Speaking of Faith: Beauty

Speaking of Faith: Beauty

Psalm 19

Introduction

Science has come a long way over the past one hundred years.  Doctors have access to medications and life-support to keep people alive longer than ever before.  The science of cloning has reached the point where we are no longer talking about cloned calves and sheep.  We are facing the possibility of cloning spare organs to transplant in case one of our vital organs wears out too soon.  How much longer before we meet the first cloned human?

One day a group of scientists were talking about how modern culture has finally outgrown the concept of God.  We just don’t need God anymore.  So, they summoned God to join them in their meeting and told God what they thought.  “We don’t need you anymore.  We have explained all the mysteries of the universe, and we don’t need faith.  We have the science and technology to preserve and even clone human life.  We don’t need you anymore and wish you would simply go away.”

When the scientists had finished making their case against God, God reached down to the ground and scooped up a handful of dirt.  God molded that dirt into a human form and stood it up in front of the scientists.  Then, God breathed into the human form, and it became a living, breathing human being.  Then, God said, “Can you do that?”

The scientists reached down and picked up a handful of dirt…  But God interrupted them and said, “No,  no, no.  Make your own dirt.”

This is one of the central beliefs of the Christian faith.  We believe that God created everything from nothing—including the dirt.  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Therefore, everything owes its origin, its existence and its ultimate purpose to the creative activity of God.  Another aspect of this Christian belief is the fact that nothing in the universe is eternal.  Everything that is had a beginning.  Even the universe itself is not eternal.

This was an important shift in the philosophy of science during the Twentieth Century.  At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, Christian faith and science were in conflict over the origins of the universe.  Christian faith said that the universe had a beginning.  Science held the opposite point of view—scientists believed the universe was eternal.  The universe (and matter) is and was and has always been.  There has always been stuff, which has organized itself into the life forms we know today.  Of course this view changed in the 1960’s.

In the 1960’s a “new” view of the universe became popular.  This new view is commonly called “The Big Bang Theory.”  In simple terms, it is based on the observation that the universe is expanding and must have a beginning when everything was condensed into a very small space—approximately 13 billion years ago.  That was a long time ago, but the universe had a beginning and therefore cannot be eternal.

It is interesting to me that the first people who were opposed to the “Big Bang Theory” were the atheists, who believed the theory sounded too religious.  Everything that has an origin must also have a cause—something that caused it to come into existence.  The same thing is true about our universe.  Science can make observations about the ways our universe behaves.  But science cannot answer questions about how the universe was originally formed.

The “Big Bang Theory” demonstrates one of the limitations of science.  Science can only do three things.  Science can make observations about the way the world around us behaves.  Science can develop theories that explain why the world behaves the way it behaves.  Science can prove these theories by “recreating” experiments in a controlled environment.  When science focuses on the origins of the universe, it can only perform two of these three functions.  Science can observe the expansion of the universe.  Science can develop theories like the “Big Bang” to explain this expansion.  However, science cannot “recreate” the origin of the universe in a controlled environment.  No one can prove the origin of the universe through experimentation.

Of course, this is not the only area in which science has reached its limits.  We can say the same thing about the beauty of creation.

There are several ways we can talk about the beauty of creation.  Obvious examples would be the beauty of a sunset; the beauty of a mountain view; the beauty of the ocean; or the beauty of Spring flowers—like the Texas bluebonnets.  Or, we could speak of the beauty expressed in the “fine-tuning” of our universe.

Have you ever stopped to think of all the small factors that came together to support life on planet earth?  Our planet is the only planet in our solar system with the right combination of chemical, biological, physical and cosmological forces to support life.  If any of the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen were out of balance, there would be no water.  If there were no water, there would be no plant, animal or human life.  Planet earth orbits around the sun at the perfect distance to ensure that it is neither too hot nor too cold to support life.  Life on earth is defined by an elaborate speciation of plants, animals and humans which represents a delicate balance we recognize as the “food chain.”  How can we explain this delicate balance of chemistry, biology and cosmology?

Some atheists claim that the world we experience is the result of random chance.  There was a big bang.  Then, millions of years later the conditions became right for life to emerge from the swamps.  This first life form went through millions of years of evolution to develop into the speciation we experience today.  If the big bang happened again, it may not actually produce the same results which led to life as we know it.  It might not happen again in a million chances.  We just got lucky.

It’s interesting that this view of random chance cannot stand up to scientific discovery.  After all, nothing happens randomly in science.  The very foundation of science is that everything behaves in predictable patterns.  Hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water.  Animals always breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.  Human life depends on properly functioning organs.  These things are not random.  They are regular and predictable.  If the world was random, there would be no such thing as science.  Science depends on regularity and predictability but cannot explain why things are regular and predictable.  A regular and predictable world could not have been created by random chance.

The beauty of creation tells us something about the God who created it.  The beauty of our “fine-tuned” world points us toward a God who is concerned about every detail and holding those details in a delicate balance.  The beauty of creation is like a road sign which directs our attention to the beauty and the glory of God.

