Presenting Jesus
John 14: 15 – 24.
I. Introduction.
“Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” Don’t you think that is a great term? If you use it at your next dinner party, everyone will think you are really smart…Or, perhaps they will think you are a theological church nerd.
Morality is a word we often associate with people who are “good people.” People who avoid public sins and sometimes demonstrate a “holier-than-thou” attitude toward others.
Therapeutic is a word that comes to us directly from the Greek word for “healing.” However, our culture often associates therapeutic with psychotherapy. As such, therapeutic makes us think about “feeling good.”
Deism is a word associated with God.
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, therefore, is a form of the Christian faith that emphasizes two things: Doing Good and Feeling Good. What do you think? Is this the ultimate goal God has for your life? Some people think it is. In fact, according to an article on CNN.com, the Christian church has reared an entire generation of teenagers who subscribe to this view of faith. The ultimate expression of Christianity is to Do Good and to Feel Good.[1]
When teenagers are interviewed about their faith, many are unable to articulate what they believe…much less why they believe. Some people attribute this to immaturity and claim that teens cannot speak of anything in depth. However, I disagree. I believe our teens (and young adults) have a lot to offer both the church and the world. The problem is, we have failed our own children, teens and young adults.
I do not believe teens have created “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” Instead, I think they have learned it by observing their own parents and the other people in our churches. We come to church to “feel good.” Then, we leave the church to “do good.” When we can’t “do good,” we come back to church to get some more “feel good.”
We have demonstrated for our teens and young adults that our faith is harmless. It really does not make much of a difference in our lives. It should not surprise us that young adults in their 20's are leaving our churches in droves.
THAT is not what the Christian life is all about. THAT is not God’s ultimate plan for your life—to feel good and to do good. God is calling each of us to a radically transformed life…A life that involves more than feeling good and doing good. God’s plan for your life is to do the kinds of things Jesus did in his life…Sharing the Good News about the Kingdom of God…Reaching out to the poor and overlooked…Stepping outside of your comfort zone to offer hope to people who are physically and spiritually unclean.
Read John 14: 15 – 24.
Jesus first said these words to his disciples in their greatest moment of grief and stress. They had just shared the Passover meal with Jesus. They did not enjoy a light dinnertime conversation with Jesus that night. Instead, Jesus prepared them for what would happen in the coming days. Jesus would be handed over to the Jewish leaders to be crucified by the Romans. His crucifixion would result in death. But, death would not be able to hold Jesus. He was the virgin-born Son of God. He would conquer the grave and rise again. However, he would not remain with them forever. He would eventually return to his Father in Heaven.
For the past three years, these twelve disciples had abandoned everything comfortable in their lives to follow Jesus. They left their families and friends. They walked away from their jobs as tax collectors and fishermen. They had even abandoned their traditional Jewish religion. And now, Jesus was going to leave them. I’m sure some of their stress was the personal offense that they had given up so much and they thought Jesus didn’t WANT to be with them anymore.
The past three years had not been the easiest years of their lives. But, at least they had Jesus. They had listened to his teachings about repentance, the Kingdom of God and a new kind of ethical behavior. At least they had Jesus as their example. He demonstrated a radical lifestyle. He spent his time with sinners. He confronted the self-professed saints. He showed compassion for the sick and the poor. He showed them how to pray—how to depend on God’s power for the everyday struggles of life. And now, it seemed like they were going to have to go it alone…without a daily example of faith.
II. Disciples Would Not Be Alone.
This is why it was so important for Jesus to say what he said in John 14: 18, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
These words imply that Jesus and his disciples had a very special, intimate relationship. His absence from them would leave them feeling abandoned, like a child who has lost both parents. I think the King James Version translates this with the word “desolate.” That is certainly one word to describe loneliness and abandonment, but the Greek word is actually the word “orphanos.” It is the root word for our English word “orphan.” So, Jesus literally acknowledged that his disciples would feel like “orphans” without him. BUT, Jesus was not going to allow that to happen.
The disciples would not be like orphans, because Jesus was coming again. Yet, once again, we can learn a lot from the Greek text. The Greek verb here is a present, active verb. It does NOT say that Jesus “will come” to his disciples. It says that Jesus “is coming” to his disciples. We ought to read this as, “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.”
Jesus is not telling his disciples to wait and hope for the Second Coming! Jesus is offering present, immediate help for his disciples. They will NEVER be left alone as orphans. You and I will NEVER be left alone as orphans. We have a present, active, immediate help in the form of Another Counselor.
Look at John 14: 16 – 17, “(Jesus said,) And I will ask the father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth…”
The words “the Spirit of Truth” tell me this is an obvious reference to the Holy Spirit. Jesus would not abandon his disciples, because they would have the Holy Spirit forever.
The phrase “another Counselor” is a very difficult phrase to translate from Greek to English. We know it is difficult by comparing the various ways it is translated in different versions of the Bible. The King James Version says “another Comforter.” The New International Version says “another Counselor.” The New American Standard Bible says “another Helper.” The New Revised Standard Version says “another Advocate.” So, which is it? Comforter, Counselor, Helper or Advocate? Truthfully, all of these are correct. But none of these is perfect.
The Greek word here is “parakletos.” John is the only New Testament author who uses the word. Paul never uses it. It shows up in John 14 – 17 and in 1 John 2: 1. In John 14 – 17, it refers to the Holy Spirit. In 1 John 2: 1, it refers to Jesus’ role in heaven. Jesus does for us in heaven what the Holy Spirit does for us on earth. The Holy Spirit does for us on earth what Jesus does for us in heaven.
We can derive meaning from the word “parakletos” by looking to the meanings of the two words that build it. “Para” is a preposition which means alongside. “Kaleo” is a verb which means to call. Therefore, “parakletos” literally means “one who is called to be alongside.”
We can also derive meaning from the ways “parakletos” is used in secular Greek. Outside the New Testament, “parakletos” usually refers to the defense attorney in a court of law. The defense attorney is the “one who is called to be alongside” the accused person. In this light, Jesus is the defense attorney who stands alongside us before the throne of God. The Holy Spirit is the defense attorney who stands alongside us before the world.
It is also significant that Jesus used this term in the same context as the word orphan. An orphan is a child without a parent—not a child with a single parent…a child with no one. Orphans were some of the most vulnerable people in the ancient world. The child could not work to provide for her or his own needs. The child did not have an advocate to protect her or him from the harsh forces in the world.
We will never be orphans, because we will have the internal presence of the Holy Spirit with us forever.
III. The Commands of Jesus.
All Christians have the internal guidance of the Holy Spirit. Since this is an internal guidance, we could also say it is subjective. Following the leadership of the Holy Spirit relies on our experience with the Spirit in our lives.
Some people don’t like to talk about subjective experience. They prefer to appeal to something objective. Something that can be seen or heard…Something that is outside of us. Good news. Jesus does not ask us to rely on subjective experience alone. Yes, the subjective experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives is an important part of following Jesus. But, that is not all. Jesus also drew our attention to an objective reality…The Commands of Jesus.
John 14: 15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
John 14: 21, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.”
I think there are at least three ways we can define the “commands of Jesus.”
First, we can go back to places where Jesus gives ethical teachings and make a list of every instruction Jesus gave us. The Sermon on the Mount might be a good place to begin making such a list. But, this seems rather legalistic and could only end up looking more like the religion of the Pharisees.
Second, we can look for all the places where Jesus himself used the words “command” or “commandment.” Here are a couple of examples:
John 15: 10 – 12, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
Matthew 22: 36 – 40, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Third, we can say that the commands of Jesus include the entire life and teaching of Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the teacher, Jesus is the subject, and Jesus is the example. Everything Jesus said and everything Jesus did serve as the objective standard for our lives.
IV. Conclusion.
My college roommate during my junior and senior years was a guy named Andy. This was back in the days before cell phones, so we shared an old fashioned landline telephone. It was interesting every time the phone rang, “Can I speak to Andy?” Or my favorite, “Hello, is this Andy?”
Andy and I both played on the soccer team. But, Andy also had a job. He made a decent living performing as an Elvis impersonator. He made a decent living, because he was very good. He didn’t dress up in the gold jumpsuits of the 1970’s. He wore a white shirt, black pants, black shoes and white socks. He was the 1950’s Elvis—or as Andy liked to say, “the skinny Elvis.”
Andy had Elvis sideburns, before sideburns made their comeback. He could sing all the old Elvis songs, and sounded just like Elvis. He could even dance like Elvis.
One summer, my family just happened to go visit my parents in Tupelo, Mississippi on the weekend of the Elvis Presley Festival. My brother was building a new house and didn’t have enough room for us to stay with them. My parents don’t have enough room in their house either, so we stayed in a downtown hotel. The weekend we were there, the hotel was filled with Elvis impersonators. We saw Skinny Elvis, Fat Elvis, Short Elvis, Tall Elvis and the Japanese Elvis.
I can only speak about Elvis impersonators, but I have heard that there is a similar phenomenon with Michael Jackson impersonators. I understand why someone would want to impersonate Elvis. But, I think it’s a little strange to impersonate Michael Jackson.
Ultimately, this is what we are supposed to do as Christians. We are supposed to be an imitation of Jesus.
Imitation does not mean we are supposed to be “fake” Christians. It means we are supposed to present Jesus to the world.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us so that we can see Jesus and follow his example. The world cannot see the Holy Spirit…But, the world can see us.
And, what exactly does the world see when it looks at us? Does it see a Moralistic Therapeutic Deism that is all about doing good and feeling good? Or does it see individual men and women living a radically transformed life? If the world sees moralism and therapy, they will never want to be a part of the church. If the world sees Jesus in us, they will want to become a part of God’s people. Even people who despise the institutional church find Jesus to be interesting and appealing.
[1] http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/27/almost.christian/index.html?hpt=T2
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010: Believing and Behaving
Believing and Behaving
James 2: 14 – 26
I. Introduction.
Can you imagine something that is real but cannot be seen by the human eye? I have a couple of things in mind…
First, the air in our sanctuary is saturated by radio waves. We cannot see or hear radio waves, but we could listen to the radio this morning if we only had an FM radio receiver. We could choose between rap music, rock music, country music or even a worship service from another church. In fact, I have an FM radio transmitter in my back pocket right now. I am speaking into this little microphone and through the magic of science, my words travel around my ear, down a wire inside my suit coat to a transmitter in my pocket. The transmitter translates my words into radio waves and sends them throughout the room. We can’t see the radio waves. We can’t hear the radio waves. But, there is an FM receiver in the balcony that receives those radio waves and sends it through the sound system.
Second, have you ever seen a calorie? You know what I’m talking about. Food packaging today has a helpful box of information printed on the side. It tells us how much protein, sodium, fat, fiber and calories are in our food. A calorie is a measurement of energy. Through the magic of science, our bodies can take the food we eat and extract energy. We need energy to live. Therefore, we need calories to live. But, be careful…Eating more calories than we can burn causes us to gain weight. I’ve never seen a calorie. But when I look in the mirror (or when I buy new and bigger pants) I can see the effects of calories.
In John 3, Jesus had a conversation with a Jewish leader named Nicodemus. Jesus told Nicodemus about the Spirit of God, who cannot be seen. Jesus compared the Spirit of God to the wind. We cannot see the wind, but we can see the effects of the wind as the trees and the grass blow in the wind.
