June 30, 2009

Men, How Are We Using Our Strength in the Lives of Others?

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Esther 01, Esther 02, Esther 03, Esther 04, Esther 05, Esther 06, Philippians 2 | Tags: , |
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Delivered on Father’s Day, 2009.

Men, we have a problem. Society. It, the blob, known as, “Society,” see you as the problem. Women, children, and the whole social order have suffered because of you, and “Society” sees fit to see to you. 

Granted, there are problems in society caused by men. In Iran, today, religious men are abusing their authority to hold onto power. Slavery is a problem today, because men see fit to wrangle helpless women and girls as young as 4 into forced prostitution.

Granted.

However, men, are we the problem? Society thinks so, and wishes to metaphorically castrate us. They feel if they can take away a major part of what makes you men, your power, then the terrible abuses “Society” deems terrible will go away. Oh “Society” doesn’t want you to go away. If you go away, who else with NOW blame “Society’s” “problems on?

Scripture teaches that evil in society exits, but also teaches that simply changing the furniture in society doesn’t nip the problem in the bud. Evil in society exists because evil exists in the human heart. So, men, I’m not here to castrate us today … or really ever … unless you’re a convicted rapist. Then you deserve not only castration but death itself. Men, I’m not here to castrate you … us. I’m here simply to ask a simple question:

Men, how are we using our strength in the lives of others?

Men, I don’t want to take your strength away, as “Society” does. I want us to wash our hearts in the blood of Jesus, washing away evil and the bent towards it. I want us then to wash our hearts in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, wherein we are anointed for God’s service in the world. God doesn’t castrate, he circumcises.

You see in yesteryear a man’s manhood was defined by his attachment to his family as seen in his protection, provision, and nurturance: his fatherhood. Today, due to several factors culminating in a Hurricane Katrina for manhood, manhood is now defined apart from the family, thus apart from fatherhood. I certainly am no fan of our current President, but I absolutely love the example he sets for all races and the verbal emphases he has put on men, particularly black men, returning to the responsibilities of fatherhood.

I believe a large part of the vision God has for our country of healing for manhood is a return to embracing fatherhood as a central feature of manhood. We see a picture of this in of all places: the Book of Esther. We’ll remember Esther’s moments of glory, and we’ll take a look several pictures of fatherhood. Yes, the two are related.

Esther (aka Hadassah)

Most of us are very familiar with the heroine of the book that bears her name, “Esther.” Her Hebrew name is Hadassah. She is the lucky gal that was rounded up and shipped into the king’s harem to compete in the American Idol of her day … a chance to be queen. Truly a rags-to-riches story, she moves from obscurity to Queen of the whole of the Persian Empire.  Her famous moment is when her uncle brings her news of the planned destruction of the Jewish race … and she agrees to plead for her people on pains of death. 

Esther 4:12-17:

And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had order him (ESV).

 What makes this great is the way in which she goes about doing this. Unfortunately in our contemporary American culture, we view Esther through the lens of some Annie-Oakley-type cowgirl. She “swaggas” into the court, defying culture and custom, and lassos the king’s will into submission to her heart.

Yet, the real Esther is not exactly the vixen that we make her out to be. She has all the Jews, including herself and her court, to fast before God for three days. She then enters the court, with the possibility of losing her life. The king extends his scepter to her, which she went and touched, thus keeping protocol. He extends his beneficence to her. She only requests that the king and Haman come to the banquet she had already prepared. So, she fasted, probably prayed as good Jews do, and, while fasting, prepares a luscious banquet for her husband and potential murderer, who she must follow court protocol to even interact with. The after doing all of that she merely asks him to come to her banquet with Haman. While at the banquet, the king offers her his beneficence once again, to which she merely asks them to come to yet another banquet she will prepare for them. It is finally at the second banquet that Esther makes known her request, in very humble speech by the way, that she wishes the king to spare the lives of her and her people from Haman’s plot. Haman is then hanged and a way is made for the Jews to defend themselves against their enemies. (Read Esther 5:1-8 & 6:14-7:6.)

This is far from the way of the cowboy. This requires wisdom and precision, while seeking God’s grace. Esther is truly a woman of women and is even an example for men to follow. Yet, Esther is not who she is simply because of Esther. She is who she is because of the influence of Mordecai, her adoptive father.

Mordecai

Esther 2:5-11:

Now there was a Jew in Susa the Citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. So when the king’s orde3r and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king’s palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her (ESV).

We know and love Esther for her wit, wisdom, and faith that must have carried her through her life. From where, or better yet, from whom did Esther learn all of this? Who else but Mordecai, who raised her as his own daughter? When Esther is taken into the king’s palace, Mordecai’s fatherhood goes with her. We will see Mordecai again, but let’s take a look at another man and his use of strength:

King Ahasuerus (Xerxes)

Esther 1:10-2:22:

On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.

Then the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king’s procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven porinces of Persia and Media, who saw the king’s face, and sat first in the kingdom): “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not preformed the command of King Ahasureus delivered by the eunuchs?”

Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasureus. For the queen’s behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasureus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the Queen’s behavior will say the same to all the king’s officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasureus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.”

This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people. After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.  

Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the capital, under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.”

This pleased the king, and he did so (ESV).

Perhaps it should be stated that we live in a time and place far different from the time and place of Esther and Mordecai. Many of us read this with revulsion. Yet, God was at work behind the scenes. Is it not often true that God uses present circumstances to work his will?

We pick up with this passage in the middle of a royal orgy-fest: “And drinking was according to this edict: ‘There is no compulsion.’ For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired” (Esther 1:8; ESV).  Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the king’s harem: “the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.”

Where we pick up, the king is drunk: “When the heart of the king was merry with wine ….” He commands that Vashti come out with her crown to “show … her beauty.” We should perhaps read this as: he commanded her to come out wearing only her crown. At any rate she refuses and is deposed from being queen … though she still is owned by him. The men persuade the king to take this action out of fear of their own needs for respect.

Please remember our question at hand: Men, how are we using our strength in the lives of others?

Chapter two begins with this interesting time perspective: “After these things.” If tradition is accurate then chapters 1 & 2 are separated by many years of war with the Greeks. Xerxes (the king in this story) takes his massive armies to conquer the Greeks, and eventually suffers massive defeat. He returns and in chapter 2 “remembered Vashti.” This is perhaps not a reference to their sexual relationship. He could have had any woman in his harem he wanted. He could perhaps have called her up for a rendezvous, if she remained in his harem. No, what he remembered was most likely their companionship and became very lonely.