The beauty of creation touches something deep within us.  Beauty is not logical or rational.  Beauty is not something we have to have someone explain to us.  We experience beauty and we know immediately that we are experiencing something beautiful.  But beauty itself is unfulfilling.  We are satisfied for a moment, and then the beauty fades.  So, we continue our search by looking for the next beautiful thing to experience.

The only way to find satisfaction in beauty is to realize that the beauty of creation is intended to point us toward the beauty and the glory of God.  Our search for beauty in creation should lead us to search for the source of beauty—the God of creation.

A biblical view of creation is that creation is one of three ways God has revealed himself to us.  God reveals himself through Creation, Scripture and Jesus.

Psalm 19: 1 – 14.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

(NIV)

Creation: General Revelation (vv. 1 – 6).

Theologically speaking, we call this General Revelation…It is available to all, generally.

Even the hardest of hearts marvels at a beautiful sunset…Remember what it was like as a child to sit in wonder, marveling as you examined a bug on a leaf, clouds moving overhead in the breeze, or the vast expanse of a starry sky?…

My family got to experience the beauty of creation last Summer on our vacation.  We drove 2,000 miles from East Texas to Colorado.  We spent a week in Durango and a week in Estes Park.  The highlight of our time in Estes Park was the way the elk just walked up to our cabin.  My highlight in Durango was reading a book and taking a nap in a hammock that sat on the edge of a bluff, 2,000 feet above Durango and the Animas River.

When I saw the elk grazing in front of snow capped mountains and when I woke up from my nap to look down on the river 2,000 feet below, I couldn’t help but think of God the Creator who placed such a beautiful and interesting scenes where only I could enjoy it.  This is a testimony to God…The glory of Creation…cf. Romans 1: 20… “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

God’s eternal power and divine nature are revealed to all human beings through the glory and beauty of creation.  This is General Revelation—Creation reveals God generally, to all.  But General Revelation is incomplete…General Revelation cannot save…

Scripture: The Word of God (vv. 7 – 11).

Law => perfect…complete…revives the soul…

Statutes => (NASB = “testimony”)…2 characteristics of statute = spoken & fixed.  Laws, commandments, teachings of Scripture are changeless and are witness (testimony) to the character of God…

Trustworthy, sure, faithful…They can hold us & support our weight.

Precepts => Right…This is not in the sense of “correct” (yet, we have no doubt that Scripture is correct)…Rather this refers to Scripture as Upright / Righteous / Just…  Thus we can affirm that Scripture is “correct,” because it is upright, righteous and just.

Commandments => Radiant…reference to light as pure…unmixed…not defiled by evil…

Fear => Reference to Scripture inasmuch as it evokes in us a sense of fear (in the good sense) of God…Better to say a sense of awe / reverence / worship of God…  This is the evocative nature of Scripture.  Reading and hearing the Word of God ought to evoke in us the emotion of fear in the sense of reverence.

Ordinances => (NASB = “judgments”)…That which is decreed or ordained by God…What God has decreed is trustworthy and true…Not false / corrupt / comparable to human judgment and decrees…

More than likely this is Hebrew parallelism…State the same thing over to emphasize its importance…

Basic point of this section of Psalm 19 = God’s word should bring you joy, not guilt or regret or any other negative feeling…It is not a chore to read and hear God’s voice in Scripture…

Jesus: The Personal Word of God (vv. 12 – 14).

Something must speak individually to our hearts…Theologically, we call this Special Revelation…Available to only a few…

God has spoken to our hearts through Jesus…Resurrection assures the eternal presence of Jesus…

It is significant that these final verses are a prayer…Addressed to a person…They were not addressed to Nature, and not addressed to Scripture…

We need personal help to…Discern our errors…Stop sinning willfully…Become blameless in God’s eyes…

Verse 14 is the ideal toward which Psalm 19 has been moving…It is only possible through the indwelling of the Risen Lord Jesus in our lives…

Conclusion.

God has not left himself without witness in our world.  God is speaking to us today.

In Creation, the broadest sense of God’s revelation, God has SHOUTED so loudly that every human being can “hear” him…

In Scripture, a narrower definition of revelation, God has spoken (in conversational tone) to those who are willing to read and acknowledge that Scripture is inspired by God (Jews, Christians, some Muslims, some Mormons).

In Jesus, the narrowest definition of revelation, God has whispered… whispering directly to my heart…

God’s SHOUT can be heard by all.  God’s spoken words can be heard by anyone who reads the Bible.  But God’s whisper can only be heard by those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior…

All of God’s communication to us (God’s revelation) has one goal…That we might worship God and find our Joy in Him…

And God expects each of us to speak of our faith to others.  The beauty of creation is one way to engage others in spiritual conversation.  This world is not all there is.  This world is not a shadow of a heavenly reality.  This world is the good creation of a Good God.  The beauty of creation points us toward the beauty of the Good God who created all things.

Creation itself cannot bring salvation…but it opens the door to talk about Jesus.

Speaking of Faith: Love

Speaking of Faith: Love

John 3: 16

Introduction

I think ya’ll are a very smart church.  I don’t have to explain to you the purpose behind my recent sermons.  Ya’ll are smart enough to figure it out for yourselves.