In James 2, we read a passage of Scripture about faith. Faith is like the wind. We can’t see faith in another person’s life, but we can see the effects of faith. Faith is like a calorie. We have never seen a calorie, but we know calories are real because of the effects of calories.
Read James 2: 14 – 26.
The Book of James was probably written by James, the brother of Jesus.
James played an important role in the early church at Jerusalem. This is interesting to us, because the Gospels tell us clearly that Jesus’ brothers and sisters did not support his ministry. They thought Jesus was delusional and perhaps misunderstood what God was doing in his life. They tried to stop Jesus from teaching about the Kingdom of God. They were resistant to Jesus’ healings and miracles. But, James had a change of heart after the resurrection.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15, that Jesus specifically appeared to James after the resurrection. We don’t know anything about that resurrection appearance, but it seems to have been a turning point. Because, in the opening chapters of the Book of Acts, we see James present with Jesus’ disciples and the 120 believers in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost. Then we see James through the rest of the Book of Acts functioning as the pastor-leader of the Jerusalem church. In fact, James played such an important role in the Jerusalem church that the Apostles Peter and Paul felt the need to check with James before they began spreading the Gospel among the Gentiles.
James and Paul had completely different ministries in the early church. Paul was famously the missionary to the Gentiles. He was a traveler. He went all over the known world, preaching the Gospel and planting churches in far away places. James probably never left Jerusalem. He worked with one church and one group of people.
More than likely, the reason James remained in Jerusalem for his entire ministry, is because he did not believe Christianity was a new religion. Rather, James thought the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. In his interpretation of the Christian faith, it was possible to live in Jerusalem, worship in the Temple and keep the Mosaic Law. We might even suggest that James saw this as a necessary expression of his faith as a Jewish Christian.
Immediately, we notice how James’ understanding of Christianity differs from Paul’s. James lived and ministered among the Jews. Paul lived and ministered among the Gentiles. James emphasized the importance of the Jewish Law. Paul went the opposite direction, claiming that the Jewish Law was not necessary. But, remember they lived and ministered among different people. James emphasized the Law to the JEWS. Paul downplayed the Law to the GENTILES. James never said Gentiles had to keep the Old Testament Law.
In the long run, Paul’s Gentile mission was much more successful than James’ mission among the Jews. The Gentile church flourished. The Jewish church did not succeed. For this reason, we know more about Paul and his teachings than we do about James and his teachings.
Since we know that Paul and James had differences of opinions about the spread of Christianity, there are some scholars who try to use the book of James as an argument against Paul’s theology. They try to convince us that we must make a choice between the two. Our Scripture today is, perhaps, the best example of this point of view.
Ephesians 2: 8 – 9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
What do you think? Is this a conflict? Do we have two men called by God preaching contradictory messages?
I don’t think so. I believe we can draw a distinction by placing human works on two different sides of faith in Christ. Paul teaches us that good works BEFORE salvation can not bring us into fellowship with God. James teaches us that true faith in Jesus requires us to do something AFTER salvation.
James 2:14, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?”
Notice that James addresses his teachings to “my brothers.” “Brother” is an important word in the New Testament. It does not usually refer to a biological sibling. Instead, this is the most popular way for Christians to address one another. In other words, James is not telling people how they can become Christians. James is telling Christians how they ought to behave.
James 2:17, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:24, “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.”
The key to understanding what James says here is to look at the way he modifies the word “faith.” He describes faith “BY ITSELF” and faith “ALONE.” In other words, believing is not enough. Believing must be accompanied by behaving. To illustrate his point, James uses four analogies!
II. Caring for the Poor (vv. 14 – 17).
The first example James used is both realistic and absurd at the same time. It is realistic, because he uses the typical greetings found in the First Century: “I wish you well. Keep warm and well fed.” It is absurd in that he applies it to an extreme situation.
Imagine the situation…It is a cold, winter day. You have just met someone who does not have a coat, and the clothes they are wearing are worn thin. In addition, this person hasn’t eaten all day. They are hungry and cold. How would you greet this person? “I wish you well. Keep warm and well fed.”
The point of this story…Sometimes words are not enough.
Faith in America is an interesting topic. Most people say that faith is a private, personal decision. I agree with that statement. If you do not have a personal faith in your private life, then there is little chance that you will demonstrate faith publicly. But faith should never remain private and personal. The faith you hold in private should motivate you to do something. Specifically, James teaches us that faith should lead us to do the same kinds of things Jesus did in his life. Jesus took care of the sick, the poor and those who were overlooked by society.
People can talk about faith all they want, but at some point faith should lead to action…Action that is God honoring and action that follows Jesus’ example.
III. Even Demons Believe in God (vv. 18 – 19).
James’ second analogy comes from the spiritual realm. James tells us what the demons believe about God and answers our questions about what it means to have faith in Jesus. He starts with the classic profession of faith: “God is One,” or “There is one God.”
This is the profession of faith that dates back to the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 6: 4, we read: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” But that is not the end of the profession of faith. Deuteronomy 6: 5 continues: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Even the demons can profess the first half of this profession of faith. The demons did this throughout the life of Jesus. Remember, when Jesus would enter a new town he was often met by the demon possessed people. The demons would great him with words like, “I know who you are. You are the Holy One of Israel.” But they did not love him with their heart, soul and strength.
Yet notice that the demons did SOMETHING. They believed that God is One. AND they shuddered! They trembled with fear. They recognized who God really is, and they responded with action.
This is the difference between demons and humans. The demons believe and do something. Some people believe and do nothing! Genuine faith leads to action. Genuine faith is more than simply recognizing God. Genuine faith recognizes God and loves him wholly. Not just heart…Not just soul…Not just mind…But body and strength.
IV. Abraham (vv. 20 – 24).
James now turns from the spiritual realm to the physical realm by appealing to the lives of two historical figures from the Old Testament: Abraham and Rahab.
Abraham is the father of the Jewish people. They trace their heritage to Abraham’s decision to obey God. In Genesis 12, God called Abraham and made him a promise. Abraham believed God and took action. He moved to a faraway place. In Genesis 22, Abraham once again demonstrated his faith through his actions. When God told Abraham to offer his only son as a burnt sacrifice, Abraham did it.
Abraham had a private and personal faith. But, Abraham’s faith did not stop there. He loved God with all his heart and soul. This love for God led to faithful action.
V. Rahab (vv. 25 – 26).
In the Old Testament book of Joshua, we read the story of how God used Joshua as the leader who followed Moses. Moses led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt and through the desert for forty years. But Joshua was the leader who led God’s people into the Promised Land. Joshua did this through a series of military victories.
One of Joshua’s victories was the battle of Jericho. He sent two spies into the walled city of Jericho to see what it was like inside the city walls. These two spies were helped by a woman named Rahab.
Rahab was not a Hebrew woman. She was an outsider. She was not a part of God’s chosen people. But Rahab believed that God would defeat her own people and expressed her faith through obedience. Through her obedience, Rahab and all her family were saved from the destruction of Jericho.
Abraham and Rahab have one thing in common. They both had faith in God that led to obedience.
But there is also a difference between Abraham and Rahab. Abraham was an insider. Rahab was an outsider. Salvation is available to all people in the same way: Faith in God. Salvation leads to the same kind of response for all people: Obedience!
VI. Conclusion.
If faith is simply believing God, then there is no way to prove faith to someone else. It is personal, it is private…It could even be a secret.
James tells us that secret faith is worthless! Believing must change our behaving.
True faith is not personal and private. It makes a difference in the way we live and behave.
James 2: 14 – 26
I. Introduction.
Can you imagine something that is real but cannot be seen by the human eye? I have a couple of things in mind…
First, the air in our sanctuary is saturated by radio waves. We cannot see or hear radio waves, but we could listen to the radio this morning if we only had an FM radio receiver. We could choose between rap music, rock music, country music or even a worship service from another church. In fact, I have an FM radio transmitter in my back pocket right now. I am speaking into this little microphone and through the magic of science, my words travel around my ear, down a wire inside my suit coat to a transmitter in my pocket. The transmitter translates my words into radio waves and sends them throughout the room. We can’t see the radio waves. We can’t hear the radio waves. But, there is an FM receiver in the balcony that receives those radio waves and sends it through the sound system.
Second, have you ever seen a calorie? You know what I’m talking about. Food packaging today has a helpful box of information printed on the side. It tells us how much protein, sodium, fat, fiber and calories are in our food. A calorie is a measurement of energy. Through the magic of science, our bodies can take the food we eat and extract energy. We need energy to live. Therefore, we need calories to live. But, be careful…Eating more calories than we can burn causes us to gain weight. I’ve never seen a calorie. But when I look in the mirror (or when I buy new and bigger pants) I can see the effects of calories.
In John 3, Jesus had a conversation with a Jewish leader named Nicodemus. Jesus told Nicodemus about the Spirit of God, who cannot be seen. Jesus compared the Spirit of God to the wind. We cannot see the wind, but we can see the effects of the wind as the trees and the grass blow in the wind.
In James 2, we read a passage of Scripture about faith. Faith is like the wind. We can’t see faith in another person’s life, but we can see the effects of faith. Faith is like a calorie. We have never seen a calorie, but we know calories are real because of the effects of calories.
Read James 2: 14 – 26.
The Book of James was probably written by James, the brother of Jesus.
James played an important role in the early church at Jerusalem. This is interesting to us, because the Gospels tell us clearly that Jesus’ brothers and sisters did not support his ministry. They thought Jesus was delusional and perhaps misunderstood what God was doing in his life. They tried to stop Jesus from teaching about the Kingdom of God. They were resistant to Jesus’ healings and miracles. But, James had a change of heart after the resurrection.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15, that Jesus specifically appeared to James after the resurrection. We don’t know anything about that resurrection appearance, but it seems to have been a turning point. Because, in the opening chapters of the Book of Acts, we see James present with Jesus’ disciples and the 120 believers in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost. Then we see James through the rest of the Book of Acts functioning as the pastor-leader of the Jerusalem church. In fact, James played such an important role in the Jerusalem church that the Apostles Peter and Paul felt the need to check with James before they began spreading the Gospel among the Gentiles.
James and Paul had completely different ministries in the early church. Paul was famously the missionary to the Gentiles. He was a traveler. He went all over the known world, preaching the Gospel and planting churches in far away places. James probably never left Jerusalem. He worked with one church and one group of people.
More than likely, the reason James remained in Jerusalem for his entire ministry, is because he did not believe Christianity was a new religion. Rather, James thought the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. In his interpretation of the Christian faith, it was possible to live in Jerusalem, worship in the Temple and keep the Mosaic Law. We might even suggest that James saw this as a necessary expression of his faith as a Jewish Christian.
Immediately, we notice how James’ understanding of Christianity differs from Paul’s. James lived and ministered among the Jews. Paul lived and ministered among the Gentiles. James emphasized the importance of the Jewish Law. Paul went the opposite direction, claiming that the Jewish Law was not necessary. But, remember they lived and ministered among different people. James emphasized the Law to the JEWS. Paul downplayed the Law to the GENTILES. James never said Gentiles had to keep the Old Testament Law.
In the long run, Paul’s Gentile mission was much more successful than James’ mission among the Jews. The Gentile church flourished. The Jewish church did not succeed. For this reason, we know more about Paul and his teachings than we do about James and his teachings.
Since we know that Paul and James had differences of opinions about the spread of Christianity, there are some scholars who try to use the book of James as an argument against Paul’s theology. They try to convince us that we must make a choice between the two. Our Scripture today is, perhaps, the best example of this point of view.
