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Put on then, as God’s chosen, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness . . . . Colossians 3:12

Intro: We are working our way through Paul’s virtue list here in Colossians 3

But this morning it is difficult to not be distracted by war in Ukraine
– millions of desperate prayers are reaching out to God to bring an end to it
• we’ve seen heartbreaking images and also steadfast bravery
• last week our theme was compassionate hearts
◦ and by your response to that talk, I know you are in pain for the many victims of this conflict

I am going to say three things about the Russian/Ukraine war and then let it go
1. the war is the doing of world governments, and no one is innocent
• Ukraine has waged war on Luhankst since 2014
◦ Russia has provided military aid to the Luhankst People’s Republic
◦ the U.S. has not acknowledged the legitimacy of the Luhankst independence
• governments act in their own interests, not civilian interests
◦ citizens are often victims of their government’s decisions
◦ and they are men, women, and children like us
2. the key issue is not how this proves we’re living in the end times
• our concern is for human lives right now – that they have shelter, safety, food and water
• we work and pray for peace in this present world
◦ locating where we are on an eschatological timeline is not the priority
3. already we are witnessing generous acts of kindness
• Poland has welcomed 120,000 refugees with open arms
• Tom and Alida Sharp lived and ministered in Ukraine
◦ he received this message from a former student:
Ruslan Ilchenko, “Friends and relatives from Russia call and write, The biggest thing that touches my heart from their words is when they cry and apologize for Putin’s aggression! They say: ‘We supported him regarding the introduction of troops into the LDNR to protect against Ukrainian troops, not to attack other civilian cities, and especially the “Mother City” Kiev. We are ashamed, forgive us if you can. . . .’”

I suspect that this one word, kindness, could change our lives

Compared to other human actions, the energy of kindness is weak
– a glance at the vice list in verses 5 and 8, we see powerful energy of:
• anger, malice, slander, sexual immorality, and greed
• there is an excess of anger in our country
◦ if not always out in the open, it seethes beneath surface
◦ sadly, it has become characteristic of many Christians
(those who scare me the most are the ones who say hateful things with a smile)
– however, if we let kindness work in our souls,
• we will find a strength in doing good we never knew possible
• kindness waters the earth with goodness and hope
◦ it washes and bandages every sort of wound
◦ kindness could heal the world

The poets and prophets of Hebrew Scriptures were captivated by God’s kindness

Oh, how abundant is your [kindness],
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you . . . (Ps. 31:19)
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good [kind]! (Ps. 34:8)
. . . in your goodness [kindness], O God, you provided for the needy (Ps. 68:10)
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever! (Ps. 107:1)
You are good [kind] and do good; / teach me your statutes (Ps. 119:68)
Peter O’brien, Kindness “is a quality which God himself demonstrates in concrete actions.”
Thus says the LORD: In this place of which you say, “It is a waste without man or beast,” in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD:
‘Give thanks to the LORD of hosts,
for the LORD is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Jer. 33:10-11)
The LORD is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refute in him (Nahum 1:7)
– the reason one word can mean both kind and good is because goodness is embodied in kindness
• kindness is one way that goodness is materialized,
• one way goodness expresses itself

Kindness is the fruit that grows from a compassionate heart

Jesus qualified forgiveness by saying, forgive from the heart
– that is where kindness originates
• but it does not stay there
◦ it is possible to feel pity for someone and do nothing
• when we read that Jesus was moved with compassion,
◦ the movement itself was kindness
– kindness engages our bodies,
• it requires the use of our hands and feet, our listening and speaking
• and, because kindness is what we do with our bodies,
◦ it works within us even though we are showing kindness to someone else
◦ it works God’s love deeper into our organs, muscle, tissues, and bones
• even children know the inner experience of being kind

The Greek word is given interesting meanings in New Testament

Once, when Paul was at sea and the ship was battered by a storm,
– fearing it would be torn apart,
• the sailors passed ropes under the hull and tightened with winches
◦ Luke says,
. . . they used supports to undergird the ship (Acts 27:17)
◦ here the word for kindness is translated “supports”
• kindness can be a form of support – it holds things together
– then there is Jesus’ famous invitation in Matthew 11
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Mt. 11:28-30)
• in this instance, the word for kindness is translated “easy”
• to show kindness is to assist someone one with their burden
◦ to ease the load they carry
◦ by showing kindness, we make a person’s struggle or suffering easier

I don’t want to sell you on the health benefits of being kind

You can find that information online
– I would recommend Mayo Clinics “Kickstart Kindness” program
• but I will return to a point I made last week
• at least I tried to make this point
◦ the value of using the virtues spiritual exercises or practice,
◦ is that they free our minds of worldly obsessions,
and help us to become more aware of God’s presence
• this is what Paul is getting at with this list and why it follows,
. . . seek the things that are above, where Christ is . . . . Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Col. 3:2)
– when we perform a kind action, we move out of ourselves
• what happens when I move out of myself with awareness?
◦ I awaken to a larger reality
• not just the reality of other people and their suffering
◦ but the dimensions of God’s love, God’s kindness, God’s Spirit
◦ I also discover a “me” that is greater than my old self (v. 9)

Some of us question our usefulness to God
– maybe we don’t feel like we know the Bible well enough
• that we don’t have enough training to be good representatives of Jesus
◦ we have weakness that we imagine will hold us back
• or perhaps we’ve done things we’re now ashamed of,
◦ so we assume God wants to use someone more righteous
– but the thing about kindness is that weakness and failure do not disqualify us
• in fact, it is just the opposite; they make us more credible
◦ a favorite line from Luke refers to a paralytic that Jesus healed
he rose up . . and picked up what he had been lying on and went home (Lk. 5:25)
◦ he carried home the stretcher that had carried him
• what had been our dependencies and addictions
◦ are now sources of wisdom, empathy, and strength
◦ not only can we handle our own stuff, but we can help others with their stuff

Conclusion: Yesterday afternoon, I took Kona for a walk

I kept repeating the word “kindness” in my mind
It occurred to me that I was seeing others in a different way
I had a different sort of feeling about each person I saw
It seemed like I was prepared and primed for an opportunity

I realized that’s the life I want to live–
and I hope it’s the life you want to live
Try it this week,
put the word kindness somewhere that you will see it,
think of kindness, repeating the word in your mind
and see if that doesn’t enlarge your perspective and open your heart

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts Colossians 3:12

Intro: Growing up, every Sunday morning I polished my shoes

We had to look our best for church – besides that,
– I had a grandfather who taught my mom,
• “You can always judge a man by his shoes”
• if she lived by that rule, she would have never dated my dad
– Paul uses clothing as a metaphor – the changing of our values, attitudes, and behavior
• we are to discard our old lifestyle and become our new self in Jesus
◦ Peter makes a similar point:
Do not let your adorning be external . . . but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart . . . which in God’s sight is very precious (1 Pe. 2:13-14)
• as a guide to changing our spiritual apparel, Paul provides a list of virtues to compliment our ensemble
◦ today we’re going to begin working our way through that list

Paul’s first concern is that we know who we are

Can you see why this is important?
– Jesus’ critique of Pharisees:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me (Mt. 15:8)
you clean the outside of the cup . . . but the inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence . . . . For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Mt. 23:25-27)
• if all we have is a list, it will seem our lives are meant to be rule-based
◦ that’s how people make themselves pious without transformation
◦ and how they appropriate rules in order to pronounce judgment on others
• God works from inside out – virtues express who we are
Eduard Lohse, “In this list, the accent is not placed on a certain disposition, but on the action through which the new [self] reveals [its] identity. To be sure, were it only out of [our] own resources, [we] would be incapable of such actions. . . All these virtues are fruits of the Spirit.”
– in this instance, Paul emphasizes three words:
1. Chosen: Imagine growing up in an orphanage
• every night you pray that someone comes and chooses you
• I think it’s important for us to know that we’re wanted
Jesus to the disciples: You did not choose me, but I chose you (Jn. 15:16)
2. Holy: This is like a mark God puts on us
• how he identifies us as his people; we belong to him
You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy (Lev. 19:2)
3. Beloved: Grendal’s wife, Monica, recommended a YouTube video to me
• a message Henri Nouwen gave on being God’s beloved
◦ I just finished a biography of his life and learned that this became his passion in his final years
Nouwen in Life of the Beloved, “We are the Beloved. We are intimately loved long before our parents, teachers, spouses and friends loved or wounded us. That’s the truth of our lives. That’s the truth I want you to claim for yourself. That’s the truth spoken by the voice that says, ‘You are my Beloved.’”
• this is what Paul is telling us – this is who you are