Our Long Range Planning Committee presented a series of recommendations to our church back in September.  One of those suggestions was to emphasize Evangelism and Outreach in the church budget and church calendar for 2012.  And that has been the basic theme of all my sermons this year.

My first few sermons focused on the words of Jesus to his disciples and the ways Jesus’ words to his First Century disciples also applies to his Twenty-First Century disciples.  (By the way, that is what you and I are: Jesus’ Twenty-First Century disciples.)  Jesus expects all his disciples to  (1) spend time with Jesus; (2) obey the teachings of Jesus; (3) imitate the life of Jesus; and (4) continue the ministry of Jesus by spreading the Gospel, the message of the Kingdom of God, around the world.

The reason, or the authority, for evangelism comes from the words of Jesus.  Since Jesus instructed his followers to do the work of evangelism, we can say that the church did not create evangelism.  Evangelism created the church.

Our English word “evangelism” comes to us almost directly from the Greek word “evangelion,” which means “good news” or “Gospel.”  The Gospel is good news, and evangelism is sharing that good news with other people.

The good news of the Gospel can be summarized in many different ways.  However, there is one Bible verse which many Christians name as their favorite Bible verse that truly sums up the good news.  You probably learned John 3: 16 as a child, or at least very early in your life as a Christian.  You can probably quote it with me this morning.  (If you don’t know the words to John 3: 16, I recommend you should memorize them and hide them in your heart.)  Let’s put the words on the screen and say John 3: 16 together.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3: 16 NIV).”

This is where we often make a mistake in presenting the Christian Gospel.  Sometimes we treat the Gospel as if it is a purely rational undertaking.  A person should acknowledge that God exists and then give mental assent to a list of Christian propositions.  People should accept Christian notions of the Incarnation of Jesus, the Trinitarian nature of God, the role of the Holy Spirit in both individual and corporate expressions, the nature of sin, and on and on and on.

The Gospel is not about leading people to a rational decision.  The Gospel is about leading people to a relational faith.  God is a person who has proven himself trustworthy.  God is inviting each of us to be in a relationship with himself—person to person.  The Gospel is a love story.

Love Story

The Gospel is a love story.  In a nutshell, God loves you so much that he gave his only Son.  This Son was Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life to fulfill all the commandments and teachings of the Old Testament.  Jesus also fulfilled the Old Testament in another way.  By upholding all the teachings of the Old Testament, Jesus became the only person qualified to give his life as the once-for-all sacrifice for our sins.  The Old Testament described an elaborate sacrificial system of offering lambs, doves, goats and bulls as sacrifices for specific sins.  Jesus replaced all those sacrifices once-for-all by offering his life as a perfect and final sacrifice for sin.  But sacrifice for sin was not all Jesus did.  Three days after his death on a Roman cross, Jesus rose from the dead.  Jesus’ resurrection is a promise to us that “whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God loves you and provided a way for you to live with him eternally.  This is a personal story about each of us individually.  And, this is also a universal story about all of the human race.  It is a love story that began in the first book of the Bible, when God created the heavens and the earth.

When God created the first humans, he placed them in a paradise.  We refer to this paradise as the Garden of Eden.  In the beginning, the Garden of Eden was perfect in every way.  Human beings lived together in peace.  The Garden provided for all their physical needs—food, water and shelter.  And human beings experienced relationship with God, enjoying the presence of God in the beauty of God’s creation.

Of course, this paradise didn’t last for long.  It only lasted until sin entered into God’s creation.  When the first humans sinned, all their relationships were broken.  The man and woman first experienced shame and put on clothing to hide their shame.  The creation stopped providing for all their needs, and humans began to work for their food, water, shelter, and now clothing.  And, worst of all, the humans were cast out of the presence of God.

This is where the love story took a rather unexpected turn.  We expect to find the humans doing all they can to restore their original relationship with God.  But, that is not what happened.  In fact, it was just the opposite.  God began pursuing the human race, because God wanted to restore the original relationship.

God pursued Abraham and entered into a relationship with Abraham’s descendants.  It was never God’s intention to have an exclusive relationship with Abraham and his descendants.  Instead, it was God’s plan to use Abraham and his descendants to tell the world about God’s love and God’s desire to have a relationship with individuals from every race and nationality.

Eventually, God took the extreme measure to send his only Son.  In the person of Jesus, God entered into human history to invite each of us to be in relationship with God.

Created for Love

This is what we were created for.  We were created for love—to be in relationship with God and to be in relationship with each other.

We see this in the story of creation.  Of all the creatures God made, there is something special about humans.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1: 26 – 27 NIV).”

One of the distinctive Christian beliefs is the Trinitarian view that God is One and God is Three.  God is (and has always been) Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Therefore, God is in relationship and created us in his image—to be in relationship.

We also see this emphasis on relationship in Genesis 2, when God created the first woman.  There is a kind of rhythm in the biblical story of creation.  God spoke.  Creation came into existence.  God spoke again.

