Now being a part of the organizing group, I arrived very early for the Linvoy Primus event. I spent the first part of the evening getting my parts of the technology working and putting out chairs. I spent the last part of the evening putting chairs away - there should be a specific ministry for chairs by now surely.
The Forge had done a great job with the Man Sized Buffet. I watched it being put out, and began to feel hungry. People slowly began to arrive. We had had a difficult time getting tickets sold, so I was wondering how many would turn up. In the end it was around 48, although none of us counted, I am going by the vacant seats.
I have only a superficial interest in football. If it hadn't been for my sons I would not have known that Linvoy Primus had been a Portsmouth player. Then finding he had played in the Premiership I was wondering what to expect. Premiership players are all grossly overpaid prima donnas aren't they? I could hardly have been more wrong. Linvoy arrived with a couple of friends from the days before he was a professional footballer. He says that he is just an ordinary person whose job is playing football - that is exactly how he comes across.
We have had a number of talks from guys who have experienced the miraculous. They have amazing stories of Gods providence, and miracles that delayed their arrival in heaven. I love listening to the stories - present day miracles are important. So that we can still see God working the way He always has. BUT - they do not help me in my situation, neither do they help me to relate to what the speakers were going through - I have never experienced anything like it.
Linvoy was different, he talked about his career, the pressures, the disappointments and the successes. He talked about the stresses and difficulties that he faced, and how his faith in the Lord Jesus helped him to get through the situations he was in. He talked about the pressures he came under when he first believed and how his faith has slowly spread to others in the game. His heart is dedicated to sharing his faith and he uses his fame to do just that. He has been called 'the nicest bloke in football' apparently. From what I saw, I could easily believe that was true. He stayed behind after his talk to chat to people until we had finished clearing up and the staff were expecting us to leave.
I enjoyed the evening very much, I think he was the best speaker I have heard at Forging Men. He made all the difficulties with planning worthwhile.
The Brentwood Gazette also covered the story, they interviewed Linvoy before the evening and the CVM guys e-mailed them photos. As usual they did a good spread, sadly there doesn't appear to be anything on-line.
I had a great evening and would recommend that you hear Linvoy speak if you can.
Friday, October 03, 2014
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
The World is not Enough - Matthew 16:21-28
Introduction
I've been struck by what John Carr
has said about the Gospels. “The Gospels were written so that you
may believe”. So I started thinking about what it is in this
passage that helps us to believe in Jesus. I think part of the
answer is Peter. The gospel characters are very well portrayed, if
we read the gospels in larger chunks than just the small reading we
had this morning, it doesn't take long before we get a pretty good
idea of what each of the main disciples are like. Peter is
impetuous, he acts before he thinks, and he responds without thinking
through what he is saying. There is nothing malicious in him, and he
clearly has a great love for Jesus. That's why he responds like he
does.
A couple of weeks ago we heard Jesus
ask his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” (16:15). I
wonder if there was a long pause as they all wondered what their
teacher expected them to say. It was Peter who broke the silence.
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” and Jesus' reply
is one of warm congratulation and reward: “Blessed are you, Simon
son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my
Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
How did Peter feel after that? He is
told that he is blessed, given a new name, and entrusted with the
future mission of the group.
Up a Level
As a result of this Jesus decides
that they have come far enough for him to be teaching them at the
next level.
I overheard a conversation on the bus
on Friday. Two girls from Mayflower comparing notes on their new
classes. “She's, like, taken it to the next level, she's speaking
Spanish as soon as we get in the room and the tasks are all written
up in Spanish, and some of the words we don't even know ...”, and
so it went on.
When a teacher thinks you have
mastered a certain amount they start with the more difficult
teachings and it can be hard to adjust.
That is what has happened here. The
passage we had read to us starts “From that time on ...”. Now
Jesus will be speaking clearly about what must happen. He's here on
a mission to rescue humanity. If the mission is to succeed He must
die on a cross. Then on the third day he will rise to life.
It's all too much for Peter, much too
big a step forward. He can't cope. God had revealed to Peter who
Jesus was, but the enormity of it was too much to take in. How could
his friend, his leader, the person he had left his home to follow,
the person he had been with and relied upon for two years, suddenly
be speaking of his death. No, that can't be right! Jesus, you must
to be mistaken. This is not how it goes for the person I have come
to know, there is so much still to do, so many people still to heal,
so many people still to convince, we've hardly started!
What comes out probably doesn't do
justice to his thoughts: “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall
never happen to you!”
And Jesus' retort is perhaps the
biggest, hardest put down in History: “Get behind me, Satan! You
are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of
God, but the things of men.”
Peter has gone from the greatest
hero, to nothing, to worse than nothing. From the closest friend to
the greatest enemy, in the space of almost no time at all.
Ups & downs
Well life certainly has it's ups and
downs.
We've had our own ups and downs
recently as we've heard the news that Warner will be leaving us, then
last week the church was full as we and people from the other
churches, and various organizations around town came to say our
goodbyes.
What a great service it was! – and
what a sad occasion.
Perhaps some of us still haven't
really accepted what has happened, is was all too quick for us to get
an understanding of what the church will be like without him.
Hard Teaching
Jesus didn't give Peter any time to
come to terms with his failure, He just launched straight into more
teaching. Here we have another reason the gospels help us to believe
– they teach us the reality of following Jesus. It is not sugar
coated in any way – straight forward truths, but some are hard to
bear.
This is most certainly on another
level compared to what the disciples have seen until now. It remains
difficult for us too, but if we are to be focused on Jesus, and not
let the ups and downs of the world overcome us, this is were we must
be.
Now I'm going to look at these last
four verses in a more detail. You may want to follow the text as I
do.
24 If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
If anyone would come after me, he
must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
The disciples had all been called,
some had left their jobs and homes in an instant to follow Jesus, and
yet He say “If anyone would come after me ...” His assumption is
that they are making an effort to follow him (and right now to keep
up with Him!). That is true for us too, it is hard work sometimes to
follow Jesus, we don't understand where He is leading us, or the
purpose behind what He is asking of us. Some of the things He say,
some of the commands (or is that demands) in scripture seem
impossible.
Deny Self
But following after Him is the easy
piece. Next, He says that we must deny ourselves. That is not the
same as self-denial. During Lent some people give up chocolate or
perhaps meat or something else – they deny it to themselves, that
is self-denial, it is not denying self. To understand what Jesus is saying, we can again use Peter as an example. Most of you will know
that after Jesus' arrest, Peter denied that he knew Jesus three times.
In predicting that Jesus said (Mt
26:34) “I tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster
crows, you will disown me three times.”