At the top of the virtues list, “Put on . . . compassionate hearts”

The Greek language behind these two words is colorful
– both of them refer to internal organs – our “inward parts”
• when Bible refers to our viscera–heart, kidneys, bowels–
◦ it is reaching for the most sensitive source of our emotions
Peter O’brien, Paul is “expressing strongly and forcefully what concerns the personality at the deepest level, especially in [our] capacity for loving.”
• these same two words in Philippians 2:1 are translated affection and sympathy
◦ they refer to emotions, longings, mercies, and empathy
– behind these words is the very nature of God revealed in Jesus
• when God gave Moses the fullest possible revelation of himself,
◦ the first words he spoke were:
The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious (Ex. 34:6)
And in Lamentations:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness (Lam. 2:22-23)
◦ Paul refers to God as
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3)

In verse 13, Paul will define our forgiveness in terms of its quantity and quality
– it is to be identical to God’s forgiveness of us
• I believe this is true of each of the virtues
◦ all of them are reflected in Jesus Christ
◦ even the opening words, chosen – holy – beloved are used in reference to Jesus
• so if you need an example of a compassionate heart, you need look no further than Jesus:
◦ who when a leper came to him and said, If you will, you can heal me, we are told,
Moved with compassion [Jesus] stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean” (Mk. 1:41)
◦ when Jesus saw the crowds that had come to him,
he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Mt. 9:36)
◦ a woman who had committed many sins, loved Jesus much because he had forgiven her much (Lk. 7:47)
◦ then there was the adulteress that Jesus refused to condemn (Jn. 8:11)
– Jesus is the incarnation of a compassionate heart

There is one more thing I want to say about this
– several places in the New American Standard Bible reads, Jesus felt compassion
• this may seem like I’m splitting hairs,
◦ but for Jesus compassion was not a mere feeling
◦ he was compassionate – he was and is compassion itself
• feelings come and go
◦ they alternate through pity, condescension, disgust, and contempt
◦ but a compassionate heart produces a state of being
◦ it is an automatic and consistent attitude and response to others
– when Jesus told his disciples how to love everyone, the example he gave them was God:
and you will be sons [and daughters] of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful (Lk. 6:35-36)
• we cannot give greater emphasis to what Paul is saying than Jesus did in those verses
◦ what we experience from God, finds its home in us
◦ it reconfigures our inner parts

What is the opposite of a compassionate heart?

A hard heart – one that cannot be moved
– a hard heart can refer to stubbornness – and is related to a stiff neck
– it can be unfeeling – is never moved with pity or compassion
– a hard heart can be dense – stuck in old paradigms
• the disciples should have discerned something when Jesus fed a crowd from meager rations
. . . they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened (Mk. 6:52)
Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? . . . Do you not yet understand? (Mk. 8:17-21)
A compassionate heart is an open heart
– once we make a judgment about another person,
• we close off the possibility of a having different perspective
◦ we cannot learn something new about them
• a compassionate heart resists judgment
– the open heart makes room for all the other virtues
• room for peace and understanding
• room for new information and insights
• room for God to do something new and unheard of

God can do something with a compassionate heart

He can do something that connects the heart to everyone
– most everyone we know can look at a photo of a starving child,
• or the sad face of an abused puppy, and feel pity
• but few of us can look into every human face and feel compassion
◦ that is what God feels for every human person
◦ that is the ultimate work he performs in his children
– a compassionate heart can connect to everyone and everything
• a tiny mustard seed matters, because it shelters a mystery
◦ it not only contains the power of life and growth,
◦ but it is also a symbol of something infinite and eternal
• Evagrius taught, every created thing carried a revelation of God
“These he has produced, as the letters of the alphabet, so to speak, by his power and his wisdom, that is to say, by his Son and by his Spirit . . . .”
Olivier Clement, “The world is the gift of God. We must know how to perceive the giver through the gift.”
◦ a compassionate heart sees the world through new eyes

Conclusion: Now we know one item to add to our wardrobe

Every piece of clothing we wear, we put on for a reason
– for instance, we put on the whole armor of God to defend ourselves from the schemes of the devil
What is the reason for putting on compassionate hearts?
The answer is in the first two verses of this chapter
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Col. 3:1-2)
How can my awareness rise above my anxieties and distractions?
Is it even possible for me to put my mind on transcendent realities?
It is, if first of all I am willing to allow God to share with me
his compassionate heart
We are dressing up for this!
A greater awareness of the kingdom of God
An awakening to God in this present moment
A consciousness of things above and beyond,
to escape the prison of worldly things
and enjoy fellowship with our Lord Jesus

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And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son . . . . But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen Matthew 22:1-14

Intro: Two weeks ago I read a list of character qualities in Colossians chapter 3

Although it seems like Paul rattles them off,
– each one requires years of devoted practice to embody them fully
• I said then, it would be good for us to meditate on the qualities in that list
• I realize it would be very good for me – and we’ll start today
– so why are we in Matthew this morning and not Colossians?
• because Paul frames the list within a specific context
◦ before the character qualities, he produced a list of vices
◦ regarding those vices, Paul says,
now you must put them all away . . . seeing you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Col. 3:5-10)
◦ then he begins the list of virtues with,
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved . . . (v. 12)
◦ the context, then, has to do with this allusion to putting off and putting on

That is why we being with Jesus’ parable in Matthew

Reading it, I find myself carried up and down with alternating emotions
– first joy at the prospect of the heavenly wedding reception
• then gratification, because Jesus exposes hypocrisy of his religious critics
• but then, I am disturbed and thrown off balance
– first, at the king’s retaliation against those who insulted him (v. 7)
• but I’m bothered most of all at the king’s treatment of one guest
• I identify with that person more than any other in the story

When something I read in scripture disturbs me, I pause and deep breath
– this is a parable–and parables speak through symbols and analogies
• to understand Jesus’ meaning, we have to interpret the parable
• even that isn’t enough–a full understanding requires insight given by God’s Spirit
– how it looks to us:
• this guy is thrown out of the reception over a technicality – a minor offense
◦ but remember, this is Jesus who is telling the story
◦ and literal clothing was not an issue for him
◦ the meanings behind the symbols are bigger than the literal object or idea
• the only people who were excluded from the reception were:
◦ those who excluded themselves by rejecting the invitation
◦ and a man who took being there for granted
• every other type of person was accepted, bad and good (v. 10)

The man’s offense was not merely a lack of respect or reverence
– but he accepted the invitation, thinking he did not have to change
• “change” is the first word of Jesus’ message
After his baptism and temptation: From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 4:17)
• not changing into wedding clothes symbolized a more significant failure
– Jesus had in mind people who pretend to be disciples, but aren’t
• if I can put it this way:
◦ this guy came and sat in the house of God with a godless heart

It might surprise you, how often clothing is mentioned in scripture

From the Garden of Eden, when humans first felt shame over their nakedness,
– to the last chapter of Revelation, where those who wash robes are blessed,
• clothes do more than cover the body
• clothing:
– was expensive and calculated among a person’s assets (2 Ki. 5:22)
– signified status – long sleeves of pampered royalty (2 Sam. 3:18)
– was like body-language–communicated emotional state
• joy and celebration
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart . . . . Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head (Ecc. 9:7-8)
• torn clothes could signify frustration and anger (2 Ki. 5:7)
◦ or devastating grief (Job 1:20-21)
• sackcloth was a way of praying with the body
◦ it spoke of a person’s despair or desperation (1 Chr. 21:16)
– identified women who were widows (Gen.38:14)
• and also identified people with contagious skin diseases (Lev. 13:45)
– there are stories in scripture in which clothing plays important role in plot
• changing in and out of clothes (Gen. 38:14 & 19)
• using clothes to deceive someone (Josh. 9:4-5; 1 Ki. 14:2)
• David put off Saul’s armor, “This isn’t me” (1 Sam. 17:39)
• my favorite: the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ robe
◦ I read that story this week – at the same time I was reading in Leviticus
◦ the priests were sheltered in sanctuary so no one could touch their holy garments
(the touch of a normal person would violate the holiness that permeated the fabric)
◦ when the woman touched Jesus, he asked, Who touched my garments?
not because he felt he had been defiled, but he felt someone being healed
◦ he really did change religion — he brought God’s holiness out into the world

