4 Challenges from Acts 4:32-35

Preached at St Mary the Virgin, Little Burstead, 7 April 2024

Based on http://3cephas-notes.blogspot.com/2007/08/four-challenges-from-acts-432-37.html

Reading Acts 4:32-35

Prayer

Introduction

Today we are going to look at the situation that the first Christians found themselves in and how they dealt with it. Then, we will look at four challenges that the passage throws up for us.

Background

This passage is part of the introduction to the story of Ananias and Sapphira which follows in Acts 5. A story of financial impropriety in 1^st century Israel. If you've never read it – do so after lunch today.

A lot has happened since the resurrection, and here we are past Pentecost.

The story so far ...

Back in Acts 2, the church was born on the day of Pentecost, or more accurately the Jewish celebration Shavuot, or the Day of First fruits (Numbers 28:26). On that day Peter preached to the crowd, who had come from all over the known world. About 3000 of them accepted Peter's message that day, and joined the new Jewish sect – because that's all it is, until we get to Acts 11. Now many of them were just visiting for the celebrations and would have to return to their country of origin, but there would be quite a few who stayed on – because they had no pressing need to return and wanted to hear more of what Peter had to say. By the time we get to 2:42 we hear that the believers “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”.

In that same section we read “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” which is very similar to the passage we are looking at today.

Everything in Common twice

I think this is mentioned twice, in relatively quick succession, by Luke, because the idea of communal living and resource sharing is so important to them. In Deuteronomy 15:4 we read:

However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,

They are blessed as a community, so this style of living makes the claim that the whole community are, the real inheritors of God’s blessing, not just some of the individuals.

Acts 3, 4

Then in Acts 3 there is the healing of a lame man, and another sermon from Peter, after which he and John get arrested. Even so, the number of MEN grew to about five thousand at the start of Acts 4. Peter and John get the chance to tell the Sanhedrin that it is impossible for them to stop talking about Jesus, and are let off with a stern warning. The disciples pray some more, their building is shaken and they continue their witness about Jesus.

The baby church was beginning to grow, and so was the opposition to it. First century Jerusalem was not a peaceful place to live, it was under occupation by a foreign enemy, its political and religious leaders were weak, indecisive, and ineffective. It was a dangerous place to be, but also an exciting place to be.

Four Challenges

As I read through this passage, I found four challenges, we are going to take a look at them now, they will help us to understand what God was doing with His church, and how the peoples responses in Acts can challenge the way we do things now.

1 Claiming Ownership

First challenge – Everything is shared.

“No-one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had”. The first thing to note here is that they had very little compared to us. It is sometimes easier to give up things when you don't have much in the first place. The Jews had a principle of hospitality, so would always be prepared to share with a stranger.

Tanzanian Hospitality

When I was in Tanzania, staying in the village of Chibelela, we were the guests of the pastor and his family. There were occasions when we were treated to a lavish meal, and ate with the men of the family, the women served us and went outside. I wondered what they ate. The leftovers?, or perhaps even less. There seemed no limit to their hospitality.

Share and share alike

When I was a child and was fighting with my sister over something, my Mum would always say “share and share alike”. A good principle, but there were some of my sister's things I didn't want to share, and it was a demand based on sharing out of joint riches – I was never arguing about something that would affect my survival.

We, in our sophisticated, so called, advanced society, have lost some of the basics of human community. What would it take for us to be able to say that we did not claim ownership of our goods? To answer that question we must first address the last challenge.

2 Use of capital

The second challenge is how we use our capital.

Joseph A.K.A Barnabus was a Cypriot, a member of the Jewish family of Levi from the dispersion. As a Levite, he was associated with the priesthood. We do not know for sure that he was living in Jerusalem permanently, but it seems likely that he had been there for some time. It is possible that the field he sold may even have been in Cyprus.

Christian communism

The sharing of everything was not so literal that Barnabus allowed others to determine that his field should be sold. This passage is often seen as a kind of Christian communism. That is not the case. Communism is based on compulsion – you have no choice but to give up your wealth, your property, your belongings – for the good of everyone. That is most definitely not happening here. Barnabus is responding to God, and the needs of God's people. The sale of a field is the sale of an asset that allows you to make money. The field is used to grow food, or raise cattle, without it there will be a reduction in income, but the capital raised will keep God's people from becoming needy – starving in this case. This is sacrificial giving – Barnabus will be worse off from now on – his income has been reduced.

What do we have that we could sell if the need arose?

I don't own a field. I doubt that many of us do. What is the modern equivalent? Perhaps a shop, a factory or an office. I don't own any of those either. So what have I got that I could use to raise capital? Well, I do have some investments. They don't provide any real income, some insurance policies, a few shares, an ISA. If the circumstances required, they could certainly be cashed in and the money provided for the needy.

What do you have?

3 Where does your giving go?

The third challenge is “Where does your giving go?”

This is not about how much you give.

“Each of us should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Cor 9:7.

From time to time, it’s a good idea to review your giving, to ensure that it's at the level that you are happy with. You may decide to change it, or you may have to make adjustments to keep it at the same level!

My question is where do you put the money that you set aside to give? I've heard all sorts of ideas as to exactly what counts towards giving to God.

