Contents

“Fickle – or Faithful? God’s Amazing Love for the Unappreciative” - Palm/Passion Sunday April 14/19 - Lk 19:37-42, 23:13-23. 1

“‘Who Says?’ – Jesus Our Scripture-Opener” - May 5 2019 - Luke 24:13-32 (et passim). 4

“Skeptical of the Spirit: Surplus – or Essential?” - Pentecost Sunday, June 9 2019 - Rom.8:1-16(et passim). 9

“Four Gardens: Potential, Pressure, Presence, Preservation” - 17^th Annual Blyth Memory Garden Dedication Service - Sun. June 16, 2019 - Gen 2:8-9,15-17; Mt.26:36-39; Jn 19:40-42; 20:14-17; Rev 22:1-5. 13

“When Things Get Worse, Watch God Go to Work” - Blyth Community Outdoor Service - June 30, 2019 - Ex.5:15-6:5 (Mt.6:25-34 / Nahum 1:7) - VBS theme Day 1 “When Life is Unfair, God is Good”. 15

‘Mercy, Modesty, & Money’ Pt.1 - “Grace & Guidance for the Worst” - July 21 2019 1Tim.1:12-17. 19

“Mercy, Modesty, & Money” Pt.2 - “Pleasing the Father Not Fads” - July 28 2019 1Tim.2:1-10. 22

“Carved in the Palm of His Hand” - Funeral of Bert Corbett - July 31 2019. 26

“Mercy, Modesty, & Money” Pt.3 - “Greed’s Griefs – or Kindly Contentment?” - August 4 2019 1Tim.6:6-19. 28

“Can Trees Save Us?” - Sept.21 2019 - Maitland Conservation Foundation - George Taylor Conservation Area - Memorial & Celebration Grove Tree Planting Ceremony. 32

“What are you Waiting For?” - 1Pet.1:3-9 Dec.1/19 (Advent I). 34

“Love's Amazing Cover-Up” - Dec.22/19 - Advent IV Is.7:1-16 (Mt.1:18-25). 38

19 - Lk 19:37-42, 23:13-23

WE’RE COUNTING ON YOU

What a blessing it is to know and serve a God who is FAITHFUL, who can be counted on in all situations! He keeps His covenant and watches over His word to fulfill His promises. Lamentations 3:22f tells us, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

We humans, on the other hand, are not always so reliable... Saturday March 9 began in a leisurely fashion for me; I had nothing on my schedule so was taking my time with my morning hot drink and Quiet Time routine. Then at 9:37 a.m.the phone rang. It was Dr Stephen Roy, President of Emmanuel Bible College. The Board of Governors had just begun their 9:30 meeting and Dr Roy was wondering if I was all right or just on my way!! In sudden panic I realized I had completely forgotten to put the board meeting on my Google Calendar. No wonder they were noticing the secretary was absent... I hurriedly gulped down the rest of my drink, grabbed my laptop, and headed out the door to Kitchener, while the Vice-Chair kindly made some notes until I got there over an hour later.

We want to be perceived by others as reliable. We want them to be able to count on us, to consider us faithful. We don’t want to come across as fickle, promising to be there for them and then not coming through. If others have let us down in the past, we know how disappointing that is, how it damages trust and our confidence in that person, it hurts the relationship. We become cautious or hesitant about ever trusting them again.

In the same vein, society views negatively those who are deliberately deceptive and unfaithful, disloyal: to be a traitor is shameful. On March 15 Roy Rockwell Hansen of Syracuse, Utah, a former intelligence officer for the American army and government, pleaded guilty to attempting to steal and deliver national secrets to the Chinese government. Between 2013 and 2017, Hansen would attend military and intelligence conferences in the US and provide the information he learned at the conferences to contacts in China associated with the nation’s intelligence agency, receiving some $800,000 in return. Beginning in May 2016, Hansen attempted to solicit information from a current DIA intelligence officer. Hansen told the other officer how to record and transmit the classified information without raising agency alarms, as well as how to launder the money he received as payment from the Chinese. However – the other DIA officer was actually working as a confidential human source for the FBI, leading to Hansen’s arrest. Now at age 59 he is facing likely a 15-year prison sentence – not quite what he was planning to do for his retirement!

God is faithful – not fickle. Psalm 36:5, “Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your FAITHFULNESS to the skies.” He can be trusted to keep His word. A nation’s security requires it to have confidence in its agents to whom are entrusted vital national information. So those who betray that confidence, who abuse their security clearances, are reprimanded harshly. You don’t want your officials doing a flip-flop and becoming agents for the enemy! “Loose lips - sink ships.”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey on Palm Sunday, there was great celebration. Lk 19:37f, “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"” Yet just 5 days later on Good Friday, crowds were calling for His elimination: Lk 23:18,20-23 “With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" ...Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again.But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty.Therefore I will have him punished and then release him." But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.”

What happened in the space of 5 short days that turned public opinion so much against Jesus? How had the wild cheering of Palm Sunday evaporated, such that Jesus was so abandoned, cast to the wolves?

STATELY JESUS: WE’RE BEHIND YOU 110%

Back in Luke 19 at the Triumphal Entry, Jesus was ‘making a statement’ without saying a thing. He organized His entry into the Jewish capital using the format of an important occasion, like a conquering general returning home with the spoils of battle. He was mounted on a steed, His followers cheering wildly, spreading their garments on the road, waving palm branches – quite a parade! Except He wasn’t mounted on the customary war-horse, but on a donkey, a beast of burden. Kind of like the president arriving on a bushplane instead of Air Force One. “Huh? That’s not how it’s normally done!” (He was kind of ‘making a statement’ about making a statement.)

Jesus orchestrated events and said things that someone who’s just “a good moral teacher” would never do. How cheeky to commandeer an animal to ride on! Lk 19:30f “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden.Untie it and bring it here.If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’” WHO??! Outlandish – unless He really IS the Lord. Then the Pharisees object to such extravagant praise being given to a mere human, akin to blasphemy; but Jesus refuses to rebuke His followers, as if such laudatory exclamations are actually appropriate. Lk 19:39f - “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."” What?! If the humans didn’t say it, even inanimate objects would start shouting it?! Such a nervy thing to say, so egocentric – unless, of course, He really IS someone divine.

Thus Jesus implicitly acknowledges His kingship, yet He won’t be coerced or manipulated or taken advantage of, forced into the conventional framework.

A long time before this, back in John 6 when Jesus fed the 5,000, His popularity had suddenly skyrocketed as a result of the miracle. Yet Jesus, all too aware how fame and power usually work in the world, did not capitalize on His sudden public favour. John 6:14f - “After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they INTENDED TO COME AND MAKE HIM KING BY FORCE, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”

SCARY JESUS: UPSETTING OUR CONVENTIONAL EXPECTATIONS OF POWER

Don’t let the Tim Horton’s marketers get wind of this, but did you know there’s a doughnut at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy? That’s right, a black hole, with a faint circle of light around it. This week astronomers released a photo of another black hole, one of the biggest ones they think exists, in the M87 galaxy some 500 million trillion km away. It’s estimated to have a mass 6.5 billion times the size of our Sun, and is larger than our entire solar system. Yet there’s a paradox: it may be one of the most massive things in our universe - but it’s invisible! You can’t actually see it, just a ring of fire around it – because beyond a certain point the gravitational pull is so intense even light rays can’t escape.

Jesus’ approach to power is paradoxical, extraordinary, unusual. The crowds hailed Him as “Messiah” – but over the course of Jewish history, that word had become associated with the expectation of a strong military deliverer, like Judas Maccabeus (191-160 BC), who led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire. In Jesus’ time, people hoped for deliverance from Roman political oppression: hence you had groups like the Zealots (even one of Jesus’ own disciples, Simon, had belonged to the Zealots [Lk 6:15]). Yet Jesus resisted the pressure to get pushed into that mould: He had come to bring a different kind of deliverance. Lk 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” His deliverance and release was to be spiritual, not political: Mt 26:28 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

In the Bible, the Lord’s ‘name’ represents His power and authority. When you sign a cheque, you attach your name to it to either authorize it or endorse it, you make it good, effective. Jesus’ power and authority (symbolized by His NAME) are directed toward delivering us from our moral quagmire and objectionable-ness before a Holy God. As He explained to the disciples after the resurrection, summarizing the plot-line and thrust of the whole Bible, Lk 24:46f - “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached IN HIS NAME to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” The Almighty harnesses His power to serve YOU, to bring you to Himself – Glory to Him! It’s about HIM, not us (even though you wouldn’t know that from His humility).

So in the days following the Palm Sunday parade, the divergence between Jesus’ approach to power and conventional leadership patterns becomes increasingly, acutely, noticeable. Lk 19:45f - “Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling."It is written," he said to them, "‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’"” (See? He wants to eliminate anything that might get in the way of us enjoying relationship with Him.) What response does this draw from those in charge? Lk 19:47B - “But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.”

As Jesus teaches in the temple courts, His authority is challenged by the various religious leader groups – the chief priests and teachers of the law (Lk 20:1-8); their spies (20:20-26); the Sadducees (Lk 20:27-38). Yet none of the religious power-brokers were successful in tripping Him up.

Matthew devotes an entire chapter (Mt 23) to Jesus’ criticism of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. He warned people against the way religious power was flaunted: Lk 20:46f - “Beware of the teachers of the law.They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.Such men will be punished most severely.”

What about us? Do we wear our religion on our sleeve for all to see? Is prayer a matter of “showing off”? Do we go to church on Sunday then take advantage of others during the week?

Jesus defines the meaning of the Good Friday / Easter event, the thrust of His life, in Lk 22:20 - “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Quickly He contrasts this with the way most leaders use their power: vv25-27, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. BUT YOU ARE NOT TO BE LIKE THAT. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? BUT I AM AMONG YOU AS ONE WHO SERVES.”

Have you heard the expression, “Follow the money,” to track down the root of a problem? At Good Friday, “Follow the power.” For the Jews, the issue is whether Jesus is the Christ: Lk 22:67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.” V70 “They all asked, ‘Are you then the Son of God?’” He doesn’t back down from admitting it. So at the cross it becomes their basis for mocking Him. 23:35 “The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."”

For the Romans, Gentiles, the terminology is a little different - “king” not “Christ” - but power is still the focus. Lk 23:2B-3 “And they began to accuse him, saying, "...He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king." So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.” The sign over His head at the cross indicating Jesus’ ‘crime’ says, Lk 23:38 “This is the king of the Jews”. So on that basis the Gentile soldiers ridicule Him: Lk 23:37 “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” As in - “You claim you have the power, so prove it!”

The crowd is fickle – praises one day, condemning Him a few days later. Someone might object that’s just the general populace. But what about the disciples? Did they stand fast, even if popular opinion turned against Jesus?

Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, Jesus’ close “inner circle”, betrays Him, handing Him over to the religious leaders trying to kill Him for a sum of money (Lk 22:1-5). Jesus notes the irony when they arrive to arrest Him: Lk 22:48, “...Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"” Such blatant insincerity!

The other disciples are rattled in the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus is arrested partly on account of His submission to the Father’s will. He simply refuses to put up a fight, accepting it as part of God’s revealed plan. Mk 14:49f [Jesus said] “‘But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.’ Then everyone deserted him and fled.” One of them, a young man [perhaps Mark the gospel writer?], is seized by his linen garment, but wriggles out and escapes naked! (Mk 14:51f) That’s the sheer shame His followers felt as they fled.

Peter – rock-solid Cephas – what a flip-flop he proved to be! Mere hours before, he boasted, Lk 22:33 “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Then when Jesus asks Peter, James, and John to keep watch with Him in the garden while He agonizes in prayer, Peter falls asleep (22:45). At the time of the arrest, Peter cuts off the ear of the High Priest’s servant – but Jesus tells Him to put His sword away – Jn 18:10f “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” By now Peter must be getting really confused.

But the clincher comes when the rooster crows at the dawn of Good Friday. Peter denies he knows Jesus three separate times (Lk 22:54ff). Lk 22:61f “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.” Somehow, mysteriously, Jesus was Lord and Sovereign even over the events of His betrayal and crucifixion. Yet Peter freely, of his own will, had turned his back on his Master when it came down to the crunch. He wasn’t rock-solid at all: not flinty but fickle.

When we sin, we are denying Jesus much as Peter did. Our sins drive a nail into His cross. If we love Him, we will obey Him (Jn 14:21,24).

On Wednesday I attended an Area Network Group at Clinton with other EMCC pastors from the area including Mitchell and Palmerston. Part of the conversation noted that much of our Western church’s routines have focused on INFORMATION rather than OBEDIENCE. We get information from listening to the sermon, we read material and watch videos in our small groups to get more information – but how are we on putting it into practice? “Learn - Trust - Obey.”

HABITAT FOUNDER: GIVING IT ALL UP FOR A FRESH START

Jesus calls us to Himself, to receive Him as Lord, to take His Name upon ourselves and cede our wills to His direction. This is not easy. If we hear accurately what He’s calling us to do, we may become hesitant, reluctant, unnerved by His methods and call to take up our cross daily and follow Him (Lk 9:23). But it’s the only way forward to be forgiven of our sins and find fellowship with the eternal God, who invites us into a relationship where He’s our Heavenly Father.

Considering how fickle and sin-riddled we are, it’s an absolute wonder that God loves us! Jesus went to the cross to save those very ones who were spitting on Him, who betrayed and deserted Him when He needed them most. It’s a good thing the Lord doesn’t wait for us to get all cleaned up before making possible our redemption! Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Amazing love! In the words of the hymn, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Recently I listened through the OverDrive app to an audiobook borrowed from our Huron County public library: Jimmy Carter’s Faith: A Journey for All. (Yes, that Jimmy Carter, former US President.) He has long volunteered with Habitat For Humanity. In his book he tells about that organization’s origins...

“[Habitat For Humanity] was founded by Millard Fuller and his wife, Linda. As students at the University of Alabama, Millard and a partner, Morris Dees (later founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center), started several innovative ventures. One was the publication of cookbooks featuring the best recipes from the mothers of other students, and another was delivering cakes or flowers to students on birthdays or other special occasions after their parents had been contacted by Fuller and Dees. After graduation, Millard married Linda and began to practice law, but he had so much money coming in from his other business ventures that he gave up his law practice. One day, much to Millard’s shock, Linda told him that she was leaving him and going to New York for marriage counselling because he was neglecting his family and seemed interested only in getting rich. Millard followed her, begged her to come back to him, and finally agreed to give away all his money and join Linda in any work they could share.

“Millard kept his promise, and the couple soon settled on the biracial Koinonia Farm, just a few miles south of Plains, Georgia, and began building houses for destitute black families. Then they and their three children spent three years in Zaire as missionaries supported by some Christian groups, and they developed the idea of organizing Habitat for Humanity, using the ‘theology of the hammer’ or the ‘economics of Jesus.’ This was a dream that few people believed could be realized, but working with volunteers and homeowners, Habitat has now built or renovated more than 2.5 million homes in a total of seventy countries.” [end quote]

What a ministry! Yet it all began when a man realized love meant he needed to give away all he had... God was able to give him back so much more, and amplify blessing for millions of people as a result.

The ‘economics of Jesus’ are daunting. The cross seems like foolishness. Riding a donkey is hardly a power statement: it’s a scary thing at first. But as we follow Him, developing allegiance to Him, we are rescued from our fickleness and find He is faithful to deliver on His promises. Consider the ancient and tested words of 2Timothy 2:11-13: “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” Let’s pray.

“‘Who Says?’ – Jesus Our Scripture-Opener” - May 5 2019 - Luke 24:13-32 (et passim)

“Skeptical of the Spirit: Surplus – or Essential?” - Pentecost Sunday, June 9 2019 - Rom.8:1-16(et passim)

OUT OF CONTROL: PUTTING PNEUMATOLOGY ON A FIRM FOOTING

It’s Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Easter, when Acts 2 describes how the Holy Spirit came upon the early believers in Christ, Peter preached a riveting sermon, and over 3000 people became followers of Jesus. So it’s a fitting day to focus on the Holy Spirit, an oft-undersung member of the Trinity.