Ephesians 2: 8 – 9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
What do you think? Is this a conflict? Do we have two men called by God preaching contradictory messages?
I don’t think so. I believe we can draw a distinction by placing human works on two different sides of faith in Christ. Paul teaches us that good works BEFORE salvation can not bring us into fellowship with God. James teaches us that true faith in Jesus requires us to do something AFTER salvation.
James 2:14, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?”
Notice that James addresses his teachings to “my brothers.” “Brother” is an important word in the New Testament. It does not usually refer to a biological sibling. Instead, this is the most popular way for Christians to address one another. In other words, James is not telling people how they can become Christians. James is telling Christians how they ought to behave.
James 2:17, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:24, “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.”
The key to understanding what James says here is to look at the way he modifies the word “faith.” He describes faith “BY ITSELF” and faith “ALONE.” In other words, believing is not enough. Believing must be accompanied by behaving. To illustrate his point, James uses four analogies!
II. Caring for the Poor (vv. 14 – 17).
The first example James used is both realistic and absurd at the same time. It is realistic, because he uses the typical greetings found in the First Century: “I wish you well. Keep warm and well fed.” It is absurd in that he applies it to an extreme situation.
Imagine the situation…It is a cold, winter day. You have just met someone who does not have a coat, and the clothes they are wearing are worn thin. In addition, this person hasn’t eaten all day. They are hungry and cold. How would you greet this person? “I wish you well. Keep warm and well fed.”
The point of this story…Sometimes words are not enough.
Faith in America is an interesting topic. Most people say that faith is a private, personal decision. I agree with that statement. If you do not have a personal faith in your private life, then there is little chance that you will demonstrate faith publicly. But faith should never remain private and personal. The faith you hold in private should motivate you to do something. Specifically, James teaches us that faith should lead us to do the same kinds of things Jesus did in his life. Jesus took care of the sick, the poor and those who were overlooked by society.
People can talk about faith all they want, but at some point faith should lead to action…Action that is God honoring and action that follows Jesus’ example.
III. Even Demons Believe in God (vv. 18 – 19).
James’ second analogy comes from the spiritual realm. James tells us what the demons believe about God and answers our questions about what it means to have faith in Jesus. He starts with the classic profession of faith: “God is One,” or “There is one God.”
This is the profession of faith that dates back to the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 6: 4, we read: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” But that is not the end of the profession of faith. Deuteronomy 6: 5 continues: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Even the demons can profess the first half of this profession of faith. The demons did this throughout the life of Jesus. Remember, when Jesus would enter a new town he was often met by the demon possessed people. The demons would great him with words like, “I know who you are. You are the Holy One of Israel.” But they did not love him with their heart, soul and strength.
Yet notice that the demons did SOMETHING. They believed that God is One. AND they shuddered! They trembled with fear. They recognized who God really is, and they responded with action.
This is the difference between demons and humans. The demons believe and do something. Some people believe and do nothing! Genuine faith leads to action. Genuine faith is more than simply recognizing God. Genuine faith recognizes God and loves him wholly. Not just heart…Not just soul…Not just mind…But body and strength.
IV. Abraham (vv. 20 – 24).
James now turns from the spiritual realm to the physical realm by appealing to the lives of two historical figures from the Old Testament: Abraham and Rahab.
Abraham is the father of the Jewish people. They trace their heritage to Abraham’s decision to obey God. In Genesis 12, God called Abraham and made him a promise. Abraham believed God and took action. He moved to a faraway place. In Genesis 22, Abraham once again demonstrated his faith through his actions. When God told Abraham to offer his only son as a burnt sacrifice, Abraham did it.
Abraham had a private and personal faith. But, Abraham’s faith did not stop there. He loved God with all his heart and soul. This love for God led to faithful action.
V. Rahab (vv. 25 – 26).
In the Old Testament book of Joshua, we read the story of how God used Joshua as the leader who followed Moses. Moses led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt and through the desert for forty years. But Joshua was the leader who led God’s people into the Promised Land. Joshua did this through a series of military victories.
One of Joshua’s victories was the battle of Jericho. He sent two spies into the walled city of Jericho to see what it was like inside the city walls. These two spies were helped by a woman named Rahab.
Rahab was not a Hebrew woman. She was an outsider. She was not a part of God’s chosen people. But Rahab believed that God would defeat her own people and expressed her faith through obedience. Through her obedience, Rahab and all her family were saved from the destruction of Jericho.
Abraham and Rahab have one thing in common. They both had faith in God that led to obedience.
But there is also a difference between Abraham and Rahab. Abraham was an insider. Rahab was an outsider. Salvation is available to all people in the same way: Faith in God. Salvation leads to the same kind of response for all people: Obedience!
VI. Conclusion.
If faith is simply believing God, then there is no way to prove faith to someone else. It is personal, it is private…It could even be a secret.
James tells us that secret faith is worthless! Believing must change our behaving.
True faith is not personal and private. It makes a difference in the way we live and behave.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010: Faith of Abraham
Faith of Abraham
Romans 4: 1 – 17.
I. Introduction.
About once a week during the summertime, I remember a conversation I had with a church member about ten years ago. This man was driving his truck down the street his pastor lived on. When he came to the pastor’s house, he noticed the pastor was outside mowing his yard. He pulled to the side of the road and rolled down his window. The pastor stopped the mower and walked over to the truck. The church member said, “Preacher, you have two teenage sons living in your house. Can’t you get one of those boys to mow the yard for you?” The pastor replied, “Wilson, in my line of work, mowing the yard is the only thing I do all week that at the end of the day I can feel that I have accomplished something.”
I first thought that was just a funny story. But, now that I have been a pastor for over ten years, I recognize it is funny because it is true. (I don’t mean this as a complaint in any way. I feel called to be a pastor, and this is what I want to do—even on my most difficult days.)
It is hard to measure success in the church. I suppose the most common way to measure success for a church is to look at the three B’s—Budgets, Buildings and Bodies in the pews on Sunday morning. At this particular moment in time, our church does not seem to be doing so well in the three B’s.
Budget…I have recently finished my fourth year as pastor at Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. I started in June 2006. Since our budget year runs from January through December each year, I have been here for the end of four budget years: 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. We celebrated at the end of 2006, because we ended the year with a budget surplus. We celebrated in 2007, because we had another budget surplus. We REALLY celebrated in 2008, because we had the largest budget surplus any of us could remember. We didn’t celebrate very much in 2009, because we squeaked by with just enough money to replace our operating reserve. I’m worried about 2010! At the end of July, we have a budget deficit of $160,000—roughly 10% of our ANNUAL budget. We are facing some very difficult financial decisions in the Fall.
Buildings…We are probably in denial about our church buildings. Our oldest building was built in 1927. Our newest building was built in 1986. We are constantly having to do maintenance on our equipment and replace air conditioning or heating units.
Bodies in church…This is the statistic most people notice. You see who is here every week, and you notice who is not here. Since I came here 4 years ago, our attendance has been flat (at best) or slightly declining (at worse). My first two years were growth years. It seemed like someone was joining our church nearly every Sunday. Then, our town was hit with changes at Temple-Inland, Lufkin Industries and Citation Corporation. I have gone back and looked at the number of people who have joined our church in the past ten years. In the past four years, we have had over 200 people join our church by baptism or transfer. If you factor in the number of people who left our church through death or transfer, we have grown by a total of 7 new members. (The vast majority of those who left our church went to churches out of town.) Over the past ten years, we have had over 400 people join our church, but we have a net LOSS of 70 members.
If you just look at the three B’s, we are not doing so well as a church. However, that is not the only measure of success. There are intangible factors to consider like the spirit of unity in the church…there is the commitment to preach the Gospel and spread the Good News to our friends and neighbors…there is the importance placed on spiritual growth… There are tangible factors to measure as well. We have started three mission churches—Cross Timbers Cowboy Church has an average attendance of 190; La Casa del Alfarero has an average attendance of 115; and New Beginnings Baptist Church has an average attendance of 80. (That means 385 people are in church today who did not have a church home five years ago. The vast majority of those people joined our mission churches through evangelism and professions of faith.) We also have a missions partnership with Buckner International in Ethiopia. About ten of our members have gone to Ethiopia on mission trips in the past three years. And, don’t forget the work we did the week of On Mission Lufkin—160 people painted school classrooms and did demolition work at a different school campus. At least 70 of those people came from Lufkin’s First Baptist Church.
It’s hard to measure success in the church. Budgets, Buildings and Bodies in church are important measurements…But they don’t tell the whole story. (Please make sure you are up to date on your tithing and be faithful through the Fall.)
What about in the Christian life? In many ways, I think it is hard to measure success in the church, because it is hard to measure success in the Christian life.
The Christian faith is not like other world religions. The religions of the world have a method for measuring how their adherents are doing. Take for example the Five Pillars of Islam. All Muslims can measure how well they are doing by comparing their lives to the Five Pillars. These are the five things all Muslims are required to do: Profession of Faith (Allah is the one true god and Muhammad is his prophet), Daily Prayers, Fasting, Giving Alms (specifically during Ramadan), and a Pilgrimage to Mecca. Another example is the emphasis the Jews place on the Old Testament Law. For the Jews, the Law contains everything God expects of his people. Uphold the Law and you know you are being successful in your religion. Break the Law, and you know you have failed.
The Christian faith is not so easy. We don’t have a checklist. There is no scorecard for us. As a result, we sometimes find ourselves wondering about how well we are doing. Sometimes we feel close to God. Other times we feel like our spiritual life is empty or at least going no where. How can we know? How can we measure our success or failure in the Christian life?
Read Romans 4: 1 – 17.
In this passage, the Apostle Paul holds up Abraham as our example in the Christian life. Paul had a background in Judaism. So, he knew the story of Abraham from the Old Testament. He also knew that most Jews recognized Abraham as a hero of faith. It comes as no surprise to us that Paul chooses Abraham for his argument. It doesn’t surprise us, and it doesn’t surprise the Jews. However, Paul does surprise us in the way he uses Abraham as his example.
II. Righteousness.
Take for example Paul’s unique understanding of the word “Righteousness.” Most people think that Righteousness is something we do for God. That is certainly what the Jews thought in Paul’s day. That is even what Paul himself thought…At least he thought that until the day he met Jesus face to face. Meeting Jesus changed everything for Paul. He went from being a Pharisee who thought he could earn God’s favor by being good enough, to a man who was broken over his own sinfulness. He went from being a prideful man, boasting of all the good things he could do in his life, to a man who felt utterly inadequate to stand before a pure and holy God.
After Paul met Jesus, he realized that he could NEVER become good enough to enter into the presence of God. We don’t talk about this very often, but it is important. God is pure and holy. In order for human beings to enter into the presence of God, something has to change.
On one hand, God could compromise his standards and allow sinful, impure and unholy human beings to enter into God’s presence in Heaven. But there are at least two problems with this. First, everyone would be saved. Everyone would enter into Heaven after death. And, Heaven would be no different from earth—sinful people doing sinful things. Second, if God compromises his character, God will cease to be God. God’s purity and holiness are essential aspects of his character. Without God’s purity, God could not be trusted to do the right thing or to lead us in the right direction. God would be frightful and vengeful and angry all the time. Without God’s holiness, God would be just like us. After all, that is what the word “holy” means. It means “set apart” or “different.” God is not like us. God can be trusted. God is not like the pantheon of Greek and Roman gods, who were capable of sin and usually acted more like spoiled, human children than a pure and holy God.