Now we have the context for Paul virtue list

Put off the old self and its vices – Put on new self and its virtues
– the image he uses is that of taking off old clothes and putting on new clothes
• get rid of old habits, the old lifestyle, the old person
• become your new person in Jesus
– can you hear your mom, “Take off that ridiculous shirt!”?
• it’s sort of like that
◦ the difference is that Mom’s concern was about image
◦ Paul’s concern is about identity
• image is about how we look – identity is about who we are

Christians in the first four or five centuries of Church history,
– were very fond of vice and virtue lists
• Paul provides several lists like this one in his other letters
◦ so did Jesus–for instance, the Beatitudes
• in time, they were streamlined into seven or eight vices and virtues
– one reason believers appreciated these lists,
• was that they provided clear boundaries and guidance
◦ the lists showed them how to keep themselves out of trouble and in God’s will
• but there was another more important and valuable reason
◦ these lists laid out a spiritual path for living in God
◦ the lists were an aid to prayer, helping them to clear their minds and keep their focus

One Beatitude sums up the purpose of all Beatitudes and virtues
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Mt. 5:8)
– avoiding vices and practicing virtues serve this purpose
Olivier Clement, “It frees human nature to follow its deep instinct to ascend towards God.”
Arthur Deikman, “But piety, for its own sake is not the point. In mystical science, virtuous behavior is prescribed as a necessary step in the development of intuitive perception. Mystics . . . know that virtuous behavior leads to specific psychological effects essential to their goal.” “Traditional virtues are consistent with the underlying reality and provide the possibility of knowing that reality. Virtues prepare the mind for a more advanced perception.”
• Deikman warns, we can desire spiritual development for the wrong reason
Deikman, “Most people bring to meditation an acquisitive, self-centered orientation that is the cultural norm. According to the mystical literature, such an attitude determines the outcome of meditation. For this reason, the instructions that accompany the classical descriptions of meditation deal first with the necessity of ‘purifying the heart’ – developing a selfless orientation – before aspiring to special powers [experiences].”
– this will be our purpose in carefully reading Paul’s virtue list
• to wash the windows of our heart in order to see God with greater clarity

Conclusion: Last week I closed by saying,

“Even when you’re not praying, think about God”
– as I did that this week, I found my mind goes to deep issues
• “purpose of life” issues – “meaning” issues
– am I doing anything significant enough to give me:
• aesthetic satisfaction before I die? Am I creating beauty that will last?
• altruistic satisfaction before I die? Am I doing good for others that will be remembered?
• gravity satisfaction before I die? Am I causing others to think about the deeper issues of life?
• grace satisfaction before I die? Am I sharing anything that will free others and lift them up?

This is why we want a list like Paul provides
It is better for us than a list of the healthiest foods
Better than the best program for physical fitness
More valuable than lessons on how to amass a fortune
This is the sort of list that will help each of us continue to be a good person
and live the life of Jesus in such a way as to brighten the world

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For your name’s sake, O LORD,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Who is the man who fears the LORD?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
HIs soul shall abide in well-being,
and his offspring shall inherit the land.
The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.
My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Psalm 25:11-15

Intro: The heading of this psalm tells us it was composed by David

I usually try to ignore the Psalm headings
– if David wrote it, we’re tempted to locate an event in his life’s story that “explains” it
(for instance, explains the theme and mood of the psalm)
• Bible teachers who do not “get” poetry or do not like poetry frequently look for connections outside the psalm itself
◦ as though, if we do not know context, we can not know the poem’s meaning
◦ but poems carry their own meaning, and their context is normal life
• the psalms are general enough to fit everyone’s experience
◦ we must let them speak for themselves regardless of the author
– the “poet” who penned Psalm 25 was in trouble — he faced:
• the threat of many enemies whose hatred was violent
• he suffered emotional distress and physical affliction
• his guilty conscience told him he did not deserve help
◦ he needed something more than “religion” could provide
◦ he needed the assurance of a special closeness with God

Today I will give my last talk on “intimacy”

If you want to learn more about intimacy, you’ll have to consult an expert
– I’ve surveyed our closest human relationships – and today I’ll talk about intimacy with God
• the greatest intimacy that we can experience is with our Creator
• no one knows us better – and – no one loves us more
– the challenge of this relationship is, of course, on our side
• how well do we know him?
• but that is the good news of the “gospel”
◦ God wants us to know him, and to know him well
◦ intimacy with him is his desire and design
(that is why God has given us a Bible, and why he gave us Jesus)

Before I give you a method for developing intimacy with God

I have to tell you, there is no method for developing intimacy with God
– the Lord draws us to himself in his grace and by the energy of the Spirit
• we do not work our way into it
◦ it’s like our other intimate relationships
◦ it develops over time, simply by being together
• opportunities come to us every day, every minute of every day
– the experience of intimacy with God may stir our emotions,
• but it’s more than a feeling we get in prayer or worship
• it is a continuous companionship
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him (Col. 2:6)
◦ we received Jesus–as a gift
◦ we continue to “receive” friendship with him all our lives

When we went through Hebrews, a key idea running through the whole book was,
– draw near to God – this is goal of our spiritual existence
Therefore, brothers [and sisters], since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus . . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Heb. 10:19-22)
• James simplifies the instruction:
Draw hear to God, and he will draw near to you (Jas. 4:8)
– to know more about God, we’ll want to study Bible or theology
• those studies can strengthen our foundation,
• but our goal is not an intimate knowledge of the Bible,
◦ and it is not a theological intimacy, but a relational intimacy
◦ the experience of intimacy is more important than knowing about it

For me, the most beautiful statement in this psalm is verse 14

“Friendship” translates a Hebrew word that implies intimacy
– a secret interaction, a shared closeness, an intimate conversation
• it is used to describe God’s secret assembly or council
For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD
to see and to hear his word
or who has paid attention to his word and listened? . . .
But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people (Jer. 23:18 and 22)
• it is as if God has a private office
◦ no one is allowed access except his closest friends
◦ the psalm tells us certain people are given that privilege
– it is a daring idea and one that few religions have attempted — that a human could be friends with a deity
• Abraham was the first to be called God’s friend (2 Chr. 20:7; Isa. 41:8)
◦ that leads to an interesting insight into intimate friendship in Genesis
The LORD said [to himself], “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed him? For I have [known] him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him (Gen. 18:17-19)
◦ God was so close to Abraham, that he could not hold back information he knew would affect his friend
• the New Testament is equally bold when it talks about “fellowship” with God
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 1:3)

The next important word is one we do not understand very well
– “fear” – most everyone’s first reaction,
“Am I supposed to be afraid of God?!”
• first, you would be silly not to be afraid
◦ we have no concept of how immeasurably vast God is
◦ nor do we appreciate his “otherness” – how different he is from ourselves or anything we know
(God is not a human blown out to infinite proportions)
• however, that is not what is meant here
– fear is used as a comprehensive term for our total relationship with God
(it is an abbreviation for knowing, loving, and serving God)
• fear express the essence of a Creator and creation encounter
◦ fear stands for respect and reverence – it means we know our place
◦ it means we take God seriously!
(this is why, in the Our Father, the first thing Jesus taught us to pray was, “hallowed by your name,” or, literally, “let your name be revered”
• ideas and concepts do not scare us
◦ we play with them – manipulate them
◦ God, however, is not a concept, and,
. . . without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he IS and that he rewards those who seek him (Heb. 11:6)