Each time God created something, God said, “It is good.”  That is until God created the first man.  God created Adam and said, “It is NOT good…for the man to be alone.”  Then, God created the first woman.  Man and woman were created to be in relationship with each other…and to be in relationship with God. 

There is something deep within us that recognizes this.  We know we were created for relationships.  We naturally seek out friendship and relationship with others.  Even people who are introverted and seek out solitude are also interested in having another person with whom they can connect either as a spouse or as a close friend.  There are negative psychological effects when a person is isolated from all other people—a man stranded on a deserted island or a prisoner forced into solitary confinement.

We know we were created for relationships.  Despite the fact that our culture has launched an assault on traditional marriage, people continue to get married.  Social commentators claim that marriage is old fashioned and outdated.  Marriage is oppressive to women who have to give up their name and take the name of their husbands as a sign of giving up their rights (values) as individuals.  Yet, every week we read about another female celebrity who chooses to get married.  In the same way, we hear that divorce rates are soaring through the roof (some estimate that 50% of marriages end in divorce)…yet people continue to get married, because we know we were created for relationships.

Our desire for relationship with others serves at least two important roles in our lives.  In the first place, it helps us get a little closer to the purpose for which God created us.  In the second place, it sounds like a voice crying from the distance reminding us there must be more to life than living and being in relationship with other people.  We were also made for relationship with God.  God had made us for himself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in God alone.

We know this, because human relationships are so difficult.  We long for relationship and work on our relationships with others only to find ourselves unfulfilled.

Unfulfilled Love

Relationships are hard work.  Friendships are hard to get right.  The parent-child relationship sometimes seems impossible.  And the only people who have all the answers about marriage are the people who have never been married.  But when we get it right, relationships are worth all the effort we put into them.

The problem is we so often fail to get our relationships right.  Marriage serves as a good example here.  People want to get married (even celebrities like Kim Kardashian), but the divorce rates are extremely high.  Some marriages last only a matter of months.  And maybe that demonstrates how we want to experience love and relationship but sometimes find them to be unfulfilling (or perhaps just too much work).

Another example is to look at the lives of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world.  It would seem logical to believe that wealthy and powerful people are very happy people.  But that is not what experience tells us.  Wealthy and powerful people are unhappy, because they have sacrificed everything in life to achieve something that cannot satisfy.  Wealth and power are not the most important things in life.  Love is what really matters.  The only people who find satisfaction in life are the people who know they are loved.

Sadly, this cannot always be found in human relationships—friendship, parent-child, marriage.  But there is one place where we can all experience true and unconditional love. 

There is one relationship which can fulfill the longing of the human heart.  We are unfulfilled until we experience the love God demonstrated by giving his only Son, Jesus.

Conclusion

We live in a world full of people who are searching.  Some people search for the meaning of life in wealth and possessions.  Some people search for fulfillment in popularity or in having power over other people.  Some people search for purpose through knowledge and education.  If we were created in the image of God, none of these will ever satisfy our search.  There is only one way to find true meaning, purpose and fulfillment.  We are restless and unfulfilled until we embrace and allow ourselves to be embraced by the living God who loves us and sent his Son to provide the way for an eternal relationship with God.

This is what all of us are lacking.  This is what your friends are searching for.  And it is our responsibility to recognize that search in others and help them to discover the only love which fulfills.  The love of John 3:16…God loves you so much that he gave his one and only Son, Jesus, who lived in fulfillment of the Old Testament Law and died as the once-for-all sacrifice for sins.  Jesus rose again as the first to experience resurrection and eternal life.  Whosoever believes in Jesus has forgiveness of sins and will not perish but will have eternal life.

Speaking of Faith: Spiritual Desire

Speaking of Faith: Spiritual Desire

Matthew 13: 44 – 46.

Introduction

“Religion is the opium of the people.”[1] 

This quote is famously attributed to the atheist philosopher Karl Marx.  It was the foundation of his belief that humans could create a better society by getting rid of religious belief and religious expression.  It led to the uniquely Twentieth Century phenomenon we call Communism and its ultimate expression in the Soviet Union.

Marx’ beliefs about religion were complex.  On one hand, he considered religion to be oppressive and dreamed of a society in which people were no longer held back by the teachings or authority of the organized church.  On the other hand, Marx labeled religion as an opiate—a drug which had the power to mask the pain of suffering or to induce dreams of a fantasy world.

Legendary psychologist Sigmund Freud held a similar view of religion as an opiate.  Freud claimed that religion was nothing more than wishful thinking that there was a God, who could accomplish all our unfulfilled father issues.  Since our earthly fathers are the ones who provide for us and give us protection when we are children, Freud suggests that we imagine that God is our Heavenly Father who does for us what our earthly fathers never could.

These two views of God are similar in the way they describe religion and belief in God as nothing more than a crutch for weak-minded people.  Faith is an illusion.  Religion is a crutch.  God is something we have created and not Someone who created us.

The biggest problem with this theory is the way it contradicts universal human experience.  We can illustrate this in two significant ways.