So a search goes throughout the entire kingdom for young virgins to be brought into the harem. It is indeed interesting that they simply did not make one of the women currently in his possession Queen. Rather they brought “talent” in from the outside. Is it possible that if Vashti remained in the harem, that he did not want to bring someone in with Vashti’s influence? Who knows? At any rate a search is made on the outside.

How did the king use his strength in the lives of those around him and within his power? Remember the Bible never condemns power. The prophets only condemned the abuse of power. So, men, how are we using our strength in the lives of others?

Haman

Esther 2:19-3:6:

Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.

Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?”

And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus (ESV).

As you can readily gather, we’re not simply taking a peek at Haman. Rather we’re looking at Haman against the backdrop of Mordecai. We find him “sitting at the king’s gate.” This is not simply a reference Mordecai’s practice of loitering. Rather what we have here is perhaps Mordecai participating in government, perhaps even in the Gestapo of his day.

What does Mordecai do with his strength?

  • Raises Esther as his own daughter
  • Serves in the king’s government
  • Protects the king from harm
  • Remains faithful to God: for he refused to bow because “he was a Jew.”

Haman on the other hand from this passage uses his strength to wallow in his offended pride, because Mordecai did not bow. Haman uses his strength to begin to plot not only the death of Mordecai but of the entire Jewish race. Consider the following passage portraying the pathetic state of Haman’s insecurity:

Esther 5:9-14:

And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, the he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above all the officials and the servants of the king.

Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged on upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.”

This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made (ESV).

Haman is pathetic to say the least. How is Haman using his strength? He is a ninny. It is indeed interesting that this passage is sandwiched between Esther’s delicate work with the king and God’s delicate work with the king.

God, their Father

In fact, let’s pick up with this idea of God being at work. Did you know that Esther is the only book of the bible that never overtly mentions the name of God? Yet, his finger prints are all over it. God as their father has his finger prints all over this tiny book. Let’s pick up with 6:1-4:

On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of the memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been done bestowed on Mordecai for this?”

The king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.”

And the king said, “Who is in the court?”

Now Haman had just entered the outer court to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for him (ESV).

Who is it, do you think, that stirred the king, so that he could not sleep? Is it not interesting that the king forgot or chose not to honor Mordecai before, which would have been unthinkable, given such a remarkable deed? Yet, here we have the king discovering this deed and the un-rewarded-ness of it, all while Haman was on the way to ask for Mordecai to swing on his gallows. And in the most humorous aspect of this work Haman is forced to carry out the honor for Mordecai that Haman thought was going to be for himself.

How does God, the Father, use his strength in this story? He is working behind the scenes with the present conditions to wrought goodness for his people and ultimately for the Medo-Persian people. He risks his reputation to bring about the most good. People were likely asking where God is in this midst of this planned genocide. On the surface he appeared to be nowhere. Yet, we see God “now here.”

Mordecai uses his strength to risk his reputation for the honor of God and to bless the people around him (Esther and the king). Though Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, he was fully loyal to the throne.  When Mordecai went unrewarded, he made no hissy fits, like Haman.  Mordecai did not get tripped up with personal quests for fame, glory, and honor. Instead he used his strength to produce godly, disciplined goodness in the lives of those around him.

This is entirely different than the pagans, King Ahasuerus and Haman, who used their strength to grab for personal power and personal gratification. This was, however the ground out of which Esther grew, taking this ethic with her into the palace. This was also the godly tradition out of which Jesus lived out his life on earth:

Philippians 2:3-8:

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (ESV).

Jesus lived out the tradition of God, the Father, Mordecai, and Esther by not grabbing for rights afforded to him by his divinity. Rather he used his strength to save the world through the shame of the cross.

Men, how are we using our strength in the lives of others?

 

June 15, 2009

The Judgment of Jesus Part VII: Help that Truly Helps, Not Hurts

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Deuteronomy 17, James 1, Psalm 021 | Tags: , , , |
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We have been camping out over the concept of Jesus bringing final judgment, as found in the Apostles’ Creed. Jesus will return to bring final judgment on all. Granted our judgment as believers is not one that concerns our destination. Yet, we as believers will be judged for what we have done with the eternal life Jesus has given to us. So the question we’ve been looking at for the past several weeks is:

What have we done with what we’ve been given?

What God is looking for us in can been summarized in the cutesy acronym: The ABC’s of Christianity:

A–attachment to the heart of God
B–behavioral submission to the heart of God and his ways
C–community attachment, engagement & participation (in the church and the world) for Jesus

I feel like that one last loose end needs to be tied up before moving on. I make no bones about doing good works in the world as an absolute necessity for living the Christian life. (NO, WE DON’T EARN OUR SALVATION.) However, I want to make very clear that what I’m emphasizing is not the Social Gospel. Nor am I saying that all we need to do is dump tracks off on people and run. Rather, I want to emphasize the need to walk with the people to whom we’re reaching. AND we guide them to Jesus in conversion and discipleship that transforms their inner character.

I was working on my bicycle this past weekend, getting it ready for my biking season. The tires were flat, as they tend to become over time without use. Yet, I could not pump them up. I thought, perhaps the tires are bad and need to be taken to the bike shop. A couple of months prior, I attempted to pump up our jogging stroller tires … to no avail. I took them to the bike shop and wound up paying $65.00 for 6 jogging stroller tires to be up to snuff. I thought I was going to have to do the same for these bike tires.

We made the decision to go to Wal-Mart and buy a new pump. If that worked, then paying $10.00 would be much better than paying so much more to have the bike tires replaced. As I began looking at the various pumps, I noticed something … the same thing … in all of the pumps. In ALL of the new pumps the apparatus that attaches to the tire, itself, contained a spike inside. The head on my current pump did not. As it turns out that spike inside the apparatus that attaches itself to the spout on the tire press on something in the tire spout, which allows air to enter the tire. My pump had evidently lost this spike quite a while ago.

We could have continued taking our tires to the bike shop to have them “repaired.” Yet, no matter how much money we would have continued to throw at this problem, the problem would have not been solved. This is akin to the point I’m making about targeting heart change in the people to whom we’re attempting to reach.

Let’s turn to Psalm 21.