Evangelical churches are known for being more Bible-oriented than charismatic: we tend to leave emphasis on the Holy Spirit to our Pentecostal cousins. In fact talking about the Holy Spirit often tends to make us a little bit nervous. Are we afraid of going off the deep end? Have we been put off by those who emphasize “signs and wonders”, miracles and healings? We were watching American Gospel in small group this past week and saw, thanks to slow motion camera work, how one supposed faith healer used sleight of hand to make it appear as if someone’s short leg grew longer.

Few people would have been more skeptical of the miraculous than my late older brother. Dennis was a hard-nosed cash crop farmer from Perth County, who volunteered on the pastoral care team at a Mennonite church in Stratford. One time he went to Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship to check it out back when there were reports of supernatural phenomena. He was as surprised as anybody when he himself found himself lying down on the floor with a strange warm sensation happening inside his torso; looking back, he understood it as God performing some emotional healing.

So as we come to this topic, we daresn’t limit God in terms of the possibilities of what He can do. As AW Tozer has put it, "Anything God has ever done, he can do now. Anything God has ever done anywhere, he can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone, he can do for you."

Yet we still get nervous about the Holy Spirit and the supernatural. Pentecostals might argue speaking in tongues is one of the signs a person is truly saved (although the Apostle Paul in 1Cor 12:30 makes it obvious he doesn’t expect everyone to speak in tongues). Could it be we get edgy because some gifts require us to yield complete control to the Lord, even the ability to control what we say? Does our pride get in the way? Pride LOVES to be in control.

For the Holy Spirit to be operative in our life, we need to be willing to give Jesus control. 1Cor 12:3 “Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.” When we say, “Jesus is Lord,” we are saying in effect, “Jesus, I want you to be in total control of me, directing my life: I belong to you, I want to do whatever YOU want.” It’s hard to say that when you’re proud.

How can we get our pneumatology, our doctrine of the Holy Spirit, on a firm footing? Lately I’ve been practising to get my motorcycle license. The road in front of my house was recently torn up and re-gravelled. I’m fine making turns with my bike as long as I stay towards the centre of the road. But the gravel is soft at the edges, and if I don’t turn tight enough – down I go! I have no traction where the gravel is shifting.

Let’s take a couple of minutes and review some things our denomination has set forth about the Holy Spirit in a position paper from a few years back called Christ at the Centre.

• The same Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, is the Helper sent by Jesus, whose essential work is to mediate the personal presence and ministry of Jesus.He does so in order that our Lord may be known, loved, trusted, honoured, and praised (John 14:16; Rom 1:4; 8:11).

• The Spirit of Christ, also called the Spirit of God (Rev 2:1,7,8, etc.), in the words of Jesus, "will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you" (John 16:14).This is His fundamental and unchanging task.

• The Spirit is more than a power who gives coping ability for living, or enables performance in service, or moves people to speak, or brings about emotional response, or endows with knowledge or insight.Rather He is the third Person of the Trinity and very God (Gen 1:26; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor13:14).

• Jesus is our example of 'life in the Spirit' (Matt 3:17; 4:1). His life characterized by love for God and love for others was well pleasing to His Father and commended as our example (Phil 2:5; 1Pet 1:2; 2:21).

• The same Spirit is the deposit guaranteeing our complete redemption (2 Cor 5:5; Eph 1:13).

• The Holy Spirit empowers us to love like Jesus in victory over the world, the sinful nature (flesh), and the devil, and causes us to be partakers of God's nature through union with Christ and to be His witnesses, sharing our faith with others (1 John 2:15-17; 4:12-13; 5:1-5; 2 Pet 1:4; Acts 1:8).

• The fruit of the Spirit is demonstrated in Christlike character in a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-25).

How’s that strike you? Not too scary? Sound pretty orthodox? Hopefully that makes you a little less nervous and puts a firm Biblical footing under anything else we say.

To read more, look up the EMCC’s position paper called The Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It has a good commentary on the range of spiritual gifts mentioned in Rom 12:6ff, 1Cor 12:4ff, and Eph 4:11. It also presents a scriptural approach to the issue of tongues-speaking: fine for personal edification as a private prayer language, “an aid to personal prayer and praise”, but only to be used in public worship if it edifies others by means of interpretation into everyday language. It notes with 1Cor 13 that, no matter what gift a believer possesses, without love (agape) it is worthless. “Let us pray that the EMCC will be Spirit-led and Spirit-filled. Above all, however, let us pray that the love of Christ will characterize us as a denomination. If we are God’s people filled with His agape, the Spirit of God will see that we are also people who manifest genuine charismata.”

PERIPHERAL - OR AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE PACKAGE?

Is the teaching about the Holy Spirit an obscure side doctrine, a quaint add-on to the Christian life: or is the Holy Spirit something more central in the view of the authors of Scripture? We tend to talk a lot about Jesus and God the Father, but not very much about the Holy Spirit. Do we give Him ‘fair billing’?

There is a tendency if we’re not careful to fall into the trap of what we might call a “religious” view of Christianity. Many religions in the world are performance-based: you do the right actions in order to, if possible, earn the approval of the spirit-world: present the right offerings, say the right prayers, give alms to the poor in order to qualify as a righteous person. Religion says “do”; Christianity says “done!” - it is grace-based not works-based. Eph 2:8f “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.”

Conservative Protestant churches, following the Reformers and Anselm, tend to adopt a penal substitionary view of the atonement: Christ died for our sins and thus satisfied divine justice. Liberal churches may emphasize God’s love more and follow a “moral example” view of the atonement – Jesus' death offers us a perfect example of self-sacrifical dedication to God. Abelard (1079-1142) held that "Jesus died as the demonstration of God's love," a demonstration which can change the hearts and minds of the sinners, turning back to God. He was eventually condemned by a church council and excommunicated as a heretic. But without a proper understanding of the Holy Spirit, our emphasis may become imitating Jesus rather than letting Jesus live out His obedience through us: God remains “out there” as someone we’re trying to please, rather than our Heavenly Father who has already given us new birth to be His children through faith in Jesus. Do you see the difference?

The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is an indispensable part of the Christian life, not some optional add-on. As we’ve seen in 1Cor 12:3, it’s only by the Holy Spirit that we can acknowledge, “Jesus is Lord.” Rom 8:9b “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”

When Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council, came to check out Jesus privately one night, Jesus was point-blank with him: Jn 3:3 “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Nicodemus objected at this idea, but Jesus insisted, Jn 3:5f “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” We can see that for Jesus, being ‘born of the Spirit’ is a non-negotiable.

The apostle John in his first letter to the church likewise insists that Jesus-followers have what he calls an ‘anointing’: 1Jn 2:20,27 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth...As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you.But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit— just as it has taught you, remain in him.” What John means by this ‘anointing’ becomes clearer in 3:24; 4:13,15 “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us...We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit...If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.”

The Apostle Paul castigated the church in Galatia for slipping back into works of the law when Judaizers came through. Gal 3:3 “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” For Paul, having the Holy Spirit in one’s life is essential, wrapped up with becoming a child of God through faith. Gal 4:6 “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."”

THE CENTRAL GOAL OF GOD’S PROJECT IN SACRED HISTORY

In fact, the Holy Spirit is not just central in a Christian’s life: He (the third Person of the Trinity) is crucial to understanding the whole thrust of salvation history, from Old Testament to New Testament. When God delivered the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, He gave a code, the law of Moses, at Mount Sinai before they entered the Promised Land. But over the next thousand years or so it became clear their stubbornness had them stuck in disobedience. It just wasn’t working. So God revealed the next phase to His prophets. Jeremiah revealed in 31:31-33, “"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

The Holy Spirit would be the means by which God writes His law on our minds and hearts. Ezekiel prophesied in 36:26f, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” The prophet Joel foretold a time when God would “pour out [His] Spirit on all people” (Joel 2:28) – the very prophecy Peter picks up on the Day of Pentecost to explain the strange phenomena of believers being able to speak in many different languages (Acts 2:16ff).

It goes back even further than the giving of the law at Mt Sinai. Paul sees God’s interaction with Abraham as pointing toward the Christian experience of having the Holy Spirit in our lives. Gal 3:8,14 “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...[HOW DOES PAUL INTERPRET ‘BLESSING’? LISTEN CAREFULLY] 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.” Receive WHAT? “The promise of the Spirit.” So salvation history from Abraham through to the early church, in Paul’s perception, is moving towards believers having the indwelling Holy Spirit. It’s the Kingdom project God is working towards, restoring the communion that was lost back in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned.

THE ‘GREAT EIGHT’ - AND THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE

Probably the most complete and detailed description of the Christian life can be found in Paul’s letter to the church at Rome. It was not written in response to a particular crisis or issue, as with many of his other pastoral letters. He had time to sit down and present a carefully thought-out treatise on HOW we’re saved and what we’re saved FOR. Put on our Pentecost spectacles and we can see that the Holy Spirit figures very prominently in Paul’s understanding of how the normal Christian life is supposed to ‘work’.

The climax of the book, towards which the initial chapters build, is Romans 8, sometimes called “The Great Eight”. Paul has set forth a picture of our depravity in chapters 1-2, how Jesus died as a substitute for our sins as a perfect sacrifice in chapter 3, and righteousness becomes possible through faith as for Abraham in chapter 4. In chapter 5 there’s a passing hint of his coming theme: 5:5 “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” But it’s not until chapter 8 that he starts to expound more fully on how the Christian life actually WORKS, integrated with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Rom 8:2 “...through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Note - “the LAW of the Spirit of life” - Paul uses the word ‘law’ in multiple ways: a controlling power; God’s law; the Pentateuch, first 5 books of the Bible; the Old Testament as a whole; and, a principle. Here the sense is “a controlling power”: Robertson’s Word Pictures - “the principle or authority exercised by the Holy Spirit which bestows life and which rests in Christ Jesus.” Other synonyms might be the rule, or governance, or domain of the Holy Spirit.

Do we allow the Holy Spirit to have influence in our lives? To have sway, control? Psalm 32:9 “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” VV8-10 in the Message paraphrase - “Let me give you some good advice; I’m looking you in the eye and giving it to you straight: Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule that needs bit and bridle to stay on track.God-defiers are always in trouble; God-affirmers find themselves loved every time they turn around.” Are we more like a God-defier, having to be dragged kicking and screaming, or are we a God-affirmer?

My fiancee has a pasture out behind her barn to which she takes her “pets” each day. She puts a bridle on her horse to lead her with; but the 2 goats, 1 sheep, and 1 pig require no harness or bridle – they just tag along quite happily because they trust their mistress and are eager to get to the pasture. They are free – but they stick with the program just as if they had a harness on. (Well, for the most part, anyway – the pig sometimes gets sidetracked by wild raspberries!)

As you read through the rest of the chapter, what Paul means by “the law of the Spirit of life” becomes clearer. Vv4-5 talk about living “according to the Spirit” instead of “according to” the flesh (sinful nature in NIV). V5 to live in accordance with the Spirit means they “have their MINDS SET ON what the Spirit desires”. To put your mind, your concentration, your attention on what the Spirit wants. A conscious continual re-focusing.

I’ve been learning to ride a motorcycle. During the training course it was emphasized you need to be checking your rear-view mirror constantly, every 5-7 seconds; because (contrary to the first rule of Italian driving) what’s coming up behind you is, in fact, important. So a Christian is always checking in with the Holy Spirit rather than merely going by our natural senses. We’re asking prayerfully, “Lord, what would YOU have me do?” (A bit more direct than WWJD.)

Vv6-8 in the NIV bring in the language of CONTROL: “The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace...Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.” The original language doesn’t actually have ‘control’ but speaks of being “IN the flesh” / “IN the Spirit”.

Vv13-14 “For if you LIVE ACCORDING TO the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you PUT TO DEATH THE MISDEEDS OF THE BODY, you will live, because those who ARE LED BY the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Which nature are we living ‘according to’? Are we ‘in accord with’ the leading of God’s Spirit? Are we being LED BY the Spirit, or doing our own thing? Are we so under the influence of the Holy Spirit that we are actually mortifying, putting to death, the ‘misdeeds’ our fallen natural appetites would tempt us into? To use a colloquialism – “Who’s driving your bus?”

CONNECTED TO THE ALMIGHTY

Paul’s not just talking about this as theory: for him, it’s a lived experience, an organic union walking in step with the Holy Spirit in everyday life. Vv15-16 get at this more explicitly: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” There’s a heartfelt cry, a constant communication, an appealing to our Heavenly Papa for direction each day, each moment. Along with this comes assurance that He is in fact living in us: the Spirit testifies with our spirit we are His, we belong to Him, His very Spirit is living in us. Back to 1John 4:13,15 “We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit...If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.” Marvelous! Incredible – but true!

KEEP ON BEING FILLED

Paul in Ephesians 5:18 emphasizes this being led by the Spirit moment by moment is not something that happens automatically: it’s a conscious choice. 5:18 “...be filled with the Spirit.” The verb tense used here (present tense) could be rendered, ‘keep on being filled with the Spirit.’

Leighton Ford told of a visit his brother-in-law, Billy Graham, made to a very large and influential church. His guide told him of an unfortunate experience. One of the officers in that church had repeatedly gotten drunk, and so they had to discipline him and put him out of the church fellowship. Mr.Graham asked, "How long has it been since you put somebody out of the church for not being filled with the Spirit?" His guide looked startled. So Mr.Graham continued, "The Bible says, ‘Don't get drunk with wine,’ but the very same verse says, ‘Be filled with the Spirit.’” So you see, the positive command to be filled with the Spirit is just as binding on us as a negative command not to be drunk with wine. Let’s pray.

“Four Gardens: Potential, Pressure, Presence, Preservation” - 17^th Annual Blyth Memory Garden Dedication Service - Sun. June 16, 2019 - Gen 2:8-9,15-17; Mt.26:36-39; Jn 19:40-42; 20:14-17; Rev 22:1-5

GRIEF, GARDENS, AND GROWTH

Why are we here today? Hopefully it’s not just because, “So-and-so made me come.” (!) No, really, why are we here? Is it because we didn’t have anything else to do with our time? I doubt it. Is it because the Memory Garden is such a beautiful spot? The volunteers have worked long and hard to make it beautiful, but there are plenty other pretty spots to be on a nice spring day. No, I suspect the real reason we’re here is on account of PEOPLE: the names on the memorial leaves and stones point to real flesh-and-blood persons who have passed on but whose lives have impacted ours in very positive and loving ways.

By our interactions we affect other people’s lives. And they impact us. It’s all part of growing and maturing in life, what we’re built for. God designed us with the ability and means to be IN RELATIONSHIP, to love and serve our family and friends and neighbourhood. Jesus talked about ‘bearing fruit’. He told His followers in John 15(5,8), “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing...This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

The old Westminster Shorter Catechism my father used to delight in quoting began by asserting that our chief “end” as humans is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Jesus says it glorifies His Father when we bear much fruit – so a big part of life must revolve around growing and maturing to the point we can sow God’s love and goodness and truth and blessing into the lives of those around us. Life is about so much more than just being born and eating and drinking and working and dying.

Scripture suggests there are at least 4 gardens that come to bear on our existence. These are: the Garden of Potential in Eden; the Garden of Pressure at Gethsemane; the Garden of Presence at Easter; and the Garden of final Preservation at Resurrection, after the Day of Judgment. Let’s look at each of these in turn, and the response each elicits from us.

GARDEN OF POTENTIAL: COMMANDMENT

The Bible tells us that life began in a garden – in Eden, in fact. God Himself planted this garden, and put Adam and Eve there, and planted all kinds of trees that were good to eat. “In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Let’s call this ‘the garden of POTENTIAL’. When we’re young and just starting out, life has so many possibilities. There’s lots of choices to make: to marry or not to marry, what trade we’ll learn / what to work at, where we’ll go to school and where we’ll live. Things are very open-ended and there are rewards and consequences for the choices we make, the course we take. We are thankful for the people remembered in this Memory Garden, that they chose to let their lives intersect with ours.