The second line of the psalm is as rich as the first
– covenant is a major theme in the Scriptures
• the Christian Bible is divided into the Old and New Covenants
• what a covenant does is guarantees a relationship between two parties
◦ it can be a treaty between nations,
◦ a business agreement between partners or companies,
◦ a pact between two individuals
◦ or the formal commitment lovers in marriage
– God’s relationship with Abraham was a friendship covenant
• God’s relationship with Israel was a marriage covenant
◦ the most beautiful expression of this is found in a parable Ezekiel relayed
When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love . . . and I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine (Eze. 16:8)
• when Israel broke that covenant, God promised a new one
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers . . . my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD (Jer. 31:32)
◦ the new covenant became effective when Jesus presented the cup to disciples and said,
This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood (Lk. 22:20)
– from the beginning, the goal of God’s covenant was intimacy
And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring . . . to be God to you and to your offspring (Gen. 17:7-8)
• this is always the very heart of the covenant
I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God (Ex. 6:7)
◦ we personalize it when we say, I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine (Song 6:3)
• it was always about God’s love for his people
the LORD appeared to [Israel] from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you (Jer. 31:3)
• this is the significance of God making known his covenant
◦ we discover the closeness that he offers us

Conclusion: Like I said, there is no method for achieving intimacy with God

But there is a matter of saying “Yes” to God – of accepting his offer
– we do that, not once in a lifetime, but every day
• like every relationship, this one thrives on communication
◦ for instance, this entire psalm is a prayer
• v. 4, Make me to know your ways, O LORD
◦ like our intimate knowledge of our spouse’s habits, quirks, and idiosyncrasies
Moses prayed, . . . please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight (Ex. 33:13)
– prayer is not:
• searching for the right words;
• “working” God (the way my grandchildren work me)
• or trying to evoke God’s pity; or convince him that he should help you
• it’s not trying to muster up the right kind of faith so we get what we want
Prayer is another interaction in an ongoing conversation
It is our here and now awareness of God
and that awareness awakens us to everything
There is no need to use lots of words in prayer,
what is important is having an awareness of his presence
Evagrius, “A single word in intimacy is worth more than a thousand at a distance.”

Otherwise, even when you are not praying,
think about God during the day
There will be many reminders in the world around you,
if your heart is set on thinking about your heavenly Father
After all, you are his and he is yours

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For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Colossians 2:1-3

Intro: Occasionally Paul will share these rare gems

Brief statements, packed with profound concepts
– for instance, he has introduced the Colossians to a mystery (cf. Col. 1:25-29)
• everything about our transcendent God is mystery and hidden
◦ some things have been revealed
. . . the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints (Col. 1:26)
◦ the ultimate revelation of God is Jesus Christ – and that revelation keeps unfolding more truth
• the Colossians could reach the “riches” of God’s self-revelation
◦ they just needed encouragement to become fully familiar with him
– this was not an individual quest or project
• it was the journey of the entire community
• so one of the conditions was that their hearts were knitted together in love

For the past three weeks my talks have been about intimacy

If you find yourself interested in intimacy, it’s because intimacy is a human need
– without touch, we whither, without closeness we alienate
• it’s not a luxury – and it is also necessary for our spiritual development
• intimacy can occur naturally and spontaneously almost as side-effect of being together
◦ we do something together and a connection forms
◦ a relationship is established and if continued, it deepens
– we’ve looked at intimacy in the context of family and friendships
• today I want to talk about how it applies to the “church”

Now, from start, I admit we have to leap a couple of hurdles

First, “intimate” may not be the best word to describe our closeness in Christian community
– but how do you describe the relation of body parts to each other?
[Jesus] is the head of the body, the church (Col. 1:18)
• we could say that we enjoy unity with one another
• but that does not go as far as Jesus’ prayer that we be “one”
– if we spoke Greek, we could say we enjoy “koinonia”
• this word means to share something in common, a partnership, communion
• the bond that holds us all together in koinonia is agape (love)
◦ agape has elements of familial love, friendship, romance, of compassion, and devotion
◦ but agape still goes beyond all these elements
– we have considered emotional intimacy, physical intimacy, and experiential intimacy
• perhaps we could talk about our “spiritual intimacy”

I think the second hurdle to leap is obvious, and that is “credibility”
– it’s one thing to idealistic – a dreamer, but it’s another thing to be delusional
• if I say, “Church is a place of intimate friendships,”
◦ I feel like I have to cross my fingers
• many people have been burned by churches
◦ like a mother who divorced abusive husband, and for that she and her children were banned from their church
– the general impression of church people is that they are:
• obstinate, closed-minded, judgmental, unloving, controlling, argumentative, hypocritical, and irrelevant
• pastors and their people can be painfully manipulative
◦ a classic example is when a preacher uses your love for God against you
“If you really loved the Lord, you would be on the mission field in Indonesia”
◦ guilt exerts a powerful pressure
(and the long term effect of guilt manipulation is spiritually and psychologically damaging)
– in a book I read recently, I found the following exhortation
(I will not mention the book or its author, because he has much to say that is good)
“If you know the mind of God, and do not share this knowledge with those who do not know, then what answer will you give to your lost friends and neighbors on the day of judgment? Upon hearing the decree of their condemnation, they may turn to you with terror in their eyes and say, “You knew about this? Why didn’t you tell me?”
• who came up with this scenario? this ugly religion?
• the purpose of this paragraph is to motivate (manipulate) the reader to do specific works to avoid an unpleasant experience in the here after

For me, the hard truth is that I must love unpleasant church people too
(even those who abused me from childhood to the present)
– these Christians whom I feel are misrepresenting Jesus,
• whose attitudes and behavior turn people away from the faith
• if I don’t love them, if I just criticize, reject and avoid them,
◦ I become just another version of the wrong thing
– we have to learn and adopt Jesus’ love for every person
• the misguided, misleading, bad advertisements, even abusers
• if we stop loving them, we stop holding out hope for them
◦ and we don not want to cancel hope for anyone

Paul provides instructions for developing spiritual intimacy

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Chapter 3:11-17
– consider writing out this list as a reminder and reflect on it
• also notice how Jesus is central to the lifestyle of spiritual intimacy
he is “all” and “in all” – we forgive as he forgave us
we let the peace of Christ rule in us
we let the word of Christ dwell in us
we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus
– why does Paul keep coming back to Jesus?
• because we all need God!
• you’re not doing this on your own – you can’t! No one can
◦ this is the importance of our daily encounters with God
◦ our own experience of his love, goodness, beauty, strength
◦ so that through these moments with him, we receive his help for times of need

I want to turn now to two questions Henri Nouwen asks in Intimacy

Henri Nouwen, “Many are asking themselves if we are doomed to remain strangers to each other. Is there a spark of misunderstanding in every intimate encounter, a painful experience of separateness in every attempt to unite, a fearful resistance in every act of surrender? . . . We probably have wondered in our many lonesome moments if there is one corner in this competitive, demanding world where it is safe to be relaxed, to expose ourselves to someone else, and to give unconditionally. It might be very small and hidden. But if this corner exists, it calls for a search through the complexities of our human relationships in order to find it.”
– about the same time Nouwen published these questions,
• a Presbyterian pastor was answering them in a book entitled No Longer Strangers
◦ which he borrowed from Ephesians
So you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (Eph. 2:19)
Bruce Larson, “To me, the gospel is good news right now because in Jesus Christ we find a God who deals with perhaps the most oppressive and pervasive problem of our time—the problem of estrangement and loneliness.”
For Larson, the church that practices a relational theology becomes the “safe corner” we desire and need
– I am going to offer my answers to Nouwen’s question
• first, if we study and practice what Paul teaches here, we’ll find that safe corner
◦ in fact, we will become a safe corner
◦ we are not doomed to remain strangers
◦ already, we are no longer strangers

Where can we experience and nurture our spiritual intimacy?
– in prayer – praying together
• here I run into the same hurdle as when talking about the church
• prayer meetings have been notorious for their epic failures
◦ the seeds of church divisions have been planted in prayer meetings
– some people use prayer to draw attention to themselves through:
• the eloquence of their prayers
• the dramatic intensity and seriousness of their prayers
(intensity and seriousness are important; drama is for the theater)
• the amount of scripture they quote in their prayers
• their pious emphasis on the importance of prayers
(prayer is certainly important, but emphasizing it for attention is a distraction)
– then there are those who gossip in prayer
• or shouted at the devil rather than talk to God
• a lot can go wrong in prayer meetings before we get it right