O LORD, in your strength the king
     rejoices,
     and in your salvation how greatly he
          exults!
You have given him his heart’s desire
     and have not withheld the request of
          his lips.
For you meet him with rich blessings;
     you set a crown of fine gold upon his
          head.
He asked life of you; you gave it to him,
     length of days forever and ever.
His glory is great through your salvation;
     splendor and majesty you bestow on
          him.
For you make him most blessed forever;
     you make him glad with the joy of
          your presence.
For the king trusts in the LORD,
     and through the steadfast love of the
          Most High he shall not be moved.
Your hand will find out all your enemies;
     your right hand will find out those
          who hate you.
You will make them as a blazing oven
     when you appear.
The LORD will swallow them up in his
          wrath,
     and fire will consume them.
You will destroy their descendants from
          the earth,
     and their offspring from among the
          children of man.
Though they plan evil against you,
     though they devise mischief, they will
          not succeed.
For you will put them to flight;
     you will aim at their faces with your
          bows.
Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
     We will sing and praise your power (ESV).

For those of us who are used to non-confrontational, genteel, polished language, this psalm is abrasive. It makes us wonder if it truly should be in the Bible or not. However, I’m going to ask you to suspend judgment for just a bit and allow David to be David; allow David to live in his own times; and allow David to be the warrior he is.

If we consider the first and last verses:

O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! (Verse 1; ESV)

Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power. (Verse 13; ESV)

Taken together, we see this psalm is not so much about David or God being drunk with blood. Rather it is the earthly king praising the High King of Heaven for his strength.

Yes, David was king. Yet who was the real king, but the Lord? David was merely his representative. In fact in the covenant, David, as king, was considered to be God’s son. NO, David was nor did become a god. That was just the nature of his relationship with God, as king. If David is God’s son, who is God to David, but Father? As his son, David’s pleas and requests had special access to the heart of God the Father. In this psalm David praises God for delivering. Most likely this psalm refers to David in a particular battle or David as a warrior-king in general. Nonetheless, God shows up.

Verse 7 is the lynch-pin of the entire psalm:

For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved (ESV).

David is in need, and God is not just trustworthy. God is absolutely trust-worthy. The “steadfast love” of God is absolutely sure. Yet, here is the teaching question for this psalm:

It is certainly true that God is trustworthy and sure, but can God trust in David?

You see, it is easy for us in 21st Century America with our snot-nosed, entitlement mentality that relationship with God is totally one way. After all doesn’t our government teach that all we need to do is simply vote for them and we’ll receive all manner of largesse?  Yet, 21st Century American “sophisticate” is not the mind of “covenant” in the Bible. Yes, God loved David; yes, God showed up for David; yes, God provided for David. Yet, according to covenant mentality, David has some obligations to faithfully fulfill, as king. Let’s turn to Deuteronomy 17:14-20:

“When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose, One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel” (ESV).

I’m sure Moses lived before David … correct? David would have known that he needed to practically live in God’s Torah, if he was serious about loving God. This way of life of “learning to fear the LORD his God” would have shaped David’s character.

Let’s return to our psalm. Verses 8-12 are written in a very strange manner. Who is the “you” in these verses? It is not so easily discernible as our knee-jerk, sloppy theology would have us think. Is it possible that this psalm was taken as used in the liturgy of the later-built First Temple … where the people are speaking verses 8-12 to the king … not to God? The king was charged with the defense of his people … no? His job would then be to defeat “his enemies.” In reality God and the king “blend” and “blur” in these verse on purpose. I believe David is illustrating that the king was God’s representative on earth. David, the king of Israel, stood in the place of God, the high king of heaven, as his representative. Thus, as David acted, it was as if God were acting. As David, so it is with God.

This need not sound all that strange. After all if we want to know what Jesus is like, to whom are we supposed to be able to turn? That’s right … his ambassadors … the church. As we are … so Jesus is and does … or so goes the desire of Jesus.

Now, having said this, how important was it for David, since he stood in the place of God as king for his people, how important was it for David to faithfully embrace and follow Torah? Considered in this light, how serious does David’s abuse of his authority against Bathsheba and Uriah now become? Deathly serious. Once confronted, David returns in full repentance to his Covenant relationship with God. He doesn’t merely apologize for breaking rules, he returns through repentance to a right relationship with God. He also helps to make it right for his people.

Given this idea of covenant: when we pray for God to answer us, do we have the character trained by the Holy Spirit in the Word to properly hold that which God blesses us? God is certainly faithful, but can he trust us to be faithful to him?

David was a man of solid character, who messed up. Consider now Solomon. He began well. God was ready to bless Solomon with his every heart’s desire. Yet, Solomon desired wisdom to govern his people well. However, over time Solomon multiplied horses and wives for himself. He raised his heart above his people to such an extent that he enslaved them. God blessed Solomon immensely, but Solomon did not possess the type of character required to properly hold the blessings God gave. Character is important.

As Christians, God has been truly faithful to us. Can God trust us to be faithful to him? Now is not the time for ridiculous “piety” that says, “Oh I’m merely a sinner saved by grace. Oh woe is me.” The New Testament won’t allow such buffoonery. The heart of Salvation is being transformed into people who have the character of God … or people with godly character. If God cannot trust us, then our place is repentance, not wallowing in pseudo-piety. God is fully trustworthy, but can he trust us to seek to know him? God is fully trustworthy, but can he trust us to seek heart transformation? God is fully trustworthy, but can us to seek his ways? God is fully trustworthy, but can he trust us with the people of his eye … the people he bled and died for … “the Nations?”

Let’s turn to James 1:2-27:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hears only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (ESV).

James is dealing with two sets of people. In the Jerusalem of his day there was a very small middle class. Most of the people were in dire poverty. Some were extremely wealthy. Both came to Salvation and into the church. Those in dire poverty looked at their wealthy counterparts and said, “If only I had that … then all of my problems could be solved.” The wealthy sent out warm sentiments, “Be warm and well fed,” but did very little in a physical way about it.

James’s main thought through this passage is that every good gift is from God, one of which is suffering. In it our character is trained by God. The flipside that begs to be asked is this: is it possible that our many creature-comforts are gifts from the Father of lights? Is it possible that our wealth … for those of us who possess it … are given opportunities to use to bless those in true need? In this vein we “suffer” while blessing those around us … and in such are blessed with transformation into godly character.

James is not castigating wealth. He is castigating rich and poor alike who want the easy road of physical needs being met without character change into the image of God. We are supposed to be a flaming city on a hill resembling to the world our Father of lights. The easy way simply receives and simply gives. The tougher way is to walk with people in suffering (vs. 27).