We read, “And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." In the freedom of this potential, Scripture cautions us to respond in the light of God’s COMMANDMENT. Adam and Eve COULD have chosen not to eat of the forbidden fruit – instead they could have eaten of the tree of life: but they decided to thumb their nose at God and ‘do their own thing’ instead. Unfortunately the consequences of their free choice brought death and decay to the very creation we were placed here to take care of.

Death claims our loved ones, too early it seems. So pausing to remember them on days like this helps us appreciate how fleeting life is and how precious were the years we had together.

GARDEN OF PRESSURE: COMMIT

Just before the end of Jesus’ life, He took a time out to visit a garden – one called “Gethsemane”, which literally means “oil press” – amongst the trees of this olive grove there was apparently an apparatus for squeezing the oil from the trees’ fruit. This was the place just before Jesus’ arrest where He endured much torment of mind. We’re told He “began to be sorrowful and troubled.” Pressure was mounting: if He didn’t escape now, He would have to die a tortured cruel death for a capital crime He did not commit. Jesus admitted to His companions, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

Life has its pressures. It squeezes us at times until it feels like we’re going to burst. There are financial pressures – too much month and not enough money; medical pressures, our bodies wear out and break down; relationship pressures – people disappoint us, let us down, move away, lose contact, leave us alone. Many of us had to stand by and watch our loved ones struggle through various of these trials. It wasn’t easy. We would have traded places with them at points if we could have.

Jesus understands the pressures we face in life. He got beaten up at the end. His own disciples ran off and deserted Him when the chips were down. But He chose to bear the suffering for our sakes, on our behalf, so our sins could be forgiven and divine justice satisfied.

When we’re facing times of pressure, we need to COMMIT our lives afresh to God. Hear how Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.Yet not as I will, but as you will.” He committed His life into God’s hands. At the very end, drawing His final breaths on the cross, He said: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Lk 23:46) When the worst happens, and you don’t feel you can go on – entrust your life to God. He can strengthen to bear up under the pressure. Isaiah 41:10 - “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

GARDEN OF PRESENCE: CLAIM

Not long after, the scene shifts to another garden. We’re told after Jesus’ crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus laid him in a new tomb nearby in another garden. On Easter morning, when Mary Magdalene can’t find Jesus’ body, she is distraught. Jesus appears to her in His risen form, but she doesn’t recognize Him; when He asks, “Why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” She actually mistakes Him for the gardener. (Yes He is, actually, but not those kind of plants! He’s cultivating the two-legged variety.)

One of the most precious parts of this story is the fact that Jesus is actually appearing in person to His mourning disciple Mary Magdalene. When she finally realizes Who He is, she has a hard time letting go, she wants to keep holding on. His PRESENCE is very special to the person who loves Him.

We are drawn to this garden partly because the presence of our loved ones is reflected to a small degree by emblems of remembrance – memorial leaves, stones, benches, other artifacts. We miss them, and we can’t bring them back. The fact that they loved us, and we them, made their presence very special.

The Garden of Presence draws us to CLAIM God’s promises. When Jesus called Mary by name, John tells us, “She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher)” – literally, MY teacher. When God shows up, we do well to bow down and acknowledge His sovereignty and Lordship, over our lives and our future. There is so much in this life that is beyond our control: circumstances take inexplicable turns, things happen we never would have expected, life is so fragile... We need Him, we acclaim Him to be Who He says He is.

GARDEN OF PRESERVATION: COMPLETION

So to review, there’s the garden of POTENTIAL, with its COMMANDMENT; the garden of PRESSURE, where we COMMIT; the garden of PRESENCE, where we do well to CLAIM; and finally, the Bible has a prophecy about yet one more garden at the end of time, the Garden of PRESERVATION.

John writes in the final chapter of Scripture, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse.”

This is a garden or orchard of sorts of fruit trees, yielding fruit not annually but monthly; and the leaves of the trees are “for the healing of the nations”. For our PRESERVATION, our recovery, our being-set-right. We long for that for our dear departed loved ones. It was tough in many cases to stand by and watch their mortal husks deteriorate. Here the Bible gives us hope, describing Jesus in His risen glorified spiritual body as a sort of ‘firstfruits’ of those who believe in Him and belong to Him. The Apostle Paul writes in 1Cor 15:20-23, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep...For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”

If the other gardens evoke our response by COMMANDMENT, COMMITMENT, and CLAIM, this garden – with its leaves of healing and restoration, garden of preservation – points to our COMPLETION. God’s revelation in Scripture assures us that this life is not all there is: there IS life beyond death, where justice and mercy and righteousness prevail instead of death and disease and dashed hopes. A place of completion that will be like being ‘at home’ with God. Paul could even speak of it this way: “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2Cor 5:8)

And if you think THIS garden is a nice spot – just wait til you see THAT! Let’s pray.

“When Things Get Worse, Watch God Go to Work” - Blyth Community Outdoor Service - June 30, 2019 - Ex.5:15-6:5 (Mt.6:25-34 / Nahum 1:7) - VBS theme Day 1 “When Life is Unfair, God is Good”

MORE BRICKS, LESS STRAW: WHAT’S YOUR BIND?

The Israelites were in a bind. Ex 5:6-8 Pharaoh “gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: ‘You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’”

Many bricks: no straw. What a recipe for stress! Now in addition to the work of actually manufacturing the bricks and laying them out in the sun to bake, they would have to go foraging for raw materials, the straw that served as binding for the mud bricks. The slaves would soon be spreading out all over the countryside hunting for straw, all the while being expected to make just as many bricks as before. They could tell they were in a pinch!

What binds do you find yourself in? Thankfully you’re probably not at a job that involves backbreaking labour forming bricks from dawn to dusk – with whips on your back to spur you on if you slowed up. But modern folks still find life stressful. Maybe your paycheque won’t quite cover the bills and each month you find yourself slipping farther and farther behind. Maybe there’s a bully on the schoolbus that keeps making themself annoying and not letting you sit where you like or be with who you’d prefer. Maybe you have a boss who just doesn’t seem to understand the amount of time required to complete your projects to the level of quality you feel is warranted. Or perhaps the doctor has just informed you of an area of concern in your physical health that’s taken you totally by surprise.

Those are more serious challenges...Some binds are not so tough as others. One parent had a particular problem: her little five-year-old boy had locked himself in the bathroom and wouldn't come out, so his mother called the fire department. Within minutes, a firefighter was running up the stairs with an ax. He asked the mother, "What is the child's name, and how old is he?" She said, "Tommy, and he is five." The fireman then approached the bathroom door, and yelled authoritatively, "Come out of there, little girl!" Immediately, out marched Tommy, arms folded and looking pretty angry, ready to confront the fireman, who looked to the mother with a smile, and said, "Works every time!"

We find ourselves in all sorts of binds. When we’re in tough spots, the natural reaction is to start getting worried and fret. But the Bible promises, Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble.He cares for those who trust in him.” Or as the Day 1 VBS theme puts it: “When life is unfair, God is good.”

What an assertion! Isn’t that one of the most common questions posed about religion, “How can God let bad things happen to good people?” Yet faith asserts, sometimes contrary to appearances: “When life is unfair, God is good.”

The Israelites were being treated unfairly both in actions and in words. Ex 5:15f “Then the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why have you treated your servants this way? Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people."” When they came short on their quota because they had to find their own straw, they were physically punished, abused, for no fault of their own.

Pharaoh responded with verbal abuse. 5:17-18 “Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that’s what you are— lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ Now get to work.You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks."” He called these slaves who were toiling long hours, working their fingers to the bone, “Lazy”! How unfair is that! Pharaoh didn’t even appreciate the cheap labour pool his country depended upon for its prosperity.

What about you? When have people demanded from you more than you can give? Have you been abused more in actions, or words? Have you been the butt of rude jokes, caustic criticism, ridicule, harassment, put-downs? When have people treated you disrespectfully or failed to appreciate you as you deserved?

So we find ourselves in BINDS of all kinds.

THE TRUTH ABOUT TROUBLE: A CLASH OF DOMAINS

It was a situation that couldn’t go on very long: it was headed for a showdown, coming to a climax. Their troubles were multiplying faster than the Hebrew babies. You would think it would be a good thing that their kind were proving fertile, but this made the Egyptians increasingly nervous, so they made it hard for the Israelites. Ex 1:14 “They made their lives bitter with hard labour in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labour the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.”

Pharaoh had been trying to exploit the exploding population by ordering the Hebrew midwives to kill the boy babies when they were born and letting the girl babies live (Ex 1:16) - sly genocide. But the midwives feared God and refused to carry out Pharaoh’s order; God rewarded their bravery by treating the midwives kindly (1:20f).

Yet Moses’ message to Pharaoh that God was ordering him to let the Hebrews take 3 days off for worship in the wilderness was met with stiff resistance, showing the stubborn lack of reverence of Pharaoh’s heart. It was a straightforward enough request: Ex 5:1 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.’” But Pharaoh wouldn’t let-go: it was a no-go. Instead he ordered the work cranked up because he reasoned they weren’t working hard enough if they had time to consider going away for a holy holiday.

The increased workload spelled TROUBLE. V19 “The Israelite foremen realized they were in TROUBLE when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day."” The Israelite foremen complained to Moses and Aaron, and Moses in turn complained to God. Ex 5:22f “Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought TROUBLE upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought TROUBLE upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."”

What troubles have you had to endure this past week? What troubles are you anticipating in this week coming up?

I was in trouble a few days ago when I was using a small loader tractor with mower deck to put some rocks around a culvert. When, up on the edge of the bank, I lowered the bucket full of stones, the tractor didn’t stop at the brink even though I madly tried to step on the pedal to make it reverse – the weight of the load drew me further, beached me on the mower deck, and left the wheels spinning uselessly in the air! What a fix! There was nothing for it but to call for a tow-truck, which got me unstuck in about 10 seconds. Oh well, we all have our hang-ups! Lesson learned (I think).

It’s good to keep our troubles in perspective. A female college student wrote the following letter to her parents: “Dear Mom and Dad: I am writing this letter on school paper because my stationery got burned in the fire. I got out of the hospital, and have moved in with my new boyfriend, Bill. He got me a job where he works – I'm a waitress at the Red Dog Saloon. Your new grandbaby is due next fall. [When they turned it over, the next page continued...] Mom, Dad, none of the above really happened. However, I made a C in French and I'm failing History. Love, Your Daughter.”

The Bible promises that when we call to God in times of trouble, He will help us. Psalm 91:15 “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.” Nahum 1:7a “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble...”

Troubles sometimes arise because there’s a clash of domains, two competing powers. In Moses’ case, God was asserting His right to call the Israelites “MY people”, but Pharaoh did not recognize God and chose to claim the Hebrew slaves as his own private work force. God’s greater purpose in all this was to make His excellence known, to glorify Himself by showing His ability to save His covenant people from tyranny.

There is a spiritual realm overlapping our regular physical realm, and there can be clashes that are invisible to us. One time Daniel mourned and prayed for 3 whole weeks. When an angelic messenger finally arrived in answer to Daniel’s prayer, the angel explained: Daniel 10:12-13 “...Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days.Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.”

We live in a fallen world, where evil forces fight against what’s good and right. Sometimes trouble comes because we’re on a particular side of that conflict. We still need to keep trusting God even in the midst of trouble.

A few chapters earlier, Daniel found himself cast into a den of lions because he refused to obey the king’s prohibition against prayer. Who wants to be a lion’s lunch??! He was in big trouble! But Daniel didn’t stop trusting God. Daniel 6:23 tells us the outcome, “And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”

When there’s TROUBLE: TRUST. Jeremiah 17:7 says, “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.” See there that ‘confidence’ is a synonym for ‘trust’: keep your confidence in God. 2Chronicles 16:9a “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Keep committed to Him, trust in Him, and He will strengthen you.

GOD’S GOODNESS ANCHORED IN HIS NAME & NATURE

We’ve been contending that “When life is unfair, God is good.” Or the title of this message is: “When Life is Unfair, Watch God Go to Work”. Nahum the prophet called God a “strong refuge” when trouble comes: even then, when difficulties assail us, we can assert that God is good. That’s pretty amazing! The Bible has lots of stories of people of faith who experienced God delivering them when they were in a tough spot, situations that were beyond their own solving.

After hearing how rough things are getting for the Hebrew foremen and slaves, Moses turns to God with the complaint that they’re in so much trouble. At the beginning of Exodus 6, we see God begin to outline how He has everything under control: the situation isn’t as desperate as it seems on a purely human level.

First, because of God’s mighty POWER. 6:1 “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of MY MIGHTY HAND he will let them go; because of MY MIGHTY HAND he will drive them out of his country."” And so it eventually came about: ten horrendous plagues, culminating in the death of the Egyptian firstborn, would ultimately convince Pharaoh to relent and release the oppressed Israelites.

God has AWESOME power. Jesus’ disciples saw Him calm the storm, walk on water, feed the 5,000, heal the blind and lepers, raise the dead: there was no question their Saviour had miracle-working POWER. Too often we restrict ourselves to thinking about just what we can manage on our own steam: we forget God’s might. After all, He created EVERYTHING! Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, Php 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Such optimism compared to some religions that are fatalistic!

But God’s POWER is harnessed to His PURPOSE. We see this emphasized more in verses 2-5, where God unpacks a bit the startling significance of His particular name, “YHWH”, translated LORD (in caps). Ex 6:2-3 “God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD.I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.” God’s getting very up-close and personal, revealing His name ‘YHWH’ from Heb.hayah to be / become: He is the-God-Who-is-becoming – in relationship to His people. He is the God who brings things into being, who makes things happen – to deliver those He loves. He becomes known by His loving interaction with us, on our behalf, FOR us.

Notice the verbs in 6:6-8, all God promises to do that’s coming up for the Israelites: I will bring you out from under the yoke; I will free you from being slaves; I will redeem you...; I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God; “then you will know that I am YHWH your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.” We come to know God THROUGH our troubles as we trust Him and see Him show His glory and goodness in the process of our deliverance.

God pledges or promises His support to us, expressed in terms of COVENANT. Vv4-5 “I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan...I have remembered my covenant.” God delights to carry through on His solemn promises to His people.

God’s name, YHWH, suggests that we come to know Him dynamically, through His interaction with us, as we experience His saving acts in relationship with us. And a key part of that is His CARING for us. Ex 6:5 “Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving...” God is about to show He’s concerned for them, He’s heard their cries.

When Moses returns from shepherding in the wilderness and explains to the Hebrew leaders how God has commissioned him to speak to Pharaoh for their rescue, we read in Ex 4:31: “...And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” Do you believe God is CONCERNED about you? If you know He cares – worship Him!

We read earlier in the responsive reading from Psalm 118:1 (in your bulletin), “Thanks be to the Lord because the Lord is good, because the Lord’s love never quits.” Never runs out on me. Nahum 1:7, the full verse, says - “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble.HE CARES FOR those who trust in him...” God CARES FOR YOU when you trust in Him. 1Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Even in the worst situations, the toughest problems, the biggest binds, we can be assured God hears our groaning and still cares for us. In the movie The Hiding Place, there’s a scene set in the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy are there along with 10,000 other women, in horrible, degrading, hideous conditions. They’re gathered with some of the women in the barracks in the midst of the beds, cold and hungry and lice-ridden, and Betsy is leading a Bible class. One of the other women calls out derisively from her bunk and mocks their worship of God. They begin talking, and this woman says what so frequently is flung at Christians: “If your God is such a good God, why does He allow this kind of suffering?” Dramatically she tears off the bandages and old rags that bind her hands, displaying her broken, mangled fingers and says, “I’m the first violinist of the symphony orchestra.Did your God will this?” For a moment no one answers. Then Corrie Ten Boom steps to the side of her sister and says, “We can’t answer that question.All we know is that our God came to this earth, and became one of us, and He suffered with us and was crucified and died. And that He did it for love.”

