THIS Baby

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay on 24 December 2023 at 23:15

Readings: Micah 5:2-5a, Luke 2:1-14

Why did you come tonight?

I wonder why you came to church tonight? To get out of the cold? To have a sit down? Because you enjoy singing carols? Maybe you came because you always do – it's a tradition. Perhaps you even came reluctantly and would have preferred to stay at home, watch some telly, have an early night – after all it's a busy day tomorrow. You couldn't, because it's Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Eve we always go to church. Or was there some other reason?

Why did I come?

I've been coming to this service for more than 40 years and for a variety of different reasons:

at first, it was just a late night out with friends

later it was to meet with friends and exchange gifts

when the children were young, I'd wake them up and bring them, so that Father Christmas could sleep in late

more recently, it is back to seeing old friends

but tonight it’s because I have the privilege of sharing some thoughts on the bible readings.

Start of Christmas – do it ASAP

It's the start of Christmas, and we want to get the celebration going as soon as possible. That's what this service is supposed to represent. Get here for 11:15, and you will be able to take communion as early on Christmas day as is physically possible – so long as the preacher doesn't go on all night! We can sing the last verse of O Come all ye faithful too, because that can only be sung on Christmas day, when Jesus has been born.

Reminder of the story

Let’s outline the story before we look closer at these readings. Jesus born in Bethlehem, in Judea, (not the one in Caesarea, or Wales), because this Bethlehem is David's Town. He was born to the Virgin Mary and her betrothed Joseph, who is descended from David. They have come to Bethlehem because of a census and the town is full, so they are in a stable.

Announced to shepherds

The birth is announced to shepherds, out on the hills around Bethlehem:

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign a to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Shepherds

Shepherds were the lowest of the low. They were not allowed in the temple because they were ritually unclean (from dealing with dead sheep). They were out in all weathers, wind, rain, and cold. Most people thought of them as thieves. To look after the sheep they would have to face the dangers of bears and wolves, so they would be armed, with a sling and a club, or a crook.

The shepherds got their things together, tied them up in their goats skins, picked up their crooks, wrapped their cloaks around them and, leaving the sheep, went off to look for the sign that the angel had promised.

Now you might think wandering around town looking for a newborn baby was quite a challenge, but the town would have been dark, with very few lights. The commotion around the birth would have been quite noticeable.

A new Baby

Of course, anyone will go and visit a new baby. Even as a young single adult, I went to visit my Sister and new baby in hospital. As I bent over the cot, he formed a fist, and reached sharply upwards. I just got out of the way in time – imagine explaining that black eye!

Even if the baby doesn't give you a great welcome, there's still a sense of joy, anticipation, and hope that comes from hearing of a newborn. That's one of the reasons we have to go to see them, to be sure it's real — “I have seen it with my own eyes”.

What has a baby got more of than the rest of us?

What has a baby got more of than the rest of us?

Bones – yes, 300 compared to 260 in an adult, but that's not what I was thinking about. A baby has more time left on this earth than we do, or at least that is always the hope that we have. The next generation is here, the future of our family, the next layer in the family tree is created, or is starting to fill up. We can somehow look further into the future than we once did. What will the world be like when he or she is grown? — and has children of their own?

Every baby brings hope to its parents and their families for these reasons, but THIS baby …

Birth Announcement – normal

Most babies arrival is announced by the parents, probably on social media, or possibly in the local paper. If you're born into royalty, you'll get an announcement on the TV news – explaining what your position is in the line of succession. As we heard in 2021, with our latest royal birth “Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor”, now Princess Lilibet who was eighth in line when she was born on 4 June. But in this announcement there is more fascination with the name than the position in the line of succession.

Well, it was an impressive way to enter the world, I'm sure she is destined for greatness, but it's not quite a choir of angels like THIS baby.

Jesus’s announcement

THIS baby comes, not just with lots of expectation and joy from its parents, but with a message from God. There's all the prophecies about His birth, and the sort of person he will be. There's the angels visit to Mary and then to Joseph. Then, when He arrives, the angels delivered a message about Him to the shepherds, and all heaven celebrates.

“Do not be afraid … I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

There’s even a new star, but we’re not going to cover that tonight.

Expectations for the Christ

The Jews had been waiting, hoping for the Christ (or Messiah) to arrive, for hundreds of years. God had been silent for about 400 years. Many of them were hoping that the Christ would re-establish Israel to its golden age when David was king, and conqueror of the surrounding lands. That would have to be a military solution – to kick out the Roman occupiers. THIS baby comes with a different promise, and causes a different hope. THIS baby brings hope to everyone – all the people. It must be all the people, otherwise why tell the shepherds? That's hope for the Shepherds, the Jews, the wise men, the hated Romans, all the other human beings living in the world that the Jews had no idea about, and all their descendants all the way down their family trees to you and me.

Prophecies → military leader?

Many of the prophecies can give the impression that a great military leader is expected – particularly if that’s what you want and believe. Even the Micah reading we had could be interpreted that way. In reality, though, if you put aside your own pre-conceptions and desires and let the text speak to you, the emphasis of the prophecies is on character traits like ‘shepherd’, from our Micah reading and ‘counsellor’ from Isaiah 9:6:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Kenny Richey

Let me tell the story of Kenny Richey. He was on death row for 20 year because he started a fire in an act of revenge on his ex-girlfriend. It killed a two-year-old girl. Eventually, because of a plea bargain, he had a hearing that might lead to his release.

That's like the position each of us finds ourselves in with God. We are effectively on death row. The apostle Paul says in his letter to Titus:

“we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

It was hate that drove Kenny, the two-year-old was what the American's call 'collateral damage'.

Our Hatred

Most of us won't act out our hatred to that extent, but it's there inside each of us. You can see it. Just catch the eye of the driver you've just beaten into a parking space, or the person who can't get a seat on the train because you're ahead of them, or the person in the supermarket queue, when something you do causes them to be delayed – there are hundreds of other examples. We've all been that person too. Think back to the events of last week, or yesterday, or perhaps tonight in the church car park.

