A Famous “Do Over.”
John 21: 1 – 19.
I. Introduction.
When we were kids, we all knew what a “Do Over” was. A “Do Over” is when you ask your playmates for one more chance to get it right. Maybe you struck out while playing baseball and need a “Do Over” to hit the ball. Perhaps you tripped over the jump rope and need a “Do Over” to stay in rhythm with the song.
However, children aren’t the only ones who need a “Do Over.” I don’t want to admit how many times I have to hit more than one golf ball off the first tee.
Sometimes even the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court needs a “Do Over.”
Have you heard that there is a new President of the United States? On Tuesday, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Barack Obama stood on the steps of the United States Capital and stuttered and stammered through the oath of office.
On live television, most people did not really know what had happened. In fact, it was somewhat endearing to think that Obama was so excited about assuming the office of President that he might have gone through the oath too quickly. Yet, we learned after the fact that these two men—perhaps two of the smartest men in our nation—actually got confused. These two intelligent men got one word out of order.
The Presidential Oath of Office is only 35 words. But these 35 words are listed in the U.S. Constitution. They are important words. They are heavy, weighty words.
The oath is supposed to say: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
But here is what came out: "I do solemnly swear that I will execute the office of President of the United States faithfully, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
I do not claim to be a Constitutional expert. But it sounds like this oath is close enough. All the words are there. It is just the order of the words that is in question.
Officially, the oath of office was administered at noon on Tuesday. But just to make sure there would be no challenges to the new President’s legitimacy, Chief Justice Roberts got a “Do Over.” On Wednesday night, Obama, Roberts and a small group of news reporters gathered in the Map Room of the White House to re-administer the oath of office. You will be glad to know, they got it right on the second try
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090122/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_oath_do_over;_ylt=AhsDwTU1JLhMdWi_7FNH18gDW7oF ).
On one hand, this is an interesting political story. I’m not sure if it reveals more about respect for the exact wording of the Constitution or fear of politically motivated lawsuits. On the other hand, this is a Gospel story. I believe every person has an inherent desire for a “Do Over.” We have regrets. We have broken relationships. We have guilt and shame over sin. We wish we could just ask for another chance.
The story of Obama’s oath of office will probably make it into the history books someday. It is a famous “Do Over.” But it reminds me of another famous “Do Over” recorded at the end of the Gospel of John.
Read John 21: 1 – 19.
According to John, this is the third time Jesus has appeared to his disciples after the Resurrection. The first appearance was in a locked room, where only ten of the twelve disciples had gathered with some of the other Jesus followers—including some women. There were only ten disciples present, because Judas had died, and Thomas was absent for some reason. A week later, Jesus appeared a second time…And Thomas was there.
These first two appearances happened in Jerusalem. This third appearance happened on the banks of the Lake of Galilee—approximately 65 miles North of Jerusalem.
We don’t know why the disciples chose to go to Galilee. We don’t know how long it took them to get there. Perhaps they left Jerusalem one week after the Resurrection. Perhaps they felt threatened in Jerusalem. After all, the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman politicians had killed Jesus in Jerusalem. The disciples could have been next on the list of “people to kill.”
All we know is that most of the disciples had originally grown up in the region of Galilee. So, seven of the twelve disciples went back to their homes. They went back to familiar surroundings—family, friends, comfortable surroundings, etc…
John doesn’t say this, but the Gospel of Mark gave the disciples specific instructions about what they should do after the Resurrection. The women who came to the empty tomb were given a message to deliver. The angel at the tomb said, “Tell the disciples and Peter, Jesus is going ahead of you into Galilee.”
I don’t think we should fault the disciples for going to Galilee. This is where Jesus wanted them to go. But, Jesus never told them what they should do in Galilee.
Old habits are hard to break. When Jesus first encountered the twelve disciples, many of them were fishermen. They worked in the family business. They left the family business to follow Jesus on a journey of faith. There might have been some family pressure for the disciples to go back to work. I can just hear Peter’s mother, “When are you going to help your father? He’s too old to have to do all the work by himself. He hasn’t been the same since you left. He always wanted you to take over the business. You were so good with your hands.”
Whatever their reasons, Peter was the first one to think about going fishing. In this example, Peter functioned as the leader of the disciples. On one hand, we expect that. He was a man of action with an infectious personality. He was a natural-born leader. We even expect it, because of our knowledge of early church history from the book of Acts. On the other hand, we don’t expect the other disciples to follow Peter. Only a few days earlier, Peter had broken his promise to Jesus and failed miserably. While warming himself around a fire outside the governor’s mansion, Peter had cursed and denied ever knowing Jesus.
Fishing was a natural choice for the disciples. They had grown up working in the industry and presumably had been successful. But not on this night. The disciples fished all night long and were coming back to shore empty-handed.
The disciples planned their fishing trip at night so they could bring their catch to shore in time to sell their fish in the market. When they returned to shore, they were met by a man whom they probably thought would be a good customer. But this was no customer. It was Jesus.
Jesus’ words to the disciples are significant for several reasons. First, he addressed them literally as “Children.” Second, he made them admit their failure by asking about their catch. Third, Jesus instructed them on how they could haul in a miraculous catch of 153 fish.
This might seem like a small, insignificant miracle. But there is some good theology here. No matter where the disciples might go or how they might have failed Jesus, he still addressed them as his “children.” When the disciples confessed their failure, Jesus came to their aid. And, when the disciples obeyed Jesus’ commands, they experienced a miracle. How many times do we miss out on a miracle because we fail to obey Jesus’ commands?
The miraculous catch of fish was all that John needed to recognize who was standing on the shore. “It is the Lord!” he called. And, Peter leapt into action.
Peter is the first disciple to make it to shore and encounter Jesus. Then Peter became the central character in the rest of the story. It seems that this Resurrection appearance was all about Peter and his relationship with Jesus.
The conversation began when Jesus addressed Peter as “Simon, son of John.” Notice that Jesus did NOT call him Peter. That is significant, because Jesus is the one who changed his name from Simon to Peter. Yet, at this point, Jesus refused to use the name he originally suggested.
I can think of three reasons why Jesus would address him as “Simon, son of John.” First, that’s his name. Second, the name “Peter” is a nickname which means “Rock.” And lately Peter has not been acting much like a “rock.” He failed his Lord, denied knowing Jesus, and abandoned Jesus in his time of need. Third, this is Jesus’ way of showing Peter that he is giving him a “Do Over.”
Keep in mind where we are right now. We are not in Jerusalem anymore. No. We are on the shore of the Lake of Galilee. This is a special place to Peter. It is his hometown, AND this is the place where he first met Jesus. This is the place where Jesus called Peter to follow Jesus, leave his fishing business and become a fisher for people. In other words, Jesus has just taken Peter back to the very beginning of their relationship. He has a chance for a “Do Over.”
The conversation between Jesus and Peter revolves around three questions, three answers and three commands. Actually, it’s one question, one answer and one command. It just happened three times. Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” Peter answered, “I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The Greek text of John 21 reveals a subtle play on words in the conversation between Jesus and Peter. In Greek, Jesus’ question reads, “Do you agape me?” And Peter’s answer reads, “I philo you.”
I suppose it is possible to build a sermon from the basic meanings of these two Greek words for love. Agape love is selfless and giving love, best defined by Jesus’ self-giving sacrifice on the cross. Phileo love is something akin to friendship.
This is a very attractive interpretation…except for a couple of problems. If Peter never used the word agape to describe his love for Jesus, then Jesus had to compromise his expectations for Peter. In fact, when we look at the commandments Jesus gave Peter, we would have to say that Jesus gave Peter a divine calling despite his inferior love for Jesus. The second problem is even more difficult to overcome. More than likely Jesus and Peter did not have this conversation in Greek. They probably spoke in Aramaic. And Aramaic only has one word for “love.” So, there must be another reason for the three questions.
Jesus asked for Peter’s love three times. Does that remind you of anything? Better yet, should the number three remind Peter of anything? Yes. It ought to remind him of the three times he had previously denied knowing Jesus. Remember in John 18, we read that Peter stood by a fire and denied Jesus three times. Now, in John 21, we watch as Peter and Jesus stand by another fire as Peter professes his love for Jesus three times. This is a “Do Over.”
Yes, Peter had failed. He had an opportunity to stand up for his Lord but refused. He denied knowing Jesus. No matter how badly you have failed, you too can have a “Do Over.” Jesus wants to give you another second chance. (I like the way that sounds, “Another Second Chance.” It’s not just a second chance. It’s another second chance!)
But notice how Jesus wanted Peter to use his second chance. Jesus said, “If you love me, feed my lambs; take care of my sheep; and feed my sheep.” Again we find a variety of words, which might lead us to interpret these commands as being separate commands. However, I think they are the same thing, repeated in three similar statements. In fact, Jesus’ commands to Peter only have one word in common: “my.”
Jesus did not hand over his sheep to Peter. The sheep still belong to Jesus. Peter simply has a responsibility to care for Jesus’ sheep.
You and I might not know much about sheep and how to take care of sheep. But Peter knew about sheep. Most every family in the ancient world had their own flock of sheep. The flock of sheep was their primary source of wool, milk, meat and religious sacrifices. Shepherding the flock was a responsibility of every family and was a position traditionally held by the youngest son. When he got older, he could go to work for his father in the family business. But every young man took responsibility for shepherding the flock.
We often talk about sheep as being dependent animals. They need a shepherd to look after them and to take care of their needs. But there is another thing about sheep that we sometimes forget. Sheep are a herd animal. They don’t do well on their own. They stick together. They need each other.
The Old Testament is full of references to sheep and shepherds. Many of these references describe the people of Israel as sheep. The New Testament adopts this same language to describe God’s people—the church—as sheep. So, I believe Jesus was commanding Peter to use his “Do Over” in the church.
You and I are like sheep. We are dependent on our shepherd—Jesus—to take care of our needs. AND, we need to flock together in the church. Christians NEVER do well on our own out in the world.
II. Conclusion.
Notice Jesus’ question in verse 15: “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” We don’t really know what Jesus was asking Peter, because there is some debate about what “these” refers to. It could mean, “Do you love me more than the other disciples love me?” Or, “Do you love me more than you love the other disciples?” Or, “Do you love me more than you love your fishing boat and nets?”
Recently, I was listening to a sermon on the Internet by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He told a story about a woman in his church who was living with her boyfriend but attending church every week. She was a Christian, she knew she shouldn’t be living with her boyfriend, but she couldn’t move out. He told her very plainly, “You love your boyfriend more than you love Jesus.”
I saw this personally in a conversation over lunch a few weeks ago. Aubrey asked a guy, “Where do you go to church?” He answered, “I don’t go to church right now. I am coaching my daughter’s select softball team that plays on Sundays. So, my family reads the Bible and prays together. But we can’t go to church.” Which do you think he loves more? Softball? His daughter? Jesus?
I think Jesus is standing on the shore today offering us a “Do Over.” It doesn’t matter how badly you have failed. But he is asking us the same question he asked Peter, “Do you love me more than these?” Then, Jesus will give us his calling for our lives…Take care of the church.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009: Jesus Is Coming. Look Busy!
Jesus Is Coming, Look Busy!
Matthew 25: 1 – 13 and 2 Peter 3: 8 – 9.
I. Introduction.
One of Jesus’ most common methods of teaching was to tell parables…These were stories, based on ordinary occurrences, which illustrated a spiritual truth…usually something about the Kingdom of God.
At this point in Matthew, Jesus told 3 parables related to the End Times, or the Second Coming of Christ. Each parable has the same basic theme:
1) Parable of the Faithful Servant (Matthew 24: 45ff.)…The master left one servant in charge while on a journey. It was important for this servant to carry out masters orders because he did not know when he might return.
2) Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14ff.)…The master went on a journey and divided assets among 3 servants. The 2 who put the master’s money to work and earned extra money were rewarded. The one who hid the master’s money and didn’t even earn interest was punished.
3) Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1ff)…
The focus of this parable is same as in the others: Be Prepared. Be Ready for the coming of the Son of Man. Be in a constant state of readiness.
In other words, Jesus is coming, Look Busy!
Read Matthew 25: 1 – 13.
Within this parable there are several “obvious” symbols / allegories.
1) Bridegroom = Christ. . .cf. Mt 9:15 (only other occurrence in Matthew)
2) The coming of the bridegroom = delayed return of Christ.
3) Wise Virgins = Faithful People.
4) Foolish Virgins = Unfaithful People.
5) Wedding Feast = Final Judgment.
The story describes a common scene that would take place at a First Century Jewish “wedding feast.” After the legal proceedings had taken place, the bride would return to her parents’ home & the groom to his parents’. Both the bride & groom would be dressed as if they were prince & princess, complete with robes & crowns. Then the groom would travel to the bride’s house to get his new wife.
Then the bride & groom would proceed to their new home accompanied by all their family and friends. This processional was nothing short of what we think of as a parade…marching, costumes, music, dancing, and Shriners’ driving around in those little cars.
When the wedding parade arrived in the bride & groom’s new home, a wedding banquet was held in their honor.
Often, there would be some friends and family members who might not want to make the entire journey, but would want to participate in the feast and at least part of the parade. These friends would wait along the roadside until the wedding parade passed by. There, they would join the parade the rest of the way to the banquet. And that describes the parable that Jesus gave his disciples.
There are some translations that use the word “bridesmaid” instead of “virgin.” The Greek word used here is the word that is literally translated “virgin.” So, there is no reason to think that these ten young women were an official part of a wedding ceremony as we think of it today.
Ten young women were waiting on the roadside for the wedding parade. Five of these planned in advance and brought extra oil for their lamps. The other five only brought what oil was already in their lamps.
They weren’t sure what time to expect the parade…Perhaps it was a long journey…Or maybe the parade would make several stops along the way. Whatever the case, the young women had to wait for a return that they did not know the exact time.
As they waited, it got later and later. Eventually all the young women fell asleep. Fortunately, someone was awake to sound the alarm that the wedding parade was approaching. By this time it was midnight, and all their lamps were beginning to grow dim.
The wise women refilled their lamps with the extra oil they had brought. These women had actually anticipated a delay in the parade and wanted to be prepared. The foolish women, on the other hand couldn’t refill their lamps. They had to go to the markets and buy more oil at midnight. By the time they found a place to buy more oil, bought it and returned to the parade, they were too late to join the procession. In fact, they were too late to be included in the wedding banquet. All of this, because they were not prepared.
What can we learn from this parable? There are applications which are important to us even today as we wait on the eventual Second Coming of Christ. Let us learn from the example of the Wise Virgins. When Christ does return, let him find us Prepared and Waiting.
II. Prepared.
To be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ doesn’t mean filling your basement bunker with canned foods, bottled water & weapons. But if you do that, be sure to pack an old fashioned can opener. The electric ones do not work if there is no power.
To be prepared doesn’t mean that you should make a video describing the Rapture to your friends and family members who have been Left Behind.
To be prepared doesn’t even mean that you participate in activities that SUPPOSEDLY will speed up the Second Coming of Christ.
No, there is a preparation which is much more important. Jesus wanted his disciples (and us) to be SPIRITUALLY prepared.
Notice that the ten young women were described by two adjectives at the beginning of the parable…(Read v. 2)
Then, at the end of the parable, they were described differently…(Read vv. 10 – 11)
1) Wise…or Ready…these young women were welcomed into the wedding feast.
2) Foolish…or Others…these young women were excluded…they could not even get in the door.
Now, let’s take a closer look at what was going on in the scene at the door of the wedding feast…(Read vv. 11 – 12)
Does that sounds familiar? Does it sound like what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 7: 21 – 23)?
The same Greek word that is translated “sir” in Matthew 25 is translated “Lord” in Matthew 7. In both cases, the people who stood on the OUTSIDE of the door cried out, “Lord, Lord…” And, in both cases, the reply was, “I do not know you…”
Both of these passages teach the same lesson about the Kingdom of God. There is only one way that a person can be prepared. There is only one way a person can enter the Kingdom of God. It’s not by prophesying and preaching about Jesus…It’s not by performing miracles…It’s not by casting out demons…
All these things are good works, but good works can never prepare a person to enter Heaven. Not teaching Sunday School…Not by witnessing to hundreds and thousands of people…Not even by tithing…
The ONLY way to be prepared is to know the Bridegroom…The young women were not excluded because they ran out of oil. They were excluded because the Bridegroom did not know them!
Both stories illustrate the importance of having a real relationship with God through faith in Jesus. Those who are foolish and not prepared—Those who do not have that relationship with the Bridegroom—will be excluded just as the other young women were excluded.
III. Waiting.
This parable carries the same theme as the other parables Jesus told at this time, with only one exception. All parables focused on the importance of being prepared on the day that Jesus returns. Most of these parables focused on the importance of being prepared in case Jesus returns earlier than we expect. However, the parable of the 10 virgins teaches us that we need to be prepared. Prepared for what? Prepared to wait! Even if Christ’s return takes longer than we at first expected.
That is an important part of Christian life…Waiting on Christ…Yet waiting does NOT mean we are supposed to fold our hands and do nothing! Waiting means we are to be faithful & obedient until Christ returns…To persevere in our faith.
There are two sides of waiting for Christ that are important.
1. We need to be prepared for a delay. Jesus may not come as soon as we think he ought to come. Just as Jesus prepared his disciples for a wait that might be longer than they expected, so he is preparing us even today. In Matthew 24, Jesus told his disciples that even the Son of Man—even Jesus himself—does not know the day or the hour of his return to this earth. So, if Jesus himself does not know the day or the hour of his return, then we have no reason to think any differently today.
2. We need to be ACTIVE as we wait. We need to busy ourselves with the things Jesus told us to do. Just like the faithful servant in Matthew 24 and the two faithful servants in Matthew 25, we need to do things our master wants us to do…even if he is delayed a long time.