Some people will tell you that giving to Greenpeace counts towards their giving to God. Yes, we are supposed to look after the environment, but Really? What connection has Greenpeace got with the church of God?

Others will tell you that Amnesty International counts towards their giving to God. Well, I can see the justice connection, but what has Amnesty International got to do with the Christian Church. Some will tell you that Christian Aid counts towards their giving to God? Well, maybe it does, but let's have a look at this passage. When Barnabus sold his field, he put the money at the disciple's feet. That may be literal, or it may be symbolic, whichever it is, Barnabus brought his money, and gave up all control over how it was used when he put at the disciples feet.

How much?

The Jews had a religious tax of 10% which defined how much they should give, some Christians have a similar system. The tax was known as a tithe. Malachi 3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the store house”. Which means that the tithe was to be given to the temple for the use of its officials. God is consistent in his approach between the old and the New Testament. However much you decide to give to God, must be given in total to God, to those He has appointed to use as He directs.

Now don't let that stop you giving to Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Christian Aid, or any other organisation. Don't let me stop you from starting to give to any of these organisations. Just please don't tell God that you're giving it to Him. Which brings us back to the story of Ananias and Sapphira.

4 Testifying to the resurrection

The fourth challenge, may, possibly be the greatest challenge for us all.

What was the priority of the very first believers? [Straw Poll]

• Church?

• Worship?

• Preaching?

• Eschatology?

• Prophecy?

• Writing a bible – so that posterity would be able to follow in their footsteps?

• or something different?

NO – they are just about one man – a new type of man – the resurrected Jesus WHO IS coming back.

Peter and John have already told the Sanhedrin – the Jewish supreme council, that they cannot stop talking about Jesus. Every time Peter speaks, he mentions the resurrection.

Acts 2:32 “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”

Acts 3:15 To the onlookers at the healing of the lame man, “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.”

Acts 4:10 to the Sanhedrin “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.”

How often do we tell people who don't know, that God has raised Jesus from the dead?

Consequence & Grace

There is a consequence for the willingness of the disciples to talk to everyone they meet about Jesus. “Much grace was upon them all”. It is the grace of God that has allowed the few to share what they have, to not claim ownership of their belongings. It is the grace of God that has allowed them to meet the challenges to turn what riches they have into capital, and provide support for the poor – the needy – amongst them. It is the grace of God that allows them to trust the disciples implicitly, to bring what they have and to trust that the disciple will distribute it wisely.

Conclusion

The baby church was growing under God's care, already they had 5000 plus members. The people involved were filled with the Holy Spirit, and had God's grace to help them overcome the unique problems that they faced. The miracles that Jesus started are continuing, and it can only be a matter of time before all these changed people start to have a dramatic effect on their society. Here we see the enormous excitement that a work of God brings – huge crowds, dramatic miracles, run-ins with earthly authorities. It’s a great story, and we know that our God was in control of everything that happened, but there were also great sacrifices.

Whenever God is at work, there are things to do, things to learn, and blessings to be received. There is much to make us think about how we live our lives in this passage, so I leave you with the four challenges:

1. Claiming ownership – how ready are we to share ALL that we have with others when the NEED arises?

2. Use of capital – What do we have that we could sell to support an urgent NEED in the Christian community?

3. Where does our giving go? - Is everything that we have promised to give to God brought into the church, or are we keeping control of the funds by directing them to certain organisations?

4. Testifying to the resurrection – How often do we explain the central basis of our faith to those who don't understand.

Amen.

Run Away?

Preached at St Mary the Virgin, Little Burstead on 26 February 2023 @ 10:30

Introduction

Have you ever run away from anything? There were plenty of times at school when I literally ran away from things. But these days, the running away tends to take less physical forms.

There are things that we should be running away from, and we’ll look briefly at those later. God, of course, is not one of them.

Jonah, why run away

So, when the word of the Lord came to Jonah, why would he run away? Have you ever had to go to speak to someone that you don’t like, don’t trust, and are generally quite sure that they have your worst interests at heart? How would you feel about doing that, perhaps you would prefer to go in another direction?

How about if the person you were going to see was likely to cause you physical harm? How about going in a different direction now?

And if you think it is likely that they will kill you? What then?

Nineveh

At the time of Jonah, Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. Assyria was Israel's great enemy, its competitor for territory in the region. It was not in the ascendency at the time, but was still a dangerous place to go. They had a reputation for cruelty and violence, here’s what Nahum said:

Na 3 ¹ Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!

² The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots!

³ Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses —

⁴ all because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.

So, to summarise – not a nice place, and they saw Israel as an enemy.

For us, those places are Russia, North Korea, or any of the list of countries who think that Christians should be killed.

Jonah the successful prophet

Jonah is a successful prophet, here’s what we know about him from 2 Kings, where it is recording the acts of Jeroboam II:

2Ki 14:25 He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.

Gath Hepher was in the region known as Galilee in Jesus’ time.

Another prophets

It is highly unlikely he was the only prophet, so when the word of the Lord came to him, maybe his immediate thought was that there are plenty of people God could use, why does it have to be me?

God will achieve His aims

Well, it does have to be Jonah this time, but normally it is not the case that only one person can do it. If God wants something done, and one of His servants decides not to serve, God will find someone who will do what He wants. We should never think that our failures somehow ruin God’s almighty plan for the universe – it just isn’t like that. There are multiple ways to get things done, and there are hundreds of servants willing to do things, sometimes even very dangerous things.