No contest

Kenny entered a 'no contest' plea – neither 'guilty' nor 'not guilty' – at his hearing. That fudge would not be good enough for God, but it served for Kenny in the American justice system, and he was released.

With God, there can be no plea bargains, only a plea of 'guilty'. God already knows that we are, but he needs to know that we know, that we have admitted it to ourselves. That we no longer want to live your life as one who is “disobedient, deceived and enslaved.” If that's the case then God because of His mercy and graciousness and because of what THIS baby achieved when he was a man, will not apply the ultimate penalty to us.

Hope

THIS baby is the source of our hope. His birth, His life, His death, and His Life show us what God is like. He is merciful, gracious, and is prepared to release us from the sentence we are facing and accept us back into his family, so that we will no longer have to live in hatred.

I wonder if anyone will ever tell Kenny? Who has spent two further terms in jail for various less serious crimes.

I wonder if anyone will tell those who are busy cooking the turkey, or watching the television, or tucked up in their beds, preparing to celebrate a festival they don't know the real meaning of?

For those of us who do know what the celebration is about, let us proclaim:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.”

Amen.

 Link

The service was not live-streamed, so there is no recording.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Richey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Lilibet_of_Sussex

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/religion/bulletins/religionenglandandwales/census2021

God’s promises – A king and a son

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay at 10am on 24 Dec 2023

Reading 2 Samuel 7:1-11,16; Luke 1:26-38

What the boss wants

Have you ever tried to second guess what the boss wants? When someone asks you to do something, or if they can change something, and you say “Yes, of course, no problem” – thinking you know what’s happening. I’ve done things like that often, and it rarely works out.

That’s where Nathan the prophet is in our Old Testament passage today. His job is to be a prophet – to pass on messages from God. It is not to just assume that someone else, even the king, knows God better than he does.

So, I suppose you could say he’s having a bad day, that he should be paying more attention and looking at the big picture. God is not happy with his casual assumption and has different ideas.

Good from it – Davidic covenant

This is one of those occasions where God can bring something good from our failure, or more specifically, Nathan’s failure.

In Acts 13 we are reminded what God thinks of David:

‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

And he has. He has fought the surrounding tribes and won the battles, with God’s help. Now, though, it is time to run the kingdom, to settle down a bit, to do what kings do – to build palaces.

To Davids credit

It is to David’s credit that he has not only thought about himself here; he has also thought about the God that has been protecting him and his people. He has thought a bit about how the kingdom should work now that they have occupied the land that was promised to them. (Well, most of it, anyway.)

God has seen that, because he knows our deepest desires, and in David’s case approves of his intent. But the practice will have to be different, the temple must be built by someone whose hands are not covered in blood. So, that will be David’s successor.

Davidic covenant

That leads to the covenant with David, the promise to establish his throne forever.

2Sa 7:16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me your throne will be established forever.

2nd King & before (and what a king means)

David is only the second king of the Israelites. Before him was Saul, who failed in God’s eyes and was replaced. Before Saul the kingdom was ruled, if you can call it that, by the judges. In that time it required every man among the Israelites to maintain loyalty to God in order to merit his protection. Now with a king, the king can stand as a proxy between God and the people. God sees and judges the king. There were some good kings, and quite a few bad kings.

A. G. Herbert

A.G. Herbert wrote a book that he subtitled “A Study of the Fulfilment of the Old Testament in Jesus Christ and His Church”, he gave it the title “The Throne of David”. He says: “The failure of the kings generally leads not to disillusion with kingship but to the hope of a future king who will fulfil the kingship ideal—a hope which provides the most familiar way to understanding the significance of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ coming in his kingdom”

History of Kings

Before the coming of Jesus, the land had many kings, after it was conquered the king may no longer have been in charge, but the line of succession still exists. Just as it does for the countries in Europe that are now republics – the line of succession is still there.

So it is always possible to restore the king. That is one of the promises to Mary in the surprising reading from the New Testament.

Luke Reading

So let’s take a look at how God restored Israel's king and what it means for us. Some of that is in the New Testament reading we had this morning, but we should start with Zechariah and Elizabeth in the verses immediately before that reading.

Zechariah and Elizabeth

Zechariah received a visit from an angel, later identified as Gabriel, while he was the priest at the temple. The angel told him that his prayers had been answered; that his wife was expecting a baby, and they should call him John. This is the person we know as John the Baptist.

Betrothal

When Elizabeth is in her sixth month, the angel visits a girl named Mary. She is betrothed to Joseph. Betrothal was part of the marriage contract, once agreed – probably not by the couple, but by their families – any separation is the same as a divorce. In those days, it was normal for a girl to be married in her teens – possibly as young as twelve.

Angel’s message

This young girl handles the appearance of an angel far better than the priest Zechariah, and easily, it seems to us, accepts what the angel says.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

Mary’s question

Her only question had been how?

This is after being told about the baby’s destiny:

³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.

³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,

³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Not only has she been given a name to call him – Jesus – which is normally the father’s choice. Well, it was the father’s choice – but somehow she would have to convince Joseph. Then she will somehow have to deal with her baby becoming king. That was an unlikely prospect for her, as there is no evidence she had any connection to royalty.

Tell Joseph

She will also have to tell Joseph about the pregnancy. That would be an ‘interesting’ conversation. One of the reasons given for marrying off girls so young, is that it protects them from illicit liaisons that might result in pregnancy. Even in a culture so steeped in religion, the story that ‘an angel told me that God would make me pregnant’ is still an impossibly hard sell. Fortunately, God provides an answer to Joseph separately.

The how?

The angel’s answer to the ‘how’ question gives us, and Mary, some additional information:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

So, not just king now but son of God too. I would have thought that that might be even more frightening, but it doesn’t seem to disturb Mary at all.

The when?

So, when did the overshadowing occur, some say that it happened immediately, but that doesn’t really fit the text. Mary may have, quite reasonably, kept that process to her self when she was telling the story years later. What we know is that when Mary went to stay with Elizabeth, the baby was already growing. She has moved to be with family so that the locals don’t get the gossip – and to avoid all the problems that would probably cause. Unmarried mothers could end up being stoned, although that was rare by this time.