I’m convinced that an awareness of God is where prayer begins
– a Christian mystic of the 6th century wrote,
Dionysus, “If we were on a ship, and to rescue us ropes attached to a rock were thrown to us, obviously we would not draw the rock any nearer to ourselves, but we would pull ourselves and our ship nearer to the rock . . . And that is why . . . in prayer we need to begin, not by drawing [God nearer to us] but by putting ourselves in his hands and uniting ourselves to him.”
• our intimacy with each other begins with our intimacy with God
– intimacy grows in prayer, because:
• we open our hearts and pray our deepest concerns and feelings with each other
• we labor in prayer together over shared concerns
• we confess to God our shared weaknesses
• we express to God our love, devotion, and adoration
• we are before God Spirit to spirit – and with each other spirit to spirit
◦ this is where intimacy is formed, not mind to mind or body to body,
◦ but seeing, knowing, and communing with each other spirit to spirit

Conclusion: One of the wonderful things about Christian community,

Is discovering how every other person is wonderful
Every other person becomes another spiritual resource
Comfort through hardship and sorrow
A wealth of insight and understanding
An encouragement and example
You see, we meet specific human needs by being who Jesus calls us to be

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And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is might has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Luke 1:46-55

Intro: I won’t say this episode within the Christmas story has been neglected,

But it doesn’t get as much attention as the more familiar scenes
– it unfolds in a warm and intimate atmosphere
• the two women are relatives–both received a miracle
◦ both have been surprised by unexpected pregnancies
• we have no details of their time together, only their greetings,
◦ and each greeting is an eruption of joy and wonder
– Elizabeth’s greeting hints at the mystery Mary carries in her womb
And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (v. 43)
• Mary’s response is nothing less than an inspired song,
◦ like one of the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures
• you know you’ve caught the mood of this story if when reading it you smile

I am going to zero in on one particular line that Mary sings
. . . he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts

My first impression of this statement is that it is prophetic
– Mary celebrates a future as if it were already present
• it describes one of the social upheavals her Child will cause
My next impression: the world will be better for it
– the day when the plans of narcissistic leaders are foiled
A third impression: Mary is traveling familiar territory
– last week I mentioned the two times we are told,
• she treasured a memory and pondered it in her heart
• Mary’s life will affect the realm of inner thoughts

Now we’ll jump from this lovely encounter to the temple

I mentioned Simeon last week, who took Jesus into his arms,
– and prayed over him
• birth and death are featured in this encounter
• a birth is celebrated, a death is anticipated
◦ the one is connected to the other
◦ a peaceful death is possible because of the divine birth
Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed (Lk. 2:34-35)
• Simeon’s prediction: Jesus will be a sign
◦ a sign doesn’t make things happen; it simply points out what’s there
• by his very presence, Jesus would expose what was in the hearts of many

I have taken that last line for our meditation today
that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed
– there are moments in Luke where we observe this happen–literally
• once when Jesus perceived the thoughts of the scribes and Pharisees,
◦ Luke says he “answered” them – they were thinking something, but had not said anything
◦ in other words, Jesus answered their thoughts as if they had spoken them out loud!
Why do you question in your hearts? (Lk. 5:22)
• another time when they were looking for a reason to reject him,
Jesus knew their thoughts (Lk. 6:8)
• and again, when they slandered him and pestered him for a sign from heaven
But he, knowing their thoughts addressed their criticism (Lk. 11:17)
• another time it was the disciples he corrected
◦ they were arguing over which one of them was the greatest
But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child . . . . (Lk. 9:47)
• one time Jesus told the Pharisees explicitly,
You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts (Lk. 16:15)

I have a book written by a Benedictine Nun, Thoughts Matter

Sister Mary Margaret tells a story regarding Abba Anthony
– in order to know God as fully as possible,
• he renounced everything in his worldly life; home, wealth, honors, etc.
◦ but when he was alone in the desert, he realized
◦ he the thoughts of those things he renounced followed him
• this required a second renunciation — a renunciation of his thoughts
Mary Margaret Funk, “He realized that his thoughts mattered and that they had to be taken seriously, because if he did not take them seriously, he could not pray. He began to train himself to notice his thoughts, laying them out, rather than resisting them. . . . [he] learned to redirect his thoughts, either by rethinking them or by placing a prayer alongside the thought.”
◦ later she explains
“To know our thoughts is an essential step in redirecting our heart to God in prayer.”
– Fr. Romuald once explained to me, “I am not my thoughts. I am not my feelings.”
• this is an important lesson to learn – we cannot allow our thoughts define who we are
◦ but still, our thoughts matter – true thoughts assist, strengthen, and refresh us
. . . whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Php. 4:8)
◦ thoughts that are untrue can trip us up, mislead and ruin us
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)
• fearful, anxious, shameful thoughts can twist our minds
◦ convince us that we’re worthless, irredeemable, hopeless

I’m going to share a few of my thoughts about thoughts

I don’t expect you to remember this list, but I hope you feel it
• Thoughts are not insignificant – they deserve our concern
◦ our unconscious thoughts run our lives
◦ they will bring us closer to God or carry us away from him
• Thoughts are not inert – they are dynamic, a mental energy
• We do not always know our own thoughts
◦ we get lost in them rather than look at them
◦ sometimes another person makes us aware of them
◦ we can learn to make ourselves aware of our thoughts
• When our thoughts are revealed, we’re responsible to own them
◦ we can discern our thoughts–choose to keep or dismiss them
◦ we can choose to think new thoughts
• Busy, shallow thoughts can distract us from our deeper selves
• We don’t have to fight horrific battles against thoughts in our mind
Sister Mary Margaret, “Thoughts come and thoughts go. Unaccompanied thoughts pass quickly.”
◦ if we do not engage a thought, it will dissolve on its own
• Our thoughts are a key issue in our spiritual development
◦ Jesus reveals our thoughts to renovate our minds
◦ a purification of our thoughts improves our vision of God
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Mt. 5:8)
• God throws us a challenge to think higher thoughts
. . . let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isa. 55:7-9)
◦ God tells the wicked person, “Your actions are wrong”
◦ he tells the unrighteous person, “Your thoughts are wrong”
• It is possible to transcend thought
◦ to be in pure awareness of the experience of the present moment
◦ to enter the mystery that is the kingdom of God

I’m going to turn now and come at this another way

This last week, reading in Luke I came across the following statement:
. . . where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Lk. 12:34)

I asked myself, “How do I know where my heart is?”
• What thoughts come to me most often?
• What thoughts do I use to console myself? (e.g., “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you” ; Ge. 27:42)
• What thoughts do I use to entertain myself?
• What thoughts give me hope?
• What thoughts trouble me?
• What do I think would make me happy?
• What am I thinking right this moment?
– the answer to each question reveals where my heart is
– my heart thoughts swirl around whatever I treasure

Conclusion: I’ve been trying to imagine, what would it be like

To have Jesus on my mind all day
– would I be more aware of how he blesses me than how others annoy me?
What would it be like to love him so much,
to be so enthralled with him that he was always present to me,
and my thoughts automatically returned to him–always
I imagine, that would be the best Christmas gift I could ever receive

My Christmas wish–my prayer–
is that each of us will enjoy a day like that;
a day when Jesus is everything to us
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36)

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In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. Luke 1:26-29

Intro: I know — this is a strange place to stop reading

These few verses are a small piece of story surrounding Jesus’ birth,
– many big things take place in this long chapter,
• so it is easy to skim this short scene and get to the action
• but I think it may do us some good to linger here awhile

There is something odd about Mary’s reaction

I’ll show you why – earlier, the same angel appeared to Zechariah
– even before the angel spoke
Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him (v. 12)
• later on, an angel appeared to shepherds, and immediately
they were filled with great fear (2:9)
◦ this is typical of angel sightings in scripture — angels frightened people
• now here in our verses, an angel appears to Mary
◦ she also reacts – but not to the angel!
– it wasn’t his presence, but his opening line that troubled her
Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!
• Luke tells us, she was greatly troubled at the saying
◦ and she began wrestling with what sort of greeting this might be

Centuries prior to this story, someone else had a similar encounter
– Israel had been conquered and oppressed by a powerful nation
• the character in this episode was Gideon – a angel appeared to him and said,
The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor (Jdgs. 6:12)
◦ when you read his story, you discover Gideon was anything but a man of valor
• Gideon’s response reveals the despair of his people
Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? (Jdgs. 6:13)
– Mary did not respond with words as Gideon had
• instead, her response was with concerns and thoughts
• she was troubled, not because she knew what was coming next,
◦ but because she had no idea where this was going
• I think most of us would wonder, Why me?
◦ “Favored one? I’ve never done anything to distinguish myself. How did you get my address?”

