We’ve Never Done It That Way Before
Acts 10: 23b – 48.
I. Introduction.
A lot of times, people are remembered for their “last words…” the final words they speak before dying. We should all remember the words Jesus spoke on the cross right before his death, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23: 46 NIV)” But here are a few more examples of “famous last words:”
To the strongest!
Who: Alexander the Great
In response to his generals asking the heirless Alexander which one of them would get control of the empire.
Note: When asked on his deathbed who was to succeed him, his voice may have been indistinct. Alexander may have said "Krateros" (the name of one of his generals), but he was not around, and the others may have chosen to hear "Kratistos— the strongest".
How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden?
Who: P. T. Barnum, circus entrepreneur
Let's roll.
Who: Todd Beamer, passenger on United Flight 93, September 11, 2001.
Note: These are his last recorded words, coming at the end of a cell phone call before Beamer and others attempted to storm the airliner's cockpit to retake it from hijackers who were part of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.
Who: Nathan Hale, American spy, hanged in 1776, according to the account by William Hull based on reports by John Montresor. This has also been quoted as: I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country. Some speculation exists that he might have been repeating or paraphrasing lines from Joseph Addison's play Cato: What pity is it that we can die but once to serve our country.
Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub.
Who: Conrad Hilton when asked if he had any last words of wisdom.
Texas, Margaret! Texas!
Who: Sam Houston
Money can't buy life.
Who: Bob Marley to his son Ziggy
Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you.
Who: Mother Teresa (Sept 5, 1997)
Notes: Sister Nirmala Joshi recalled, "Just hours before her death, Mother Teresa spoke about the Little Flower, St. Therese. She has just been declared a ‘Doctor of the Church’ by Pope John Paul II. Her last words are: "Can you imagine, for doing little things with great love, the Church is making her a Doctor, like St. Augustine and the big St. Teresa! It is just like Jesus said in the Gospel to the one who was seated in the lowest place: "Friend, come up higher." St. Therese's last words were quite similar, "Oh, I love him; my God, I love you".
Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something.
Who: Francisco ("Pancho") Villa
I am just going. Have me decently buried and do not let my body be into a vault in less than two days after I am dead. Do you understand me? ["Yes," replied Tobias Lear, his secretary.] 'Tis well. I die hard, but I am not afraid to go.
Who: George Washington, first President of the United States (he had a fear of being buried alive)[1]
We might refer to these quotes as “famous last words.” Sometimes, churches can be known by their “famous last words.” For example, what do you think are the “famous last words” from churches that are on the verge of death? “We’ve never done it that way before.”
[1] Quotes retrieved from “Last Words,” en.wikiquote.org.
Read Acts 10: 23b -48.
Our Scripture picks up in the middle of a long and complex story about Peter’s preaching the Gospel to a Gentile family. In fact, this is the longest single story in the entire Book of Acts. It encompasses two chapters. It begins in chapter 10 and concludes with a meeting of the Apostles in chapter 11, in which Peter explains why he did what he did. Judging by the length of this story, it is safe for us to assume this is an important event in the Book of Acts. We might even conclude that this is a pivotal moment for the young church. It is a defining moment for them. The new church and the individual followers of Jesus are thrust into making a decision about the future of the Christian faith. Will the Christian faith just be a Jewish movement? Or will the Christian faith expand its boundaries beyond the religion and the race of the people called the Jews?
The story of Peter’s preaching to Gentiles doesn’t seem very unusual to you and me, because we are Gentiles. It simply makes sense to us that it’s OK for us to share the story of Jesus and the plan of salvation with people like us. But not to Peter. In fact, we should be a little surprised that Peter didn’t respond to God by saying something like, “We’ve never done it that way before.”
On one hand, this was not the first time a Gentile had heard the Gospel and become a Christian. The first Gentile convert was the Ethiopian Eunuch, who became a Christian when Philip shared the story of Jesus from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. On the other hand, this is the first time Peter has preached to Gentiles. But it took a remarkable set of circumstances to get Peter to do this.
It all started on day at 3:00 in the afternoon. A Roman soldier by the name of Cornelius had a vision from God. Cornelius was no ordinary soldier. He was a Centurion, which means that he had command over a regiment of at least one hundred men. The Book of Acts tells us that Cornelius’ regiment was a well renowned unit. It was known far and wide as the Italian Regiment. More than likely, this is significant. Cornelius’ unit was a famous Roman regiment. The Roman army was the most powerful military power in the world at that time. AND, the Roman military was despised by all good Jewish people. The Roman Empire controlled Israel politically, and the Empire enforced its political control through military presence in the land of Israel. The military held a constant presence in Israel and served as a constant reminder that the Jewish people were not free. They were controlled by their occupiers.
Of course, Cornelius was no ordinary Roman citizen either. He was a citizen of the Empire. He was a high ranking officer in the occupying army. But, he was also a “God-Fearer” who prayed frequently and gave tithes and offerings to the poor. He was a Roman who was interested in knowing more about the One True God.
We might say that Cornelius was a very religious man and a good person. But even as a good person, Cornelius was missing one thing. He did not know about Jesus. He needed Peter to tell him the story of Jesus and how Cornelius could be saved.
In the vision, Cornelius saw an angel of God dressed in brilliant white. The angel called him by name and told him to send some of his men to fetch Peter. But there is something missing here. The angel did NOT tell Cornelius why he should send for Peter. This is surprising to me, because the angel knew Cornelius by name, knew Peter by name, and gave specific and detailed directions about where Peter was staying: in Joppa, at the house of Simon the Tanner, the house by the sea.
The very next day, Peter also had a dream. It was in the heat of the noonday sun that Peter went up to the roof to pray. While Peter was praying, two things happened. First, he started to feel hungry. (The Bible tells us that his hosts were in the kitchen preparing lunch, so I’m sure that he was beginning to smell the food as it was cooking.) Second, Peter fell into a trance. I don’t really know what a trance is, but based on the biblical story, it was a way for God to speak directly to Peter in a vision.
Peter’s vision was not as direct as Cornelius’ vision. In Cornelius’ vision God spoke directly to Cornelius and told him exactly what to do: “Send some men to Joppa to fetch Peter.” But that is not what happened in Peter’s vision. In his vision, Peter saw a large sheet being lowered from heaven with all types of living animals on the sheet. The voice of God called Peter by name and commanded him to kill one of the animals to eat. Peter refused to do as God had commanded him, because (we assume) all the animals were considered unclean. Peter insisted that he had never once eaten any unclean animal and thought he was doing the right thing. “If this really is God speaking to me, surely he will be impressed with my piety.” But, God wasn’t impressed. God spoke to Peter a second time saying, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
Then, God wouldn’t leave Peter alone. Peter had the same vision from God three times before he finally woke up. And, then God still didn’t leave Peter alone. When Peter woke up, he was disturbed by the vision and trying to interpret what it could possibly mean. Then, the Holy Spirit instructed Peter to go with the men who came to the house looking for him.
II. Peter Was Willing to Be Led by God.
Put yourself in Peter’s shoes. God spoke to him in a vision, but God did not directly tell Peter what to do. The vision was a kind of riddle. The vision was about animals, and God’s words to Peter made no mention of people. There is a distinct possibility that Peter might miss God’s message entirely. It is possible that Peter would wake up from his vision and conclude that God is calling him to eat a ham sandwich!
This is the way God leads us. We wish and hope for a clear divine vision from God that specifically commands us what we should do. It didn’t happen that way for Peter. And, it does not usually happen that way for us. God never gave Peter the whole picture. He only gave him one piece of the puzzle at a time. God told Peter everything he needed to know to make the NEXT DECISION.
First, God gave Peter the vision and instructions about what is clean and unclean: “Do not call something impure that God has made clean.” Then, God told Peter to go with the men who came to summon him. Peter answered their summons, but he still didn’t know why.
Notice how Peter introduced himself to Cornelius in verse 28, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or to visit him…” As soon as he speaks these words, Peter is reminded of the vision. It is an “Ah Ha” moment for Peter. THIS is what God was calling me to do. Gentiles are not unclean. God cares about Gentiles too!
Then, Peter said something amazing in verse 29! He asked, “May I ask why you sent for me?” This is an amazing question for one reason. Peter did not know why he was at Cornelius’ house. BUT, Peter was still willing to follow God’s call. Peter stepped out into the unknown to do what God wanted him to do, even though he had no idea what God wanted him to do. That is a picture of faith…stepping out into the unknown. God’s future is better than the present as I know it today.
What is God leading you to do today? More than likely you don’t know. More than likely God has only shown you one piece of the puzzle. He will give you all the information you need to make the NEXT decision. A better question for us might be, are you being faithful with the piece of the puzzle God has given you?
What about our church? What is God leading us to do as a church? Well, we don’t know completely. God is leading us one step at a time. But, we should ask ourselves, Are we being faithful with the piece of the puzzle God has already given us?
III. Peter Was Willing to Change.
When Peter asked Cornelius why he had summoned him from Joppa, no one was fully prepared for what happened next. Cornelius said he wanted Peter to preach the Gospel. There is a lesson here for all lay people. Don’t ask a preacher to preach unless you really want to hear a sermon. Because that is what Peter did. He reminded Cornelius of the popular stories about Jesus’ healing and good deeds. Then he told the story of the crucifixion and resurrection. He even shared how God had called Peter to be a witness of the resurrection. On one hand, Peter was a witness because he saw Jesus and ate with Jesus after the resurrection. On the other hand, Peter was a witness because he was commissioned to tell others about what he had experienced. Witness is not simply a passive thing. It is active. We have to tell people what we have seen and experienced. We have to tell others, even when those others are people who are not like us.
When Peter preached the full Gospel to Cornelius, something miraculous took place. Peter had been changed. At the beginning of chapter 10, Peter would not eat unclean food—even if it was only a dream. Now, Peter is willing to visit an unclean Gentile in his unclean home and preach the message of salvation to these unclean people.
After Peter preached the Gospel, we get to watch several conversions take place. First, Cornelius and his entire household was converted to Christian faith. (Since verse 33 indicates that Cornelius had gathered his family and friends to hear Peter’s sermon, I don’t find any reason to believe this Scripture promotes infant baptism.) Second, Peter is converted from his racist and insensitive view of Jewish superiority. Third, this is the beginning of the conversion of the entire church. This experience in Cornelius’ house began a very difficult struggle for the early church to break free from the Jewish traditions and embrace their calling to evangelize Gentiles.
Is this the story of a Gentile’s conversion? Or is it the story of an Apostle’s conversion? Or is this the story of the church’s conversion?
Change is not a word many Baptists like to talk about. In a Baptist church, there is only one person who likes change…the baby in the nursery with a wet diaper. However, we would not be here today if our ancestors were not willing to be led by God and willing to change. We would not be here if Peter had said, “We’ve never done it that way before.”
Why was Peter willing to change? Change is a painful thing. But sometimes, staying the same way is also painful. The truth is that change is possible when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of doing something new.
I think this is the reason why Peter was willing to change. If Peter had stayed the same, he would have been disobeying God. He has done that before. He remembered how painful it was to deny Jesus and wonder if he would ever be welcomed back into the circle of disciples. Peter did not want to experience the pain of disobedience ever again! So, doing something new was not as painful as staying the same.
What about your life? What about our church? Is change more or less painful than staying the same?
IV. Some Things Should Never Change.
Peter was willing to change, but he didn’t change everything. The message of the Gospel remained unchanged throughout this story and wherever the Gospel was preached.
Notice verse 34… “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” The punctuation is very important in this sentence. Peter did not say, “God accepts men from every nation (period).” He said, “God accepts men from every nation WHO FEAR HIM AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT.”
The Gospel is given universally to all men and women from every nation. But the Gospel is not universal. In other words, salvation is offered to all people, but salvation is only granted to those who have faith. The medium might need to change. The recipients might change. But the Gospel stays the same.
V. Conclusion.
“We’ve never done it that way before.” If these are the “famous last words” of dead and dying churches, what can we say is the opposite of that?
Vibrant and living churches have a confidence in the unchanging message of the Gospel and a willingness to follow God wherever he might lead. Even if following God requires us to do some things that we’ve never done before. Because the pain of remaining the way we are is greater than the pain of doing something new.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008: Home Field Advantage
Home Field Advantage
Acts 9: 19 b – 31.
I. Introduction.
I have confessed to you before how much I love to watch sports on TV. But, I have never been one to watch the All Star games in professional sports. Last Tuesday night was the Major League Baseball All Star Game, and I didn’t watch it. I do know that the American League won again, and as a result they won the rights to have home field advantage in the World Series in October.
Among professional sports, the Major League Baseball All Star Game is the only All Star game that really means anything. Back in 2002, the baseball All Star Game ended in a tie. Of course, that didn’t really matter, because the teams were not really playing for a real prize. Sure, the winning league had “bragging rights,” but there was no real reason to break the tie.
That tie game was just what baseball needed to change the way they looked at the All Star Game. The next year, Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig made a rule change. The league that won the All Star Game would be entitled to have home field advantage in the World Series.
In the world of sports, home field advantage make a big difference in the way players play the game and in many cases can determine the outcome. The home team gets to play the game on their home field—as a general rule, this is the field or court where they play half their games, so they are more familiar with that field than the visiting team is. The home team also gets first choice of the uniforms their team wears—again, they usually choose the uniform they are most comfortable wearing. Sometimes people accuse the home team of receiving preferential treatment from the referees or umpires. But, the biggest advantage for the home team is the encouragement and support they receive from their local fans.
In college sports, the home team is required to make tickets available for the fans of the visiting team. It’s a complicated system in which the teams agree on a certain number of tickets to exchange. Thus, if one team cuts the number of tickets available to another team, then that team has the right to cut the number of tickets they provide in exchange. However, in professional sports, there are no such requirements. Sometimes, the visiting fans cannot buy any tickets.
And the home fans make life miserable for the visiting players. The home fans cheer every small success their players have on the field. They cheer for every minor error or mistake the opposing players make. And athletes just play better when they have the support and encouragement of their home fans.
Don’t try to take my analogy too far. But, I think the church ought to give us a home field advantage. No. I do not believe we ought to cheer when other people fail. But, I do believe it is our responsibility as a church to support each other and encourage each other, so that we can be our best when surrounded by our church. After all, church is supposed to be a family. And family is made up of the people who love us more than anyone and support us no matter how badly we have failed.
We can witness this kind of home field advantage in the support and encouragement Paul received once he became a follower of Jesus.
Read Acts 9: 19 b – 31.
Last week, we read the story of Saul’s conversion. In some ways, Saul’s conversion was a normative experience—just like ours. He had a real-life encounter with Jesus that changed his life forever. He immediately entered into a community with other men and women who were also followers of Jesus. Then, Saul began to preach the Gospel to anyone who would listen to him.
In other ways, Saul’s conversion experience was something that has never been duplicated. He was blinded by a bright light from heaven. He heard the audible voice of Jesus calling him by name. And, he was blinded for three days until someone—Ananias—could come along side to support and encourage Saul.
But there is one thing we can say about Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus…When Jesus arrested Saul and changed his life, Jesus changed his life for a purpose. That purpose was to use Saul as an instrument—a carrying vessel—to spread the Good News of Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Immediately, we witness as Saul begins to fulfill the purpose of his salvation. He started right where he was. Damascus was not Saul’s home town. Damascus was not even the town where Saul was currently employed. Damascus was simply the town where Saul was in the days following his conversion.