Elizabeth’s response is only positive:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”

That visit had to happen before John the Baptist was born -because he too reacted to Mary’s presence, or was it Jesus’s presence he responded to?

Either way, Mary is in a safe place while the baby grows.

Genealogies

We should mention the genealogies for a minute, as they are what really established Jesus as king. It is important to note that it is not Mary’s family that we are tracking, as some will say, but Joseph’s. If Jesus is to be recognisable as king, it is his earthly parentage that is important.

The fact that He is adopted by Joseph is not an issue for anyone – least of all the genealogies. And especially not God, it is part of His plan.

The basic gospel

So, what have we learned, and how does it all apply to us?

The good news – the gospel, is that God sent His son to earth to experience what it is to live in a sinful world and show us that living a sinless life is possible. He also came to die for our sins. He was then resurrected to prove to us that our relationship with God can be re-established, and we can inherit eternal life.

Now we know a little more about how that works. We are often told that when God looks on our sins, he sees Jesus. This is because Jesus is the king, and God is looking at the king and not at the individual people’s sins. Jesus has already died for our sins, and has taken the punishment that was our due. As king, that is a part of His role.

Birthday of the King

So, as we come to celebrate the official birthday of our heavenly king, let us remember not just the things that happened at his birth, but also His crowning achievement, which is vital to us, our spiritual well-being and our chance of eternal life.

Amen.

 

Recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvpOzrCh7x4 from 22:20 

References

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_Israel_and_Judah

https://sermonwriter.com/sermons/new-testament-luke-126-38-when-the-angel-leaves-the-room-hyde/

https://sermonwriter.com/sermons/luke-126-38-a-faithful-response-mclarty/

https://revcollins.com/2017/12/19/sermon-on-luke-126-38/

https://sermonwriter.com/biblical-commentary/new-testament-luke-126-38/

Hope and Watch!

Preached 3 December 2023 10:00 at Christ Church, Billericay

Reading Isaiah 64v1-9; Mark 13v24-37

Old Testament

Like the writer of Isaiah, do you long for God to come?

Do you want Him to sort out the world?

To put an end to the wars, the violence, the destruction, the oppression, the greed, the selfishness?

Do you remember when God did awesome things?

Our Sin

Think about it, as Isaiah did. God won’t come – because of our sin – it makes Him angry. Everything we do is like filthy rags (only good for throwing away – being burnt in the fire?)

No one strives to lay hold of Him, no-one calls on His name. So He stays away.

What are we?

Thinks about us, what are we that we could do something about our failures, our sins are a part of us, as much as our heart and lungs. We can’t rip them out and expect to live. We can’t re-model ourselves and start again.

Only God can ...

We are just the clay in the potters hands. If this version of us doesn’t work properly, it can just be turned into something else – something better, something that will function the way that God wants it to.

Isaiah recognises that ONLY God can do anything about the situation.

Only God can re-make us, improve us, so that we can be His people, so that our sins will not stay with us, so that He will no longer have cause to be angry with us, so that we can do His bidding, and constantly remember His ways.

Hope

That is our hope, although hope is a word with a watered down meaning, so perhaps we should say, that is our expectation. That is where we are at the start of Advent.

Advent

Advent is a time when we remember that God and His promises that He will do something about the problems we have caused. It is 4 weeks of preparation, but it used to be 40 days, like lent. It's a time for us to get ourselves ready for the big event – which, when it happened about 2000 years ago, would go unnoticed by all but a very few.

Today (Advent 1) we look at our hope (our expectation) that God will finally bring an end to this mess. Not just by being born as a baby, which is just the start of the process, but by returning in all His glory and majesty to finally finish of the redemption of mankind.

Get ready

If we hope for something, we get ready for it, depending on what we hope for there are different things we need to do.

- the supermarket delivery – clear space in the freezer.

- we look for signs

– back in my day, if you were planning a holiday, you would receive tickets, or booking confirmations and instructions in the post - waiting for the postman – running down the stairs to see if they’ve come yet.

- delivery man is on his 5^th delivery, you are number 86, he will be with you between 15:03 and 16:03.

-Man standing in the road to greet his visitors – goes back in, comes out again.

Olivet discourse

Let's turn to the New Testament reading.

Mark chapter 13 is known as the Olivet discourse and is the longest discourse in the book. The first half deals with the destruction of the temple. That occurred in AD 70. The second half is about the return of Jesus, this is where our reading starts today.

First half

The destruction of the temple put an end to the temple worship. In many ways, it changed the Jewish faith forever. Their life and worship was built around the temple, and it had been that way for generations. The destruction and the ferocity with which it was delivered have few parallels. There was starvation and even cannibalism amongst the survivors. For in its day it was worse than what is happening in Gazza today, partly because there were no outside agencies providing any sort of assistance.

After the destruction, the Jews re-built their faith around the Law, but that contains many references to the temple and became a constant reminder of the disaster.

Let's have a look at the passage that was read today. It splits into 3 parts:

vv24-27 – Signs in the heavens

“In those days”, for us, means “In these days”, because the distress of the destruction of the temple that I have already spoken about has happened.

Jesus is letting us know that there will be signs in the heavens. This does not have to be the literal destruction of the universe. Remember, He is describing something that will happen that his hearers cannot possibly visualise with their limited understanding of how the cosmos works. He may also be describing something that maybe we cannot possibly visualise with our limited understanding of the cosmos. But something will happen in the heavens that will be the final sign that Jesus is returning. We are given a bit of a picture of how it might look.

Return is the reverse of leaving

After those signs, the Son of Man will appear, returning in the same way he left after the ascension. (That is in Acts chapter 1) It will be unmistakeable and will show great power and glory – just the thing that Isaiah longed for. At this stage, I’m sure there will still be a few arguing that God does not exist – after all, there are still people who believe the earth is flat, despite video of it spinning in space. Their denials of God will not be sustainable.