On the other hand, if God does not compromise his character, then human beings must change. In order for a human to be “saved,” to be forgiven of sin and welcomed into God’s presence in Heaven, that human must be changed.
This is what sets apart the Christian faith from all world religions. Paul teaches us that we cannot change ourselves. There is no checklist of Laws or Pillars to check off in order eventually to be changed. Paul teaches us that Righteousness is not what you “Do” for God. Righteousness is what God has “Done” for you. It is the difference between “Do” and “Done.”
Abraham is our example. In Genesis 12, God spoke to Abraham while he was living in Ur. God called Abraham to go to a new land away from his support network of family and friends. God told Abraham that he would use Abraham to become a blessing for all nations of people. What did Abraham “DO” to deserve this calling from God? You might say, “We don’t know what Abraham did while living in Ur, because the Bible doesn’t tell us.” You are partly right about that…
However, look at Abraham’s life AFTER God’s call on his life. Almost immediately after hearing God’s call, Abraham fled the Promised Land to Egypt because of a famine. In Egypt, Abraham lied about his wife and placed all God’s promises in jeopardy. God intervened and rescued Abraham from himself God renewed his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. Again, almost immediately Abraham placed all God’s promises in jeopardy by taking a second wife and having a son that was not the promised child. Again, God intervened and rescued Abraham from himself.
If you think Abraham DESERVED God’s promises, you are going to have to say that Abraham was a better person before God called him than he was after. No. Abraham did NOT deserve God’s promises. God’s promises were a gift—a Grace from God. Abraham believed God…And, God CREDITED him as righteous.
III. Circumcision.
Paul proves his point about Abraham by reminding us of the distinctively Jewish practice of circumcision. Circumcision was the sign of Judaism in the ancient world. Only Jewish males were circumcised. The rest of the world thought this was a despicable practice and ridiculed the Jews for practicing it. As a result, the Jews took a lot of pride in their circumcision. It set them apart from the rest of the world and marked them as God’s people.
But, Paul reminds us of Abraham’s story. In Genesis 15, we read that Abraham believed God and it was CREDITED to him as righteousness. Then, in Genesis 17, we find the story of the first circumcision. That doesn’t sound like a very long time—Genesis 15 to Genesis 17, only two chapters of the Bible. But, some scholars tell us that there were as many as 29 years in between these chapters. God changed Abraham and CREDITED him as righteous at least 29 years before Abraham was circumcised.
By using circumcision as an example, Paul has accomplished a couple of things.
First, he has given us a timeline that places faith BEFORE circumcision. In the Book of Galatians, Paul says Abraham’s faith came 430 years before Moses received the Law from God on Mount Sinai. Faith takes priority over circumcision. Faith takes priority over the Law.
Second, Paul has just shown us that God’s Grace is universal. If Abraham was CREDITED as righteous without circumcision or Law, then anyone can be CREDITED righteous without circumcision or Law!
It reminds us of God’s original promise to Abraham. God did not tell Abraham that he would be a blessing to the Jews or even to the nation of Israel. God said Abraham would be a blessing to ALL NATIONS / ALL PEOPLES. This is where we ought to think about Abraham’s most famous descendant—Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus descended biologically from Abraham. Jesus was a Jew. Jesus was of the nation of Israel. But, Jesus did not come to be the savior of the Jews alone. Jesus came to be the savior of Jews and Gentiles alike.
This has been God’s plan from the very beginning of time. Because you and I could never be good enough to change our lives and enter into God’s presence. God provided a way to change us. God’s plan does NOT depend on either circumcision or the Law. God’s plan depends on faith…Faith like that of Abraham.
IV. Conclusion: Grace Guarantee.
Paul uses a great word in verse 16… “Guaranteed.” Salvation is guaranteed!
There is only one way salvation can be guaranteed. It must be through Grace. If salvation is based on the Law, we are going to fail…And even if we could succeed, we would eventually lose our salvation. If salvation is based on Pillars, we are going to fail…And even if we could succeed, we would stumble or forget and lose our salvation.
But salvation is a Grace gift from God. You did not earn it. You cannot deserve it. You cannot accomplish it by sheer strength, willpower or goodness. God must CREDIT it into your account.
Success in the Christian life is not like any world religion. It is not about how good you are. It’s about TRUST. God is pure and holy. God can be trusted. Are you willing to trust him? I’m talking about a lifestyle of trust. In the good times and the bad. In the certainty and the uncertainty. Whether you find yourself in the sunshine or the rain. If you only trust yourself, the bad times can be devastating. If you trust in God, he will lead you through the valley of the shadow of death.
Romans 4: 1 – 17.
I. Introduction.
About once a week during the summertime, I remember a conversation I had with a church member about ten years ago. This man was driving his truck down the street his pastor lived on. When he came to the pastor’s house, he noticed the pastor was outside mowing his yard. He pulled to the side of the road and rolled down his window. The pastor stopped the mower and walked over to the truck. The church member said, “Preacher, you have two teenage sons living in your house. Can’t you get one of those boys to mow the yard for you?” The pastor replied, “Wilson, in my line of work, mowing the yard is the only thing I do all week that at the end of the day I can feel that I have accomplished something.”
I first thought that was just a funny story. But, now that I have been a pastor for over ten years, I recognize it is funny because it is true. (I don’t mean this as a complaint in any way. I feel called to be a pastor, and this is what I want to do—even on my most difficult days.)
It is hard to measure success in the church. I suppose the most common way to measure success for a church is to look at the three B’s—Budgets, Buildings and Bodies in the pews on Sunday morning. At this particular moment in time, our church does not seem to be doing so well in the three B’s.
Budget…I have recently finished my fourth year as pastor at Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. I started in June 2006. Since our budget year runs from January through December each year, I have been here for the end of four budget years: 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. We celebrated at the end of 2006, because we ended the year with a budget surplus. We celebrated in 2007, because we had another budget surplus. We REALLY celebrated in 2008, because we had the largest budget surplus any of us could remember. We didn’t celebrate very much in 2009, because we squeaked by with just enough money to replace our operating reserve. I’m worried about 2010! At the end of July, we have a budget deficit of $160,000—roughly 10% of our ANNUAL budget. We are facing some very difficult financial decisions in the Fall.
Buildings…We are probably in denial about our church buildings. Our oldest building was built in 1927. Our newest building was built in 1986. We are constantly having to do maintenance on our equipment and replace air conditioning or heating units.
Bodies in church…This is the statistic most people notice. You see who is here every week, and you notice who is not here. Since I came here 4 years ago, our attendance has been flat (at best) or slightly declining (at worse). My first two years were growth years. It seemed like someone was joining our church nearly every Sunday. Then, our town was hit with changes at Temple-Inland, Lufkin Industries and Citation Corporation. I have gone back and looked at the number of people who have joined our church in the past ten years. In the past four years, we have had over 200 people join our church by baptism or transfer. If you factor in the number of people who left our church through death or transfer, we have grown by a total of 7 new members. (The vast majority of those who left our church went to churches out of town.) Over the past ten years, we have had over 400 people join our church, but we have a net LOSS of 70 members.
If you just look at the three B’s, we are not doing so well as a church. However, that is not the only measure of success. There are intangible factors to consider like the spirit of unity in the church…there is the commitment to preach the Gospel and spread the Good News to our friends and neighbors…there is the importance placed on spiritual growth… There are tangible factors to measure as well. We have started three mission churches—Cross Timbers Cowboy Church has an average attendance of 190; La Casa del Alfarero has an average attendance of 115; and New Beginnings Baptist Church has an average attendance of 80. (That means 385 people are in church today who did not have a church home five years ago. The vast majority of those people joined our mission churches through evangelism and professions of faith.) We also have a missions partnership with Buckner International in Ethiopia. About ten of our members have gone to Ethiopia on mission trips in the past three years. And, don’t forget the work we did the week of On Mission Lufkin—160 people painted school classrooms and did demolition work at a different school campus. At least 70 of those people came from Lufkin’s First Baptist Church.
It’s hard to measure success in the church. Budgets, Buildings and Bodies in church are important measurements…But they don’t tell the whole story. (Please make sure you are up to date on your tithing and be faithful through the Fall.)
What about in the Christian life? In many ways, I think it is hard to measure success in the church, because it is hard to measure success in the Christian life.
The Christian faith is not like other world religions. The religions of the world have a method for measuring how their adherents are doing. Take for example the Five Pillars of Islam. All Muslims can measure how well they are doing by comparing their lives to the Five Pillars. These are the five things all Muslims are required to do: Profession of Faith (Allah is the one true god and Muhammad is his prophet), Daily Prayers, Fasting, Giving Alms (specifically during Ramadan), and a Pilgrimage to Mecca. Another example is the emphasis the Jews place on the Old Testament Law. For the Jews, the Law contains everything God expects of his people. Uphold the Law and you know you are being successful in your religion. Break the Law, and you know you have failed.
The Christian faith is not so easy. We don’t have a checklist. There is no scorecard for us. As a result, we sometimes find ourselves wondering about how well we are doing. Sometimes we feel close to God. Other times we feel like our spiritual life is empty or at least going no where. How can we know? How can we measure our success or failure in the Christian life?
Read Romans 4: 1 – 17.
In this passage, the Apostle Paul holds up Abraham as our example in the Christian life. Paul had a background in Judaism. So, he knew the story of Abraham from the Old Testament. He also knew that most Jews recognized Abraham as a hero of faith. It comes as no surprise to us that Paul chooses Abraham for his argument. It doesn’t surprise us, and it doesn’t surprise the Jews. However, Paul does surprise us in the way he uses Abraham as his example.
II. Righteousness.
Take for example Paul’s unique understanding of the word “Righteousness.” Most people think that Righteousness is something we do for God. That is certainly what the Jews thought in Paul’s day. That is even what Paul himself thought…At least he thought that until the day he met Jesus face to face. Meeting Jesus changed everything for Paul. He went from being a Pharisee who thought he could earn God’s favor by being good enough, to a man who was broken over his own sinfulness. He went from being a prideful man, boasting of all the good things he could do in his life, to a man who felt utterly inadequate to stand before a pure and holy God.
After Paul met Jesus, he realized that he could NEVER become good enough to enter into the presence of God. We don’t talk about this very often, but it is important. God is pure and holy. In order for human beings to enter into the presence of God, something has to change.
On one hand, God could compromise his standards and allow sinful, impure and unholy human beings to enter into God’s presence in Heaven. But there are at least two problems with this. First, everyone would be saved. Everyone would enter into Heaven after death. And, Heaven would be no different from earth—sinful people doing sinful things. Second, if God compromises his character, God will cease to be God. God’s purity and holiness are essential aspects of his character. Without God’s purity, God could not be trusted to do the right thing or to lead us in the right direction. God would be frightful and vengeful and angry all the time. Without God’s holiness, God would be just like us. After all, that is what the word “holy” means. It means “set apart” or “different.” God is not like us. God can be trusted. God is not like the pantheon of Greek and Roman gods, who were capable of sin and usually acted more like spoiled, human children than a pure and holy God.
On the other hand, if God does not compromise his character, then human beings must change. In order for a human to be “saved,” to be forgiven of sin and welcomed into God’s presence in Heaven, that human must be changed.
This is what sets apart the Christian faith from all world religions. Paul teaches us that we cannot change ourselves. There is no checklist of Laws or Pillars to check off in order eventually to be changed. Paul teaches us that Righteousness is not what you “Do” for God. Righteousness is what God has “Done” for you. It is the difference between “Do” and “Done.”