First, there is the historical evidence that religious belief has been widespread throughout human history.  People from many different cultures and historical eras have almost universally acknowledged that there is a God.  When I say “God,” I am referring to a supernatural Being who is worthy of reverence and worship.  This belief has taken on many different expressions—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, nature worship, etc…  Not every culture has gotten this right, but every culture has entered into a search for meaning through a search for God.  This leaves us with an important choice.  Either, the vast majority of humanity in every culture and every historical era has been wrong to search for God.  Or, they haven’t.  The most rational choice is that they have not been wrong to search for God.  Therefore, the most rational choice is to believe that God exists, and we are correct to search for meaning by searching for God.

Second, we can argue that there is a natural and innate human desire to find God.  Of course, we know that every innate desire has some real object which can satisfy that desire.  For example, hunger is a desire for food—and food is real.  Being tired is a desire for sleep—and (believe it or not) sleep is real.  Thirst is a desire for water—and water is real.  Loneliness is a desire for companionship—and other people are real.

Someone might argue that they have desires which can never be satisfied.  Some people desire to drive a fancy sports car but realize they will never have enough money to buy a sports car.  Other people desire to fly through the air like Superman but realize none of us will ever have the ability to fly.  Some people even desire for the Baylor football team to win the national championship.  But these are not natural, innate or universal desires.  Not everyone wants to drive a sports car, fly like Superman or for Baylor to win a football championship.  These desires are conditioned by advertising, societal influences or where you went to school.  Desire for food, water and God are experienced universally.

I cannot say this better than C.S. Lewis:  “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for these desires exists.  A baby feels hunger; well, there is such a thing as food.  A duckling wants to swim; well, there is such a thing as water.  Men feel sexual desire; well, there is such a thing as sex.  If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”[2]

There are really only two ways an atheist can argue with C.S. Lewis.  They might say something like, “But, I am perfectly happy and satisfied with the material things in life.”  Are they really happy and satisfied?  Universal human experience and the themes of classical literature suggest otherwise.  The search for meaning in life is uniquely human.  Plants do not search for meaning in life.  Dogs, horses and emus do not search for meaning.  To be human is to be unsatisfied with the material universe.

The other argument is to say something like, “I might not be happy and satisfied right now, but I will be happy if I could just have $10 Million, the biggest house in town and a new relationship.”  If you think this will bring you satisfaction, then you are in good company.  Billions of people are desperately searching for satisfaction like this right now.  They will be disappointed.  This is the only gamble in life guaranteed not to pay off.  It has been tried for centuries and has a proven 100% failure rate.

The good news is that people are beginning to realize that there is something else beyond the material world.  We have been taught by the brightest philosophers that the only real things in life are the things we can experience through our senses.  However, we are beginning to rebel against our philosophers.  TV personalities like Oprah Winfrey are teaching us about “spirituality.”  Bookstores are carrying books about mysticism, reincarnation, and (if you look hard enough) books about Jesus.

We can agree with the prayer of Saint Augustine of Hippo, who prayed, “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.”[3]

Matthew 13: 44 – 46.

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

(NIV)

In this passage, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to two things…A Treasure Hidden in a Field…And a Pearl of Great Price…  It is a search for something that can satisfy our innate spiritual desire.

Verse 44: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

One day a man went to work in the field just as he had done the day before and the week before that.  He worked for the standard wage of the day—one denarius per day—and had virtually no hope of ever getting a raise or of ever reaching the point where he was self-sufficient.  He would always work for someone else and be thankful for whatever pay they were willing to give him.

That all changed one afternoon as he was working in his boss’ field.  This field hand made a discovery that would forever change his life for the better.  He discovered a large treasure buried in the field that no one else knew about.

This seems a little strange to you and me as we compare this parable to our modern day banking system.  We would NEVER bury treasure in a coffee can in the backyard.  But in the ancient world, this was very common.  Since enemies often invaded the land and took over property from the landowners, it became common for people to bury their valuables in jars.  The invading enemies would not find treasure in the house, and the rightful owners could sneak back later and regain their treasure by digging it up in the cover of darkness.

Treasure hidden in a field…This begins like the American dream…You have just won (found) a Million dollars!…Something for nothing!  What are you going to do about that Million dollars?  Are you going to tell anyone?  Of course not!  That is your money…That is your treasure…You found it fair and square!

A man found it and hid it again…This is kind of sneaky…The man hid the treasure so that he could have it all to himself…He also hid it so that he could get a good price on the purchase of the land…Land owner would raise the price if he knew how valuable the land really was…

Then in his joy…Imagine how joyful you might be if you won (found) a Million dollars…But wait a minute…Jesus was not really talking about money or treasure…Jesus was talking about the Kingdom of God.

Imagine how joyful you might be if you inherited an Eternal Relationship with God…Imagine how excited you might be if God gave himself to you, that you might have forgiveness of all your sins…

You might just act like you did the last time your team or college won the championship…

The story may have started out as the American Dream—Something for Nothing—but that is not how it continued.  No, this parable is not about Something for Nothing.  This parable is about Something that Costs Everything!