Gathering the elect

Somehow, and you can try to use your imagination to work out how this might happen, the angels will gather the elect – the true believers – from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. This is, for me, the most difficult part of the passage when I try to think about how it will happen.

Like ‘Close Encounter of the third kind’ ?

‘How’ is not what Jesus is about at the moment. He is just giving them the facts – telling them what will happen.

28-31 – The fig tree

In the next 4 verses (28-31) Jesus talks about the fig tree. My commentary tells me, it is one of the very few trees in Israel that drops its leaves in the winter and grows them again when the weather, and the daylight hours improve. It is also a tree that provides food, so it would have been familiar to the disciples – and everyone else. As the new leaves start to grow, it provides a sign that summer is on its way. It doesn’t tell you what exactly will happen, the summer may be good or bad, but it is definitely coming.

Verse 30 which says

“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.|”

causes endless debate. Some believe that Jesus got it wrong, and that He really had no clue at all about the timings as it says in Matthew 24:36, and in verse 32, which we will look at in a minute.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Jesus getting it wrong is not likely. There are two other possibilities, one is that Jesus is referring back to the destruction of Jerusalem. Some of the disciples were still alive when that took place. - possible, but the more likely possibility is that our translation of the word that became ‘generation’ is flawed. An alternative translation is mentioned in the footnotes – where it says it can also mean ‘race’. That could easily be Jesus’ meaning. So, “The Jews will not pass away until these things have happened.” That sounds more likely.

Then in verse 31 we find out how fragile the universe is. All material things – heaven and earth, will pass away. But God’s words, which are not fragile at all, will never pass away.

vv32-37

In the final section of the reading, we get to the main point that Jesus is trying to teach the disciples. First he tells them that he cannot give them a date, that it is withheld. That is for the very good reason that we and they are to live by faith. How many would have been living for God in the 1^st century, if he’d told them 31 December 2023 (No, that’s not my guess – I don’t have a guess!)

Faithfully wait

So, while we faithfully wait we must be on our Guard, we must be alert. All sorts of things are going to come at us between now and then. So, just like a doorkeeper of a big house, we must stay awake – you can never know when the Lord will arrive.

Apparently, evening, midnight, rooster crows, and dawn are the four nighttime watches of the Roman army, so as usual Jesus is speaking to them in language they will easily understand.

Watch!

The simple message of this passage is watch, as in keep watch.

Watch yourselves, so that we do not drift from the faith, so that we do not follow the latest trendy ideas, but we stay true to the message that we are given in scripture. Peter, when he’s talking about the end times, tells his readers in his second letter:

^11b You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.

Our watchfulness can speed God’s return, so if that is what you long for, keep watching.

Watch the society around us. So that we may see their needs, speak the truth to them and show them the love of God that rescues us from sin and death – and speeds His return.

Watch the signs, and know that some things must happen, like the destruction of the temple, but those things are not signs of the imminent end. Watch the signs, so that when the signs of the imminent end arrive, we know what to expect.

Preparing for Christmas

As we prepare for Christmas, we must do so as we do everything else – by staying watchful of our behaviour – that we are still living Godly and holy lives.

That is my prayer this morning, that we may all stay alert and watchful, looking forward to the second coming, while we enjoy the celebration of the first coming.

Amen.

Recording is available here at 24:20 – 41:56

https://youtu.be/lAm4dk6lutI

 

References

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/first-sunday-of-advent-2/commentary-on-mark-1324-37-4

https://sermonwriter.com/sermons/mark-13-24-37-preparing-for-his-coming-mclarty/

https://www.fbcthomson.org/post/promises-jesus-is-coming-back-a-study-of-mark-13-24-37

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/first-sunday-of-advent-2/commentary-on-mark-1324-37-4

https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2020-11-23/mark-1324-37-3/

 

A thief in the night

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay, 19 November 2023 8:00

Reading 1 Thessalonians 5v1-11; Matthew 25v14-30

Prayer

Thief – Break-in

Getting a visit from a thief is a scary thing to contemplate.  None of us wants that to happen, but it is all too common, with 1.27% of households experiencing a break-in in the year ending June 2023, according to government statistics.  None of them were expecting it (well, you can never say none, but the vast majority weren’t).  None of them were adequately prepared either (and I do mean none).  That’s partly because it’s not really an expected event, but also in our world, people don’t have a clue how to be prepared. 

That was certainly true for us, when we were burgled back in 2017.  Had I known before it happened, just where the weaknesses were in my preparations, it would not have happened.

Now, I have different security in place, which I hope is good enough.  I’ve learnt a little from the experience.

Only once

Some things only happen once, and I really hope that the 2017 incident was the one and only occurrence, but you never know.

We can be sure, of course, that the 2^nd coming of Jesus will only happen once.  We can’t learn from experience about that, as it will be a one-off that can never be repeated.

Jesus in Luke

In this part of the letter to the Thessalonians, Paul is echoing what Jesus told His followers in Luke 12:35-40, when Jesus is encouraging them to be ready for the return of the Son of Man.  Jesus’ words are also recorded in Matthew and Mark.

Not for us

The warning though is, in a way, not for us.  In verse 3 Paul says:

While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But there is no reason for us to need to escape.

Pax Romana

The phrase “peace and safety”, refers to the propaganda of the Roman Empire.  That was the promise the Empire made to its subjects.  At that time it was largely true.  In the period from 27 BC to 180 AD, there were few serious wars.  Nothing threatened the centre of the empire at all, there were only skirmishes on the edges.  The period is known as the Pax Romana.  The empire was at the height of its powers.  Even this says Paul is an illusion, because if the Day of the Lord arrives any protection the Empire provides will be useless.

Christians in the light

We, as Christians, are not in the dark about such things, so when the Day of the Lord arrives, it should not be a surprise for us.  We should not be like others who are asleep.  We should be awake and sober.

The analogy has changed a little, as Paul’s focus changes to the Christians, rather than the rest of the world. 