The book of Acts tells us that Saul began preaching to the Jews of Damascus. That is interesting to me, because he had originally traveled from Jerusalem to Damascus to find the Jews of that city. He came to Damascus to find out if there were any Jews who had become followers of Jesus. Now he was trying to find the Jews who had NOT accepted Jesus.
Verse 22 tells us that Saul spent his time “proving” to these Jews that Jesus is the Christ. There are two important Greek words in this verse. The word we translate as “proving” is the word sumbibazo which literally means, “to put together.” The Greek word Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. Therefore, we can say that Saul spent his time sharing from the Old Testament prophecies how Jesus fulfilled God’s promises and Israel’s hopes.
This is significant, because we do not know how Saul came to this understanding of the Old Testament. We can assume that Saul already knew the Bible before he had his encounter with Jesus. He had excelled in Scripture reading and memorization. He had even broken into the order of the Jewish Pharisees and risen in their ranks to become a very prominent member. But until this very moment, he had a very legalistic view of the Bible and the promises of God. There is nothing in Saul’s background which could have led him to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
This leads me to believe that Saul had gained this new understanding of Jesus from a combination of two sources. First, God had opened Saul’s eyes through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Second, Saul had spent several days with the “disciples in Damascus.”
The word “disciple” is used in two important ways throughout the book of Acts. In some instances, “disciple” is general term for the men and women who gave their lives to Jesus. In other instances, “disciple” is used to refer to the specific group of twelve men who had spent their lives with Jesus and had served as witnesses to the Resurrection. The “disciples” in Damascus probably did not include the original twelve disciples. No. These were men and women just like you and me. They were Christians. They had given their lives to Jesus. They were a church.
II. Saul Discerned His Call to Ministry in the Church.
The church in Damascus played an important role in Saul’s life, and by implication, played a significant role in the spread of the Gospel.
These Christian men and women invested their lives in Saul. God is the one who stopped Saul in his tracks. God is the one who changed Saul’s life. God is the one who called Saul to be a preacher and missionary. But it was the church that explained the Scriptures to Saul. It was the church that gave Saul his first opportunity to serve God and to become the man God wanted him to become.
Ten years ago, I read the biography of George W. Truett. Ray Scott—from our church—recently gave me a copy of Truett’s biography which I read for a second time this week. I find parts of the biography hard to believe. Truett is responsible for “saving Baylor University” by campaigning all across Texas to raise the money to pay off the university’s debts when Truett was only 23 years old. Then, he became the pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas when he was only 30. In World War I, Truett was recruited by the President of the United States to spend six months preaching and encouraging the U.S. troops stationed overseas. In the early to mid 1900’s, there was no other preacher more famous that George W. Truett. The first time I read Truett’s biography, I was so impressed that we actually gave our second child the middle name, Truett.
How do you think this world renowned preacher heard his calling to become a preacher? He heard it from his home church in Whitewright, Texas. As a 23 year old young man, George Truett was the Sunday School superintendent and filled in for the pastor when the pastor was unable to preach. But Truett didn’t want to be a preacher. He wanted to be a lawyer.
One night in a church business meeting, the church’s oldest deacon made a motion that the church ordain George W. Truett to the Gospel ministry. Before Truett could object, the motion was seconded and approved unanimously by the church. Truett asked his mother what he should do. She replied, “Son, these are praying people. These are God’s people. And you saw how they felt. They felt that they couldn’t—even in the face of your plea, your protest, your exhortation to delay—they couldn’t delay. It was a whole church in solemn conference assembled.”[1]
There are several important lessons in that story of Truett’s call to ministry. First, it is important to come to business meeting at the church. You never know when someone might “volunteer” you for a big job. Second, it illustrates the important role our church can play in the formation of the next generation of Christians. What are we doing to identify young men and women in our church and to steer them toward a calling to be pastors and missionaries?
After Saul was formed by the church at Damascus, they affirmed his calling by allowing him to begin preaching. Saul was taught by the church, affirmed by the church and encouraged by the church. But not everyone was so encouraging to Saul. The Jews conspired together and devised a plot to kill him.
This type of persecution was yet another affirmation that Saul is doing the right thing. When we answer God’s call and obediently serve God, the world and the forces of evil will do everything they can to stop us. So, once again, Saul needed his church.
III. The Church Helped Saul in the Face of Persecution.
Saul’s conversion immediately resulted in the fruit of new Christians giving their lives to Jesus AND persecution. This is the fulfillment of what Jesus told Ananias in Acts 9: 16, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
This demonstrates for us that our own salvation has a purpose. God has not saved us so that we can become satisfied—or perhaps more satisfied. God has saved us so that we can be a blessing to other people. And this often brings suffering.
God never promised us that Christians would live easy lives. No. The Bible shows us through the life of Saul and others that we will continue to face sufferings of all kinds. We will suffer the natural consequences of human life in a fallen world. We will face the same issues all humans face: diseases, cancer, tornadoes, hurricanes, broken homes. But, we will also face a kind of suffering that is unique to Christians. The world will not accept us. The forces of evil will marshal their strength against us in every effort to stop the work God has called us to perform.
When Saul faced persecution, the church came to his rescue. They helped him to escape through a hole in the city wall.
This is another role our church can play. We provide support and encouragement for Christians who face both types of suffering. Sometimes our encouragement takes the form of a casserole delivered to a grieving family. Other times it is a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.
Church is not supposed to be made up of perfect people who wear masks to hide their pain and suffering on Sunday mornings. Church is supposed to provide a “home field advantage” of support and encouragement when one of our brothers or sisters is facing a crisis. We are to provide support to people who suffer, even when that suffering is the consequence of sinful activity.
After escaping from the Jews of Damascus, it was necessary for Saul to go to Jerusalem to meet with the “disciples.” More than likely, this reference to the “disciples” is a reference to the original 12 followers of Jesus.
Not surprisingly, the disciples were skeptical of Saul’s conversion. They knew his reputation. They knew of the sins and crimes Saul had committed against the church. They had feared him for a long time. And, now Saul wants to become one of them.
The interesting thing about this meeting in Jerusalem is the role Barnabas played. When the disciples distrusted Saul, Barnabas stepped in as an advocate for Saul and a mediator. Only then were the disciples willing to meet with Saul. But then something magical happened. The disciples not only heard Saul, they welcomed him into their church. We see this in verse 28, where we are told Saul stayed “with them.”
Again, Saul received a “home field advantage” from a church. Then, the cycle of preaching and persecution resumed.
IV. The Church Validated Saul’s ministry.
Saul’s meeting with the original 12 disciples was an important step, because they validated his ministry. Before meeting with the disciples, Saul had no visible connection with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. These 12 men had witnessed all aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry. Without this connection, all Saul could possibly claim was personal experience.
This is sometimes lost on contemporary Christians. We are much more subjective and individualistic than the early church was. Contemporary Christians are inclined to think that a person’s calling is something between them and God only. That was not the case with Saul. AND, that was not the case with George W. Truett.
There are two sides of God’s calling in our lives. First, it must include a personal experience. Second, it must be nurtured and affirmed by the church.
V. Conclusion.
Personal experience grounded in the Truth of the Gospel and nurtured among the community of the church.
[1] Powhatan W. James. George W. Truett: A Biography (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1939), p. 49.
Acts 9: 19 b – 31.
I. Introduction.
I have confessed to you before how much I love to watch sports on TV. But, I have never been one to watch the All Star games in professional sports. Last Tuesday night was the Major League Baseball All Star Game, and I didn’t watch it. I do know that the American League won again, and as a result they won the rights to have home field advantage in the World Series in October.
Among professional sports, the Major League Baseball All Star Game is the only All Star game that really means anything. Back in 2002, the baseball All Star Game ended in a tie. Of course, that didn’t really matter, because the teams were not really playing for a real prize. Sure, the winning league had “bragging rights,” but there was no real reason to break the tie.
That tie game was just what baseball needed to change the way they looked at the All Star Game. The next year, Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig made a rule change. The league that won the All Star Game would be entitled to have home field advantage in the World Series.
In the world of sports, home field advantage make a big difference in the way players play the game and in many cases can determine the outcome. The home team gets to play the game on their home field—as a general rule, this is the field or court where they play half their games, so they are more familiar with that field than the visiting team is. The home team also gets first choice of the uniforms their team wears—again, they usually choose the uniform they are most comfortable wearing. Sometimes people accuse the home team of receiving preferential treatment from the referees or umpires. But, the biggest advantage for the home team is the encouragement and support they receive from their local fans.
In college sports, the home team is required to make tickets available for the fans of the visiting team. It’s a complicated system in which the teams agree on a certain number of tickets to exchange. Thus, if one team cuts the number of tickets available to another team, then that team has the right to cut the number of tickets they provide in exchange. However, in professional sports, there are no such requirements. Sometimes, the visiting fans cannot buy any tickets.
And the home fans make life miserable for the visiting players. The home fans cheer every small success their players have on the field. They cheer for every minor error or mistake the opposing players make. And athletes just play better when they have the support and encouragement of their home fans.
Don’t try to take my analogy too far. But, I think the church ought to give us a home field advantage. No. I do not believe we ought to cheer when other people fail. But, I do believe it is our responsibility as a church to support each other and encourage each other, so that we can be our best when surrounded by our church. After all, church is supposed to be a family. And family is made up of the people who love us more than anyone and support us no matter how badly we have failed.
We can witness this kind of home field advantage in the support and encouragement Paul received once he became a follower of Jesus.
Read Acts 9: 19 b – 31.
Last week, we read the story of Saul’s conversion. In some ways, Saul’s conversion was a normative experience—just like ours. He had a real-life encounter with Jesus that changed his life forever. He immediately entered into a community with other men and women who were also followers of Jesus. Then, Saul began to preach the Gospel to anyone who would listen to him.
In other ways, Saul’s conversion experience was something that has never been duplicated. He was blinded by a bright light from heaven. He heard the audible voice of Jesus calling him by name. And, he was blinded for three days until someone—Ananias—could come along side to support and encourage Saul.
But there is one thing we can say about Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus…When Jesus arrested Saul and changed his life, Jesus changed his life for a purpose. That purpose was to use Saul as an instrument—a carrying vessel—to spread the Good News of Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Immediately, we witness as Saul begins to fulfill the purpose of his salvation. He started right where he was. Damascus was not Saul’s home town. Damascus was not even the town where Saul was currently employed. Damascus was simply the town where Saul was in the days following his conversion.
The book of Acts tells us that Saul began preaching to the Jews of Damascus. That is interesting to me, because he had originally traveled from Jerusalem to Damascus to find the Jews of that city. He came to Damascus to find out if there were any Jews who had become followers of Jesus. Now he was trying to find the Jews who had NOT accepted Jesus.
Verse 22 tells us that Saul spent his time “proving” to these Jews that Jesus is the Christ. There are two important Greek words in this verse. The word we translate as “proving” is the word sumbibazo which literally means, “to put together.” The Greek word Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. Therefore, we can say that Saul spent his time sharing from the Old Testament prophecies how Jesus fulfilled God’s promises and Israel’s hopes.
This is significant, because we do not know how Saul came to this understanding of the Old Testament. We can assume that Saul already knew the Bible before he had his encounter with Jesus. He had excelled in Scripture reading and memorization. He had even broken into the order of the Jewish Pharisees and risen in their ranks to become a very prominent member. But until this very moment, he had a very legalistic view of the Bible and the promises of God. There is nothing in Saul’s background which could have led him to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
This leads me to believe that Saul had gained this new understanding of Jesus from a combination of two sources. First, God had opened Saul’s eyes through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Second, Saul had spent several days with the “disciples in Damascus.”
The word “disciple” is used in two important ways throughout the book of Acts. In some instances, “disciple” is general term for the men and women who gave their lives to Jesus. In other instances, “disciple” is used to refer to the specific group of twelve men who had spent their lives with Jesus and had served as witnesses to the Resurrection. The “disciples” in Damascus probably did not include the original twelve disciples. No. These were men and women just like you and me. They were Christians. They had given their lives to Jesus. They were a church.
II. Saul Discerned His Call to Ministry in the Church.
The church in Damascus played an important role in Saul’s life, and by implication, played a significant role in the spread of the Gospel.
These Christian men and women invested their lives in Saul. God is the one who stopped Saul in his tracks. God is the one who changed Saul’s life. God is the one who called Saul to be a preacher and missionary. But it was the church that explained the Scriptures to Saul. It was the church that gave Saul his first opportunity to serve God and to become the man God wanted him to become.
Ten years ago, I read the biography of George W. Truett. Ray Scott—from our church—recently gave me a copy of Truett’s biography which I read for a second time this week. I find parts of the biography hard to believe. Truett is responsible for “saving Baylor University” by campaigning all across Texas to raise the money to pay off the university’s debts when Truett was only 23 years old. Then, he became the pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas when he was only 30. In World War I, Truett was recruited by the President of the United States to spend six months preaching and encouraging the U.S. troops stationed overseas. In the early to mid 1900’s, there was no other preacher more famous that George W. Truett. The first time I read Truett’s biography, I was so impressed that we actually gave our second child the middle name, Truett.
How do you think this world renowned preacher heard his calling to become a preacher? He heard it from his home church in Whitewright, Texas. As a 23 year old young man, George Truett was the Sunday School superintendent and filled in for the pastor when the pastor was unable to preach. But Truett didn’t want to be a preacher. He wanted to be a lawyer.
One night in a church business meeting, the church’s oldest deacon made a motion that the church ordain George W. Truett to the Gospel ministry. Before Truett could object, the motion was seconded and approved unanimously by the church. Truett asked his mother what he should do. She replied, “Son, these are praying people. These are God’s people. And you saw how they felt. They felt that they couldn’t—even in the face of your plea, your protest, your exhortation to delay—they couldn’t delay. It was a whole church in solemn conference assembled.”[1]
There are several important lessons in that story of Truett’s call to ministry. First, it is important to come to business meeting at the church. You never know when someone might “volunteer” you for a big job. Second, it illustrates the important role our church can play in the formation of the next generation of Christians. What are we doing to identify young men and women in our church and to steer them toward a calling to be pastors and missionaries?
After Saul was formed by the church at Damascus, they affirmed his calling by allowing him to begin preaching. Saul was taught by the church, affirmed by the church and encouraged by the church. But not everyone was so encouraging to Saul. The Jews conspired together and devised a plot to kill him.
This type of persecution was yet another affirmation that Saul is doing the right thing. When we answer God’s call and obediently serve God, the world and the forces of evil will do everything they can to stop us. So, once again, Saul needed his church.
III. The Church Helped Saul in the Face of Persecution.
Saul’s conversion immediately resulted in the fruit of new Christians giving their lives to Jesus AND persecution. This is the fulfillment of what Jesus told Ananias in Acts 9: 16, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
This demonstrates for us that our own salvation has a purpose. God has not saved us so that we can become satisfied—or perhaps more satisfied. God has saved us so that we can be a blessing to other people. And this often brings suffering.
God never promised us that Christians would live easy lives. No. The Bible shows us through the life of Saul and others that we will continue to face sufferings of all kinds. We will suffer the natural consequences of human life in a fallen world. We will face the same issues all humans face: diseases, cancer, tornadoes, hurricanes, broken homes. But, we will also face a kind of suffering that is unique to Christians. The world will not accept us. The forces of evil will marshal their strength against us in every effort to stop the work God has called us to perform.
