Article - Truth is Relative, Pick One that Works

“Truth is Relative – Pick One That Works.”

That was one of the many great lines uttered by lawyer Sebastian Shark on Monday night in the new series “Shark”. Faced with 2 pieces of evidence that contradict each other, Shark is instructing his team to run with the one that will win their case, and pretend the other one never existed.

Most people are probably fairly cynical about those who claim to tell the truth these days. We have found out that most people only present the truth that works for them. Politicians will report truths that provide an electoral advantage, and dispute or minimise truths that don’t. They will emphasise certain things to certain groups because that’s what will work for them on polling day. Lawyers do the same thing to win cases. Advertisers do the same thing to sell products or services.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we have all been guilty of being selective with the truth at times – even of telling outright lies. Parents sometimes do it with their kids in order to avoid difficult topics or to produce certain behaviour. Kids do it with parents to keep them of their backs or to shift blame. Employees do it with employers to get time off or to justify some delay or mistake.

In fact, I have seen on many occasions that people not only deceive others, but also themselves. It is easier to believe our own lies than to face things that are difficult to acknowledge or deal with. It works for us to believe others are guilty and we are innocent. Others are ignorant and we are wise. Others have hidden agendas but we are fair-minded. We reinterpret events to come up with a “truth” that works for us.

But have we lost sight of what truth really is? Have we lost the value of honesty, and the confidence that it gives us in our relationships with each other?

If we know that we bend the truth sometimes, when situations are awkward or not to our advantage – then we must also be aware that others are doing the same thing. When we lie to our children – even about trivial things - we must realise that we are training them to lie to us one day.

One of the things that most of us value most in a relationship is trust. It doesn’t matter what type of relationship – work, family, friendship and so on - we need to be able to trust those people for the relationship to work.

Trustworthiness is a character attribute – it is not selective. If you are prepared to lie to your boss or the ATO you will also be prepared to lie to your wife or husband or whoever you are closest to. In the same way a personal commitment to honesty and truth is reflected in every part of life.

When Jesus was choosing the 12 men who He would invest the majority of His time and energy into, He said that one of them (Nathanael) was a guy “in whom there is nothing false.” ^[1]. That’s the sort of person that I want to be. I want people to be confident that even if they don’t like what I say or do, they can be sure I am being truthful. I want people to know that even if I don’t like what I have to say or do, I will stick with what is true and not with what I wish was true.

That’s one reason I invest time studying each week before I preach or teach. I want to be sure that I am not saying stuff that I want people to hear. I need to know thoroughly what the Bible has to say, and I need to give God the opportunity to teach and prepare me before I can pass that on to others. I have become convinced over the years in the trustworthiness of the Bible in being able to teach us all we need in order to know God and live as His children. The Bible reveals Jesus, who never minced words or was false in any way. Rather He is “the way and the truth and the life.”^[2]. Real truth, real direction and real life are only found in relationship with Him. Anyone will tell you what they want you to hear. Lots of people will tell you what you want to hear. Wouldn’t you rather have the truth?

---

^[1]John 1:47 ^[2]Jn 14:6

Sermon - The Secret of a Joy-Filled Life

The Secret of a Joy-Filled Life

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

12/08/07

audio

Who would you rather be like – Eeyore or Tigger?

On the one hand you have Eeyore – Eeyore sees the worst in any circumstance. He can find a problem or a threat in any situation. He lives in a constant state of self-indulgent misery.

On the other hand you have Tigger, who is almost annoyingly joyful. He has energy and enthusiasm to burn, because he almost never sees problems or dangers or limitations. He sees adventure and possibility and fun in everything.

Most people would say that they would rather be a Tigger than an Eeyore, but the reality is that most people live a lot closer to Eeyore than Tigger.

Most of us remember criticisms more than complements. Many of us are more concerned about what we want instead of what we have. Sometimes we see peoples faults and past sins more than we see their strengths and their victories. We often complain about the effort required by our work instead of being satisfied by a job well done.

We want to be happy. We want to live lives full of joy, but somehow we can’t seem to find enough reasons to be joyful.

Self-help experts sell us the message of positive thinking - and it can be a good message – but it’s not enough by itself. No matter how positive we are, as human beings we are limited. Our own resources are not enough to achieve the life that we want, the life that we were created for. We actually need something more than what we’ve got.