Since Christians are children of the light and children of the day, they must behave that way.  Preparedness means there are things we must do – put on faith and love as a breastplate and hope of salvation as a helmet.  Paul expands on this in his letter to the Ephesians, Chapter 6.  It’s worth noting that the breastplate and the helmet are defensive armour, they are designed to protect you from the attack of the enemy.

If you are well protected, you will be ready for anything that comes at you. 

Faith, Love and Hope

Faith, love and hope are the basic characteristics of any Christian.  They are mentioned throughout the New Testament.  Here are a few verses that highlight each.

For Faith:

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith to Love

2Pe 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  ⁷ and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

Hope

1 Peter 1:3 According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

V9

In verse 9 he reminds the Thessalonians (and us) that God does not intend them (or us) to suffer the coming wrath, but that they (and we) have salvation because of faith in Jesus.

v10

And in verse 10 that Jesus died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live with Him.

Awake, not asleep

Well, I’d rather be awake than asleep.  If we are to be awake, we must stay watchful, so that we know what’s coming.  There are plenty of signs that the 2^nd coming of Jesus, The Day of the Lord, is near.

The signs

Some of the signs might be:

·      easy global communication, because Jesus will be seen everywhere at the same time when He returns.

·      increase in wars and unrest across the globe

·      possible war in Israel, if the surrounding powers can get their act together, it is possible that the war with Gaza will spread into the surrounding area, and especially into Israel.

·      Individualism, as everyone has their own beliefs and goes their own way.

Final Story

Let me leave you with a story that illustrates the way constant readiness might work.

Shackleton

During one of his expeditions to the Antarctic, Sir Ernest Shackleton left some of his men on Elephant Island.  He did this with the intent of returning for them and carrying them back to England.  But he was delayed.

By the time he could go back for them, the sea had frozen, and he had no access to the island.  Three times he tried to reach them but was prevented by the ice.  Finally, on his fourth try, he broke through and found a narrow channel.  Much to his surprise, he found the crewmen waiting for him, supplies packed and ready to board.

They were soon on their way back to England.  He asked them how they knew to be ready for him.  They told him they did not know when he would return, but they were sure that he would.

So every morning, the group leader rolled up his bag, and packed his gear and told the crew to do the same thing, get your things ready, boys. The boss may come today.

For us, it ‘The Lord may come today’

Amen

 

References: 

https://shortpowerfulsermons.com/1-thessalonians-51-11-the-not-so-secret-rapture/

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/1-thessalonians-5-1-11-rev-randy-barker-sermon-on-second-coming-190820

https://drjustinimelsr.com/sermon-on-1-thessalonians-51-11-waiting-on-jesus/

 1 corinthians - What is the difference between hope and faith? - Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange

Revolution

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay 5 Nov 2023

Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Revolution

Last time I spoke, I started with a pop song. So, I thought I’d try again, as that one wasn’t really loved by many of us.

The Beatles sang:

You say you want a revolution

Well, you know

We all wanna change the world

You tell me that it's evolution

Well, you know

We all wanna change the world

The song is called Revolution, and it was the ‘B’ side to “Hey Jude”. It’s a protest about violent revolution, and particularly Chairman Mao.

Guy Fawkes

Today, we remember another violent revolutionary – Guy Fawkes. He was caught under the House of Lords with a lot of gunpowder. While I was on holiday in Sussex the other week, I learned that the gunpowder was made in the town of Battle. That’s where the abbey was built to atone for the deaths caused in the 1066 incident. But back to Guy. You may see effigies of him today, on the bonfire, as we remember his failure.

Gunpowder Plot

Guy Fawkes, and his co-conspirators had rented an undercroft, and filled it with gunpowder, after failing to get help from the Spanish government. Their aim was to remove the protestants (particularly James I) and make England a Catholic nation once again.

After an anonymous tip-off, the building was searched, and Guy was the unlucky man who had been left minding the gunpowder.

Bonfire celebrations

The lighting of bonfires, and the burning of effigies, was started the following year as an official celebration. Fireworks were added later.

Violent Revolution

An attempt by one group of Christians to kill another group of Christians always seems to me especially sad, as they both should know that God doesn’t work that way. Violent revolution rarely has any real effect anyway, when you look back on it. Mostly, one despot is replaced with another, and the common people are just as oppressed as they ever were.

Personal Revolution

There is another way, and it is the way that Paul is trying. His approach takes much more planning and much more hard work. It is also genuinely effective in the long term. It delivers real change for people. Paul is trying for a personal revolution. A revolution in the lives of each of the people he meets, similar to the one he, himself, had experienced.

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

In the chapter that we read from today, Paul is reminding the Thessalonians of his ministry amongst them. He was there with two others, Silvanus (or Silas) and Timothy. At the beginning of the chapter, he reminds them that they spoke to them despite strong opposition. The evangelists had come from Philippi, where they had also suffered insults. He tells them that their motives were not to please men, but to please God. They have not used flattery, or tried to hide greed. They have been gentle with them, and Paul compares the three of them to a mother caring for her small children. The missionaries shared with them, not only the gospel – which of course is why they are there – but also their life.

Work and mission

Now, we arrive at verse 9, where Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they worked ‘night and day’. This way they cannot be accused of living off, or even getting rich off, the people they are ministering to.

Paul is not against ministers being paid for their work, as we can read in

1 Timothy 5:17-18

¹⁷ The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

Not sure if I’ve ever been compared to an ox before.

Anyway, so ministers are due their wages, but for his mission, as an apostle and evangelist, it is not appropriate.

Hard Labour

In Paul’s day, all Jewish youngsters were taught a trade. We know that from Acts 18:2b-3, where he got together with other tent makers in Corinth. Paul was not afraid of hard physical work. His skill would provide a basic income, the materials – leather, rope, twine, could be bought locally, and the tools were easy to pack up and transport.

He would effectively set up a business, rent a workshop, and somewhere to live. Then he could start trading and finding customers. Here his integrity would be under constant scrutiny by the towns folk, and all he did business with.