I think that often times it is easier to vote for a welfare state than it is to actually take the needs of our cities and towns upon ourselves. It’s easier for us, because we, personally, don’t have to deal with them nasty folks. It’s easier for them, because they don’t have to deal with the character change required by following God’s ways. Yet, this is our calling. We are called to be faithful to God and his ways, one of which is reaching out to a world in need. We are called to BOTH call people to Jesus and to meet their physical needs. Yet we are also called to make disciples of them, people who are committed to learning and following the ways of God and developing his character in their lives. Throwing more and more money after problems doesn’t matter near as much as godly Character development matters.

 

June 11, 2009

The Judgment of Jesus Part V: Producing

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under James 1, Matthew 25 | Tags: , , |
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We are currently in the midst of a series dealing with the Final Judgment of Jesus. We have previously considered that now is the time to receive God’s gracious offer of Salvation from condemnation, judgment, and wrath. When Jesus appeared first that is what he came bringing. When he appears again, he will bring condemnation, judgment, and wrath.

We have also previously considered that believers will also be judged. No, it will not be a judgment determining heaven or hell. It will be a judgment on what we have done with the life we’ve been given. In closing out this series we’re considering what exactly we do with the life we’ve been given. In this last sermon we looked at the concept of heart attachment to God. In this sermon we’ll consider producing fruit with the life we’ve been given. We’ve received eternal life (that begins now). Let’s be channels of that life to others: God and neighbor.

However, before we begin, we should consider the concept of risk in producing with the life Jesus has given us. Let’s turn to Matthew 25:14-30:

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at one and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

“He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you out to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was mine with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (ESV).

This highly disturbing parable finds itself in the context of the Final Judgment Jesus will bring. So “it” in the first verse is speaking of the Final Judgment. Now in this parable three people receive pieces of money (unfortunately labeled talents) and are commanded to produce with them.

Which of these three servants was not faced with the concept of risk? Not a one. Risk was a major factor in all three servants’ endeavors. And all three took risks … well … sort of. The first two risked all they had in the open market and doubled their master’s money. The first two could have lost all of their master’s money. Yet they took risks. They became vulnerable. They were called the good and faithful servants.

The third servant also took a sort-of risk. No, he did not relinquish that to which he was entrusted. His risk came in deciding against following his master’s command. He did nothing with what he was given and is called “wicked and slothful.” This servant even calls his master “Master.” This is respect, right? Wrong. Why call him “Master” if he is only going to do what he personally wants to do anyway? The master calls this servant “wicked and slothful.”

Did the master celebrate the fact each of his three servants were given something by him? Well, mostly no. He did entrust each servant with his property according to each servant’s judged ability. So in one minor sense he did celebrate he servant in receiving from him, as master. Yet, he was in reality, by entrusting to each according to his ability, celebrating past performances with his property. Upon returning the master celebrates not that each was necessarily given something. Rather he celebrated what each of the first two did with what they had.

Since each was given his master’s property according each one’s ability, it is likely that each of the servants had made past mistakes in producing with his master’s property. Yet, notice that the master is not angry over this. In his wisdom he deals with each where he is at. He is not angry so much over past mistakes as he is over the one with the one talent doing nothing with that one talent. He is called slothful. Is it possible the reason the one with two is not called slothful, though is not able to handle five like the first, is because he is learning and growing in his ability to handle his master’s property?

We as Christians and we as groups of Christians, known as churches, have been entrusted with our Master’s property to produce with it for him. Are we willing to risk loss and vulnerability in producing for Jesus? Remember, mistakes are going to be made. What Jesus is concerned about, according to the flow of this parable is not so much the mistakes we make. Rather he is concerned about us getting “out there” and taking risks with his property to produce life for him in others. He is more concerned about us learning and growing in the grace of using his grace to produce life in others than he is about our never making mistakes.

When Jesus returned and found the one with one simply hiding what he had been given, he said that at the very least he should have put it with bankers. These bankers would have paid interest on the money. How many of us in the traditional church seek to hire the “professionals” to do the hard work of church for us? While this may seem noble and right, remember Jesus told that wicked servant this was the “least” he could have done. The bare minimum. Jesus expects far more from us as his people entrusted with his life.

With this parable and exposition as a backdrop, let’s turn over to James 1:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4; ESV).

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (James 1:27; ESV).

While I want to hone in on the second quote from James, which ends chapter 2, I am using the first paragraph of James 1 as a backdrop from which to consider James’s understanding of “pure religion.”

James says that pure religion is that which produces; that which produces a clean moral life and that which walks with the needy, “the least of these,” in their affliction. Such a prospect is not fun. It can be terribly troubling at times.  We, especially in the deep South, do not like to openly deal with messy stuff. The soap operas are for Hollywood. Not only do we intensely dislike being involved in the affliction of others, we especially intensely disdain having to go through it ourselves. Yet, if we consider the flow of James’s first chapter, we’ll find that suffering can be a gift from God through which he trains us for being effective producers of his life.

So, what exactly do we do with the eternal life we’ve been given by Jesus? We attach ourselves to the heart of God. We engage ourselves in ministering to people in need. We submit ourselves to his ways; we are people of his ways. And his way is not simply and merely and only spending our time celebrating the fact we’re going to heaven.

 

June 11, 2009

The Judgment of Jesus Part IV: Heart Attachment

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Exodus 19, Jeremiah 12, Jeremiah 13, John 17 | Tags: , , |
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Currently, we are camped out in the spot in the Apostles’ Creed, dealing with the return of Jesus for Final Judgment. Previously, we have said that we will be judged, as Christians, based on what we did with the life Jesus has given us. Thus, now we are asking, over the next several sermons, what exactly do we do with what Jesus has given us? In this sermon we’ll look at the primary thing God wants from us: attachment to him.

Let us turn to Jeremiah 13:1-11:

Thus says the LORD to me, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.” So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the LORD, and put it around my waist. And the world of the LORD came to me a second time, “Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.” So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. And after many days the LORD said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing.

Then the word of the LORD came to me: “Thus says the LORD: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing. For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen” (ESV).

Yes, this passage is quite strange and perhaps a bit disturbing. In essence we are dealing with underwear. Yet, God is a disturbing God who wishes from time to time to disturb us out of our slumber.

Now that you’ve had a minute or two to recover, let’s please do not get sidetracked. Let’s not get sidetracked by the strangeness of the material. Let’s also not get sidetracked by quick and easy conclusions. Merely offering this passage a quick read will most likely lead one to conclude that God is upset at Israel for breaking his laws.