When Saul faced persecution, the church came to his rescue. They helped him to escape through a hole in the city wall.
This is another role our church can play. We provide support and encouragement for Christians who face both types of suffering. Sometimes our encouragement takes the form of a casserole delivered to a grieving family. Other times it is a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.
Church is not supposed to be made up of perfect people who wear masks to hide their pain and suffering on Sunday mornings. Church is supposed to provide a “home field advantage” of support and encouragement when one of our brothers or sisters is facing a crisis. We are to provide support to people who suffer, even when that suffering is the consequence of sinful activity.
After escaping from the Jews of Damascus, it was necessary for Saul to go to Jerusalem to meet with the “disciples.” More than likely, this reference to the “disciples” is a reference to the original 12 followers of Jesus.
Not surprisingly, the disciples were skeptical of Saul’s conversion. They knew his reputation. They knew of the sins and crimes Saul had committed against the church. They had feared him for a long time. And, now Saul wants to become one of them.
The interesting thing about this meeting in Jerusalem is the role Barnabas played. When the disciples distrusted Saul, Barnabas stepped in as an advocate for Saul and a mediator. Only then were the disciples willing to meet with Saul. But then something magical happened. The disciples not only heard Saul, they welcomed him into their church. We see this in verse 28, where we are told Saul stayed “with them.”
Again, Saul received a “home field advantage” from a church. Then, the cycle of preaching and persecution resumed.
IV. The Church Validated Saul’s ministry.
Saul’s meeting with the original 12 disciples was an important step, because they validated his ministry. Before meeting with the disciples, Saul had no visible connection with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. These 12 men had witnessed all aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry. Without this connection, all Saul could possibly claim was personal experience.
This is sometimes lost on contemporary Christians. We are much more subjective and individualistic than the early church was. Contemporary Christians are inclined to think that a person’s calling is something between them and God only. That was not the case with Saul. AND, that was not the case with George W. Truett.
There are two sides of God’s calling in our lives. First, it must include a personal experience. Second, it must be nurtured and affirmed by the church.
V. Conclusion.
Personal experience grounded in the Truth of the Gospel and nurtured among the community of the church.
[1] Powhatan W. James. George W. Truett: A Biography (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1939), p. 49.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008: The First Steps of Faith
The First Steps of Faith
Acts 9: 1 – 20.
I. Introduction.
Acts 9: 1 – 20.
I. Introduction.
Tomorrow will be the first day of our annual Vacation Bible School. I expect this week will be one of my favorite events of the year, because VBS always is. I like VBS week, because I get to watch our church pull together and do something as a church that no individual church member could accomplish on his or her own.
We try to use people where they are gifted. People with the gift of hospitality are in charge of providing snacks for the children and adult workers. People with the gift of teaching are utilized as Bible Story teachers. People who are gifted with organization and administration do their very best to keep us on some semblance of a schedule. Musicians lead the children in music and worship. We even have a place for crafty people turn toilet paper rolls into works of modern art.
I like to think of VBS week as an investment. We are investing our individual and collective resources into the future generation of leaders for this church and for churches all over the world.
We invest ourselves in children, so that these children can learn the stories about Jesus and what it means to live as a follower of Jesus as Lord. Some children come to us with a foundation of faith on which we can build. We pray that these children will take childlike steps of faith through the week and carry these lessons with them as they grow into the Christian men and women God wants them to become. Other children come to us without a foundation of faith. We pray that these children will hear the Gospel in ways that are age-appropriate so they can respond accordingly.
It was during VBS 1980 that I took my first steps of faith. It was not the first time I had ever heard about Jesus. My parents had taken me to church all my life. It was not the first time I had heard stories from the Bible. My parents had read Bible stories to me every night of my life. But it was the first time I realized that I had to make my own profession of faith.
The profession of faith I made in 1980 was not the end of my faith. It was the beginning of a journey that continues today. And just like any journey, my journey of faith started out with a first step.
Today, we read the story in Acts about a man named Saul who took his first steps of faith. This was not the first time Saul had heard about Jesus. But it was the first time he realized he had to make his own profession of faith. This was not the end of Saul’s faith journey. It was just the first step. If this had been the end of Saul’s journey, our world would be incredibly different today.
Read Acts 9: 1 – 20.
For most of us, the story of Saul on the road to Damascus is not a surprise. We have heard this story dozens of times and have reviewed it numerous times in Sunday School lessons and in Sunday morning sermons. For some of us, there is nothing “new” remaining to be discovered in this story.
Understanding this story is very important to us, if we hope to understand the rest of the New Testament. After all, this is the story of Saul the Pharisee, who became Paul the Apostle and the author of approximately one-half of the New Testament. So, we can say that Luke has told us a story which has far-reaching impact on the spread of the Christian faith from the First Century through the Twenty-First Century and beyond.
The story of Saul on the road to Damascus has always been one of our favorite conversion stories in the Bible. Conversion is another word for change. We preach this story, because it shows how the Gospel can and does change lives. Saul was changed from a judgmental and angry Pharisee to a Christian who preached about the love and grace of Jesus.
Luke introduced our story today by re-introducing us to Saul. This is not our first time to see Saul in the story of the early church. Saul quietly gave his approval when the Jewish leaders condemned Stephen to death. Saul collected the coats and outer garments for the individual members of the mob that stoned Stephen to death. Saul then went on a rampage against the Christian church.
Luke tells us that Saul began interrupting Sunday worship services in house churches. He burst into the doors of the house, arrested the men and women present, then led them off to Jerusalem to stand trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin. Now, Saul is expanding his persecution to the city of Damascus.
Saul requested the membership records from the Jewish high priest. Evidently, the Jerusalem Temple had a record of every Jew who held membership in the various synagogues. Saul’s motive was to find out if there were any more “good Jews” who had converted to Christianity. Then, he would arrest these men and women and bring them to judgment. But, Saul never fulfilled this plan.
On his way to arrest Christians in Damascus, Saul was himself arrested by a vision of bright light. The light was so bright that it actually blinded Saul for three days. But the light was not the only thing Saul encountered. He also heard a voice, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
The Bible tells us that Saul answered the voice with a question: “Who are you?” The voice answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…”
I’m certain this was confusing to Saul to hear Jesus identify himself and to claim that Saul was actually persecuting Jesus. It was confusing, because Saul was not directly persecuting Jesus. He was persecuting the church. There is an important theological point to be drawn from Jesus’ words to Saul. When you mess with the church, you are messing with Jesus.
Jesus then instructed Saul to go into the city of Damascus and wait for further instructions. At this point, Luke shifts his emphasis away from Saul in order to tell how this story intersects with the life of a man name Ananias.
II. Encounter With Jesus.
The first thing that happened in Saul’s experience was beyond his control. Jesus stepped into Saul’s life at a time when no one would have expected. This first step of faith was a real life encounter with Jesus.
We are not talking about knowledge of the Bible or even an awareness that Jesus died for our sins. Saul experienced something intensely personal that can only barely be contained in words.
I believe this is why the New Testament was written in the first place. The Apostles lived with Jesus and experienced him in personal relationship. They wrote about their experiences with Jesus so that you and I could have the same kind of experiences. Yes, the words of Scripture are important. Yes, the Bible teaches us facts about the life of Jesus. Yes, the Bible teaches us about correct doctrine. BUT, the most important thing we can find in the Bible is not a thing at all. It is a person. Jesus is a real person, who continues to live today.
You might memorize the entire Bible and know all the facts, yet miss Jesus. Faith begins when we realize Jesus is a real person who knows us intimately and wants to be known intimately.
III. Conversion.
The second step of faith for Saul is his conversion. Again, conversion is another word for change. And Saul’s life before and after Jesus demonstrates a radical change. He changed from being a judgmental Pharisee to a missionary who can’t stop talking about God’s grace. He changed from being the church’s chief persecutor to the church’s chief ambassador.
This is one part of the story that differs among God’s followers. Saul had a radical transformation in his life. I was a nine year old boy when I became a Christian. Yes, there was a change in my life. But how much trouble can a nine year old boy get into? I mean, I didn’t even know what all Ten Commandments meant. How could I have broken those commandments?
Yes, every one who becomes a follower of Christ will go through a change or a conversion. But not all conversions are radical changes. Saul had a radical conversion. Zacchaeus had a radical conversion. But what about Andrew, Peter, James and John? We know there was a change in their lives, because they gave themselves fully to follow Jesus and even faced extreme persecution as a result of their faith. Yet, their stories in the Gospels seem like a relatively easy transition from following their parents to following Jesus.
It is a wonderful thing for us to teach our children about Jesus and lead them to profess faith in Jesus as Lord at an early age. We save them a world of heartache and pain by introducing them to Jesus at an early age.
After Jesus spoke to Saul, Jesus spoke to Ananias. Just as Jesus called Saul by name, Jesus called Ananias by name. However, there is a difference in the ways these two men responded. Saul did not recognize Jesus’ voice and asked Jesus to identify himself. Ananias immediately recognized Jesus’ voice and responded, “Yes, Lord.”
That is when Ananias probably wished he had not heard Jesus’ voice. Jesus was asking him to do something that no Christian wanted to do. Jesus wanted Ananias to meet with Saul face to face.
Ananias did what you and I often do when Jesus calls us to a specific job. He argued against doing what Jesus wanted him to do. “But, Lord, I have heard about Saul. It would be dangerous for me to meet with him.” Jesus replied with a simple command, “GO!” Ananias was afraid of Saul, because he did not know about Saul’s encounter on the road to Damascus. He did not know that Jesus was already working in Saul’s life.
IV. Community.
The third step of faith for Saul was his experience of community. This is best seen in the biblical story through Ananias’ first words to Saul. Ananias did not address Saul any differently than he would have addressed any other Christian man. He addressed him as “Brother Saul.”
No matter what you have done or how badly you have failed, there is a place where you can still be welcomed as a brother or sister.
Ananias obeyed Jesus’ call and did two things that are very significant. First, he accepted Saul. He indicates that he accepts Saul by greeting him as “Brother.” From a purely human point of view, Ananias was not willing to accept Saul. It took a divine encounter with Jesus to prepare Ananias for what was taking place in Saul’s life.
The second thing Ananias did was to lay hands on Saul. Laying on hands is a symbolic gesture described several times in the book of Acts. It is a symbol of the coming of the Holy Spirit. There are stories of people receiving the Holy Spirit apart from laying on hands, like the 120 men and women who received the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And, there are stories of people receiving the Holy Spirit through laying on hands, like Saul in this story and the Samaritan Christians in Acts 8.
V. Spirit-Empowered Mission.
The fourth step of faith for Saul was participating in a Spirit-empowered mission with God. Another way to say this is to say that Saul joined God in the work God was already doing in the world around him. Another way to say this is to say that Saul realized that he had not been saved just to sit. God saved him so that Saul could do God’s work in the world.
I find it significant that when Ananias lay hands on Saul, Saul immediately received the Holy Spirit AND regained his sight. The physical sense of sight is a biblical symbol for understanding and knowledge. It functions in the same way in the story of Saul on the road to Damascus.
Saul knew the Bible. He had dedicated his life to reading the Bible and learning all the rules and regulations of Jewish tradition. He had heard the reports about the Apostles’ teaching about Jesus. He was present in the Sanhedrin when Stephen preached the Gospel message about Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy. Yet, despite all his biblical knowledge, Saul was still blind. He lacked spiritual knowledge and insight. The only way Saul could have this kind of spiritual knowledge was for someone to come along side and help him. Ananias was the human person God sent to “open Saul’s eyes.” The Holy Spirit was the Divine person God sent to provide Saul with spiritual understanding like he had never experienced before.
After receiving both his physical sight and his spiritual sight, Saul went on a different kind of mission. Saul was no longer trying to destroy the church. Now, he was being used by God to expand the church. Notice what happened when Saul received the Holy Spirit. As soon as Saul received the Spirit, everyone around him knew it. Saul demonstrated an external sign that something invisible had happened inside him. The sign that Saul demonstrated is the same sign we find throughout the book of Acts. Anytime someone received the Holy Spirit, they did something…They preached the Gospel of Jesus. The evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives can be confirmed when we begin to tell others about what Jesus did for us.
VI. Conclusion.
What would the world be like today if the story we read this morning was the end of Saul’s spiritual walk? What if there had been no Ananias to come alongside Saul to include him in Christian community? Or what if Saul had never participated in God’s mission to tell the world about Jesus?
Every man, woman, child and teenager has a God given mission to complete. For some people our mission is like Saul’s mission. It is public and extraordinary. For some people our mission is like Ananias’ mission. It is behind the scenes, but it is just as important.
Profession of faith that Jesus is your Lord is only the beginning of a great adventure. We must take the next steps of community and mission, whether that might be…
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008: The Foundation and Practice of Baptism
The Foundation and Practice of Baptism.
Matthew 3: 13 – 17; Matthew 28: 18 – 20;
Acts 8: 36 - 40; Romans 6: 1 – 7.
I. Part One: The Foundation of Baptism.
(Part One of this sermon was preached from the pulpit.)
I have to admit, Baptizing is one of my favorite things to do as a Pastor…Especially on a day like today when we have three people to baptize, from the same family (a father and two of his daughters)… Baptism is a sign that our church is doing something right…We are teaching our children about Jesus and we are reaching out to families in our community…
If you need something to be excited about this morning, then think about this…the three people we baptize today are here as the culmination of a couple of things: First, this is a family that first came into contact with our church, because someone invited them to church. Pauline and Homer Kroeker invited their neighbors to come to the Matthew Party in April. Second, the two daughters participated in G.A. camp for girls.
When we have several people to baptize, I like to do a couple of things. On one hand, I like to observe baptism on Sunday morning. This way we can all celebrate together and worship through this symbolic act that is so rich with theological meaning. On the other hand, I like to take the time to explain what our church believes about baptism.
For the past several weeks, I have preached from the book of Acts. My intention is for us to observe how the first Christian church grew through reaching out to other people. Sometimes, they reached out to their community. At other times, they extended their outreach into other communities. The early church was a missional church. I believe God is calling our church to become the same kind of missional people.
Last week, we read the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Philip used an Old Testament prophesy about Jesus to witness to the Ethiopian. Then, they came to a pool of water in the desert, where the Ethiopian asked Philip to baptize him.
What is so important about baptism? Why do we continue to practice baptism in the Twenty-First Century?
a. Modeled By Jesus (Matthew 3: 13 – 17).
In the Gospel of Matthew we learn about a connection between the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus. John was not the Messiah…John was the Forerunner of the Messiah, or the one that Isaiah had called the Voice Calling Out in the Wilderness, Preparing the Way for the Messiah.
Matthew also tells us that John prepared for Jesus’ ministry by doing two things: Preaching about Repentance…and…Baptizing the Ones Who Repented…
John basically had two sermons…Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand… AND…I baptize you with water, but the One coming after me will baptize you with fire…
When John said, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand,” he was announcing to the people of Israel that their time was up. They had disobeyed God’s will and perverted God’s ways long enough. Now it was time for them to come to their senses and become a part of God’s Kingdom and God’s work in the world. And the sooner they got on board, the better…
John’s other sermon is not quite as obvious to us as his first sermon. When John said, “I baptize you with water, but the One coming after me will baptize you with fire,” he was warning about the coming judgment. Fire is a common symbol in Scripture for God’s judgment. And the water of baptism was the way of marking God’s people and setting them outside the coming judgment. Passing through the waters of baptism was the way to avoid the fires of judgment.