Whenever there is war in the Middle East, there seems to be a fascination with the End of the World, the Battle of Armageddon, and the Second Coming of Christ. This was especially true when the Left Behind book series was popular. People sometimes ask questions like, “If a world-wide persecution of Christians takes place, will you be willing to give your life for Christ?” “If your life were required of you today, right now could you give it to God?” “If you were given a choice between renouncing your faith or dying because of your faith, which would you choose?”
There is an inherent problem with these questions. The problem is that these questions tend to depict a kind of decision that is different from what most of us will have to face. There is a better way of looking at this.
Sometimes we think that giving our lives for Christ is like taking a $1000 bill and plunking it down on the table…“Here’s my life. I am giving it all to you Lord.”
But the problem is, we don’t have one $1000 bill. We have $1000 in pennies…400,000 pennies. For most of us, God will not ask us to lay down one $1000 bill in obedience to him. Rather, we will be held accountable for the way we used all 400,000 of those pennies. Have you given all of your pennies for Christ?
This is what the Parable of the Ten Virgins teaches us. There may not be a time when all of your life is required of you at one time. But for all of us, God requires us to be FAITHFUL…To be Prepared by having a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior…To Wait ACTIVELY—fully engaged in the work Jesus commanded us to do…
What is the work Jesus wants us to do until he returns?
At this point, we could turn in our Bibles to Matthew 28 and read the last words Jesus gave to his disciples: “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.”
Or we could turn to another place in Scripture—2 Peter 3: 8 – 9, “But do not forget this one thing friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
IV. Conclusion.
Today is a special day in the life of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Our executive director has set the goal for our churches to share the Gospel with every person in the state of Texas by Easter Sunday 2010—Texas Hope 2010. Today is the day churches have been asked to commit to be a part of this evangelistic effort.
One way we can participate in this evangelistic effort is to distribute Scripture to every household in Angelina County. We can purchase CD-ROM’s for $1.00 that contain three things: an audio reading of John 3; a visual presentation of the Gospel; and a link to download the entire New Testament from the Internet in one of 300 languages.
Our Missions and Evangelism Team has recommended that we raise $30,000 to purchase these CD’s for our entire county. Then, we will work with other churches in Angelina County to help us distribute to every household. We want to do our part to share the Gospel and give everyone an opportunity to “come to repentance.”
When John F. Kennedy was campaigning for President, he often concluded his campaign speeches with this story…
May 19, 1780. . .Hartford, Connecticut.
At Noon the sun was covered by clouds. . .the sky turned from gray to black during the afternoon.
People began to fear that the world was coming to an end that day.
The Connecticut House of Representatives was in session. . .got to a point that they could no longer see. . .also began to fear the end of the world.
Until one of the representatives silenced the crowd with these words. . .
“The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be brought.”
The Parable of the Ten Wise Young Women teaches us much the same lesson. Either Christ is returning soon, or he is not. If he is not, then we should not stop our mission. If he is, then I choose that Jesus would find me faithfully obeying the Christian mission.
Matthew 25: 1 – 13 and 2 Peter 3: 8 – 9.
I. Introduction.
One of Jesus’ most common methods of teaching was to tell parables…These were stories, based on ordinary occurrences, which illustrated a spiritual truth…usually something about the Kingdom of God.
At this point in Matthew, Jesus told 3 parables related to the End Times, or the Second Coming of Christ. Each parable has the same basic theme:
1) Parable of the Faithful Servant (Matthew 24: 45ff.)…The master left one servant in charge while on a journey. It was important for this servant to carry out masters orders because he did not know when he might return.
2) Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14ff.)…The master went on a journey and divided assets among 3 servants. The 2 who put the master’s money to work and earned extra money were rewarded. The one who hid the master’s money and didn’t even earn interest was punished.
3) Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1ff)…
The focus of this parable is same as in the others: Be Prepared. Be Ready for the coming of the Son of Man. Be in a constant state of readiness.
In other words, Jesus is coming, Look Busy!
Read Matthew 25: 1 – 13.
Within this parable there are several “obvious” symbols / allegories.
1) Bridegroom = Christ. . .cf. Mt 9:15 (only other occurrence in Matthew)
2) The coming of the bridegroom = delayed return of Christ.
3) Wise Virgins = Faithful People.
4) Foolish Virgins = Unfaithful People.
5) Wedding Feast = Final Judgment.
The story describes a common scene that would take place at a First Century Jewish “wedding feast.” After the legal proceedings had taken place, the bride would return to her parents’ home & the groom to his parents’. Both the bride & groom would be dressed as if they were prince & princess, complete with robes & crowns. Then the groom would travel to the bride’s house to get his new wife.
Then the bride & groom would proceed to their new home accompanied by all their family and friends. This processional was nothing short of what we think of as a parade…marching, costumes, music, dancing, and Shriners’ driving around in those little cars.
When the wedding parade arrived in the bride & groom’s new home, a wedding banquet was held in their honor.
Often, there would be some friends and family members who might not want to make the entire journey, but would want to participate in the feast and at least part of the parade. These friends would wait along the roadside until the wedding parade passed by. There, they would join the parade the rest of the way to the banquet. And that describes the parable that Jesus gave his disciples.
There are some translations that use the word “bridesmaid” instead of “virgin.” The Greek word used here is the word that is literally translated “virgin.” So, there is no reason to think that these ten young women were an official part of a wedding ceremony as we think of it today.
Ten young women were waiting on the roadside for the wedding parade. Five of these planned in advance and brought extra oil for their lamps. The other five only brought what oil was already in their lamps.
They weren’t sure what time to expect the parade…Perhaps it was a long journey…Or maybe the parade would make several stops along the way. Whatever the case, the young women had to wait for a return that they did not know the exact time.
As they waited, it got later and later. Eventually all the young women fell asleep. Fortunately, someone was awake to sound the alarm that the wedding parade was approaching. By this time it was midnight, and all their lamps were beginning to grow dim.
The wise women refilled their lamps with the extra oil they had brought. These women had actually anticipated a delay in the parade and wanted to be prepared. The foolish women, on the other hand couldn’t refill their lamps. They had to go to the markets and buy more oil at midnight. By the time they found a place to buy more oil, bought it and returned to the parade, they were too late to join the procession. In fact, they were too late to be included in the wedding banquet. All of this, because they were not prepared.
What can we learn from this parable? There are applications which are important to us even today as we wait on the eventual Second Coming of Christ. Let us learn from the example of the Wise Virgins. When Christ does return, let him find us Prepared and Waiting.
II. Prepared.
To be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ doesn’t mean filling your basement bunker with canned foods, bottled water & weapons. But if you do that, be sure to pack an old fashioned can opener. The electric ones do not work if there is no power.
To be prepared doesn’t mean that you should make a video describing the Rapture to your friends and family members who have been Left Behind.
To be prepared doesn’t even mean that you participate in activities that SUPPOSEDLY will speed up the Second Coming of Christ.
No, there is a preparation which is much more important. Jesus wanted his disciples (and us) to be SPIRITUALLY prepared.
Notice that the ten young women were described by two adjectives at the beginning of the parable…(Read v. 2)
Then, at the end of the parable, they were described differently…(Read vv. 10 – 11)
1) Wise…or Ready…these young women were welcomed into the wedding feast.
2) Foolish…or Others…these young women were excluded…they could not even get in the door.
Now, let’s take a closer look at what was going on in the scene at the door of the wedding feast…(Read vv. 11 – 12)
Does that sounds familiar? Does it sound like what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 7: 21 – 23)?
The same Greek word that is translated “sir” in Matthew 25 is translated “Lord” in Matthew 7. In both cases, the people who stood on the OUTSIDE of the door cried out, “Lord, Lord…” And, in both cases, the reply was, “I do not know you…”
Both of these passages teach the same lesson about the Kingdom of God. There is only one way that a person can be prepared. There is only one way a person can enter the Kingdom of God. It’s not by prophesying and preaching about Jesus…It’s not by performing miracles…It’s not by casting out demons…
All these things are good works, but good works can never prepare a person to enter Heaven. Not teaching Sunday School…Not by witnessing to hundreds and thousands of people…Not even by tithing…
The ONLY way to be prepared is to know the Bridegroom…The young women were not excluded because they ran out of oil. They were excluded because the Bridegroom did not know them!
Both stories illustrate the importance of having a real relationship with God through faith in Jesus. Those who are foolish and not prepared—Those who do not have that relationship with the Bridegroom—will be excluded just as the other young women were excluded.
III. Waiting.
This parable carries the same theme as the other parables Jesus told at this time, with only one exception. All parables focused on the importance of being prepared on the day that Jesus returns. Most of these parables focused on the importance of being prepared in case Jesus returns earlier than we expect. However, the parable of the 10 virgins teaches us that we need to be prepared. Prepared for what? Prepared to wait! Even if Christ’s return takes longer than we at first expected.
That is an important part of Christian life…Waiting on Christ…Yet waiting does NOT mean we are supposed to fold our hands and do nothing! Waiting means we are to be faithful & obedient until Christ returns…To persevere in our faith.
There are two sides of waiting for Christ that are important.
1. We need to be prepared for a delay. Jesus may not come as soon as we think he ought to come. Just as Jesus prepared his disciples for a wait that might be longer than they expected, so he is preparing us even today. In Matthew 24, Jesus told his disciples that even the Son of Man—even Jesus himself—does not know the day or the hour of his return to this earth. So, if Jesus himself does not know the day or the hour of his return, then we have no reason to think any differently today.
2. We need to be ACTIVE as we wait. We need to busy ourselves with the things Jesus told us to do. Just like the faithful servant in Matthew 24 and the two faithful servants in Matthew 25, we need to do things our master wants us to do…even if he is delayed a long time.
Whenever there is war in the Middle East, there seems to be a fascination with the End of the World, the Battle of Armageddon, and the Second Coming of Christ. This was especially true when the Left Behind book series was popular. People sometimes ask questions like, “If a world-wide persecution of Christians takes place, will you be willing to give your life for Christ?” “If your life were required of you today, right now could you give it to God?” “If you were given a choice between renouncing your faith or dying because of your faith, which would you choose?”
There is an inherent problem with these questions. The problem is that these questions tend to depict a kind of decision that is different from what most of us will have to face. There is a better way of looking at this.
Sometimes we think that giving our lives for Christ is like taking a $1000 bill and plunking it down on the table…“Here’s my life. I am giving it all to you Lord.”
But the problem is, we don’t have one $1000 bill. We have $1000 in pennies…400,000 pennies. For most of us, God will not ask us to lay down one $1000 bill in obedience to him. Rather, we will be held accountable for the way we used all 400,000 of those pennies. Have you given all of your pennies for Christ?
This is what the Parable of the Ten Virgins teaches us. There may not be a time when all of your life is required of you at one time. But for all of us, God requires us to be FAITHFUL…To be Prepared by having a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior…To Wait ACTIVELY—fully engaged in the work Jesus commanded us to do…
What is the work Jesus wants us to do until he returns?
At this point, we could turn in our Bibles to Matthew 28 and read the last words Jesus gave to his disciples: “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.”
Or we could turn to another place in Scripture—2 Peter 3: 8 – 9, “But do not forget this one thing friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
IV. Conclusion.
Today is a special day in the life of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Our executive director has set the goal for our churches to share the Gospel with every person in the state of Texas by Easter Sunday 2010—Texas Hope 2010. Today is the day churches have been asked to commit to be a part of this evangelistic effort.
One way we can participate in this evangelistic effort is to distribute Scripture to every household in Angelina County. We can purchase CD-ROM’s for $1.00 that contain three things: an audio reading of John 3; a visual presentation of the Gospel; and a link to download the entire New Testament from the Internet in one of 300 languages.
Our Missions and Evangelism Team has recommended that we raise $30,000 to purchase these CD’s for our entire county. Then, we will work with other churches in Angelina County to help us distribute to every household. We want to do our part to share the Gospel and give everyone an opportunity to “come to repentance.”
When John F. Kennedy was campaigning for President, he often concluded his campaign speeches with this story…
May 19, 1780. . .Hartford, Connecticut.
At Noon the sun was covered by clouds. . .the sky turned from gray to black during the afternoon.
People began to fear that the world was coming to an end that day.
The Connecticut House of Representatives was in session. . .got to a point that they could no longer see. . .also began to fear the end of the world.
Until one of the representatives silenced the crowd with these words. . .
“The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles may be brought.”
The Parable of the Ten Wise Young Women teaches us much the same lesson. Either Christ is returning soon, or he is not. If he is not, then we should not stop our mission. If he is, then I choose that Jesus would find me faithfully obeying the Christian mission.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009: Priceless.
Priceless.
Matthew 13: 44 – 46.
I. Introduction.
I read a story in Reader’s Digest several months ago about a boy who was visiting at a friend’s house. He called his mother to tell her that he had accidentally broken a vase while he and his friend were playing. He quickly told his mother, “Don’t worry about trying to replace the vase. Johnnie’s mother said it was irreplaceable.”
There are some things that we can discard and replace with very little difficulty. We can just buy another one just like it at the corner store. And then there are some things that can never be replaced because they have value all their own…A value that goes far beyond monetary value…
This makes me think of the popular Master Card advertising. One of my favorites is one of the first ones to come out. A father and son attend a Major League Baseball game together. It quotes the incredibly high price of Baseball tickets…Overpriced Hotdogs and Programs…Then it states that the time spent as father and son together is “Priceless”…
The commercial is right…There ARE some things money cannot buy. Because they are worth much more than money. They may be Priceless…But they are certainly not cheap…Or even free…
Read Matthew 13: 44 – 46.
Matthew 13 shows Jesus as teaching in parables…It gives at least two different reasons why Jesus taught in parables…
1. Verses 10 – 11…Jesus told his disciples that they know the secrets of the Kingdom while the crowds do not know the secret…Parables both reveal and conceal…cf. the prophecy of Isaiah in vv. 14ff…
2. Verses 33 – 34…Matthew told the readers that Jesus spoke in parables in order to fulfill the words of the Psalmist…
It is interesting that in all four Gospels most of Jesus’ parables deal with the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven. What is the difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God? No difference between Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God! We believe Matthew was the most Jewish of all the Gospel authors…Therefore, he was afraid to use the name “God” carelessly.
In this passage, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to two things…A Treasure Hidden in a Field…And a Pearl of Great Price…
II. Verse 44.
One day a man went to work in the field just as he had done the day before and the week before that. He worked for the standard wage of the day—one denarius per day—and had virtually no hope of ever getting a raise or of ever reaching the point where he was self-sufficient. He would always work for someone else and be thankful for whatever pay they were willing to give him.
That all changed one afternoon as he was working in his boss’ field. This field hand made a discovery that would forever change his life for the better. He discovered a large treasure buried in the field that no one else knew about.
This seems a little strange to you and me as we compare this parable to our modern day banking system. We would NEVER bury treasure in a coffee can in the backyard. But in the ancient world, this was very common. Since enemies often invaded the land and took over property from the landowners, it became common for people to bury their valuables in jars. The invading enemies would not find treasure in the house, and the rightful owners could sneak back later and regain their treasure by digging it up in the cover of darkness.
Treasure hidden in a field…This begins like the American dream…You have just won (found) a Million dollars!…Something for nothing! What are you going to do about that Million dollars? Are you going to tell anyone? Of course not! That is your money…That is your treasure…You found it fair and square!
A man found it and hid it again…This is kind of sneaky…The man hid the treasure so that he could have it all to himself…He also hid it so that he could get a good price on the purchase of the land…Land owner would raise the price if he knew how valuable the land really was…
Then in his joy…Imagine how joyful you might be if you won (found) a Million dollars…But wait a minute…Jesus was not really talking about money or treasure…Jesus was talking about the Kingdom of God.
Imagine how joyful you might be if you inherited an Eternal Relationship with God…Imagine how excited you might be if God gave himself to you, that you might have forgiveness of all your sins…
You might just act like you did the last time your team or college won the championship…
The story may have started out as the American Dream—Something for Nothing—but that is not how it continued. No, this parable is not about Something for Nothing. This parable is about Something that Costs Everything!
He goes and sells all that he has and buys that field…This seems a little selfish to us…We like to think of the Kingdom of God as something to be shared with other people…Nobody ever teaches us about taking the Kingdom for ourselves…But think about what this man just did…He got rid of everything else in his life so that he could have just one field that everyone else seems to have overlooked. Why? Because this field was worth more than all his other possessions combined.
This field was the only thing in all the world that would truly satisfy all the desires of his heart.
III. Verses 45 – 46.
Like a merchant seeking fine pearls…These parables have several things in common…They both describe the Kingdom of God as an incredible treasure…They both involve the discovery of something overlooked by other people…And they both stress that the Kingdom of God costs everything…
But here is one big difference…In the first parable the discovery is made by accident…A common day laborer, working out in the field, just “happened” to find treasure…But notice that the second parable is about a merchant who was an expert. He knew exactly what he was looking for and went out and found it… (He was like the antique dealers and experts on Antique Roadshow!)
The first parable was about an unexpected surprise…The second parable was about an expected discovery…Both were Once-In-A-Lifetime opportunities…
And upon finding one pearl of great value…How many pearls was he looking for? (Many) How many pearls did he find? (One)
Did you ever think you could be satisfied with just one thing? It is interesting how this relates to the problems of our modern world…Nothing really satisfies us…No matter how much we are able to accumulate, it is NEVER enough…How much will be enough?…Just one more…
How much money will it take to adequately compensate you for your daily work? How much fame and notoriety will satisfy your ego? How much stuff (toys, houses, cars, boats, clothes, etc…) will be enough? Just one more. Just one more Million dollars. Just one more house. Just one more car.