The evangelism would take place on the Sabbath, or in the evenings, if time permitted.

Greeks and Physical Labour

The Greeks despised hard physical work, and saw it as something to be done only by slaves. So, this in itself meant that Paul and his companions were like nothing the Thessalonians had seen before. They would have known about the Jews, and other roaming religious speakers, but judging from what we hear, these all expected payments for their so-called wisdom.

Reflect on God’s planning?

It’s worth stopping for a moment and looking back at how God’s plan has worked for Paul.

Everything he needs to be the Apostle to the gentiles has been provided. His parents even taught him a trade that would be compatible with the role and allow him to work while travelling around the empire.

Verse 10

Verse 10 is a strong reminder for them of how he behaved. If it wasn’t the case, there would be no point whatsoever writing it in the letter, they would see the falsehood and ignore everything else he said. So Paul is clearly telling them the truth.

You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.

Challenge 1

I wonder how many in the church today can honestly claim to be “holy, righteous and blameless” in all their dealings with the believers. In a world where there is so much factionalism and disagreement about almost any little thing, we still have to maintain our integrity – our holiness, our righteousness and we need to ensure we are blameless, not just when out there evangelising, but with all that we do with and for the believers.

That’s the first challenge these verses have for us.

Verses 11 & 12

In verses 11 and 12 Paul reminds the Thessalonians how he behaved to them – like a father. Someone who is always encouraging and comforting, and urging them to live lives that are worth of the God who calls them into His kingdom and His glory.

Most of the gods the Thessalonians knew would require specific religious observances at specific times. The Roman emperor Caesar, the latest god to be proclaimed, required loyalty at all times. Caesar already had a kingdom and a glory, that extended to the edges of the empire. Beyond those requirements the people could live as they chose, there was no call to honesty or fairness. Paul’s God requires even more of them, not just loyalty, but a whole lifestyle that is worthy of Him and His glory, that extends across the whole of the world (known or not in Paul’s time).

Challenge 2

That is the second challenge that these verses have for us. Do we live our lives in such a way that we are ALWAYS honouring God, in every aspect of our lives?

Outcome

The final verse of our reading (verse 12) shows the outcome of Paul’s work, his tent making and his evangelism, because they go hand in hand. His words and his argument are backed‑up by how he lives, so that the truth and love of God can shine through him. Here’s what it says:

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

Personal Revolution

And there it is, the personal revolution that has come to each of the Thessalonian believers. God’s word – who we know as Jesus Christ – is at work in each one who believes.

It’s the word that they heard from Paul, who made it possibly for them to hear it by being there, and being a role model for them. He rose to the two challenges. He was holy, righteous and blameless, and everything he did was honouring to God and His Glory.

As a result, the Thessalonians were able to listen to him and hear God’s words through him. So, they could answer God’s call on their lives. They experienced the personal revolution that is accepting Christ Jesus into their lives, just as we have.

That's how you change the world!

Amen.

 

Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RaiQ807O9I from 19:26 to 32:27

References

https://genius.com/The-beatles-revolution-lyrics

https://sermonwriter.com/biblical-commentary/new-testament-1-thessalonians-29-13/

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-31/commentary-on-1-thessalonians-29-13-2

https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/how-to-be-a-blessing-instead-of-a-burden-guy-glass-sermon-on-character-113462

https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2020-10-26/1-thessalonians-29-13-2/

Wannabe

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay on 8 October 2023

Prayer

Wannabe

In June 1996 the Spice Girls released their first single Wannabe.  It became a huge hit and is a memorable track – even if you don’t like it.  They ask and answer the question, “Tell me what you want, what you really really want?”

Paul provides his answer in the verses we had read today, and as you would expect, it’s nothing like the Spice Girls answer.  So let’s have a look at what Paul said – because it’s more interesting.

Background - Philippi

Let’s start with a quick re-cap on Philippi, you will have heard this last week in Catherine’s sermon, but you may not remember it.  Philippi was a proud and rich Roman town, situated on the coast, it was ideal for traders.  There had also been a couple of Gold rushes in its history.

Background – Philippian church

Paul had founded the church there about 10 years before this letter was written. When writing this letter he is under house arrest, so cannot visit any of his churches, but there are people who keep him in touch with what is going on.  Paul is particularly close to this church.

Background – Early Christian Judaizers

The early church, which includes the church at Philippi, had many arguments and disagreements.  The most prominent of these were those who saw Christianity as part of Judaism and wanted the new gentile converts to undergo the correct Jewish conversion rituals – notably circumcision. They are known as Judaizers.

In verse 2 Paul writes:

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.

Dogs

‘Dogs’ was a common insult in Paul's day and referred to packs of feral dogs that roamed cities.  They could be dangerous when they were starving, and would occasionally attack people. 

It’s these people’s beliefs that Paul is responding to in today’s reading.

As we go through this part of the letter, I will try to put the images he provides into a modern context where that needs to be done, as we don’t have any Judaizers in our church.

3 sections

The reading splits into 3 sections:

·      4b-6

·      7-10

·      12-14

You might like to follow the text in your Bible, it’s on page ____, if you do.

4b-6 ‘I am the greatest’

When Paul talks about confidence in the flesh, he is talking about confidence in his Jewish heritage.  He and his family have followed the rituals impeccably. The first of these is circumcision on the eighth day – a basic requirement for all male Jewish babies.  This establishes him as a Jew.

More than that, he is an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin, the same tribe the first king (Saul) came from you can read about that in 1 Samuel 9.  The tribe is renowned for its military valour and successes.

Hebrew of Hebrews seems to be a claim to purity in the bloodline, and to be a boast.  It was meant to distinguish him from the Hellenistic (Greek) Jews.

As a Pharisee, he has studied the law, and is devoted to its practice, so much so that he was a leading light is the persecution of the new ‘sect’ – the Christians.  Finally, he claims that he follows the law faultlessly.

There is no Jew who could make greater claims.