We’re worshipping outdoors today in a park. The reading earlier from Matthew 6 reminds us Jesus looked around at birds and flowers as plain evidences of our Creator’s care for us: birds don’t store up in barns, flowers don’t toil or spin, and yet God provides their needs; how much more He’ll do for us! We’re not to worry about what we’re to eat or drink or wear because, Jesus says, Mt 6:32 “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” He cares about us, He knows what we need. And if we will trust Him and put His concerns first, make His business our priority instead of just heaping up earthly possessions, He’ll help us take care of the rest. Mt 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

So, in conclusion – when we’re in trouble, when we’re in a bind – keep trusting in the Lord: His goodness is anchored deep in His name (who He expresses Himself to be in relationship to us) and His nature, His character, His covenant purposes. As Lamentations 3:25 puts it, “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him...” - no matter what your particular hang-up may be! Let’s pray.

‘Mercy, Modesty, & Money’ Pt.1 - “Grace & Guidance for the Worst” - July 21 2019 1Tim.1:12-17

GETTING OFF TRACK: SO MANY SQUIRRELS...

When we’re on a journey, we look forward to arriving successfully at our destination. But unless we diligently pay attention to directions, it can be easy to get turned around and miss a turn. Disheartening to get lost, stop to ask a friendly local for directions and be told, “You can’t get there from here!”

[“Squirrel Road” graphic] Recently someone on social media posted a graphic saying “Squirrel Road: North / South” and commented something like, “Need one of these signs closer to around here.” It IS easy to become DIStracted [“Squirrel!”], lose track of what we’re supposed to be doing, and end up where we did not expect.

Same thing can happen all too easily to churches. This brings us to Paul’s first letter to Timothy and its setting, the church at Ephesus. Paul had oversight of many churches he’d planted on his various missionary journeys, but probably none was so dear to him as Ephesus. Other churches he’d generally had to keep moving on from, but at Ephesus Paul had laboured amongst them teaching two whole years (Acts 19:10). So maybe more than any other church, we could consider Ephesus Paul’s particular ‘baby’, especially close to his hear.

Yet, even though it had such a sound foundation from the apostle himself, the church at Ephesus was seeing ‘squirrels’ - getting distracted, off-target. False teachers, not unlike other places, had crept in and started promoting:

v3 “false doctrines’

v4 “myths & endless genealogies”

v6 “meaningless talk”

v7 don’t know what talking about – “law” (Jewish OT)

We know a little bit about what may have been influencing them from outside sources. Philo was a Jew who lived in Alexandria in Egypt before this, and developed an entire system in which the names in the Biblical genealogies represented various conditions of the soul. Also, a set of legends had grown up outside Scripture captured in the body of writings known as the Talmud. The false teachers build up endless, far-fetched, fictional stories based on obscure genealogical points (NIV Study Bible). Some taught ascetic practices, that people had to abstain from marrying or eating certain foods (4:3).

Unfortunately, even today, bad theology is good business! People dissatisfied with conventional religion rush to hear the latest wind of creative teaching. The movie “American Gospel” portrays well the popularity of the prosperity gospel – wanting God for His signs and wonders and what He can give us, not for Himself. Last November marked 40 years since the false prophet Jim Jones led his devotees to a mass suicide of over 900 people in Guyana – parents even murdered their own children! I’ve been listening to a podcast called “Cultish” – it was observed that if Jim Jones were alive today, and people didn’t know where his teaching would lead, he would likely be invited onto the Oprah Winfrey show and maybe even land a book contract! Scary.

V18 Paul urges Timothy to “fight the good fight” (or, ‘war the good warfare’). V19 he’s to be “holding on to faith and a good conscience” – pulling them close. By contrast, v19 continues, “Some have rejected these” (the terms involve pushing away from oneself) “and so have shipwrecked their faith”. Paul even had to put Hymenaeus and Alexander out of the church (v20) – serious disciplinary measures were called for.

So, it’s a BATTLE out there! Allow yourself to just drift along with the currents of popular culture and you risk getting swept over the waterfalls. DISCIPLESHIP demands DISCIPLINE... Be strict with yourself, in what you read and watch and listen to. How much grief and stress might Paul and other church leaders have been spared if members had paid more attention to their own spiritual focus?

THE LAW: FENCE AROUND THE DANGER ZONE

Now, if false teachers manipulate the law, twisting it to suit their own ideas – does that mean we should just do away with the law altogether? Isn’t it all supposed to be about love, not law, anyway? No – the fact that some abuse the law doesn’t mean it’s bad or irrelevant.

Recall what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, even as He was introducing His radical Good News agenda: Mt 5:17-20 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Doesn’t exactly sound like the law is to be done away with, does it?! Jesus fulfilled the law. Our righteousness as His followers ought to exceed the most rigorous law-keeping of the best legalists. The requirements of the law are a basic ‘bare minimum’ to be ASSUMED in a real Christ-follower’s life. 1Tim 1:8 “We know that the law is good if one uses it properly” (lit., ‘lawfully’). Who’s it mainly directed to, though? V9 “law is made NOT for the righteous BUT for lawbreakers and rebels...” Those without the law - Gentiles; and rebels - the ‘unruly’ - people who won’t be subject or submit to orders or instruction. Hm, is there any anti-authoritarian sentiment around these days? Why do school teachers have trouble with class discipline? Christians should model submission to proper authority.

Paul continues in v9, ‘the ungodly and sinful’ - Rom 5.6 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Does that include you? Rom 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God....” If the law is for the ‘sinful’, would that include us? We’ve all sinned at some time.

Look further in v9 - “the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers...” Here Paul seems to start riffing off the second section of the Ten Commandments - honour father and mother, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t give false testimony, don’t covet (Ex 20:12ff). V10 “for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers— and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine...”

The translation is a bit muddy here: the Greek rendered ‘adulterers’ can also include fornicators, those having sex without being married. ‘Perverts’ is more specifically one who lies with a male instead of a female. In terms of getting off track, it’s disappointing to see recent decisions by the Presbyterian and Anglican churches along this line.

“Slave traders” – when you buy your clothes, do you shop ethically or perhaps inadvertently support the sweat-shop system? “Liars and perjurers” - are you a man or woman of your word? Can people count on you to do as you promise? Are you careful with your words? Jesus said in Mt 5:37, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Vv10b-11 Paul points out that the law warns against “whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me.” There is a need for sound, healthy doctrine. Bad theology kills people. Sound doctrine (teaching) CONFORMS to the gospel, fits with it, is shaped by it; it’s the application, the working-out of Jesus’ Good News in the day to day activities of life. CONVERSION should lead to increasing CONFORMITY to Christ. His truth and our relationship with Him affects our daily decisions. 1Jn 3:2f “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.But we know that when he appears, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him PURIFIES HIMSELF, JUST AS HE IS PURE.”

I used to view the Old Testament law as a sort of corral, keeping us within limits, in safe pasture. But to say it’s a corral seems kind of limiting, as if the Lord’s restricting us to a smaller area. Maybe instead think of the law as the fence around a construction site [graphic]: they were building the road beside my place this week; those big dirt piles might have looked fun to play in, but the workers had fenced it off to prevent injury. So the law warns us about sin-areas which are likely to cause damage somehow if we start trespassing the boundary markers.

LARGER THAN LAW: GRACE IN HYPER-DRIVE

But the law should not be our main emphasis; that too would be to get off-track. Law tends toward religious compliance, checking off the list of do’s and don’t’s, Pharisaism - which Jesus roundly condemned. Living for Jesus centres on relationship with Him through grace; ‘religion’ is ‘do’, Christianity though is ‘done’. So Paul adds a sidebar in vv12-17 highlighting God’s great mercy in saving him – this is the proper posture for a fellow sinner, saved by grace. V12 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.” Paul’s appointment was unique in that it came to him singularly on the Road to Damascus, not along with the other eleven disciples.

V13 emphasizes his sorry past. “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.” Remember how fierce an enemy of the faith Paul was at first. Acts 7:58 & 8:1 Paul looked after the clothes of those who stoned Stephen, the first martyr for Christ, and approved of his death. Acts 8:3 “But Saul began to destroy the church.Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.” 9:1f“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” Breathing out murderous threats: he was obsessed with destroying this fledgling Christian movement! Saul took initiative to extend the round-up of apostates to other large centres.

Yet it was this very arch-enemy, fanatical as a terrorist, that our Lord Jesus sovereignly saw fit to stop dead in his tracks, reveal Himself to in risen form, and appoint to lifelong missionary work. Ac 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me— the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Saul ‘deserved’ heaven the LEAST of anybody! Yet the Lord was pleased to intervene and turn him into a powerful tool in the initial spread of the gospel, all the way to Rome. God was making a point: NO ONE is too ‘lost’ to be saved! If Jesus can do it for Saul, He can do it for you, too!

This is sheer MERCY. V13 “EVEN THOUGH I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy...” V16 “But for that very reason I WAS SHOWN MERCY so that in me, the WORST of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience AS AN EXAMPLE for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

Never feel you’ve done anything so bad or so shameful you can’t be forgiven if you repent and confess. The cross is big enough to deal with ANY sin! The same mercy God showered upon Saul/Paul is available to you today.

Or maybe you know someone who’s been very resistant to the gospel. Keep praying for them and witnessing to them, as the Lord leads. They’re not likely as far off as Saul was when the Lord caught up to him.

Mercy - and grace: mercy has been described as NOT getting the judgment we deserved, while grace is getting the benefits we did NOT deserve. V14 “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” The phrase ‘poured out - abundantly’ could also be put “abounded exceedingly, overflowed”, supter-increased. Richly, lavishly, not begrudgingly or sparingly, holding back.

Many years back, a poor woman from the slums of London was invited to go with a group of people for a holiday at the ocean. She had never seen the ocean before, and when she saw it, she burst into tears. Those around her thought it was strange that she should cry when such a lovely holiday had been given her. "Why in the world are you crying?" they asked. Pointing to the ocean she answered, "This is the only thing I have ever seen that there was enough of. " God has oceans of mercy. There is enough of it—and God delights to show his mercy and compassion (Micah 7:19).

Grace is part of a package deal. Paul says it was poured out on him v14 “ALONG WITH the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Faith is key – that’s the initial receptiveness, being willing to commit and entrust our lives to this inviting God. ‘Love’ here is literally AGAPE, God’s special unconditional there-for-you-no-matter-what love that doesn’t need to necessarily find the other attractive or desirable. Love that sacrifices for the other, going to the cross to meet their desperate need and restore relationship.

So, what’s our motivation for Christian living? NOT legalism / religion / works-righteousness (as if salvation is something to be ‘earned’) but GRACE-prompted. We share God’s agape to others as part of grace’s overflow. Our lives find their foundation on this solid fact, v15: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst.” That’s why He came – to seek and to save the lost, not for people who supposed they were already righteous. The Pharisees missed the boat. Note Paul doesn’t say “Of whom I WAS the worst” but “Of whom I AM the worst”. Grace - recalling God’s goodness to us when we were still sinners - helps us keep humble. And other people find that a whole lot more appealing posture when we would witness to them.

TO LOVE BETTER: HOUSECLEAN YOUR HEART

We began today with Paul and Timothy looking at how some in the church - false teachers - had gotten off track. The digression into genealogies, myths, and abstaining from certain foods and marriage was diverting Christians from what life OUGHT to be all about. And what’s that? Back up to v5 to see what some had wandered away from to turn to meaningless talk (v6): v5 “The GOAL of this command is LOVE, which comes from a PURE HEART and a GOOD CONSCIENCE and a SINCERE FAITH.”

What’s the goal, people? LOVE! Agape - charitable, sacrificial love that’s not out to get something for itself in the deal. But in our human fallenness and depravity, we can’t manufacture this God-kind-of-love on our own steam. Where’s it come from? 3 things Paul lists - let’s take them in reverse order.

1) “A sincere FAITH” – It all starts with putting your trust in Christ as Lord and Saviour. 1Co 12:3 “...no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” When we put believe in Jesus He sends the Holy Spirit, God’s very being, into our lives. He proclaimed loudly in Jn 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” [meaning the Spirit - v39]. The Holy Spirit becomes the source for God’s love to start flowing in our lives. Rom 5:5 “...God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

The goal of Christian living - love - starts with faith. As the Holy Spirit is given more control, we start to notice His conviction about various shortcomings we have. So Paul can say love comes from “a pure heart and a good conscence” as well as a sincere faith. We need to keep allowing the Spirit to do housecleaning in our heart: to take out idols and passions that don’t belong, so it becomes pure, single, given over 100% to God. Psalm 119:9,11 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word...I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

And pay attention to your conscience. Alongside the law, conscience is one of the built-in tools God has endowed all people with that should be pointing them toward their need for a Saviour. Can you say with Paul in Acts 24:16, “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man”? Start being a little more repentant, heeding that still small voice, humbling yourself before God’s directing nudges – and people around you just may be pleasantly surprised by how much more considerate, selfless, and genuinely LOVING you are becoming.

GRACE MAKES A DEVOTED FOLLOWER

There’s an account (Dr HA Ironside, In the Heavenlies (Neptune, NJ Loizeau Bros., Inc.) of an attempted assassination of the first Queen Elizabeth of England. The woman who sought to do so dressed as a male page and secreted herself in the queen's boudoir, awaiting the convenient moment to stab the queen to death. She didn’t realize that the queen's attendants would be very careful to search the rooms before Her Majesty was permitted to retire. They found the woman hidden there among the gowns and brought her into the presence of the queen, after confiscating the poniard that she had hoped to plant into the heart of the sovereign. The would-be assassin realized that her case, humanly speaking, was hopeless. She threw herself down on her knees and pleaded and begged the queen as a woman to have compassion on her, a woman, and to show her grace. Queen Elizabeth looked at her coldly and quietly said, "If I show you grace, what promise will you make for the future?" The woman looked up and said, "Grace that hath conditions, grace that is fettered by precautions, is not grace at all." Queen Elizabeth caught the idea in a moment and said, "You are right; I pardon you of my grace.” And they led her away, a free woman. History tells us that from that moment Queen Elizabeth had no more faithful, devoted servant than that woman who had intended to take her life. That’s exactly the way the grace of God works in the life of an individual – it motivates us to become a loving, devoted, faithful servant of God. Let’s pray.

“Mercy, Modesty, & Money” Pt.2 - “Pleasing the Father Not Fads” - July 28 2019 1Tim.2:1-10

“PRAY FOR PRESIDENT WHO??!!”

Leaders are not all cut from the same cloth. In the world of business, big companies eat little companies; CEOs may not be above putting their own interests ahead of others in the company. But at least one man has bucked the trend of job self-preservation at all cost...

Ernest "Bud" Miller, once president and chief executive officer of Arvida, a real-estate company, closed regional offices, reorganized departments, and cut his work force of 2600 in half. In the process he turned a money-losing company into a profitable one. But despite the trimming, Miller believed one layer of fat remained. So he resigned. "I couldn't justify me to me," says Miller. "I couldn't look at the people I let go and say I applied a different standard to me.Every fibre of my person wanted to stay.But professionally this was the decision that had to be made." The move eliminated one of the two senior jobs at the company: the chief operating officer of Arvida became the chief executive. Miller, age 53, gave up an "upper six-figure" salary package. But no one believes this former Marine with a Harvard MBA will be on the street for long. For his part, Miller hopes he'll soon be "helping a company restructure."

That’s sacrificial leadership, isn’t it? You have to admire a leader who’s humble enough to apply to themselves the same standard they’ve applied to other employees.

Leaders are often entrusted with weighty responsibility. Those who bear the burden of livelihoods of many other workers are especially worthy of our admiration. Paul began the second chapter of his first letter to Timothy: 1Tim 2:1f “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” Note, “Kings and all those in authority” – do we pray often enough for our leaders?

As I scroll through Facebook, several times a week I probably see something critical of the current American president; less often, something critical or mocking of our Canadian Prime Minister, but it happens. Yet even if we don’t agree with their respective stances, Scripture still urges us to be praying for our leaders.

It’s even more remarkable that the apostle would write this when you consider the circumstances back then. Paul was writing about AD 63-65. Nero was Roman Emperor from AD 54-68. Five years into his reign, Nero arranged for his own mother to be murdered. Nero seems to have loved to make a public show: a Wikipedia article notes, “He made public appearances as an actor, poet, musician and charioteer.In the eyes of traditionalists, this undermined the dignity and authority of his person, status, and office.His extravagant, empire-wide program of public and private works was funded by a rise in taxes that was much resented by the middle and upper classes.”