Yet, let’s go a bit deeper. This God who issued 613 commands/teachings, is the same God who is upset at the failure at attach their heart of hearts to the heart of God. He made his people to “cling” to him.

This is not as strange as it may sound. How many of us know people who follow the rules at Church but are not real Christians? How many of us know folks who do good works, but their hearts are far from God. Ethics and good works were never meant to substitute for knowing God. These are not the words of a God who is merely upset that his honor has been offended. These are not the words of a high and mighty king who has seen his fixed laws broken. While some portion of these two is no doubt involved here, what picture more accurately reflects this passage is that of a lover with unrequited love.

God is looking for people who will attach themselves to his inner heart struggle. This is not to say that we should not be careful to heed God’s ordinances, ways, teachings, rules, and laws. Rather it is to say that each of these is supposed to flow forth from our relationships with, or attachment to God.

Jeremiah was such a one. God called him out to sympathize with God’s deep struggle for his own people and then communicate that to them. Jeremiah obeys the call, but quickly finds out that even his own friends and family can be not so nice. Thus, Jeremiah begins to complain to God about the people. Let’s pick up in Jeremiah 12:1-4:

Righteous are you, O LORD,
     when I complain to you;
yet I would plead my case before you.
Why does the way of the wicked
          prosper?
Why do all who are treacherous
     thrive?
You plant them, and they take root;
     they grow and produce fruit;
you are near in their mouth
     and far from their heart.
But you, O LORD, know me;
     you see me, and test my heart
          toward you.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
     and set them apart for the day of
          slaughter.
How long will the land mourn
     and the grass of every field wither?
For the evil of those who dwell in it
     the beasts and the birds are swept
          away,
     because they said, “He will not see
          our latter end” (ESV).

Jeremiah makes no bones about his Jonah-like desire to see God bring his wrath on the people who are violently rejecting Jeremiah’s overtures. Notice, however, how God responds to him in verses 5 & 6:

“If you have raced with men on foot, and
          they have wearied you,
     how will you compete with horses?
And if in a safe land you are so trusting,
     what will you do in the thicket of the
          Jordan?
For even your brothers and the house of
          your father,
     even they have dealt treacherously
          with you;
     they are in full cry after you;
do not believe them,
     though they speak friendly words to
          you” (ESV).

God called Jeremiah to attach himself to God’s struggle for his people. Like most of us Jeremiah gets sidetracked by their violent response to him. Jeremiah calls on God to minister to him, to understand him, to vindicate him. God’s response is something along the lines of: “And you’re surprised by all of this, eh? If my own prophet can’t stay on target to sympathize with me, why should you expect a violent and recalcitrant people to treat you nice?”

It’s as if God is crying out: “Will someone please put me first and center for just once?” This was after all the tip of the iceberg of the Sinai Covenant: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5 & 6; ESV).

Not only was deep, personal, heart attachment to God the heart of the Sinai Covenant, this is also the heart of Christianity: “And this is eternal life, that they know you they only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3; ESV). What is one thing we do with the life Jesus has given to us in Salvation? Attach our inner hearts to the heart of God: know him.

 

June 4, 2009

The Judgment of Jesus Part III: Preparing for Jesus as Judge

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Acts 01, Matthew 23, Matthew 24, Matthew 25 | Tags: , |
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This is the third teaching/sermon on a series on the Final Judgment Jesus will bring when he returns. We of course are still camping out over this tenant of the Apostles’ Creed, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” We cannot discuss this topic without dealing with Jesus’s discourse on the Mount of Olives concerning the End.

We will do well to consider a tiny passage that precedes the Olivet Discourse found in Matthew 23:37-39:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (ESV).

Does this sound like someone drunk with blood-thirst? Yet, how many of our End Times “specialists” portray Jesus taking sadistic joy over returning to avenge his Father’s honor? I think we’ve confused Jesus with someone from a Redneck soap opera akin to the Hatfields and McCoys.  This is a description of a passionate lover hurting over unrequited love: “How often would I have gathered your children together … and you would not!” Whatever else we read in the following passages, this attitude must bear influence over our interpretations. Let’s continue with Matthew 24:1:

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:1 & 2; ESV).

Jesus begins his discussion of The End with a prediction of the destruction of the Temple … which occurred in AD 70. Did THE END occur then? Well, some believe Jesus returned in some form then, but their theories are quite strained and shallow. What is more likely in the whole of this passage is that Jesus is intermingling things which take place at various times before he returns in Final Victory. Let’s pick up in Matthew 24:3:

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?”

And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:3-14; ESV).

Before going further I want to make an observation. Jesus discusses in broad generalities what will occur before The End. Then he is emphatic: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Jesus will have no talk of “escapism.” We are expected to navigate all of these tribulations, while proclaiming “this gospel” to all the nations. This mountain-discourse echoes the first mountain-discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, in this regard. It is not our being rescued and taken out of tribulation that brings God glory. Rather it is our shining brightly as a city on a hill of trials and tribulations that brings God glory. Let’s pick up in Matthew 24:15:

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But of the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:15-29; ESV).

Wow! This is fairly dramatic, is it not? In passage Jesus does says that when the Son of Man, himself, does come in the End, he is then coming in the vein of the then-current teaching on the Son of Man from Daniel 7. He is promising to return and exact his rule over the nations, which of course necessitates Final Judgment.

So, how can we be ready for Jesus to return? Many have drawn timelines and made impassioned pleas to “turn to Jesus.” Sign warning people of the nearness of this event dot the highways in many areas. Let us remember from a couple of sermons ago that Jesus actually directs us away from specific and intricate details concerning The End:

 “It is not for you to know the times and seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7; ESV).

Yet, Jesus says that we are certainly to be prepared for his return. Don’t we just love paradoxes!!! Let’s pick up in Matthew 24:32:

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left” (Matthew 24:32-41; ESV).

Here again we see the paradox. On the one hand we are to be aware of the general season of the end. Yet, we are prohibited from knowing exact details.

On a side note, many people have interpreted this passage to fit in with the idea of a Pre-tribulation Rapture. The Father will not suffer his precious people to suffer all the harm of the End Times. Yet if we remember from 24:13: But the one who endures to the end will be saved, an escapist mentality is disallowed for true followers of Jesus. It is more likely that the ones “taken” in The End are akin to the ones “swept away” in Noah’s day.

We are not only instructed to simply be aware of the Season of the End, we are told “stay awake”:

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:42-44; ESV).