John’s preaching was a warning to the people that when the Messiah finally comes, it would be too late for them to enter into God’s Kingdom and become a part of God’s rule in the world. The time to enter the Kingdom is now…And there is only one way to enter the Kingdom…You must REPENT…And the symbol of that Repentance was Baptism in water…
Now there is a twist as we consider this passage…Jesus was baptized by John. This raises a couple of very serious questions…Was John a higher authority than Jesus, that Jesus needed to submit to the Baptism of John?…And…Did Jesus need to Repent and be baptized?
We can answer these questions very simply by looking at what John’s baptism actually means…John did not preach that Baptism could save a person from the coming judgment or make them become a part of the Kingdom of God. Instead, John said that REPENTANCE was the only way to avoid judgment…REPENTANCE was the only way to enter the Kingdom of God…Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Baptism was a sign indicating that a person was now a member of God’s Faithful People. When Jesus was baptized by John, he did not repent or submit himself to John…Rather, Jesus identified himself as a member of God’s Faithful People.
The same thing is true for us this morning…When we are Baptized, we identify ourselves with Jesus and claim to be a part of God’s Faithful People.
b. Commanded By Jesus (Matthew 28: 18 – 20).
When Jesus gave his Great Commission—or his Last Instructions—to his disciples, he also gave instructions to the Christian church. We find our mission and purpose as a congregation in this commandment of Jesus…
Wherever you go…Make Disciples…Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…
Now pay close attention to that second part of Jesus’ command…He said that each time we make new disciples, we are to baptize those disciples…This is significant, because at this point in the Gospel of Matthew, we almost do not expect Jesus to command us to do something that could be called a RITUAL…
Think about that…Throughout the Gospels, Jesus has gone head to head against the Scribes and Pharisees…These are the Jewish religious leaders who had everything wrong…They followed every ritual; kept every dietary law; observed all the religious feasts and festivals; but they had lost the spirit of the law…They were furious when Jesus healed the sick and preached the Good News on the Sabbath Day…There was even a time when these people criticized Jesus and his disciples for not following the exact procedures for washing their hands before they ate…Not to mention the ways they tried time after time to back Jesus into a corner and trick him into making religious errors…But Jesus couldn’t be tricked…
When the Scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus, “What is the most important commandment?”…Do you remember what Jesus said? He said, “Take every law, every command, every feast and every ritual and throw them out the window. Everything in the Law and the Prophets can be summed up in just two commands…Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…Love your neighbor as your self…”
Now, at the very end of Jesus’ earthly ministry he closes by giving the church two rituals that we should observe…The Lord’s Supper…Baptism…
If Jesus rejected all other Jewish rituals, we ought to take very serious the two rituals he commanded us to observe.
II. Part Two: The Practice of Baptism.
(Part Two of this sermon was preached from the baptistery.)
a. Believers Only (Acts 8: 36 – 40).
Since Jesus commanded us to baptize each new disciple, we can find some form of baptism in every denomination of the Christian church. However, only a few denominations practice baptism as it appears in the Bible.
This Scripture in Acts 8 is one example of many throughout the book of Acts of the Apostles preaching the Good News, men and women accepting God’s offer of salvation through Jesus, THEN being baptized.
In EVERY example of baptism in the New Testament, the person made a decision to follow Christ first…Then they were baptized.
That is why Baptists do not baptize infants…Because infants cannot make their own decision to follow Christ. And the New Testament teaches us that Baptism is for Believers Only.
(Bring all three baptismal candidates into the water to be baptized.)
Baptize the first candidate.
b. Immersion Only.
The second thing we can say about Baptism in the Bible is that Baptism was ALWAYS by immersion. In fact, that is what the word Baptism means.
We get our English word Baptize directly from the Greek word baptizw which literally means IMMERSE. We just changed the last letter from “O” to “E” to get the word “Baptize.” This same word was used outside the New Testament to describe Baptizing the Dishes—Washing the Dishes—as well as the Baptism of a Ship—the Sinking of a Ship. You can’t wash dishes just by sprinkling a little water on them…And a ship cannot sink with just a sprinkling of water.
You can also see Baptism as Immersion by looking at John the Baptist’s sermon… “I Baptize you with water, but the One coming after me will Baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire.” No one would suggest that Baptism of the Holy Spirit means that we receive just a sprinkling of the Spirit. We have been engulfed by the Spirit and totally Immersed by his presence.
Baptize the second candidate.
c. Symbolic Only (Romans 6: 1 – 7).
The third thing we can say about Baptism, is that it does not Do anything…It is Symbolic Only. It is a Visible Sign of Invisible Grace. But what does baptism symbolize?
The Apostle Paul is our best source for interpreting the Gospel…And this is his interpretation of Baptism…
There are some who say that Baptism is the way we receive the Grace of God—That is why they sprinkle just a little water on the forehead, because it only takes a little Grace; AND that is why they Baptize infants, because if Baptism is the way to receive Grace, then we need to do it as soon as it is possible.
But we Baptize by Immersion, because it is Symbolic Only. We use Lufkin City Water, not Holy Water. And we put the person completely under the water and bring them up again as a symbol of what Jesus has done for us.
Jesus died on the cross to offer us forgiveness of sins. Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb, where he remained for only three days. Then, Jesus rose to life again, proving that he is the Son of God and proving that he has the power to give us eternal life that goes beyond the grave.
In baptism, we symbolically participate in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. My old sinful self is now dead…It is buried under the waters of Baptism…And through the Power of Christ, I am raised to live a new life with Jesus.
Baptize the third candidate.
III. Conclusion
Should you be baptized? The answer is YES…Not to become a Christian, but if you already are a Christian.
Baptism cannot save you. There is only one way that we can be saved… Nothing except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Baptism cannot wash away your sins. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
But if you believe that Jesus died on the cross to take away your sins…If you trust him as your Savior…And if you follow him as your Lord…Then you should be baptized. Baptism is the only way described in the Bible that you and I can identify ourselves as members of God’s Faithful People.
Understood in this way, Baptism is like my wedding ring. I wear this ring so that the world can know that I am married to Shauna. But if I take it off…What happens? Am I still married? Of course I am still married! There was a Saturday in October 1993 that Shauna and I committed ourselves to remain together “Until Death Do Us Part.”
The only difference is that when I take off my wedding ring, nobody knows that I am married and committed to Shauna.
Baptism is the way we tell the church, our friends, our family and all the world that we have been saved and we are committed to follow Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 3: 13 – 17; Matthew 28: 18 – 20;
Acts 8: 36 - 40; Romans 6: 1 – 7.
I. Part One: The Foundation of Baptism.
(Part One of this sermon was preached from the pulpit.)
I have to admit, Baptizing is one of my favorite things to do as a Pastor…Especially on a day like today when we have three people to baptize, from the same family (a father and two of his daughters)… Baptism is a sign that our church is doing something right…We are teaching our children about Jesus and we are reaching out to families in our community…
If you need something to be excited about this morning, then think about this…the three people we baptize today are here as the culmination of a couple of things: First, this is a family that first came into contact with our church, because someone invited them to church. Pauline and Homer Kroeker invited their neighbors to come to the Matthew Party in April. Second, the two daughters participated in G.A. camp for girls.
When we have several people to baptize, I like to do a couple of things. On one hand, I like to observe baptism on Sunday morning. This way we can all celebrate together and worship through this symbolic act that is so rich with theological meaning. On the other hand, I like to take the time to explain what our church believes about baptism.
For the past several weeks, I have preached from the book of Acts. My intention is for us to observe how the first Christian church grew through reaching out to other people. Sometimes, they reached out to their community. At other times, they extended their outreach into other communities. The early church was a missional church. I believe God is calling our church to become the same kind of missional people.
Last week, we read the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Philip used an Old Testament prophesy about Jesus to witness to the Ethiopian. Then, they came to a pool of water in the desert, where the Ethiopian asked Philip to baptize him.
What is so important about baptism? Why do we continue to practice baptism in the Twenty-First Century?
a. Modeled By Jesus (Matthew 3: 13 – 17).
In the Gospel of Matthew we learn about a connection between the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus. John was not the Messiah…John was the Forerunner of the Messiah, or the one that Isaiah had called the Voice Calling Out in the Wilderness, Preparing the Way for the Messiah.
Matthew also tells us that John prepared for Jesus’ ministry by doing two things: Preaching about Repentance…and…Baptizing the Ones Who Repented…
John basically had two sermons…Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand… AND…I baptize you with water, but the One coming after me will baptize you with fire…
When John said, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand,” he was announcing to the people of Israel that their time was up. They had disobeyed God’s will and perverted God’s ways long enough. Now it was time for them to come to their senses and become a part of God’s Kingdom and God’s work in the world. And the sooner they got on board, the better…
John’s other sermon is not quite as obvious to us as his first sermon. When John said, “I baptize you with water, but the One coming after me will baptize you with fire,” he was warning about the coming judgment. Fire is a common symbol in Scripture for God’s judgment. And the water of baptism was the way of marking God’s people and setting them outside the coming judgment. Passing through the waters of baptism was the way to avoid the fires of judgment.
John’s preaching was a warning to the people that when the Messiah finally comes, it would be too late for them to enter into God’s Kingdom and become a part of God’s rule in the world. The time to enter the Kingdom is now…And there is only one way to enter the Kingdom…You must REPENT…And the symbol of that Repentance was Baptism in water…
Now there is a twist as we consider this passage…Jesus was baptized by John. This raises a couple of very serious questions…Was John a higher authority than Jesus, that Jesus needed to submit to the Baptism of John?…And…Did Jesus need to Repent and be baptized?
We can answer these questions very simply by looking at what John’s baptism actually means…John did not preach that Baptism could save a person from the coming judgment or make them become a part of the Kingdom of God. Instead, John said that REPENTANCE was the only way to avoid judgment…REPENTANCE was the only way to enter the Kingdom of God…Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Baptism was a sign indicating that a person was now a member of God’s Faithful People. When Jesus was baptized by John, he did not repent or submit himself to John…Rather, Jesus identified himself as a member of God’s Faithful People.
The same thing is true for us this morning…When we are Baptized, we identify ourselves with Jesus and claim to be a part of God’s Faithful People.
b. Commanded By Jesus (Matthew 28: 18 – 20).
When Jesus gave his Great Commission—or his Last Instructions—to his disciples, he also gave instructions to the Christian church. We find our mission and purpose as a congregation in this commandment of Jesus…
Wherever you go…Make Disciples…Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…
Now pay close attention to that second part of Jesus’ command…He said that each time we make new disciples, we are to baptize those disciples…This is significant, because at this point in the Gospel of Matthew, we almost do not expect Jesus to command us to do something that could be called a RITUAL…
Think about that…Throughout the Gospels, Jesus has gone head to head against the Scribes and Pharisees…These are the Jewish religious leaders who had everything wrong…They followed every ritual; kept every dietary law; observed all the religious feasts and festivals; but they had lost the spirit of the law…They were furious when Jesus healed the sick and preached the Good News on the Sabbath Day…There was even a time when these people criticized Jesus and his disciples for not following the exact procedures for washing their hands before they ate…Not to mention the ways they tried time after time to back Jesus into a corner and trick him into making religious errors…But Jesus couldn’t be tricked…
When the Scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus, “What is the most important commandment?”…Do you remember what Jesus said? He said, “Take every law, every command, every feast and every ritual and throw them out the window. Everything in the Law and the Prophets can be summed up in just two commands…Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…Love your neighbor as your self…”
Now, at the very end of Jesus’ earthly ministry he closes by giving the church two rituals that we should observe…The Lord’s Supper…Baptism…
If Jesus rejected all other Jewish rituals, we ought to take very serious the two rituals he commanded us to observe.
II. Part Two: The Practice of Baptism.
(Part Two of this sermon was preached from the baptistery.)
a. Believers Only (Acts 8: 36 – 40).
Since Jesus commanded us to baptize each new disciple, we can find some form of baptism in every denomination of the Christian church. However, only a few denominations practice baptism as it appears in the Bible.
This Scripture in Acts 8 is one example of many throughout the book of Acts of the Apostles preaching the Good News, men and women accepting God’s offer of salvation through Jesus, THEN being baptized.
In EVERY example of baptism in the New Testament, the person made a decision to follow Christ first…Then they were baptized.
That is why Baptists do not baptize infants…Because infants cannot make their own decision to follow Christ. And the New Testament teaches us that Baptism is for Believers Only.
(Bring all three baptismal candidates into the water to be baptized.)
Baptize the first candidate.
b. Immersion Only.
The second thing we can say about Baptism in the Bible is that Baptism was ALWAYS by immersion. In fact, that is what the word Baptism means.
We get our English word Baptize directly from the Greek word baptizw which literally means IMMERSE. We just changed the last letter from “O” to “E” to get the word “Baptize.” This same word was used outside the New Testament to describe Baptizing the Dishes—Washing the Dishes—as well as the Baptism of a Ship—the Sinking of a Ship. You can’t wash dishes just by sprinkling a little water on them…And a ship cannot sink with just a sprinkling of water.
You can also see Baptism as Immersion by looking at John the Baptist’s sermon… “I Baptize you with water, but the One coming after me will Baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire.” No one would suggest that Baptism of the Holy Spirit means that we receive just a sprinkling of the Spirit. We have been engulfed by the Spirit and totally Immersed by his presence.
Baptize the second candidate.
c. Symbolic Only (Romans 6: 1 – 7).
The third thing we can say about Baptism, is that it does not Do anything…It is Symbolic Only. It is a Visible Sign of Invisible Grace. But what does baptism symbolize?
The Apostle Paul is our best source for interpreting the Gospel…And this is his interpretation of Baptism…
There are some who say that Baptism is the way we receive the Grace of God—That is why they sprinkle just a little water on the forehead, because it only takes a little Grace; AND that is why they Baptize infants, because if Baptism is the way to receive Grace, then we need to do it as soon as it is possible.
But we Baptize by Immersion, because it is Symbolic Only. We use Lufkin City Water, not Holy Water. And we put the person completely under the water and bring them up again as a symbol of what Jesus has done for us.
Jesus died on the cross to offer us forgiveness of sins. Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb, where he remained for only three days. Then, Jesus rose to life again, proving that he is the Son of God and proving that he has the power to give us eternal life that goes beyond the grave.
In baptism, we symbolically participate in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. My old sinful self is now dead…It is buried under the waters of Baptism…And through the Power of Christ, I am raised to live a new life with Jesus.
Baptize the third candidate.
III. Conclusion
Should you be baptized? The answer is YES…Not to become a Christian, but if you already are a Christian.
Baptism cannot save you. There is only one way that we can be saved… Nothing except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Baptism cannot wash away your sins. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
But if you believe that Jesus died on the cross to take away your sins…If you trust him as your Savior…And if you follow him as your Lord…Then you should be baptized. Baptism is the only way described in the Bible that you and I can identify ourselves as members of God’s Faithful People.