The word used there – translated
disown – is the same word used in this passage. When we become Christians, everything that we were is to be left behind. As Paul
says to the Corinthians “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new
creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
We can say of our former lives, “I
don't know him (or her) – I have nothing to do with them.”. It
is easy to say, but much harder to do.
So what does it mean in practice, I
found this description:
“If when you are good, evil is
spoken, and when your wishes are crossed and your advice is
disregarded, and your opinions are ridiculed, and you refuse to let
anger rise in your heart, and even defend yourself’ but you take
it patiently in loving silence, then you are dying to self. And when
you lovingly and patiently bear any disgrace, any irregularity, any
annoyance, when you stand face to face with extravagance and folly
and spiritual insensitivity and endure it, as Jesus did, that is
dying to self. And when you are content with any food, any money, any
clothing, any society, any solitude or interruption by the will of
God, that is dying to self. And when you never care to refer to
yourself in conversation or record your own good works, or itch after
commendation from others, and when you truly love to be unknown, that
is dying to self. When you see your brother prosper, see his needs
wondrously met, and can honestly rejoice with him [with his big
house, with his big car, with his big pool – whatever it may be]
without feeling envy, and never question God though your needs are
greater and still unmet, that is dying to self. Now when you can
receive correction and reproof from someone of less stature, and
admit that he is right and find no resentment or rebellion in your
heart, that is dying to self.”
[Chelmsford holding cross]
We have neutralized to power of the
cross, we have turned it into a symbol of comfort. Do you remember
the video of the Chelmsford holding cross a few weeks ago, and how
lovingly this symbol was described. There is nothing wrong with
that, so long as we don't lose its real meaning – it represented a
shameful death to the Romans, and also to the Jews. For us today, the
nearest equivalent would be to carry an electric chair – that is
where murders end up in some countries, and that is what the cross
really represents.
We have an expression - “we all
have our crosses to bear” which, no doubt, derived from this
passage, but our saying does not do justice to the passage. It
usually refers to all the difficulties that occur in life –
sickness, disability, problems with family or work, or whatever
causes you trouble, but that is not what Jesus is talking about. We
only have one cross to bear, and it is the cross of Christ.
25 & 26 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
“For whoever wants to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What
good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits
his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
This saying in verse 25 is found in
all four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, so the gospel
writers clearly though that it was important. Sometimes it is found
more than once, so it may have been something that Jesus was said to
them all many times. It is simply saying that if you try to save
your life now – by denying Jesus, then you will ultimately loose
it, but if you loose your life now then you are assured of eternal
life. This is really just an extension and expansion of 'take up
your cross'.
26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
What good will it be for a man if he
gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give
in exchange for his soul?
Our translation makes it sound as
though Jesus has changed tack, but the word translated 'soul' here is
the same word translated 'life' in the previous verse. The word can
be translated to life, soul, heart, mind and refers to the inner
person, so nothing much has changed in what Jesus is saying. Perhaps
we could say “What good is it if a man gains the whole world, yet
forfeits himself. What can a man give in exchange for himself?
So what can a man get in exchange for
his soul, for himself?
There are any number of films and
stories based on people gaining some advantage by selling their soul
to Satan, and their lives do not end well, but it was an exchange in
a bond film that really spoke to me:
Elektra
King: I could have given you the world.
James
Bond: The world is not enough.
Elektra
King: Foolish sentiment.
James
Bond: Family motto.
When we are tempted to go seeking
after things that the world has to offer, we should remember the
family motto “The world is not enough”.
Look at it another way. On one of
the CCS evening the students were doing a presentation on how to
reach various groups of people, as a demonstration of a technique I
was asked to come to the front to estimate the value of a rare
painting, which they had carefully covered and stood on the floor. I
was asked to kneel down, but my knees are not that great, and I
didn't get as far as I had hoped. They raised the cover …
… and I saw a picture of my feet!!
How lovely on the mountains are the
feet of him who brings good news! - or even if they are on the church
floor! From the hymn 'Our God Reigns' and Isaiah 52
It was of course a way of revealing
to people how much God values them.
I wouldn't give up my soul for the
world, but God gave up His son for my soul.
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
For the Son of Man is going to come
in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each
person according to what he has done.
There is an expectation that God will
respond justly to how we behave in this life.
Ps
62v2 Surely
you will reward each person according to what he has done.
And
Ro
2:6-8 God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and
immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are
self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be
wrath and anger.
Mt 16:28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Mt
16:28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste
death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Peter
has already been told that He has been given the Keys to the Kingdom
of Heaven, but we know that Jesus is in charge of His church on
Earth, and we also know that all the disciples were involved in the
founding of the church in some way, and the church is the beginnings
of the Kingdom of God.
Conclusion
Jesus has moved the teaching up a
level in response to Peters triumph and failure. He is preparing the
disciples for Easter. We may not have realized that there is such a
cost to discipleship and we may not yet be ready to go the whole way.
We should remember that Jesus' mission to save us from sin and death
cost him His life, that seems to be more that a fair trade to me.
Lets pray.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Wedding of the Year
After an early start, we were ready in plenty of time, the Rolls Royce arrived and took the bridesmaids to church, it came back for us. Liz and I rode in the back, with Jo on a fold down seat in the middle. It was a lovely car, but a quite uncomfortable ride - give me modern suspension any day. We arrived to find the church full. As we prepared for the walk down the aisle, the brownies were so excited they could barely stay in their seats. When the music finally started we walked slowly down the aisle - just as we had practiced. The wedding went without a hitch - well just one hitch - Ray to Liz. Gary gave an excellent talk, Tom lead us through communion and then it was all over. It took a while, but it didn't seem that long. After the service there was a recption in the hall for those who were not invited to the wedding brekfast. While people enjoyed some refreshment and I tried to catch up with friends and family, the picures were being taken.
We then travelled to the Freight House, near Rochford station, for the wedding breakfast, and the speaches. A very nice meal was served to the 100+ guests and everything was ready for the dancing by a little after 7:30pm. The evening finished at midnight, but by then most people had already left.
It was a lovely occasion, I would like to thank all those involved for making it an incredibly enjoyable day for Liz and Ray and for all their friends and family. I received so many positive comments about the church service and the reception that underlined to me just how well everything had gone.
We then travelled to the Freight House, near Rochford station, for the wedding breakfast, and the speaches. A very nice meal was served to the 100+ guests and everything was ready for the dancing by a little after 7:30pm. The evening finished at midnight, but by then most people had already left.