Increasingly we are told BEWARE. Yet, at the same time we are discouraged from specific details: “for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” How are we to reconcile this paradox? How are we to “be ready” without specific details of his return? Unfortunately, our favorite End Times authors are of little help here. For I believe this emphatic instruction to “be ready” is not one of familiarity with the details of his return, so much as being faithful to live out his Gospel in the mean time. Consider the parable that follows his emphatic instruction to “be ready”: 

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. but if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him to pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:45-51; ESV).

In this parable the servant who was ready for his master’s return made himself ready by simply being about his master’s business as faithfully as he could. The servant who was not ready was the one who behaved in a way that is totally antithetical to his master’s business but is in total line with his pleasure needs.

The following parables bear out this interpretation. The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) emphasizes making lifestyle changes now to be ready when the bridegroom returns. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) emphasizes preparing for the master’s return by taking risks in producing gains with what the master has given to his servants. Finally, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46) emphasizes preparing for the Final Judgment (which occurs when Jesus returns) by faithfully serving the “least of these” in society.

Taking Matthew 24 & 25 as a whole, the best preparation for the return of Jesus and his Final Judgment may not be to watch the State of Israel, as many contemporary authors and preachers espouse. Rather, I believe it is simply to be faithful to Jesus in the here and now by faithfully living out the “A, B, C’s” of his full Gospel:

  • A:  Attachment to Jesus
  • B: Behavioral submission to Jesus
  • C: Community involvement for Jesus

We will take a closer look at these over the next two teachings/sermons.

 

June 3, 2009

The Judgment of Jesus: Part II

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under John 03, John 05 | Tags: , , |
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This is the second teaching/sermon in a series on the Final Judgment of Jesus. Divine wrath and judgment in general and the Final Judgment in particular are points of misunderstanding … I am afraid. On the one hand God is viewed as a crotchety old man awoken by his 3 year old grand kid. On the other hand God is viewed as the divine Santa Clause, jolly & doling out divine goodies at your will.

The Judgment of Jesus suffers from similar misfortune. Jesus is pure love, caring his sweet lambs on his shoulders, and always looking to kiss boo-boos. On the other hand Jesus is viewed as the despot, who we must please, lest we are driven to hell yesterday.

The Final Judgment of Jesus, which is actually the Judgment of Jesus, suffered misunderstanding in his own day. If he was to be God’s ultimate redemption, then he must have come bringing THE WRATH. However, this was not the case, as we saw in the previous sermon. He came not to bring ultimate condemnation and wrath. Rather he came bringing salvation from ultimate condemnation and wrath. While this may seem out of step of the angry God of the Old Testament, we will actually see this is in perfect alignment with the expectation of the Old Testament.  Let’s begin in John 5.

John 5:1-17:

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids–blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.”

But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’”

They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”

Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place (ESV). 

Before going further in John 5, we must gather an understanding of this story; for this story the word-picture of Jesus’s remarks to the Jewish leadership in the latter part of this chapter.

We have a man that has been physically sick for 38 years. It is not certain the exact nature of his illness, but we must wonder who helped this man get around for mundane functions, such as sleeping, eating, and “going to the bathroom.” For this man, these functions must not have existed merely in the realm of the mundane. At any rate this man was severely limited.

When Jesus asks him if he wants to be healed, that is not such a stupid question. Rather it illustrates the seriousness of his total condition. His invalid state had spread to his heart. He was an invalid in his heart. At what point in Jesus’s encounter with him does he take responsibility for his own condition? He is always blaming other people and placing initiative with other people.

If I were in the same condition, I would most likely be the same way.

Nonetheless, he was pathetic. Even after his outer body is healed, his heart remains an invalid’s heart. In the end of the story he tattles on Jesus. Considering the whole of John’s Gospel, this could have been to prevent him from being “cast out” of his people.

Let’s pick up in  John 5:19:

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works then these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:19-29; ESV).

The previous story is a word picture of this teaching of Jesus. Jesus heals an invalid, who was completely dependent on others for help. Emotionally, he remains dependent on others to blame for his problems. Yet, Jesus is featured in this chapter as an invalid in the sense of being totally dependent upon the Father. However, Jesus produces the life of God in others with his dependent status. The invalid is just … just there … sucking the life out of you. What did he do with the new life Jesus gave him? He uses his new mobility to seek out the Jewish leadership and tattle on Jesus.

Don’t miss the point John wants you to capture: the Jewish leadership, which claimed total dependence on the Father for their existence was rejecting the ultimate redemption he was sending them in Jesus. They were threatening excommunication to any who believed in Jesus. Not only were they rejecting the life God was sending them, they were sucking the life out of others.

Jesus claims in this passage to be the Son of Man. Yet this Son of Man did not appear bringing wrath and condemnation. He appeared bringing life and life eternal … salvation from wrath and condemnation. The question John want s to ask us is:

What are we doing with the life Jesus has given to us?

  • Are we producing his life in other people?
  • Are we merely existing in the state in which he found us?
  • Are we sucking his life out of other people?

Jesus is not at all at odds with the Old Testament expectation of God’s ultimate redemption. Consider the following passages of Scripture: Isaiah 55, Isaiah 56, & Isaiah 65:

Isaiah 55 is an offer of love and mercy and transformation from the God of the Old Testament to his people … all of his people … even the ones who are rejecting him.

Isaiah 56 is an offer of powerful, transforming grace to people in severely undesirable straits and to willing Gentiles. This chapter is a severe rebuke to his spiritual leaders who abuse their anointed positions.

Isaiah 65 is a vision of the world living under God’s ultimate redemption.

Jesus’s offer of eternal life, life that begins in the here-and-now for all who believe on him, fits in well with the Old Testament’s expectation. God wants to save his people and people who don’t belong to him and people who are “undesirable” far more than he wants to condemn them to the fire of his wrath. Consider the following very familiar words of Jesus:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God”  (John 3:16-21; ESV).

The question is:

What are we doing with the life Jesus has given to us?

  • Are we producing his life in other people?
  • Are we merely existing in the state in which he found us?
  • Are we sucking his life out of other people?
 