Understood in this way, Baptism is like my wedding ring. I wear this ring so that the world can know that I am married to Shauna. But if I take it off…What happens? Am I still married? Of course I am still married! There was a Saturday in October 1993 that Shauna and I committed ourselves to remain together “Until Death Do Us Part.”
The only difference is that when I take off my wedding ring, nobody knows that I am married and committed to Shauna.
Baptism is the way we tell the church, our friends, our family and all the world that we have been saved and we are committed to follow Jesus as Lord.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008: Gospel Without Borders
Gospel without Borders
Acts 8: 26 – 40.
I. Introduction.
Last year in May, I traveled with a group from Buckner International to Ethiopia. Through this trip, I learned a lot about the ministry needs within Ethiopia. AND, I learned a lot about the proud historical background of Ethiopia.
For instance, I had forgotten that the oldest human skeletal remains were found in Ethiopia and are on display in the Ethiopian National Museum. The skeleton is nicknamed “Lucy,” and is believed to be 3.2 million years old.
Also, did you know there is a significant group of history and archaeology scholars who believe the Ark of the Covenant is hidden in a mountain cave in Ethiopia? Legend has it that the Old Testament story about the Queen of Sheba is actually about the Queen of Ethiopia. The Old Testament tells us that the Queen of Sheba heard about King Solomon’s reputation as a wise and wealthy king. She did not believe the stories she had heard about Solomon, so she travelled to Israel to see for herself. When she arrived, Solomon taught her wonderful things about science and nature and quoted to her from his thousands of Proverbs. Then, Solomon gave her a tour of his treasuries. The Old Testament story ends with the Queen of Sheba returning to her homeland convinced that Solomon was the world’s wisest and wealthiest man.
Ethiopian legend adds more to the story. According to legend, the Queen of Sheba returned to Ethiopia pregnant with Solomon’s son. This son grew to be a king in Ethiopia and eventually returned to Israel to visit Solomon on his deathbed. Before he died, Solomon gave his Ethiopian son a gift—the Ark of the Covenant. He instructed his son to protect the Ark.
Today, there is a mountainous region in Ethiopia where military guards post twenty-four hour guard. They have been protecting this region for hundreds of years, and no one knows why. Some believe this is the final resting place for the Ark of the Covenant.
Another legend about Ethiopia intersects with our biblical story. It is the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Ethiopian legend states that this eunuch returned to Ethiopia and led in a great revival. This revival established the Coptic Church, which continues to be the official religious position of Ethiopia.
Read Acts 8: 26 – 40.
Philip has just finished preaching the great Samaritan Revival. Persecution forced Philip out of Jerusalem, but it could not stop his desire to preach the Gospel. He crossed the city border of Jerusalem; he crossed the national border of Israel; and he crossed the ethnic borders of the Jewish race. He preached the Gospel to anyone who would listen…and to some people who wouldn’t listen.
After what must have been an exceptionally high spiritual moment, Philip heard an unusual command from an angel of God: “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
The best way to describe this road was to use the word “desert.” It was a desert road, because it led through the desert region traditionally known as the Negev. It was a desert road, because at certain times of the day it was deserted. Travelers knew to schedule their travel so they would not travel through the desert during the heat of the day. In the cool of the morning or the shade of the evening, this road would be populated by travelers. But, in the daytime, it would be mostly deserted.
Since Philip encounters a man who is reading the Bible, we have reason to believe this angelic command came to Philip during the daytime. This makes the angel’s words even more unusual. It must have sounded something like…Go to a place where no one wants to go, and go there now—even though it is too hot to be out in the desert.
Even though the Bible does not say this, I am certain Philip was surprised to find the desert road inhabited in the middle of the day. There was a chariot traveling along the desert road carrying a very important passenger. It was a government official from the faraway land of Ethiopia. This man is described as an “important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians.” We might translate this as the Minister of Finance or the Secretary of the Treasury.
This man was traveling home from Jerusalem where he had attended worship. Since the Christian movement had not yet spread beyond Jerusalem and Samaria, it is safe for us to assume that he had been worshipping at the Jewish Temple. However, we cannot assume this man was a Jew. More than likely, this man would have fit into the category of a “God fearer.” He worshipped the God of Judaism but could not become a full Jew because he was a Eunuch. In fact, his status as a Eunuch prevented him even from entering into the Jerusalem Temple. The Hebrew Bible clearly teaches that people with physical defects were not allowed full access to the Temple.
We didn’t laugh when we read this Scripture, but there is an element of humor here. The angel commanded Philip to run alongside the chariot. While running alongside, Philip overheard the man reading from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. I’m sure it must have been difficult for Philip not only to keep up with the horses, but also to speak while he was running. I imagine Philip gasping for air while he was speaking, “Do…You…Under…Stand…What…You…Are…Reading?”
We assume here that Philip got into the chariot. But the most important thing is that Philip used the Scripture from Isaiah to explain the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was no coincidence that the Ethiopian official was reading one of the classic Old Testament prophecies about Jesus. You and I recognize the significance of Isaiah 53, because it has been interpreted for us by the New Testament and modern-day preachers. The Ethiopian did not understand, because no one had ever told him about Jesus.
Jesus is the “Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus was silent as he stood before his captors. He was led to the cross, where he willingly offered his own life as a sacrifice for our sins. This is the Good News from Isaiah 53. It is Good News that Jesus gave his life so that you and I can be forgiven of our sins. It is Good News that God had planned this from the very beginning of time.
II. Ethiopian Eunuch.
The Ethiopian Eunuch demonstrates the classic characteristics of someone who is seeking after God.
First, he had done everything in his power to overcome the circumstances of his life, and—in the process—had created a pretty good life for himself. He had achieved an important position in the Queen’s palace. He controlled the entire treasury of the Queen and possibly controlled the finances of the entire government. People looked up to him. He was always surrounded by admirers and children who wanted to “grow up to be just like him.” BUT, when he read the Bible he could not understand what he was reading. This tells me that despite all his personal accomplishments, there was still one thing missing…Jesus.
Notice that the only thing the Ethiopian man was missing was Jesus. All Philip had to do to explain Isaiah 53 to the Ethiopian was to explain how the Scripture related to the story of Jesus. When that one missing piece was explained, the Ethiopian’s life was changed.
You and I share life with many people just like the Ethiopian Eunuch. We have friends with good jobs, adequate salaries, decent family life, etc… But they are still missing one thing. None of these earthly things can grant us ultimate meaning in life.
The Ethiopian Eunuch even sought ultimate meaning by attempting to convert to Judaism. He followed all the necessary steps to convert, but still found himself lacking in one area. Despite all his efforts to reach God, he fell short. He was excluded from true fellowship with God. He found what he was searching for, when Philip told him about Jesus. Jesus does not exclude.
You and I know people who are searching for ultimate meaning and might even experiment with other religious traditions. The Christian faith is the only spiritual path which does not exclude anyone on the basis of what they have done. The Christian faith is the only faith that does not ask people to work or achieve their way to a relationship with God. NO. God has already provided a path. All he asks of us is to place our faith in Jesus. It is not about human achievement. It is simply trusting what God has already done.
III. Philip.
The first thing that strikes me as significant about Philip is the way he fulfilled the prediction Jesus made in Acts 1: 8. Jesus told his followers to wait in Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” On one hand, this is a story about how the Gospel spread across all borders and fulfilled the prediction Jesus made. On the other hand, this is a story about how ONE MAN witnessed in all areas Jesus predicted. Philip preached in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Philip did not pick one area and say, “God has called me to stay where I am in Jerusalem. God will call other people to go to Samaria and the ends of the earth.” NO! I think Philip demonstrates how every Christian man and woman is supposed to engage the entire world with the Gospel.
Don’t forget that Philip was NOT one of the original twelve Apostles. More than likely, Philip did not have the same privilege of living physically with Jesus. More than likely, Philip became a Christian as a result of hearing the Gospel preached by the Apostles. In other words, Philip is a second-generation Christian—just like you and me. We became followers of Jesus Christ as a result of the Apostles’ testimony in Scripture—just like Philip. If Philip is a second-generation Christian who fulfilled Jesus’ prediction in Acts 1: 8, then it is possible for you and me to do the same thing.
Philip models openness, obedience and a method for sharing our faith with others.
1. Openness…We can make a really good argument that the Ethiopian Eunuch became a Christian because he was in the right place at the right time. But he was not the only one. Philip was also in the right place at the right time. You may be asking God to use you to serve him. But how are you living your life? Are you running away from God weekly or even daily? I realize that you are in church right now. But do you put yourself in places where God speaks on a regular basis? God speaks at church. (Take this as a warning if you don’t want to hear from God. But take it as a matter of fact, if you are willing to be open to what God is calling you to do.)
2. Obedience…Two times, Philip received a command from an angel of the Lord. First, the angel told Philip to go to the desert road. In verse 27, the Bible says, “So, he started out…” Second, the angel told Philip to chase down the chariot. In verse 30, the Bible says, “Then, Philip ran…” In both cases, Philip immediately did what the angel commanded. There was no bickering or arguing…Just obedience. Even when it did not make good sense.
3. Sharing Faith…First, Philip simply asked a question: “Do you understand what you are reading?” He did not get on the chariot with a pre-planned, packaged presentation of the Gospel. He answered the questions on the Ethiopian official’s mind. Philip did not set the agenda. He listened first, then answered a real question. Second, Philip spoke about Jesus. He did not expect the Ethiopian to watch him do good deeds. Good deeds might open the door for us, but we must speak about Jesus. Good deeds are not enough by themselves.
IV. God.
God is the main character in the story. BUT, God does not act in a direct manner. God does everything through three agents: an angel, the Holy Spirit and Philip.
Angel…The angel commanded Philip to go to the road and to chase down the chariot.
Holy Spirit…Do you know what a “coincidence” is? The dictionary definition is “events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have a connection.”
When I read this story, I find five “coincidences.” (1) Someone was on the road the angel sent Philip to. (2) This person was a “God-fearer” with a foundational understanding of God. (3) This person was reading the Bible. (4) The Scripture passage he was reading was one of the prophecies about Jesus. (5) There was a pool of water in the desert.
I think there are simply too many coincidences for this to be an accident. Someone must have brought all these things together at just the right time. This is evidence of the Holy Spirit.
Philip…God sent Philip into a situation where God was already working. When the Gospel is spread, God is the one working…Not us. We are simply God’s agents.
V. Conclusion.
Can you find yourself in this biblical story?
Perhaps you are the person who has achieved a pretty decent life and the only thing missing is Jesus. You will never find ultimate meaning without Jesus.
Perhaps you need to become more like Philip. I believe God is already working in the lives of your friends and family members. Do you believe that? All God needs is your openness and obedience to tell others about Jesus.
Acts 8: 26 – 40.
I. Introduction.
Last year in May, I traveled with a group from Buckner International to Ethiopia. Through this trip, I learned a lot about the ministry needs within Ethiopia. AND, I learned a lot about the proud historical background of Ethiopia.
For instance, I had forgotten that the oldest human skeletal remains were found in Ethiopia and are on display in the Ethiopian National Museum. The skeleton is nicknamed “Lucy,” and is believed to be 3.2 million years old.
Also, did you know there is a significant group of history and archaeology scholars who believe the Ark of the Covenant is hidden in a mountain cave in Ethiopia? Legend has it that the Old Testament story about the Queen of Sheba is actually about the Queen of Ethiopia. The Old Testament tells us that the Queen of Sheba heard about King Solomon’s reputation as a wise and wealthy king. She did not believe the stories she had heard about Solomon, so she travelled to Israel to see for herself. When she arrived, Solomon taught her wonderful things about science and nature and quoted to her from his thousands of Proverbs. Then, Solomon gave her a tour of his treasuries. The Old Testament story ends with the Queen of Sheba returning to her homeland convinced that Solomon was the world’s wisest and wealthiest man.
Ethiopian legend adds more to the story. According to legend, the Queen of Sheba returned to Ethiopia pregnant with Solomon’s son. This son grew to be a king in Ethiopia and eventually returned to Israel to visit Solomon on his deathbed. Before he died, Solomon gave his Ethiopian son a gift—the Ark of the Covenant. He instructed his son to protect the Ark.
Today, there is a mountainous region in Ethiopia where military guards post twenty-four hour guard. They have been protecting this region for hundreds of years, and no one knows why. Some believe this is the final resting place for the Ark of the Covenant.
Another legend about Ethiopia intersects with our biblical story. It is the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Ethiopian legend states that this eunuch returned to Ethiopia and led in a great revival. This revival established the Coptic Church, which continues to be the official religious position of Ethiopia.
Read Acts 8: 26 – 40.
Philip has just finished preaching the great Samaritan Revival. Persecution forced Philip out of Jerusalem, but it could not stop his desire to preach the Gospel. He crossed the city border of Jerusalem; he crossed the national border of Israel; and he crossed the ethnic borders of the Jewish race. He preached the Gospel to anyone who would listen…and to some people who wouldn’t listen.
After what must have been an exceptionally high spiritual moment, Philip heard an unusual command from an angel of God: “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
The best way to describe this road was to use the word “desert.” It was a desert road, because it led through the desert region traditionally known as the Negev. It was a desert road, because at certain times of the day it was deserted. Travelers knew to schedule their travel so they would not travel through the desert during the heat of the day. In the cool of the morning or the shade of the evening, this road would be populated by travelers. But, in the daytime, it would be mostly deserted.
Since Philip encounters a man who is reading the Bible, we have reason to believe this angelic command came to Philip during the daytime. This makes the angel’s words even more unusual. It must have sounded something like…Go to a place where no one wants to go, and go there now—even though it is too hot to be out in the desert.
Even though the Bible does not say this, I am certain Philip was surprised to find the desert road inhabited in the middle of the day. There was a chariot traveling along the desert road carrying a very important passenger. It was a government official from the faraway land of Ethiopia. This man is described as an “important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians.” We might translate this as the Minister of Finance or the Secretary of the Treasury.
This man was traveling home from Jerusalem where he had attended worship. Since the Christian movement had not yet spread beyond Jerusalem and Samaria, it is safe for us to assume that he had been worshipping at the Jewish Temple. However, we cannot assume this man was a Jew. More than likely, this man would have fit into the category of a “God fearer.” He worshipped the God of Judaism but could not become a full Jew because he was a Eunuch. In fact, his status as a Eunuch prevented him even from entering into the Jerusalem Temple. The Hebrew Bible clearly teaches that people with physical defects were not allowed full access to the Temple.
We didn’t laugh when we read this Scripture, but there is an element of humor here. The angel commanded Philip to run alongside the chariot. While running alongside, Philip overheard the man reading from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. I’m sure it must have been difficult for Philip not only to keep up with the horses, but also to speak while he was running. I imagine Philip gasping for air while he was speaking, “Do…You…Under…Stand…What…You…Are…Reading?”
We assume here that Philip got into the chariot. But the most important thing is that Philip used the Scripture from Isaiah to explain the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was no coincidence that the Ethiopian official was reading one of the classic Old Testament prophecies about Jesus. You and I recognize the significance of Isaiah 53, because it has been interpreted for us by the New Testament and modern-day preachers. The Ethiopian did not understand, because no one had ever told him about Jesus.