That is not the case with the Kingdom of God…You are satisfied with just one…The Kingdom of God is enough!…And it promises to satisfy…
He went and sold all that he had and bought it…How much did it cost him?…Just money?…Just property?…What about relationships?
Jesus did not describe exactly what he meant, and we could make a case that he was only referring to money and wealth…But the Kingdom of God does not just cost us money and wealth…It costs us everything we have…Money, Possessions, Property, Family, Friends, Jobs, Security, and on and on and on…
IV. Conclusion.
Why did the first man buy the land?
Why did the second man buy the pearl of great price?
You and I are so Americanized that I don’t think we could ever understand what Jesus is trying to teach us…Because we think in terms of investment…The man bought the land so he could turn around and resell it for more money…The man bought the pearl so he could turn around and sell it for more money…
That is NOT what Jesus was teaching… We think that was the meaning of the parable, because we think money can satisfy.
The first man bought the field so he could have the field…The second man bought the pearl so he could have the pearl…
The first man bought the field and kept it for himself and then what did he do?…He SAT in his field…
The second man bought the pearl and kept it for himself and then what did he do?…He SAT and looked at his pearl…
Why?…Because he was satisfied! He had discovered that his treasure was enough! He didn’t need anything else!
These two parables illustrate what Jesus taught us earlier in Matthew 6: 33… But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you…
Matthew 13: 44 – 46.
I. Introduction.
I read a story in Reader’s Digest several months ago about a boy who was visiting at a friend’s house. He called his mother to tell her that he had accidentally broken a vase while he and his friend were playing. He quickly told his mother, “Don’t worry about trying to replace the vase. Johnnie’s mother said it was irreplaceable.”
There are some things that we can discard and replace with very little difficulty. We can just buy another one just like it at the corner store. And then there are some things that can never be replaced because they have value all their own…A value that goes far beyond monetary value…
This makes me think of the popular Master Card advertising. One of my favorites is one of the first ones to come out. A father and son attend a Major League Baseball game together. It quotes the incredibly high price of Baseball tickets…Overpriced Hotdogs and Programs…Then it states that the time spent as father and son together is “Priceless”…
The commercial is right…There ARE some things money cannot buy. Because they are worth much more than money. They may be Priceless…But they are certainly not cheap…Or even free…
Read Matthew 13: 44 – 46.
Matthew 13 shows Jesus as teaching in parables…It gives at least two different reasons why Jesus taught in parables…
1. Verses 10 – 11…Jesus told his disciples that they know the secrets of the Kingdom while the crowds do not know the secret…Parables both reveal and conceal…cf. the prophecy of Isaiah in vv. 14ff…
2. Verses 33 – 34…Matthew told the readers that Jesus spoke in parables in order to fulfill the words of the Psalmist…
It is interesting that in all four Gospels most of Jesus’ parables deal with the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven. What is the difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God? No difference between Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of God! We believe Matthew was the most Jewish of all the Gospel authors…Therefore, he was afraid to use the name “God” carelessly.
In this passage, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to two things…A Treasure Hidden in a Field…And a Pearl of Great Price…
II. Verse 44.
One day a man went to work in the field just as he had done the day before and the week before that. He worked for the standard wage of the day—one denarius per day—and had virtually no hope of ever getting a raise or of ever reaching the point where he was self-sufficient. He would always work for someone else and be thankful for whatever pay they were willing to give him.
That all changed one afternoon as he was working in his boss’ field. This field hand made a discovery that would forever change his life for the better. He discovered a large treasure buried in the field that no one else knew about.
This seems a little strange to you and me as we compare this parable to our modern day banking system. We would NEVER bury treasure in a coffee can in the backyard. But in the ancient world, this was very common. Since enemies often invaded the land and took over property from the landowners, it became common for people to bury their valuables in jars. The invading enemies would not find treasure in the house, and the rightful owners could sneak back later and regain their treasure by digging it up in the cover of darkness.
Treasure hidden in a field…This begins like the American dream…You have just won (found) a Million dollars!…Something for nothing! What are you going to do about that Million dollars? Are you going to tell anyone? Of course not! That is your money…That is your treasure…You found it fair and square!
A man found it and hid it again…This is kind of sneaky…The man hid the treasure so that he could have it all to himself…He also hid it so that he could get a good price on the purchase of the land…Land owner would raise the price if he knew how valuable the land really was…
Then in his joy…Imagine how joyful you might be if you won (found) a Million dollars…But wait a minute…Jesus was not really talking about money or treasure…Jesus was talking about the Kingdom of God.
Imagine how joyful you might be if you inherited an Eternal Relationship with God…Imagine how excited you might be if God gave himself to you, that you might have forgiveness of all your sins…
You might just act like you did the last time your team or college won the championship…
The story may have started out as the American Dream—Something for Nothing—but that is not how it continued. No, this parable is not about Something for Nothing. This parable is about Something that Costs Everything!
He goes and sells all that he has and buys that field…This seems a little selfish to us…We like to think of the Kingdom of God as something to be shared with other people…Nobody ever teaches us about taking the Kingdom for ourselves…But think about what this man just did…He got rid of everything else in his life so that he could have just one field that everyone else seems to have overlooked. Why? Because this field was worth more than all his other possessions combined.
This field was the only thing in all the world that would truly satisfy all the desires of his heart.
III. Verses 45 – 46.
Like a merchant seeking fine pearls…These parables have several things in common…They both describe the Kingdom of God as an incredible treasure…They both involve the discovery of something overlooked by other people…And they both stress that the Kingdom of God costs everything…
But here is one big difference…In the first parable the discovery is made by accident…A common day laborer, working out in the field, just “happened” to find treasure…But notice that the second parable is about a merchant who was an expert. He knew exactly what he was looking for and went out and found it… (He was like the antique dealers and experts on Antique Roadshow!)
The first parable was about an unexpected surprise…The second parable was about an expected discovery…Both were Once-In-A-Lifetime opportunities…
And upon finding one pearl of great value…How many pearls was he looking for? (Many) How many pearls did he find? (One)
Did you ever think you could be satisfied with just one thing? It is interesting how this relates to the problems of our modern world…Nothing really satisfies us…No matter how much we are able to accumulate, it is NEVER enough…How much will be enough?…Just one more…
How much money will it take to adequately compensate you for your daily work? How much fame and notoriety will satisfy your ego? How much stuff (toys, houses, cars, boats, clothes, etc…) will be enough? Just one more. Just one more Million dollars. Just one more house. Just one more car.
That is not the case with the Kingdom of God…You are satisfied with just one…The Kingdom of God is enough!…And it promises to satisfy…
He went and sold all that he had and bought it…How much did it cost him?…Just money?…Just property?…What about relationships?
Jesus did not describe exactly what he meant, and we could make a case that he was only referring to money and wealth…But the Kingdom of God does not just cost us money and wealth…It costs us everything we have…Money, Possessions, Property, Family, Friends, Jobs, Security, and on and on and on…
IV. Conclusion.
Why did the first man buy the land?
Why did the second man buy the pearl of great price?
You and I are so Americanized that I don’t think we could ever understand what Jesus is trying to teach us…Because we think in terms of investment…The man bought the land so he could turn around and resell it for more money…The man bought the pearl so he could turn around and sell it for more money…
That is NOT what Jesus was teaching… We think that was the meaning of the parable, because we think money can satisfy.
The first man bought the field so he could have the field…The second man bought the pearl so he could have the pearl…
The first man bought the field and kept it for himself and then what did he do?…He SAT in his field…
The second man bought the pearl and kept it for himself and then what did he do?…He SAT and looked at his pearl…
Why?…Because he was satisfied! He had discovered that his treasure was enough! He didn’t need anything else!
These two parables illustrate what Jesus taught us earlier in Matthew 6: 33… But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you…
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008: Search the Manger
Search the Manger
Matthew 2: 1 – 12
I. Introduction
When Nathan was in kindergarten, we lived in Mississippi. His kindergarten school day went from 8:00 until 12:00 noon. This was a good way to ease Shauna into having both children in school. She still had half a day she could spend with Nathan.
One day during the Christmas season, Shauna had Nathan in the car with her as she drove around town running errands. While they were running errands, they were listening to a Christmas CD.
Nathan was singing along with the songs, being festive and Christmas-y when he stopped and asked a question. Nathan said, “Mommy, are all these songs Santa songs?” Shauna asked him what he meant. He said, “Are all these songs Santa songs, or are there any Jesus songs on this CD?”
Shauna told him that this was a CD of Santa songs. He said, “I want to listen to some Jesus songs.” So, I didn’t realize that we had this many Christmas CD’s, but Shauna put on another Christmas CD. This time it was one that had Jesus songs.
After the first few songs, Nathan asked another question: “Are all these songs Jesus songs?” Shauna said that they were. Nathan answered, “That’s not what I wanted. I wanted a little Santa and a little Jesus.”
I thought that was very cute that Nathan had figured out a difference between Santa songs and Jesus songs. I also thought it was cute that he had—quite by accident—stumbled onto our biggest problem of the Christmas season: We don’t seem to know what we are searching for. We want a little Santa and a little Jesus.
As Christians in America we celebrate Christmas by walking along a precariously thin line. Or as Nathan put it: we want a little Santa and a little Jesus.
Do you know what you are searching for this Christmas?
Read Matthew 2: 1 – 12
This is not the only story of Christmas visitors found in the Bible. Matthew tells us about the Wise Men, or the Magi who visited the “house” in Bethlehem. And Luke tells us about the shepherds who visited the stable in Bethlehem.
Both of these are stories about people in the Bible who were searching during the Christmas season. It has always been interesting to me that Matthew and Luke have made distinctly different contributions to the Christmas story. This is especially true of their descriptions of the first “visitors” to the Holy Family in Bethlehem.
I have often wondered why Matthew and Luke tell the Christmas story in different ways. Why didn’t they both tell the same story? Why didn’t at least one of the Gospels tell everything in one place? After all, if everything were in one place we wouldn’t have to turn to Matthew one week and Luke the next week…It would be much more convenient!
I believe the reason for this can be found in the motivations behind why Matthew wrote his Gospel and why Luke wrote his Gospel.
We don’t have to wonder why Luke wrote his Gospel. In fact, Luke tells us in Luke 1: 1 – 4…He tells us that there are other accounts of Jesus’ life. So, Luke accumulated all those resources and carefully investigated everything so that he could write an orderly account for Theophilus.
Theophilus is a funny name. On one hand, there is evidence that some men in the ancient world were named Theophilus. On the other hand, there is evidence that Luke is using the name as a symbol for a group of people who might read his Gospel. You see, the name Theophilus is made up of two Greek words…Theos = God…Philos = Love or Friend…Therefore, Theophilus is a Greek word that means “Lover of God” or “Friend of God.”
Since Luke used the Greek name Theophilus, I believe that Luke wrote his Gospel so that non-Jewish people—the Gentiles, like you and me—might learn about Jesus and trust Jesus as our Lord.
Therefore, Luke was the most Greek, or Gentile, of the Gospel writers. Luke used Gentile themes to write to Gentile men and women about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Savior of the Gentiles.
Matthew, on the other hand, didn’t tell us why he wrote his Gospel.
However, when we read Matthew’s Gospel, I think we can pick up on some important themes and concerns that run throughout the book. In particular, Matthew goes to great lengths to show that the birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about the Promised Messiah.
Matthew shows us that Jesus was born as fulfillment to Jewish prophecy. But, Matthew also shows us that Jesus lived in fulfillment of all the Jewish Law. Jesus fulfilled the Law by observing all aspects of the Law and never breaking a single commandment. Jesus fulfilled the Law by teaching us in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 – 7 that the Old Testament Law has not passed away…It continues to serve an important role in our lives as Christians…Followers of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Matthew was the most Jewish of the Gospel writers. Matthew used Jewish themes to write to Jewish men and women about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Savior of the Jews.
II. Shepherds.
Luke—the most Gentile of the Synoptics—described the visit of the shepherds.
I usually imagine the shepherds as 10 year old boys wearing their fathers’ bathrobes, with the sleeves rolled up and the train of the robe filling the temple. But shepherds were grown men, who held the lowest of all positions in society.
Shepherds were despised by society because of the nature of their work.
Shepherds smelled like sheep!
Shepherds worked and sweated in the heat of the day.
Shepherds had no other option but to sleep outside—certainly a romantic idea if one were free to choose to sleep outside, but not romantic for those with no choice.
Shepherds were feared by business owners because they had earned for themselves the reputation of being thieves and untrustworthy.
Shepherds were rejected by the Jewish religious authorities, because they were considered unclean and unworthy to enter the temple without first being purified.
And yet, Luke described these same shepherds as the first visitors at the manger in Bethlehem. In fact, the shepherds did not just “show up” at the manger, they were beckoned by a choir of angels. God himself sent his angelic messengers to announce the birth of Jesus Christ his one and only begotten Son. And God invited shepherds!
The sweaty, the smelly, the disheveled were invited to be the first to meet the Lord. The unclean, the unworthy, the untrusted were ushered into the presence of God.
Since this was written by Luke to a Gentile audience, I believe the story of the shepherds has a Gentile message. By telling us that the shepherds were the first ones invited to see the Christ Child, Luke has just declared that the Jewish religion is inadequate. The very ones unworthy to enter the Temple knelt in the presence of God at Bethlehem.
III. Wise Men.
Matthew, on the other hand, did not condemn the Jewish religion. Rather, Matthew—the most Jewish of the Gospels—celebrated the unique role of the Jewish religion by describing the visit of the Magi.
Who were the Magi? We have traditionally called them “Wise Men.”
They may have been astronomers—star gazers. One day they noticed a “new star in the east.”
I am certainly not an expert in astronomy, but I assume it would take a lot of effort to be so familiar with the constellations and all the millions of stars in the sky that someone would recognize a “new star.”
It seems that the Magi may have been religious people. Something told them that this “new star” was the birth announcement of a new religious leader. Of course this was no ordinary religious leader. This was the Messiah, the one promised by and for the Jews.
I don’t know what might have prompted the Magi to travel to Israel. But their response to Jesus and the gifts they brought imply worship and recognition of his divine nature.
Gold was something that only royal families could afford and was a present fit for a King…
Frankincense was an incense that was burned as a part of the Jewish sacrificial system and was a present fit for a priest…
Myrrh was a perfume that was used to anoint the body of a dead person and was a gift fit for someone about to die…
Matthew’s story of visitors who traveled a great distance to find the only person in all the earth who could be our King, Priest and Crucified Lord implies that there was something missing in all the religions of the world.
That missing piece could only be supplied in Bethlehem! Therefore, we see in the visit of the Wise Men one more Jewish Scripture fulfilled! God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled. Abraham’s descendants became a blessing to all the earth.
IV. Conclusion
I believe that we can find what we are searching for this Christmas if we would just look at these two stories together.
Matthew teaches us that there is something unique about the Jewish Messiah. God has revealed himself and his salvation uniquely to the Jews, and God has provided salvation ONLY through Jesus the Messiah. No matter where you are from or what you might have once believed…Your religion is inadequate. There is no salvation without Jesus.
And Luke teaches us that salvation extends beyond the Jews; salvation is for everyone.
Jesus doesn’t care how dirty and smelly and rejected other people think you are. Everyone is invited…Everyone is welcome…
All you have to do is come…All you have to do is believe!
Matthew 2: 1 – 12
I. Introduction
When Nathan was in kindergarten, we lived in Mississippi. His kindergarten school day went from 8:00 until 12:00 noon. This was a good way to ease Shauna into having both children in school. She still had half a day she could spend with Nathan.
One day during the Christmas season, Shauna had Nathan in the car with her as she drove around town running errands. While they were running errands, they were listening to a Christmas CD.
Nathan was singing along with the songs, being festive and Christmas-y when he stopped and asked a question. Nathan said, “Mommy, are all these songs Santa songs?” Shauna asked him what he meant. He said, “Are all these songs Santa songs, or are there any Jesus songs on this CD?”
Shauna told him that this was a CD of Santa songs. He said, “I want to listen to some Jesus songs.” So, I didn’t realize that we had this many Christmas CD’s, but Shauna put on another Christmas CD. This time it was one that had Jesus songs.
After the first few songs, Nathan asked another question: “Are all these songs Jesus songs?” Shauna said that they were. Nathan answered, “That’s not what I wanted. I wanted a little Santa and a little Jesus.”
I thought that was very cute that Nathan had figured out a difference between Santa songs and Jesus songs. I also thought it was cute that he had—quite by accident—stumbled onto our biggest problem of the Christmas season: We don’t seem to know what we are searching for. We want a little Santa and a little Jesus.
As Christians in America we celebrate Christmas by walking along a precariously thin line. Or as Nathan put it: we want a little Santa and a little Jesus.
Do you know what you are searching for this Christmas?
Read Matthew 2: 1 – 12
This is not the only story of Christmas visitors found in the Bible. Matthew tells us about the Wise Men, or the Magi who visited the “house” in Bethlehem. And Luke tells us about the shepherds who visited the stable in Bethlehem.
Both of these are stories about people in the Bible who were searching during the Christmas season. It has always been interesting to me that Matthew and Luke have made distinctly different contributions to the Christmas story. This is especially true of their descriptions of the first “visitors” to the Holy Family in Bethlehem.
I have often wondered why Matthew and Luke tell the Christmas story in different ways. Why didn’t they both tell the same story? Why didn’t at least one of the Gospels tell everything in one place? After all, if everything were in one place we wouldn’t have to turn to Matthew one week and Luke the next week…It would be much more convenient!
I believe the reason for this can be found in the motivations behind why Matthew wrote his Gospel and why Luke wrote his Gospel.
We don’t have to wonder why Luke wrote his Gospel. In fact, Luke tells us in Luke 1: 1 – 4…He tells us that there are other accounts of Jesus’ life. So, Luke accumulated all those resources and carefully investigated everything so that he could write an orderly account for Theophilus.