In the year AD 64 (about the time Paul was writing), the Great Fire of Rome burnt about 2/3 of the city, lasting 9 days. There were rumours Nero arranged for the fire to be set although he apparently was out of town at the time. Guilty or not, it didn’t help that he seized the opportunity to rebuild Rome in his image, including a new palace for himself that took up 1/3 of the city’s space. Tacitus notes that Nero blamed Christians for the fire, persecuting them by turning them into human torches. Eventually toward the end of his brief career, Nero fled Rome, was tried in absentia and condemned to death as a public enemy.

By comparison – our current political leaders don’t seem so bad, do they?! Yet Paul urges prayer for kings and all in authority, even then-Emperor Nero.

AN UNUSUALLY GRACIOUS GOD

What you worship affects who you become. What you focus on, what you give your attention to, comes to influence heavily the kind of person you are. Ps 115:4f,8 “But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see...Those who make them WILL BE LIKE THEM, and so will all who trust in them.” You become what you worship; you become mesmerized by what you idolize.

The God of the Bible is eminently worthy of worship: we see His lovingkindness and faithfulness most clearly reflected and demonstrated in Jesus Christ, His Son. In today’s passage Paul camps on 3 key attributes of God.

1) GOD OUR SAVIOUR - V3 “This is good, and pleases God our Saviour...” Gk ‘Soter’ = saviour, deliverer, preserver. How was Jesus announced at the time of His birth? Lk 2:11 “Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Something crucial about this association with ‘saving’ is wrapped up in the very essence of Jesus’ name, Jeshua, ‘Yahweh is salvation’ - the angel told Joseph, Mt 1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name JESUS, because he will SAVE his people from their sins.” Last week near the end of chapter 1 Paul highlighted this function of Christ, as one snatched from the flames himself: 1Tim 1:15 “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to SAVE SINNERS— of whom I am the worst.”

The gods worshipped by the Greeks tended (not surprisingly) in the myths to act like humans – motivated by jealousy, appetite, pride. But the God of the Bible wants to be known as our Saviour, One who submits Himself to seek our benefit. In Jesus’ parables about God in Luke 15, a shepherd saves a lost sheep, a woman finds a coin, a father welcomes back into full status a prodigal son – stories of saving, reclaiming, restoring, at significant effort and cost.

50 years ago last Sunday, July 21 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the surface of the moon. This past week I was watching a news item about the remote Australia satellite radio telescope that helped relay those memorable images. The article noted that, these days, the same radio-dish scans the sky for signs of Extra Terrestrial Intelligence.

Well-known scientist and author Carl Sagan commented in a PBS documentary about the new optimism that there is life elsewhere in the universe: “It’s nice to think that there is someone out there that can help us.” Unfortunately, that implies that for Sagan there is no God; so his hope of help from other beings is a blind hope, a hope that assumes other beings exist AND that their race will not be infected by the same depravity that is evident in human endeavour...And that they would be interested in helping us.

God is our Saviour. 2) God wants all people to be saved. Some people may have this image of God as some contrary old codger whose hand is full of thunder-bolts ready to hurl at unsuspecting mortals, but that picture is more from Norse or Greek mythology. Read how God’s Word describes Him instead in 1Tim 2:4 - “[God our Saviour] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” ALL people. That would be God’s ideal desire – but human responsibility and depravity and guilt enter in and make that unattainable, from the Garden of Eden on down. God’s preference would be that all be saved: we read back in the Old Testament, the prophet Ezekiel (18:23,32) relays: “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD.Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?...For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD.Repent and live!”

The Apostle Peter writes - 2Pet 3:9 “The Lord...is patient with you, not wanting ANYONE to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

What goes wrong, then? Why aren’t more people saved? Generally the human heart is turned against God. Only by His sheer mercy does He breathe His transforming Spirit into us and wake us / open our inner eye, give us an appetite for relationship with Him, and desire to welcome forgiveness and reconciliation through Christ.

Election is a mystery and beyond the scope of this sermon. The Bible also reminds us, 1Peter 1:2, that God’s ‘elect’ “...have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood...” It’s a divine mystery, involving both God’s sovereignty and human responsibility and freedom.

3) Another aspect of our UNUSUALLY GRACIOUS GOD is that Jesus GAVE Himself as a ransom for all people. V6 “[Christ Jesus] gave himself as a ransom for all men— the testimony given in its proper time.” The word ‘ransom’ is that for the customary price paid to redeem a slave that would otherwise be sold at the market.

Paul describes thus the “one mediator between God and men”. Have you heard of mediators involved with labour negotiations? Generally such mediators are careful to maintain their neutrality, they remain aloof lest they start to show bias to one party or the other. But in the case of Jesus, as Mediator He’s “all in”, He gives His own life to pay the ransom needed for forgiveness of our sins. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, 2Cor 5:14,21 “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died...God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Or as Peter put it, 1Pet 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” Those wounds HURT so YOU could be HELPED.

A pastor of a church in Boston met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. The pastor inquired, “Son, where did you get those birds?” The boy replied, “I trapped them out in the field.” “What are you going to do with them?” “I’m going to play with them, and then I guess I’ll just feed them to an old cat we have at home.”

When the pastor offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, “Mister, you don’t want them, they’re just little old wild birds and can’t sing very well.” The pastor replied, “I’ll give you two dollars for the cage and the birds.” (This was back when two dollars was worth more!) The boy consented, “Okay, it’s a deal, but you’re making a bad bargain.”

The exchange was made, and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. The pastor walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire cage, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue.

The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate Christ’s coming to seek and to save those who – like the birds – were destined for destruction. The difference was that Jesus had to purchase our freedom with His own life – He gave Himself as a ransom for us.

...INDUCES UNUSUALLY GODLY LIFE GOALS

We’ve seen that this unusually gracious God of the Bible – is Saviour; wants all people to be saved; and, in Jesus, gives Himself as a ransom. When you truly believe in and worship a God like that, it changes and shapes who you become. Here are 4 ways Paul highlights in this passage how Christians ought to be shifting in a new direction compared to how they used to be.

1) Prayer not Pushiness: Where the world’s naturalist / Darwinist mindset is all about STRIVING / impacting the gene pool / survival of the fittest, the believer’s mindset is STAYED on God, abiding in spiritual communion with the Father through prayer. 2:1 “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone...” Also 2:8 “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” In v1 there are 4 types of prayer mentioned: 3 involve asking (requests, prayers, intercession) and 1 involves expressing gratitude (thanksgiving). Paul urges us to be ‘lifting up holy hands in prayer’ in v8: prayer should come as naturally to the Christian as breathing. We’re not a ‘closed system’, we walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:25), we remain or abide in Jesus as He abides in the Father (Jn 15:4), His spirit of sonship within us prompts us to cry out, ‘Abba! Papa!’ (Rom 8:15). 1Thess 5:17 “pray continually [without ceasing]”.

Remember my motorcycle helmet a few weeks back with the built-in communication headset? I can be riding along and talking on the phone or using the intercom with another biker. Christians have that same built-in capacity for prayer with God, wherever you are.

A lifestyle of prayer helps us in tight situations remember to rely on God rather than just our own strength and resources. We don’t “have” to push through (stomping on others’ feet) as if we’re just doing it on our own. Prayer focus helps us not get suckered into anger or disputing, being contentious, demanding our own way: we can trust God to work things out fairly.

Three men were discussing the proper posture for prayer. The first said that one should be on one's knees with head bowed in reverence to the Almighty. The second argued that one should stand with head raised looking into the heavens and speak into the face of God as a little child. The third spoke up and said, "I know nothing about these positions, but I do know this: the finest praying I've ever done was upside down in a well!"

2) Godliness not greed: V2 “...that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all GODLINESS and holiness...” Paul uses this word ‘godliness’ 8 times in 1 Timothy, more than anywhere else in his writings. The word “implies a good and holy life, with special emphasis on its source, a deep reverence for God.” Remember, you become what you worship, you start to imitate that upon which you fixate: if you’re focused on Jesus, you’ll start to become more like Him, more holy and godly. Is that your life goal?

By contrast, culture’s advertising and competitiveness prompt us to try to “grab all you can ‘cuz you only go ‘round once”. As the bumper sticker puts it, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But something deep within us senses there’s got to be more to life than just heaping up possessions. What pocketbooks can buy can’t satisfy soul-needs. V9 Paul cautions women not to get caught up in dressing in “gold or pearls or expensive clothes”. The advertsing jingle says, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” - but they don’t prevent heartache and break-ups. Lasting relationships have to built upon much more. Greed fuels ambition which can lead to overwork and lack of quality together time and affairs with coworkers.

A reporter interviewed Lynette Fromme, the girl who took a shot at then-President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, and who was also a member of the infamous Manson family. She said the thing that attracted her to Charles Manson was his philosophy: “Get what you want whenever you want it – that is your God-inspired right.” (I guess not!) Godliness not greed.

3) Peacefulness not Prominence: V2 again, “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives...” V8 “...without anger or disputing.” When you’re ‘happy in Jesus’, getting your sense of being valued and significant from your Heavenly Father rather than from your possessions or prominence or achievements, you don’t have to have a high profile in society. You’re content to be one of ‘the quiet in the land’. You don’t have to make a big name for yourself; you’re just happy to be serving others, helping them thrive, giving them a boost up.

It was heartwarming this past week to see Ryan O’Reilly of Stanley-Cup Champions St.Louis Blues interacting with his 99-year-old grandmother in Seaforth! She even got to ride in the bucket of the firetruck with him during the parade. Love doesn’t just glory in its own accomplishments, it lifts others up that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

4) Good Deeds not Glitz: Advertisers may try to catch our eye with shapely models and scanty cladding, but Paul hints that true beauty is more than just skin deep: it has to do with our character. Note the emphasis on ‘good deeds’ and ‘propriety’ (2X) in Vv9-10, 15B: “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and PROPRIETY, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with GOOD DEEDS, appropriate for women who profess to worship God...But women will be saved through childbearing— if they continue in faith, love and holiness with PROPRIETY.” Frankly, girls, if he’s the kind of guy who’s only going to be attracted to you because of the way you look, how much skin you’re prepared to reveal – that’s NOT the kind of guy you really want!! The word translated ‘modest’ means “well-arranged, becoming”.

HOLINESS: WATCH OUT FOR THE FLY-SPECKS

Wrapping up – we are blessed to know and serve a holy God, gracious, self-giving, sacrificially concerned for our welfare. Such a good God rubs off on the kind of person you and I are becoming.

Several times Paul emphasis HOLINESS - v3 “peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and HOLINESS”; v6 “I want men everywhere to lift up HOLY hands in prayer”; v15 women are to “continue in faith, love, and HOLINESS with propriety.” Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines holiness with regard to Christians “as consecrated to God’s service, and in so far as they are conformed in all things to the will of God.” To be holy is to be like God, unmarred by anything sinful. James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” KJV “...to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Many of you know this past week I’ve been recovering from extensive burns incurred when foolishly standing too close to a burn pile after dousing it with gasoline. Thank you for your prayers! The nurse remarked I’m “a good healer” – praise the Lord. I was very careful to try to protect any open wound areas from infection. I didn’t want any flies landing on my burns in case they’d decide it was a good place to lay eggs! So I was hyper-vigilant to keep the wounds CLEAN, spotless, so they would better heal. It was hard for this person with Scottish blood to not re-use dressings even if they looked ALMOST clean...

Regarding holiness, JD Pentecost wrote: “A surgeon who selects a scalpel in the operating room rejects a scalpel

in the operating room rejects a scalpel with a minute spot of defilement on it as readily as one that was severely defiled, because even the smallest spot means the scalpel is defiled and cannot be used in surgery. The degree of defilement is inconsequential. The fact of defilement is what matters to the surgeon. A thing is sterile or defiled, clean or unclean. A person is holy or unholy. God is not concerned with degrees, only with the absolute.”

How much dirt does it take on the scalpel to make it unsterile? Just the smallest particle! It’s either clean or not, not by degrees. A bit like being pregnant – no one is ever ‘just a little bit’ pregnant: you either ARE or you aren’t. Are we holy? Need God’s constant cleansing.

1Pe 1:15 “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do...” Heb 12:14 “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Let’s pray.

“Carved in the Palm of His Hand” - Funeral of Bert Corbett - July 31 2019

Ps.103:13-17; Eccles 3:1-2,4,7f, 7:2; Is 49:13-21; Rom 8:26,28,31f,35,37-39; Jn 14:1-6,18f,27

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” the Apostle Paul asks rhetorically in Romans 8. The answer he expects, of course, is that NOTHING can separate us from Christ’s love. He goes on to spell it out: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Inseparable. That’s a word that comes to mind when I think of Bert Corbett – it’s not just him, but in combination with his mate, “Bert & Georgie”, they were inseparable – they belonged together like salt & pepper. Bert was a big help to Georgie with her physical condition, and Georgie was a constant companion to Bert, ready to keep him on his toes with some zinger or brighten his life with wry humour. In this inseparable combination, he will be deeply missed.

But Bert gave himself to many circles, many spheres of relationship. He loved to teach his students. He was eager to share his love of carving, both in Florida and in Goderich. He gave of his time to help organize both hockey and baseball for many families in the Uxbridge area, earning him the title in 1981 of Uxbridge “Citizen of the Year”.

He was inseparable also from his church community, still attending regularly even when he could no longer drive. He pitched in and helped build Emmanuel Full Gospel Church back in his earlier years. At Huron Chapel, he was a regular fixture; I remember him helping out with Vacation Bible School still last summer at the age of 83, and how disappointed he was this year that he wasn’t going to be helping out again with VBS.

Bert was a gifted guy mechanically and liked to share his talents. I can relate to him as a “fixer”, liking to take things apart and figure out how they work myself. One family member was telling me how he’d get a boat motor running at the dock, but wouldn’t stop there: he’d move on to the next, and the next... It was in his nature to tinker. I smiled at the bit in the obituary that said, “We are quite certain the words, ‘I’ll just buy a new one’ never crossed his lips”!

We see that same inseparability, that desire to be a constant presence, on God’s part for His people, expressed in Scripture. Psalm 103: humans are transitory, we flourish like the grass of the field, quickly gone – but the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him “from everlasting to everlasting”.

John 14 – Jesus knows the disciples will be sad and troubled when He is crucified and temporarily absent from them, but assures them He’s going to go prepare a place for them. And, “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Our Lord’s goal is for us to be inseparable from Him! “I will not leave you as orphans,” He promises; “I will come to you.”

Romans 8, as we’ve already seen – nothing can separate us from the love of Christ: not trouble or hardship or danger or death nor life, ‘Nor anything else in all creation’ – that’s a lot!!

But it’s Isaiah 49 that has one of the most intimate pictures of inseparability in all Scripture. Zion, the nation of Israel, is feeling “The Lord has forsaken me, The Lord has forgotten me” – probably after the devastation of the Babylonian conquest. It also says, “I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected.” No doubt some of you close friends and family members WILL be feeling bereaved in the wake of Bert’s passing: he was a major player in your lives, you will miss him.

But how does God reassure the nation through the prophet? “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Isa 49:15-16) The Living Bible - “See, I have tattooed your name upon my palm...” Or as Carey Landry put it in song,

“I will never forget you, my people; / I have carved you on the palm of my hand

I will never forget you, / I will not leave you orphaned

I will never forget my own.”

Bert was a skilled carver. He knew how to make a bird’s wing look like it had real feathers, how to take time to put in the details. The analogy Isaiah’s using is that God has His people carved or graven into the palm of His hands as a reminder always bringing us into His consciousness.

Carvers have to be careful with those sharp instruments. In Jesus’ case, His palms were pierced with nails so our sins could be forgiven and us sinful mortals made right with an absolutely holy and perfect God who designed us. The carving went on deep into Jesus’ flesh, partly due to gruesome whips and a crown of thorns. In heaven we understand He’ll be known by His wounds. He gave Himself unstintingly in love for us, to bring us to God.