Jonah’s reasons

Now, I’m not intending to paint Jonah as some sort of coward, though that’s the way it’s beginning to look. Jonah’s reasons for running away are alluded to in the last chapter, so in case you’re having a series on Jonah, I’m not going to release any spoilers. - But, you can, of course, read the book for yourself. It won’t take very long.

What happened?

So let’s see how the fleeing Jonah got on, and how he served the Lord on his journey.

Tarshish

Jonah went to the port town of Joppa, and looked for a ship that would take him as far from Nineveh as possible. He found a ship headed for Tarshish, which is thought to be the city of Tartessus in southern Spain, it was a Phoenician mining colony near Gibraltar. That would take him to the western edge of the known world, exactly the opposite direction of Nineveh, in the east.

Jonah at sea - storm

This was likely Jonah’s first time at sea. So, while he might have been concerned when the storm started, he would only have become scared when he saw how the sailors were acting. He wouldn’t see that until the captain woke him, because he was in the bottom of the ship – sound asleep.

Disastrous storm

For the sailors, it was a disastrous storm. They were afraid the ship would break up, so each was praying to his own God. Phoenicia was a poly-theistic society, so each of them would have chosen a different god to serve. Now they needed the help of their god.

Cargo overboard

Throwing the cargo overboard was a last resort, it meant that they would not be paid for the journey. It was something they would only do, if they really thought that their lives were in imminent danger.

Help from Jonah’s God

They need all the help they can get. None of the gods have been able to calm the storm, so Jonah is woken and told to pray to his God. We are not told whether the disobedient servant prayed or not. The storm did not diminish.

Lots

Believing that the storm must be happening because someone had upset their god, intentionally or otherwise, the sailors draw lots to see who it is. And the lot points to Jonah.

Questions

So, immediately there are loads of questions, the sailors need to know who’s threatening their ship, and their lives:

“Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

Answers (the sea!)

Now, it's time for Jonah to be truthful and to witness to his God.

I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven

Nothing contentious there for the sailors, there were plenty of gods of the skies and the land. But the next part of the answer frightens them even more.

“who made the sea and the land.”

The sea was thought of as being the leftovers from the primordial chaos when the gods made the land, the sky and all the life on earth, but Jonah’s God also made the sea – the very thing that was threatening their lives.

Control of the sea

Now, if God has control of the sea, and Jonah is His servant, even if he is a bad one at the moment, the next question is the most logical they could ask:

“What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

Throw me in

But the answer “throw me in” is more than they can take, and to ensure that they do, God intensifies the storm. Now the sailors must take the action that Jonah suggests. They are now frightened of his God, because to kill a servant of a god will just bring them more trouble – worse trouble.

Innocent man

“Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man”

does not mean that they have proclaimed Jonah innocent of his crimes, it simply means that they understood that they don’t have the right to make that judgement, so Jonah must remain innocent.

Last Jonah knows

So, in he goes, and being completely unable to swim, in the stormy waters he will immediately drown. He will not know that the sea calms, and the sailors are in awe of his god.

Sacrifices

Each of them will make sacrifices to Jonah’s God when they finally return to shore as a way of giving thanks for their deliverance, but also because the power of this God has them scared, and they have just killed one of His servants.

What Jonah has done

So Jonah has been a witness to his God despite his disobedience. He is then swallowed by a big fish, and is inside the fish for about 3 days.

That’s as far as we go with this story, today.

Should you run away?

So, as a servant of God, should you run away?

From God – No, but from the world, there are times when it’s legitimate, here are a couple of examples:

2 Tim 2:3-5

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

… and the quickest way is simple, to leave (run away from) the situation where the temptation is happening – there will always be an exit.

 

Amen. 

Youtube

A link to the youtube video (sound only) from the practice read through:https://youtu.be/3MDBsqANilE

References

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/how-a-runaway-prays-dean-o-bryan-sermon-on-prayer-general-126635

https://redeeminggod.com/sermons/jonah/jonah_1/

https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/jonah-1/

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/can-god-use-the-seasons-where-we-run-away.html

A confused donkey & a disappointed crowd

Reading: Mark 1:1-11

Change of Direction for Jesus

So far in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus has been secretive about his mission, warning his disciples not to tell the crowd what they know.  The disciples for the most part have been portrayed as lacking understanding and generally unable to do the things that Jesus asks of them.
All that is about to change.  Jesus is about to make a very clear statement that anyone – and most importantly the Pharisees – can’t miss, even if they have only the most basic understanding of their faith.

Disciples knew Jesus had changed

The disciples have known that Jesus’ attitude has changed since He declared that they must go to Judea.  In John 11 the disciples reminded Jesus that last time He was there they tried to stone Him.  Jesus is going to raise Lazarus (one of the people he loves the most) from the dead.  At the end of that conversation in John 11:16, it is Thomas who says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”  The disciples are dreading the journey back to Judea – but they can’t yet know the full horror that they will go through.

Bethany

Lazarus lived at Bethany, which is less than two miles from Jerusalem.  It’s at Bethany that we pick up the story this morning. Bethany today is known as el `Azareyeh which the place of Lazarus.