Theophilus is a funny name. On one hand, there is evidence that some men in the ancient world were named Theophilus. On the other hand, there is evidence that Luke is using the name as a symbol for a group of people who might read his Gospel. You see, the name Theophilus is made up of two Greek words…Theos = God…Philos = Love or Friend…Therefore, Theophilus is a Greek word that means “Lover of God” or “Friend of God.”
Since Luke used the Greek name Theophilus, I believe that Luke wrote his Gospel so that non-Jewish people—the Gentiles, like you and me—might learn about Jesus and trust Jesus as our Lord.
Therefore, Luke was the most Greek, or Gentile, of the Gospel writers. Luke used Gentile themes to write to Gentile men and women about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Savior of the Gentiles.
Matthew, on the other hand, didn’t tell us why he wrote his Gospel.
However, when we read Matthew’s Gospel, I think we can pick up on some important themes and concerns that run throughout the book. In particular, Matthew goes to great lengths to show that the birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about the Promised Messiah.
Matthew shows us that Jesus was born as fulfillment to Jewish prophecy. But, Matthew also shows us that Jesus lived in fulfillment of all the Jewish Law. Jesus fulfilled the Law by observing all aspects of the Law and never breaking a single commandment. Jesus fulfilled the Law by teaching us in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 – 7 that the Old Testament Law has not passed away…It continues to serve an important role in our lives as Christians…Followers of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Matthew was the most Jewish of the Gospel writers. Matthew used Jewish themes to write to Jewish men and women about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Savior of the Jews.
II. Shepherds.
Luke—the most Gentile of the Synoptics—described the visit of the shepherds.
I usually imagine the shepherds as 10 year old boys wearing their fathers’ bathrobes, with the sleeves rolled up and the train of the robe filling the temple. But shepherds were grown men, who held the lowest of all positions in society.
Shepherds were despised by society because of the nature of their work.
Shepherds smelled like sheep!
Shepherds worked and sweated in the heat of the day.
Shepherds had no other option but to sleep outside—certainly a romantic idea if one were free to choose to sleep outside, but not romantic for those with no choice.
Shepherds were feared by business owners because they had earned for themselves the reputation of being thieves and untrustworthy.
Shepherds were rejected by the Jewish religious authorities, because they were considered unclean and unworthy to enter the temple without first being purified.
And yet, Luke described these same shepherds as the first visitors at the manger in Bethlehem. In fact, the shepherds did not just “show up” at the manger, they were beckoned by a choir of angels. God himself sent his angelic messengers to announce the birth of Jesus Christ his one and only begotten Son. And God invited shepherds!
The sweaty, the smelly, the disheveled were invited to be the first to meet the Lord. The unclean, the unworthy, the untrusted were ushered into the presence of God.
Since this was written by Luke to a Gentile audience, I believe the story of the shepherds has a Gentile message. By telling us that the shepherds were the first ones invited to see the Christ Child, Luke has just declared that the Jewish religion is inadequate. The very ones unworthy to enter the Temple knelt in the presence of God at Bethlehem.
III. Wise Men.
Matthew, on the other hand, did not condemn the Jewish religion. Rather, Matthew—the most Jewish of the Gospels—celebrated the unique role of the Jewish religion by describing the visit of the Magi.
Who were the Magi? We have traditionally called them “Wise Men.”
They may have been astronomers—star gazers. One day they noticed a “new star in the east.”
I am certainly not an expert in astronomy, but I assume it would take a lot of effort to be so familiar with the constellations and all the millions of stars in the sky that someone would recognize a “new star.”
It seems that the Magi may have been religious people. Something told them that this “new star” was the birth announcement of a new religious leader. Of course this was no ordinary religious leader. This was the Messiah, the one promised by and for the Jews.
I don’t know what might have prompted the Magi to travel to Israel. But their response to Jesus and the gifts they brought imply worship and recognition of his divine nature.
Gold was something that only royal families could afford and was a present fit for a King…
Frankincense was an incense that was burned as a part of the Jewish sacrificial system and was a present fit for a priest…
Myrrh was a perfume that was used to anoint the body of a dead person and was a gift fit for someone about to die…
Matthew’s story of visitors who traveled a great distance to find the only person in all the earth who could be our King, Priest and Crucified Lord implies that there was something missing in all the religions of the world.
That missing piece could only be supplied in Bethlehem! Therefore, we see in the visit of the Wise Men one more Jewish Scripture fulfilled! God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled. Abraham’s descendants became a blessing to all the earth.
IV. Conclusion
I believe that we can find what we are searching for this Christmas if we would just look at these two stories together.
Matthew teaches us that there is something unique about the Jewish Messiah. God has revealed himself and his salvation uniquely to the Jews, and God has provided salvation ONLY through Jesus the Messiah. No matter where you are from or what you might have once believed…Your religion is inadequate. There is no salvation without Jesus.
And Luke teaches us that salvation extends beyond the Jews; salvation is for everyone.
Jesus doesn’t care how dirty and smelly and rejected other people think you are. Everyone is invited…Everyone is welcome…
All you have to do is come…All you have to do is believe!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008: Jesus: Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
Jesus: Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
I. Introduction.
Bailout. That is a word we have heard a lot lately. First it was the banking and mortgage industry that needed a bailout. Now it is the Big Three—General Motors, Chrysler and Ford who are asking for a bailout.
The technical definition of a “bailout” is to give financial assistance to a business or individual in order to save it / them from financial ruin.[1] In most cases, a bailout is a last ditch effort to save a business that is perceived to be necessary to the greater good. The banking and mortgage bailout was thought to be necessary to keep American families from losing our homes. The automaker bailout is thought to be necessary to keep certain areas of the country from experiencing widespread unemployment—and perhaps to protect American exportation.
In other words, a bailout is financial salvation. It is doing something for someone what they could not do for themselves. The banking industry could not save itself, so they turned to the government for salvation. The automakers could not save themselves, so they have turned to the government to save them.
That leads me to ask a couple of questions… First, if we could not trust businessmen to run the automobile industry, what makes us think politicians could do a better job? Second, can the government truly save us?
Financial problems are not our greatest problems. Our greatest problems are spiritual. We think we can live without God. We think we do not need God to help us live and make daily decisions. We think we can solve all of our problems through human effort and intelligence.
However, we cannot save ourselves. We need God to do something for us that we could never accomplish for ourselves. In short, we need a “spiritual bailout.” And that is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is God’s spiritual bailout plan. God sent his only Son to earth to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.
Read Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
II. Context.
Isaiah was a prophet during a period of Israel’s history we commonly refer to as the Divided Kingdom. It would probably help us to discern exactly what the Bible means when it speaks of a prophet. We often use the word prophet to refer to someone who has the ability to predict events that will take place in the future. There is an element of truth in this, but it does not fully explain what prophecy means in the Bible. The full meaning of prophecy has to do more with “speaking God’s word to God’s people.” This is captured in the King James Version of the Bible by the introductory phrase, “Thus sayeth the LORD…”
In other words, the prophets of the Old Testament were men and women who received a message from God and then delivered that message to the community of God’s people. There are four things necessary for a biblical understanding of prophecy. First, there was a message from God. Second, there was a person—a prophet—who listened to what God had to say. Third, there was a spoken message delivered by the prophet. Fourth, there was a community who received the message from God that was delivered by the prophet.
Notice how God is involved in all four stages of prophecy. God delivered the message. God called the prophet. God inspired the public proclamation of the message. AND, the community which received the message was related to God as God’s own people. (This helps us to understand how prophecy shows up in the New Testament in every list of spiritual gifts. If prophecy is “speaking God’s word to God’s people,” then in modern day life prophecy is the same thing as “inspired preaching.”)
Not all prophecy in the Old Testament was predicting the future. Yet, in many cases, the words of the prophet did predict future events. This can be explained very simply by referring back to our definition of prophecy. If God really did give the message to the prophet to deliver to God’s people, the prediction would come to pass just as the prophet said. This is because God’s word is always true.
In Isaiah chapter one, Isaiah tells us that he was a prophet to the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The Scripture we just read this morning falls during the period of time when Ahaz was the king. Specifically, it falls during a very tense period of international crisis.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel had formed an unholy alliance with the pagan nation of Aram. This Israel-Aram coalition had stormed the Southern Kingdom of Judah in an attempt to overthrow King Ahaz and take away his people and land. The army of Judah had been successful so far in this war, but Ahaz was worried.
God gave Isaiah a message to deliver to the people of Judah. The message included a sign from God. In fact, God told King Ahaz to ask for whatever sign he wanted. Ahaz refused to ask. Perhaps he was afraid God was trying to tempt him, but God was being serious. So serious in fact, that even though Ahaz never asked for a sign, God still gave him a sign.
Through Isaiah the prophet, God told Ahaz that he would never be defeated by the Israel-Aram coalition. They will not defeat you, because they are too weak. They will not defeat you, because God is not on their side. They will not defeat you, because God is on your side And, to prove that God was on Ahaz’ side, God gave him a sign.
It was a strange sign for war time. Perhaps in a time of war we would expect God to send fire from heaven to burn up Judah’s enemies, or perhaps a sea would part and the enemies would be drowned in the sea. But, God’s sign was nothing more than a baby boy. In Isaiah 7:14, God said, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel—which means God with us.” Isaiah continued, “He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.”
It seems strange that a baby can prove that God is with God’s people. It would seem more fitting for God to do something more supernatural, something not so common. Yet, God proved himself to Ahaz and the people of Judah through the birth of a baby.
This was not the only time God used a baby to prove that he was with his people. It happened again in Isaiah 9. Again, God used Isaiah to speak God’s word to King Ahaz and the people of Judah.
The darkness of Isaiah 9 is probably a reference to the war that was going on at that time. It refers to the uncertainty, the danger and the trouble they were experiencing. It could just as easily refer to the uncertainty, the danger and the trouble we are experiencing in 2008. But notice the comforting words of hope Isaiah offers to the people… “The people walking in darkness HAVE SEEN a great light.”
Isaiah was so confident in God’s hope that he spoke of it in past tense. He did not say, “The people walking in darkness WILL EVENTUALLY SEE a great light.” He said, “they have already seen a great light.” By using the past tense, Isaiah is communicating the fact that God’s hope for his people is an accomplished fact. It is not wishful thinking. It is confident assurance. Isaiah is confident, because he is speaking “God’s word to God’s people.” God does not lie. If God said it, it will come to pass. There was no room for wishful thinking in Isaiah’s prophecy.
And, once again, the sign of God’s truth was revealed in the birth of a baby. Of course, this was no ordinary baby. This baby was the hope of God’s people. This baby was so special that one name would not be sufficient to describe the character of this child. No. This child required four names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
III. Everlasting Father.
Each of the four names Isaiah used to describe the coming child contain two words, a noun and an adjective: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace (perhaps Peaceful Prince).
The name Everlasting Father is a strange name for a new born baby. On one hand, it would be impossible for a child to be born as a father. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine a fragile little baby as everlasting or eternal.
Throughout the Hebrew Bible—the Old Testament—we find references to God as the Father of Israel. We can also find stories and references where the King of Israel functioned as a father-figure for the people. So, this might be a common reference to the son of the king. By virtue of his birth, everyone could acknowledge that one day he would grow into his role as the father-figure for God’s people.
However, I find in this a foreshadowing of one of Jesus’ themes found in the Gospel of John. In John 14, one of Jesus’ disciples—Philip—asked Jesus to show them the Heavenly Father. Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ (John 14: 9).”
Jesus addressed God as his Father and taught his disciples to address God as Father in prayer. BUT, Jesus also compared himself to God the Father and claimed to be of the same essence as the Father. I don’t want to go so far as to say Jesus claimed “equality” with God the Father, because Paul makes a point to say that Jesus did not “consider equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2: 6).” Yet, Jesus and the Father are One. To know the Son is to know the Father. They are of the same essence and nature. Jesus shared the same qualities and characteristics of God.
One of the characteristics of God that sets him apart from us is his eternity. God is eternal. You and I are not eternal. We are finite, temporary and limited by time and space. This makes it somewhat difficult for us to understand God’s eternal nature. Everlasting is perhaps the best we can do to understand eternity. There is no end to God. He is everlasting—lasting forever and ever and ever…
To say that God is eternal is to say that God cannot be measured. For example, I am a human being, and my life can be measured both in time and in space. My body is 5 foot 10 inches tall and weighs…You didn’t think I was really going to tell you how much I weigh. I have been alive for 37 years, 8 months, 1 week and 4 days. Time is one of the ways we can measure.
I have three children. Collin is 13 years old. Nathan is 10 years old. JoEllen is 3 years old. I don’t remember when I was 3, but I do remember when I was 10 and 13. I am not the same person today at 37 that I was at 3, 10 or 13. I have changed. Time is a measurement of the changes that have taken place in my life. To say that God is eternal is to say that God cannot be measured. God cannot be measured, because God does not change.
IV. Prince of Peace.
The fourth and final name used to describe the coming baby is “Prince of Peace.” We have reason to believe that Isaiah is pointing to the birth of King Ahaz’ own son who would eventually become king of Judah—Hezekiah. As the son of the sitting king, this new baby would be recognized immediately as a prince. All his life he would be treated like royalty, because one day he would become king. He stood to inherit everything the king currently holds—financial holdings, political power, even the war with the Israel-Aram coalition.
However, Hezekiah would be a different kind of king. He would not be like his father. Hezekiah’s birth was a promise of peace, not the continuation war.
You should not be surprised to hear that the Hebrew word for peace is “Shalom.” But it might surprise you that Shalom means something more than peace.
When you and I think of peace, we typically define it in terms of “the absence of conflict.” When the United States of America is at peace, it means that we are not fighting a war. When family life is peaceful, it means there is no conflict between us and our spouses. When the church is at peace, there is no one trying to fire the pastor. This is NOT what the Hebrew word Shalom means.
Shalom can be translated “peace.” But it can also be translated “well,” “whole,” or “complete.” In other words, Isaiah was not prophesying that God’s people would experience an absence of conflict in the future. Isaiah prophesied that God’s people would be made whole and complete through a future Prince of Shalom.
Hezekiah did not accomplish this wholeness for God’s people. He reigned as King of Judah for only 29 years. In fact, no political prince could offer wholeness to God’s people. There must be another baby, a true Prince of Peace.
V. Conclusion.
This was not the last time God’s hope for God’s people was confirmed in the birth of a baby. It happened in Isaiah 7; it happened again in Isaiah 9; and it happened a final time in the birth of Jesus. In fact, the writers of the New Testament have helped us to understand Isaiah’s prophecies about babies in terms of Jesus’ birth.
Sure, there was a baby born during the reign of King Ahaz with the name Immanuel. But that baby could not compare with Jesus—the unique Son of God. Jesus was the final fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that God would be present with God’s people.
Sure, there was a baby born during the reign of King Ahaz who would eventually support the weight of the government on his shoulders—probably Ahaz’ son Hezekiah. But, Hezekiah’s reign and life on earth were temporary and measurable. Jesus’ life is neither temporary nor measurable.
We might even say that the birth of Jesus was God’s “ spiritual bailout plan” for humanity. Through the birth of Jesus, God has done something for us that we could never have done for ourselves. He has brought us back to himself…through the birth of a baby boy!
[1] “Bailout,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailout.
Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
I. Introduction.
Bailout. That is a word we have heard a lot lately. First it was the banking and mortgage industry that needed a bailout. Now it is the Big Three—General Motors, Chrysler and Ford who are asking for a bailout.
The technical definition of a “bailout” is to give financial assistance to a business or individual in order to save it / them from financial ruin.[1] In most cases, a bailout is a last ditch effort to save a business that is perceived to be necessary to the greater good. The banking and mortgage bailout was thought to be necessary to keep American families from losing our homes. The automaker bailout is thought to be necessary to keep certain areas of the country from experiencing widespread unemployment—and perhaps to protect American exportation.
In other words, a bailout is financial salvation. It is doing something for someone what they could not do for themselves. The banking industry could not save itself, so they turned to the government for salvation. The automakers could not save themselves, so they have turned to the government to save them.
That leads me to ask a couple of questions… First, if we could not trust businessmen to run the automobile industry, what makes us think politicians could do a better job? Second, can the government truly save us?
Financial problems are not our greatest problems. Our greatest problems are spiritual. We think we can live without God. We think we do not need God to help us live and make daily decisions. We think we can solve all of our problems through human effort and intelligence.
However, we cannot save ourselves. We need God to do something for us that we could never accomplish for ourselves. In short, we need a “spiritual bailout.” And that is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is God’s spiritual bailout plan. God sent his only Son to earth to do for us what we could never do for ourselves.
Read Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
II. Context.
Isaiah was a prophet during a period of Israel’s history we commonly refer to as the Divided Kingdom. It would probably help us to discern exactly what the Bible means when it speaks of a prophet. We often use the word prophet to refer to someone who has the ability to predict events that will take place in the future. There is an element of truth in this, but it does not fully explain what prophecy means in the Bible. The full meaning of prophecy has to do more with “speaking God’s word to God’s people.” This is captured in the King James Version of the Bible by the introductory phrase, “Thus sayeth the LORD…”
In other words, the prophets of the Old Testament were men and women who received a message from God and then delivered that message to the community of God’s people. There are four things necessary for a biblical understanding of prophecy. First, there was a message from God. Second, there was a person—a prophet—who listened to what God had to say. Third, there was a spoken message delivered by the prophet. Fourth, there was a community who received the message from God that was delivered by the prophet.