As we get to know Mary, we will discover this trait in her

That she was a deep thinker – held things close to her heart
– after the shepherds found their way to her, Joseph, and the baby,
• they went away telling everyone what they had seen
And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things pondering them in her heart (Lk. 2:18-19)
• then when Jesus was twelve and had given her and Joseph a scare,
. . . they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. . . . And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart (Lk. 2:49-51)
– mothers are frequently the family historians
• the ones who put together the photograph albums
◦ who cherish the special memories and tell the stories
• of course, for Mary this became a journey of discovery
◦ and along the way, she paused to contemplate the meaning of things

At the outset, Mary’s experience was not wonderful

It wasn’t like unwrapping a Christmas gift to find exactly what you wanted
– it was disturbing and unsettling
• God’s will for us sometimes affects us this way
◦ whether we are thrown into it or choose to step into it
• our predictable routines are disrupted
◦ the future we had planned for ourselves dissolves
◦ instead of knowing where we’ll be tomorrow, we are uncertain
– do you ever wonder if God has a purpose for your life?
• whether he is in control or things just happen randomly?
• even if you cruise along for awhile and life is going well,
◦ if there’s a sudden and unexpected deviation, a hardship or loss
◦ and it seems to have no rational place in your imagined world,
it can make you wonder if there is a purpose for any of it

At that point, a lot of people give up on God
– they may still go to church, pray before meals, donate to charities
• but they don’t believe their lives serve a spiritual purpose
• and they don’t trust God for every detail of their lives
– if ever we are tempted to think faith and trust are easy,
• all we have to do is follow just one character in the Bible
◦ even those on whom God poured out his love,
◦ their safety and security were not guaranteed (think of Job!)
• God does have a vision for each of us
◦ we do not have to understand all that happens, but we have to trust
◦ he can work with everything that enters our story
God lets nothing go to waste

The angel immediately reassured Mary

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God
– “It’s true, from now on you will not have a normal life,
• but you have been graced by God”
◦ that is the meaning of the word “favor”
◦ verse 28, “graced one” and verse 30, “found grace with God”
• God’s grace will carry you through all that comes at you
– remember the annoyance Paul called his thorn in the flesh?
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:8-9)
• personally, I don’t want to believe this
• I want to believe that if things get really bad, it’s okay for me give up
◦ but by this point in my life, I know better
◦ I’ve witnessed God’s grace too many times to give up

Do not be afraid, Mary – on the other hand, be terrified
– your destiny has arrived at your front door
• it will seem an impossibility to bear
• but God will support you through all of it
– your destiny is worth giving up the life you dreamed for self
• it will be worth the suffering
• God will be gracious to you all the way through
◦ this is the new condition of your life–grace
◦ God bring his purpose for you to fruition by his grace

I am not trying to throw cold water on our holiday spirit

But the thing is, we do not know Christmas if we leave out the cross
• the cross cuts through everything
• when Jesus was only eight days old,
◦ the happy couple brought him to temple to present him to the Lord
◦ we’ll meet old Simeon next week, but he was there and predicted Jesus’ future
He also told Mary, a sword will pierce through your own soul also (Lk. 2:35)
– what kind of pain pierces all the way down into the soul?
• not physical pain, but emotional pain
• the grief of seeing a loved one suffer – the grief of loss

Viktor Frankl discovered that people can survive pain and suffering,
– if they can find a meaning for it or in it
• those who research pain tell us that, “the symptom serves a function”
Jake Caldwell, “Bodily suffering is the refusal of the body to be ignored and treated like a lifeless machine, and is the refusal of the soul to be ignored and forgotten . . .”
• pain has a story to tell us, and we can learn to listen to it
Caldwell, “If nothing else, illness should change us, make us wiser and deeper. We come back, if we come back, with a deepened experience of life. We will never be the same.”
Thomas Moore, “If we allow sickness to lead us into wonder about the very base of experience, then our spirituality is strengthened. Accepting that we are wounded, we enter life differently.”
– in Genesis we read about Jacob after wrestling with God
• he emerged from that match wounded but changed
◦ God gave him a new name, which is equivalent to a new identity and destiny
◦ God also gave him a permanent disability–his limp

What did we do for our children when they complained about some of their pains?
– we told them, “Those are growing pains”
• we gave their pain a meaning
– the cross is a mystery – it is a surgical instrument
• it cuts in order to heal, it kills in order to give life
• it tells us we are experiencing growing pains

Conclusion: When I was kid I read stories about children in other countries

That in some places, they would leave their boots outside their homes
– then when St. Nicholas came by he would leave them a gift in their boots
• that gift, for instance could be an orange
• when I read that, I thought, “What a rip-off!”

Before the United States commercialized Christmas,
it was not all about materialist gift-giving
Christmas was focused on our longing for Jesus
and our joyous celebration of “God with us”
An orange was a good-enough present,
because what matter most was the Infinite coming to us as an infant
Can we recover that simplicity?
If I tell you, all I want for Christmas this year is an orange,
I’m saying I want to spend Christmas with Jesus
I want to approach the manger, but stay near the cross
The one brings God to us, and the other brings us to God

[Please read] Matthew 1:18-24

Intro: Because of my irrational need to justify myself at all times,

I want you to know I was not goofing off last Sunday
– I was invited to be a guest speaker in a church
• the people there were gracious and my talk went okay
◦ but something surprised me
• the worship team had prepared several Christmas carols
◦ although they were familiar, certain phrases hit me as if for first time
◦ I thought, “What have we been singing all these years? Why is it just now that I’m hearing this? And why am I so moved by it?”
– I will give you one example – “Hark, the Heard Angels Sing”
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth,
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the new-born King”
• in the line, “born to raise the sons of earth” “sons” is, of course, generic
◦ this is what we are; physical beings drawn from the earth,
◦ made of same stuff as our planet – earthlings
• we would be earth-bound if God had not revealed more,
◦ if he had not shared with us his own Spirit, and life in the Spirit
◦ if not for Jesus, we’d have come from dust and returned to dust

So maybe I’m suffering from a bout of Christmas nostalgia

Here I am today, and don’t feel like talking about anything profound
– as much as I am enchanted at the concept of the Incarnation,
• I don’t want to talk the theology of Christmas
– so, from now to the end of the year, my talks will be devotional
• I want to reflect on Christmas with you
• so let’s unwrap this “gift” over the next four weeks

The story of Christmas begins in the Hebrew Scriptures

If we think about it, what comes to mind might be Isaiah’s words
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forever more.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this (Isa. 9:6-7)
– or we could remember the prophecy in Micah
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days (Mic. 5:2)
• but I am thinking of a passage written centuries before that
[please read] Genesis 3:1-19, 22-24
– if the first two chapters of Genesis tell us the universe exists because God “created” it,
• chapter 3 explains how evil entered the world
(the Hebrew word translated evil is rah and rarely refers to evil as a moral category. Rather, evil can be any sort of suffering or unfortunate situation including poor health, personal injury, loss of property or loved ones, and so on)
◦ the story begins when a new character is introduced and strikes up a conversation with Eve
• the snake wants to talk theology
◦ he begins as if he has a real interest in God’s word
◦ but he immediately questions God’s word, and then denies it

The strategy the snake uses is really this old
– there has always been someone willing to be the devil’s advocate
• “You think you know God, but you don’t, really. I’ve studied this, looked at its history, read it in the original languages. You won’t hear the truth from your priests or preachers”
• even if you walk away thinking, “What a creep!”
◦ that person has planted a seed of doubt
– the first man and woman were deceived
• they chose to ignore God’s word – to go against it
• what their enlightenment gave them was the curse – evil
◦ up till now they had only known one half of the truth

But it is within the curse that we find the first promise of Christmas

– the woman would bring a son into the world
• one who would put an end to the snake,
• and undo the evil that had been unleashed on the earth