He goes and sells all that he has and buys that field…This seems a little selfish to us…We like to think of the Kingdom of God as something to be shared with other people…Nobody ever teaches us about taking the Kingdom for ourselves…But think about what this man just did…He got rid of everything else in his life so that he could have just one field that everyone else seems to have overlooked.  Why?  Because this field was worth more than all his other possessions combined.  This field was the only thing in all the world that would truly satisfy all the desires of his heart.

Verses 45 – 46:  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

Like a merchant seeking fine pearls…These parables have several things in common…They both describe the Kingdom of God as an incredible treasure…They both involve the discovery of something overlooked by other people…And they both stress that the Kingdom of God costs everything…

But here is one big difference…In the first parable the discovery is made by accident…A common day laborer, working out in the field, just “happened” to find treasure…But notice that the second parable is about a merchant who was an expert.  He knew exactly what he was looking for and went out and found it…  (He was like the antique dealers and experts on the TV show “American Pickers!”)

The first parable was about an unexpected surprise…The second parable was about an expected discovery…Both were Once-In-A-Lifetime opportunities…

And upon finding one pearl of great value…How many pearls was he looking for?  (Many)  How many pearls did he find?  (One)

Did you ever think you could be satisfied with just one thing?  It is interesting how this relates to the problems of our modern world…Nothing really satisfies us…No matter how much we are able to accumulate, it is NEVER enough…How much will be enough?…Just one more…

How much money will it take to adequately compensate you for your daily work?  How much fame and notoriety will satisfy your ego?  How much stuff (toys, houses, cars, boats, clothes, etc…) will be enough?  Just one more.  Just one more Million dollars.  Just one more house.  Just one more car. 

That is not the case with the Kingdom of God…You are satisfied with just one…The Kingdom of God is enough!…And it promises to satisfy…

He went and sold all that he had and bought it…How much did it cost him?…Just money?…Just property?…What about relationships?

Jesus did not describe exactly what he meant, and we could make a case that he was only referring to money and wealth…But the Kingdom of God does not just cost us money and wealth…It costs us everything we have…Money, Possessions, Property, Family, Friends, Jobs, Security, and on and on and on…

Conclusion.

Why did the first man buy the land? 

Why did the second man buy the pearl of great price?

You and I are so Americanized that I don’t think we could ever understand what Jesus is trying to teach us…Because we think in terms of investment…The man bought the land so he could turn around and resell it for more money…The man bought the pearl so he could turn around and sell it for more money…

That is NOT what Jesus was teaching… We think that was the meaning of the parable, because we think money can satisfy.  The first man bought the field so he could have the field…The second man bought the pearl so he could have the pearl…

The first man bought the field and kept it for himself and then what did he do?…He SAT in his field…  The second man bought the pearl and kept it for himself and then what did he do?…He SAT and looked at his pearl…

Why?…Because he was satisfied!  He had discovered that his treasure was enough!  He didn’t need anything else!

We live in a culture which believes it can find satisfaction in material things—money, property, relationships, popularity…the stuff of this world.  We think stuff can satisfy us even though we have been disappointed over and over.  There is a restlessness and dissatisfaction that is a part of human nature. 

Stuff cannot satisfy, because we have a homing instinct for God.  This is a clue which points us toward our true nature and destiny.  We have this homing instinct, because there is a home for us.  This world does not satisfy, because this world is not our home.

We were created for spiritual relationship with God…and nothing can satisfy that longing for God.  Nothing, except for God himself.

We were created for eternity…and nothing temporary can satisfy our longing for eternity.  Nothing, except for God himself.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_of_the_people

[2] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book III, Chapter 10, “Hope.”

[3] http://www.christiantimelines.com/God%20shaped%20hole.htm

Speaking of Faith: Morality

Speaking of Faith: Morality

Matthew 7: 12

Introduction

“If there is no God, then everything is permissible.”[1] 

If there is no God, what is the foundation for moral values?  I would argue that without God, there is no foundation for morality.  Yet, it would be difficult for someone to argue that morality does not exist.

A popular point of view in Twenty-First Century American culture is to claim that everything is subjective.  There is no such thing as objective truth.  Reality is what I define it to be.  Reality for me is not necessarily reality for you.  Leave me alone.  You have no right or authority to tell me how to live my life.

There are several problems with the subjectivist point of view.  The main problem is that there is really no such thing as subjectivism.  On one hand, the people who promote subjective values are doing their very best to convert others to their point of view.  If truth is subjective, then you should allow me to believe whatever I want to believe.  On the other hand, there are Moral Values and Universal Evils that even people who claim to be subjectivists affirm and commit their lives to follow.

For example, we could open up a conversation between Christians and non-Christians in the United States and come up with a very good list of moral values that we could all agree on.  Individual Human Rights; Racial Equality; Respect for All People; Protection of Human Life; Protection of Property; Alleviating Suffering; Feeding the Hungry; and more.  These are positive values we all share.  We also share negative values—or, we might say we recognize universal evils which correspond to our universal values.  Murder; Dishonesty; Stealing; Sexual Immorality; and more.