Abraham is our example. In Genesis 12, God spoke to Abraham while he was living in Ur. God called Abraham to go to a new land away from his support network of family and friends. God told Abraham that he would use Abraham to become a blessing for all nations of people. What did Abraham “DO” to deserve this calling from God? You might say, “We don’t know what Abraham did while living in Ur, because the Bible doesn’t tell us.” You are partly right about that…
However, look at Abraham’s life AFTER God’s call on his life. Almost immediately after hearing God’s call, Abraham fled the Promised Land to Egypt because of a famine. In Egypt, Abraham lied about his wife and placed all God’s promises in jeopardy. God intervened and rescued Abraham from himself God renewed his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. Again, almost immediately Abraham placed all God’s promises in jeopardy by taking a second wife and having a son that was not the promised child. Again, God intervened and rescued Abraham from himself.
If you think Abraham DESERVED God’s promises, you are going to have to say that Abraham was a better person before God called him than he was after. No. Abraham did NOT deserve God’s promises. God’s promises were a gift—a Grace from God. Abraham believed God…And, God CREDITED him as righteous.
III. Circumcision.
Paul proves his point about Abraham by reminding us of the distinctively Jewish practice of circumcision. Circumcision was the sign of Judaism in the ancient world. Only Jewish males were circumcised. The rest of the world thought this was a despicable practice and ridiculed the Jews for practicing it. As a result, the Jews took a lot of pride in their circumcision. It set them apart from the rest of the world and marked them as God’s people.
But, Paul reminds us of Abraham’s story. In Genesis 15, we read that Abraham believed God and it was CREDITED to him as righteousness. Then, in Genesis 17, we find the story of the first circumcision. That doesn’t sound like a very long time—Genesis 15 to Genesis 17, only two chapters of the Bible. But, some scholars tell us that there were as many as 29 years in between these chapters. God changed Abraham and CREDITED him as righteous at least 29 years before Abraham was circumcised.
By using circumcision as an example, Paul has accomplished a couple of things.
First, he has given us a timeline that places faith BEFORE circumcision. In the Book of Galatians, Paul says Abraham’s faith came 430 years before Moses received the Law from God on Mount Sinai. Faith takes priority over circumcision. Faith takes priority over the Law.
Second, Paul has just shown us that God’s Grace is universal. If Abraham was CREDITED as righteous without circumcision or Law, then anyone can be CREDITED righteous without circumcision or Law!
It reminds us of God’s original promise to Abraham. God did not tell Abraham that he would be a blessing to the Jews or even to the nation of Israel. God said Abraham would be a blessing to ALL NATIONS / ALL PEOPLES. This is where we ought to think about Abraham’s most famous descendant—Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus descended biologically from Abraham. Jesus was a Jew. Jesus was of the nation of Israel. But, Jesus did not come to be the savior of the Jews alone. Jesus came to be the savior of Jews and Gentiles alike.
This has been God’s plan from the very beginning of time. Because you and I could never be good enough to change our lives and enter into God’s presence. God provided a way to change us. God’s plan does NOT depend on either circumcision or the Law. God’s plan depends on faith…Faith like that of Abraham.
IV. Conclusion: Grace Guarantee.
Paul uses a great word in verse 16… “Guaranteed.” Salvation is guaranteed!
There is only one way salvation can be guaranteed. It must be through Grace. If salvation is based on the Law, we are going to fail…And even if we could succeed, we would eventually lose our salvation. If salvation is based on Pillars, we are going to fail…And even if we could succeed, we would stumble or forget and lose our salvation.
But salvation is a Grace gift from God. You did not earn it. You cannot deserve it. You cannot accomplish it by sheer strength, willpower or goodness. God must CREDIT it into your account.
Success in the Christian life is not like any world religion. It is not about how good you are. It’s about TRUST. God is pure and holy. God can be trusted. Are you willing to trust him? I’m talking about a lifestyle of trust. In the good times and the bad. In the certainty and the uncertainty. Whether you find yourself in the sunshine or the rain. If you only trust yourself, the bad times can be devastating. If you trust in God, he will lead you through the valley of the shadow of death.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010: Children of Abraham
Children of Abraham
Galatians 3: 6 – 14.
I. Introduction.
A couple of years ago, my sons asked me a question about the relationship between Abraham and Islam. The question goes something like this…If Abraham was the father of Ishmael, and Ishmael is the ancestor of the Muslims, does that mean Christians, Muslims and Jews all worship the same God?
I will give you the same answer I gave my sons, “Go look it up on Wikipedia.” Actually, that’s not what I said.
There is one significant difference between the God of Christianity, the God of Judaism and Allah of Islam. The God of Christianity is the Father of Jesus Christ, who sent his Only Son to die on the cross and to rise again on the third day. Anyone who worships the Father of Jesus Christ (crucified and resurrected) worships the same God Christians worship. However, neither Jews nor Muslims worship the Father of Jesus (crucified and resurrected).
It is true that Jewish people trace their faith and lineage to Abraham, through his son Isaac. It is true that Muslim people trace their faith (and sometimes lineage) to Abraham, through his son Ishmael. It is also true that Christians trace our faith (and not our lineage) to Abraham, through his son Isaac.
As we have studied the story of Abraham, several of you have asked me why I haven’t mentioned much about the connection between Ishmael and Islam. The reason is because the Bible never mentions Islam. Islam began in the year AD 610—approximately 600 years after the birth of Jesus and approximately 2,400 years after the story of Abraham. There was no such thing as Islam when the Bible was written.
Ishmael was not a Muslim and did not become a Muslim 2,400 years later. The only connection between Ishmael and Islam is a biological connection. His descendents organized Islam as a religious reform movement, claiming their revelation as God’s third revelation of himself (first to the Jews, second to the Christians, third and finally to Muhammad).
The Muslims trace the lineage of Muhammad to Ishmael and claim to be “children of Abraham.” The Jews trace the lineage of their entire race to Isaac and claim to be “children of Abraham.” I don’t know if I can trace my lineage to either Ishmael or Isaac, but I am a “child of Abraham.” This is not because I am biologically related to Abraham. This is because I am related to Abraham through faith.
Read Galatians 3: 6 – 14.
In the previous passage, Paul made an appeal to the religious experience of the Galatians. They heard the Gospel; believed the Gospel; and received the Holy Spirit. They did not receive the Spirit through obedience to the Law.
In fact, this is a significant difference between the Gospel and the Law. The Gospel gives. The Law takes.
It might help us to review what Paul is arguing for and against in the Book of Galatians. He is arguing for the Gospel as sufficient for salvation. He is arguing against the Law—specifically the rite of circumcision—as a necessary part of Christian life.
In Galatians 1: 7, Paul indicates that “some people” have thrown the churches into confusion. If we try to reconstruct the original context, it seems that these “agitators” are akin to false teachers, who have tried to require the Gentile Christians to become like the Jews. Paul is adamantly opposed to adding anything to the Gospel, even something like the Law—which he devoted much of his life to uphold.
II. Verses 6 – 7… Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.
Now Paul shifts his argument from experience to Scripture. The Old Testament was the only Scripture available to Paul throughout his lifetime. There was no New Testament. Perhaps there was a developing “oral tradition” of stories about Jesus told by the Apostles and handed down from person to person by word of mouth. But, there was no written Scripture.
It comes as no surprise that Paul selects the story of Abraham to make his point. Abraham was held up as the model Jew. Even today, Jewish people admire Abraham and use his life as an example. Jews even refer to themselves as “children of Abraham.” They look to Abraham as their biological and religious ancestor.
It’s possible that the agitators have also used Abraham as an example to encourage the Galatians to be circumcised and to obey the Old Testament Law.
The quotation comes from Genesis 15. This is the chapter in which God made his promise to make a great nation out of Abraham’s descendants. However, it occurred before God commanded Abraham to be circumcised as a sign of the covenant between them. In other words, faith came before circumcision.
There are three important words in the Scripture quotation:
Believed…This is actually the verb form of the noun “faith.” In English, it is easy to differentiate between faith and belief. Believing something is completely different from placing your faith in something. The classic example is the story of the man walking across a high-wire. He walked across the high-wire as the audience cheered. He turned to the audience and asked, “How many of you believe I can walk across this high wire, pushing a wheelbarrow?” The audience cheered. “How many of you believe I can walk across this high-wire, pushing a wheelbarrow with another person sitting in the wheelbarrow?” The audience cheered. “Who wants to ride in the wheelbarrow?” Silence…
Faith is not simply acknowledging that something can be accomplished. Faith is placing your life at risk. That’s what Abraham did. He left his home. He left his family. He lived as a stranger in a strange land. He placed his life at risk. He knew that risking his life with God was better than remaining safe and comfortable at home.
Righteousness…There are two ways that we typically interpret the words righteous and righteousness. The most common interpretation is to think of being good and keeping your life pure / unstained by sin. The other interpretation is to think of it as a relational word. Our relationship with God is either broken or it is righteous. The only way to have a right / proper / righteous relationship with God is on God’s terms—Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. Before we choose one of these interpretations, we should pay attention to the word “credited.”
Credited…Other translations choose the word “reckoned.” “Reckon” means to count, to calculate, to attribute certain characteristics. “Credit” carries a similar meaning: to add to a person’s account.
In other words, Abraham did not earn righteousness. God gave “righteousness” to Abraham. Salvation has NEVER been about earning favor before God. It didn’t mean that for Abraham, and it doesn’t mean that for us.
If you can earn God’s favor by living a “righteous” life, then God is really not the one who is in control. You are in control. God has to do what you tell him to do. If God is not in control, then God is not really God. If you are in control over your own salvation, then you must be God…Because you can do something that God cannot do.
In Genesis 15, God made a promise to Abraham, and Abraham placed his faith in God. In Genesis 17, God commanded Abraham to be circumcised and to have all his male descendants circumcised. This was to be the “sign” of the covenant between them. There are a couple of important points in this story.
First, circumcision is simply a “sign” of what God has already done for Abraham and his descendants.
Second, faith came before circumcision. Abraham had a change in his heart before he had a change in his actions.
Think about it this way…Acting like a Christian cannot make you become a Christian. However, becoming a Christian always makes you begin acting like a Christian. Faith comes before works. Being comes before doing.
III. Verses 8 – 9… The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Paul believes the story of Abraham applies to the story of the Galatians and all Gentiles who follow. Faith comes before works. Being comes before doing. Gentiles do not act like Christians before they become Christians. Gentiles become Christians, then begin to act like Christians.
The Scripture Paul quotes comes from Genesis 12—the first time God spoke to Abraham. Abraham was chosen by God. However, he was chosen for a purpose. God never chooses people to sit on the pews. God chooses us to be involved in a worldwide mission. God chooses us so that all nations can be blessed through us.
Perhaps the most significant thing Paul says here is the connection between faith and being a descendant of Abraham. The true descendants of Abraham are not the people who have a perfect pedigree and can trace their family tree directly through Abraham. The true descendants are the ones who have the same kind of risky faith that Abraham had. Again, Paul holds up Abraham as our model. The Law didn’t save Abraham. Circumcision didn’t save Abraham. God saved Abraham, through faith.
You and I are like Abraham, if we have faith.
IV. Verses 10 – 11… All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."
Paul quotes two more Scriptures from the Old Testament. The first comes from Deuteronomy. While I believe the word “cursed” is an important word here, I do not believe it is the most important word. The key concept in this Scripture is the phrase “continue to do everything written.”