This is the first promise of a Christmas

The first glimmer of hope that will shine over Bethlehem
– the first note of the song,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased (Lk. 2:14)
– the two historic events are connected
• the story of Christmas is a response to the story of the curse
• I want to point out some of the parallels I see between the two stories
◦ then maybe you will be inspired to find some parallels of your own

Mary and Joseph were born into broken world of Adam and Eve

Hardship and suffering were not new experiences for Mary and Joseph
– they accepted misery as an unavoidable aspect of the human condition
• they did not expect life to be easy
• other than that, they were human persons, the same as Adam and Eve
◦ they shared similar emotional and relational dynamics
– it was revealed to Mary and Joseph that they would play a role
• as significant and world-changing as Adam and Eve
• they would be used to bring hope to the world
◦ to reverse the damage that came through the actions of first couple

Similarities between the two couples include the following:
– Adam and Eve instantly felt a new emotion–shame
• their nakedness had not been a cause for concern
◦ they had never felt the need to cover themselves
• but now they were afraid to be seen
◦ they attempted to hide themselves from each other and from God
– shame was also a factor in Mary and Joseph’s situation
• it was to spare Mary shame, that Joseph resolved to keep their divorce quiet
• but that shame was transformed into the greatest honor in human history
Mary sang, from now on all generations will call me blessed (Lk. 1:48)

– Adam and Eve were thrown into a world of fear
I heard the sound of your in the garden, and I was afraid
– the first word the angel spoke to Mary, Do not be afraid
• and to Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife

– Adam and Eve were thrown into a world of fear
• before biting into the forbidden fruit, they knew only intimacy
◦ with the world of nature, each other, and with God
• those relationships were fractured
– Mary and Joseph’s first challenge was the healing of a broken relationship

– in the original story, angels blocked the way back to paradise
– in the remake, angels directed Mary and Joseph to the way back

– in the original story, the perpetrators released evil into the world
– in the remake, the couple cooperated with God and brought the Savior into the world

These two stories combine to bring us to Jesus – and to Christmas

This week I came across an idea that had never occurred to me
– it is related to the curse of thorns and thistles
• further on in the Hebrew Scriptures, thorns are associated with punishment
– I read a portion of an ancient sermon
• the preacher was Hyppolytus, at second century theologian
◦ he said, “to banish every curse from the earth, Jesus was first crowned with thorns”
◦ this is the message of redemption
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13)
• there is nothing in your life that Jesus cannot redeem

Conclusion: What now? We carry forward the work of Jesus

We are agents of redemption in the world;
a redemption that includes the world of nature as well as humankind (Ro. 8:19-23)
The burden of redemption is not on us
all that is on us is the message of redemption as we live it
When another life is touched by that message,
a bit of redemption from the cross of Calvary enters the world

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I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me and there are many adversaries 1 Corinthians 16:5-9

Intro: The last chapter of 1 Corinthians is not as interesting as rest of the letter

It is mostly business – like when we were of age and our parents left for a week vacation
– they instructed us, “Don’t forget to feed the dog, water the plants, bring in the mail, and put out the trash”
• so here: Paul’s last-minute instructions include fund-raising for Jerusalem, his own itinerary, Timothy’s visit, Apollos would not be visiting them, and various greetings
• we are looking for a precious gem here or there
◦ same sort of spiritual insights we have found shining through Paul’s ordinary language
– from the start, we’ve listened to Paul as our Spirit-teacher
• like the Corinthians, we become preoccupied with our culture and church issues
◦ in response, Paul has taught them to learn to use their new eyes and ears
◦ to deepen their new awareness of God, who is present at all times and in all situations
• that is why I have called our perusal of 1 Corinthians “A Primer In Things Unseen”
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18)

Paul was in a situation that was “almost” ideal (vv. 8-9)

Any minister or missionary would be excited regarding this prospect,
– a wide door for effective work has been opened
• if that were all Paul had to deal with, the situation would have been ideal
• but the truth is, no situation on earth is ideal — at least not for very long
– the kind of work God has us doing in the world will always entail many adversaries
• sometimes strangers, sometimes people on our own team
◦ most often, our adversaries and adversities come from our circumstances

There is a reason Paul had to write a chapter that is all business
– it is because we will always have to deal with the stuff of physical world
• it will always be a source of distraction, hindrance, frustration
• there was a reason why monasteries were built far from cities
– why couldn’t there just be the wide door for effective work?
• why must there be many adversaries?
1. because that is where we find our work; that is, where the need is great
2. because adversity is what makes our lives a story
◦ a series of events is not a story (e.g., “This happened, then this happened, then this . . .)
◦ adversity creates a plot – and suspense, and the need for God to work
• I read this chapter last June – I’ll share a bit of what I wrote back then:
“The lesson here is the same one we learn from Jesus’ Transfiguration. I doubt the disciples ever experienced a fuller revelation of God than on that mountain. But they had to come back down to the mundane world. And there waiting for them was a heated argument and a demon-possessed boy.
“We want the new perspective the disciples had, the greater awareness of God’s immediate presence, the peace we receive from our conscious connection with a larger reality. But all of that is given us to serve one purpose; to be God’s agents of redemption in the world. We need Paul’s “heavenly vision,” for sure! How else will we escape our own worldly entanglements? But we also need to take care of business. These closing words of Paul advise us how we are to go about doing that.”

Here is the kind of insight we had hoped to find in this chapter
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. I Corinthians 16:13-14

“Be watchful” (or stay awake, or wake up)– Jesus taught this to disciples in critical moments
– at end of the era in which they were living — they would need to watch, to stay awake:
when they would be in danger of being led astray, and many would fall away – and betray one another and hate one another – and many false prophets would arise – and the love of many would grow cold (Mt. 24:4, 10-12)
• then again in the Garden of Gethsemane,
◦ when Judas was at the gate with a crowd that was armed with swords and clubs
• then Jesus’ message to church in Sardis, wake up (Rev. 3:2)
◦ Paul also stressed waking up:
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand (Ro. 13:11-12)
– Paul explained that reality is more than our 4-D universe
• that the dimension of God’s Spirit cannot be seen or heard
◦ yet that is the dimension that defines our Christian lives
◦ and though hidden from our senses, we can become aware of it experientially
• we have to wake ourselves up!
◦ I need to be reminded of this every day
◦ I constantly fall asleep and lose awareness of God’s presence
– how can we wake ourselves up?
• constantly return to scripture – listen to God in it
• as you listen, do something – pray it, sing it, bow
• walk in nature – remind yourself of the mystery hidden in it
• nurture reverence – say, “I don’t know” and allow yourself to recover awe and wonder
• acknowledge yourself of the ways you numb your mind – your diversions
• do one thing every day, fully present
• whenever something surprises you, use the surprise to wake you up
• ask, “What am I missing?” Then look around
◦ perhaps you’ll begin to see differently

“Stand firm in the faith”
– when we wade in the ocean, even small waves move us
• it takes effort to resist the pressure of water rolling in and receding
◦ avoid getting into anything over your head
• we need to keep our feet planted in the faith
◦ faith is what connects us to the mystery; faith is our spiritual sight

“Act like men”
– I really do not like this phrase – “Real men don’t cry”
• the same word is found in the Greek translation of the Old Testament
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD! (Ps. 27:14)
• courage is a determination to do what has to be done,
◦ even in the face of danger, difficulty, or discomfort
– there are different degrees of courage,
• and some people have more than others
• each one of us will have to find our own way to do this
◦ I find that the courage of others inspires me

“Be strong”
– Paul is not saying, Be muscular or, Be aggressive, or abrasive
• in this regard, his prayer for the Ephesians was that God
according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . . to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge [and] be filled with all the fullness of God (Ep. 3:14-19)
• this kind of strength is like the deep roots of a tree
◦ it’s the strength of good health that produces stamina
◦ it’s the strength that supports courage

“Let all that you do be done in love”
– we’ve been taught, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, do not say anything at all”
• but what Paul says goes way beyond that
◦ first, it’s not just what we have to say, but all that we do
◦ second, the alternative is not “do nothing at all”
–there is no alternative; we have to do something and do it in love
Jesus: So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Mt. 7:12)
• we refer to this as “The Golden Rule” –
◦ however, Jesus referred to it as the “narrow gate”
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those that find it are few (Mt. 7:13-14)
– if Christianity fails at love, it is then a total failure