For us, in our time, as gentiles, we would have to be able to claim that we could trace our lineage back to a Saxon noble family, that we have graduated with a first class degree from Oxford or Cambridge, have at least one PhD and work in an Industry that provides us with a very generous income, or no need to work at all.

In other words, we can rely on ourselves, nothing that happens can affect us.  It is our flesh that we rely on. 

7-10 Strange Accounting

In vv7-10, Paul pushes that all aside, not just to forget it and say it was worthless, but to say that it was a detriment to what he really wants. 

So here are the verses where Paul tells us what he wants, what he really really wants.

All his life he had been moving towards a role as a Pharisee – a comfortable life working for the purity of his religion and encouraging others to join in with the careful and very legalistic way he had chosen to live his life.  I’m sure his mother would have been proud of him too.

Now he has given that up and become a travelling preacher, with little prestige and a lot of suffering.  He had done that because he has found something immeasurably better.

His righteousness is perhaps the most important thing to him.  He now wants to find that through his faith in Jesus Christ, because he’s realised that the Law cannot make him righteous.  You can see even here in these few words that faith in Christ is all that is needed to put us right with God.

Paul wants more than a straight forward faith, he wants a share in the power of the resurrection, to join with Christ in his sufferings, and become like him in his death.  We can see from many of the stories in the book of Acts, how much Paul suffered.

Paul, it is believed, was beheaded during the Neronian persecution.

A true faith so often leads to imprisonment and death because the world simply cannot tolerate God and his followers. 

I looked at three of my Christian heroes to see how they died:

·      Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hung by the Nazis just before the end of WWII

·      Eric Liddle died of overwork and insufficient food, while imprisoned in China

·      James Hudson Taylor died of old age, so an active faith does not always lead to martyrdom.

12-14 Pressing On

Paul knows that he hasn’t already attained what he is seeking, so even now he must keep going.  He is deliberately forgetting past failures and successes.  Now, he can’t actually forget, that’s not something anyone can wilfully do.  I forget loads of things that I should remember, but am unable to forget a few things that I would really like to forget. 

What Paul means by this is that he is not dwelling on the past, he does not care about past failures, except perhaps what they have taught him.  His concern is only to achieve his goal, which, let me remind you, is to attain the resurrection from the dead.

The race

Paul uses the analogy of a race, let’s look at a modern example.  In the 2011 F1 Canadian Grand Prix, Jenson Button started from 7^th on the grid.  In a rain affected race, with a very long stoppage after an accident, he found himself last.  He had been involved in two incidents, one with his teammate, and had plenty that he would like to forget.  At that stage, it was probably the whole race, but he was focussed forward and not concerned about previous errors by him or by other drivers.  In that second stint he overtook every other driver on the track, and on the last lap with the final overtake, found himself in first position to win the race.

That is the type of focus and attitude that Paul is talking about in these last 3 verses.

Paul’s suffering

He has been through much suffering – his life has been threatened many times, he had been beaten up, flogged and otherwise assaulted, but none of that matters, only the prize – only the resurrection is worth any focus at all.

Followers suffer

For a follower of Jesus, the world can be a nasty place.  We are fortunate, in some ways, that we are rarely, if ever threatened.  But the ridicule and the rejection can be painful too.  Sadly, it is not only the secular world that can cause us to be troubled, the church can do that too.  That can be either intentional, such as the many unresolved sexual abuse cases we hear about.  Or it can be caused by thoughtlessness or selfishness from those around us.

Whatever set backs we suffer, how ever serious they may be, and however hard dealing with them may become, we must remember that the main prize is the attainment of the resurrection.  That does not mean that we simply let bad things happen to ourselves or others, there are processes to follow and actions to take, that may be difficult in themselves, but the prize is the prize, and should not be lost sight of.

Tell me what you want

Paul’s calling was to be the Apostle to the gentiles, that is not our calling.  Of all of us here, I only know of one calling in great detail – that is mine.  I have some idea of some others, but not a detailed understanding.  Each of our callings come with a prize, and the prize is the same – to be raised from death and accepted by God at the final judgement.  We – all of us – attain the prize by faith in Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection – and in the power that brings.  But what we do with it on the journey, is between each of us and God.

Question for us

So, each of us should ask ourselves today, “What do I really really want?”

 

References

https://mypastoralponderings.com/2022/04/02/pressing-on-toward-the-goal-my-sermon-on-philippians-34-14-and-john-121-8/

https://sermonwriter.com/biblical-commentary/new-testament-philippians-34b-14/

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/straining-till-the-end-dan-bentz-sermon-on-faith-39480?page=1&wc=800

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_martyrs

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Taylor

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Liddell

• Died of overwork and undernourishment

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer

• Hung by Nazis

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Canadian_Grand_Prix

https://www.learnreligions.com/book-of-philippians-701040

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/463971/jewish/Saul-First-King-of-Israel.htm

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-was-the-tribe-of-benjamin-important.html

https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/34825/the-phrase-hebrew-of-hebrews-in-philippians-35

https://www.learnreligions.com/book-of-philippians-701040

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wannabe

Recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-_EsOFsuPk from 18:56 - 33:05

 

"Goodness" from the fruits of the Spirit, for Pensioners Praise.

Preached 7 August 2023 at 14:00 at Christ Church, Billericay

Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 18:18-19

Title: ‘Goodness’

Purpose: Pensioners Praise look at the fruit ‘goodness’

Reading Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 18:18-19

Young Boy

A young boy had been sent to his room for bad behaviour. After a while, he emerged and told his mother he had thought it over and prayed about it.

"That's wonderful", said the mother. "If you ask God, He will help you to be good."

The boy responded, "But I didn't ask God to help me be good, I asked Him to help you put up with me."

The boy had discovered the path of least resistance. He realized life would be easier if others would just change in relation to him. Let's face it, life would be easier for all of us if people would just tolerate our weaknesses, and put up with our shortcomings. In other words, if everybody else had the fruit of the Spirit, we would not have to bother being good. We could continue being a pain, to give others an opportunity to exercise their fruits.