Disciples Instructions

Mark doesn’t mention Lazarus, but has the disciples in the village anyway.  Here they are told to go and get a colt – a young donkey that had never been ridden.
The instructions are very simple and very clear.  They are told exactly what to say if they are challenged.  They are not given any other information, so probably don’t know why they are doing what they are doing – perhaps that is the best way sometimes.  They do exactly as they are told, and respond correctly to the challenge - “The Lord needs it and will send back shortly”.  As a result, they are allowed to take the donkey to Jesus.

Miracle or plan?

Was this a miracle or a careful plan that Jesus had made.  There are a number of possibilities, if we are going to claim it as a miracle we need to be sure it wasn’t a plan.  The main objection to the plan theory is that Jesus hadn’t been here for a while – so how could he have arranged with someone to borrow their donkey.  It’s possible though that the donkey’s owner is in fact one of Jesus’ followers, and so had been with Him at various times and had made the arrangement.

Unridden Donkey

Miracle or not (and some commentators say ‘take your choice’) Jesus had chosen a donkey that had not been ridden. Animals that have not been under human control are specially valued for certain tasks.  Just as in 1 Samuel 6:7 when the Israelites were being given instructions about transporting the Ark of the Lord “Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.”
This way it seems that it is clearer that God is in control, and that humans can have had no influence on the outcome.
The fact that Jesus was riding on an unbroken colt is a miracle.

The prophecy

Riding into Jerusalem on a donkey sends a very particular message.  The prophecy is in Zechariah 9:9 and says “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Jesus is making a claim to be the king of the Jews.  The crowd see it, the Pharisees see it and their reactions and responses will lead ultimately to the crucifixion.  That is Jesus’ plan, that’s why he is heading to Jerusalem in this way.

The crowds response

The Pharisee's response can wait until Good Friday, what’s of interest today is the crowd’s response.  Remember, it's coming up to passover.  Jerusalem is filling up with pilgrims from all over Israel and further afield.  The city will be heaving with people going in all directions – but here outside the city, the crowds will mostly be headed towards the city.
There will be lots of foreigners who won’t know who Jesus is, but there will also be many people who have seen Him and even more who have heard what He has done.
At the sight of Him riding a donkey, they begin singing his praises ‘Hosanna in the Highest’ and ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’.

Royal Homage

They spread their cloaks on the road in front of him.  That must have confused the donkey!  You don’t do that for just anyone, I’ve never even heard of a celebrity receiving such treatment.  This response is reserved for Kings and Queens.  When Jehu was anointed king in 2 Kings 9:13 they immediately took off their cloaks and put them on the bare steps for him to walk on, the trumpets sounded, and the crowd began shouting ‘Jehu is king’.

Simon Maccabaeus

The tradition of cutting branches seems to come from the victory of Simon Maccabaeus over the Syrians in 141 BCE, where his return to Jerusalem was marked by his followers holding and waving palm branches.  As palms are not native to Jerusalem, the people responded by cutting down whatever leafy branches they could find and waving them and laying them in front of Jesus.  That must have confused the donkey too!

Peoples expectations

It is clear from these reactions and the chanting - “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” (v10) that the crowd were expecting just one thing.  They saw this as an opportunity to remove the Roman occupiers and restore the kingdom of David.  They saw this as a chance to restore their religious freedoms once again as Simon had done. Even though for the most part the Romans didn’t interfere with the Jewish religion.

Hosanna

We should look briefly at the other two chants – Hosanna and ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’.
Hosanna simply means ‘save now’, but by this time had already become a shout of praise to God, and has retained that meaning to this day. 

Blessed ...

‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’ was the greeting use as pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem, so it would have been very familiar to them all.  Both these chants come for Psalm 118 verses 25 & 26, one of the Hallel psalms that would have been sung on the pilgrimage anyway.  Now though the attention of the crowd is on Jesus and the chants and shouts are focussed on him and the expected outcome of his journey to Jerusalem.

Frenzy – return of the kingdom

The crowd has whipped itself up into a frenzy.  They have been calling for the return on the kingdom of David, not the return of the king, so they are going to be disappointed, because in the excitement they have missed the second part of the prophecy, so their understanding is limited.

Jesus in Jerusalem

Jesus enters Jerusalem and goes to the temple.  In verse 11 “He looks around at everything” might make Him sound like a tourist, but Jesus has been to the temple before – more than once.  He is looking around to see just how things work, the money changers, the people who sell small animals for sacrifice, any other trading activities that might be taking place.  He’s taking in the layout and getting ready for tomorrow.  By now its too late, and its time for the walk back to Bethany, two miles away across the valley.

No crowd

Now there is no crowd – where have they all gone?  They have melted away towards the homes they are staying in, to the outlying villages, to the camp sites.  They will be reflecting on what they saw today, and as they do their anger will grow as they believe their hopes have been dashed. 
Jesus did not begin an insurrection as they were hoping, he just looked around the temple and then left.  Herod’s palace is on the opposite side of the city, so word will have got around quickly that Jesus did not go there.

Donkey not enough?