How many people are capable of “continuing to do everything written?” No one is capable! We are all sinners.
The best way I know to describe sin in the life of a Christian is to look to Alcoholics Anonymous for an example. In AA, everyone is considered a “recovering alcoholic.” The person who has been sober for one day is a “recovering alcoholic.” The person who has been sober for 40 years is a “recovering alcoholic.” No one ever considers themselves completely “recovered.” There is always a struggle.
Christians are the same way. We have never fully “recovered” from our sin problem. We are constantly “recovering” and struggling. We have setbacks. But the good news is that our righteousness has been credited by God. It has not been earned and it cannot be retained by anything we do. (In the same vein, if righteousness was never earned in the first place, then neither can it be lost.)
The next Scripture is a verse from Habakkuk about grace. However, it can be misused to teach another version of “works righteousness.”
Faith can become “works righteousness” if we think of it as “holding on to God.” The truth is that none of us is capable of “holding on to God.” We are not strong enough. We are not good enough. We are not pure enough. We must depend on God to “hold on to us.” This is what I think Paul is saying.
The word “faith” can also be translated “faithfulness.” Listen how that changes the meaning of the verse: “Clearly no one is justified before God by the Law, because ‘The righteous will live by FAITHFULNESS.’”
Does Paul have in mind my faithfulness to God? Or God’s faithfulness to me? Or could this, perhaps, refer to a combination of both God’s faithfulness and my faithfulness.
God is faithful to “hold on to me,” even when I try to let go. My response to God’s faithfulness ought to be a greater desire to be faithful to God.
V. Verses 12 – 13… The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
The first Scripture comes from the Book of Leviticus. It is a reminder that once a person starts down a path of keeping the Law, he will be required to keep all of it. Law is consuming. It consumes all of our lives. It does not give anything. It does not promise anything. The Law takes away. The Gospel promises. The Gospel gives.
The second Scripture comes from Deuteronomy. It is obvious that Paul is referring to the crucifixion and showing how shameful it is to be executed this way. However, notice an important, not so subtle, thing Paul says about Jesus. He did not say that Jesus became “cursed.” He says that Jesus became “the curse.”
Not only did the crucifixion take away our sins. The crucifixion also took away “the curse.” There is no longer a curse or any shame for the person who places their faith in the crucified Jesus.
VI. Verse 14… He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
This is the second time in this passage that Paul used the word “redeemed.” This is a word that comes to us from the slave trade. It should remind us of Jesus’ words that he came to be a “ransom.”
On one hand, “redeemed” reminds us that salvation came about through a very costly transaction. God had to “purchase” us. It cost him the life of Jesus.
On the other hand, it reminds us that salvation is freedom. Just as a redeemed slave never had to return to slavery, so a Christian never has to return to the Law.
VII. Conclusion.
In Paul’s understanding, the “children of Abraham” are God’s chosen people. They are not chosen by virtue of adherence to the Law. They are not chosen because of their biological connection to Abraham. They are chosen by their faith—faith like Abraham’s faith.
Abraham’s faith is more than acknowledging that God is able. It is taking a risk to put your life into God’s hands.
Abraham’s faith preceded his righteous life. At the moment of faith, God credited Abraham as righteous.
This is the work of Jesus in our lives.
God’s people are not limited to national boundaries or a particular race of people. God’s people, and the “children of Abraham,” include anyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected.
Galatians 3: 6 – 14.
I. Introduction.
A couple of years ago, my sons asked me a question about the relationship between Abraham and Islam. The question goes something like this…If Abraham was the father of Ishmael, and Ishmael is the ancestor of the Muslims, does that mean Christians, Muslims and Jews all worship the same God?
I will give you the same answer I gave my sons, “Go look it up on Wikipedia.” Actually, that’s not what I said.
There is one significant difference between the God of Christianity, the God of Judaism and Allah of Islam. The God of Christianity is the Father of Jesus Christ, who sent his Only Son to die on the cross and to rise again on the third day. Anyone who worships the Father of Jesus Christ (crucified and resurrected) worships the same God Christians worship. However, neither Jews nor Muslims worship the Father of Jesus (crucified and resurrected).
It is true that Jewish people trace their faith and lineage to Abraham, through his son Isaac. It is true that Muslim people trace their faith (and sometimes lineage) to Abraham, through his son Ishmael. It is also true that Christians trace our faith (and not our lineage) to Abraham, through his son Isaac.
As we have studied the story of Abraham, several of you have asked me why I haven’t mentioned much about the connection between Ishmael and Islam. The reason is because the Bible never mentions Islam. Islam began in the year AD 610—approximately 600 years after the birth of Jesus and approximately 2,400 years after the story of Abraham. There was no such thing as Islam when the Bible was written.
Ishmael was not a Muslim and did not become a Muslim 2,400 years later. The only connection between Ishmael and Islam is a biological connection. His descendents organized Islam as a religious reform movement, claiming their revelation as God’s third revelation of himself (first to the Jews, second to the Christians, third and finally to Muhammad).
The Muslims trace the lineage of Muhammad to Ishmael and claim to be “children of Abraham.” The Jews trace the lineage of their entire race to Isaac and claim to be “children of Abraham.” I don’t know if I can trace my lineage to either Ishmael or Isaac, but I am a “child of Abraham.” This is not because I am biologically related to Abraham. This is because I am related to Abraham through faith.
Read Galatians 3: 6 – 14.
In the previous passage, Paul made an appeal to the religious experience of the Galatians. They heard the Gospel; believed the Gospel; and received the Holy Spirit. They did not receive the Spirit through obedience to the Law.
In fact, this is a significant difference between the Gospel and the Law. The Gospel gives. The Law takes.
It might help us to review what Paul is arguing for and against in the Book of Galatians. He is arguing for the Gospel as sufficient for salvation. He is arguing against the Law—specifically the rite of circumcision—as a necessary part of Christian life.
In Galatians 1: 7, Paul indicates that “some people” have thrown the churches into confusion. If we try to reconstruct the original context, it seems that these “agitators” are akin to false teachers, who have tried to require the Gentile Christians to become like the Jews. Paul is adamantly opposed to adding anything to the Gospel, even something like the Law—which he devoted much of his life to uphold.
II. Verses 6 – 7… Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.
Now Paul shifts his argument from experience to Scripture. The Old Testament was the only Scripture available to Paul throughout his lifetime. There was no New Testament. Perhaps there was a developing “oral tradition” of stories about Jesus told by the Apostles and handed down from person to person by word of mouth. But, there was no written Scripture.
It comes as no surprise that Paul selects the story of Abraham to make his point. Abraham was held up as the model Jew. Even today, Jewish people admire Abraham and use his life as an example. Jews even refer to themselves as “children of Abraham.” They look to Abraham as their biological and religious ancestor.
It’s possible that the agitators have also used Abraham as an example to encourage the Galatians to be circumcised and to obey the Old Testament Law.
The quotation comes from Genesis 15. This is the chapter in which God made his promise to make a great nation out of Abraham’s descendants. However, it occurred before God commanded Abraham to be circumcised as a sign of the covenant between them. In other words, faith came before circumcision.
There are three important words in the Scripture quotation:
Believed…This is actually the verb form of the noun “faith.” In English, it is easy to differentiate between faith and belief. Believing something is completely different from placing your faith in something. The classic example is the story of the man walking across a high-wire. He walked across the high-wire as the audience cheered. He turned to the audience and asked, “How many of you believe I can walk across this high wire, pushing a wheelbarrow?” The audience cheered. “How many of you believe I can walk across this high-wire, pushing a wheelbarrow with another person sitting in the wheelbarrow?” The audience cheered. “Who wants to ride in the wheelbarrow?” Silence…
Faith is not simply acknowledging that something can be accomplished. Faith is placing your life at risk. That’s what Abraham did. He left his home. He left his family. He lived as a stranger in a strange land. He placed his life at risk. He knew that risking his life with God was better than remaining safe and comfortable at home.
Righteousness…There are two ways that we typically interpret the words righteous and righteousness. The most common interpretation is to think of being good and keeping your life pure / unstained by sin. The other interpretation is to think of it as a relational word. Our relationship with God is either broken or it is righteous. The only way to have a right / proper / righteous relationship with God is on God’s terms—Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. Before we choose one of these interpretations, we should pay attention to the word “credited.”
Credited…Other translations choose the word “reckoned.” “Reckon” means to count, to calculate, to attribute certain characteristics. “Credit” carries a similar meaning: to add to a person’s account.
In other words, Abraham did not earn righteousness. God gave “righteousness” to Abraham. Salvation has NEVER been about earning favor before God. It didn’t mean that for Abraham, and it doesn’t mean that for us.
If you can earn God’s favor by living a “righteous” life, then God is really not the one who is in control. You are in control. God has to do what you tell him to do. If God is not in control, then God is not really God. If you are in control over your own salvation, then you must be God…Because you can do something that God cannot do.
In Genesis 15, God made a promise to Abraham, and Abraham placed his faith in God. In Genesis 17, God commanded Abraham to be circumcised and to have all his male descendants circumcised. This was to be the “sign” of the covenant between them. There are a couple of important points in this story.
First, circumcision is simply a “sign” of what God has already done for Abraham and his descendants.
Second, faith came before circumcision. Abraham had a change in his heart before he had a change in his actions.
Think about it this way…Acting like a Christian cannot make you become a Christian. However, becoming a Christian always makes you begin acting like a Christian. Faith comes before works. Being comes before doing.
III. Verses 8 – 9… The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Paul believes the story of Abraham applies to the story of the Galatians and all Gentiles who follow. Faith comes before works. Being comes before doing. Gentiles do not act like Christians before they become Christians. Gentiles become Christians, then begin to act like Christians.
The Scripture Paul quotes comes from Genesis 12—the first time God spoke to Abraham. Abraham was chosen by God. However, he was chosen for a purpose. God never chooses people to sit on the pews. God chooses us to be involved in a worldwide mission. God chooses us so that all nations can be blessed through us.
Perhaps the most significant thing Paul says here is the connection between faith and being a descendant of Abraham. The true descendants of Abraham are not the people who have a perfect pedigree and can trace their family tree directly through Abraham. The true descendants are the ones who have the same kind of risky faith that Abraham had. Again, Paul holds up Abraham as our model. The Law didn’t save Abraham. Circumcision didn’t save Abraham. God saved Abraham, through faith.
You and I are like Abraham, if we have faith.
IV. Verses 10 – 11… All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."
Paul quotes two more Scriptures from the Old Testament. The first comes from Deuteronomy. While I believe the word “cursed” is an important word here, I do not believe it is the most important word. The key concept in this Scripture is the phrase “continue to do everything written.”
How many people are capable of “continuing to do everything written?” No one is capable! We are all sinners.
The best way I know to describe sin in the life of a Christian is to look to Alcoholics Anonymous for an example. In AA, everyone is considered a “recovering alcoholic.” The person who has been sober for one day is a “recovering alcoholic.” The person who has been sober for 40 years is a “recovering alcoholic.” No one ever considers themselves completely “recovered.” There is always a struggle.
Christians are the same way. We have never fully “recovered” from our sin problem. We are constantly “recovering” and struggling. We have setbacks. But the good news is that our righteousness has been credited by God. It has not been earned and it cannot be retained by anything we do. (In the same vein, if righteousness was never earned in the first place, then neither can it be lost.)