It was a lovely occasion, I would like to thank all those involved for making it an incredibly enjoyable day for Liz and Ray and for all their friends and family. I received so many positive comments about the church service and the reception that underlined to me just how well everything had gone.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Psalm 135: How Great thou Art
Preached at Christ Church, Billericay 16 March at 8am
This is quite a different Psalm from psalm 23, that I spoke on last month. Psalm 23 has a very personal element that Psalm 135 seems to lack, although even here there are some personal statements. This psalm is like a collection of favourite verses in the bible put together into a song. Here's the list:
Psalm 135:1 from Psalm 134:1 and 113:1
Psalm 135:2 from Psalm 134:1
Psalm 135:3 from Psalm 147:1
Psalm 135:4 from Exodus 19:5 and Deuteronomy 7:6
Psalm 135:5 from Exodus 19:5 and 18:11
Psalm 135:6 from Psalm 115:3
Psalm 135:7 from Jeremiah 10:13 and Job 38:22
Psalm 135:8-12 from Psalm 136:10-22
Psalm 135:13-18 from Exodus 3:15; Deuteronomy 32:36; Isaiah 44:12-;20; Jeremiah 10:6-10
Psalm 135:19-20 from Psalm 115:9-11
Psalm 135:21 from Psalm 128:5 and Psalm 134:3
It seems to have been written for use in the temple liturgy of the second temple. It is part of the group of psalms (120-136) known as the “Great Hallal” and starts and ends with Hallelujah's.
And here's how the song is constructed:
1-4 Israel’s Praise
5-7 Yahweh's Greatness as creator
8-14 Yahweh's Redemptive Acts in History
15-18 Inability of Idols
19-21 Israel’s praise
We praise the Lord because He is good, and the act of praise is pleasant. Then as now a great song of worship can lift the congregation and improve their mood, and that is what this Psalm is meant to do. We all feel better after a really good song of praise.
It is then we find out why the Israelites can praise their Lord so readily and heartily. Praise the Lord because he has chosen your family to be His own – to receive His special favour.
Having set God up as a fearsome Lord, destroying all the enemies, this section ends with a reminder the Lord will be there forever – through all generations. He will vindicate his people and have compassion on His servants. He will not treat His chosen ones like the enemies He has defeated for them, to get them to the promised land.
The first, and most important thing to note is that, while it was not written for us, it still conveys some very basic and important truths about The Lord God, all these things we know:
The Lord is Good
Praising the Lord is pleasant
The Lord has chosen us, just as he chose Jacob
We are His treasured possession (I am his treasured possession) [Say it]
The Lord is greater than all the other things we make into gods – mainly ourselves these days
The Lord does whatever pleases him (v6), although we may not believe that He manages the weather second-by-second, we still believe that he has ultimate control of it.
We know that the Lord does miracles, but the miracle we look back to is not the escape from Egypt, but the death and resurrection of Jesus. We know that the event we look back to was accompanied by signs and wonders, just as the escape from Egypt was.
We do not look back to the defeat of nations
(vv11-12), but to the subjugation of the 'principalities and powers' as we watch the world turn from its pagan ways to the Christian faith in the early centuries after the resurrection of Christ.
We know that the Lord endures forever.
That he will vindicate his people, and that he has compassion on his servants.
We know that gold and silver, whether they are coin shaped or fashioned into an image of a being cannot really speak into the world.
There is one song that captures the sort of worship this psalm was aimed at, but its verses are specifically Christian. It praises God, it recognises that creation is His. It looks back to the amazing miracle that Jesus died for our sins, and rose from the dead to prove He is God, and is coming to collect us and take us to a land so much greater than the land of Israel.
Sing it to yourselves as you leave.
Any suggestions?
The one I thought of is: "How Great Thou Art"
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Chorus
And when I think of God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Chorus
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Chorus
Introduction
Psalm 135:1 from Psalm 134:1 and 113:1
Psalm 135:2 from Psalm 134:1
Psalm 135:3 from Psalm 147:1
Psalm 135:4 from Exodus 19:5 and Deuteronomy 7:6
Psalm 135:5 from Exodus 19:5 and 18:11
Psalm 135:6 from Psalm 115:3
Psalm 135:7 from Jeremiah 10:13 and Job 38:22
Psalm 135:8-12 from Psalm 136:10-22
Psalm 135:13-18 from Exodus 3:15; Deuteronomy 32:36; Isaiah 44:12-;20; Jeremiah 10:6-10
Psalm 135:19-20 from Psalm 115:9-11
Psalm 135:21 from Psalm 128:5 and Psalm 134:3
It seems to have been written for use in the temple liturgy of the second temple. It is part of the group of psalms (120-136) known as the “Great Hallal” and starts and ends with Hallelujah's.
And here's how the song is constructed:
1-4 Israel’s Praise
5-7 Yahweh's Greatness as creator
8-14 Yahweh's Redemptive Acts in History
15-18 Inability of Idols
19-21 Israel’s praise
1-4 Israel’s Praise
The psalm opens with Hallelujah, translated “Praise the Lord”, which sounds like an instruction to us, but is as much “Praise of the Lord” as and encouragement to “Praise the Lord”. The praise is to start from those who are closest to God, those who “minister in the house of the Lord” - inside the temple – the priests and move to those in the temple courts – outside where the regular worshippers meet.We praise the Lord because He is good, and the act of praise is pleasant. Then as now a great song of worship can lift the congregation and improve their mood, and that is what this Psalm is meant to do. We all feel better after a really good song of praise.
It is then we find out why the Israelites can praise their Lord so readily and heartily. Praise the Lord because he has chosen your family to be His own – to receive His special favour.
5-7 Yahweh's Greatness as creator
Now, in the second part of the Psalm we move from the family to the individual. Verse 5 starts with I. “I know ...”. The Lord is not just a great God because he has chosen my family, but because he has chosen me, and I know it. The Lord is greater than all the other Gods, I know that he is in charge of all creation – He does whatever pleases him, in the heavens, on the earth in the sea and under the earth. He controls the weather. These are the psalmists personal experiences of God.8-14 Yahweh's Redemptive Acts in History
In verse 8 the emphasis moves from the general elements of creation to the specifics that the Israelites have to be thankful to God for. Immediately we are taken back to the escape from Egypt in the Exodus, and the final act of God that made that escape possible. He struck down the first born of Pharaoh and all the Egyptians, but it was not just escape that was made possible, it was also entry to the promised land. Sihon, Og, and all the kings of Canaan had to be overcome before the Israelites could enter the promised land. The land was then given to the Israelites as an inheritance.Having set God up as a fearsome Lord, destroying all the enemies, this section ends with a reminder the Lord will be there forever – through all generations. He will vindicate his people and have compassion on His servants. He will not treat His chosen ones like the enemies He has defeated for them, to get them to the promised land.