Notice how God is involved in all four stages of prophecy. God delivered the message. God called the prophet. God inspired the public proclamation of the message. AND, the community which received the message was related to God as God’s own people. (This helps us to understand how prophecy shows up in the New Testament in every list of spiritual gifts. If prophecy is “speaking God’s word to God’s people,” then in modern day life prophecy is the same thing as “inspired preaching.”)
Not all prophecy in the Old Testament was predicting the future. Yet, in many cases, the words of the prophet did predict future events. This can be explained very simply by referring back to our definition of prophecy. If God really did give the message to the prophet to deliver to God’s people, the prediction would come to pass just as the prophet said. This is because God’s word is always true.
In Isaiah chapter one, Isaiah tells us that he was a prophet to the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the reigns of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The Scripture we just read this morning falls during the period of time when Ahaz was the king. Specifically, it falls during a very tense period of international crisis.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel had formed an unholy alliance with the pagan nation of Aram. This Israel-Aram coalition had stormed the Southern Kingdom of Judah in an attempt to overthrow King Ahaz and take away his people and land. The army of Judah had been successful so far in this war, but Ahaz was worried.
God gave Isaiah a message to deliver to the people of Judah. The message included a sign from God. In fact, God told King Ahaz to ask for whatever sign he wanted. Ahaz refused to ask. Perhaps he was afraid God was trying to tempt him, but God was being serious. So serious in fact, that even though Ahaz never asked for a sign, God still gave him a sign.
Through Isaiah the prophet, God told Ahaz that he would never be defeated by the Israel-Aram coalition. They will not defeat you, because they are too weak. They will not defeat you, because God is not on their side. They will not defeat you, because God is on your side And, to prove that God was on Ahaz’ side, God gave him a sign.
It was a strange sign for war time. Perhaps in a time of war we would expect God to send fire from heaven to burn up Judah’s enemies, or perhaps a sea would part and the enemies would be drowned in the sea. But, God’s sign was nothing more than a baby boy. In Isaiah 7:14, God said, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel—which means God with us.” Isaiah continued, “He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.”
It seems strange that a baby can prove that God is with God’s people. It would seem more fitting for God to do something more supernatural, something not so common. Yet, God proved himself to Ahaz and the people of Judah through the birth of a baby.
This was not the only time God used a baby to prove that he was with his people. It happened again in Isaiah 9. Again, God used Isaiah to speak God’s word to King Ahaz and the people of Judah.
The darkness of Isaiah 9 is probably a reference to the war that was going on at that time. It refers to the uncertainty, the danger and the trouble they were experiencing. It could just as easily refer to the uncertainty, the danger and the trouble we are experiencing in 2008. But notice the comforting words of hope Isaiah offers to the people… “The people walking in darkness HAVE SEEN a great light.”
Isaiah was so confident in God’s hope that he spoke of it in past tense. He did not say, “The people walking in darkness WILL EVENTUALLY SEE a great light.” He said, “they have already seen a great light.” By using the past tense, Isaiah is communicating the fact that God’s hope for his people is an accomplished fact. It is not wishful thinking. It is confident assurance. Isaiah is confident, because he is speaking “God’s word to God’s people.” God does not lie. If God said it, it will come to pass. There was no room for wishful thinking in Isaiah’s prophecy.
And, once again, the sign of God’s truth was revealed in the birth of a baby. Of course, this was no ordinary baby. This baby was the hope of God’s people. This baby was so special that one name would not be sufficient to describe the character of this child. No. This child required four names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
III. Everlasting Father.
Each of the four names Isaiah used to describe the coming child contain two words, a noun and an adjective: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace (perhaps Peaceful Prince).
The name Everlasting Father is a strange name for a new born baby. On one hand, it would be impossible for a child to be born as a father. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine a fragile little baby as everlasting or eternal.
Throughout the Hebrew Bible—the Old Testament—we find references to God as the Father of Israel. We can also find stories and references where the King of Israel functioned as a father-figure for the people. So, this might be a common reference to the son of the king. By virtue of his birth, everyone could acknowledge that one day he would grow into his role as the father-figure for God’s people.
However, I find in this a foreshadowing of one of Jesus’ themes found in the Gospel of John. In John 14, one of Jesus’ disciples—Philip—asked Jesus to show them the Heavenly Father. Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ (John 14: 9).”
Jesus addressed God as his Father and taught his disciples to address God as Father in prayer. BUT, Jesus also compared himself to God the Father and claimed to be of the same essence as the Father. I don’t want to go so far as to say Jesus claimed “equality” with God the Father, because Paul makes a point to say that Jesus did not “consider equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2: 6).” Yet, Jesus and the Father are One. To know the Son is to know the Father. They are of the same essence and nature. Jesus shared the same qualities and characteristics of God.
One of the characteristics of God that sets him apart from us is his eternity. God is eternal. You and I are not eternal. We are finite, temporary and limited by time and space. This makes it somewhat difficult for us to understand God’s eternal nature. Everlasting is perhaps the best we can do to understand eternity. There is no end to God. He is everlasting—lasting forever and ever and ever…
To say that God is eternal is to say that God cannot be measured. For example, I am a human being, and my life can be measured both in time and in space. My body is 5 foot 10 inches tall and weighs…You didn’t think I was really going to tell you how much I weigh. I have been alive for 37 years, 8 months, 1 week and 4 days. Time is one of the ways we can measure.
I have three children. Collin is 13 years old. Nathan is 10 years old. JoEllen is 3 years old. I don’t remember when I was 3, but I do remember when I was 10 and 13. I am not the same person today at 37 that I was at 3, 10 or 13. I have changed. Time is a measurement of the changes that have taken place in my life. To say that God is eternal is to say that God cannot be measured. God cannot be measured, because God does not change.
IV. Prince of Peace.
The fourth and final name used to describe the coming baby is “Prince of Peace.” We have reason to believe that Isaiah is pointing to the birth of King Ahaz’ own son who would eventually become king of Judah—Hezekiah. As the son of the sitting king, this new baby would be recognized immediately as a prince. All his life he would be treated like royalty, because one day he would become king. He stood to inherit everything the king currently holds—financial holdings, political power, even the war with the Israel-Aram coalition.
However, Hezekiah would be a different kind of king. He would not be like his father. Hezekiah’s birth was a promise of peace, not the continuation war.
You should not be surprised to hear that the Hebrew word for peace is “Shalom.” But it might surprise you that Shalom means something more than peace.
When you and I think of peace, we typically define it in terms of “the absence of conflict.” When the United States of America is at peace, it means that we are not fighting a war. When family life is peaceful, it means there is no conflict between us and our spouses. When the church is at peace, there is no one trying to fire the pastor. This is NOT what the Hebrew word Shalom means.
Shalom can be translated “peace.” But it can also be translated “well,” “whole,” or “complete.” In other words, Isaiah was not prophesying that God’s people would experience an absence of conflict in the future. Isaiah prophesied that God’s people would be made whole and complete through a future Prince of Shalom.
Hezekiah did not accomplish this wholeness for God’s people. He reigned as King of Judah for only 29 years. In fact, no political prince could offer wholeness to God’s people. There must be another baby, a true Prince of Peace.
V. Conclusion.
This was not the last time God’s hope for God’s people was confirmed in the birth of a baby. It happened in Isaiah 7; it happened again in Isaiah 9; and it happened a final time in the birth of Jesus. In fact, the writers of the New Testament have helped us to understand Isaiah’s prophecies about babies in terms of Jesus’ birth.
Sure, there was a baby born during the reign of King Ahaz with the name Immanuel. But that baby could not compare with Jesus—the unique Son of God. Jesus was the final fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that God would be present with God’s people.
Sure, there was a baby born during the reign of King Ahaz who would eventually support the weight of the government on his shoulders—probably Ahaz’ son Hezekiah. But, Hezekiah’s reign and life on earth were temporary and measurable. Jesus’ life is neither temporary nor measurable.
We might even say that the birth of Jesus was God’s “ spiritual bailout plan” for humanity. Through the birth of Jesus, God has done something for us that we could never have done for ourselves. He has brought us back to himself…through the birth of a baby boy!
[1] “Bailout,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailout.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008: Jesus: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God
Jesus: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God
Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
I. Introduction.
I have always had a kind of fascination with the figure of speech known as an oxymoron. This is when we place two opposite words side by side to make a point. This includes phrases like: pretty ugly; jumbo shrimp; deafening silence; holy war; United Nations; top floor; long shorts; Cooperative Baptists; organized religion…
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. This is the beginning of the Christmas season. As Christian men and women, we ought to use these next four weeks to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus.
Since today is the first Sunday of Advent, I can tell you with all confidence that Christmas is only four weeks away! We can’t stop it. Christmas is coming. This means we have only four weeks to get ready for the two greatest oxymorons of all time.
First, we are preparing for Silent Night! Whoever wrote that song did not have small children in his home! In the past 13 years, Christmas Eve has NEVER been a Silent Night in our household.
Second, we are preparing for the coming of the King. Jesus came to earth as the earth’s rightful King. But, he did not come with the expected royal trappings. There was no pomp and circumstance surrounding his birth. The King came to earth as a lowly baby, born in a stable. He lived a humble life and died the death of a criminal. Jesus is a King whose life did not resemble the life of a traditional king.
The birth of Jesus is told in only two of the four Gospels. Matthew tells us part of the story, while Luke tells us another part of the story. Mark and John do not tell us anything about the story of Jesus’ birth. Both Matthew and Luke go to great lengths to connect the dots between the birth of Jesus and the prophecies of the Old Testament. They realized that Jesus’ birth was no ordinary birth. Rather, this was the fulfillment of something promised by God and hoped for by God’s people for hundreds of years.
It was no coincidence that Jesus was born of a virgin…It was prophesied long ago. It was no coincidence that Jesus would be the Incarnation of God…It was prophesied long ago.
Read Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
II. Context.
In v. 1, Isaiah predicted that a light would one day shine across the dark land…Light is the only universal religious symbol recognized by all major world religions…Light = Good . . . Dark = Evil.
Symbolically, Isaiah was predicting a day when something good or pure would penetrate into the darkness of this world and transform the evil world into a good world…Like the sun rising in the east on a cold dark morning.
The original setting for this passage was probably a celebrative occasion…Jewish tradition interprets this as a song of rejoicing when Hezekiah became king of Judah…Israel and Judah had been divided for a little over 200 years…Both nations had their good kings & bad kings…At times, each had been controlled by other, wicked empires…Specifically, both had fallen prey to Assyria…But the people remembered the promise God had made to David back in the “good old days.”
Judah had a wicked king, Ahaz for the past 20 years…Ahaz had built altars to Damascus gods throughout the land…Ahaz encouraged people to worship in the “high places”…Ahaz had made a treaty with the king of Assyria…Ahaz became even more wicked as he got older.
Now, Judah’s only hope lay in the hands of Ahaz’ son, Hezekiah…At the time of his father’s death, Hezekiah was 25 yrs old.
And Hezekiah did meet the people’s expectations…He restored the Davidic rule by struggling to make Judah independent of Assyria…He restored the proper religious practices to Judah by tearing down all the high places and temples of false worship.
But Hezekiah’s fulfillment of expectations was incomplete to say the least…He could not unite the 2 kingdoms into one nation…His political & religious reforms only lasted a short time, until his son Manasseh became king…He could not bring the everlasting peace that Isaiah & the people hoped for.
This does not surprise you and me, because we have the luxury of 2600 years hindsight…As we look back through time, we know that Isaiah’s prophecies were not fully realized until Jesus Christ came into this world…We know this because, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel writers have interpreted Isaiah as pointing to Christ.
Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the Messianic expectations…Only Jesus can claim to be the True Light penetrating this dark & evil world.
That is why the Gospel of John used several different occasions to describe Jesus as the True Light of the World…John 1: 5, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”…John 8: 12, “Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
But remember, Hezekiah and his 29 years as king were not the perfect fulfillment of the Messianic expectations…Once Hezekiah’s reign ended, the people were back in the same situation they were once in.
It was only after the birth of Jesus that we have true reasons to rejoice…Our slavery to sin & the eternal consequences of sin have been lifted from our shoulders like a yoke…Our battle against this evil world will one day cease.
III. Wonderful Counselor.
Counselor => Someone who gives advice or guidance…Specifically, someone who gives WISE advice—the kind of advice you want to receive…
In the past few weeks, the news media has given us daily reports about President-elect Barack Obama. One of the consistent stories has been Obama’s process of assembling his Presidential Cabinet. These men and women will be advisors and counselors to the new President. This is a newsworthy story, because we believe you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their advisors. If this is true about a President, it ought to be true about us. Who are your “advisors?” Who are your “counselors?”
Advice is a very unique thing. It is the ONLY thing in life we would rather give than receive. But often times, advice is a necessary thing. None of us has all the answers. No one can be an expert in every situation and circumstance of life. But usually, God places people in our lives who have been through similar circumstances. These people can help us to understand and help us to recognize the right and wrong things to do. Anyone can learn from his or her own mistakes. A wise person can learn from the mistakes of others.
Jesus is someone who has been where you are. He has faced temptation and overcome it without sin. He has faced pain and death beyond anything we could ever imagine, and he triumphed over pain and death. Jesus was disappointed by his friends. He felt the pain of broken relationships. He was disowned by his own family and betrayed by a close friend. Jesus has even wept at the grave of someone he loved.
On one hand, Jesus is a Wonderful Counselor, because he has been where we are. On the other hand, Jesus is a Wonderful Counselor, because of his nature. Jesus is no ordinary man. Jesus is God…Or, as Isaiah says…Jesus is Mighty God.
IV. Mighty God.
Make no mistake about it. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus is God. AND, Jesus himself claimed to be God. Now, what are we going to do about that?
I believe Jesus’ claims about himself leave us with only three options. We must decide: Was Jesus a Liar? Was Jesus a Lunatic? Is Jesus Lord?
A. Was Jesus a Liar?
Almost everyone who has ever read the Gospels says that Jesus was a good and wise teacher. In fact, that is what Gandhi said about Jesus. However, Jesus cannot be a good man if he was a liar.
When Jesus claimed to be God, he has forced us to choose between two options. Either Jesus is God, or Jesus is a liar and as a consequence, a bad person. To say Jesus is God is offensive to non-Christians. To say Jesus is a bad person is offensive to Christians. To say Jesus was a good person is an attempt to offend no one. But it is an offense to Jesus.
If Jesus were a liar, then perhaps we can find his motive for lying. Everyone who lies is motivated by some selfish reason. Lying is an attempt to gain money, fame, pleasure or power. But, Jesus got none of these from his claim to be God. Instead, Jesus lived a life of poverty, hated by the world, tortured and eventually killed. Jesus even shunned all attempts people made to enthrone him as a political ruler. Jesus spent his time with the poor and oppressed, not the powerful elite.
B. Was Jesus a Lunatic?
There are people in mental health institutions who believe they are God. Perhaps Jesus did not intentionally lie to us. Perhaps he genuinely believed he was God, but was wrong about it.
People who have what is known as a “divinity complex” demonstrate certain diagnosable characteristics. They are egotistical, narcissistic, predictable and unable to love others. These characteristics do not fit what history says about Jesus. Jesus demonstrated wisdom by the answers he gave to his critics. He considered the needs of other people. He was unpredictable in the ways he lived and responded to others. And, Jesus showed love for other people by the way he ministered to needs and eventually gave his life as a sign of God’s love for us.
C. Is Jesus Lord?
If Jesus was not a Liar or a Lunatic, then we should take him at his word. He is the Son of God, who lived as an example for us and died to give us forgiveness of sin. God sent his Son to search for you. All of our efforts to search for God will fail. But God’s effort to search for us will succeed in our answer to the question: Who do you believe Jesus is?
V. Conclusion.
Christmas is coming. That means Jesus is coming. Of course, there are lots of people who don’t really want to admit that. They change the word Christmas to the word X-Mas or Holiday. Some people exchange greetings like “Happy Holidays.” Sadly, they think they can keep Christ out of Christmas. But they can’t. Jesus is coming.
Wal-Mart cannot keep Christ out of Christmas. They cannot stop his coming. In fact, none of us can stop Christ from coming. He is coming either as our invited guest or an as unwelcomed intruder. But Jesus is coming.
Let’s welcome him as our Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God.
Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
I. Introduction.
I have always had a kind of fascination with the figure of speech known as an oxymoron. This is when we place two opposite words side by side to make a point. This includes phrases like: pretty ugly; jumbo shrimp; deafening silence; holy war; United Nations; top floor; long shorts; Cooperative Baptists; organized religion…
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. This is the beginning of the Christmas season. As Christian men and women, we ought to use these next four weeks to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus.
Since today is the first Sunday of Advent, I can tell you with all confidence that Christmas is only four weeks away! We can’t stop it. Christmas is coming. This means we have only four weeks to get ready for the two greatest oxymorons of all time.
First, we are preparing for Silent Night! Whoever wrote that song did not have small children in his home! In the past 13 years, Christmas Eve has NEVER been a Silent Night in our household.
Second, we are preparing for the coming of the King. Jesus came to earth as the earth’s rightful King. But, he did not come with the expected royal trappings. There was no pomp and circumstance surrounding his birth. The King came to earth as a lowly baby, born in a stable. He lived a humble life and died the death of a criminal. Jesus is a King whose life did not resemble the life of a traditional king.
The birth of Jesus is told in only two of the four Gospels. Matthew tells us part of the story, while Luke tells us another part of the story. Mark and John do not tell us anything about the story of Jesus’ birth. Both Matthew and Luke go to great lengths to connect the dots between the birth of Jesus and the prophecies of the Old Testament. They realized that Jesus’ birth was no ordinary birth. Rather, this was the fulfillment of something promised by God and hoped for by God’s people for hundreds of years.
It was no coincidence that Jesus was born of a virgin…It was prophesied long ago. It was no coincidence that Jesus would be the Incarnation of God…It was prophesied long ago.