The best way I know to illustrate this is to quote from the TV show “Judge Joe Brown.”  In one episode, a man was suing another man to recover the cost of stolen stereo equipment.  The defendant admitted that he had stolen the stereo equipment.  The problem was that he had already sold the equipment and no longer had the money.  Judge Joe Brown asked the defendant to hand over the keys to his house to the bailiff.  The defendant said, “Why do I have to give you my keys?”  The judge said, “I’m going to give them to the plaintiff so he can go take some of your stuff to cover the cost of what you stole from him.”  The defendant said, “That’s not fair!”

Protecting private property is a Moral Value.  Stealing is a Universal Evil.  No one—including a thief—wants someone to steal their personal property.

Where do these universal Moral Values come from?  How do we determine right from wrong?  What basis can we use to define murder, dishonesty, stealing and sexual immorality as evil?

 Perhaps Moral Values and Universal Evil are the products of the human conscience.  After all, everyone would agree that one should never willingly disobey their conscience.  But where does the human conscience come from?

There are four choices for the source of the human conscience: Something less than me, Me, Society, or Something greater than me.

I don’t believe the conscience comes from something less than me, because my dog doesn’t have a conscience.  Dogs do not value the property rights of others—especially when it comes to food.  Shauna and I had a dog one time that ate an entire pizza while we were in the other room watching a movie.  (We came back for a second slice, and the pizza was gone!)  I think we are all better (more moral) than my dog.

I don’t believe the conscience comes from me.  How could I ever believe that I am an absolute authority over other people, or even an authority over myself?  It is also problematic to think that I have made the rules I am required to follow.  If I locked myself in, I have the power to unlock the door and walk away.

I don’t believe the conscience comes from society.  What right (or authority) do other people have over me?  Also, we have discovered through racial inequality that millions of people can be wrong.  There may be strength in numbers, but strength does not guarantee that the majority opinion is necessarily the right choice.

This leaves us with only one good source for the human conscience.  It must come from something greater than me.  There must be an objective authority.  God, or something like God, must be the source of the human conscience that helps each of us to discern Moral Values and Universal Evil.

The Christian view of morality is based on the character of God.  This God has revealed himself to us in several ways.  First, he has revealed himself as Creator and has left us clues in the created universe which point us toward God’s goodness.  Second, he has revealed himself through Scripture which contains narratives about the way God continues to work in his creation as well as moral teachings about right and wrong.  Third, he has revealed himself through the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.  In the Person of Jesus, we can understand (perhaps only imperfectly) the mind of God and God’s desire to have a relationship with us, his special created beings.

There is a place in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount where we can find the entire moral teachings of Jesus summed up in one short verse.  We call this verse “The Golden Rule.”

Matthew 7: 12

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

(NIV)

One view of Jesus’ Golden Rule is to say that Jesus promotes an entirely new morality over what we might find in the Old Testament.  Some people like to point out Old Testament references like Exodus 21: 23 – 25, “But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise (NIV).”

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is often interpreted as the basis for a barbaric society…But that is not the case at all…Believe it or not, this is actually GRACE…

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth actually limits the punishment that can be carried out when someone commits a crime against you.  For example, if someone knocks your tooth out, the law allows you to knock his tooth out…Nothing more…The punishment cannot exceed the crime.

Also, notice the high value placed on the human life.  A human being has intrinsic value as one who was created in the image of God, and there is no compensation sufficient to repay for a lost human life.  If a man is guilty of murder, then an eye, a tooth, even a hand cannot repay for the loss of another human life.  Of course, the opposite of that is also true—Human life is too high a price to pay for the loss of an eye or a tooth.  Imagine how barbaric the ancient world would have been without these kinds of limits…

Another view of Jesus’ Golden Rule is to say that it really wasn’t original to Jesus.  Some people say Jesus took a familiar proverbial saying and used it in his Sermon on the Mount.  Over time, we forgot about the familiar proverb and attributed it to Jesus as an original quote.

The closest we can get to the Golden Rule before Jesus, comes from a story about the rivalry between two Jewish rabbis, Rabbi Shammai and Rabbi Hillel.

One day a certain heathen approached Rabbi Shammai while he was working and inquired about becoming a Jew.  He said, “Make me a Proselyte, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah (Law) while I stand on one foot.”  Rabbi Shammai chased the heathen away with the ruler he had in his hand.

The same heathen made the same proposal to Rabbi Hillel.  The gracious Rabbi responded by saying, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the whole Torah (Law), while the rest is commentary thereon; go and learn it.”

Many scholars have noticed that Rabbi Hillel’s Rule sounds very similar to Jesus’ Golden Rule.  It is close, but not quite what Jesus said.  Rabbi Hillel’s Rule is often referred to as The Silver Rule. 

It is Silver, because it is Negative—Do Not Do Hateful Things…

It is Silver, because it can be kept by doing virtually nothing.  If you do nothing toward your neighbor, you are sure not to do anything hateful.

By contrast, the Golden Rule is a positive command—Do unto others as you would want them to do to you.  And, the Golden Rule cannot be kept by doing nothing.  It is wrong to withhold the good from other people you hope they will extend to you.