June 1, 2009

Understanding Misunderstanding Part II

Posted by Faith, Worship & Life under Exodus 19, Isaiah 12, Isaiah 6, John 12 | Tags: , , |
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This sermon was delivered on Easter Sunday and the Sunday following, and is the second in a two-part series dealing with Jesus as Master or Mascot. In the last sermon we saw how each vignette/picture in John 12:1-19 asks the question, “How much does it cost us to worship Jesus on his terms?” If “nothing” or “not much,” then is it possible that we are attempting to warp Jesus into being our “mascot” instead of worshipping him as our “master?” In 12:20-36 we saw that to worship Jesus on his terms, we must live the “cruciformed” life. This consists of dying to self daily in our personal lives and in being a son of deliverance for people in the world. Both prongs of the cruciformed life ask us to sacrifice our all for Jesus.

Now we come to the part in John 12 that makes God look like a sadistic, sick, puppet master … at least from a quick reading of John 12:36-43. However, as with most things in Scripture, a closer look is warrented.

John 12:36-43:

When Jesus has said these things, he departed and his himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

          “Lord, who has believed what he heard
                    from us,
               and to whom has the arm of the
                    Lord been revealed?”

Therefore they could not believe. For again

Isaiah said,

          “He has blinded their eyes
               and hardened their heart,
          lest they see with their eyes,
               and understand with their heart, and
                    turn
               and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God (ESV).

A cursory reading of this passage makes God look like a sick, sadistic puppet master. He demands his people believe in Jesus for the ultimate salvation promised in the Old Testament, but he prevents them from being able to turn and believe. 

To get a better understanding of our passage here, we’ll need to delve into Isaiah and a bit further in Israel’s history. Before we journey with Isaiah, however, we must understand how John is using the Old Testament. When he quotes from Isaiah, he’s not simply latching onto those 2 or 3 verses. Rather in tugging on those 2 or 3 verses, he’s pulling from the context surrounding those 2 or 3 verses. We’ll deal with each citation separately and then form a composite picture of the message John is communicating, using Isaiah.

So let’s begin with our first Isaiah quote:

“Lord, who has believed what he heard
          from us,
     and to whom has the arm of the
          Lord been revealed?”

This quote comes from Isaiah 53:1, and it is verbatim. Let’s see the context on which this verse is tugging.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12:

Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
     he shall be high and lifted up,
     and shall be exalted.
As many were astonished at you–
     his appearance was so marred,
          beyond human semblance,
     and his form beyond that of the
          children of mankind–
so he shall sprinkle (startle) many nations;
     kings shall shut their mouths because
          of him;
for that which has not been told them
          they see,
     and that which they have not heard
          they understand.
Who has believed what he has
     heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the
     LORD been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young
          plant,
     and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we
          should look at him,
     and no beauty that we should desire
          him.
He was despised and rejected by men;
     a man of sorrows, and acquainted
          with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their
          faces
     he was despised, and we esteemed
          him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
     and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
     smitten by God, and afflicted.
but he was wounded for our
          transgressions;
     he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that
          brought us peace,
     and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
     we have turned–every one–to his
          own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
     the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
     yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
     and like a sheep that before its
          shearers is silent,
     so he opened no his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was
          taken away;
     and as for his generation, who
          considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the
          living,
     stricken for the transgression of my
          people?
and they made his grave with the
          wicked
     and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
     and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush
          him;
     he has put him to grief;
when his sould makes an offering for
          guilt,
     he shall see his offspring; he shall
          prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his
          hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall
          see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous
          one, my servant,
     make many to be accounted righteous,
     and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion
          with the many,
     and he shall divide the spoil with the
          strong,
     because he poured out his soul to death
     and was numbered with the
          transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
     and makes intercession for the
          transgressors (ESV; underlining mine).

We can certainly see that the underlined verse in this lengthy passage is John’s first pulled quote. We can also see that by itself it makes no sense. Well, let’s walk through the passage, attempting to make sense of it. This passage as a whole is about the “servant of the Lord.” This nebulous person is featured throughout Isaiah. In this passage his ministry to Israel on behalf of the Lord is a ministry of suffering. This servant will reach out to Israel, calling them to depart from idols and return to the living Lord. Israel will persecute him, but he will reach out all the more passionately. 52:13-53:1 reveal how disturbing this ministry is … shocking even. “…so he shall startle many nations.”

This method of reaching out is strange: “Who has believed what he has heard from us?” The question, “And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” reveals a complexity developing here. This suffering servant is commissioned and sent out by the Lord; yet is unsuccessful. In fact this suffering servant is beaten, oppressed, and mutilated. “… to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”

The Lord’s “arm” is revealed to all involved. The Lord’s arm … or strength … is revealed in crushing his anointed servant (53:10). Yet his arm is revealed when this servant “divide(s) the spoil with the strong” (53:12). His arm is revealed when the “we” of this passage are healed by the stripes of this servant (53:5). His arm is revealed when “many” are “accounted righteous” (53:11). The arm of the Lord will be stayed from action against the transgressors (53:12). All will see and feel the arm of the Lord. The arm that lowers this servant is the same arm that raises up the many in righteousness because of the suffering of the servant … along with the servant himself.

As stated above we can see this servant throughout Isaiah, as well as a pattern. In short this suffering servant’s mission is to persistently reach out to all of Israel, despite being violently rejected. This interplay would attract a community of people … a remnant … to the suffering servant. This community of the suffering servant would reach out redemptively to the whole of Israel, offering God’s redemption. They would suffer the same torture as the servant, but would nonetheless persevere in redemptively reaching out. Eventually the whole of Israel would be redeemed and in turn take up the ministry of the suffering servant to all the nations. This is the movement or the flow of the whole of Isaiah.

We can see that chapter 52:1-12 and chapter 54 promise strong protection, provision, honor, and glory for redeemed and true Israel. Consider simply the following several verses:

For you shall not go out in haste,
     and you shall not go in flight,
for the LORD will go before you,
     and the God of Israel will be
          your rear guard (52:12; ESV).

If anyone stirs up strife,
     it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
     shall fall because of you.
Behold, I have created the smith
     who blows the fire of coals
     and produces a weapon for its
          its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
     no weapon that is fashioned against
          you shall succeed,
     and you shall confute every tongue
          that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of
          the LORD
     and their vindication from me,
          declares the LORD (54:15-17; ESV)

Consider this mood sandwiches the ministry of the suffering servant. On the one hand God promises protection, provision, even honor and glory to his own. Yet, he sends his own to the wolves as sheep.

Again the question Isaiah asks and John captures is: “Who has believed what he has heard from us?” All of this seems so awkwardly-backwards and upside down … at best paradoxical.