Inseparable. Now, for a short time, we will miss Bert: but the Bible promises those who receive Christ will be reunited with Him and others of like faith eventually. That gives us great comfort at times like this.

By submitting His palms to the cruel cross, Jesus took the sting out of death for us. Paul writes in 1Corinthians 15:56f, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A boy and his father were traveling in a car when a bee flew through the open window. The boy was so highly allergic to bee stings that both he and his father knew his life was in danger. As the boy frantically jumped around and tried to avoid the agitated bee, the father calmly reached out and grabbed the bee. When he opened his hand, the bee started to fly again, terrorizing the lad once more. But the father said, “Look, son!” And help up his hand showing the implanted stinger. “His stinger is gone; he can’t hurt you any longer.”

Jesus took the stinger of sin and death in His palm so Bert and other sinners like you and me could be forgiven and freed from the fear of death. As a bee loses its stinger when it stings, so death lost its sting when it stung Jesus. Thanks be to God! Let’s pray.

“Mercy, Modesty, & Money” Pt.3 - “Greed’s Griefs – or Kindly Contentment?” - August 4 2019 1Tim.6:6-19

SMILE FOR THE OFFERING - YOU’RE ON CAMERA

Welcome to part 3 of our series in 1Timothy, “Mercy, Modesty, & Money”...Oh good, a sermon about money – everybody’s favourite topic! Or as a minister in Sault Ste Marie used to put it, every so often he figured he should preach what he called the “Sermon on the aMount”. (Don’t worry, I’m not getting that specific today.)

A church board (not ours!) decided that people in the congregation were embarrassed when the offering plates were passed. So they thought they ought to have a new system that wouldn’t embarrass anybody, especially those who couldn’t give. They asked the pastor to design a way of handling it so people could give as they came in or went out. So he built several boxes and put them at each door. But these boxes were just a bit different – they were high-tech. If you dropped in a dollar or more, it made no noise, it was silent. If you gave half a dollar, a little bell tingled. If you gave a quarter, it blew a whistle. If you gave a dime, a siren went off. If you gave a nickel, a shot sounded. And, if you gave nothing – it took your picture!

As we launch into this rather sensitive topic in the last chapter of 1Timothy, I find it can be dealt with under 4 broad categories, each a basic question: “What’s Really Real?” “What’s the Point?” “What Counts?” and, “What’s Going to Last?”

WHAT’S REALLY REAL? LIFE THAT LASTS

My Christian Education prof at seminary used to maintain that one of the most basic aspects of philosophy, the field of epistemology or study of how we know what we know, boils down to the question: “What’s ‘really real’?”

To appreciate our Christian worldview better, consider a couple of alternatives. A Hindu person would view what we see as an illusion, a fraud. From hinduwebsite.com: “According to many schools of Hinduism, the world is an illusion, a play of the supreme consciousness of God. It is a projection of things and forms that are temporarily phenomenal and sustain the illusion of oneness and permanence...Says the Yoga Vashista, ‘The world is nothing but a mere vibration of consciousness in space. It seems to exist even as a goblin seems to exist in the eyes of the ignorant.’”

Well, that’s one opinion, the world as an illusion. On the other hand, consider a dominant worldview here in the West, that of materialism. It would say that what you SEE is all there is. An online definition for materialism describes it as “the doctrine that nothing exists except matter and its movements and modifications.”

The Biblical worldview, by contrast, is neither of these. In contrast to Hinduism, it maintains that God purposefully created real material objects, and in fact became incarnate in Jesus, taking on flesh to become a real tangible sacrifice making atonement for humanity’s sins. In contrast to materialism, the Bible teaches there are spiritual forces, agents, principalities at work behind the scenes impacting what happens very significantly, for example Satan tempting Jesus in the desert, or entering into Judas Iscariot.

Science and medicine emerged in the West partly due to its philosophic foundations in Christianity: the universe was orderly and could be studied because a rational Creator designed it so, and equipped humans to unravel the mysteries of nature.

But we are so immersed in secular Western culture with its technology, advertising, and media, we risk confusing its worldview with that of the Bible. How would the apostles answer the question, “What’s ‘really real’?”

There is an awareness that there is something BEYOND this present world. 1Tim 6:7 “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” So Paul is conceding or suggesting that there is something OUTSIDE our current human existence. Note v12 “Fight the good fight of the faith.Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” What’s really real – what can we truly ‘get a grip on’, take hold of? ETERNAL life. Hmm – something beyond our 24/7, cradle-to-grave existence. But look especially at v19: “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” Huh? Isn’t THIS life ‘truly’ life? That’s not what the inspired scripture-writer is saying. Paul’s focus is clearly on being ready for ‘the coming age’.

Don’t get duped by culture into thinking this life is all there is; that you’ve got to grab what you can, because you only go

‘round once! No; this life is the dot at the beginning of a line that goes on forever. This life is not ‘the main event’. Getting a grip means preparing for, taking hold of ETERNAL life, ‘the life that is TRULY life’.

Was Paul being extreme? How did another apostle, Peter, view the world and its permanence? 2Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”

Our worldview affects how we deal with daily things, the degree of importance we attach to objects. Paul again, 1Cor.7:30f “...those who buy something [should live] as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them.For [big BECAUSE!] this world in its present form is passing away.” It’s not an illusion, as in Hinduism; but neither is it all there is, as in materialism. That helps us not to worship or become too enchanted with or idolize material goods.

WHAT’S THE POINT? GOD IS! (“WHO SAYS?!”)

Next big question is, “What’s the point?” We all have this yearning for life to be meaningful, to make sense, for there to be some kind of purpose to our existence. Darwinism would contend we’re just random bits of protoplasm emerging spontaneously from the primordial soup, hapless products of time plus chance plus matter – which frankly is not very satisfying to the postmodern person searching for meaning.

Paul interrupts the main flow of this section with a doxology erupting from his soul which highlights what he’s living for, Who is the Author of purpose in his own life. Vv15-16 “which God will bring about in his own time— God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.To him be honor and might forever. Amen.”

The ONLY Ruler / Potentate, who ALONE is immortal – Paul may have in the back of his mind some of the blasphemous claims made by Roman Emperors. At his death, Augustus (emperor 27 BC - AD 14), the 'son of a god', was himself declared a god. It got worse. Domitian (emperor AD 81-96) demanded to be addressed as “Dominus et Deus noster”, i.e.“our Lord and our God”. So right here Paul is making a pointed assertion about God being the ONLY true Sovereign, the buck stops here, it’s God who is ultimately in control, and to Him alone ought to be ascribed honour and power. God is at the centre of Paul’s universe, Jesus Christ is on the throne and returning soon.

Our independence-loving, freedom-worshipping, anti-authoritarian culture often demands to know, “WHO SAYS?!” Postmoderns and millennials are ultra suspicious of authority structures, including denominations. But Paul is very clear about the authority structure, the chain of command, in his life. Note the strictness of his terms in exhorting young Timothy: vv13-14 “In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ...” What authority does Paul cite as the basis for enjoining his apprentice to do these things? “In the sight of God...and of Christ Jesus...” Paul is conscious of always acting in plain view of God and His Saviour: that’s where his accountability lies, Who he will have to answer to one day.

Jesus urged His followers to get their priorities straight. Life is NOT about scurrying about worrying foremost about food and clothes, what we’ll eat and wear. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Compare another doxology Paul erupts with spontaneously as if out of nowhere, this one smack dab in the middle of his letter to the church at Ephesus: Eph 3:20f “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Is God so much the centre of your life, of your focus, that occasionally you burst out in praise to Him as your One and Only? The central reference point in your life? The One you are seeking most of all to please, every waking moment?

WHAT COUNTS? RICHES VS RIGHTEOUSNESS

What’s really real? What’s the point? Third question – What counts? What really matters, how do we keep score?

For the materialist, it’s primarily about accumulating more ‘stuff’ than the person up the street. The newer car, the nicer house, the extra toys, the better vacation. But Paul warns against such obsession in vv9-10: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Wanting to get rich, Paul warns, is a trap, like a snare that catches an animal by the leg and drags it down. Those desires lead to destruction. “Love of money” – literally, “affection for silver” – is a root, a springboard or starting point, of all kinds of evil. Money in itself is not bad – it can be used for good: but LOVE of money is the culprit, it’s competing then for our top affection which ought to be for our Creator.

Jesus warned right in the Sermon on the Mount, Mt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters.Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.You cannot serve both God and Money.” ...Which will it be??

The problem begins when we start to prefer money over our Master, the Lord Jesus. Jesus told the parable in Luke 12 of the rich fool who, when confronted with abundant harvest, opted to build bigger barns to feed his own consumption. Lk 12:19 “And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” He had this sense of not needing God any longer, he was set, he had it made, based on his own resources. In the Cotton Patch Gospel by Clarence Jordan, the rich man decides to, “Recline, dine, wine, and shine, fool!”

But what’s God’s response to the rich man’s plan? Lk 12:20f “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ [JESUS CONCLUDES] This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Aye, that’s the nub o’ the matter – are we “rich toward God”? Where’s our affection, our attention, more inclining toward? What’s truly our ‘precious’?

Spiros Zhodiates (Behavior of Belief) writes, “When you fix your eyes on things, invariably it leads to materialism. You fix your eyes on things and you will continually be attracted to gadgets, money, and abundance of the plastic, chrome, metal, wood, all the elements about us.You will continually be dissatisfied.The millionaire, John D Rockefeller, was asked one time, ‘How much does it take to satisfy a man completely?’ He said, ‘It takes a little bit more than he has.’”

Lee Iacocca confessed his greed after being fired by Ford from a job that paid a million a year plus perks. Iacocca admitted that of the seven deadly sins, greed is by far the worst. He quoted his Italian-born father: “My father always said, ‘Be careful about money.When you have five thousand, you’ll want ten.When you have ten, you’ll want twenty.’ He was right.No matter what you have, it’s never enough.”

By contrast, what’s the apostle’s wisdom on the matter? Let’s read together 1Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” [repeat] Godliness we talked about last week in chapter 2; John MacArthur notes, “Godliness refers to one’s reverence for God, and could be translated ‘Godlikeness’.” Whereas, “Righteousness means to do what is right, in relation to both God and man, and it emphasizes outward behaviour.” Recall Rob Corbett at his father’s funeral describing Bert’s angst when he found out some booklets had been left over from the contest give-aways: what was the right thing to do?!

‘Godliness with contentment’ – contentment pertains to sufficiency of the necessities of life; “self-sufficiency”, “it describes an independence of changing circumstances” (New Bible Commentary Revised). What’s on Paul’s short list? What’s he view as ‘essentials’ for contentment? A 55" LCD screen? The latest smartphone? A nice home in the country? Look at v8: “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” Hmm...

We get a little more insight into Paul’s perspective on contentment in Philippians 4:11-13: “...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.[WHAT IS THAT SECRET, PAUL? PLEASE TELL US!] I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

What’s the secret to contentment? Knowing who you are in Christ. Having solid faith and trust in your Saviour. Then nothing can rattle you. You can be truly content, independent of your circumstances, most FREE indeed, not contingent on other factors. As the song puts it – “You can have all this world – but give me Jesus.”

Reaching for riches robs us of what life’s really supposed to be about. V10 “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Consequences include both a negative loss (wandering from the faith) and a positive pang (pierced with many griefs). The word ‘eager’ in ‘eager for money’ means “to stretch one’s self out in order to touch or grasp something”. Proverbs 1:19 warns, “Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.” It robs them of life.

Instead, Paul tells Timothy what to be reaching for: v11 “flee from all this” (same Greek root as to be a ‘refugee’) – “and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” Invaluable qualities the Lord is seeking to build into our character. Intangibles – but oh, so important! When you’re six feet under, it’s not the size of your bank account that matters any more.

WHAT’S GOING TO LAST? WALLETS WITHOUT HOLES

Final question today, “What’s going to last?” V17 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” Wealth is uncertain. A quotation attributed to famous financier JP Morgan features someone asking him what the market was going to do that day, and he purportedly answered, “It will fluctuate.”

Psalm 62:10B “though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.” Proverbs 23:5 “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” Instead we are to put our trust and hope in God, who can provide all our needs. Jeremiah 9:23f “This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD.” Putting our hope in wealth amounts to idolatry, worshipping material things rather than our Creator. Ephesians 5:5 “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person— such a man is an idolater— has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Wow! In a materialist culture – preach it!

When we’re well off, we may start to feel we ‘need God’ less, so become ‘arrogant’ (6:17) - literally high-minded, ‘to have an exalted opinion of oneself’. Paul tells Timothy the antidote to greed in vv18f: “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

“Do good – be rich in good deeds...” That’s a different kind of ‘rich-ness’. “Be generous and willing to share” - inclined to impart, free in giving, [small L] liberal. Is that how you’re inclined?

Our Saviour was very pointed on how we should deploy material resources for future spiritual benefit. Lk 12:32-34 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.Sell your possessions and give to the poor.Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Are we secure in confidence that our Father is PLEASED to give us the kingdom? Are we focused on heavenly treasure that doesn’t get robbed or moth-eaten? Where is our heart – really?

These days as you drive about the countryside you can see signs of harvest beginning, with the wheat coming off and straw being baled. Are you ready for eventual spiritual harvest? What are you sowing? Galatians 6:9-10 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Doing good here and now will reap a harvest later.

What’s going to last? Not your pocketbook. You can’t take it with you. No hearses pulling U-hauls. Settle it in your soul that, like Jesus and the apostle Paul, you need to be living for treasure beyond this earthly life.

Chuck Swindoll tells of Ray Stedman (California pastor / author) who once traveled across the country for a week of meetings. The only problem was, his baggage didn’t make it. Ray needed a couple of suits so he went down to the local thrift shop and was pleased to find a row of suits. When he told the salesman, “I’d like to get a couple of suits,” the man smiled and said, “Good, we’ve got several.But you need to know they came from the local mortuary.They’ve all been cleaned and pressed, but they were used on stiffs.Not a thing wrong with ‘em; I just didn’t want that to bother you.” Ray replied, “No, that’s fine.” So he hurriedly tried some on and bought a couple for about $25 each.

When he got back to his room, he began to get dressed for the evening’s meetings. As he put one on, to his surprise there were no pockets. Both sides were all sewn up! Though surprised, he thought, “Why, of course! Stiffs don’t carry stuff with ‘em when they depart!” The suits looked as if they had pockets, but they were just flaps on the coat. He told me later, “I spent all week trying to stick my hands in my pockets.I had to hang my keys on my belt!”

When you go to make that final journey from this life: you won’t be able to tuck anything in your pocket. Instead, tuck yourself in Christ here and now. All we have and are comes from Him. Fight the good fight of faith: take hold of the eternal life to which you were called – life that is truly life. Let’s pray.

“Can Trees Save Us?” - Sept.21 2019 - Maitland Conservation Foundation - George Taylor Conservation Area - Memorial & Celebration Grove Tree Planting Ceremony

We’re here planting trees in memory and in celebration; the event is strongly geared towards conservation (this is, after all, a conservation area, with support from a conservation foundation). I’d like to ponder with you a few moments today the topic, “Can trees ‘save’ us?” – Saving is, after all, closely associated with conserving.

First some practical observations, after which I’d like to bring in a brief Biblical perspective. For the practical side I’d like to relay some well-assembled facts about the impressive value of trees borrowed from the website savatree.com

“Since the beginning, trees have furnished us with two of life’s essentials, food and oxygen. ...they provided additional necessities such as shelter, medicine, and tools. Today, their value continues to increase and more benefits of trees are being discovered as their role expands to satisfy the needs created by our modern lifestyles.

“Trees are an important part of every community. Our streets, parks, playgrounds and backyards are lined with trees that create a peaceful, aesthetically pleasing environment. Trees increase our quality of life by bringing natural elements and wildlife habitats into urban settings. We gather under the cool shade they provide during outdoor activities with family and friends. Many neighborhoods are also the home of very old trees that serve as historic landmarks and a great source of town pride. Using trees in cities to deflect the sunlight reduces the ‘heat island’ effect caused by pavement and commercial buildings.

“Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen we breathe. According to [one government agency], “One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen.This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.” Trees, shrubs and turf also filter air by removing dust and absorbing other pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. After trees intercept unhealthy particles, rain washes them to the ground.” [E.G. loufa: trees as ‘air-scrubbers’]

“Trees control climate by moderating the effects of the sun, rain and wind. Leaves absorb and filter the sun’s radiant energy, keeping things cool in summer. Trees also preserve warmth by providing a screen from harsh wind. In addition to influencing wind speed and direction, they shield us from the downfall of rain, sleet and hail. Trees also lower the air temperature and reduce the heat intensity of the greenhouse effect by maintaining low levels of carbon dioxide.

“Both above and below ground, trees are essential to the eco-systems in which they reside. Far reaching roots hold soil in place and fight erosion. Trees absorb and store rainwater which reduce runoff and sediment deposit after storms. This helps the ground water supply recharge, prevents the transport of chemicals into streams and prevents flooding. Fallen leaves make excellent compost that enriches soil.

“Many animals, including elephants, koalas and giraffes eat leaves for nourishment. Flowers are eaten by monkeys, and nectar is a favorite of birds, bats and many insects. Animals also eat much of the same fruit that we enjoy. This process helps disperse seeds over great distances. Of course, hundreds of living creatures call trees their home. Leaf-covered branches keep many animals, such as birds and squirrels, out of the reach of predators.

“Trees have supported and sustained life throughout our existence. They have a wide variety of practical and commercial uses. Wood was the very first fuel, and is still used for cooking and heating by about half of the world’s population. Trees provide timber for building construction, furniture manufacture, tools, sporting equipment, and thousands of household items. Wood pulp is used to make paper.

“We are all aware of apples, oranges and the countless other fruits and nuts provided by trees, as well as the tasty syrup of North American sugar maples. But did you know the bark of some trees can be made into cork and is a source of chemicals and medicines? Quinine and aspirin are both made from bark extracts. The inner bark of some trees contains latex, the main ingredient of rubber.” (Did you travel here today on rubber tires thanks to a tree?)

“Individual trees and shrubs have value and contribute to savings, but it is the collective influence of a well-maintained landscape that makes a real economic impact and has the greatest effect on property value. Direct economic benefits come from a savings in energy costs. Cooling costs are reduced in a tree-shaded home, and heating costs lowered when a tree serves as a windbreak. According to (another agency), “Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30% and save 20-50 percent in energy used for heating.” Property values of homes with well-maintained landscapes are up to 20% higher than others.”

“The main reason we like trees [this website maintains] is because they are both beautiful and majestic. ...Different species display a seemingly endless variety of shapes, forms, textures and vibrant colors. Even individual trees vary their appearance throughout the course of the year as the seasons change. The strength, long lifespan and regal stature of trees give them a monument-like quality. Most of us react to the presence of trees with a pleasant, relaxed, comfortable feeling. In fact, many people plant trees as living memorials of life-changing events.” [end quote from website] – In fact, that’s why we’re here today!

I thought that was a good summary of the practical value of trees. They have a great range of value – but can they save us?

It is a sad fact of modern life that the value of trees is often overlooked. They may fall prey to natural enemies such as Dutch Elm Disease or Emerald Ash Borer without being replaced. The clearcutting of trees in the Amazon Rainforest is an ongoing problem as developing countries try to catch up to our North American levels of profitability. National Geographic reports that 30 million acres of forest were lost around the world in 2018; nearly four million acres of primary forest were lost in Brazil alone. Commercial activities like ranching, mining, and soy production were big drivers of that forest loss. It seems humans are prepared to sacrifice a valuable and irreplaceable living resource for our pocketbooks. Our sinful greed threatens one of our biggest allies.

Trees also figure prominently in the Biblical narrative. They seem to be there alongside people from the beginning of time into the closing pages. On the third day of creation, Genesis 1:12 tells us, “The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”

The Creator God employed trees in fact to be a test of human morality. Gen 2:9, “And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground— trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God commanded Adam not to eat from the latter tree, but Adam failed the test and couldn’t resist the temptation. He wanted to be ‘like God’ instead of loving God, so seized and ate the fruit. As a consequence, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden for their rebellion.

At the other end of the Bible, after the Great White Throne judgment, we find a description of a new heaven and a new earth, where trees again figure prominently. Rev 22:2 “On each side of the river [flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb] stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

How much we need that healing! We are currently between the times – after the Fall, but before the Judgment and Consummation. Our treatment of trees in the rainforest is just a symptom of our overall fallenness: like Adam, we would seize what’s forbidden, we want to be like God at any cost, and won’t let anything stand in our way – be it justice or a rainforest. Where can we find help for our short-sighted and stubborn human condition?

The focus of the Scripture narrative directs us to One who hung on a tree (of all things!) in order to save us. The Old Testament maintained, Deut 21:23 “Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” The apostles saw this was what Jesus was doing by going to the cross for us: taking the curse upon Himself that belonged to us sinners. Peter preached, Ac 5:30 “The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead— whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.” He became our sin-scrubber. We need that repentance, that acknowledgment that we have fallen motives, that we go about things the wrong way, inconsiderate of God, of our neighbour, of the beautiful created order around us.

Paul elaborated to the early Christians, Gal 3:13f “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." 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.” We need God’s Spirit to give us new life, a fresh ‘scrubbed’ attitude, to quit living for self and instead, by Jesus’ grace, love God and others as He intended. And so doing, start to pay attention to the stewardship of the created order He has entrusted to our care.

Trees grow and flourish on the soil built up from decomposition of the many generations of trees that have gone before. We too as individuals grow and are benefited by the contributions of others in society, upon whose shoulders we stand. We acknowledge that today by planting these trees in memory of and celebration with friends and family members who were precious to us. May the Lord help us each reflect on the value of trees, and of Him who hung on one, in order that we might gain repentance and forgiveness, new birth, and a fresh approach to life and appreciation for others. Amen.

“What are you Waiting For?” - 1Pet.1:3-9 Dec.1/19 (Advent I)

HOPE’S TURN-AROUND

It’s the first Sunday in Advent, the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas. The word ‘advent’ comes from a Latin root meaning ‘arrival’ or “coming”. In this season Christians have traditionally looked forward not only to the annual celebration of Jesus’ birth – actually, we don’t really know exactly when Jesus was born, it likely wasn’t December 25^th! – but we also look forward to His Second Coming. The first Sunday in Advent is associated with HOPE, anticipation, looking forward to something positive that has yet to arrive. So we’re not just looking back to an event in history, we’re also looking ahead to our Saviour’s return, taking us to be with Him forever.

Hope – having something to look forward to – is SO important in life. When despair sets in, motivation to live grows dim. The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the city’s hospitals. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She took the child’s name and room number and talked briefly with the child’s regular class teacher. “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now,” the regular teacher said, “and I’d be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn’t fall too far behind.”

The hospital program teacher went to see the boy in hospital that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at how badly the boy looked, she stammered as she told him, “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.” When she left she felt she hadn’t accomplished much.

But the next day, a nurse asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. “No, no,” said the nurse. “You don’t know what I mean.We’ve been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed.He’s fighting back, responding to treatment.It’s as though he’s decided to live.”

Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization. He expressed it this way: “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?”

He found a reason to live! Hope came alive.

In today’s reading from 1Peter, we find the apostle encouraging those who were facing fiery persecution to keep hope and not lose sight of the good things that they already had and that were awaiting them. After all, we are all waiting for SOMETHING: are our hopes and dreams anchored in what they should be, or misplaced?

PURPOSES IN THIS WORLD’S PROBLEMS AND PERISHING

The month that’s just ended, November, can be a difficult one for some folks. Winter is setting in. Outside things look grey and tired, drab and dreary: nature is shutting down for its long winter’s sleep, temperatures are dropping, darkness is increasing as the days grow shorter and the sun spends less time above the horizon. Green vanishes from plant life as the vegetation seems to all be dying back.

A prominent word in Peter’s letters is the word “perishing”... Unfortunately, our sin-struck creation being what it is, there’s a lot of disease and death and decay around us. The Bible doesn’t sugar-coat things, it acknowledges the world as it is, realistically. Journalist Malcolm Muggeridge observed, “The depravity of man is at once the most empirically verifiable reality but at the same time the most intellectually resisted fact.”

Peter writes in v6, “...though now for a little while you may have had to suffer GRIEF in all kinds of TRIALS.” Grief intrudes its unwelcome presence interrupting our day to day struggle for survival. About a week ago I assisted with a short graveside service for my first cousin, a victim of cancer at 72. While returning to my vehicle, a few yards away I passed the graves of my father and mother and brother and wife. The brevity of life really struck me. Life involves loss. Perishing.

V7 Peter refers to “gold that PERISHES though it is tested by fire” – even precious metals wear down and fade and get lost. At the end of chapter 1, Peter quotes the prophet Isaiah who contrasts our human temporariness with what’s really eternal: “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.”

2Peter 3:10 predicts an apocalyptic end to the material ‘stuff’ that surrounds us: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” When you think about it, atoms are mostly empty space with little bits of matter held together by invisible forces of attraction, so it wouldn’t be that hard for the universe’s Designer to suddenly release the laws that hold it all together.

Are we ready for that to happen?

The situation was even more problematic for the early Christians to whom Peter wrote his letter in the region of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Much of the Empire’s capital, Rome, had burned; when suspicion grew that Emperor Nero had set it to make room for his lavish building programs, he spread the accusation that it was Christians who had set the fire instead. Persecution grew as Christians were targeted on account of their faith. They refused to worship the emperor as a god and thus were viewed as atheists and traitors. They refused to worship at pagan temples, so business associated with that dropped wherever Christianity took hold. They didn’t support the Roman ideals of self, power, and conquest; Romans scorned the Christian ideal of self-sacrificing service. And believers exposed and rejected the horribly immorality of pagan culture. (Life Application Bible) So, they became easy targets for persecution – scapegoats.

Would WE ever stick out and become targets for persecution in our own culture – or do we blend in a little too well, accommodating to its ideals?

Peter acknowledges the problems his fellow Christians are facing in their setting. 4:12-14 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” Painful trials - sufferings - insults: believers were getting harassed and even killed on account of their faith. In fact in his second letter, Peter is quite candid about the likelihood of his own being martyred in the very near future (tradition tells us he was crucified upside-down): 2Peter 1:14f “because I know that I will soon put it [the tent of this body] aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.”

So much grief and perishing and persecution, so many problems: is there a point to all these difficulties? When life hurts, where can we turn to find purpose, some sense of meaning for it all?

There’s a little clue in v7 if you look closely. It begins “so that” - which is a ‘purpose clause’, not to be overlooked. Let’s back up and start in at v6: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.[7] These have come so that your faith— of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire— may be proved genuine AND may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Griefs and trials come, but they have a purpose, Peter insists: they ‘had to’ come SO THAT our faith (so precious, more valuable than gold) may be proved genuine AND so it will bring praise, glory and honour – both to ourselves, and to God to whom we belong. John MacArthur writes, “God’s purpose in allowing trouble is to test the reality of one’s faith.But the benefit of such a testing, or ‘fire’, is immediately for the Christian, not God.When a believer comes through a trial still trusting the Lord, he is assured that his faith is genuine.”

You KNOW that you know – because you’ve come through it.

So faith must be pretty important if that’s the reason such trials and griefs are allowed to befall us. Peter’s saying faith is more precious than gold. Faith, according to Hebrews 11:1, is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”; without faith it is ‘impossible to please God’, you can’t come to God without believing He exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him (11:6). Faith perceives what’s unseen in the spiritual realm as real. 1Pet 1:8a “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him...”

This is a striking fact for Peter because he and the other apostles were the ones who were physically present to Jesus and eyewitnesses of all He did, including His resurrection. 2Peter 1:16,18 “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” So Peter is glad others can believe in Jesus even though they’d never had the privilege of seeing Him and being with Him tangibly as Peter had. That took faith – trust – believing.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

What we prize and value, we commit to, we devote our energies toward, we’re passionate about. Where faith leads, feelings and force follow. Advent, this season of waiting and anticipation and hope, prompts us to re-evaluate and take stock of what we’re really waiting for, what we’re most keen on in life, what gives our life meaning and we’re striving for. Is Jesus really at the centre, the focal point for our life? Or has something more tantalizing displaced Him?

Are we eagerly waiting for Black Friday sales, or Cyber Monday deals? Decluttering my house lately, I had to visit the electronics recycling depot several times – computer parts that were once so valuable are now ‘junk’.

By contrast, Peter emphasizes that believing in Jesus brings rewards both NOW and THEN (later, when He returns). It’s not all just ‘pie in the sky by and by’ – faith brings benefits in our present life. In fact it’s hard to understand how people can find strength to go on coping with life’s many difficulties and griefs and disappointments WITHOUT trust in the Lord.

Rewards NOW: new being, new joy, new protection.

New BEING (or BIRTH): V3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” Also we have seen v23, “You have been born again...through the living and enduring word of God.” Being ‘born again’ isn’t some quirky phrase invented by American sports stars or TV evangelists: it’s what Jesus described to Nicodemus, the work of the Holy Spirit re-inventing a person’s life when they repent of their sin and trust in Him. Jn 3:3,5 “...No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again / born of water and the Spirit.” It’s a miracle God works in your life! John 1:12f “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” If you trust in Jesus as your Saviour and commit to follow Him as Lord, you already have a brand new nature, you’re a new being, spiritually speaking – God’s precious daughter or son in a way you weren’t before.

New joy. Peter’s letter deals more bluntly than most other Biblical writing with persecution and suffering, yet strangely there’s a big emphasis on JOY in the midst of it. V6 “In this (an inheritance kept, and being shielded until salvation comes) you GREATLY REJOICE...” Literally, are ‘exceedingly glad, exuberantly jubilant’. Was that shining from our faces as we greeted each other this morning? Or do we default to ‘sad sack’ mode? V8 believing in Jesus leads us to be “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy”. Such joy attracts others who otherwise are faced with despair and cynicism in secular society.

Here Peter echoes another apostle writing about the same time, James, Jesus’ brother. Jas 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” It’s the testing that produces the maturity and completeness – and that’s cause for joy.

Recently we were watching a horse trainer put an animal through its paces. Part of the training involved dragging a noisy plastic barrel along a gravel road. Another part involved cracking a whip right beside the horse repeatedly so it would learn not to flinch or jump. Another test required the horse to ride straight through a tarp suspended and cut in strips so the horse couldn’t see and also had the irritation of material brushing its face. The more training that goes in, the more valuable the animal. Trials have a marked bearing on the finished product.

New being (or birth) - new joy - new PROTECTION. Now, already, Peter says in v5 believers “through faith are SHIELDED by God’s power” until the coming salvation in the last time. NLT “God is protecting you by his power...” It’s a military term, literally ‘garrisoned’. There are griefs, but we are being guarded.

Late Thursday we were coming back on the interstate from a quick trip to the States when cruiser lights started flashing behind us. You automatically think to yourself, “Oh no, what have I done wrong?” After we pulled over, the officer came up to our window and explained our trailer lights weren’t working. Uh-oh! But he went back and wiggled the connector, and on they came. I guess when I’d hooked up the trailer I hadn’t shoved it in quite right, or it had vibrated loose over the miles. (Probably in Ohio!) But he didn’t give us a ticket. Simply said, “Major violation of the motor vehicle traffic act...Have a nice day.” He was doing us the service of PROTECTING us (and others).

So we are receiving some rewards for our faith NOW; there are others we are promised to receive later, THEN, when Jesus returns and judgment occurs – inheritance, salvation, commendation.

INHERITANCE: v4 [He has given us new birth] “into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade— kept in heaven for you...” The Bible isn’t specific about the form this inheritance will take; Paul in 1Corinthians 3 talks about fire testing the quality of each person’s work on the day of judgment, then, 1Cor 3:14 “If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.” The good and faithful servants in Jesus’ parable in Mt 25 are put in charge of many things (Mt 25:21,23). Simply being in God’s presence will likely seem as if it’s reward enough.

THEN there will also be salvation in a more particular sense – being rescued from destruction and punishment in the fires of hell for rebelling against the Almighty Creator. 2Pet 3:12 “...the day of God...will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.” Daniel 12:2 “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” (You really want to be in the first group!) Salvation from judgment and condemnation.