15-18 Inability of Idols
Now we concentrate on the reasons the other kingdoms failed: Their gods are just idols, they are silver and gold made by men, they do not speak, see, hear or breathe, unlike the God of the Israelites. It's a stark choice, do you put your trust in the God of everything, or the idol that is nothing, that is the comparison. The section ends with the expectation that you become who you believe in.19-21 Israel’s praise
In the final section we return to the Hallelujah's this time we start with the praise of Israel, and return to the priests and the Levites, but there is also the more general “you who fear him”, implying that there are those in Israel who do not!Christian Approach
As we have already said, the psalm was written for the liturgy of the second temple, it was most certainly not written with us in mind. So how should we as Christians understand the Psalm, and use it?The first, and most important thing to note is that, while it was not written for us, it still conveys some very basic and important truths about The Lord God, all these things we know:
The Lord is Good
Praising the Lord is pleasant
The Lord has chosen us, just as he chose Jacob
We are His treasured possession (I am his treasured possession) [Say it]
The Lord is greater than all the other things we make into gods – mainly ourselves these days
The Lord does whatever pleases him (v6), although we may not believe that He manages the weather second-by-second, we still believe that he has ultimate control of it.
We know that the Lord does miracles, but the miracle we look back to is not the escape from Egypt, but the death and resurrection of Jesus. We know that the event we look back to was accompanied by signs and wonders, just as the escape from Egypt was.
We do not look back to the defeat of nations
(vv11-12), but to the subjugation of the 'principalities and powers' as we watch the world turn from its pagan ways to the Christian faith in the early centuries after the resurrection of Christ.
We know that the Lord endures forever.
That he will vindicate his people, and that he has compassion on his servants.
We know that gold and silver, whether they are coin shaped or fashioned into an image of a being cannot really speak into the world.
Use in worship?
That is looking at the detail of the psalm, and perhaps that is the best way for us to use it. I tried to find a sung version of the psalm, I was hoping to hear it in the Hebrew language, but I could only find a Serbian chant. It did not raise my spirits, to my ears it was just something that should be turned off. I went to the scripture index of my Songs and Hymns of Fellowship (volumes 1-3) to see if there were any songs based on this psalm – there aren't. Judging by the list it is one of the few psalms that hasn't inspired a modern song.There is one song that captures the sort of worship this psalm was aimed at, but its verses are specifically Christian. It praises God, it recognises that creation is His. It looks back to the amazing miracle that Jesus died for our sins, and rose from the dead to prove He is God, and is coming to collect us and take us to a land so much greater than the land of Israel.
Sing it to yourselves as you leave.
Any suggestions?
The one I thought of is: "How Great Thou Art"
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Chorus
And when I think of God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Chorus
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Chorus
Sunday, March 09, 2014
Temptation
Preached at St Johns, Billericay 9 March 2014
Are you tempted? Do you recognise what Oscar Wilde is saying?
I have several temptations, one that I have suffered from for many years is the temptation to eat when it is not necessary, when I'm not hungry and it's not meal time. Just writing these words has made my stomach rumble! I have only recently tried to resist this, so I can say that yielding to temptation does not make the temptation go away.
According to the Oxford Dictionary a temptation is “The desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise”. Other dictionaries add the concept of evil, so temptation is the desire to do some wrong, unwise or evil.
In the bible the word for tempting can also mean testing. I saw a good tweet the other day that illustrates this. “I didn't break it, I was administering a robustness test and it failed”.
I have started to resist the temptation because I have come to understand that it is unwise. My weight is beginning to affect my health, so in order to live a healthier life I must resist the temptation.
So let's take a look at the gospel passage we read in the light of those ideas and see where it takes us.
Jesus led to the Wilderness
After his baptism Jesus is led into the wilderness by the spirit to be tempted by the devil. He has just heard the words ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ Now He has to face a test, it is not a test that is intended to break Jesus, it is one that is intended to prove Him. To prove that He is up to the task of bringing salvation to mankind.
We must not miss the parallels with the Old Testament. God's chosen people faced the wilderness immediately after the triumph of escape from the Egyptians, and Jesus will face the wilderness after the triumph of hearing the heavenly voice.
Jesus quotes part of Deuteronomy 8:3. It is part of the story of the Israelites in the wilderness. Here's the whole verse:
“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
God fed the Israelites, even though they had not trusted him and had complained to Moses that they had left behind all the good food that was available in Egypt.
Jesus knows that his ability to perform miracles is not to be used to look after himself, for that He must trust in God just as those he has come to save must trust in God for their everyday needs.
Here’s the verse from Psalm 91 that Satan uses:
9 If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
It's not a full quote, he has missed out 'to guard you in all your ways', but its not so far away for Satan to have been accused of misusing scripture.
Later Jewish writings say that the messiah will prove himself by throwing himself off the pinnacle of the temple, but not as a spectacle for the crowds.
Jesus' response is to use more scripture. This time it comes from Exodus 17:2-7 and is not a direct quote. In Exodus 17 the Israelites are complaining that they don't have water, Moses strikes a rock and water gushes out. Before this Moses is angry with them and says “Why do you put the Lord your God to the test?”
Jesus knows that if he is to do anything about the suffering and pain he must go to the cross and pay the price for all the people who are less than splendid, and that that is the only way. So his response is another piece of scripture, this time Deuteronomy 6:13 “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.” and he give Satan a direct command, which He has the authority to give, so Satan must leave, but he will be back.
Here are a few key pieces of scripture that will help us resist the temptations placed before us by Satan:
1 John 5:4 everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Our faith keeps us close to God, just as Jesus was close to his father. If we stay focussed on God and his kingdom the distractions of the world will become less significant for us.
2 Tim. 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Mark Twain said “There are several good protections against temptations, but the surest is cowardice.” and it seems that the Bible agrees – Run Away.
Just like Jesus we too have authority over Satan, just tell him to “Go Away”. You'll have to say it out loud though, because Satan is not inside you like God is.
Jack was a slave in the Philippines whose main job was chopping wood. One day Jack told his master “I finally realised that it is not my fault I'm a slave, its all Adams fault, he ate the forbidden fruit.” So the master said he was very sorry, and that from now on he should live in the big house. There was only one condition, he must not look in the box on the dining table.
After gorging himself with a sumptuous meal, he saw the box. It was just an ordinary looking box. He shook it. But it was light and it seems to be empty. He got so curious that he opened it. He saw a letter. It read: “Dear Jack. See? Don’t you ever blame Adam again! If you were in his place, you would do the same thing. Go chop some wood!”
For just as through the disobedience of the one man q the many were made sinners, r so also through the obedience s of the one man the many will be made righteous
Conclusion
We have seen that giving in to temptation is not helpful, because it does not make the enticements go away.