Surely riding on a donkey was enough to convince them what Jesus was about, but apparently not.  The next verse in Zechariah says “I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Save the World

Choosing to re-enact part of this prophecy should have made it very clear that insurrection was not the plan.  That the plan was crucifixion and resurrection.  That plan was to save the entire world, not just the Jews.  By dying the way he did he took all our sins, so that we can be forgiven.  And by rising to new life He proved, to his disciples and anyone else who will listen, that He was more than just a man.
We’ll hear more about that next week I’m sure.

The crowds reaction

The crowd reacted as they did because their vision for God was too small.  They were focussed on just their immediate problem and had lost sight of the amazing promises of God – even though they knew their scriptures much better than we know ours.  It is easy for us to be like the crowd and lose our sense of wonder and miss the big things that God is doing across His world, while getting very entangled in our own parochial problems.  It would be better to be like the disciples.

Be like the disciples

That’s much harder for us.  They were so attached to Jesus that even when all they could see was certain death – they still chose to follow Jesus.  Its hard for us to be like the disciples and simply follow commands, to respond to situations exactly as he would have us respond, with little or no understanding of what the point of our actions is.  If we can do that then Jesus mission will go on in the way that it should, bringing God to the world and

Glory to God.

It is those disciples and the ones who came after them who have made the ultimate difference.

References 

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/jesus-enters-jerusalem-tj-conwell-sermon-on-triumphant-entry-187873
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/whose-line-is-it-anyway-troy-borst-sermon-on-palm-sunday-200703
http://www.icf-online.org/icfprof.php?ident=bl06&name=Palm
http://bibleatlas.org/bethany.htm
https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/simon-maccabeus

 

Transforming Presence

Preached at 10:30 Morning Prayer at St Mary the Virgin, Little Burstead

Readings: Matthew16v13-20; Romans 12v1-8
 

Transforming Presence

Do you remember Transforming Presence, the initiative by the diocese to change the way we do
things and reverse the decline of the church. It should change the way the church is seen in the
world, to make us more outgoing and more likely to involve others.
The Apostle Paul is talking about a personal Transforming Presence in our reading this morning.
He speaks of the renewing of our minds. Verse 2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Without this change in each of us
the diocesan initiative is doomed to failure.

World View

We all have our own particular view of how the world works, but we should ask ourselves where
our view comes from. What are the influences that make us think in a certain way? What is the
agenda that is driving those influences?“We are perfectly useless as Christians if all we do is conform to the world around us.” The world is in a mess – that’s easy to see. But the causes are perhaps less clear. Isaiah tells us that
(53:6) “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;” - in other words
the problem is selfishness, we all think that we know the best way to run things.
God, Paul says, has been merciful to us. He has revealed that there is a different way, and He has
provided a way for us to follow His way instead of our own. Now, if I finish the Isaiah verse: “We
all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”
It tells us that Jesus, the Messiah, has taken our selfishness and provided a way for us to get back to
being in a relationship with God. Paul is saying that we should respond to this by transforming our
thought processes, because“We are perfectly useless as Christians if all we do is conform to the world around us.”

Transformation / Transfiguration

So we need to be changed, transformed into something different. It is worth saying that the Greek
word that is translated ‘transformed’ here is the same word that is used of the transfiguration, where
Peter, James and John saw Jesus changed, so that His face shone like the sun and His clothes
became as white as light. The meaning of the word is ‘changed in form’. That is the nature of the
change that Paul is urging on us.

Not mere rules (Freedom and Boundaries)

If we are going to be transformed, and no longer conform to the world, our behaviours will have to
change. We can no longer continue doing all the things we have been doing, but as Paul says
transformation is a whole lot more than the way we behave.
Christianity is sometimes seen as a religion of prohibitions – don’t do this, don’t do that, and it is
true that those rules exist, but if we look at them with a transformed mind, we will see them simply
as boundaries. Anyone who has had children will appreciate the importance of boundaries, and how
they change with the growth of the child. They will also know that there are some absolutes -
“Never put your hand in the fire” for example. We are God’s children - if we are going to live in
true freedom, we have to have boundaries that prevent us from making some horrendous mistakes.
The Bible does not provide us with a list of good behaviours to match the list of bad behaviours.
There isn’t even a list of Do’s to run alongside the list of Don’ts. Instead, we are provided with a
list of Godly characteristics – the fruits of the spirit. Galatians 5:22,23 “love, joy, peace,
forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
If we build this character, we will naturally operate within the boundaries because:
“When we are transformed in Christ, we love to do what we ought to do.”
(http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-renewed-mind-and-how-to-have-it)

Love to do what we ought to do

And when we love to do what we ought to do there is no problem, because we do not get near the
boundaries. That is true freedom.

Renewal of the Mind – The Problem

We cannot just decide that we will be always loving, joyful, peaceful, patient kind, good, faithful,
gentle, and in complete control of ourselves. Well, we may make the decision, but we are most
certainly incapable of keeping to it. Our minds come out of this world, and we have already seen
that the world is in a mess. One of the symptoms of the mess is that our minds have a natural
ignorance of God. 1 Peter 1:14 “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had
when you lived in ignorance.”
and
Ephesians 4:17-18 “So I tell you this, ... you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of
their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because
of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.”

Renewal of the Mind – The Holy Spirit

From within our darkened understanding and our selfish ignorance, we cannot hope to see God, but
the Holy Spirit, once it is inside us can illuminate our mind and renew it. Titus 3:5 “He saved us
through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”. The work of the Holy Spirit is to
show us the Glory of God, to lift the darkness, and to show us God as he really is.
We have seen an example of this already, in our gospel reading.