It is interesting to me how Jesus lays the groundwork for his Golden Rule.  Jesus does not offer us this teaching on morality by itself.  It appears in a context.  In fact, Jesus gives us three reasons to believe the Golden Rule is a good way to live our lives.

Jesus’ Golden Rule Can Be Proven from Human Experience.

One foundation for the Golden Rule is the way many of us have already experienced the Golden Rule at work in our lives.  The Golden Rule fits with our experience of good and evil in day to day living.

Jesus tells us to think of the way parents have a natural desire to bless our children.  Parents do not normally want to cause harm to their children.  Parents want to do what is best for their children.

Jesus gives us two examples of hungry children.  One child asks her parent for bread.  The other child asks his parent for a fish.  When children ask for bread, parents do not give them rocks.  When children ask for fish, parents do not give them snakes.  Bread and fish are good gifts to hungry children.  Rocks and snakes are evil gifts which can cause harm to a child.  No one thinks it is OK to harm a child.

We know the difference between good and evil.  We know to expect good from other people, and not evil.  And we know how to treat other people in the way we want to be treated.

Jesus’ Golden Rule Can Be Proven from Old Testament Law and Prophets.

Another foundation for the Golden Rule can be found in the Old Testament.  Jesus indicates this at the end of Matthew 7: 12 when he says this sums up the Law and the Prophets.  More than likely, Jesus’ phrase “the Law and the Prophets” is a reference to the entire Old Testament.

Jewish people divide their Bible into three sections: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.  The Law contains the first five books of the Old Testament—the books that have traditionally been attributed to Moses.  The Prophets contains the prophetic writings which span from the Book of Isaiah to the end of the Old Testament.  The Writings contains the poetic writings, the Proverbs, the history, and other books no one knew what to do with.

In the books of the Law, we read the Ten Commandments and the entire book of Leviticus.  There are direct commandments from God about how to conduct worship and practical laws about getting along with other people in society.  There are even some stories with examples of how God’s commandments are to be lived out.

In the Prophets, we read the sermons that were preached and lived out by prophetic spokesmen like Isaiah.  They spoke God’s word to God’s people.  In many cases, the prophets called God’s people to repentance.  God’s people abandoned the teachings of the Law and were chasing after false gods—or even trying to live as if there was no God.

And, Jesus says everything we read in the Law and Prophets is summed up in the Golden Rule.  If you don’t want to be murdered, then don’t murder others.  If you don’t want your spouse committing adultery, don’t commit adultery.  If you don’t want people stealing from you, don’t steal from others.  If you don’t want people to lie to you, don’t lie to them.  If you don’t want people coveting your possessions, don’t covet what other people have.

Wait, that’s not the Golden Rule.  That’s the Silver Rule.  The Golden Rule teaches us to value the lives of all people.  Give respect and dignity to all people.  Make your marriage and your spouse your priority.  Value honesty in all relationships.  Be content with your own possessions and recognize that everything you have is a gift from God.  This sums up the entire Old Testament.

Jesus’ Golden Rule Can Be Proven from the Character of God.

A third foundation for the Golden Rule can be found in the character of God himself.

There are several things we can say about the character of God.  We can use the “omni” words to describe God.  God is Omnipotent—all powerful.  God is Omniscient—all knowing.  God is Omnipresent—all places at all times.  Or, we can talk about God in even more basic terms.  God is Love.  God is Good.

The overarching story of the Bible is the story of God’s Love for his creation, specifically his Love for all humanity.  God created humanity and called us good.  God pursued humanity to be in relationship with himself.  He called Abraham to be a blessing to all nations.  He chose Israel to be the instrument God used to show his Love to all the world.  Ultimately, God expressed his Love through the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth—God’s “only begotten Son.”

Throughout the Bible we observe God as the source of all good gifts.  God sends the good sunshine and the good rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous.  God is never the source of evil.  Evil is present in our world, but God never causes evil.  Instead, God provides us the resources we need to overcome evil.  The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus have defeated evil once and for all—sin, death and Satan still rage against us, but they have already been defeated.  The Holy Spirit provides us with the presence of God in our lives to walk with us, even as we walk “through the valley of the shadow of death.”

Jesus tells us that we can know the goodness of God by observing the ways we are capable of doing good deeds ourselves.  We are sinful.  We don’t always do what we know to be the right things.  But, we have moments of brightness.  Even an evil and sinful person like me can give good gifts.  If I can give good gifts, how much more can God do?  After all, God is not sinful, not evil, and not motivated by selfish ambitions.

Conclusion

For the past four weeks, I have been emphasizing the fact that Jesus expects all of his disciples to be on mission to share the Gospel with others.  Now, I am giving you some examples of ways you can speak about your faith.  Morality is one way to engage in spiritual conversations.  No one is completely subjective in their view of morality.  There are absolute Moral Values and absolute Universal Evils.  You were created by a Good God.  And you were created to know and discover the objective values God placed in his creation.

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[1] http://www.pravmir.com/article_678.html