We have seen that Jesus was tempted – or tested – and proved to be the righteous son of God, who succeeded where Adam and the Israelites failed. He was clear about his mission, focused on God, and not the world.
We have looked at some helpful ways to avoid temptation and that we have a forgiving Father who has paid for the sins we commit when we fail to avoid or resist temptation.
Introduction
In Oscar Wilde's play “Lady Windemere's Fan” Lord Darlington says “I can resist anything but temptation”. It is said rather flippantly in the play, but for us it is a good starting point. Should we try to resist temptations, or should we just give in to them? That is the proposal in another of Oscar Wilde's plays - “The Picture of Dorian Grey”, where Lord Henry says “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful.”. It is quite a contrast to the response that Jesus had when He was tempted.Are you tempted? Do you recognise what Oscar Wilde is saying?
I have several temptations, one that I have suffered from for many years is the temptation to eat when it is not necessary, when I'm not hungry and it's not meal time. Just writing these words has made my stomach rumble! I have only recently tried to resist this, so I can say that yielding to temptation does not make the temptation go away.
Definition
Lets see what we mean by temptation.According to the Oxford Dictionary a temptation is “The desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise”. Other dictionaries add the concept of evil, so temptation is the desire to do some wrong, unwise or evil.
In the bible the word for tempting can also mean testing. I saw a good tweet the other day that illustrates this. “I didn't break it, I was administering a robustness test and it failed”.
I have started to resist the temptation because I have come to understand that it is unwise. My weight is beginning to affect my health, so in order to live a healthier life I must resist the temptation.
So let's take a look at the gospel passage we read in the light of those ideas and see where it takes us.
Jesus led to the Wilderness
After his baptism Jesus is led into the wilderness by the spirit to be tempted by the devil. He has just heard the words ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ Now He has to face a test, it is not a test that is intended to break Jesus, it is one that is intended to prove Him. To prove that He is up to the task of bringing salvation to mankind.
We must not miss the parallels with the Old Testament. God's chosen people faced the wilderness immediately after the triumph of escape from the Egyptians, and Jesus will face the wilderness after the triumph of hearing the heavenly voice.
The temptations
For forty days in the Wilderness Jesus fasts, and Matthew says he was hungry. Forty days is about as much as anyone can fast without being in danger of serious health problems, or even death, so to say that Jesus was hungry was an understatement. He is weak when the devil attacks. So it is not surprising that the first temptation is about food.Turn these stones into bread
Satan, or the tempter as he is called starts off with something like “Well so you're Jesus, the son of God. You sure look hungry. God doesn't want you to starve, he provides for your every need, and you have all the powers of God, so just turn these stones into bread and you will be satisfied”. Satan is not suggesting that there is any doubt that Jesus is the son of God, he is just suggesting that the son of God should not be in need of a good meal. We know that Jesus has the power to produce miraculous food from the stories of the feeding of the 5000 and the feeding of the 4000.Jesus quotes part of Deuteronomy 8:3. It is part of the story of the Israelites in the wilderness. Here's the whole verse:
“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
God fed the Israelites, even though they had not trusted him and had complained to Moses that they had left behind all the good food that was available in Egypt.
Jesus knows that his ability to perform miracles is not to be used to look after himself, for that He must trust in God just as those he has come to save must trust in God for their everyday needs.
Throw yourself off
Satan is clever. If Jesus wants to use scripture to defend himself, then Satan will use it to attack too. So Jesus is taken to the highest point of the temple, and invited to throw himself off. Satan is saying something like “OK, Jesus, you trust God, but how much do you trust God. Do you trust God with your life, even when its in immediate danger? Psalm 91 says that you should, so go on ...”Here’s the verse from Psalm 91 that Satan uses:
9 If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
It's not a full quote, he has missed out 'to guard you in all your ways', but its not so far away for Satan to have been accused of misusing scripture.
Later Jewish writings say that the messiah will prove himself by throwing himself off the pinnacle of the temple, but not as a spectacle for the crowds.
Jesus' response is to use more scripture. This time it comes from Exodus 17:2-7 and is not a direct quote. In Exodus 17 the Israelites are complaining that they don't have water, Moses strikes a rock and water gushes out. Before this Moses is angry with them and says “Why do you put the Lord your God to the test?”
“Bow down to me”
The final temptation really gets to the crux of the matter. Both the temptations so far have been clear lies, but subtle with it. The third is not subtle in any way. Jesus is taken to somewhere where he can see the whole world and its' splendour. With this in view Satan makes him an offer. “I will give you all this if you will bow down to me”. The lie here is not only that Jesus won't really own it if He has to give allegiance to Satan, but what He is shown is also a lie, the world is not only the splendid parts, and Jesus has primarily come to deal with the less than splendid parts. Jesus is being offered a short cut to get what he came for. Satan is saying something like: “Look at all I have, you can have it all, and you won't need to go through all that suffering and pain. Just bow down to me and its yours”Jesus knows that if he is to do anything about the suffering and pain he must go to the cross and pay the price for all the people who are less than splendid, and that that is the only way. So his response is another piece of scripture, this time Deuteronomy 6:13 “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.” and he give Satan a direct command, which He has the authority to give, so Satan must leave, but he will be back.
Not a sin to be tempted
Jesus was without sin, and yet Jesus was tempted, so we can see that it is not a sin to be tempted. Temptations though, must be dealt with, or they will quickly turn into sins. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.Our temptations
Satan approaches us in the same way he approached Jesus. He will ask us the same type of questions, and offer us the same ways forward.Here are a few key pieces of scripture that will help us resist the temptations placed before us by Satan:
1 John 5:4 everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Our faith keeps us close to God, just as Jesus was close to his father. If we stay focussed on God and his kingdom the distractions of the world will become less significant for us.
2 Tim. 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Mark Twain said “There are several good protections against temptations, but the surest is cowardice.” and it seems that the Bible agrees – Run Away.
Just like Jesus we too have authority over Satan, just tell him to “Go Away”. You'll have to say it out loud though, because Satan is not inside you like God is.
Our fault
Sometimes though our temptations are not caused bay Satan whispering in our ear, but by our own determination, and sometimes those are the ones that lead us to sin.Jack was a slave in the Philippines whose main job was chopping wood. One day Jack told his master “I finally realised that it is not my fault I'm a slave, its all Adams fault, he ate the forbidden fruit.” So the master said he was very sorry, and that from now on he should live in the big house. There was only one condition, he must not look in the box on the dining table.
After gorging himself with a sumptuous meal, he saw the box. It was just an ordinary looking box. He shook it. But it was light and it seems to be empty. He got so curious that he opened it. He saw a letter. It read: “Dear Jack. See? Don’t you ever blame Adam again! If you were in his place, you would do the same thing. Go chop some wood!”