THEN there will be commendation for believers. V7 “so that your faith...may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.” God will be honoured by our faithfulness, but we also will receive praise ourselves. 1cor 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”

SO REAL YOU CAN SEE IT

So, what are you waiting for? What’s lubricating your gears, giving you motivation, keeping you going on the ‘down’ days? Jesus-followers not only rejoice NOW because of so much we’re already receiving – we anticipate eagerly with great hope what’s yet to be unveiled at our Master’s return. Can we picture it? Does the vision of what’s to come keep pulling us forward when it’s muddy in the trenches?

In his book Winning Life's Toughest Battles, psychologist Julius Segal wrote about the 25,000 soldiers who were held by the Japanese in POW camps during World War II. “Forced to exist under inhumane conditions, many of them died.Others, however, survived and eventually returned home.There was no reason to believe there was a difference in the stamina of these two groups of soldiers.The survivors, however, were different in one major respect: they confidently expected to be released someday. As described by Robins Readers in Holding On to Hope, ‘They talked about the kinds of homes they would have, the jobs they would choose, and even described the kind of person they would marry.They drew pictures on the walls to illustrate their dreams.Some even found ways to study subjects related to the kind of career they wanted to pursue.’”

Segal goes on to point out that researchers have found that a hopeful attitude can lead to physiological changes that improve the immune system, your body’s defence against toxins and disease. Hope heals!

As we prepare now to receive the Lord’s Supper, we’re reminded by Paul that this action points ahead to a pivotal event upon which our hope hangs: our Lord’s return. 1Cor 11:26 “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Until then, may God grant us grace to keep rejoicing in the privilege of participating in His sufferings. Let’s pray.

[COMMUNION] “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."”

“Love's Amazing Cover-Up” - Dec.22/19 - Advent IV Is.7:1-16 (Mt.1:18-25)

I’LL COVER THAT FOR YOU — ALMOST

This is the fourth Sunday in Advent, when we traditionally light the “Love” candle. A key thought in today’s sermon is that Love covers over a multitude of sins. Bob Goff taught us Love Does. John 3:16 teaches us Love Gives - “God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son” (etc.). But today we see that Love COVERS. The love God showed at Christmas involved His Son Jesus coming to save us from our sins, to cover the debt we owed a holy God so we could be with Him forever.

Love COVERS. There are stories going around of the “random acts of kindness” sort where the person ahead in the Tim Horton’s drive-through pays for the car behind – maybe that’s already happened to you! An elderly woman was standing in the checkout line at a grocery store ready to pay for her merchandise: a litre of milk and a loaf of bread. She opened her purse. No money was there; neither was her chequebook. As she was about to ask the clerk to put her things back, suddenly a gentle voice said, “It looks like that is your lunch.” A gentleman was standing right behind her, smiling. "Don't worry," he continued. "Today I want to treat you.Take your things with you." Then the man paid for her merchandise and his own.

A week passed by, and the woman came back to the store. The cashier recalled the incident and recognized her. She approached the woman and whispered, "Ma'am, maybe you'd be interested to know...That gentleman's cheque — it bounced!" (!)

When we cover the shortfall for another, there’s a cost to it. The beauty of Christ’s gift at the cross is that it’s rich and pure enough to cover over all our transgressions.

POLITICAL BULLYING: AND WE’RE SURPRISED?

Love’s grace, covering the debts of others, does not come naturally to us. Our fallen tendency is to mind our own business at best, or even try to take advantage of others, rather than pay extra when they can’t manage.

It’s not been the best week for poor Mr.Trump south of the border: he’s suffered the indignity of becoming just the third president of the United States to be officially impeached. The two charges centre on abuse of power and obstruction of Congress – trying to cover things up when investigators were seeking details. Although the House of Representatives voted to impeach him (following party lines), it seems doubtful the Senate trial that’s coming will actually convict him: again, expected to follow party lines. Instead he may be acquitted. Political alliances override the more fundamental issues of whether what was done was actually appropriate for a person in that office.

But when you step back and think about it, isn’t it actually remarkable that measures are in place for a nation to impeach its own leader? Don’t we sort of EXPECT politics to be about alliances, intrigue, half-truths, manipulation, manouvering to one’s own best advantage? Would the impeachment process even exist if the country weren’t founded on a cultural past which had Christian principles as its basis?

In some developing countries, corruption is rampant. Expect to be delayed at the point of entry by some officer secretly hoping for a bribe. Dig further and you may find the line of corruption extends right through to the top: lesser officials pay off their bosses, who grease the palms of their own superiors, and so it goes – up to the top echelon.

Jesus observed to His disciples in Mk 10:42, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.” He’s not introducing a radical thought here, just making an observation about how the world works, how business gets done in the political arena: rulers “lord it over” others, “exercise authority” – even if that means abusing their power. After King Herod found out from the Magi about Jesus’ birth, did he come to worship as promised? No, Mt 2:16 “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.” The so-called ‘slaughter of the innocents’ – welcome to our world!

Secular scholars concede that Jesus was crucified. Not that He needed to have done anything to necessarily deserve it! His life was snuffed out because His popularity made Him detestable to the Jewish leaders of the day, and a threat to their Roman overlords. An innocent man was condemned for the sake of expedience. Pilate the governor and judge said, Lk 23:22 “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty.Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” (Lk 23:22) But that’s not what happened.

The criminal crucified just to one side of Jesus bore witness to Jesus’ innocence: Lk 23:41 “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.But this man has done nothing wrong.” Even the Roman centurion in charge of the grisly proceedings admitted an innocent man had been condemned and killed: Lk 23:47 “The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."”

Our fallen tendency to sin and attempt to pin it on someone else goes right back to the Garden of Eden. The serpent suggested if Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit their eyes would be opened and they would be like God; however when they ate the fruit, their eyes were opened, but they realized they were naked and sewed fig leaves together – the first attempt at a cover-up. (Gen 3:5,7)

Things weren’t much different back around 735 B.C., the time of our Scripture passage read earlier from Isaiah 7. Assyria was the dominant world power to the north. The northern kingdom of Israel (the Ten Tribes) sought to make an alliance with neighbouring Syria to stand up to the Assyrian overlords. Whatcha gonna do when you’re bullied but try to find an ally so you can be stronger together? Then they pressured the southern kingdom of Judah to join their rebellious scheme. When Judah’s king Ahaz refused, they sought to force him by military means. Is 7:1f “When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.” Scary times!

Coercion, pressure, and force were how things got done in the political world of Israel; ‘might makes right’. Since the northern kingdom rebelled against Solomon’s son, things got more and more unstable. The southern kingdom benefited from orderly succession through the line of David, but not the north. Consider King Pekah: 2Kings 15:25 “One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him [Pekahiah].Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria.So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.”

This was not a new way to seize power. Years before Pekah, Shallum had done something similar: 2Kings 15:10 “Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah.He attacked him in front of the people, assassinated him and succeeded him as king.” Can you hazard a guess what eventually happened to King Pekah? 2Kings 15:30 “Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah.He attacked and assassinated him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.”

Politics can be vicious, dog-eat-dog, law of the jungle. Power corrupts – in a fallen world. In some ways the wonder is not that a president has done something that warrants impeachment, but that a country has managed to put a system and principles of justice in place that holds its rulers to a higher standard.

Christians are called to be different. In contrast to the ways of the Gentile rulers who are used to throwing their weight around, Jesus commanded His disciples: Mk 10:43ff “Not so with you.Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” To be a COVERING, a sacrifice on behalf of others.

ONE STRONGER YET – AND MERCIFUL

In a world of political bullies and violent ‘strong men’, God calls us to put our trust in Him and follow His ways; to be different, disciples of the Crucified One. He alone is to be feared, He alone is worthy of our trust.

God commanded the prophet Isaiah to take his son and meet the king at a certain spot (ironically, the exact place where Assyrians would meet Hezekiah’s officials some years later). The Lord, speaking through the prophet, acknowledges the viciousness of the attack brought upon Israel by its neighbours: v6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” But Isaiah encourages Ahaz to have faith in the Lord. V4 “Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood...’” The attackers may be full of evil intent, but in God’s eyes they’re burnt-out firebrands. He need not be afraid because God is still in control: vv7,9B “Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "It will not take place, it will not happen...” “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

I love the firmness of that declaration: “It WILL NOT take place, it WILL NOT happen...” The Lord, YHWH, is God of everything that comes into being, whatever happens: He is sovereign, we can trust His plans. God promises in v16 that before a young boy that’s born about then knows who to choose between right and wrong, the land of the two kings Ahaz dreads would be laid waste. And in fact that’s how it turned out: Assyria came and crushed Aram’s capital Damascus in 732 BC, and its king Tiglath-Pileser III soundly defeated Israel that year.

The sign given to Ahaz to reinforce this was going to happen was itself a miracle – a virgin becoming pregnant and giving birth to a son! Nothing is too hard for God. As the angel Gabriel noted when making the announcement to Mary in Lk 1:37, “For nothing is impossible with God.”

The boy born so wondrously would be given a special name: Is 7:14 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” That means, “God with us” – that must have been reassuring for Ahaz and his officials to hear! God was stronger than any enemy, and He was not abandoning His people. Even when He disciplined them by sending them into exile in 586 BC, the name of Isaiah’s son accompanying him was a sign of restoration: Shear-Jashub means “a remnant shall return”.

RIGHTEOUS RESPONSE: GRACE THAT COVERS

In all this, the Lord’s loving graciousness is astounding. Let’s back up a minute and consider just WHO King Ahaz is – he could be classed as one of the LEAST deserving of the kings of Judah! Here are six reasons.

1) He gave away all the treasures in the temple storehouses in order to hire foreign help (2Kings 16:8)

2) He burned his son(s) in the fire – how horrid! (2Kings 16:3; 2Chron 28:3)

3) He encouraged corrupt Baal worship in the high places (2Chron 28:24)

4) He replaced the altar Solomon built with one patterned after an Assyrian altar (2Kings 16:14)

5) He used the original bronze altar for divination, a practice strictly forbidden by the Lord (2Kings 16:15)

6) He actually shut the doors of the Temple, forcing worship out into the streets (2Chron 28:24)

Yet, in spite of all these evil acts – God does not desert His people, abandoning them to the enemy – but comes alongside to deliver them! Such mercy, overlooking the king’s many sins.

Check out King Ahaz’ attitude in response to the Lord’s offer of a sign to confirm His promise. Is 7:10-12 “Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test."” Such stubborn rebelliousness! If God commands you to ask for a sign, it’s not ‘testing’ Him to do what He says! Ahaz just doesn’t want anything to do with the Lord. If he were to ask for a sign, that might make him ‘beholden’ or obligated to God – whereas Ahaz sinfully just wants to do his own thing, rely on his own resources.

Yet despite this sinful, adamantly stubborn attitude of Ahaz, the Lord goes ahead to provide one of the most breathtaking and awesome miracles in the whole Bible – the sign of the virgin birth. It would be fulfilled over 700 years later, at the coming of Jesus. Matthew points out the fulfilment in Mt 1:22, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet...” And Matthew, writing in Greek, uses an unambiguous term from the Septuagint so the miraculousness of the conception is clear. Jesus would be absolutely pure and innocent, free of any sin-legacy associated with male lineage.

Love covers over a multitude of sins. God promised to be with Ahaz’ countrymen despite the king’s transgressions.

Joseph and Mary were betrothed, a very serious commitment prior to marriage that could only be dissolved by an official action like divorce. When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, he could have initiated proceedings for her to be stoned! That was the penalty for fornication under the law of Moses (Deut 22:23f). Instead, what did Joseph plan to do? Mt 1:19 “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” Quietly – not making a big thing of it: love covers over a multitude of sins.

Because he was a RIGHTEOUS man...Today when someone’s described as “righteous” the intended meaning may be something like a self-appointed morality-Nazi! But because Joseph was righteous, he did NOT act like a morality-Nazi. He would have covered over the supposed sin, quietly. That’s God’s kind of loving righteousness.

We see God’s merciful love reflected in the very name given to the miracle-boy. Mt.1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Yeshua, ‘Yahweh is salvation’, particularly God covers-over our sin. Jesus would be both Son of God and Son of Man, a unique birth of divine origin, sinless His whole life, a perfect sacrifice of infinite value – big enough to bring forgiveness for all people who repent and trust in His name, who He says He is.

Jesus’ sinless purity is essential for His task. Hebrews 7:25-27 “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.Such a high priest meets our need— one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”

He’s got you COVERED! As the Apostle Paul explained in Romans 4:7f (quoting Ps.32:1f), “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” Have you received that sense of blessing? Or are you holding out like King Ahaz, stubbornly resisting so you can keep on sinning?

What about when people attack us or insult us or treat us badly in our lives – will we respond with loving grace, or in an evil-for-evil manner that spirals downward? Without God’s grace in your life, you don’t have supply to be gracious to others. Listen to two apostles. First, James, the brother of the Lord: Jas 5:20 “remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”

And the Apostle Peter states most clearly this quality of love that forgives, absorbs, makes allowance for the failings of others, going the extra mile in forgiving again and again: 1Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

LOVE DESPITE DISAPPOINTMENT

How would you respond if a family member hurt you deeply by something they did? Would you be able to forgive them? It’s not easy. Unforgiveness tears relationships apart. Bitterness hardens into a brick wall. By contrast, Immanuel - God-with-us – makes forgiveness and reconciliation possible, first between ourselves and God, then with other humans.

In November 1991, Jerry Jenkins wrote an unusual true story about a man awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call. He was groggy. The girl on the other end was weeping. "Daddy," she said, "I'm pregnant." Though stunned beyond belief, he forgave her and prayed with her.

The next day he and his wife wrote her two letters of counsel and love. Three days later the man received another phone call. His daughter was shocked by the letters. She was not the one who had called earlier...Apparently some other girl had dialed a wrong number! The daughter later said, “These letters are my treasure – real love letters written by a godly father who never imagined he would have to write them to his own daughter:” Here are a few excerpts:

“Part of me seemed to die last night. Not because of what it means to me as much as what it means to you. You were free to make all kinds of choices. Now you are shut up to a few, and none of them to your liking. But God will see you—and us—through.

“Though I weep inside, I can't condemn you, because I sin too. Your transgression here is no worse than mine. It's just different. Even if my heart did not shout out to love and defend and protect you—as it does—the New Testament tells me I can't take forgiveness myself and withhold it from others.

“We think of sin as acts. But sin is a package, an attitude that expresses itself in different ways and to different degrees. But it all comes from the same sin package you inherited through us. Christ is the only difference.

“God forgives this sin as well as others—really forgives and cleanses. David was a man of God when he went into his experience with Bathsheba and in the grace of God he came out a man of God. And his sin included murder!

“Satan has no doubt tried to tell you that this affects your standing before God. It doesn't, but it will affect your relationship till you bring the whole matter to Him. There will be a coolness, a separation, an estrangement, until you open the problem by confessing and asking forgiveness.

“I will not reproach you or [your boyfriend]. I will not even dare to look down at you in my innermost heart, but it is not because the issue doesn't matter. The responsibility is his no less than yours. This is not an ideal basis for marriage. You want a husband who takes you by choice. But if you face the issue and God so leads, He could build a solid marriage. We stand ready to do whatever we can.

“We're praying much. We love you more than I can say. And respect you, too, as always.

“Saturday I was very downcast. I tried to sing as I worked outside, and then, increasingly, I seemed to see a calm and loving face I knew was Jesus. It was no vision—I didn't see details—but it was a strong reminder that He is with us and waiting for us to remember this. He loves us and will help us through, especially you. It's great to know Jesus is walking with you.

“While we can't say that God causes failures, He does permit them, and I think it's clear He uses them to build character and beauty that we’d never have without them. Remember, God’s love is in even this, maybe especially in this.

“We're glad that in a measure, at least, we can help the daughter we love so much. This is a day of testing, but hold our ground we must. God will give us the victory. That's wonderful. We're looking forward to your being at home. Love, Dad.” Let’s pray.