It’s not a better job or a lusty affair or a winning lotto ticket or nicer friends. What we need is much bigger than that.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

^16 Be joyful always; ^17 pray continually; ^18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

^

What is the secret of a Joy-Filled Life? Verse 16 tells us we should be living this sort of life. The fact that we are told to do it means that we must have a choice in the matter – it doesn’t just happen by itself. The next 2 phrases describe the how: we are to pray continually, giving thanks in all circumstances. How can you be thankful in all circumstances? These verses are describing a lifestyle of constant communication with God. A life which is focussed on God. A life which doesn’t motor along independently. A life which doesn’t become fixed around temporary pleasures, selfish desires or ambitions. A life which is in communion with God. When a person is in communion with God, they have cause to be thankful in all circumstances.

Ephesians 1:3-10 explains why…

Ephesians 1:3-10

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹ And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

Here are just a few things that I have to be thankful about:

Ø Because He loves me, God has chosen me to be a part of His family.

Ø God has made me holy and blameless in His sight – He does not hold my sins against me.

Ø God has paid the price to set me free from sin and the penalty that I deserve for my sin. He has done this through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Ø God has shown me the sort of life that He wants me to live on this Earth, and He has put His Spirit within me to help me live it.

Ø When the time is just right, God is going to finally destroy all that is evil, and bring everything under the Lordship of Jesus. We will then enjoy an eternity which is free from everything which falls short of God’s goodness.

Positive thinking is a great way to approach life, but it is not enough on it’s own. It still leaves us to our own resources when it comes to navigating our way through life’s challenges, pitfalls and hurts. It restricts our vision and limits our hope. It becomes a god in itself because we think that by changing our thinking we will be able to control our life and get what we want out of it. That’s a lie.

But when we shift our thinking from ourselves or other people, and focus our minds and our hearts on God, then we find the secret of a joy-filled life. We find something that is rock-solid – a sure foundation for us to base our whole lives on. God’s goodness cannot be eroded. His love for us can not wear out. His plans for us cannot be changed. His kingdom will not be defeated. His promises cannot be thwarted.

When you discover who God is, then you have reason to live a joy-filled life. But there is a condition attached. You must be in right relationship with Him. You need to confess your sin, and accept His forgiveness. You need to acknowledge Him as Lord of your life and live accordingly.

Just knowing about God is not enough, we need to know Him. We need to be in right relationship with Him.

Now I want to read you a story from the Old Testament that shows very practically what this can look like. It’s a story from the book of Nehemiah, and I’ll fill you in a bit about the background before we get started. The Israelites have recently returned from exile in Babylon, and they have begun rebuilding their towns and the capital city of Jerusalem. There has been a lot of opposition from surrounding peoples, but they have succeeded in rebuilding the Temple (although not to the same scale as the original Temple area), and have just finished rebuilding of the city walls. Let’s take up reading from the end of Nehemiah chapter 7.

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, ^1 all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.

8 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. ^3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

^4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

^5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. ^6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

^7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. ^8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear ^a and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.

^9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

Why were they weeping? They had realized their personal and national guilt. As God’s Law was read they became conscious of how far they had fallen short of obeying it. We will learn more about this later in the story.

^10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

^11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.”

^12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

^13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law. ^14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month ^15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make booths”—as it is written. ^b

^16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. ^17 The whole company that had returned from exile built booths and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.

^18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.

After initially responding with sadness, the people then moved on to a celebration with great joy. They had to be helped to do this – they naturally had focused on themselves and their own sin and guilt – their own failure and limitations. They needed to be directed to place their attention on the goodness of God and of being back in right relationship with Him. As they did the things that God had told them to do they were full of joy. Even during the time of David and Solomon there had not been such a great celebration. Their circumstances were still not flash – they were still surrounded by enemies and had the task of rebuilding a ruined nation – yet they found joy in the Lord and in being restored to right relationship with Him.

The Israelites Confess Their Sins

9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads. ^2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. ^3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. ^4 Standing on the stairs were the Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani—who called with loud voices to the Lord their God. ^5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. ^a”

“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. ^6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

^7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. ^8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

^9 “You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea. ^{b 10} You sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. ^11 You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. ^12 By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

^13 “You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. ^14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. ^15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.

^16 “But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands. ^17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, ^18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.

^19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. ^20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. ^21 For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

^22 “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon ^c king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. ^23 You made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their fathers to enter and possess. ^24 Their sons went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you handed the Canaanites over to them, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. ^25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.

^26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law behind their backs. They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. ^27 So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

^28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.

^29 “You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. ^30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. ^31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

^32 “Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. ^33 In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. ^34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them. ^35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.

^36 “But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. ^37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.

The Agreement of the People

^38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”

^[1]

You could read this story in 2 ways. If you read it as a story about people, it is a very sad story indeed. A story of unfaithfulness, stubbornness, sinfulness, arrogance, selfishness and spiritual blindness.