Read Isaiah 9: 1 – 7.
II. Context.
In v. 1, Isaiah predicted that a light would one day shine across the dark land…Light is the only universal religious symbol recognized by all major world religions…Light = Good . . . Dark = Evil.
Symbolically, Isaiah was predicting a day when something good or pure would penetrate into the darkness of this world and transform the evil world into a good world…Like the sun rising in the east on a cold dark morning.
The original setting for this passage was probably a celebrative occasion…Jewish tradition interprets this as a song of rejoicing when Hezekiah became king of Judah…Israel and Judah had been divided for a little over 200 years…Both nations had their good kings & bad kings…At times, each had been controlled by other, wicked empires…Specifically, both had fallen prey to Assyria…But the people remembered the promise God had made to David back in the “good old days.”
Judah had a wicked king, Ahaz for the past 20 years…Ahaz had built altars to Damascus gods throughout the land…Ahaz encouraged people to worship in the “high places”…Ahaz had made a treaty with the king of Assyria…Ahaz became even more wicked as he got older.
Now, Judah’s only hope lay in the hands of Ahaz’ son, Hezekiah…At the time of his father’s death, Hezekiah was 25 yrs old.
And Hezekiah did meet the people’s expectations…He restored the Davidic rule by struggling to make Judah independent of Assyria…He restored the proper religious practices to Judah by tearing down all the high places and temples of false worship.
But Hezekiah’s fulfillment of expectations was incomplete to say the least…He could not unite the 2 kingdoms into one nation…His political & religious reforms only lasted a short time, until his son Manasseh became king…He could not bring the everlasting peace that Isaiah & the people hoped for.
This does not surprise you and me, because we have the luxury of 2600 years hindsight…As we look back through time, we know that Isaiah’s prophecies were not fully realized until Jesus Christ came into this world…We know this because, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel writers have interpreted Isaiah as pointing to Christ.
Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the Messianic expectations…Only Jesus can claim to be the True Light penetrating this dark & evil world.
That is why the Gospel of John used several different occasions to describe Jesus as the True Light of the World…John 1: 5, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”…John 8: 12, “Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
But remember, Hezekiah and his 29 years as king were not the perfect fulfillment of the Messianic expectations…Once Hezekiah’s reign ended, the people were back in the same situation they were once in.
It was only after the birth of Jesus that we have true reasons to rejoice…Our slavery to sin & the eternal consequences of sin have been lifted from our shoulders like a yoke…Our battle against this evil world will one day cease.
III. Wonderful Counselor.
Counselor => Someone who gives advice or guidance…Specifically, someone who gives WISE advice—the kind of advice you want to receive…
In the past few weeks, the news media has given us daily reports about President-elect Barack Obama. One of the consistent stories has been Obama’s process of assembling his Presidential Cabinet. These men and women will be advisors and counselors to the new President. This is a newsworthy story, because we believe you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their advisors. If this is true about a President, it ought to be true about us. Who are your “advisors?” Who are your “counselors?”
Advice is a very unique thing. It is the ONLY thing in life we would rather give than receive. But often times, advice is a necessary thing. None of us has all the answers. No one can be an expert in every situation and circumstance of life. But usually, God places people in our lives who have been through similar circumstances. These people can help us to understand and help us to recognize the right and wrong things to do. Anyone can learn from his or her own mistakes. A wise person can learn from the mistakes of others.
Jesus is someone who has been where you are. He has faced temptation and overcome it without sin. He has faced pain and death beyond anything we could ever imagine, and he triumphed over pain and death. Jesus was disappointed by his friends. He felt the pain of broken relationships. He was disowned by his own family and betrayed by a close friend. Jesus has even wept at the grave of someone he loved.
On one hand, Jesus is a Wonderful Counselor, because he has been where we are. On the other hand, Jesus is a Wonderful Counselor, because of his nature. Jesus is no ordinary man. Jesus is God…Or, as Isaiah says…Jesus is Mighty God.
IV. Mighty God.
Make no mistake about it. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus is God. AND, Jesus himself claimed to be God. Now, what are we going to do about that?
I believe Jesus’ claims about himself leave us with only three options. We must decide: Was Jesus a Liar? Was Jesus a Lunatic? Is Jesus Lord?
A. Was Jesus a Liar?
Almost everyone who has ever read the Gospels says that Jesus was a good and wise teacher. In fact, that is what Gandhi said about Jesus. However, Jesus cannot be a good man if he was a liar.
When Jesus claimed to be God, he has forced us to choose between two options. Either Jesus is God, or Jesus is a liar and as a consequence, a bad person. To say Jesus is God is offensive to non-Christians. To say Jesus is a bad person is offensive to Christians. To say Jesus was a good person is an attempt to offend no one. But it is an offense to Jesus.
If Jesus were a liar, then perhaps we can find his motive for lying. Everyone who lies is motivated by some selfish reason. Lying is an attempt to gain money, fame, pleasure or power. But, Jesus got none of these from his claim to be God. Instead, Jesus lived a life of poverty, hated by the world, tortured and eventually killed. Jesus even shunned all attempts people made to enthrone him as a political ruler. Jesus spent his time with the poor and oppressed, not the powerful elite.
B. Was Jesus a Lunatic?
There are people in mental health institutions who believe they are God. Perhaps Jesus did not intentionally lie to us. Perhaps he genuinely believed he was God, but was wrong about it.
People who have what is known as a “divinity complex” demonstrate certain diagnosable characteristics. They are egotistical, narcissistic, predictable and unable to love others. These characteristics do not fit what history says about Jesus. Jesus demonstrated wisdom by the answers he gave to his critics. He considered the needs of other people. He was unpredictable in the ways he lived and responded to others. And, Jesus showed love for other people by the way he ministered to needs and eventually gave his life as a sign of God’s love for us.
C. Is Jesus Lord?
If Jesus was not a Liar or a Lunatic, then we should take him at his word. He is the Son of God, who lived as an example for us and died to give us forgiveness of sin. God sent his Son to search for you. All of our efforts to search for God will fail. But God’s effort to search for us will succeed in our answer to the question: Who do you believe Jesus is?
V. Conclusion.
Christmas is coming. That means Jesus is coming. Of course, there are lots of people who don’t really want to admit that. They change the word Christmas to the word X-Mas or Holiday. Some people exchange greetings like “Happy Holidays.” Sadly, they think they can keep Christ out of Christmas. But they can’t. Jesus is coming.
Wal-Mart cannot keep Christ out of Christmas. They cannot stop his coming. In fact, none of us can stop Christ from coming. He is coming either as our invited guest or an as unwelcomed intruder. But Jesus is coming.
Let’s welcome him as our Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Future Focus Committee Report and Motion
Below is a copy of my presentation to the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting on Monday, November 10, 2008. This is the manuscript I prepared and had in front of me. The actual words that came out of my mouth were probably a little different.
==========
Before I present the recommendation from the Future Focus Committee, I want to say “Thank you” to Joy Fenner, Mike Masser, Jeff Raines, John Petty and Steve Dominy for appointing me to this committee. I want to say “thank you” first, because once the discussion begins, I might not feel as grateful.
Leonard Sweet tells a story about a church that extended a call to a new pastor. As the new pastor stood before the congregation to accept the call, he announced: “I am going to lead this church into the Twentieth Century.” The chairman of the search committee corrected the new pastor, “You mean the Twenty-FIRST Century.” The pastor said, “Slow down. Let’s go one century at a time.”
When the Baptist General Convention of Texas was formed in 1886 at the First Baptist Church of Waco, it was the merger of two Baptist bodies—the Baptist General Association and the Baptist State Convention. Our forefathers created the very best convention structure the Nineteenth Century had to offer.
In the Twentieth Century, there were three study committees appointed to study the work of the convention and make recommendations for change—1957, 1966 and 1995. These committees made numerous recommendations to the convention. Some of these recommendations were accepted, and many were rejected. The result was a large, bureaucratic, Twentieth Century convention structure.
The Future Focus Committee is the first study committee appointed in the Twenty-First Century. We believe our task is to move our state convention into the Twenty-First Century. Granted, the rest of the world entered the Twenty-First Century in 2001.
In our first Future Focus Committee meeting, we discussed two possible recommendations we might suggest at the 2009 annual meeting. On one hand, we could spend two years studying the convention and return to you with a recommendation to do nothing—to leave the Twentieth Century structures in place. On the other hand, we could return to this convention with recommendations for change.
We have rejected the first option. We will not return to you next year with recommendations to remain the same.
The circumstances which led to the formation of the Future Focus Committee can be described as a “perfect storm” of external and internal factors. External Factors include: rise of post-denominationalism; decline in baptisms and membership in all denominations; the loss of the World War 2 generation which includes the best stewards in all our churches; a national economic crisis; and the loss of investment income for our convention. Internal Factors include: a ten year decline in Cooperative Program gifts; a reduced 2009 budget that reflects our current economic reality; a loss of trust among our members; and decreased participation in convention activities—specifically a decrease in young adults’ participating in the convention.
However, there is one good Internal Factor we can report. We have a new Executive Director who has come in with a vision for our convention to identify and fulfill our Kingdom Assignment—to share the hope of Christ with every person in the state of Texas by Easter Sunday, 2010.
Our final report will be presented to this convention at the 2009 annual meeting. The final report will recommend changes for our convention. We will present only one change to be addressed at this annual meeting. In the first business session this afternoon, I will present a motion from our committee recommending that we change the name of our convention. This is the beginning of something new—a Twenty-First Century convention for all Texas Baptists.
We have prepared a handout to explain the committee's rationale for changing the name of the convention. You will receive this handout from the ushers as you leave the room--following the business session.
==========
On behalf of the Future Focus Committee, I move to restate the articles of incorporation to include changing the name of the organization to the Texas Baptist Convention and to amend the constitution to reflect this change.
==========
Before I present the recommendation from the Future Focus Committee, I want to say “Thank you” to Joy Fenner, Mike Masser, Jeff Raines, John Petty and Steve Dominy for appointing me to this committee. I want to say “thank you” first, because once the discussion begins, I might not feel as grateful.
Leonard Sweet tells a story about a church that extended a call to a new pastor. As the new pastor stood before the congregation to accept the call, he announced: “I am going to lead this church into the Twentieth Century.” The chairman of the search committee corrected the new pastor, “You mean the Twenty-FIRST Century.” The pastor said, “Slow down. Let’s go one century at a time.”
When the Baptist General Convention of Texas was formed in 1886 at the First Baptist Church of Waco, it was the merger of two Baptist bodies—the Baptist General Association and the Baptist State Convention. Our forefathers created the very best convention structure the Nineteenth Century had to offer.
In the Twentieth Century, there were three study committees appointed to study the work of the convention and make recommendations for change—1957, 1966 and 1995. These committees made numerous recommendations to the convention. Some of these recommendations were accepted, and many were rejected. The result was a large, bureaucratic, Twentieth Century convention structure.
The Future Focus Committee is the first study committee appointed in the Twenty-First Century. We believe our task is to move our state convention into the Twenty-First Century. Granted, the rest of the world entered the Twenty-First Century in 2001.
In our first Future Focus Committee meeting, we discussed two possible recommendations we might suggest at the 2009 annual meeting. On one hand, we could spend two years studying the convention and return to you with a recommendation to do nothing—to leave the Twentieth Century structures in place. On the other hand, we could return to this convention with recommendations for change.
We have rejected the first option. We will not return to you next year with recommendations to remain the same.
The circumstances which led to the formation of the Future Focus Committee can be described as a “perfect storm” of external and internal factors. External Factors include: rise of post-denominationalism; decline in baptisms and membership in all denominations; the loss of the World War 2 generation which includes the best stewards in all our churches; a national economic crisis; and the loss of investment income for our convention. Internal Factors include: a ten year decline in Cooperative Program gifts; a reduced 2009 budget that reflects our current economic reality; a loss of trust among our members; and decreased participation in convention activities—specifically a decrease in young adults’ participating in the convention.
However, there is one good Internal Factor we can report. We have a new Executive Director who has come in with a vision for our convention to identify and fulfill our Kingdom Assignment—to share the hope of Christ with every person in the state of Texas by Easter Sunday, 2010.
Our final report will be presented to this convention at the 2009 annual meeting. The final report will recommend changes for our convention. We will present only one change to be addressed at this annual meeting. In the first business session this afternoon, I will present a motion from our committee recommending that we change the name of our convention. This is the beginning of something new—a Twenty-First Century convention for all Texas Baptists.
We have prepared a handout to explain the committee's rationale for changing the name of the convention. You will receive this handout from the ushers as you leave the room--following the business session.
==========
On behalf of the Future Focus Committee, I move to restate the articles of incorporation to include changing the name of the organization to the Texas Baptist Convention and to amend the constitution to reflect this change.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Texas Baptist Convention
Stephen Hatfield and I serve as co-chairs for a Baptist General Convention of Texas committee known as the Future Focus Committee. This committee was formed as a result of a motion made from the floor of the 2007 Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Amarillo. The motion which created our committee reads:
I move that the officers of the BGCT and the officers of the Executive Board appoint a study committee of no more than 25 members to consider the shared vision of the BGCT.
The committee would meet after the new Executive Director has been selected and make reports to the Executive Board at their regularly scheduled meetings. A final report will be made no later than the 2009 Annual Meeting.
The committee will study, analyze and project income for the BGCT and address relationships between the BGCT and its institutions.
The purpose of this committee is to determine the best use of resources to win Texas and the world to Jesus Christ and to encourage and support the ministries to which God has called us.
I move that the officers of the BGCT and the officers of the Executive Board appoint a study committee of no more than 25 members to consider the shared vision of the BGCT.
The committee would meet after the new Executive Director has been selected and make reports to the Executive Board at their regularly scheduled meetings. A final report will be made no later than the 2009 Annual Meeting.
The committee will study, analyze and project income for the BGCT and address relationships between the BGCT and its institutions.
The purpose of this committee is to determine the best use of resources to win Texas and the world to Jesus Christ and to encourage and support the ministries to which God has called us.
Stephen and I began meeting with the Baptist General Convention of Texas president (Joy Fenner) and executive director (Randel Everett) in March. This was within Dr. Everett’s first couple of weeks of employment as the new executive director.
In our first meeting, Dr. Everett presented us with a set of three questions to determine the mission and values of our state convention. What is the Baptist General Convention of Texas passionate about? What does the Baptist General Convention of Texas do better than anyone else in the world? What does the Baptist General Convention of Texas do that duplicates what others do as well or better than we do?
Stephen and I asked Dr. Everett to present these same questions to the full Future Focus Committee at our first meeting in May 2008. This began a lively exchange of ideas which could be categorized as our “dreams” and our “fears.”
One topic we have addressed numerous times in our committee meetings is the way church people in Texas view the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Sadly, many people do not understand our historic Baptist polity which places the local church at the top of the decision making process and organizational chart. As a result, many people equate the Baptist General Convention of Texas with the building which houses the Executive Board Staff in Dallas.
The “Baptist Building” in Dallas is not the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The Baptist General Convention of Texas is a fellowship of cooperating churches who together accomplish the work of evangelism / missions, Christian education and advocacy for the “least of these” among us.
In November 2009, the Future Focus Committee will make our final report to the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Our final report will contain a new vision for the future. This new vision will contain a clear description of our values as well as changes in the methods we use to implement our values. This final report is not complete. We have defined our vision and our values in our first three meetings. We will devote the remainder of our time to work out the details of implementing our vision and values for the future.
On Monday, November 10, Stephen Hatfield and I will make a recommendation from the Future Focus Committee to change the name of the Baptist General Convention of Texas to the Texas Baptist Convention. This recommendation has been reported in at least two news articles:
http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8752&Itemid=53
http://www.bgct.org/texasbaptists/Page.aspx?pid=5581&srcid=178
We believe Texas Baptist Convention describes who we are and the way we often describe ourselves in informal conversations. We call ourselves “Texas Baptists” and even used that terminology as the title of the sesquicentennial history of our state convention!
We also believe changing our name to the Texas Baptist Convention provides us with an opportunity to forge our own unique identity not tied to any national organization. As the Texas Baptist Convention, we can provide a mechanism for all Texas Baptist men, women and churches to cooperate around our shared vision and values regardless of national affiliation.
This proposal is not the sum total of the Future Focus Committee’s accomplishments. It is one part—the first step—of a broad strategy which is currently being worked out in detail. The full details will be presented in our final report at the 2009 annual meeting. Our goal is to have this final report in written form before the September 2009 Executive Board meeting. This will ensure enough time for our report to be printed and reviewed by all messengers before the annual meeting.
The name change will be presented on Monday, because it requires two votes at consecutive annual meetings before it can be implemented. Therefore, we need to begin the process of changing the name at this annual meeting in order to adopt the complete report at the 2009 annual meeting.
Stephen Hatfield and I urge all Texas Baptists to participate in the 2008 annual meeting in Fort Worth to voice your point of view and to vote your conscience. Since, this name change will require two votes at consecutive annual meetings, we will not actually adopt the name change until next year. An affirmative vote on Monday does not change the name of the convention. However, a negative vote on Monday prevents us from adopting the name change as a part of the Future Focus Committee’s final report in 2009.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008: Good and Faithful Servants
Good and Faithful Servants
Matthew 25: 14 - 30.
I. Introduction.
How should Christians respond to a struggling economy? What about the church? How should our church respond to the economic pressures we are facing?
I told you a week ago that the church is not exempt from economic woes. We depend on all our members to give voluntarily to support the work of the church. We don’t send you a bill every month. We don’t turn your family over to a collection agency if you have missed a payment. However, we do experience financial ups and downs as the economy goes up and down.
But Christians are not like the rest of the world. We are not like those who have no hope. We don’t worship the “golden bull” of Wall Street. We worship Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust cannot destroy.