Many of us will no doubt say this strangely resembles the suffering of Jesus. In fact John says that Isaiah “saw his glory and spoke of him” (Isaiah 12:41; ESV). Yet, I would caution us to not make that leap too quickly. Let’s read the Old Testament on its on terms before attempting to play a “Where’s Waldo” game with finding Jesus in a prophetic haystack. Reading and understanding the Old Testament on its on terms will instead enrich our understanding of the New. Seeing this vision God had for reaching his people as seen through Isaiah’s prophetic eyes renders Jesus’s call in John 12:20-36 more grounded. In essence Jesus is calling to himself a community of people who will attach themselves to him to become the community of the suffering servant on redemptive mission to the world. He says this community would take up the “cruciformed” life.

Thus, what we may be seeing in John, based on this quotation (Isaiah 53:1 plus context) is not so much an acknowledgement of a near Islamic-like divine sovereignty at work. Rather what we are seeing is God using his sovereignty to deal redemptively with people of free will. This becomes clearer with the next quotation in its Isaiah-context:

He has blinded their eyes
     and hardened their heart,
lest they see with their eyes,
     and understand with their heart, and
          turn,
     and I would heal them (John 12:40; ESV).

John is quoting from Isaiah 6.

Isaiah 6:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, hight and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

     “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
     the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me” (6:1-8; ESV).

Obviously this is not the part of chapter 6 from which John quotes. Yet, it sets the stage. Isaiah had a powerful experience with God and received a special call to go out. This is a popular missions sermon text. Isaiah has been redeemed and is now sent out on mission of redemption. His mission-message is as follows:

Isaiah 6:9-10:

And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
     ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
     keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
     Make the heart of this people dull,
          and their ears heavy,
          and blind their eyes;
     lest they see with their eyes,
          and hear with their ears,
     and understand with their hearts,
          and turn and be healed” (ESV).

This was his mission. This was from where John quoted. Commentator after commentator; speaker after speaker; preacher after preacher; teacher after teacher have interpreted this to mean that Isaiah was going to have an extremely difficult time … but he was sent to preach to them anyway. I take issue with this, precisely because of the group of verses following this passage as a whole.

Isaiah 6:11-13:

Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
     without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
     and the land is a desolate waste,
and the LORD removes people far away,
     and the forsaken places are many in
          the midst of the land.
And though a tenth remain in it,
     it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak,
     whose stump remains
     when it is felled.”
The holy seed is its stump (ESV; underlining mine).

The Lord tells Isaiah his people will not turn, and seems to be prohibiting them to do so. Isaiah’s empassioned response is: “How long, O Lord???????” The Lord responds “until they have reached their bottom.” How often is it that we continue to prop up bad or destructive behavior through our well-intentioned support? As substance-abuse counselors teach, being “nice” to an alcoholic is deadly for him in the long-run.

You might say: well, William, the passage seems to suggest that God is looking to start over with a holy remant of descendents of the recalcitrant, wicked people of God. Yet, let us remember a couple of things.

  • Why is God sending out “missionary” activity to his people if he “knows” it is futile?
  • This passage is in the flow/movement of Isaiah’s larger work, wherein he and God are pleading with the people to turn. Clearly there is the expectation that some will.

Let us turn to Isaiah 12, which is regarded by some as the direction of the whole of Isaiah.

Isaiah 12: 

You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O LORD,
     for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
     that you might comfort me.

“Behold, God is my salvation;
     I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the LORD GOD is my strength and
          my song,
     and he has become my salvation.”

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the LORD,
     call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the
          peoples,
     proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done
          gloriously;
     let this be made known in all the
          earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of
          Zion,
     for great in your midst is the Holy
          One of Israel” (ESV).

God’s heart is always for his people to be for him and his ways. Yet, he is Father … not pocket-mascot. As Rabbi Dr. Abraham Heschel reminds us:

Our embarrassment in reading the harsh expressions of divine wrath is also due to the general disposition of modern man. We have no sense for spiritual grandeur. Spiritual to us means ethereal, calm, moderate, slight, imperceptible. We respond to beauty; grandeur is unbearable. We are moved by a soft religiosity, and would like to think that God is lovely, tender, and familiar, as if faith were a source of comfort, but not readiness for martyrdom.

To our mind the terrible threats of castigation bespeak a lack of moderation. Is it not because we are only dimly away are the full gravity of human failure, of the sufferings inflicted by those who revile God’s demand for justice? There is a cruelty which pardons, just as there is a pity which punishes. Severity must tame whom love cannot win (from The Prophets, Vol 2, p. 77).

In short God is using his sovereignty to work with recalcitrant people of free will. His mission in Isaiah is never sadistic but salvific. His mission is transformation not merely torture.

He is using the ministry of the suffering servant to draw a community to take up the missional way of life of the suffering servant. This community of the suffering servant would work to draw Israel way from idolatry to true worship of the true and living God … in the face of deep persecution. In time Israel would turn and be transformed and in turn take up the ministry of the suffering servant in the world for the nations of the world. After all this is in keeping with the “marriage vows” Israel took when he married God at Mt. Sinai.

Exodus 19:1-3:

On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God.

The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel” (ESV).

In this passage Israel has just been delivered by God from Egyptian slavery. This passage does not stop with the idea of bringing Israel to God. Rather it continues through to this notion of keeping covenant with God and becoming a kingdom of priests. If the whole nation is one gigantic priesthood, then to whom are they called to minister? Consider the phrase: “for all the earth is mine.” While that certainly emphasizes the exclusivity of Israel, it also emphasizes that direction of Israel’s “salvation.” They were not saved for themselves. Rather they were saved for God and for the nations. This is the directional movement of Isaiah, wherein the goal is to transform Israel into that for which God saved him.

Returning to John 12 this fits in perfectly with the directional flow of John’s pointed question to all would-be disciples of Jesus: How much does it cost you to authentically worship Jesus? Jesus is taking up the ministry of the suffering servant (12:24) and is calling his would-be disciples to do the same (12:25, 26). They are called to be the community of Jesus … the community of the suffering servant. This is not a one-time event … only … but indeed an all-consuming way of life. They … we … are not saved for themselves/ourselves. Rather they were … we are … saved for Jesus and for the world (12:25-26 & 35-36).

The overarching picture of John 12 is comparing the manipulative will of man with the loving-sovereignty of God. John 12:1-19 features the nasty manipulative will of man. John 12:36-43 features the loving sovereignty of God. John 12:20-36 features our Savior who mediates between the two redemptively. We are called to be where Jesus is. Easter makes this possible.

 

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