If you read it as a story about God, it suddenly becomes an inspiring story. A story about God’s power, His protection, His provision, His patience, His generosity, His compassion, His faithfulness, His mercy, His kindness, His discipline, His justice, His love, His deliverance, His instruction, His forgiveness. You can read this story and say “This is what our God is like. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and He is our God today. And while many of our forefathers rejected Him and strayed from Him, we can choose to follow Him and enjoy the blessings of being His people.”

The story continues with the people agreeing together to live in obedience to God, and making practical decisions and promises about how they would carry that out. They had recognised that God is always good, and that all their distress as a nation had come about because they had turned away from God.

In chapter 8 verse 10, Nehemiah says to the people “they joy of the Lord is your strength”. They had just finished rebuilding the city walls. Because of Jerusalem’s location, when the walls were up, it was nearly impregnable. That is why the surrounding peoples did not want the rebuilding of the walls to succeed. The mightiest empires throughout history all had trouble conquering Jerusalem when its walls were intact. Now the people are standing within sight of those walls, but they recognise that their strength is not in their walls or their weapons, but in the joyful experience of being in right relationship with God.

The same is true for us. Our safety, our security, is not found in what we have in the bank, how good our relationships are, how healthy our bodies are nor is it wrapped up in our self-esteem. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Do you have the joy of the Lord? Are you living in right relationship with Him? Do you know that you have received all the spiritual blessings that we talked about earlier? Are you confident of your future in Jesus?

Like the Israelites, sometimes we are at risk of getting stuck on focussing on ourselves. So often we are wrapped up in guilt or fear of failure. So often we focus on the failings of others. So often we are daunted or discouraged by our circumstances.

Put your attention on God. Talk to Him. Listen to Him. Thank Him. Entrust yourself to Him. Share your concerns with Him. Trust Him.

Living in right relationship with God is the secret of a joy-filled life.

This week I have an assignment for you. Anytime during this week if you are feeling anxious, guilty, angry, depressed or confused; I want to you stop what you are doing, take the time to think about God and talk to God about what you are feeling. What do you need to be thankful for? What do you need God’s help with? What do you believe God wants you to do right now? Not only do I want you to do this, but once you have done it I want you to share your experience with someone else, so that they may be encouraged by your example.

---

^a Or God, translating it

^b See Lev. 23:37-40.

^a Or God for ever and ever

^b Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds

^c One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts Sihon, that is, the country of the

^[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ne 8:1). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Article - Power from on High pt 2

Power from On High pt 2

Last week we discovered the amazing truth that God has chosen to literally live inside everyone who has put their trust in Jesus Christ. When a person trusts in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and accepts Him as the rightful boss of their life, they become a member of God’s family and someone who God lives within through the Holy Spirit.

Publish Post

But how can you tell if this has actually taken place? It’s not as if Christians walk around with a halo or a permanent glow that shows there’s something special going on inside them! The Bible describes 2 ways that the Holy Spirit can be seen in the lives of God’s people. The first is what is commonly called “The Fruit of the Spirit”, and the second is called “The Gifts of the Spirit”.

The Fruit of the Spirit

The term “fruit of the Spirit” simply describes the sorts of characteristics that should be on display when the Holy Spirit lives within someone. One list, found in the book of Galatians chapter 5, names these: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Throughout the New Testament of the Bible in particular we find other descriptions of the sorts of lives that Christians ought to be living and the sorts of characteristics we should be displaying. Just as you can tell an apple tree because you see apples on it, so you should be able to identify someone who God lives inside because of the godly characteristics of their lives. If the label on a tree read “Apple”, but you could see lemons growing on it, you would be a little concerned! So it is with Christians – if our lives are showing “fruit” that don’t match up with the goodness of God’s character, then something is wrong. I’ll talk more on that later.

The Gifts of the Spirit

The fruit of the Spirit are intended for every single Christian. Everyone who God lives within should be displaying His characteristics. However, God has made each of us differently on purpose. We are not all the same, nor should we try to be. As part of our different-ness, God gives unique gifts to His children. Some people are given the ability to teach and explain truths clearly and effectively. Some are given an increased sensitivity to the needs of those around them. Others are given a knack for practical service. The Bible records times when people were given the ability to speak in languages they had never learnt before, or the ability to foretell future events. There are all sorts of ways that the Holy Spirit has worked within people to enable them to do things that they would not have been able to do as well or at all if He did not provide that ability.