The next Scripture is a verse from Habakkuk about grace. However, it can be misused to teach another version of “works righteousness.”
Faith can become “works righteousness” if we think of it as “holding on to God.” The truth is that none of us is capable of “holding on to God.” We are not strong enough. We are not good enough. We are not pure enough. We must depend on God to “hold on to us.” This is what I think Paul is saying.
The word “faith” can also be translated “faithfulness.” Listen how that changes the meaning of the verse: “Clearly no one is justified before God by the Law, because ‘The righteous will live by FAITHFULNESS.’”
Does Paul have in mind my faithfulness to God? Or God’s faithfulness to me? Or could this, perhaps, refer to a combination of both God’s faithfulness and my faithfulness.
God is faithful to “hold on to me,” even when I try to let go. My response to God’s faithfulness ought to be a greater desire to be faithful to God.
V. Verses 12 – 13… The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
The first Scripture comes from the Book of Leviticus. It is a reminder that once a person starts down a path of keeping the Law, he will be required to keep all of it. Law is consuming. It consumes all of our lives. It does not give anything. It does not promise anything. The Law takes away. The Gospel promises. The Gospel gives.
The second Scripture comes from Deuteronomy. It is obvious that Paul is referring to the crucifixion and showing how shameful it is to be executed this way. However, notice an important, not so subtle, thing Paul says about Jesus. He did not say that Jesus became “cursed.” He says that Jesus became “the curse.”
Not only did the crucifixion take away our sins. The crucifixion also took away “the curse.” There is no longer a curse or any shame for the person who places their faith in the crucified Jesus.
VI. Verse 14… He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
This is the second time in this passage that Paul used the word “redeemed.” This is a word that comes to us from the slave trade. It should remind us of Jesus’ words that he came to be a “ransom.”
On one hand, “redeemed” reminds us that salvation came about through a very costly transaction. God had to “purchase” us. It cost him the life of Jesus.
On the other hand, it reminds us that salvation is freedom. Just as a redeemed slave never had to return to slavery, so a Christian never has to return to the Law.
VII. Conclusion.
In Paul’s understanding, the “children of Abraham” are God’s chosen people. They are not chosen by virtue of adherence to the Law. They are not chosen because of their biological connection to Abraham. They are chosen by their faith—faith like Abraham’s faith.
Abraham’s faith is more than acknowledging that God is able. It is taking a risk to put your life into God’s hands.
Abraham’s faith preceded his righteous life. At the moment of faith, God credited Abraham as righteous.
This is the work of Jesus in our lives.
God’s people are not limited to national boundaries or a particular race of people. God’s people, and the “children of Abraham,” include anyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010: Test of Faith
Test of Faith
Genesis 22: 1 – 19.
I. Introduction.
For the past several weeks, I have been preaching from the story of Abraham. I chose to preach on Abraham, because the past two sermon series I have preached have been from the New Testament—specifically, from the teachings of Jesus. I thought it would be good to spend some time in the Old Testament.
But, I had no idea it was going to be this hard. Some of the Abraham stories are hard stories to preach and to understand. To be honest with you, there are several Abraham stories that I wanted to skip. Like the story in Genesis 12 about the way Abraham and Sarah lied to Pharoah. That would have been a good story to skip, but I wanted to cover all the Abraham stories from Genesis, so I couldn’t skip it. Then, Abraham turned around in Genesis 20 and told the same lie to Abimelech. I sure wanted to skip that story, since it was so similar to what Abraham did in Genesis 12…but I couldn’t do it. I wanted to tell the whole story of Abraham.
Of course, there is also the story about the way Abraham and Sarah started doubting God and created their own contingency plan. They just weren’t sure if God was capable of keeping his promise to give them a child and to make them into a great nation. Sarah was well beyond the age of child-bearing, so she offered Abraham a worldly solution to their problem. She offered to allow him to take her slave girl, Hagar, to be his second wife. Abraham and Hagar had a son they named Ishmael. Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn son and eventually became the father of his own nation. The people we know today as the Muslims. I really wanted to skip that story. For that matter, I wish Abraham himself had skipped that part of his story.
Last week was another hard Scripture. It was the story of Sarah’s jealousy. She didn’t want Hagar’s son to share in her son’s inheritance. So, she insisted that Abraham expel Hagar and Ishmael into the desert to fend for themselves. They were facing certain death, until God intervened and preserved their lives.
Now that I think about it…The entire story of Abraham is a hard story. And this week is no exception. I really don’t want to look at the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22. This is the end of the Abraham story in the Book of Genesis. His story began when God called him to go to a strange, new land. God promised to give Abraham a son in his old age. It seemed strange that God would allow a 75 year old man to become a father for the first time. It seemed even stranger when God made Abraham wait another 25 years.
Isaac was the son God promised to Abraham and Sarah. He was born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old. God didn’t do things as quickly as Abraham would have preferred, but God always keeps his promises.
Then, God did the unthinkable. God commanded Abraham to take Isaac to Mount Moriah and to offer Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. Abraham was to build an altar; tie Isaac to the altar; kill Isaac with a knife; and burn him as a sacrifice. This is not a happy story. We don’t like this story.
However, our primary concern with this story is not a theological concern. This story offends us, because it involves a father doing something that just seems wrong. It seems wrong to us, because we live in a world in which the highest priority is to make our children happy. This is not a happy story about a happy father and a happy child. In fact, Abraham was faced with a horrible choice: he could sacrifice everything in his life to make his son happy; or he could sacrifice his son to make God happy.
This is what offends us about the story. We want everyone to be happy. We want Isaac to be happy. We want our own children to be happy. Obeying God does not always make everyone happy.
Read Genesis 22: 1 – 19.
The first verse gives us an insight into the story that no one else knows. The author of Genesis tells us immediately that this is a test. God is testing Abraham. You and I know this is a test, but neither Abraham nor Isaac knows this is a test. They operate throughout the story as if this is a real command from God.
In some ways, this command from God reminds us of God’s original words to Abraham in Genesis 12. In Genesis 12, God spoke to Abraham and told him to leave his hometown and go to a new land. God didn’t tell him where he was going. God simply said, “Go to a land that I will show you.” In other words, God told Abraham to step out in faith; move to a new land; and God would let him know once he got there. In Genesis 22, God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to the region of Moriah and sacrifice him on a mountain “I will tell you about.” Again, God told Abraham to go until he told him to stop.
Another similarity between Genesis 12 and Genesis 22, is the way God spoke to Abraham in progression. For example, in Genesis 12: 1, God said, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go…” God began with the general and progressed to the specific. In Genesis 22: 2, God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go…” Again, God’s word progressed from the general to the specific.
Our English translations don’t list God’s words to Abraham in the right order. The original order is, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac and go…”
According to Genesis, Abraham did not say anything to God. But, there is a famous Rabbinic Midrash that describes a conversation between God and Abraham. God said, “Take your son.” Abraham said, “I have two sons.” God said, “Your only son.” Abraham said, “Both of my sons are the only sons of their mothers.” God said, “Whom you love.” Abraham said, “I love both my sons.” God said, “Isaac.” Abraham was silent…There was no doubt whom God had in mind.
It is true that Abraham had two sons. However, God had already made it clear that only one of those sons would carry on Abraham’s family name. In Genesis 21: 12, God told Abraham, “…it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” There were two sons, but only one son represented Abraham’s future. This is significant, because it reminds us of Abraham’s call in Genesis 12.
II. God Tests.
In both Genesis 12 and Genesis 22, God told Abraham to give up something. In Genesis 12, God told Abraham to leave his country, his people and his father’s household. This was everything Abraham had known for his entire life. This was his history…This was his formative years…This was his past. In Genesis 22, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, his only son, the son he loved, Isaac. This was everything God had promised Abraham. This was his promise…This was his legacy…This was his future. There was a time when God asked Abraham to give up his past. Now, God is asking Abraham to give up his future. But, don’t forget what we read in verse one…This is only a test.
Genesis doesn’t give us a lot of the details we expect in a story like this. We don’t know physical details like how Isaac responded to his father’s strange behavior. We don’t have any psychological details like what must have been going through Abraham’s mind as he and Isaac made the three-day journey to the Mountains of Moriah. But, we have all the details we need to know. God spoke. Abraham obeyed.
Abraham gathered the three things he would need for his sacrifice. He gathered wood, a torch of fire and a knife. Notice what he did with these three items. Abraham carried the fire and the knife. Abraham loaded the wood onto Isaac’s back. Throughout the story, Abraham continued to act like a concerned father. Abraham carried the dangerous items. Isaac carried the safe items.
When Abraham and Isaac arrived at the mountain God had chosen, Isaac noticed something was missing. There was wood…There was fire…There was a knife… But, there was no lamb for the sacrifice. Abraham expressed his confidence in God, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son (Genesis 22: 8).”
III. God Provides.
Sometimes we hear Abraham’s words and think he must have known this was a test. He must have known that God would come through at the last moment. But, that is not the case. In Abraham’s mind, God had already provided the lamb for the sacrifice. He thought Isaac was God’s provision. This is an incredible statement of faith. God provides.
In the end, Isaac was not to be the sacrifice. This was only a test. God had something else in mind all along. At the last minute, God spoke to Abraham through an angel, Genesis 22: 12, “Abraham, Abraham! Do not lay a hand on the boy…” This is when Abraham discovered this was only a test. The angel continued, “…Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son (Genesis 22: 12).”
I have somewhat of a problem with the phrase, “Now I know that you fear God.” Surely God already knew how this would turn out! Of course he knew. That is the only explanation for the ram. Abraham took Isaac all the way to the top of the mountain; he built an altar; he tied Isaac to the altar; he raised the knife to kill the son he loved; an angel stopped Abraham from carrying out the sacrifice; and God provided a ram to offer as a substitute for Isaac. This ram did not appear by accident. This was not good luck. This cannot be explained as a result of nature. God had been working behind the scenes all along—to lead this particular ram to separate from the herd, to climb to the top of this exact mountain, to grow horns that would not fit through the briars, and to get stuck in the place where Abraham could find it just in the nick of time.
Verse one tells us that God is the tester. Verse 12 tells us that God is the provider. But, the entire story tells us that God does not have to choose between being the tester and the provider. God tests and provides at the same time.
It would be wrong for us to separate the testing from the provision. In fact, separating God’s roles can lead us to a false expression of faith. Nominal and complacent Christians want God to be the provider for all our needs and desires without ever testing us. Cynical and bitter Christians like to describe God as an angry, detached tester who does not provide. True faith is like Abraham’s faith, it acknowledges God’s two roles in our lives—testing and providing.
Think about the focal point of the Christian faith—the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. These two events cannot be separated. The crucifixion was God’s greatest test. The resurrection is God’s greatest provision. Or think about what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10: 13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
If God is only the tester, and not the provider, then we might be tempted to think of God as mean. Like a child with a magnifying glass, burning up ants as they come out of an anthill. If God is only the provider, and not the tester, then we might be tempted to say God is not ultimately in control. But, Abraham’s story shows us something different. God set the test for Abraham and immediately set things in motion to provide Abraham with a ram. It was a controlled environment.
Don’t get me wrong here. Abraham could have failed at any point in the test. He could have refused to go to the Mountains of Moriah. He could have argued with God and bargained for a better, easier plan. He could have refused to listen to the angel and carried out the sacrifice of Isaac.