If our greatest treasure is a heavenly treasure, then we ought to face economic uncertainty differently than the rest of the world. I have already answered the question for us this morning, but it is worth repeating. How should Christians respond to a struggling economy? How should our church respond? We should respond by being faithful to the work Jesus left us to do.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read a story Jesus told us about being faithful.
Read Matthew 25: 14 – 30
Matthew 24 contains one of Jesus’ extended teachings known as the Eschatological Discourse. “Eschatological” is a word they teach us in seminary. Specifically, they teach us never to use words like “eschatological” in our sermons. It basically means, “end times.” Therefore, we ought to read this section of Scripture with the knowledge that Jesus is teaching us about the “end times.”
This does not mean Jesus gave us a timetable or a checklist to follow. No. Jesus never told us exactly what we could expect at the end of time. Rather, Jesus simply taught us two things. On one hand, the world we live in will not last forever. It is temporary and by nature will one day come to an end. On the other hand, Jesus taught us that we would have to wait. In fact, this is the primary thing Jesus taught us about the end of the created order. It will not happen when we think it will happen. We need to be prepared to wait for the end to come.
Throughout all Christian history, we can find evidence of men and women who thought they knew more about the end of the world than Jesus knew. Men and women have made predictions. And each time, those predictions have proven false. Perhaps if we spent more time listening to Jesus’ actual teachings about the end of the world, we might actually follow his advice. Wait. Be patient. Stay busy.
This parable is one of five parables in this section of the Gospel of Matthew. These parables are part of a longer discourse, spoken by Jesus to teach his disciples about the coming day of judgment. In Matthew 24: 3, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them the signs of the time so that they would know when the final judgment would come. But Jesus surprised everyone in Matthew 24: 36, by saying that there were no signs. He said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
The five parables all focus on several common themes.
1. Judgment Day is really coming…It will come suddenly and unexpectedly.
2. It seems that judgment has been delayed by the master staying in a foreign country longer than anyone expected.
3. The characters in the parables are divided into two groups…Those who are ready…Those who are not ready…
4. Those who are ready will be rewarded in judgment.
5. Those who are not ready will be punished in judgment.
The theme of this parable is “Being Ready” for the Lord’s return. The parable defines readiness as “Responsibility”—especially responsibility with the Lord’s resources while he is not physically present on earth.
The master entrusted his own money to his servants so they could take care of it while he was away. He gave to each one according to his ability. Therefore, the fact that he gave five talents to one, two talents to the second, and one talent to the third indicates that he trusted them differently. He trusted one more than the others and one less than the others.
Many have interpreted this parable in terms of human abilities because of the use of the English word “talent.” However, this parable is actually about money. The talent was the monetary measurement equal to 6,000 denarii. One denarius was the usual daily wage of a working man—it was the minimum wage of the First Century. If a man worked six days a week with no time off, he could earn one talent in about 20 years.
Since we do not trade in either denarii or talents, let’s estimate dollar amounts for this parable. Minimum wage is $6.55 per hour, or just over $13,000 annually. This means that in 20 years, a minimum wage employee would make a little over $200,000.
Therefore, the servant who was entrusted with one talent actually received $260,000; the servant who was entrusted with two talents received $520,000; and the servant who was entrusted with five talents received $1.3 Million. All three of these servants were trusted to take care of large sums of money—a fortune.
The issue at stake here is not properly understood in the amount of money. The issue is how responsible, or faithful, were the servants with what they had received. At stake here is what the servants will do when no one is looking.
Since this is a parable about the coming judgment that teaches us how important it is for us to be ready, we might expect the story to tell us about a wealthy master and his TWO servants. But that is not the case at all. This is a story about a wealthy master and his THREE servants. We might expect the parable to illustrate its point by telling about one servant who was ready and one who was not ready. But with three servants, the story gets a little more complicated.
II. The Successful Servant.
We believe that the three servants were each highly respected and trusted members of their master’s workforce. However, we also believe that the master did not trust them equally. If the master had trusted all three servants equally, then he would have divided his wealth into three equal parts to distribute among the three. This servant was trusted more than any of the others and received the most money.
Then the servant went to work with his share of the money and invested it wisely. We don’t know what he did with the money. All we know is that he was willing to take a pretty big risk in order to double the money from $1.3 Million to $2.6 Million.
When the master returned, he was pleased that the servant had earned an additional $1.3 Million. He rewarded this servant by commending him in front of all the other servants and inviting him into the master’s happiness—perhaps this is a special celebration, or at least it is a special, joyful relationship between the master and the servant.
From the world’s point of view, this servant received the most money…he made the most money…Therefore he was the most successful of the three…Is this God’s same view of what it means to be successful?
III. The Excellent Servant.
This servant was trusted a little less than the first. He received a little less than half of what the first servant received.
Just like the first servant, this servant also went to work investing his master’s money. And the same thing happened. We don’t know how he invested it, but it doubled his money…$520,000 became $1 Million…
It is always good when you can double your money. But even after his investment has doubled, it is still less than half of what the first servant has…$520,000 became $1 Million…But that is a far cry from $2.6 Million dollars… This servant was not the most successful of the three, but he did do his best with what he had been given.
In the world’s eyes, this servant was not the most successful. But he definitely did an EXCELLENT job. If we call the first servant the Successful Servant, then perhaps we can call this servant the Excellent Servant.
What was the master looking for? Was he looking for Success? Superiority? If so, then only the first servant would have pleased him. Verse 23 clearly states the master’s pleasure with this servant.
Read Verse 23… Does that verse sound familiar? This is exactly the same reward the first servant received… Read Verse 21
Since these two verse are exactly alike, I believe this is the key to interpreting the parable. God has not called us to be the most successful. God has not called us to be better than everybody else. NO! God has called us to do the very best we can possibly do with the resources and gifts he has blessed us with.
IV. The Servant Who Failed.
We often look at this servant and think that he wasn’t trusted. In fact he was trusted and was blessed with 20 years worth of salary—$260,000 in today’s money.
He had the same amount of time and the same amount of opportunity to act responsibly with the master’s money. Yet he failed.
Why did this servant fail? Because he acted out of fear of his master… Read verses 24 – 25. The other 2 acted out of love for master, they wanted to please him. This servant was afraid and wanted nothing more than to save his own life.
He didn’t think about his master. He didn’t think about the other servants. He only thought about himself and how he could continue to live the life he had always wanted to live.
There are times when we act like this servant. Anytime we respond to God out of fear of punishment, we fail just like this servant failed. Anytime we give a tithe to the church so that God has his share and will not be angry, we fail like this servant.
But anytime we give 100% of our time, money, abilities, etc—out of a desire to please God, we succeed like the first two servants.
V. Conclusion: Faithfulness and Stewardship.
The words the master spoke to the first two servants were identical: “Well done good and faithful servant.” The words spoken to the other servant were different: “You wicked, lazy servant!” In fact, I would argue that we should interpret these words as opposites.
For example, it is obvious to us that wicked is the opposite of good. But how often do we think of lazy as the opposite of faithful?
When we read this parable literally, we learn about how Christians ought to be faithful with the financial resources God has given us. And that is an important lesson for us to hear and remember in our current economic situation.
However, we can also read this parable spiritually. Jesus is coming back. He hasn’t come back yet, but he is coming back. How will we live and work in the meantime? How will Jesus find us upon his return?
Will Jesus find us good and faithful? Or will Jesus find us wicked and lazy?
Again, notice that in verse 21 and verse 23, the master’s joy was the same in each case. God does not require us to be the most successful. God is pleased with us when we are faithful, or excellent, with what we have been given.
The parable provides a good lesson in stewardship. Stewardship is an old KJV word which describes the concept of a person of lesser social standing taking care of the property of a person of a higher social standing. It is the same concept in our relationship with God. God does not need our money, our abilities, our time, etc… However, he asks that we use them for his glory and his kingdom until he returns.
God asks that we be faithful stewards. God honors us for our excellence in service. God does not demand that we advance to the top.
What has God entrusted to your care? I didn’t ask how much or what you thought you deserved. What are you doing with God’s gifts to you? Are you faithful, responsible, excellent enough to be trusted with more?
Matthew 25: 14 - 30.
I. Introduction.
How should Christians respond to a struggling economy? What about the church? How should our church respond to the economic pressures we are facing?
I told you a week ago that the church is not exempt from economic woes. We depend on all our members to give voluntarily to support the work of the church. We don’t send you a bill every month. We don’t turn your family over to a collection agency if you have missed a payment. However, we do experience financial ups and downs as the economy goes up and down.
But Christians are not like the rest of the world. We are not like those who have no hope. We don’t worship the “golden bull” of Wall Street. We worship Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust cannot destroy.
If our greatest treasure is a heavenly treasure, then we ought to face economic uncertainty differently than the rest of the world. I have already answered the question for us this morning, but it is worth repeating. How should Christians respond to a struggling economy? How should our church respond? We should respond by being faithful to the work Jesus left us to do.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read a story Jesus told us about being faithful.
Read Matthew 25: 14 – 30
Matthew 24 contains one of Jesus’ extended teachings known as the Eschatological Discourse. “Eschatological” is a word they teach us in seminary. Specifically, they teach us never to use words like “eschatological” in our sermons. It basically means, “end times.” Therefore, we ought to read this section of Scripture with the knowledge that Jesus is teaching us about the “end times.”
This does not mean Jesus gave us a timetable or a checklist to follow. No. Jesus never told us exactly what we could expect at the end of time. Rather, Jesus simply taught us two things. On one hand, the world we live in will not last forever. It is temporary and by nature will one day come to an end. On the other hand, Jesus taught us that we would have to wait. In fact, this is the primary thing Jesus taught us about the end of the created order. It will not happen when we think it will happen. We need to be prepared to wait for the end to come.
Throughout all Christian history, we can find evidence of men and women who thought they knew more about the end of the world than Jesus knew. Men and women have made predictions. And each time, those predictions have proven false. Perhaps if we spent more time listening to Jesus’ actual teachings about the end of the world, we might actually follow his advice. Wait. Be patient. Stay busy.
This parable is one of five parables in this section of the Gospel of Matthew. These parables are part of a longer discourse, spoken by Jesus to teach his disciples about the coming day of judgment. In Matthew 24: 3, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them the signs of the time so that they would know when the final judgment would come. But Jesus surprised everyone in Matthew 24: 36, by saying that there were no signs. He said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
The five parables all focus on several common themes.
1. Judgment Day is really coming…It will come suddenly and unexpectedly.
2. It seems that judgment has been delayed by the master staying in a foreign country longer than anyone expected.
3. The characters in the parables are divided into two groups…Those who are ready…Those who are not ready…
4. Those who are ready will be rewarded in judgment.
5. Those who are not ready will be punished in judgment.
The theme of this parable is “Being Ready” for the Lord’s return. The parable defines readiness as “Responsibility”—especially responsibility with the Lord’s resources while he is not physically present on earth.
The master entrusted his own money to his servants so they could take care of it while he was away. He gave to each one according to his ability. Therefore, the fact that he gave five talents to one, two talents to the second, and one talent to the third indicates that he trusted them differently. He trusted one more than the others and one less than the others.
Many have interpreted this parable in terms of human abilities because of the use of the English word “talent.” However, this parable is actually about money. The talent was the monetary measurement equal to 6,000 denarii. One denarius was the usual daily wage of a working man—it was the minimum wage of the First Century. If a man worked six days a week with no time off, he could earn one talent in about 20 years.
Since we do not trade in either denarii or talents, let’s estimate dollar amounts for this parable. Minimum wage is $6.55 per hour, or just over $13,000 annually. This means that in 20 years, a minimum wage employee would make a little over $200,000.
Therefore, the servant who was entrusted with one talent actually received $260,000; the servant who was entrusted with two talents received $520,000; and the servant who was entrusted with five talents received $1.3 Million. All three of these servants were trusted to take care of large sums of money—a fortune.
The issue at stake here is not properly understood in the amount of money. The issue is how responsible, or faithful, were the servants with what they had received. At stake here is what the servants will do when no one is looking.
Since this is a parable about the coming judgment that teaches us how important it is for us to be ready, we might expect the story to tell us about a wealthy master and his TWO servants. But that is not the case at all. This is a story about a wealthy master and his THREE servants. We might expect the parable to illustrate its point by telling about one servant who was ready and one who was not ready. But with three servants, the story gets a little more complicated.
II. The Successful Servant.
We believe that the three servants were each highly respected and trusted members of their master’s workforce. However, we also believe that the master did not trust them equally. If the master had trusted all three servants equally, then he would have divided his wealth into three equal parts to distribute among the three. This servant was trusted more than any of the others and received the most money.
Then the servant went to work with his share of the money and invested it wisely. We don’t know what he did with the money. All we know is that he was willing to take a pretty big risk in order to double the money from $1.3 Million to $2.6 Million.
When the master returned, he was pleased that the servant had earned an additional $1.3 Million. He rewarded this servant by commending him in front of all the other servants and inviting him into the master’s happiness—perhaps this is a special celebration, or at least it is a special, joyful relationship between the master and the servant.
From the world’s point of view, this servant received the most money…he made the most money…Therefore he was the most successful of the three…Is this God’s same view of what it means to be successful?
III. The Excellent Servant.
This servant was trusted a little less than the first. He received a little less than half of what the first servant received.
Just like the first servant, this servant also went to work investing his master’s money. And the same thing happened. We don’t know how he invested it, but it doubled his money…$520,000 became $1 Million…
It is always good when you can double your money. But even after his investment has doubled, it is still less than half of what the first servant has…$520,000 became $1 Million…But that is a far cry from $2.6 Million dollars… This servant was not the most successful of the three, but he did do his best with what he had been given.
In the world’s eyes, this servant was not the most successful. But he definitely did an EXCELLENT job. If we call the first servant the Successful Servant, then perhaps we can call this servant the Excellent Servant.
What was the master looking for? Was he looking for Success? Superiority? If so, then only the first servant would have pleased him. Verse 23 clearly states the master’s pleasure with this servant.
Read Verse 23… Does that verse sound familiar? This is exactly the same reward the first servant received… Read Verse 21
Since these two verse are exactly alike, I believe this is the key to interpreting the parable. God has not called us to be the most successful. God has not called us to be better than everybody else. NO! God has called us to do the very best we can possibly do with the resources and gifts he has blessed us with.
IV. The Servant Who Failed.
We often look at this servant and think that he wasn’t trusted. In fact he was trusted and was blessed with 20 years worth of salary—$260,000 in today’s money.
He had the same amount of time and the same amount of opportunity to act responsibly with the master’s money. Yet he failed.
Why did this servant fail? Because he acted out of fear of his master… Read verses 24 – 25. The other 2 acted out of love for master, they wanted to please him. This servant was afraid and wanted nothing more than to save his own life.
He didn’t think about his master. He didn’t think about the other servants. He only thought about himself and how he could continue to live the life he had always wanted to live.
There are times when we act like this servant. Anytime we respond to God out of fear of punishment, we fail just like this servant failed. Anytime we give a tithe to the church so that God has his share and will not be angry, we fail like this servant.
But anytime we give 100% of our time, money, abilities, etc—out of a desire to please God, we succeed like the first two servants.
V. Conclusion: Faithfulness and Stewardship.
The words the master spoke to the first two servants were identical: “Well done good and faithful servant.” The words spoken to the other servant were different: “You wicked, lazy servant!” In fact, I would argue that we should interpret these words as opposites.
For example, it is obvious to us that wicked is the opposite of good. But how often do we think of lazy as the opposite of faithful?
When we read this parable literally, we learn about how Christians ought to be faithful with the financial resources God has given us. And that is an important lesson for us to hear and remember in our current economic situation.
However, we can also read this parable spiritually. Jesus is coming back. He hasn’t come back yet, but he is coming back. How will we live and work in the meantime? How will Jesus find us upon his return?
Will Jesus find us good and faithful? Or will Jesus find us wicked and lazy?
Again, notice that in verse 21 and verse 23, the master’s joy was the same in each case. God does not require us to be the most successful. God is pleased with us when we are faithful, or excellent, with what we have been given.
The parable provides a good lesson in stewardship. Stewardship is an old KJV word which describes the concept of a person of lesser social standing taking care of the property of a person of a higher social standing. It is the same concept in our relationship with God. God does not need our money, our abilities, our time, etc… However, he asks that we use them for his glory and his kingdom until he returns.
God asks that we be faithful stewards. God honors us for our excellence in service. God does not demand that we advance to the top.
What has God entrusted to your care? I didn’t ask how much or what you thought you deserved. What are you doing with God’s gifts to you? Are you faithful, responsible, excellent enough to be trusted with more?
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008: Generous Faith
Generous Faith
Acts 16: 6 – 15.
I. Introduction.
There is a real crisis taking place in our nation right now. It is very difficult to watch any news programming without hearing the bad news about our slumping economy. Housing values are falling. Unemployment is rising. The price of gas and milk is up. And the stock market is up sometimes but down within an hour—it is like a roller coaster ride.
Working families are struggling. Retired people are anxiously watching their retirement savings. The federal government has committed $700 Billion to bailout our credit and lending system. But none of us really know who they bailed out. Did they bail out “Wall Street?” “Main Street?” Or the street we live on?
This crisis goes beyond Wall Street and Main Street to affect Church Street. Of course, you know our church depends on your voluntary, charitable gifts to operate. And, Yes, we have experienced our own type of “economic downturn” in our church’s budget. But there is an even greater crisis on Church Street.
While not many people will stand up and admit this in public, money is the national god of the United States of America. We worship our salaries, earning potential, saving accounts, credit cards and 401 (k) retirement accounts. After all, the terrorists who attacked our country in 2001 had religious motives. They attacked our culture, but they also attacked our religion—the Pentagon (military power) and the World Trade Center (economic power).