Redemption
Paul explains Adam's curse, and Jesus redemption through the grace of God in the reading we had from the letter to the Romans. It is why Jesus came, why he went through the temptations, to prove that there was one man who would never fall, and that He can pay the price for us all. The last verse sums it up:For just as through the disobedience of the one man q the many were made sinners, r so also through the obedience s of the one man the many will be made righteous
Conclusion
We have seen that giving in to temptation is not helpful, because it does not make the enticements go away.
We have seen that Jesus was tempted – or tested – and proved to be the righteous son of God, who succeeded where Adam and the Israelites failed. He was clear about his mission, focused on God, and not the world.
We have looked at some helpful ways to avoid temptation and that we have a forgiving Father who has paid for the sins we commit when we fail to avoid or resist temptation.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Job (Scriptures Jesus loved)
This is my first attempt to preach a whole book, something I have been thinking about since New Wine in the summer. It was preached at 'Come Together', our monthly evening service.
Aim: To look at what Job learns from his suffering
Readings
Job 1:6-12 – The situation
The disaster
Job 1:20-22 – Job's reaction
Job 2:9-13- wife and friends
Job 27:1-6 – Job final response to his friends
Elihu
Job 38:1-5; 31 God speaks to Job
Job 40:1-2 God speaks to Job
Job 42:2-6 Job's final response to God
Epilogue
I'm going to look at the book of Job. I'll do this by using some of the book to tell the story, and then look at what it says to us about God.
The story of Job refers to a time, probably before Abraham, certainly before the establishment of the Kingdoms. We have no way of knowing whether this is a cleverly constructed story or that Job was a real person who really experience the disasters that we will see were brought upon him. We can be sure that the telling of the story is very well constructed, it consists of a prologue, followed by a series of poems in which the causes of suffering are debated, and an epilogue which provides us with a startling answer.
Why this book – because it is written like a parable.
Let’s start with the first reading.
Job 1:6-12
Job 1:6 One day the angels 1 r came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan 2 s also came with them. t
Job 1:7 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” u
Job 1:8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? v There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God w and shuns evil.” x
Job 1:9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” y Satan replied.
Job 1:10 “Have you not put a hedge z around him and his household and everything he has? a You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. b
Job 1:11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, c and he will surely curse you to your face.” d
Job 1:12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has e is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” f
Disaster follows. Immediately we hear of the death of his 7 sons and his daughters and the loss of his wealth. Satan, though is not satisfied, so at another meeting of the Angels, where God is even more proud of Job, Satan asks to be allowed to affect Job as well. Then Job is covered in boils.
I expect we have all experienced some disasters in our lives, but probably not of that magnitude. Today it would be something like: Your children have all been killed in a road accident, when you went to the bank someone had withdrawn all your money, but the bank were convinced that it was you. Then you found you credit cards were maxed out and again the companies said that it was definitely you. Then your house was destroyed in a fire.
Well I've never experienced anything like that, and I hope you haven't, but we have all had bad things happen to us. Think back a moment and remember a time when something awful has happened.
I think the worst thing that happened to me was while my Mum was in the hospital, shortly after she'd been told that the leukemia was terminal. Dad was visiting her and had a massive heart attack. It felt as though both my parents were going to die within days of each other and was a horrible shock.
My reaction wasn't that great, in my shock I buried my head in the sand and mechanically went about my business, with just the odd pleading to God that they wouldn't die at the same time.
I hope that you react to better to your disaster?
Job's reaction was very different, after his first disaster he
Job 1:20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
Job 1:21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. 3 The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; w may the name of the LORD be praised.”
Job 1:22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Later on he asks “Why is God tormenting me?”
Other people’s reactions aren’t good either. Even Job's wife turns against him:
Job 2:9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Job 2:10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Then Job's three best friends turn up and when they see the condition Job is in they too tear their robes and sprinkle dust on their heads. They sit with Job for 7 days. Then the arguments begin. Each of them in his turn puts forward the belief of the day. The righteous prosper and the evil are punished. Therefore, Job must have done wrong. Some say it more gently that others asking where did he 'go astray', rather than making direct accusations, but the message is essentially the same. Each of these accusations take the form of a poem, and so do each of Jobs responses.
All job wants now is to be vindicated, for God to agree that what has happened to him is not his own fault. He has said that he would like to question God:
Job 10:2 I will say to God: r Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges s you have against me.
Job 10:3 Does it please you to oppress me, u to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked? w
When the three friends have run out of ways of convincing Job that he has done evil, Job has a final response:
Job 27:2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, t the Almighty,
u who has made me taste bitterness of soul, v
Job 27:3 as long as I have life within me, the breath of God w in my nostrils,
Job 27:4 my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit. x
Job 27:5 I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. y
Job 27:6 I will maintain my righteousness z and never let go of it; my conscience a will not reproach me as long as I live.
Then a fourth voice – Elihu, who has not been introduced to us speaks even more harshly to Job, saying that Job's insistence that he is righteous is in itself wicked (because clearly he is not, or he would not be afflicted!)
Job continues to defend himself. All throughout his defence he has varied back and forth from despair to a very clear self defence and a demand to be able to question the unjust God who has afflicted him.
Finally, God speaks.
What do you think God says? Will he agree with Job?, will He comfort Job?
Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job a out of the storm. b He said:
Job 38:2 “Who is this that darkens my counsel c with words without knowledge?
Job 38:3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
Job 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? f Tell me, if you understand.
Job 38:5 Who marked off its dimensions? h Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
Job 38:31 “Can you bind the beautiful 95 Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion?
Job's response is to withdraw his question, but that is not enough, God continues to ask why He should be questioned, and whether His justice is to be condemned. Job responds:
Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; i no plan of yours can be thwarted. j
Job 42:3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. l
Job 42:4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’
Job 42:5 My ears had heard of you n but now my eyes have seen you.
Job 42:6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
The Epilogue
In the epilogue Job is vindicated, which in reality is all he ever asked for. God expresses his anger at Job's three friends and they are told to make sacrifices for their wickedness because they have not spoken truthfully in the presence of God. Job prays for them and God accepts his prayer. Job is fully restored and given a new family and equivalent wealth, which is not something He had asked for.
Job's three friends learnt a hard lesson about how to respond to someone who is suffering. Platitudes, and simplistic philosophies just don't cut it. Sticking to the dogma that only the wicked are punished with suffering is in itself wicked. This is their wickedness: not speaking the truth in front of God.
We often hear it said today that God will not give us more to deal with than we can cope with. This is clearly not true. Do you think Job could cope with what happened to him? I believe that it comes from a misunderstanding of 1 Cor 10:13 which is talking about avoiding temptation, not suffering.