Peter recognises who Jesus is

When Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” He got some of the usual answers –
answers that came from a population largely in the dark about the things of God. When he asked
the disciples, “and what about you, what do you say?” Simon says, “You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God.” Simon has some understanding at last, he has some knowledge that can only have
come from God. Jesus recognised it immediately and seems to have taken it as a sign. He rewards
Simon with a new name – Peter means Rock, and gives him the keys to the kingdom – a truly
awesome responsibility. What a reward for a single flash of brilliance, because Peter’s mind has
been renewed, he has seen things that he couldn’t see before. God shone His light into the dark
recesses of Peter’s mind and the change in Peter was amazing. We’ve spoken a little about the
rewards that the Spirit provides already, and there is some more of that to come.

Peter Fails

If you read on from our Gospel reading today, you will see that the next story is one of utter failure
for Peter, even though it comes from his best intentions. This time he has completely failed to see
God’s will. If Peter’s mind is not renewed in one single instant, then it is extremely unlikely that
our minds will be. Having our minds renewed by the Holy Spirit is a lifelong process – not a brain
transplant.

How to help the renewal process

So, what can we do to help this process? It’s a question of motivation. We should ask ourselves
some questions:

• Do I long to break loose from conformity to the world?
• Do I long to be transformed and made new from the inside out?
• Do I long to be free from mere duty-driven Christianity and do what you love to do because what you love to do is what you ought to do?
• Do I long to offer up your body as a living sacrifice so that your whole life becomes a spiritual act of worship and displays the worth of Christ above the worth of the world?

If your answer was yes to any of these questions, then there are some things you can do to give the
Holy Spirit some additional material to work with:

• Read the Bible – as often as you can. If it helps, get a reading plan, if it doesn’t, don’t.
• Attend worship regularly
• Listen to Godly men and women or read their works
• Pray regularly or frequently, or both.

In other words, soak yourself in the things of God.

Rewards of Transformation

If we do these things we will soon begin to have our minds transformed, and Paul says that we will
be able to “test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
We will also soon be in a position to look at ourselves and not automatically think we are better than
we really are.

Living as the Body

Finally, Paul reminds us that we live together as a body, and in that body each of us has our special
gifts. The list here is not exhaustive, his aim is to remind his readers that God has chosen each of
them and put them in a particular place to fill a particular role. God is still doing that today with us. My Ministry, Part of God’s will, is knowing what His will is for me. This is why Paul is talking about ‘sober judgement’ when assess myself and my gifts. When looking for a role, I must have a sense of what God wants of me and the measure (the cut of, if you like) my faith. The role also needs to be there waiting for me. So by this we avoid people claiming a ministry that they are entirely unsuited to, or that could be better done by someone else. If you hear people talk of ‘my ministry’, ask yourself, or ask them whether it is really God’s ministry.

Transforming the Church and the World

Even with all this the church will never be perfect, that is summed up nicely by this saying:
“To dwell above with the saints we love, O that will be glory. But to dwell below with the
saints we know, well, that’s a different story!”
Nevertheless, if we are determined to allow the Holy Spirit in to do his work, we will see the fruits
– love, joy etc., and the story may become less different. Then we can get on with the job of
transforming the world.
No wait! That will never work, if we wait for that, we will never have enough time to transform the
world.

Transforming the World

Already, the statistics from various surveys seem to tell us we’re failing. Most of our social action
initiatives only reach people who already have a connection to the church, we’re not reaching the
unchurched population even when offering our help, well before to get to offering the good news of
Jesus.
The divorce rate among Christians in America is exactly the same as the divorce rate among non-believers. That’s probably the same here too.
The church, we are told in some recent articles, has abandoned the poor.
Well, all those things may be true, but we can only work in the fields that God leads us into, and we
are only responsible to Him for what we are doing – not to the PCC, or the bishop, although they
have a role to play.
Look at the response to the Grenfell Tower disaster, it was mainly the church that responded in the
immediate aftermath, providing shelter and food for the survivors.
In many towns across the country, Street Pastors are proven to have reduced the crime rate and
lowered the sense of tension on the streets in the late evenings. These people will meet and talk to
many who have never considered getting anywhere near a church.

Public Debate

What we hear on the news is only part of the story. The supposed big issues of the day – LGBTQ
rights or Gender Identity issues are used to publicly bash the church, but it will only dissuade a few.
I’d love the church to be leading these debates, not struggling to keep up, but how we transform the
world today has changed.
Many more people will be affected positively by the love they experience from faithful Christians
making one to one friendships, and supporting those in need without asking for anything in return.
Remember“We are perfectly useless as Christians if all we do is conform to the world around us.” but “When we are transformed in Christ we love to do what we ought to do.”