Fantasy

But that's not going to happen, is it? It’s just a fantasy, a dream, perhaps. The reality is that we all need to be able to be good, to show goodness.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is an enormous amount about ‘good’ in the Bible. It’s impossible for me to cover it all in just one sermon, so today will just be an overview.

The start of Good and Evil

Let’s start at the beginning, before human beings were aware of good and evil. In those days God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree at the centre of the garden.

Genesis 2:9b In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

2:17b you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

But the serpent deceived them, and persuaded them that the fruit was good for them, and would make them like God. So, they ate, in direct dis-obedience and their eyes were opened, and their lives were ended (that is an end was put on their lives).

The fall as a good deed

I can hear this story spun as a good deed. Would you follow a God who kept His creation in ignorance, unable to make important decisions for themselves. Surely the serpent did the right thing in taking the action He took, and giving human beings the ability to manage their own lives.

Relationship with God

The only reason that there is still the possibility of a relationship with God, is because God is good. We are all stained with evil.

Psalm 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.

The sins of my youth are a long time ago now, I can barely remember them, but God could, if He chose to. It’s God’s goodness that makes Him care for us, He wants us to know Him and His truth. While we are evil, we cannot see God’s goodness, that’s why we need Jesus as our saviour.

Taste and see

Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Here’s an extract from a book called “The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life”, by Hannah Whitall Smith.

"I shall never forget the hour when I first discovered that God was really good. I had, of course, always known that the Bible said He was good, but I had thought it only meant He was religiously good; and it had never dawned on me that it meant He was actually and practically good, with the same kind of goodness He has commanded us to have.

I came in my reading of the Bible across the words, "O taste and see that the Lord is good, " and suddenly they meant something. The Lord is good, I repeated to myself. What does it mean to be good? What but this, the living up to the best and highest that one knows. To be good is exactly the opposite of being bad. To be bad is to know the right and not to do it, but to be good is to do the best we know. And I saw that, since God is omniscient, He must know what is the best and highest good of all, and that therefore His goodness must necessarily be beyond question.

I have been brought up short by the words, ‘The Lord is good’; and I have seen that it was simply unthinkable that a God who was good could have done the bad things I had imagined.”

Luke 18

Ad Jesus said in our reading from Luke, only God is good, and here we see from Hannah that God is only good. All and any good that we do or experience comes from God.

Bad things

Even so, bad things still happen to good people. That is NOT because it is the will of God, In fact, God forbids anyone doing bad things to their neighbour.

Pharisees (Saul-->Paul)

The Pharisees were highly religious and carefully followed their hundreds of rules, but you could hardly call them good. Paul, before he met Jesus, is a perfect example. He was cruel, hard-hearted and extremely violent, promoting stonings of those he didn’t approve of, in his promotion of the Jewish faith and it’s ways. After he met Jesus, however, there is no record of any coercive activity, no threats, instead, just simple, but serious argument and debate. Indeed, he became the one who was suffering for his faith. Paul had converted to follow Christ and also to goodness.

Evil Christians

It is not like that for everyone, conversion, accepting Jesus into your life, does not automatically mean you become good.

The greatest failure in Christendom, is believers who do not show the fruits of the spirit, particularly love and goodness. Our lack of goodness had led to factions and splits, which in turn have led to wars, with one Christian killing another in the name of Christ.

It has been so since the earliest days, and from what we can see in our world today, it shows no sign of changing in the immediate future.

However, we should always try to follow God, and do the Good that He intends. The best we know as Hannah put it.

Effect of doing Good

That does not guarantee that we will make converts. Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry, and did many good things for all sorts of people. It did not mean that they followed him or believed the rest of his message. If we are trying to convert people, goodness is not any guarantee of success. The social gospel that we see today, with things like foodbanks, and debt relief, seek to do good for people, but they do not necessarily bring in converts. Our social action (our doing good) is not an alternative to speaking God’s word, but a necessary addition to it.

The best we know

All we can do is the best we know. Do you know the saying, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish …”. Do you know how it ends?

The root of the saying comes from a novel called “Mrs Dymond” by Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie. The idea, though, is much older and can be found in the writings of the 12th-century philosopher Maimonides. It can be summed up as "The most meritorious act of charity is to anticipate poverty and prevent it, this can be done by teaching a trade, or putting a person in business."

Many organisations take this approach, and I remember one birthday receiving a certificate for a goat, that had been purchased for someone in need in my name. So, today you not only hear about goodness, but get some great gift ideas too.

Wider concerns

There are wider concerns, today, and I hear the ‘give a man a fish’ saying expressed differently.

“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you deplete the oceans.”

That comes directly out of what we know, and, if I’m being charitable, a genuine concern for the environment.

It can also be seen as putting a negative spin on a positive idea, just as I tried earlier to put a positive spin on the serpents work in the garden of Eden earlier.

I mention it, to emphasise the idea that we can only do the good that we know, it is impossible for us to know some things that later may mean that the good we try to do is flawed. That will always be the case, living in a fallen world, and should not stop us in our efforts to do good.

Sheep and Goats

The story of the sheep and the goats, reminds us that it is God’s assumption that real faith leads to good works. Just as James says, faith without works is dead, because the lack of works, which we could call doing good, shows that the professed faith means nothing.

Our Judgement

We cannot judge people, but we can learn to distinguish good from evil, as Hebrews 5:14 tells us.

Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

In this way we will be able to see quite clearly that the boy I talked about at the start had not made a good choice in his prayer, it was him that needed to change, not his mother.

Conclusion

There is much more to say, but, now I must finish, so in conclusion let me read Hebrews 13:20-21

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Or, perhaps put more simply, this is apparently engraved on a tombstone in Shrewsbury, England:

For the Lord Jesus Christ's sake
Do all the good you can
To all the people you can
In all the ways you can
As long as ever you can.

Amen.

 

References

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/6fruit-of-spirit-goodness-wade-martin-hughes-sr-sermon-on-christian-love-47073

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-fruit-of-goodness-glenn-pease-sermon-on-spiritual-fruit-254062

https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/give-a-man-a-fish.html

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/08/28/fish/