Jesus is the “Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus was silent as he stood before his captors. He was led to the cross, where he willingly offered his own life as a sacrifice for our sins. This is the Good News from Isaiah 53. It is Good News that Jesus gave his life so that you and I can be forgiven of our sins. It is Good News that God had planned this from the very beginning of time.
II. Ethiopian Eunuch.
The Ethiopian Eunuch demonstrates the classic characteristics of someone who is seeking after God.
First, he had done everything in his power to overcome the circumstances of his life, and—in the process—had created a pretty good life for himself. He had achieved an important position in the Queen’s palace. He controlled the entire treasury of the Queen and possibly controlled the finances of the entire government. People looked up to him. He was always surrounded by admirers and children who wanted to “grow up to be just like him.” BUT, when he read the Bible he could not understand what he was reading. This tells me that despite all his personal accomplishments, there was still one thing missing…Jesus.
Notice that the only thing the Ethiopian man was missing was Jesus. All Philip had to do to explain Isaiah 53 to the Ethiopian was to explain how the Scripture related to the story of Jesus. When that one missing piece was explained, the Ethiopian’s life was changed.
You and I share life with many people just like the Ethiopian Eunuch. We have friends with good jobs, adequate salaries, decent family life, etc… But they are still missing one thing. None of these earthly things can grant us ultimate meaning in life.
The Ethiopian Eunuch even sought ultimate meaning by attempting to convert to Judaism. He followed all the necessary steps to convert, but still found himself lacking in one area. Despite all his efforts to reach God, he fell short. He was excluded from true fellowship with God. He found what he was searching for, when Philip told him about Jesus. Jesus does not exclude.
You and I know people who are searching for ultimate meaning and might even experiment with other religious traditions. The Christian faith is the only spiritual path which does not exclude anyone on the basis of what they have done. The Christian faith is the only faith that does not ask people to work or achieve their way to a relationship with God. NO. God has already provided a path. All he asks of us is to place our faith in Jesus. It is not about human achievement. It is simply trusting what God has already done.
III. Philip.
The first thing that strikes me as significant about Philip is the way he fulfilled the prediction Jesus made in Acts 1: 8. Jesus told his followers to wait in Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” On one hand, this is a story about how the Gospel spread across all borders and fulfilled the prediction Jesus made. On the other hand, this is a story about how ONE MAN witnessed in all areas Jesus predicted. Philip preached in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Philip did not pick one area and say, “God has called me to stay where I am in Jerusalem. God will call other people to go to Samaria and the ends of the earth.” NO! I think Philip demonstrates how every Christian man and woman is supposed to engage the entire world with the Gospel.
Don’t forget that Philip was NOT one of the original twelve Apostles. More than likely, Philip did not have the same privilege of living physically with Jesus. More than likely, Philip became a Christian as a result of hearing the Gospel preached by the Apostles. In other words, Philip is a second-generation Christian—just like you and me. We became followers of Jesus Christ as a result of the Apostles’ testimony in Scripture—just like Philip. If Philip is a second-generation Christian who fulfilled Jesus’ prediction in Acts 1: 8, then it is possible for you and me to do the same thing.
Philip models openness, obedience and a method for sharing our faith with others.
1. Openness…We can make a really good argument that the Ethiopian Eunuch became a Christian because he was in the right place at the right time. But he was not the only one. Philip was also in the right place at the right time. You may be asking God to use you to serve him. But how are you living your life? Are you running away from God weekly or even daily? I realize that you are in church right now. But do you put yourself in places where God speaks on a regular basis? God speaks at church. (Take this as a warning if you don’t want to hear from God. But take it as a matter of fact, if you are willing to be open to what God is calling you to do.)
2. Obedience…Two times, Philip received a command from an angel of the Lord. First, the angel told Philip to go to the desert road. In verse 27, the Bible says, “So, he started out…” Second, the angel told Philip to chase down the chariot. In verse 30, the Bible says, “Then, Philip ran…” In both cases, Philip immediately did what the angel commanded. There was no bickering or arguing…Just obedience. Even when it did not make good sense.
3. Sharing Faith…First, Philip simply asked a question: “Do you understand what you are reading?” He did not get on the chariot with a pre-planned, packaged presentation of the Gospel. He answered the questions on the Ethiopian official’s mind. Philip did not set the agenda. He listened first, then answered a real question. Second, Philip spoke about Jesus. He did not expect the Ethiopian to watch him do good deeds. Good deeds might open the door for us, but we must speak about Jesus. Good deeds are not enough by themselves.
IV. God.
God is the main character in the story. BUT, God does not act in a direct manner. God does everything through three agents: an angel, the Holy Spirit and Philip.
Angel…The angel commanded Philip to go to the road and to chase down the chariot.
Holy Spirit…Do you know what a “coincidence” is? The dictionary definition is “events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have a connection.”
When I read this story, I find five “coincidences.” (1) Someone was on the road the angel sent Philip to. (2) This person was a “God-fearer” with a foundational understanding of God. (3) This person was reading the Bible. (4) The Scripture passage he was reading was one of the prophecies about Jesus. (5) There was a pool of water in the desert.
I think there are simply too many coincidences for this to be an accident. Someone must have brought all these things together at just the right time. This is evidence of the Holy Spirit.
Philip…God sent Philip into a situation where God was already working. When the Gospel is spread, God is the one working…Not us. We are simply God’s agents.
V. Conclusion.
Can you find yourself in this biblical story?
Perhaps you are the person who has achieved a pretty decent life and the only thing missing is Jesus. You will never find ultimate meaning without Jesus.
Perhaps you need to become more like Philip. I believe God is already working in the lives of your friends and family members. Do you believe that? All God needs is your openness and obedience to tell others about Jesus.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008: Spirit vs. Spiritualism
Spirit vs. Spiritualism
Acts 8: 9 – 25.
I. Introduction
How do you know that God is real? I suppose we could appeal to the stories of the Bible, which tell of the many ways God has interacted with Israel and with the followers of Jesus throughout history. But this seems backwards to me. People who already believe in God read the Bible to learn more about God. People who do not believe in God, simply do not trust the stories of the Bible.
For hundreds of years, humans have formed philosophical arguments to appeal to a person’s intellect in order to prove the existence of God. Some of these philosophical “proofs” have become famous.
One famous argument is the argument which refers to God as the “First Cause.” Everything that exists was caused to exist by something else. The universe operates on the principle of Cause and Effect. Nothing can be both cause and effect at the same time. Since the universe exists, something must have caused it t exist. Therefore, there must be a First Cause. We call this First Cause, God.
One of my favorite arguments is the argument from desire. Every natural, innate desire corresponds to some real object that can satisfy the desire. Humans have a natural desire that time and earth cannot satisfy. Therefore, something outside of time and earth must exist that satisfies our desire. This is what we call God.
If you look closely at our culture, you will see people who have tried everything on earth to satisfy their desires. They have tried money, possessions, love, relationships, health, longevity of life… Now, our culture is beginning to search for something spiritual. People are turning to angels, crystals, transcendental meditation, an unnamed higher power… We live in an age of increased spiritual desire. People are very spiritual, but not necessarily Christian.
Read Acts 8: 9 – 25.
II. Explanation
Verses 9 – 11…Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.
This is a continuation of the story we read two weeks ago. The young church began to experience persecution from a man named Saul. Saul snooped around to find the houses where the Christians met for Sunday worship services. Then, he broke into Sunday worship services and arrested men and women; placed them in prison; and even had some of them beaten with 39 lashes. On one hand, Saul’s intention was to stop the spread of the Christian faith. On the other hand, he was actually doing everything in his power to erase Christianity from history. But Saul’s plan backfired.
Philip was one of the Seven deacons selected by the church. When faced with persecution, Philip left Jerusalem and started preaching the Gospel in Samaria. Do not overlook how significant this was. First, it was significant that Philip was following the prediction Jesus made in Acts 1: 8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” God used the persecution of the church to spread the Gospel beyond the walls of Jerusalem into the ends of the earth. Second, this is significant because the Samaritans were a hated race of people.
After the reign of King Solomon, the Jewish people divided into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Neither of these kingdoms followed all of God’s commands. However, Judah fared at least a little better. Judah continued to worship God in the Holy City of Jerusalem. The northern kingdom set up numerous holy sites. Both kingdoms had series of good and bad kings, but only Judah kept the kingdom under the reign of someone from the lineage of David.
When the two kingdoms fell—sometime in the eighth century B.C.—the northern kingdom was utterly and completely destroyed by Assyria. The southern kingdom was taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Both Assyria and Babylonia has aspirations of ruling the entire known world, but they each employed different strategies. The Assyrians destroyed their enemies and took over their land. The Babylonians took their enemies captive and allowed these people to live together in communities and maintain their own distinct cultures.
When Judah was taken captive by the Babylonians, some of the people were “left behind.” They only took the strong and healthy people into captivity, leaving the weak and sick behind to die. But that is not what happened. Some of these weak and sick Jews actually survived. They lived in their own land and intermarried with the surrounding peoples. So, when the people of Judah were released from their Babylonian captivity, they reentered their old land and found other people living there. These interracial people became known as Samaritans. The Samaritans were no longer considered Jews, because they had intermarried with other races and adopted many pagan religious practices.
Therefore, it is not enough for us to say that Philip preached the Gospel in Samaria. We should note that he actually moved into a different culture and preached the Gospel to people who were different from the group of Jewish Christians he left in Jerusalem.
The story of Philip’s preaching in Samaria gives us some insight into at least one cultural difference between the Jews and Samaritans. The Jewish faith inside Jerusalem was a pure expression of Judaism. They read and studied the Old Testament law. They even developed a class of religious experts to interpret the Law and apply it to everyday life. The Samaritans also read and studied the Old Testament. However, they did not keep their religion pure. They had taken the Old Testament and added to it many of the pagan practices around them. They were willing to try anything and everything their religious neighbors practiced.
This is why a man like Simon the Sorcerer became so popular in Samaria. This was a culture of people who once knew the Bible and still made claims to be God’s people. But in reality, they were easily duped by a man who claimed to have magical and spiritual powers. It’s obvious from the Bible’s description of Simon, that he did not just entertain the crowds of people with slight of hands tricks. No. Simon performed his tricks and told the people that he had mysterious powers from some supernatural force, known as “The Great Power.”
Verses 12 – 13… But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
On one hand, it is very easy for us to criticize the Samaritans for mixing biblical faith with pagan magic. They did not have a good foundational knowledge of Scripture, so they were easily drawn away from biblical faith. On the other hand, I think we can find some positive things to say about the Samaritans. In particular, we can say that the Samaritans were very “spiritual people.” They did not know the Bible. They did not know the story of Jesus—his life, crucifixion and resurrection. But the Samaritans were searching for something. They wanted to be spiritual and religious. They just needed someone to step into their culture and tell them the Good News about Jesus.
Into this spiritual context stepped Philip, a man full of the Holy Spirit and power. Of course, don’t know what Philip preached in Samaria. (I wish we did know.) All we know is that Philip preached the “good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus.” While we don’t know the words of Philip’s sermons, we do know that Philip preached the complete Gospel. Everything you need to know to be “saved” and to live a Christian life is contained in those two phrases: the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus.
While many of the First Century Jews considered themselves members of the kingdom of God by virtue of their race and / or religious heritage, Jesus taught something different. Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God is not something contained within geo-political boundaries. No, the kingdom of God is something all people can and must enter by becoming like a child. Jesus picked up on a theme taught by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah that God would write a new covenant within the hearts of all who believe. This simple act of childlike faith in Jesus transforms our lives and hands over the controls of our lives to God as our sovereign king.
Philip also preached about the “name of Jesus.” Throughout the Bible the word “name” is typical used as a figure that represents a person’s character. I am certain that Philip used the five-letter name “Jesus” in his preaching, but this is not the point. Philip taught them about the character of Jesus. Jesus was born of a virgin woman, proving that he is in fact the Son of God. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, proving that patterning our lives after him leads us away from sin. Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins we have committed against God. And Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, proving that Jesus has the power to give us eternal life after our earthly death.
Verses 14 – 17… When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Here we encounter the first of two “problems” in our Scripture passage. The Samaritans heard the Gospel and believed. They were baptized and began to worship Jesus within a local community. However, they had not yet received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Does this Scripture make a case for two baptisms—a first baptism into Jesus and a second baptism into the Holy Spirit? I would believe that IF this were the norm. But this is not the biblical norm either within the book of Acts or in any other part of Scripture.
A careful reading of the biblical accounts of men and women who received the Holy Spirit shows us that this happened in every way possible. In some cases, the person was baptized and later received the Holy Spirit. In other cases, the gift of the Holy Spirit came BEFORE the person was baptized. In still other cases, the gift of the Holy Spirit came simultaneously with baptism.
I believe there is another issue at work here. Remember that Acts tells us Philip went into Samaria preaching the Gospel while the Apostle remained in Jerusalem. Evidently, the first wave of persecution only affected the Greek speaking Christians. For some reason, Peter, James, John and the other Apostles were not under attack. Therefore, Philip is preaching the Gospel in a foreign culture without the official sanction of the Apostles—the founders of the original church.
As a result, it was important for Philip to contact the Apostles and to seek their “official stamp of approval” on the missionary work he was doing among the Samaritans. I’m sure the Apostles were shocked when they first got word of Philip’s successful preaching. They believed in Philip—after all, they had ordained him as a deacon only two chapters previously. They just did not trust the Samaritans. So, Peter and John had to see for themselves. And they saw God was working in a foreign culture.
When Peter and John saw God at work in Samaria, they joined God in what he was already doing there. Two actions confirm this for us. First, they laid hands on these foreigners and gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Second, they started preaching to Samaritans… Verse 25… When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Verses 18 – 19… When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
Verses 20 – 24… Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."
Here is our second “problem” in our Scripture passage. Just a few verses prior to this, we read that Simon the Sorcerer had believed and was baptized. Now we witness as Simon tries to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit and Peter rebukes Simon.
III. Application / Conclusion
1. Gospel and Culture…Magic and spiritualism is a “shortcut.” But the Christian life has no shortcuts…
2. Inverted Theology…God is the one who controls us, not the other way around. Simon was trying to control God…Peter and John were trying to control God…
3. Seeing God at work in other people changes us as much as it changes them…
Acts 8: 9 – 25.
I. Introduction
How do you know that God is real? I suppose we could appeal to the stories of the Bible, which tell of the many ways God has interacted with Israel and with the followers of Jesus throughout history. But this seems backwards to me. People who already believe in God read the Bible to learn more about God. People who do not believe in God, simply do not trust the stories of the Bible.
For hundreds of years, humans have formed philosophical arguments to appeal to a person’s intellect in order to prove the existence of God. Some of these philosophical “proofs” have become famous.
One famous argument is the argument which refers to God as the “First Cause.” Everything that exists was caused to exist by something else. The universe operates on the principle of Cause and Effect. Nothing can be both cause and effect at the same time. Since the universe exists, something must have caused it t exist. Therefore, there must be a First Cause. We call this First Cause, God.
One of my favorite arguments is the argument from desire. Every natural, innate desire corresponds to some real object that can satisfy the desire. Humans have a natural desire that time and earth cannot satisfy. Therefore, something outside of time and earth must exist that satisfies our desire. This is what we call God.