Let’s Pray
Father,
Change me from the inside out.
Renew and reconstruct my soul.
Obliterate my old habits.
I repent and receive your forgiveness.
I believe that your Word is working in me today.
I ingest your Word, chew on it, swallow it and receive it in faith.
Thank you for the power of your Word to bring change to this old, brittle soul.
I praise you for the joy you’ve set before me: a life lived as you intended me to live!
Amen
(From: http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/prayerplainandsimple/2015/04/prayer-for-a-renewed-mind.html)

References 

https://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-brian-mavis-stories-discipleship-64?ref=TextIllustrationDetails
http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-renewed-mind-and-how-to-have-it
http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/prayerplainandsimple/2015/04/prayer-for-a-renewed-mind.html
http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-daily-prayer/a-prayer-to-renew-your-mind-your-daily-prayer-april-28-2017.html
https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=134
https://bible.org/seriespage/24-peter-s-confession-and-christ-s-church-matthew-1613-20 
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/who-do-you-say-that-i-am-christopher-holdsworth-sermon-on-jesus-178520?ref=SermonSerps 
https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=127
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/renewing-your-mind-christian-cheong-sermon-on-bible-study-88758?ref=SermonSerps
http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-renewed-mind-and-how-to-have-it
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/romans-121-8-part-1-zak-saenz-sermon-on-bible-influence-100674
The Expositors Bible Commentary Volume 8 ISBN 0-310-36500-7 (V. 8)
The Expositors Bible Commentary Volume 10 ISBN 0-310-36520-1 (V. 10)
Matthew for Everyone Part 2 - Tom Wright  ISBN 78-0-281-05487-9
Paul for Everyone Part 2 - Tom Wright  ISBN 78-0-281-05737-0
Pradis v5.1

Modelling the Gospel

Preached at St Mary the Virgin, Little Burstead on Sunday 8 September 2013 at 10:30am

Purpose: To understand how Paul modelled the gospel message for Philemon and Onesimus.

Reading Philemon 1:1-21  

Introduction

Isn't it strange where the Lectionary readings end, what's wrong with the last four verses?  Well perhaps the final greetings could be left out, but v22 is fairly important to the tone of the letter.

We will look at this letter as a whole and examine our reaction to it, deal with some of the issues it raises and finally look at the doctrine of Atonement and especially Substitutionary Atonement.  Academics like using long words to describe things that most of us think are quite straight forward, so please don't switch off as we get towards the second part of the sermon.

Onesimus

So let’s look at the characters and see what we know about them and their situation.  I'll start with Onesimus as he seems to be the focus of attention.  His name means 'useful' and he is a runaway slave.  We have no idea why he ran away.  There are speculations that he was a thief, this is based on verse 18, but this may not be the case. Another speculation is that he was badly treated, but we have no evidence for that at all.

Somehow on his journey he had come into contact with Paul, and at some point converted to Christianity.  That's why he's called 'my son' by Paul in verse 10.  It seems that he has changed (as you'd expect) and is now living up to his name.  He is useful to Paul.

He is also mentioned in Colossians 4:9 where Paul’s writes:

He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

It's difficult to tell whether this is a result of Onesimus returning and being freed to go and work with Paul, or whether Paul still does not know he is a runaway slave.

Philemon

The letter is written to Philemon, he and his wife Apphia host a church and Archippus is most probably his son.  Paul clearly knows them all well.

Paul

The Apostle Paul was in prison for preaching the Gospel, and therefore 'a prisoner for Christ' not a prisoner of Christ!  Being in prison was something Paul had become familiar with.  The likelihood here is that he was in Rome under house arrest – perhaps one of the better imprisonments.  He couldn't leave, but he could have open communication with his visitors, and have any visitors he liked.

Reactions to the letter

Now that you know a little about the situation, I wonder how you react to the letter.  Put yourself in Philemon's place.  Your slave has run away, perhaps years ago, then he turns up with this letter from Paul – the person who was instrumental in your conversion and helped you found the church.  One commentator I read said they would be hopping mad to have received a letter like that (not the phrase they used exactly).  It is designed to give Philemon very little choice -

v 9&10 “I could be bold and order you … instead I appeal to you in love”

– When is an order not an order?  How ever you phrase your request, it still sounds like an order.

v11 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you.

– He's my closest friend while I'm in prison, but I'm sending him to you ...

v12 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel.

– You're not here helping me as you should be, but he is and I'd like to keep him!

… and he goes on like this until in verse 16 he ups the stakes.  So that you can have him back “better than a slave, as a dear brother”

Finally, in the verse we shouldn't have read there is the hope (threat) that Paul will soon visit Philemon.

Issues – Slavery

Apart from the tone of the letter another major issue that is raised is Slavery.  Nowhere does the Bible condemn slavery, it is part of the status quo.  We should not think of slavery in the same terms as the slave trade though.  Most slaves were either captured prisoners from conquests, or had fallen into debt, or had been born into slavery.

A Roman slave would often have been considered part of the family.  They were paid and were often professional people including doctors and teachers.  Children born into slavery were educated.  A slave who did well could buy his freedom, and many did.  So many that the laws about freeing slaves had to be tightened, but that was well after this period.

Some slaves though were treated poorly, especially those on the farms and in the mines.  Slaves were subject to corporal punishment and it was common for runaways to be executed.  There was a great fear of slave revolts and it was illegal for a Roman citizen to harbour a runaway slave.

Slaves could be traded in the market place or in private sales, in some places they were even sold in shops.  A slave would cost you about the same as a donkey[1], but a good slave might be 500 denarii[2] (500 days wages for a labourer).  Slavery was an important part of the economy of the empire.