Job has learnt a lot about God. The most important lesson is that God is God, and cannot be made into anything that is imaginable by humans. God is also impossible to understand.
To put it another way some mysteries are just that – mysteries, they are unfathomable to the human mind and probably always will be. The book has looked at the suffering of the innocent and come to the conclusion that our only possible response is to trust our awesome God.
Typhoon Haiyan – opportunity to do good.
Job never knew that he suffered because God was proud of him, had he found out it would have ruined the exercise, and Job would have been unable to prove himself. The book of Acts picks up the same idea. After the Apostles have suffered a flogging and ordered not to speak in Jesus name it says (Ac 5:41) “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”
Aim: To look at what Job learns from his suffering
Readings
Job 1:6-12 – The situation
The disaster
Job 1:20-22 – Job's reaction
Job 2:9-13- wife and friends
Job 27:1-6 – Job final response to his friends
Elihu
Job 38:1-5; 31 God speaks to Job
Job 40:1-2 God speaks to Job
Job 42:2-6 Job's final response to God
Epilogue
I'm going to look at the book of Job. I'll do this by using some of the book to tell the story, and then look at what it says to us about God.
The story of Job refers to a time, probably before Abraham, certainly before the establishment of the Kingdoms. We have no way of knowing whether this is a cleverly constructed story or that Job was a real person who really experience the disasters that we will see were brought upon him. We can be sure that the telling of the story is very well constructed, it consists of a prologue, followed by a series of poems in which the causes of suffering are debated, and an epilogue which provides us with a startling answer.
Why this book – because it is written like a parable.
Let’s start with the first reading.
Job 1:6-12
Job 1:6 One day the angels 1 r came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan 2 s also came with them. t
Job 1:7 The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” u
Job 1:8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? v There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God w and shuns evil.” x
Job 1:9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” y Satan replied.
Job 1:10 “Have you not put a hedge z around him and his household and everything he has? a You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. b
Job 1:11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, c and he will surely curse you to your face.” d
Job 1:12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has e is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” f
Disaster follows. Immediately we hear of the death of his 7 sons and his daughters and the loss of his wealth. Satan, though is not satisfied, so at another meeting of the Angels, where God is even more proud of Job, Satan asks to be allowed to affect Job as well. Then Job is covered in boils.
I expect we have all experienced some disasters in our lives, but probably not of that magnitude. Today it would be something like: Your children have all been killed in a road accident, when you went to the bank someone had withdrawn all your money, but the bank were convinced that it was you. Then you found you credit cards were maxed out and again the companies said that it was definitely you. Then your house was destroyed in a fire.
Well I've never experienced anything like that, and I hope you haven't, but we have all had bad things happen to us. Think back a moment and remember a time when something awful has happened.
I think the worst thing that happened to me was while my Mum was in the hospital, shortly after she'd been told that the leukemia was terminal. Dad was visiting her and had a massive heart attack. It felt as though both my parents were going to die within days of each other and was a horrible shock.
My reaction wasn't that great, in my shock I buried my head in the sand and mechanically went about my business, with just the odd pleading to God that they wouldn't die at the same time.
I hope that you react to better to your disaster?
Job's reaction was very different, after his first disaster he
Job 1:20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
Job 1:21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. 3 The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; w may the name of the LORD be praised.”
Job 1:22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.
Later on he asks “Why is God tormenting me?”
Other people’s reactions aren’t good either. Even Job's wife turns against him:
Job 2:9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Job 2:10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Then Job's three best friends turn up and when they see the condition Job is in they too tear their robes and sprinkle dust on their heads. They sit with Job for 7 days. Then the arguments begin. Each of them in his turn puts forward the belief of the day. The righteous prosper and the evil are punished. Therefore, Job must have done wrong. Some say it more gently that others asking where did he 'go astray', rather than making direct accusations, but the message is essentially the same. Each of these accusations take the form of a poem, and so do each of Jobs responses.
All job wants now is to be vindicated, for God to agree that what has happened to him is not his own fault. He has said that he would like to question God:
Job 10:2 I will say to God: r Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges s you have against me.
Job 10:3 Does it please you to oppress me, u to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked? w
When the three friends have run out of ways of convincing Job that he has done evil, Job has a final response:
Job 27:2 “As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, t the Almighty,
u who has made me taste bitterness of soul, v
Job 27:3 as long as I have life within me, the breath of God w in my nostrils,
Job 27:4 my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit. x
Job 27:5 I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. y
Job 27:6 I will maintain my righteousness z and never let go of it; my conscience a will not reproach me as long as I live.
Then a fourth voice – Elihu, who has not been introduced to us speaks even more harshly to Job, saying that Job's insistence that he is righteous is in itself wicked (because clearly he is not, or he would not be afflicted!)
Job continues to defend himself. All throughout his defence he has varied back and forth from despair to a very clear self defence and a demand to be able to question the unjust God who has afflicted him.
Finally, God speaks.
What do you think God says? Will he agree with Job?, will He comfort Job?
Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job a out of the storm. b He said:
Job 38:2 “Who is this that darkens my counsel c with words without knowledge?
Job 38:3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
Job 38:4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? f Tell me, if you understand.
Job 38:5 Who marked off its dimensions? h Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
Job 38:31 “Can you bind the beautiful 95 Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion?
Job's response is to withdraw his question, but that is not enough, God continues to ask why He should be questioned, and whether His justice is to be condemned. Job responds:
Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; i no plan of yours can be thwarted. j
Job 42:3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. l
Job 42:4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’
Job 42:5 My ears had heard of you n but now my eyes have seen you.
Job 42:6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
The Epilogue
In the epilogue Job is vindicated, which in reality is all he ever asked for. God expresses his anger at Job's three friends and they are told to make sacrifices for their wickedness because they have not spoken truthfully in the presence of God. Job prays for them and God accepts his prayer. Job is fully restored and given a new family and equivalent wealth, which is not something He had asked for.
Job's three friends learnt a hard lesson about how to respond to someone who is suffering. Platitudes, and simplistic philosophies just don't cut it. Sticking to the dogma that only the wicked are punished with suffering is in itself wicked. This is their wickedness: not speaking the truth in front of God.
We often hear it said today that God will not give us more to deal with than we can cope with. This is clearly not true. Do you think Job could cope with what happened to him? I believe that it comes from a misunderstanding of 1 Cor 10:13 which is talking about avoiding temptation, not suffering.
Job has learnt a lot about God. The most important lesson is that God is God, and cannot be made into anything that is imaginable by humans. God is also impossible to understand.
To put it another way some mysteries are just that – mysteries, they are unfathomable to the human mind and probably always will be. The book has looked at the suffering of the innocent and come to the conclusion that our only possible response is to trust our awesome God.