If you look closely at our culture, you will see people who have tried everything on earth to satisfy their desires. They have tried money, possessions, love, relationships, health, longevity of life… Now, our culture is beginning to search for something spiritual. People are turning to angels, crystals, transcendental meditation, an unnamed higher power… We live in an age of increased spiritual desire. People are very spiritual, but not necessarily Christian.
Read Acts 8: 9 – 25.
II. Explanation
Verses 9 – 11…Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.
This is a continuation of the story we read two weeks ago. The young church began to experience persecution from a man named Saul. Saul snooped around to find the houses where the Christians met for Sunday worship services. Then, he broke into Sunday worship services and arrested men and women; placed them in prison; and even had some of them beaten with 39 lashes. On one hand, Saul’s intention was to stop the spread of the Christian faith. On the other hand, he was actually doing everything in his power to erase Christianity from history. But Saul’s plan backfired.
Philip was one of the Seven deacons selected by the church. When faced with persecution, Philip left Jerusalem and started preaching the Gospel in Samaria. Do not overlook how significant this was. First, it was significant that Philip was following the prediction Jesus made in Acts 1: 8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” God used the persecution of the church to spread the Gospel beyond the walls of Jerusalem into the ends of the earth. Second, this is significant because the Samaritans were a hated race of people.
After the reign of King Solomon, the Jewish people divided into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Neither of these kingdoms followed all of God’s commands. However, Judah fared at least a little better. Judah continued to worship God in the Holy City of Jerusalem. The northern kingdom set up numerous holy sites. Both kingdoms had series of good and bad kings, but only Judah kept the kingdom under the reign of someone from the lineage of David.
When the two kingdoms fell—sometime in the eighth century B.C.—the northern kingdom was utterly and completely destroyed by Assyria. The southern kingdom was taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Both Assyria and Babylonia has aspirations of ruling the entire known world, but they each employed different strategies. The Assyrians destroyed their enemies and took over their land. The Babylonians took their enemies captive and allowed these people to live together in communities and maintain their own distinct cultures.
When Judah was taken captive by the Babylonians, some of the people were “left behind.” They only took the strong and healthy people into captivity, leaving the weak and sick behind to die. But that is not what happened. Some of these weak and sick Jews actually survived. They lived in their own land and intermarried with the surrounding peoples. So, when the people of Judah were released from their Babylonian captivity, they reentered their old land and found other people living there. These interracial people became known as Samaritans. The Samaritans were no longer considered Jews, because they had intermarried with other races and adopted many pagan religious practices.
Therefore, it is not enough for us to say that Philip preached the Gospel in Samaria. We should note that he actually moved into a different culture and preached the Gospel to people who were different from the group of Jewish Christians he left in Jerusalem.
The story of Philip’s preaching in Samaria gives us some insight into at least one cultural difference between the Jews and Samaritans. The Jewish faith inside Jerusalem was a pure expression of Judaism. They read and studied the Old Testament law. They even developed a class of religious experts to interpret the Law and apply it to everyday life. The Samaritans also read and studied the Old Testament. However, they did not keep their religion pure. They had taken the Old Testament and added to it many of the pagan practices around them. They were willing to try anything and everything their religious neighbors practiced.
This is why a man like Simon the Sorcerer became so popular in Samaria. This was a culture of people who once knew the Bible and still made claims to be God’s people. But in reality, they were easily duped by a man who claimed to have magical and spiritual powers. It’s obvious from the Bible’s description of Simon, that he did not just entertain the crowds of people with slight of hands tricks. No. Simon performed his tricks and told the people that he had mysterious powers from some supernatural force, known as “The Great Power.”
Verses 12 – 13… But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
On one hand, it is very easy for us to criticize the Samaritans for mixing biblical faith with pagan magic. They did not have a good foundational knowledge of Scripture, so they were easily drawn away from biblical faith. On the other hand, I think we can find some positive things to say about the Samaritans. In particular, we can say that the Samaritans were very “spiritual people.” They did not know the Bible. They did not know the story of Jesus—his life, crucifixion and resurrection. But the Samaritans were searching for something. They wanted to be spiritual and religious. They just needed someone to step into their culture and tell them the Good News about Jesus.
Into this spiritual context stepped Philip, a man full of the Holy Spirit and power. Of course, don’t know what Philip preached in Samaria. (I wish we did know.) All we know is that Philip preached the “good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus.” While we don’t know the words of Philip’s sermons, we do know that Philip preached the complete Gospel. Everything you need to know to be “saved” and to live a Christian life is contained in those two phrases: the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus.
While many of the First Century Jews considered themselves members of the kingdom of God by virtue of their race and / or religious heritage, Jesus taught something different. Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God is not something contained within geo-political boundaries. No, the kingdom of God is something all people can and must enter by becoming like a child. Jesus picked up on a theme taught by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah that God would write a new covenant within the hearts of all who believe. This simple act of childlike faith in Jesus transforms our lives and hands over the controls of our lives to God as our sovereign king.
Philip also preached about the “name of Jesus.” Throughout the Bible the word “name” is typical used as a figure that represents a person’s character. I am certain that Philip used the five-letter name “Jesus” in his preaching, but this is not the point. Philip taught them about the character of Jesus. Jesus was born of a virgin woman, proving that he is in fact the Son of God. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, proving that patterning our lives after him leads us away from sin. Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins we have committed against God. And Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, proving that Jesus has the power to give us eternal life after our earthly death.
Verses 14 – 17… When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Here we encounter the first of two “problems” in our Scripture passage. The Samaritans heard the Gospel and believed. They were baptized and began to worship Jesus within a local community. However, they had not yet received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Does this Scripture make a case for two baptisms—a first baptism into Jesus and a second baptism into the Holy Spirit? I would believe that IF this were the norm. But this is not the biblical norm either within the book of Acts or in any other part of Scripture.
A careful reading of the biblical accounts of men and women who received the Holy Spirit shows us that this happened in every way possible. In some cases, the person was baptized and later received the Holy Spirit. In other cases, the gift of the Holy Spirit came BEFORE the person was baptized. In still other cases, the gift of the Holy Spirit came simultaneously with baptism.
I believe there is another issue at work here. Remember that Acts tells us Philip went into Samaria preaching the Gospel while the Apostle remained in Jerusalem. Evidently, the first wave of persecution only affected the Greek speaking Christians. For some reason, Peter, James, John and the other Apostles were not under attack. Therefore, Philip is preaching the Gospel in a foreign culture without the official sanction of the Apostles—the founders of the original church.
As a result, it was important for Philip to contact the Apostles and to seek their “official stamp of approval” on the missionary work he was doing among the Samaritans. I’m sure the Apostles were shocked when they first got word of Philip’s successful preaching. They believed in Philip—after all, they had ordained him as a deacon only two chapters previously. They just did not trust the Samaritans. So, Peter and John had to see for themselves. And they saw God was working in a foreign culture.
When Peter and John saw God at work in Samaria, they joined God in what he was already doing there. Two actions confirm this for us. First, they laid hands on these foreigners and gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Second, they started preaching to Samaritans… Verse 25… When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Verses 18 – 19… When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
Verses 20 – 24… Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."
Here is our second “problem” in our Scripture passage. Just a few verses prior to this, we read that Simon the Sorcerer had believed and was baptized. Now we witness as Simon tries to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit and Peter rebukes Simon.
III. Application / Conclusion
1. Gospel and Culture…Magic and spiritualism is a “shortcut.” But the Christian life has no shortcuts…
2. Inverted Theology…God is the one who controls us, not the other way around. Simon was trying to control God…Peter and John were trying to control God…
3. Seeing God at work in other people changes us as much as it changes them…
Sunday, June 15, 2008: Lost and Found
Lost and Found
Luke 15: 11 – 32
I. Introduction.
Luke 15 is a very familiar passage of Scripture to many people. But there is a danger in becoming too familiar with something. The danger is that something can become so familiar that we can become desensitized. The initial “shock” of experiencing something for the first time tends to wear off the more times we experience it. For example, it was before my time, but do you remember hearing about the initial shock around the country when profanity was first used in the movies? And now, there is so much profanity in movies and even primetime TV that we are no longer shocked. Or, I can remember the first time I ran barefoot across my grandparents’ gravel driveway. I didn’t understand why it hurt. But, over time, I got used to the gravel, and it no longer hurt my feet.
In much the same way, when we are exposed to things repeatedly, we become desensitized. We can become desensitized to worldliness and sin. But we can also become desensitized to the stories and teachings of the Bible.
And I think Luke 15 has lost its “shock-value.” This is a story that we have heard so many times that it doesn’t shock us anymore. We know the ending before we even start reading the story. But when Jesus told this story for the first time, no one knew how it ended. Well, they knew how it was SUPPOSED to end, but they were SURPRISED by what Jesus said. I want you to join me as we attempt to hear this story as if it were the first time. Let’s listen to Jesus’ words…And let Jesus surprise us.
Read Luke 15: 11 – 32.
We normally refer to this passage as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. But do we really know what that means? The word “prodigal” is not a word that use in everyday conversation. But since I grew up hearing about the “Prodigal Son”—and since the Prodigal Son ran away from home—I naturally assumed that “prodigal” meant runaway. But I looked up “prodigal” in the dictionary. Did you know that “prodigal” actually means “wasteful?” So we have the “Parable of the Wasteful Son.”
And that made me wonder…Did Jesus really tell us a parable about a wasteful son? I don’t think that was the main point at all. In fact, if you read the first words Jesus spoke, I think Jesus tells us what the parable is all about: “There was a man who had two sons.” Jesus did NOT say, “There was a son who wasted his inheritance.”
I also think it is important to read this parable in its context. This is the third and final in a series of stories Jesus told about being lost and found. First, Jesus told a story about a good shepherd who paid a great price to search and find his one lost sheep. Second, Jesus told a story about a woman who paid a great price to find a lost coin. Finally, Jesus told a story about a father who paid a great price to find and forgive a lost son.
The story begins when the younger of two sons asked his father for his share of the family inheritance while the father was still alive. This is the first place where we have lost the initial shock of the story. For a son to ask for his inheritance while his father is still living is like saying, “Dad, I can’t wait until you are dead. In fact, I wish you were already dead, so I could have your money.”
In the ancient world, the oldest son would receive twice as much of the family estate as the rest of the sons. So, if there were two sons, the younger son would receive one-third of the estate. And the father gave it to him.
In verse 13, we read that the young man “got together all he had.” More than likely, this is an expression that means he converted everything to cash. He took one-third of the land, one-third of the cattle and one-third of the family valuables and sold it all to the neighbors.
Then, the young man took all of his cash and “squandered his wealth in wild living.” We don’t know exactly how to interpret the phrase “wild living.” The older brother assumed that his brother had been engaged in an immoral lifestyle—and that may be true. But “wild living” could also mean simply wasteful living, or a prodigal lifestyle.
Eventually this young man had spent everything—lost the family fortune. And it was at just that time that a severe famine came to the land where he was living. The son had no choice but to hire himself out as a common servant feeding pigs in a foreign land. Now, as you can imagine, this was the worst possible state a Jewish man could find himself in. Gentile country, broke, feeding pigs and so hungry that he waited every day for whatever food was left over when the pigs finished eating. Yet, even at this lowest possible state, he was not beyond his father’s love. Even when he came home smelling like a pig, his father welcomed him home as an honored guest.
In fact, when the son finally came home, the father killed the fatted calf. This was a big deal in the ancient world, because they weren’t like us. We eat meat every day, sometimes three times a day. Some of you are probably on the Atkins Diet, and all you eat is meat! But in Jesus’ day, meat was reserved for special events.
Have you ever wondered where this fatted calf came from? Of course, it came from the family farm. But remember what happened at the beginning of the parable. The father divided everything between his two sons. The younger son sold everything he had and wasted the money in a foreign land. So, everything that remained on the family farm ultimately belonged to the older son. This was the older son’s calf. No wonder he was so angry when he heard about the party. My brother is eating my calf!
The older brother was so angry that he disowned his family. Look at what he said in verse 30: “…this son of YOURS…” “He’s not MY brother…He’s YOUR son.” The brother even refused to go to the banquet. This is what sets this parable apart from the other two parables Jesus told. This is not a story about a father who lost ONE son. This father lost BOTH of his sons. It is possible for us to be lost in a foreign country, and it is possible for us to be lost without ever leaving home. Both sons turned their backs on the love of their father. One turned his back by leaving home and living a wild lifestyle. The other turned his back by being angry and self-righteous. I believe this describes the sins of Christian people and non-Christian people…church members and non-church members.
But notice the father. Normally, the father would just ignore his sons anger, go back to the banquet and deal with him later. But not this father, and not on this day. The father wanted both sons and the whole family together for the celebration. So he went out onto the porch searching for his lost son. The father treated both sons equally. Both sons disowned their father, and the father searched for both lost sons.
II. The Father Paid the Price for Forgiveness.
The original audience was very familiar with Jewish laws and the consequences required of a son. A Jewish son who lost the family fortune to Gentiles was to be “cut off” from his people. There was even a ceremony where the guilty son was brought before the entire village. They would take a large, clay jar filled with burnt corn and nuts. The jar was then held high in the air and smashed on the ground as the village declared, “This person is forever cut off from his people.” From that moment on, the family and village were to have absolutely nothing to do with this person as long as he lived.
But that is not what happened in this story. No. The father waited and watched for his lost son to come home. He probably stood at the town gate everyday, knowing and hoping that his son would one day appear on the horizon.
I don’t think we can overemphasize this point, because this is the Gospel! In verse 17, we read that the young man “came to his senses” and decided to go home. This is only half of the story. It was not enough that the son “came to his senses.” He had a father that loved him and wanted him to come home. This father was willing to pay whatever price was necessary to have his son again.
Most fathers would have done what was “acceptable” by disowning his son and forcing him to suffer the consequences. Everyone would understand. But this father had no interest in doing the “acceptable” thing. Instead, he took all of the pain and dishonor and embarrassment on himself to forgive his son and to welcome him home as a son once again.
Forgiveness always comes at a price. It is always the innocent party, the victim, who must pay the price. God has offered us forgiveness for our sins, but he first had to take the pain and dishonor and embarrassment on himself. It cost God his only Son. Jesus had to become human like us and offer his own life on the cross to pay the price of forgiveness. The innocent party suffered so that we might have forgiveness.
III. The Father Valued Relationships Over Rules.
There was only one character in this story who “played by the rules.” The younger son broke all the rules by asking for his inheritance early, leaving home and wasting everything. The father broke the rules by allowing his son to leave home in the first place and then allowing him to come home again as a member of the family. The older son played by the rules.
The older son kept all the rules to “the letter of the law.” But playing by the rules caused him to break his relationship with both his father and his brother. Sometimes it is wrong to be right!
The father’s actions toward his lost sons show us that he valued relationship more than rules. But don’t misunderstand me here. I don’t think we should completely discard the rules in favor of relationship. We need rules. Without rules we would promote and even encourage others to live sinful lifestyles. But neither do we need to enforce the rules so strictly that all relationships are lost.
But, let me say again that I believe we need rules. Rules give us an accountability to right and wrong. But when we emphasize relationships, we place value on people over anything else, including our desire to be right.
One of my seminary professors was a marriage counselor. He told us a story about a couple who were facing serious problems in their marriage to the point that they disagreed on everything. In counseling them he finally got to a point where he told them, “You have to make a decision. Do you want to be right, or do you want to be married?” This father didn’t want to be right. He wanted his son.