This continues to be the way God deals with those who profess faith. God tests us. But it is always in a controlled environment. Even when he sets the test, God is already working behind the scenes to provide you with all you need. But, failure is a very real possibility…
IV. Conclusion.
There is only one way to know that God provides. You must experience his provision. You must discover for yourself that God provides exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.
This is where we make a big mistake as a church. (I’m not talking about our church specifically…I mean all traditional forms of church in our modern day.) We talk about faith as something we believe. We go to church on Sunday morning and learn from the pastor what to believe. We go to Sunday School and small groups and Bible study to learn what to believe. We read the Bible and Christian books to learn what to believe. For some reason, we think Christian faith is all about learning and knowing what to believe. Faith should not be restricted to an intellectual exercise. It is possible to memorize everything in the Bible and never experience God’s provision. It is possible to know everything about God and never discover God’s Grace that is sufficient for all our needs.
True faith looks like Abraham in Genesis 22. He took everything he believed about God’s ability to keep his promises…He took everything he knew about God’s Grace…He took everything he had ever learned about God’s provision…And he acted on it. Abraham was obedient.
Before Genesis 22, Abraham had faith potential in his heart and head. At Mount Moriah, Abraham’s potential faith became faith in action. Don’t walk away from here today with your heart and head full of potential. Go and do something. Put your beliefs into action. If you do, you will discover God’s promises are true…God’s Grace is sufficient…God will provide.
Genesis 22: 1 – 19.
I. Introduction.
For the past several weeks, I have been preaching from the story of Abraham. I chose to preach on Abraham, because the past two sermon series I have preached have been from the New Testament—specifically, from the teachings of Jesus. I thought it would be good to spend some time in the Old Testament.
But, I had no idea it was going to be this hard. Some of the Abraham stories are hard stories to preach and to understand. To be honest with you, there are several Abraham stories that I wanted to skip. Like the story in Genesis 12 about the way Abraham and Sarah lied to Pharoah. That would have been a good story to skip, but I wanted to cover all the Abraham stories from Genesis, so I couldn’t skip it. Then, Abraham turned around in Genesis 20 and told the same lie to Abimelech. I sure wanted to skip that story, since it was so similar to what Abraham did in Genesis 12…but I couldn’t do it. I wanted to tell the whole story of Abraham.
Of course, there is also the story about the way Abraham and Sarah started doubting God and created their own contingency plan. They just weren’t sure if God was capable of keeping his promise to give them a child and to make them into a great nation. Sarah was well beyond the age of child-bearing, so she offered Abraham a worldly solution to their problem. She offered to allow him to take her slave girl, Hagar, to be his second wife. Abraham and Hagar had a son they named Ishmael. Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn son and eventually became the father of his own nation. The people we know today as the Muslims. I really wanted to skip that story. For that matter, I wish Abraham himself had skipped that part of his story.
Last week was another hard Scripture. It was the story of Sarah’s jealousy. She didn’t want Hagar’s son to share in her son’s inheritance. So, she insisted that Abraham expel Hagar and Ishmael into the desert to fend for themselves. They were facing certain death, until God intervened and preserved their lives.
Now that I think about it…The entire story of Abraham is a hard story. And this week is no exception. I really don’t want to look at the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22. This is the end of the Abraham story in the Book of Genesis. His story began when God called him to go to a strange, new land. God promised to give Abraham a son in his old age. It seemed strange that God would allow a 75 year old man to become a father for the first time. It seemed even stranger when God made Abraham wait another 25 years.
Isaac was the son God promised to Abraham and Sarah. He was born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old. God didn’t do things as quickly as Abraham would have preferred, but God always keeps his promises.
Then, God did the unthinkable. God commanded Abraham to take Isaac to Mount Moriah and to offer Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. Abraham was to build an altar; tie Isaac to the altar; kill Isaac with a knife; and burn him as a sacrifice. This is not a happy story. We don’t like this story.
However, our primary concern with this story is not a theological concern. This story offends us, because it involves a father doing something that just seems wrong. It seems wrong to us, because we live in a world in which the highest priority is to make our children happy. This is not a happy story about a happy father and a happy child. In fact, Abraham was faced with a horrible choice: he could sacrifice everything in his life to make his son happy; or he could sacrifice his son to make God happy.
This is what offends us about the story. We want everyone to be happy. We want Isaac to be happy. We want our own children to be happy. Obeying God does not always make everyone happy.
Read Genesis 22: 1 – 19.
The first verse gives us an insight into the story that no one else knows. The author of Genesis tells us immediately that this is a test. God is testing Abraham. You and I know this is a test, but neither Abraham nor Isaac knows this is a test. They operate throughout the story as if this is a real command from God.
In some ways, this command from God reminds us of God’s original words to Abraham in Genesis 12. In Genesis 12, God spoke to Abraham and told him to leave his hometown and go to a new land. God didn’t tell him where he was going. God simply said, “Go to a land that I will show you.” In other words, God told Abraham to step out in faith; move to a new land; and God would let him know once he got there. In Genesis 22, God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to the region of Moriah and sacrifice him on a mountain “I will tell you about.” Again, God told Abraham to go until he told him to stop.
Another similarity between Genesis 12 and Genesis 22, is the way God spoke to Abraham in progression. For example, in Genesis 12: 1, God said, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go…” God began with the general and progressed to the specific. In Genesis 22: 2, God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go…” Again, God’s word progressed from the general to the specific.
Our English translations don’t list God’s words to Abraham in the right order. The original order is, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac and go…”
According to Genesis, Abraham did not say anything to God. But, there is a famous Rabbinic Midrash that describes a conversation between God and Abraham. God said, “Take your son.” Abraham said, “I have two sons.” God said, “Your only son.” Abraham said, “Both of my sons are the only sons of their mothers.” God said, “Whom you love.” Abraham said, “I love both my sons.” God said, “Isaac.” Abraham was silent…There was no doubt whom God had in mind.
It is true that Abraham had two sons. However, God had already made it clear that only one of those sons would carry on Abraham’s family name. In Genesis 21: 12, God told Abraham, “…it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” There were two sons, but only one son represented Abraham’s future. This is significant, because it reminds us of Abraham’s call in Genesis 12.
II. God Tests.
In both Genesis 12 and Genesis 22, God told Abraham to give up something. In Genesis 12, God told Abraham to leave his country, his people and his father’s household. This was everything Abraham had known for his entire life. This was his history…This was his formative years…This was his past. In Genesis 22, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, his only son, the son he loved, Isaac. This was everything God had promised Abraham. This was his promise…This was his legacy…This was his future. There was a time when God asked Abraham to give up his past. Now, God is asking Abraham to give up his future. But, don’t forget what we read in verse one…This is only a test.
Genesis doesn’t give us a lot of the details we expect in a story like this. We don’t know physical details like how Isaac responded to his father’s strange behavior. We don’t have any psychological details like what must have been going through Abraham’s mind as he and Isaac made the three-day journey to the Mountains of Moriah. But, we have all the details we need to know. God spoke. Abraham obeyed.
Abraham gathered the three things he would need for his sacrifice. He gathered wood, a torch of fire and a knife. Notice what he did with these three items. Abraham carried the fire and the knife. Abraham loaded the wood onto Isaac’s back. Throughout the story, Abraham continued to act like a concerned father. Abraham carried the dangerous items. Isaac carried the safe items.
When Abraham and Isaac arrived at the mountain God had chosen, Isaac noticed something was missing. There was wood…There was fire…There was a knife… But, there was no lamb for the sacrifice. Abraham expressed his confidence in God, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son (Genesis 22: 8).”
III. God Provides.
Sometimes we hear Abraham’s words and think he must have known this was a test. He must have known that God would come through at the last moment. But, that is not the case. In Abraham’s mind, God had already provided the lamb for the sacrifice. He thought Isaac was God’s provision. This is an incredible statement of faith. God provides.
In the end, Isaac was not to be the sacrifice. This was only a test. God had something else in mind all along. At the last minute, God spoke to Abraham through an angel, Genesis 22: 12, “Abraham, Abraham! Do not lay a hand on the boy…” This is when Abraham discovered this was only a test. The angel continued, “…Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son (Genesis 22: 12).”
I have somewhat of a problem with the phrase, “Now I know that you fear God.” Surely God already knew how this would turn out! Of course he knew. That is the only explanation for the ram. Abraham took Isaac all the way to the top of the mountain; he built an altar; he tied Isaac to the altar; he raised the knife to kill the son he loved; an angel stopped Abraham from carrying out the sacrifice; and God provided a ram to offer as a substitute for Isaac. This ram did not appear by accident. This was not good luck. This cannot be explained as a result of nature. God had been working behind the scenes all along—to lead this particular ram to separate from the herd, to climb to the top of this exact mountain, to grow horns that would not fit through the briars, and to get stuck in the place where Abraham could find it just in the nick of time.
Verse one tells us that God is the tester. Verse 12 tells us that God is the provider. But, the entire story tells us that God does not have to choose between being the tester and the provider. God tests and provides at the same time.
It would be wrong for us to separate the testing from the provision. In fact, separating God’s roles can lead us to a false expression of faith. Nominal and complacent Christians want God to be the provider for all our needs and desires without ever testing us. Cynical and bitter Christians like to describe God as an angry, detached tester who does not provide. True faith is like Abraham’s faith, it acknowledges God’s two roles in our lives—testing and providing.
Think about the focal point of the Christian faith—the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. These two events cannot be separated. The crucifixion was God’s greatest test. The resurrection is God’s greatest provision. Or think about what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10: 13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
If God is only the tester, and not the provider, then we might be tempted to think of God as mean. Like a child with a magnifying glass, burning up ants as they come out of an anthill. If God is only the provider, and not the tester, then we might be tempted to say God is not ultimately in control. But, Abraham’s story shows us something different. God set the test for Abraham and immediately set things in motion to provide Abraham with a ram. It was a controlled environment.
Don’t get me wrong here. Abraham could have failed at any point in the test. He could have refused to go to the Mountains of Moriah. He could have argued with God and bargained for a better, easier plan. He could have refused to listen to the angel and carried out the sacrifice of Isaac.
This continues to be the way God deals with those who profess faith. God tests us. But it is always in a controlled environment. Even when he sets the test, God is already working behind the scenes to provide you with all you need. But, failure is a very real possibility…
IV. Conclusion.
There is only one way to know that God provides. You must experience his provision. You must discover for yourself that God provides exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.
This is where we make a big mistake as a church. (I’m not talking about our church specifically…I mean all traditional forms of church in our modern day.) We talk about faith as something we believe. We go to church on Sunday morning and learn from the pastor what to believe. We go to Sunday School and small groups and Bible study to learn what to believe. We read the Bible and Christian books to learn what to believe. For some reason, we think Christian faith is all about learning and knowing what to believe. Faith should not be restricted to an intellectual exercise. It is possible to memorize everything in the Bible and never experience God’s provision. It is possible to know everything about God and never discover God’s Grace that is sufficient for all our needs.
True faith looks like Abraham in Genesis 22. He took everything he believed about God’s ability to keep his promises…He took everything he knew about God’s Grace…He took everything he had ever learned about God’s provision…And he acted on it. Abraham was obedient.
Before Genesis 22, Abraham had faith potential in his heart and head. At Mount Moriah, Abraham’s potential faith became faith in action. Don’t walk away from here today with your heart and head full of potential. Go and do something. Put your beliefs into action. If you do, you will discover God’s promises are true…God’s Grace is sufficient…God will provide.
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