Having said all of that we still find the idea that one man can be the owner of another abhorrent.  It goes against everything we believe about a God who loves us as individuals and created us to live for him.  I believe that it is passages like the one that we are looking at today that ultimately undermined the system of slavery, so while the Bible doesn't condemn slavery, it has brought it to an end – at least as a legally and economic process.

FF Bruce “What this epistle does is to bring us into an atmosphere in which the institution could only wilt and die”[3]

Doctrine: Substitutionary Atonement

Now we must move on to doctrine.  The doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement.

Before I explain it, and why it is worth talking about here is a simple illustration  that will help us all understand what I'm talking about.

Illustration[4]

A man was caught stealing milk that had been delivered to a shop. He had been arrested and he was taken to court. The judge asked him, “How do you plead?” There was only one way he could plead, because he had been caught in the act. He had to plead guilty. He asked for leniency for he had two small babies at home and nothing to give them and instead of seeing them starve he resorted to stealing. He said, “Judge, I plead for the mercy of the court.” The judge said that since he had pleaded guilty, he had no alternative but to find the man guilty and he assessed a fine. The fine was ten pounds. The man stood there, crestfallen, for he anticipated a jail sentence since he had nothing with which to pay. Then the judge got up, laid down his gavel, walked off the bench, walked over to the clerk’s desk and paid the £10.00 himself, and set the man free. Then, he approached the man and wrote him a cheque for £100 to provide for his need.

There was no question of guilt, nor of the justice of the sentence. And yet the one who had had to find him guilty, was the one who had paid his indebtedness in order that he might go free.

Substitutionary Atonement

That is Substitutionary Atonement.  Someone else pays the price for our failings, and we are free to go.  Substitutionary because it is not us who pays, Atonement because we are put right with the person we have offended.

Substitutionary Atonement – Real Life example

Here's how it works in real life:

During the war between Britain and France, men were conscripted into the French army by a kind of lottery system. When someone’s name was drawn, he had to go off to battle.
There was one exception to this, however. A person could be exempt if another was willing to take his place.
On one occasion the authorities came to a certain man and told him he was among those who had been chosen. He refused to go, saying, "I was shot 2 years ago."
At first they questioned his sanity, but he insisted that this indeed was the case. He claimed that the military records would show that he had been conscripted 2 years previously and that he had been killed in action.
"How can that be?" they questioned. "You are alive now!"
He explained that when his name came up, a close friend said to him, "You have a large family, but I am not married and nobody is dependent upon me. I’ll take your name and address and go in your place." And that is indeed what the record showed.
This rather unusual case was referred to Napoleon Bonaparte, who decided that the country had no legal claim on that man. He was free![5]  Someone else had complete the service he owed and died in his place, the debt had been paid once and could not be due again.

Gospel and the letter to Philemon

It is like that for us.  Jesus has died in our place.  He is the payment for our sins, and because He is the payment, we are free, we are made right with God.

It is exactly the same argument that Paul is using in today's reading when he says to Philemon in verse 18:

“If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me”

We know that Onesimus owed Philemon something, even if he was not a thief, he still owed Philemon the time that he had been missing, or possibly the cost of his replacement.

Whatever it was Paul would pay, because Onesimus couldn't, and Paul loved Onesimus.

Paul also knew the Gospel, he knew that ultimately none of us can pay what we owe.  All of us are reliant on Jesus for our freedom from sin and our acceptance by God.

We can see the parallels with the Gospel in this letter:

Philemon is God, with a legitimate claim on Onesimus (who represents us).  Paul is Christ, paying the price and ensuring that the return is possible.  Paul is being a good Christian and doing what Jesus did. Paul is doing what we are all called to do, but he is taking a risk.

Risks and Costs

Paul

Even though he was already in prison, harbouring a runaway slave was punishable by death.  We must assume that only Paul knew who Onesimus really was, otherwise he would have been in big trouble immediately and his guards would have handed him over straight away.  As soon as he found out he would have been thinking about how Onesimus should be returned.

Paul has written a very strong letter to one of his converts demanding a very unpopular and difficult course of action.  There was a chance that Philemon would be offended and not do as Paul wanted, in that case the church that Paul had invested so much effort in would have failed.

Onesimus

Onesimus knew he had to return, if there was any argument it is not recorded.  He also knew he was taking a risk.  Even with the letter in his pocket, perhaps especially with the letter in his pocket, travelling back would be dangerous.  Not nearly as dangerous as arriving though.  It was common for a runaway slave to be put to death immediately they returned as a deterrent to the others.

Philemon

If Philemon was to accept Onesimus back as a slave and without punishment he would be unpopular with his fellow slave owners.  If he accepts him back and then gives him his freedom he is going to be more than unpopular, he will be seen as encouraging rebellion.

Ending

So, what happened?  I hate stories where you don't get a proper conclusion to the events, especially when those stories are about real people.  Well we don't know, if there was a record it is lost is history.

Well there was a bishop in Ephesus called Onesimus (after Timothy) who collected together the letters of Paul and this document was in that collection.  There is no evidence that they were the same person, but it makes for a good end to the story.

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[1]    http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=44334

[2]    http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=48969

[3]    http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=48969

[4]    http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=48969

[5]    http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=44334