about “team spirit”)
• belongs in a dimension of intangibles and invisibility
◦ something insubstantial, vaporous like air or a fine mist that instantly evaporates
◦ to feel the presence of a “spirit” is spooky or frightening
• I wonder if the Spirit seemed more substantial to Paul than smoke or fog

How have you imagined the Holy Spirit?
– the biblical words for spirit are also used for breath and wind
• both the Hebrew (ruach) and Greek (pneuma) have the sense of “air in motion”
◦ it could be the air passing through your throat or stirring leaves in a tree
◦ Jesus also used the metaphor of “living water” for the Holy Spirit
• God’s Spirit is a vital force, a divine energy,
◦ present and active all the way back to when God created the heavens and the earth
– what Jesus made very clear, is that the Spirit is a person
• that “he” (personal pronoun) joins us, teaches us, and shares with us all that Jesus has for us
• how “real” is our conversation when we talk with someone on the phone?
◦ we can’t see them or touch them, but we don’t doubt their existence
◦ can it be like that with the Spirit? Can it be that real?

Something happened to me a few weeks ago

I had just set out for a walk,and turned my attention toward God
– I opened my heart and mind to God’s Spirit and presence,
• and suddenly I was aware of him–right there, in front of me
◦ he wasn’t visible, but he wasn’t ghost-like either
• the strong impression I felt from his presence is that he’s a person
◦ not a “universal mind” or impersonal “force”
– he is a rational person with whom we can interact as with other persons
• he was there and we could communicate with each other
• I felt he was there to listen to me and respond

Since then, I’ve experienced a keen awareness of his presence several more times
– but it isn’t constant – and it requires “priming” my heart and mind for his presence
• what I realize, is if encounters like this were a normal experience for me,
◦ I would find it much easier to follow Paul’s instruction to
“walk by the Spirit” and “keep in step with the Spirit”
– so here’s the question:
• How can we become more aware of the Spirit?
And more often?
Can walking in the Spirit become a normal activity?

Here is what I’m working on–so far

Close contact with the Spirit of God is something I need to feel
– I know there are people who react to this, but try to keep an open mind
• do you remember learning to ride a bike?
◦ the first time you were nervous and awkward
◦ what was it you had to learn?
You had to learn what it felt like to balance on a bicycle
• turning corners on a two-wheel bike requires leaning to the left or right
◦ it is not as much about turning the handlebars as shifting your weight
– it’s the same with skiing, swimming, tennis, etcetera, etcetera
• you have to feel your way into it;
◦ for instance the feel of swinging a bat and the feel of hitting the ball
• clumsy at first, but our brains create the necessary neural circuits to learn it
◦ and once you have learned to balance on a bike, you never lose it

Conclusion: One thing at heart of our Reflexion community,

Is cultivating a sense of God’s felt presence through silent prayer
Perhaps the most useful tool God has given us for this is our breath
We begin by taking control of it–slowing it, deepening it
We bring awareness to each breath,
allowing it to center our whole being in the here and now
Shifting our attention to the space around us,
our awareness moves from each breath to the presence of the Spirit
And since we take our breath everywhere we go, we can connect the Spirit anywhere, everywhere

Podcast

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

Podcast

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

Podcast

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