Typhoon Haiyan – opportunity to do good.
Job never knew that he suffered because God was proud of him, had he found out it would have ruined the exercise, and Job would have been unable to prove himself. The book of Acts picks up the same idea. After the Apostles have suffered a flogging and ordered not to speak in Jesus name it says (Ac 5:41) “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Safe in the Lords Hands - Psalm 121
Preached 20 Oct 2013 at Christ Church, Billericay at the 08:00 spoken communion.
Introduction
Join me on a pilgrimage. We do this three times a year. We pack up the whole family and travel to Jerusalem for the festival. Its a long way, and we will be gone for quite a time. From Capernaum on the northern shore of Galilee, where I live it is 90 of your milesi if I go by the most direct route, but that would mean going through Samaria. That's a hostile region, so we will have to go around it. That will make the journey about 120 miles, or sixii days. We will have to pack food and water for the journey, and of course tents for shelter. We have donkeys to carry all of that – and don't think you would get to ride on them, they are much too important for that!
The last part of the journey is hardest as we have
to climb the hills up to Jerusalem. It's there that some of the some
of the family get a little disheartened – but we have our songs to
keep us going. They remind us of the Lord, and how good he is to us.
We sing them every time, so we know them even better than you know
your Christmas songs. We don't need scrolls, or books – the
children learn them by repetition and will know them very well by the
time they are seven years old. We call them 'Songs of ascent'
because we sing them as we begin the long slow walk up the hills to
Jerusalem.
That one you heard this morning can be used as a
challenge and response, it has 4 simple verses, lets give it a try so
you know how we sung it, then I'll tell you a bit about what it means
to us:
L: I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my
help come from?
A: My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of
heaven and earth.
L: He will not let your foot slip — he who
watches over you will not slumber;
A: indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither
slumber nor sleep.
L: The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your
shade at your right hand;
A: the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon
by night.
L: The LORD will keep you from all harm —he will
watch over your life;
A: the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
vv 1 and 2
I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my
help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven
and earth.
We look up to the hill as we approach them and as
we slowly climb them. There are lots of dangers in the hills. There
are bandits, large groups of them, they can ambush you and steal all
your money and provisions, they will even take your clothes, and some
will kill you if you try to fight back. There are also bears and
lions prowling around. Most of them won't come near a human
settlement, but sometimes we will have a visitor to the camp in the
dead of night.
The other danger is temptation. Jeremiah said “Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and mountains is a deception; surely in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel” and he was right, only the Lord our God can save us. We must avoid the shrines and alters of the high placesiii because they are dedicated to the gods. Some to Baal, you'd think they'd have given up on him by now, but well, they don't seem to have. Baal is nothing really, the Lord our God made everything you can see, that is where our help comes from.
vv 3 and 4
He will not let your foot slip — he who watches
over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither
slumber nor sleep.
The Lord our God watches over all of us, all the
time. He is an attentive God and is interested in his people. The
paths we follow are not like your lovely roads, they are dry and
dusty and strewn with rocks and stones. It is easy to trip or turn
an ankle if you do not pay attention. There is nowhere to get help
on our roads, there are no emergency services, there are no service
areas, no hotels, no toilets. If you are hurt here there is only the
family and the Lord God to help you.
Baal sleeps, if you worship him, you might have to
wake him up to get his help. The Lord God does not sleep, He doesn't
even doze, He is never tired, He is awake and watching over us all
the time. Now some of you might think that being watched all the
time was not a good thing, but we know the Lord God cares for us so
we are pleased that He is always there.
vv 5 and 6
The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your
shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by
night.
The Lord watches over us, we remind ourselves of
that a lot – it is easy to forget – especially when bad things
happen to us, but He is always there watching over us. On our
pilgrimage we might encounter some high temperatures, so make sure
you have a hat, or a turban if you've got one. The sun on your head
can make you very ill. Make sure you have light clothes too, to
reflect the heat from your body. Temperatures can reach 120 F (or 40
C) and there is very little shade in the hills.
That word 'shade' can also mean 'shadow'. The
Lord God is like our shadow, always with us, never leaving us on our
own. We use this image to talk about oppression, just as the shade
protects from the oppressive heat of the sun, so the Lord protects us
from oppression.
Some people believed that being caught in moon
light can make you insane, it is a belief that your ancestors had –
your word lunatic comes from the old word luna that means moon. For
us this is just additional confirmation that the Lord God is watching
over us even at night, even when your shadow is caused by the moon
and not the sun, so that the moon cannot harm you.
vv 7 and 8
The LORD will keep you from all harm —he will
watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
God protects us, just like we protect our
children. When you have a small child like my little grandson you
don't let him play in the road, you prevent him going up or down
stairs on his own, you put covers over the electrical sockets, even
if they can't be opened without a plug. You don't protect him from
walking across the floor, even though he might fall flat on his face
– because walking is something he's got to learn, and falling helps
him to learn. If he doesn't learn that his mother is going to
struggle carrying him for six days – that's OK when he's a baby,
but not when he's bigger!
That's just how the Lord is with us – he
protects us from the things that will harm us, but he doesn't stop us
experiencing the hurts that will teach us how life works. As it says
in Deuteronomy (28:6) “You will be blessed when you come in and
blessed when you go out.” Whether we are coming or going the Lord
is protecting us.
Conclusion
So that's a little about how we view the psalm,
but the best thing we can do is to learn it, so lets try it again
L: I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my
help come from?
A: My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of
heaven and earth.
L: He will not let your foot slip — he who
watches over you will not slumber;
A: indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither
slumber nor sleep.
L: The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your
shade at your right hand;
A: the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon
by night.
L: The LORD will keep you from all harm —he will
watch over your life;
A: the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Next time you're travelling, say the travellers
psalm and remember that the Lord God is protecting you.
References
i http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_distance_from_Jerusalem_to_Capernaum&altQ=How_far_was_Capernaum_from_Jerusalem
ii 20
miles a day -
http://www.blessitt.com/Inspiration_Witness/MilesJesusandMaryWalked/MilesJesusandMaryWalked_Page1.html
iii http://www.gotquestions.org/high-places.html
The Expositors Bible Commentary Volume 5
NIV Bible Study Notes (Pradis)
From Sermon Central.com:
The Expositors Bible Commentary Volume 5
NIV Bible Study Notes (Pradis)
From Sermon Central.com:
God?s Protection in Times of Danger by Howard Harden
Who Ya Gonna Call? by John Beehler
"Powerful Protection" by Robert Leroe
Your Help Is On The Way by Levi
Help From On High by Steve Shepherd
Help From On High by Steve Shepherd
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