I do not mean to suggest that our current economic woes are the result of the 2001 terrorist attacks. No. We did this to ourselves. But we feel helpless as we watch our national gods crumble before our eyes. How will Americans respond now that it is apparent that money cannot save us? How will you and I respond? How will we break away from our idolatrous culture? How will we live in a committed relationship with the One True God who can save us—the God who sent his Only Begotten Son, Jesus, to live, die and rise again?
Idolatry affects all of us. However, men and women think differently about money. Both men and women are susceptible to an idolatrous dependence on money. But we do it for different reasons. Men tend to idolize money because of the power and prestige money brings us. Men look up to and admire other men who have more money. Women tend to idolize money for the safety and security money brings.
In 2006, The Washington Times published a survey of 2,000 women and their views on money. 90 percent of the women who participated in the survey indicated that they were fearful of becoming destitute by the end of their lives. Surprisingly, this was also true of women who had annual incomes over $100,000.[1]
The story we read today from the Book of Acts is about a financially successful woman named Lydia. Perhaps Lydia struggled with her own fears of one day being destitute. We don’t really know if she did or not. But we do find in Lydia a model for wealthy people to break free from an idolatrous view of money. Lydia worked hard for the security of a high salary and large savings account. Yet, Lydia did not worship her money.
Read Acts 16: 6 – 15.
The story does not begin by introducing us to Lydia. Rather, the story begins with Paul and his traveling companions.
At the end of Acts 15, Paul suggested to Barnabas that they go on their second missionary journey together. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. Paul was adamantly opposed to this idea. After a sharp disagreement, these two missionaries decided to go there separate ways. Barnabas took John Mark and traveled West to Cyprus. Paul took a man named Silas and traveled North to Syria.
Paul and Silas began their mission by visiting the same cities where Paul had first preached the Gospel with Barnabas. The first mission had been very difficult, but they had found some success. In the first mission, Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogues for Sabbath worship and preached about Jesus as the fulfillment of all the Jewish prophecies about the Messiah. Typically, the Jews heard the Gospel with mixed responses. Some of the Jews believed in Jesus. Most of the Jews were angered and threatened to kill Paul and Barnabas. These threats caused Paul and Barnabas to turn their attention to the Gentiles. Many of the Gentiles accepted the message of salvation. Then, Paul and Barnabas helped these new believers organize themselves into Christian churches. The second missionary journey began as an encouragement to the new Christians and to check on how the new churches were doing.
In the city of Lystra, Paul and Silas met a young man named Timothy. Timothy was from a mixed backgrouns. His father was a Greek, but his mother was a Jew. Timothy was a fine Christian young man. He had a great reputation among the people of Lystra. More than likely, Timothy had become a Christian as a result of Paul’s preaching in Lystra. Either Timothy had become a believer during Paul’s first visit there. Or, Timothy had become a Christian through the church Paul helped establish. Which ever was the case, Paul was so impressed with Timothy that he invited Timothy to join them in the mission. The mission team grew from two to three.
Paul was a man with a plan. Now that he had checked on the churches, he wanted to go into a new region. Specifically, Paul wanted to go into the province of Asia. But, sometimes even godly men like Paul have to change their plans. Paul wanted to go to Asia, but the HOLY SPIRIT prevented him. We don’t know if this was a physical problem—like an illness—that kept him from his plans or some kind of mystical experience. All that matters is that Paul changed his plans when his plans did not match God’s plans. The mission trip was interrupted by God.
Paul adjusted his plans a second time. This time he planned to take his group into Bithynia. And, once again, Paul’s plans were interrupted by God’s plans.
Timothy was not the only person to join Paul and Silas on the mission. In verse 10, we witness a subtle shift in the narration of the Book of Acts. (Acts 16: 8 – 10…“So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia.”
Two things happened in these verses. First, Paul had to change his plans AGAIN, for the third time. This time, we know it was the result of a mystical experience. Paul saw a vision from God. Second, Paul picked up another traveling companion. Since we believe the Book of Acts was written by a man named Luke, and here the narration shifts from third person to first person, we can assume Luke joined the mission team. Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke traveled into Macedonia to preach the Gospel in a new area.
II. Paul Was Surprised by God.
The call to go to Macedonia was filled with surprises. This was not Paul’s first choice of where he wanted to go. Paul’s first choice was to go to Asia. Macedonia was not Paul’s second choice. Bithynia was Paul’s second choice. Macedonia was Paul’s third choice. But Macedonia was God’s first choice for Paul.
The mission trip was interrupted by God. The mission team was surprised by God. Can you relate to what Paul was experiencing here? We know that the call to Macedonia came through a mystical experience. But we don’t know how God told Paul not to go into Asia or Bithynia. It could have been a legal reason, a physical reason, or dare I say a financial reason. Some of us might be in the midst of a financial change of plans right now. Retirement might not look like we thought it would look. Leisure time might not look like we had always dreamed. But God might be using these change of plans to put new people in our lives.
In addition to the change of plans, God had another surprise in store for Paul. In the mystical vision, Paul saw a Macedonian MAN calling and begging him to come to Macedonia. Yet, when Paul arrived in Macedonia, he encountered a WOMAN. Actually, he encountered a group of women.
III. Lydia: The Macedonian Woman.
Paul followed his typical pattern when he arrived in the region of Macedonia. First, he identified the major city of the area. In Macedonia, this major city was Philippi. Next, he identified the Jewish synagogue.
In Philippi, there does not seem to be a Jewish synagogue. In fact, not every city in the Roman Empire had a Jewish synagogue. In the First Century, it was commonly known that Jews who lived in cities without a synagogue would hold Sabbath worship services near a body of water. In Philippi, that body of water was the river.
The Jewish faith was full of various laws and regulations. Many of those laws appear in our Old Testament. Even more laws appear in the oral and written traditions of the Pharisees. One of those laws, which we don’t find in the Old Testament, is a law about how many people are required to form a synagogue. The law required ten Jewish men—not including the women—in order to form a synagogue. For some reason, Philippi did not have enough Jewish men to form a synagogue. It appears that the only Jews in Philippi were a group of women who prayed together by the river on the Sabbath.
One of those women was a wealthy woman named Lydia. We know she was wealthy for a couple of reasons. First, she is identified as a business owner. She owned and operated a clothing boutique. She made purple clothing. Second, we know she was wealthy, because of the type of clothing she sold—purple clothing. Purple was the most expensive dye in the ancient world. It was worn exclusively by the wealthy and by the royal families. Third, we know that Lydia was wealthy, because she owned her own house—notice the Bible does not refer to this house as Lydia’s husband’s house. More than likely, this was a large house. At least it was large enough that Lydia could host four overnight guests—Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke. Lydia had the means to extend hospitality to the entire mission team.
Lydia was a secure woman. She had a career; she operated a successful business; she owned a large house; but Lydia did not have everything. When she heard the Gospel for the first time, she recognized that she was missing the eternal security that comes with a relationship with Jesus as Lord of her life.
When Lydia believed the Gospel, she became a generous person. In verse 15, we read about the two things Lydia shared generously with others. First, she shared her faith with every member of her household. Second, she shared her resources with the mission team. This is a pattern that continued for the rest of Lydia’s life.
IV. The Church at Philippi.
As a Jewish women, Lydia was very limited in what she could do. She could own and operate a business. She could own her own house. BUT, Lydia could not be a founding member of a Jewish synagogue.
When Lydia became a Christian, she continued to operate her business and maintain her household. AND, she became the first founding member of the church at Philippi. This was a very special church to Paul throughout the rest of his ministry. It was so special to him, that he wrote them a letter that is included in our New Testament.
Read Philippians 4: 14 – 20.
Lydia’s generous faith was a significant characteristic of the church at Philippi. These people who became a part of the church at Philippi modeled generosity in ways none of Paul’s other churches demonstrated. They gave away their faith. They gave away their financial resources. They supported Paul financially, even when no other church supported him. AND, they continued to give to Paul’s missions.
V. Conclusion.
The church at Philippi did not worship the false god of material wealth. We know this, because they gave away their resources to something bigger and more important than money. They gave financially to the work of ministry and the spread of the Gospel. And they learned a lesson we need to learn…
When we break away from the idolatrous hold money has on our lives, we will discover what the church at Philippi discovered… “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
[1] Jenifer Harper. “Nearly Half of Women Fear Life as a Bag Lady.” The Washington Times. August 23, 2006.
Acts 16: 6 – 15.
I. Introduction.
There is a real crisis taking place in our nation right now. It is very difficult to watch any news programming without hearing the bad news about our slumping economy. Housing values are falling. Unemployment is rising. The price of gas and milk is up. And the stock market is up sometimes but down within an hour—it is like a roller coaster ride.
Working families are struggling. Retired people are anxiously watching their retirement savings. The federal government has committed $700 Billion to bailout our credit and lending system. But none of us really know who they bailed out. Did they bail out “Wall Street?” “Main Street?” Or the street we live on?
This crisis goes beyond Wall Street and Main Street to affect Church Street. Of course, you know our church depends on your voluntary, charitable gifts to operate. And, Yes, we have experienced our own type of “economic downturn” in our church’s budget. But there is an even greater crisis on Church Street.
While not many people will stand up and admit this in public, money is the national god of the United States of America. We worship our salaries, earning potential, saving accounts, credit cards and 401 (k) retirement accounts. After all, the terrorists who attacked our country in 2001 had religious motives. They attacked our culture, but they also attacked our religion—the Pentagon (military power) and the World Trade Center (economic power).
I do not mean to suggest that our current economic woes are the result of the 2001 terrorist attacks. No. We did this to ourselves. But we feel helpless as we watch our national gods crumble before our eyes. How will Americans respond now that it is apparent that money cannot save us? How will you and I respond? How will we break away from our idolatrous culture? How will we live in a committed relationship with the One True God who can save us—the God who sent his Only Begotten Son, Jesus, to live, die and rise again?
Idolatry affects all of us. However, men and women think differently about money. Both men and women are susceptible to an idolatrous dependence on money. But we do it for different reasons. Men tend to idolize money because of the power and prestige money brings us. Men look up to and admire other men who have more money. Women tend to idolize money for the safety and security money brings.
In 2006, The Washington Times published a survey of 2,000 women and their views on money. 90 percent of the women who participated in the survey indicated that they were fearful of becoming destitute by the end of their lives. Surprisingly, this was also true of women who had annual incomes over $100,000.[1]
The story we read today from the Book of Acts is about a financially successful woman named Lydia. Perhaps Lydia struggled with her own fears of one day being destitute. We don’t really know if she did or not. But we do find in Lydia a model for wealthy people to break free from an idolatrous view of money. Lydia worked hard for the security of a high salary and large savings account. Yet, Lydia did not worship her money.
Read Acts 16: 6 – 15.
The story does not begin by introducing us to Lydia. Rather, the story begins with Paul and his traveling companions.
At the end of Acts 15, Paul suggested to Barnabas that they go on their second missionary journey together. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. Paul was adamantly opposed to this idea. After a sharp disagreement, these two missionaries decided to go there separate ways. Barnabas took John Mark and traveled West to Cyprus. Paul took a man named Silas and traveled North to Syria.
Paul and Silas began their mission by visiting the same cities where Paul had first preached the Gospel with Barnabas. The first mission had been very difficult, but they had found some success. In the first mission, Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogues for Sabbath worship and preached about Jesus as the fulfillment of all the Jewish prophecies about the Messiah. Typically, the Jews heard the Gospel with mixed responses. Some of the Jews believed in Jesus. Most of the Jews were angered and threatened to kill Paul and Barnabas. These threats caused Paul and Barnabas to turn their attention to the Gentiles. Many of the Gentiles accepted the message of salvation. Then, Paul and Barnabas helped these new believers organize themselves into Christian churches. The second missionary journey began as an encouragement to the new Christians and to check on how the new churches were doing.
In the city of Lystra, Paul and Silas met a young man named Timothy. Timothy was from a mixed backgrouns. His father was a Greek, but his mother was a Jew. Timothy was a fine Christian young man. He had a great reputation among the people of Lystra. More than likely, Timothy had become a Christian as a result of Paul’s preaching in Lystra. Either Timothy had become a believer during Paul’s first visit there. Or, Timothy had become a Christian through the church Paul helped establish. Which ever was the case, Paul was so impressed with Timothy that he invited Timothy to join them in the mission. The mission team grew from two to three.
Paul was a man with a plan. Now that he had checked on the churches, he wanted to go into a new region. Specifically, Paul wanted to go into the province of Asia. But, sometimes even godly men like Paul have to change their plans. Paul wanted to go to Asia, but the HOLY SPIRIT prevented him. We don’t know if this was a physical problem—like an illness—that kept him from his plans or some kind of mystical experience. All that matters is that Paul changed his plans when his plans did not match God’s plans. The mission trip was interrupted by God.
Paul adjusted his plans a second time. This time he planned to take his group into Bithynia. And, once again, Paul’s plans were interrupted by God’s plans.
Timothy was not the only person to join Paul and Silas on the mission. In verse 10, we witness a subtle shift in the narration of the Book of Acts. (Acts 16: 8 – 10…“So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia.”
Two things happened in these verses. First, Paul had to change his plans AGAIN, for the third time. This time, we know it was the result of a mystical experience. Paul saw a vision from God. Second, Paul picked up another traveling companion. Since we believe the Book of Acts was written by a man named Luke, and here the narration shifts from third person to first person, we can assume Luke joined the mission team. Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke traveled into Macedonia to preach the Gospel in a new area.
II. Paul Was Surprised by God.
The call to go to Macedonia was filled with surprises. This was not Paul’s first choice of where he wanted to go. Paul’s first choice was to go to Asia. Macedonia was not Paul’s second choice. Bithynia was Paul’s second choice. Macedonia was Paul’s third choice. But Macedonia was God’s first choice for Paul.
The mission trip was interrupted by God. The mission team was surprised by God. Can you relate to what Paul was experiencing here? We know that the call to Macedonia came through a mystical experience. But we don’t know how God told Paul not to go into Asia or Bithynia. It could have been a legal reason, a physical reason, or dare I say a financial reason. Some of us might be in the midst of a financial change of plans right now. Retirement might not look like we thought it would look. Leisure time might not look like we had always dreamed. But God might be using these change of plans to put new people in our lives.
In addition to the change of plans, God had another surprise in store for Paul. In the mystical vision, Paul saw a Macedonian MAN calling and begging him to come to Macedonia. Yet, when Paul arrived in Macedonia, he encountered a WOMAN. Actually, he encountered a group of women.
III. Lydia: The Macedonian Woman.
Paul followed his typical pattern when he arrived in the region of Macedonia. First, he identified the major city of the area. In Macedonia, this major city was Philippi. Next, he identified the Jewish synagogue.
In Philippi, there does not seem to be a Jewish synagogue. In fact, not every city in the Roman Empire had a Jewish synagogue. In the First Century, it was commonly known that Jews who lived in cities without a synagogue would hold Sabbath worship services near a body of water. In Philippi, that body of water was the river.
The Jewish faith was full of various laws and regulations. Many of those laws appear in our Old Testament. Even more laws appear in the oral and written traditions of the Pharisees. One of those laws, which we don’t find in the Old Testament, is a law about how many people are required to form a synagogue. The law required ten Jewish men—not including the women—in order to form a synagogue. For some reason, Philippi did not have enough Jewish men to form a synagogue. It appears that the only Jews in Philippi were a group of women who prayed together by the river on the Sabbath.
One of those women was a wealthy woman named Lydia. We know she was wealthy for a couple of reasons. First, she is identified as a business owner. She owned and operated a clothing boutique. She made purple clothing. Second, we know she was wealthy, because of the type of clothing she sold—purple clothing. Purple was the most expensive dye in the ancient world. It was worn exclusively by the wealthy and by the royal families. Third, we know that Lydia was wealthy, because she owned her own house—notice the Bible does not refer to this house as Lydia’s husband’s house. More than likely, this was a large house. At least it was large enough that Lydia could host four overnight guests—Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke. Lydia had the means to extend hospitality to the entire mission team.
Lydia was a secure woman. She had a career; she operated a successful business; she owned a large house; but Lydia did not have everything. When she heard the Gospel for the first time, she recognized that she was missing the eternal security that comes with a relationship with Jesus as Lord of her life.
When Lydia believed the Gospel, she became a generous person. In verse 15, we read about the two things Lydia shared generously with others. First, she shared her faith with every member of her household. Second, she shared her resources with the mission team. This is a pattern that continued for the rest of Lydia’s life.
IV. The Church at Philippi.
As a Jewish women, Lydia was very limited in what she could do. She could own and operate a business. She could own her own house. BUT, Lydia could not be a founding member of a Jewish synagogue.
When Lydia became a Christian, she continued to operate her business and maintain her household. AND, she became the first founding member of the church at Philippi. This was a very special church to Paul throughout the rest of his ministry. It was so special to him, that he wrote them a letter that is included in our New Testament.
Read Philippians 4: 14 – 20.
Lydia’s generous faith was a significant characteristic of the church at Philippi. These people who became a part of the church at Philippi modeled generosity in ways none of Paul’s other churches demonstrated. They gave away their faith. They gave away their financial resources. They supported Paul financially, even when no other church supported him. AND, they continued to give to Paul’s missions.
V. Conclusion.
The church at Philippi did not worship the false god of material wealth. We know this, because they gave away their resources to something bigger and more important than money. They gave financially to the work of ministry and the spread of the Gospel. And they learned a lesson we need to learn…
When we break away from the idolatrous hold money has on our lives, we will discover what the church at Philippi discovered… “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
[1] Jenifer Harper. “Nearly Half of Women Fear Life as a Bag Lady.” The Washington Times. August 23, 2006.
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