Every once in awhile, in our Lexio Divina meeting, everyone will talk at once
– we’re meeting electronically, so it becomes a mess of noise
• but it is also a joyful sound,
• because it only happens when everyone is expressing their love to one individual

I admit that I’m interpreting this next verse out of context
The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord 1 Corinthians 16:19

Is there a “church” in your hoouse?
– a specific place where you meet with God
– a space where you invite others to sit and share conversations regarding your lives with God?
I will leave you to explore the question for yourself

Conclusion: And now the verse that holds the key to open every door
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you 1 Corinthians 16:23

God’s grace makes everything impossible for us possible
– God’s grace fills the gap between where I am and where I could be
– grace is not like God’s Spirit, a source of energy or power
Rather, it is God’s attitude toward us –
his joy in giving us everything we do not deserve
The grace of Jesus is what wakes us up,
enables us to stand firm in the faith,
gives us courage,
makes us strong,
and carries us down the hard way and through the narrow gate of love

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

Intro: The Corinthians wrote to Paul to get his help

They were dealing with a few issues they had not been able to resolve
– so far, their concerns were mostly practical
• but now we come to a new sort of problem
• it is theological – and Paul takes it very seriously
– Paul takes them all the way back to the beginning
• when he first came to Corinth with a message he calls “the gospel”
◦ they received it, stayed with it, and were being saved by it
• notice, it’s a process – that’s because it’s a lifetime project
◦ it is not merely a free pass to heaven, it is bringing our broken lives to spiritual wholeness
◦ and progress in it is conditional — if you hold fast to word I preached to you

When Paul outlines the gospel message, it is all about Jesus

Imagine you had to write an essay on what it means to be a Christian
– there are lots of things you could put down
• our sins are forgiven, we are made better people than we were, we have a Savior and Lord,
◦ we have specific beliefs about God, the world, and life, and so on
• is there one defining characteristic?
– the Christian is a person who knows Jesus Christ and is known by him
• through Jesus we know God and he knows us as his own
• Jesus Christ is the beginning and end of our faith; the alpha and omega

Paul zeroes in on one of the points he makes about Jesus
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 1 Corinthians 15:12
– this is one of the main tenets of our faith
• so it surprises us to learn, some people can believe in our same God, but not believe in the resurrection
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit . . . (Acts 23:8)
• I think the Sadducees’ and Corinthians’ beliefs had been influenced by intellectualism
◦ before Corinth, Paul had addressed philosophers in Athens, where we read,
Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked – then the meeting broke up and Paul went out of their midst (Acts 17:32-33)
◦ intellectuals assume it is human emotion that makes people feel they need to believe in resurrection
– recently a few Christian theologians and leaders have abandoned the resurrection–or diminished it
• for some, there is no continuation of an individual self after death
◦ we cease to exist and are somehow amalgamated into God,
◦ ultimately, we are told, God will be one undifferentiated, universal Self
• but Paul’s long discussion of resurrection points us to a different future

Remember, our purpose has been to observe Paul as a spiritual guide

Christian mentors move at the pace of the disciple
– they listen, observe, and discern the student’s need
• they offer suggestions and perhaps recommend the practice of a spiritual discipline
◦ the purpose is to lead the student to the next door
◦ which is a door to deepened awareness – of God, one’s self, others, the world–everything
• there are basic truths every student needs to integrate into into his or her faith
◦ at first, the disciple may not appreciate value of each truth
◦ but as awareness develops, the truth becomes radiant
– the Corinthians were ready for a fuller awareness of resurrection
• so that is where Paul takes them

Wake up from your drunken stupor as is right and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame 1 Corinthians 15:34
All of us are aware of moving between two mental states:
– our normal “waking consciousness” and our dream state
• in reality, in waking consciousness we’re not fully awake
Arthur Deikman refers to this as “The Trance of Ordinary Life”
• much of our daily actions and reactions are automatic
◦ because we have specific notions of what needs to be done,
◦ our awareness is constricted to a narrow field
Deikman, “When we suddenly shift from such preoccupations to a full, vivid awareness of the world, the contrast is so great we may describe ourselves as ‘coming to’ or ‘waking up.’”
– resurrection awakens us to a reality larger than the lives we’re living
So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raided in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body 1 Corinthians 15:43-44
• we have come across these words before, natural (soulish, psychikos) and spiritual (pneumatikos) 1 Cor. 2:14-15
◦ Paul provided the Corinthians an analogy of a seed and then the plant it becomes
◦ similarly, our (current) natural body is like a seed and our (future) spiritual body is the plant
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of the dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have born the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
• our physical life, this mortal existence was not designed to last forever
◦ it is fragile, susceptible to injury and disease, perishable
◦ but we are more than these temporary bodies
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling . . . . He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee (2 Cor. 5:1-5)
– here is how I understand this (and what I suggest may be only an analogy or perhaps nothing)
• we were given these four dimensional bodies to exist in a four dimensional universe
◦ but the universe includes a dimension that is hidden from us
• our resurrection bodies will not be merely 4-D, but that and more
◦ Paul refers to this as the “spiritual body”
◦ it is not perishable, but eternal

If possible, our awareness must develop to include resurrection

We have beliefs that are no more than ideas
– that’s because we have no experience of them and can’t imagine them
• but there’s a place in our minds where beliefs are more than ideas
◦ let’s call it the “Reality Central Department”
◦ in it there’s all the stuff we bump into every day
• I think we need to get the resurrection into Reality Central
◦ in fact, I believe that’s why Paul spends so much time on defending and describing the resurrection
William James, “. . . in the distinctively religious sphere of experience, many persons . . . possess the objects of their belief, not in the form of mere conceptions which their intellect accepts as true, but rather in the form of quasi-sensible realities directly apprehended. As his sense of the real presence of these objects fluctuates, so the believer alternates between warmth and coldness in his faith.”
– if we let go of the resurrection, we lose our connection with the spiritual dimension
• the dimension we will one day fully enter in our spiritual bodies
• we do not live for the moment, our orientation is toward the future – to eternity

Who are you? What determines who you are?
– identity is a combination of history and destiny
Jesus, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going . . .” (John 8:14)
• he could faithfully represent himself, because he knew who he was
◦ and he knew who he was, because he knew where he was from and where he was going
• if we let go of the res, we lose our destiny and our identity
– resurrection is hope
• hope of a fullness unattainable in this life
• hope of completing a long, difficult, and exhausting journey
• hope of arriving home and seeing our heavenly Father “face to face”

Last Monday I was reading in Mark 12

The Sadducees brought a resurrection riddle to Jesus that they assumed could not be solved, but he answered them,
Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? (Mk. 12:24-27)
– Jesus gave them two examples:
• one example illustrated how they did not know scripture
(how God identified himself to Moses from the burning bush)
• the other example illustrated how they did not know power of God — look at this:
For when they rise they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven
◦ this bothered me because I assumed what Jesus meant by “power” was the magnitude of God’s might
◦ but how is that revealed in his description of those who are resurrected?
◦ what Jesus was saying about God’s power was more like this:
You do not even know what God’s power is; you do not know its nature. It is not like the forces you know in the 4-D universe; it belongs to another realm–the realm of angels in heaven
– I realized that Jesus was explaining their ignorance
• they had no awareness of the realm of the spirit
◦ so they were unable to read the Scriptures with awareness-insight
◦ and they were unable to imagine or believe in the resurrection
• those belonged to a spiritual dimension of which they had no awareness
◦ it is the dimension Paul was trying to open the Corinthians to all through his letters

Whatever problems we may have with the resurrection and life after death,
– it stems from our unawareness
– and Paul is telling us, “Wake up!”

Conclusion: In verse 2, Paul made that unsettling statement,
. . . unless you believed in vain

The Greek word translated “vain” means “without purpose,” “without having any effect”
– in v. 10, the grace God had showered on Paul was not in vain
• the Greek word there means futile or useless
• that word appears two more times in verse 14
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain
– but when the same word appears in verse 58, it is full of hope
Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain

Resurrection to life with God himself makes every instance of
trust,
endurance,
good deeds,
devotion,
and worship,
to be meaningful,
fruitful,
and worthwhile
One day we’ll see
none of these hardships and heartaches,
none of the hard work and backaches
that we live through in this world
will have been in vain