Perhaps we need to strike a proper balance between rules and relationship. I believe the story of Israel is a perfect illustration of what a balance of rules and relationship might look like. God gave Israel his law—the rules for living in this world. Israel continually broke God’s law. Yet, God continued to pursue Israel as his people. They broke the law, and God pursued. That is what the Old Testament was all about: God’s people broke God’s rules, and God continued to pursue a relationship with his people. Ultimately, this story was fulfilled when God took the initiative to send his only Son. God wants us to do what is right. But God gave his Son so that we might have a right relationship. Even when we break the rules, God still wants us in relationship. And God paid the price so that relationship can never be lost.
IV. The Father Was Motivated by Love.
At least five times in the story of the father and his two lost sons, the father acted contrary to the norm of the ancient world. Perhaps the most significant way is that the father showed an elaborate love for both his sons. This was not the traditional role for an ancient father. No. The father’s role was to provide for the physical needs of his family. The mother was supposed to nurture and love and otherwise rear the children. But this father acted more like a mother.
We might expect a mother to run out onto the streets of the town to welcome the lost son home. But not the father. We expect the father to remain in the house and make no attempt to initiate contact with him. In fact, the only contact the father would have would be like that of a judge who listens as the son “presents his case” for why he should be accepted back into the family. It was certainly not the father’s place to run out of the house and publicly embrace the one who had sinned against his father and his family. This father did what we would expect a mother to do.
This father was motivated by an intense love for both of his sons. He stood at the door watching for his younger son. He paced back and forth across the porch searching the horizon. He probably even walked to the city gates hoping to catch just a glimpse of his son coming home. And when the son finally did appear on the horizon, the father ran to meet him. He never even allowed his son to enter into the city limits. The father knew that if the son entered the town alone, the people would immediately try to start the proceedings against him. But NO. The father ran, embraced his son, made a fool of himself by kissing him and proudly accompanied him into the city.
Then the father ran out onto the porch in pursuit of his older son. This son who had disowned his own father and brother…And the father ran to him as well. He begged and pleaded for his son to come home. The father was once again watching and waiting and hoping that a lost son would come home.
But Jesus never told us what happened to this older son. Did he ever answer his father’s invitation? Did he go to the family banquet? Did he accept his father’s love? We don’t know!
It’s a story with no ending. It’s a story waiting for us to search for an answer in ourselves. What will I do with this extravagant love from my father who is begging and pleading and waiting for me to come home? What will you do?
V. Conclusion: An Invitation into the Family.
My oldest son, Collin, will be eleven in a couple of months. But when Collin was four, we taught him how to play the game hide-and-seek. You know the game. One person closes their eyes and counts while the others go and hide. When the person finishes counting, they try to find the ones who hid.
When Collin first learned how to play hide-and-seek, he would say, “Daddy, close your eyes and count to 18, and I will go hide behind the couch.” Or, “Daddy, close your eyes and count to 21, and I will go hide in the closet.” Or. “Close your eyes and count to 27, and I will go hide under the bed.” For Collin, hide-and-seek is only fun is he was found. It’s not fun to be lost.
And maybe that is your story this morning. Maybe you are lost, because you have been running away from God’s love all your life. But God is pursuing you. He is standing at the door watching for you and waiting for you to take just one small step to show him that you want to be found.
Or maybe you are already a member of God’s family, but you are just like that older brother. There is someone who ought to be your brother, but you have disowned them. You might even hate them or resent the fact that they can be included in God’s family. Your selfish attitude and self-righteous behavior has put you on the porch—on the outside, looking in. God is pursuing you as well. God is standing at the door pleading with you to come back inside. And God is waiting for you to take just one small step to show that you want to be found.
It’s no fun to be lost. And you don’t have to move to a foreign land to be lost. You may be right here in church this morning. Do you want to be found?
Luke 15: 11 – 32
I. Introduction.
Luke 15 is a very familiar passage of Scripture to many people. But there is a danger in becoming too familiar with something. The danger is that something can become so familiar that we can become desensitized. The initial “shock” of experiencing something for the first time tends to wear off the more times we experience it. For example, it was before my time, but do you remember hearing about the initial shock around the country when profanity was first used in the movies? And now, there is so much profanity in movies and even primetime TV that we are no longer shocked. Or, I can remember the first time I ran barefoot across my grandparents’ gravel driveway. I didn’t understand why it hurt. But, over time, I got used to the gravel, and it no longer hurt my feet.
In much the same way, when we are exposed to things repeatedly, we become desensitized. We can become desensitized to worldliness and sin. But we can also become desensitized to the stories and teachings of the Bible.
And I think Luke 15 has lost its “shock-value.” This is a story that we have heard so many times that it doesn’t shock us anymore. We know the ending before we even start reading the story. But when Jesus told this story for the first time, no one knew how it ended. Well, they knew how it was SUPPOSED to end, but they were SURPRISED by what Jesus said. I want you to join me as we attempt to hear this story as if it were the first time. Let’s listen to Jesus’ words…And let Jesus surprise us.
Read Luke 15: 11 – 32.
We normally refer to this passage as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. But do we really know what that means? The word “prodigal” is not a word that use in everyday conversation. But since I grew up hearing about the “Prodigal Son”—and since the Prodigal Son ran away from home—I naturally assumed that “prodigal” meant runaway. But I looked up “prodigal” in the dictionary. Did you know that “prodigal” actually means “wasteful?” So we have the “Parable of the Wasteful Son.”
And that made me wonder…Did Jesus really tell us a parable about a wasteful son? I don’t think that was the main point at all. In fact, if you read the first words Jesus spoke, I think Jesus tells us what the parable is all about: “There was a man who had two sons.” Jesus did NOT say, “There was a son who wasted his inheritance.”
I also think it is important to read this parable in its context. This is the third and final in a series of stories Jesus told about being lost and found. First, Jesus told a story about a good shepherd who paid a great price to search and find his one lost sheep. Second, Jesus told a story about a woman who paid a great price to find a lost coin. Finally, Jesus told a story about a father who paid a great price to find and forgive a lost son.
The story begins when the younger of two sons asked his father for his share of the family inheritance while the father was still alive. This is the first place where we have lost the initial shock of the story. For a son to ask for his inheritance while his father is still living is like saying, “Dad, I can’t wait until you are dead. In fact, I wish you were already dead, so I could have your money.”
In the ancient world, the oldest son would receive twice as much of the family estate as the rest of the sons. So, if there were two sons, the younger son would receive one-third of the estate. And the father gave it to him.
In verse 13, we read that the young man “got together all he had.” More than likely, this is an expression that means he converted everything to cash. He took one-third of the land, one-third of the cattle and one-third of the family valuables and sold it all to the neighbors.
Then, the young man took all of his cash and “squandered his wealth in wild living.” We don’t know exactly how to interpret the phrase “wild living.” The older brother assumed that his brother had been engaged in an immoral lifestyle—and that may be true. But “wild living” could also mean simply wasteful living, or a prodigal lifestyle.
Eventually this young man had spent everything—lost the family fortune. And it was at just that time that a severe famine came to the land where he was living. The son had no choice but to hire himself out as a common servant feeding pigs in a foreign land. Now, as you can imagine, this was the worst possible state a Jewish man could find himself in. Gentile country, broke, feeding pigs and so hungry that he waited every day for whatever food was left over when the pigs finished eating. Yet, even at this lowest possible state, he was not beyond his father’s love. Even when he came home smelling like a pig, his father welcomed him home as an honored guest.
In fact, when the son finally came home, the father killed the fatted calf. This was a big deal in the ancient world, because they weren’t like us. We eat meat every day, sometimes three times a day. Some of you are probably on the Atkins Diet, and all you eat is meat! But in Jesus’ day, meat was reserved for special events.
Have you ever wondered where this fatted calf came from? Of course, it came from the family farm. But remember what happened at the beginning of the parable. The father divided everything between his two sons. The younger son sold everything he had and wasted the money in a foreign land. So, everything that remained on the family farm ultimately belonged to the older son. This was the older son’s calf. No wonder he was so angry when he heard about the party. My brother is eating my calf!
The older brother was so angry that he disowned his family. Look at what he said in verse 30: “…this son of YOURS…” “He’s not MY brother…He’s YOUR son.” The brother even refused to go to the banquet. This is what sets this parable apart from the other two parables Jesus told. This is not a story about a father who lost ONE son. This father lost BOTH of his sons. It is possible for us to be lost in a foreign country, and it is possible for us to be lost without ever leaving home. Both sons turned their backs on the love of their father. One turned his back by leaving home and living a wild lifestyle. The other turned his back by being angry and self-righteous. I believe this describes the sins of Christian people and non-Christian people…church members and non-church members.
But notice the father. Normally, the father would just ignore his sons anger, go back to the banquet and deal with him later. But not this father, and not on this day. The father wanted both sons and the whole family together for the celebration. So he went out onto the porch searching for his lost son. The father treated both sons equally. Both sons disowned their father, and the father searched for both lost sons.
II. The Father Paid the Price for Forgiveness.
The original audience was very familiar with Jewish laws and the consequences required of a son. A Jewish son who lost the family fortune to Gentiles was to be “cut off” from his people. There was even a ceremony where the guilty son was brought before the entire village. They would take a large, clay jar filled with burnt corn and nuts. The jar was then held high in the air and smashed on the ground as the village declared, “This person is forever cut off from his people.” From that moment on, the family and village were to have absolutely nothing to do with this person as long as he lived.
But that is not what happened in this story. No. The father waited and watched for his lost son to come home. He probably stood at the town gate everyday, knowing and hoping that his son would one day appear on the horizon.
I don’t think we can overemphasize this point, because this is the Gospel! In verse 17, we read that the young man “came to his senses” and decided to go home. This is only half of the story. It was not enough that the son “came to his senses.” He had a father that loved him and wanted him to come home. This father was willing to pay whatever price was necessary to have his son again.
Most fathers would have done what was “acceptable” by disowning his son and forcing him to suffer the consequences. Everyone would understand. But this father had no interest in doing the “acceptable” thing. Instead, he took all of the pain and dishonor and embarrassment on himself to forgive his son and to welcome him home as a son once again.
Forgiveness always comes at a price. It is always the innocent party, the victim, who must pay the price. God has offered us forgiveness for our sins, but he first had to take the pain and dishonor and embarrassment on himself. It cost God his only Son. Jesus had to become human like us and offer his own life on the cross to pay the price of forgiveness. The innocent party suffered so that we might have forgiveness.
III. The Father Valued Relationships Over Rules.
There was only one character in this story who “played by the rules.” The younger son broke all the rules by asking for his inheritance early, leaving home and wasting everything. The father broke the rules by allowing his son to leave home in the first place and then allowing him to come home again as a member of the family. The older son played by the rules.
The older son kept all the rules to “the letter of the law.” But playing by the rules caused him to break his relationship with both his father and his brother. Sometimes it is wrong to be right!
The father’s actions toward his lost sons show us that he valued relationship more than rules. But don’t misunderstand me here. I don’t think we should completely discard the rules in favor of relationship. We need rules. Without rules we would promote and even encourage others to live sinful lifestyles. But neither do we need to enforce the rules so strictly that all relationships are lost.
But, let me say again that I believe we need rules. Rules give us an accountability to right and wrong. But when we emphasize relationships, we place value on people over anything else, including our desire to be right.
One of my seminary professors was a marriage counselor. He told us a story about a couple who were facing serious problems in their marriage to the point that they disagreed on everything. In counseling them he finally got to a point where he told them, “You have to make a decision. Do you want to be right, or do you want to be married?” This father didn’t want to be right. He wanted his son.
Perhaps we need to strike a proper balance between rules and relationship. I believe the story of Israel is a perfect illustration of what a balance of rules and relationship might look like. God gave Israel his law—the rules for living in this world. Israel continually broke God’s law. Yet, God continued to pursue Israel as his people. They broke the law, and God pursued. That is what the Old Testament was all about: God’s people broke God’s rules, and God continued to pursue a relationship with his people. Ultimately, this story was fulfilled when God took the initiative to send his only Son. God wants us to do what is right. But God gave his Son so that we might have a right relationship. Even when we break the rules, God still wants us in relationship. And God paid the price so that relationship can never be lost.
IV. The Father Was Motivated by Love.
At least five times in the story of the father and his two lost sons, the father acted contrary to the norm of the ancient world. Perhaps the most significant way is that the father showed an elaborate love for both his sons. This was not the traditional role for an ancient father. No. The father’s role was to provide for the physical needs of his family. The mother was supposed to nurture and love and otherwise rear the children. But this father acted more like a mother.
We might expect a mother to run out onto the streets of the town to welcome the lost son home. But not the father. We expect the father to remain in the house and make no attempt to initiate contact with him. In fact, the only contact the father would have would be like that of a judge who listens as the son “presents his case” for why he should be accepted back into the family. It was certainly not the father’s place to run out of the house and publicly embrace the one who had sinned against his father and his family. This father did what we would expect a mother to do.
This father was motivated by an intense love for both of his sons. He stood at the door watching for his younger son. He paced back and forth across the porch searching the horizon. He probably even walked to the city gates hoping to catch just a glimpse of his son coming home. And when the son finally did appear on the horizon, the father ran to meet him. He never even allowed his son to enter into the city limits. The father knew that if the son entered the town alone, the people would immediately try to start the proceedings against him. But NO. The father ran, embraced his son, made a fool of himself by kissing him and proudly accompanied him into the city.
Then the father ran out onto the porch in pursuit of his older son. This son who had disowned his own father and brother…And the father ran to him as well. He begged and pleaded for his son to come home. The father was once again watching and waiting and hoping that a lost son would come home.
But Jesus never told us what happened to this older son. Did he ever answer his father’s invitation? Did he go to the family banquet? Did he accept his father’s love? We don’t know!
It’s a story with no ending. It’s a story waiting for us to search for an answer in ourselves. What will I do with this extravagant love from my father who is begging and pleading and waiting for me to come home? What will you do?
V. Conclusion: An Invitation into the Family.
My oldest son, Collin, will be eleven in a couple of months. But when Collin was four, we taught him how to play the game hide-and-seek. You know the game. One person closes their eyes and counts while the others go and hide. When the person finishes counting, they try to find the ones who hid.
When Collin first learned how to play hide-and-seek, he would say, “Daddy, close your eyes and count to 18, and I will go hide behind the couch.” Or, “Daddy, close your eyes and count to 21, and I will go hide in the closet.” Or. “Close your eyes and count to 27, and I will go hide under the bed.” For Collin, hide-and-seek is only fun is he was found. It’s not fun to be lost.
And maybe that is your story this morning. Maybe you are lost, because you have been running away from God’s love all your life. But God is pursuing you. He is standing at the door watching for you and waiting for you to take just one small step to show him that you want to be found.
Or maybe you are already a member of God’s family, but you are just like that older brother. There is someone who ought to be your brother, but you have disowned them. You might even hate them or resent the fact that they can be included in God’s family. Your selfish attitude and self-righteous behavior has put you on the porch—on the outside, looking in. God is pursuing you as well. God is standing at the door pleading with you to come back inside. And God is waiting for you to take just one small step to show that you want to be found.
It’s no fun to be lost. And you don’t have to move to a foreign land to be lost. You may be right here in church this morning. Do you want to be found?
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