It Won’t Happen Overnight…

Just because Christians have the incredible power of the Holy Spirit living within them doesn’t mean that all of a sudden they have all the fruit of the Spirit, or necessarily start using the gifts of the Spirit perfectly either. God does not control His children the way a puppet-master might. We still make mistakes, we still make bad choices, we still continue some bad habits that we have picked up in life. Christianity is a journey of learning to live in step with the Spirit – learning to listen to His quiet voice within and to allow Him to guide and empower our daily lives.

God has provided some additional resources – the Bible and the Church – to help us to learn to live by the power of the Holy Spirit instead of by our own desires and abilities. In many ways it does not come naturally to us, but we are learning! So don’t expect Christians to be perfect, but expect that we should be changing to be more like the God that we talk about. If you are a Christian, remember the incredible gift that you have been given - salvation through Jesus Christ and membership in God’s eternal family. That gift carries with it the responsibility to live as a member of God’s family and not like someone who does not know God.

Mike Birch

Sermon - Vengeance vs Kindness

Vengeance vs Kindness

1 Thessalonians 5:15

05/08/07

Have you ever struggled in your relationship with someone who has wronged you? Have you ever felt so hurt or disappointed or angry and you wanted someone to pay for what they had done?

Yesterday I heard that some kids had been mean to my son, and straight away I wanted to know who was responsible. I wanted to make sure they did not get away with it. Many of you have seen reports of crimes on T.V. and thought “I hope that person gets caught. I hope they get what’s coming to them”.

Today we are examining 1 Thessalonians 5:15, which simply says:

“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”

2 weeks ago we studied the last part of 1 Thessalonians 5:14, which simply says, “Be patient with everyone.” We talked about why patience is necessary, and we explored 3 things that help us to grow in patience:

Ø in the sphere of the mind, we need understanding. Once we understand others, ourselves and circumstances better, we are better equipped to be patient.

Ø in the sphere of the heart, we need love. Remembering our love for others or our responsibility to love others causes us to treat people the way that we would like to be treated. Love is patient.

Ø in the sphere of the spirit, we need spiritual vitality. Patience is an attribute of God, and as we keep in step with God’s Spirit, it becomes one of our attributes also. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.

Now it’s easy to jot things down on a page or to simply sit and listen, but how are we allowing this to translate into a changed way of living?

In my experience, when I find that I am being impatient with people or with circumstances, the first thing I do is deal with the realm of the spirit. I apologise to God for my impatience, and ask for His help. Then I find that God will direct me either to deal with issues of the heart or the head. I usually need reminding to love someone or I need reminding to stop and think and come to a better understanding of what is going on.

Today’s verse flows on from last week’s theme, to deal not with impatience but the natural desire for retaliation. Let’s look at our verse again:

“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”

I want to read you a selection of Scriptures that deal with this theme. You can follow along on by reading the words on the screen or on your handouts, but I want you to really allow the words of these passages to soak into you as we read them together. God wants to speak to you through His Holy Spirit as we read these words together.

Luke 6:27-36

^27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ^28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ^29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. ^30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ^31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

^32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. ^33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. ^34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. ^35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ^36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Ephesians 4:31-32

^31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ^32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Titus 3:3-8

^3 At one time 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. ^4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ^5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ^6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ^7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ^8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

^23 This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom

or the strong man boast of his strength

or the rich man boast of his riches,

^24 but let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows me,

that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,”

declares the Lord.

The Bible is very realistic when it describes our natural leanings toward malice and revenge. There are some people that we naturally like or love, and there are others that we don’t. There are people we despise, people we resent, even people we hate. We have people who are our enemies.

Why does this happen?

Because we are human!!

Titus 3:3 sums it up in very unflattering terms: we were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.

Because of this we by nature wrong each other. And then we retaliate against each other and we end up with an increasing spiral of hostility and resentment. As I have observed people during my adult life in particular, I have noticed how often people change their environment or their connections with other people because things have gone badly in relationships. There are people who are nasty to others behind their back, but pleasant to their face. Then when their hypocrisy is exposed, there is either a lot of making up to do or the relationship moves into a state of open hostility.

I was talking to someone recently about a family situation where all the siblings tend to put on happy faces when they are around each other, but there is a lot of unhappy water under the bridge. It doesn’t take much for someone to be offended and retaliate. Hurtful things get said either directly or indirectly, and the cycle continues on.

That’s one thing I have observed. Another is the way that we respond to the injustices we experience. It can be something as simple as a rough call by an umpire, but because we feel wronged we retaliate with a comment or some other venting. “The umpiring today was a joke”, “Was he even watching the game?” or worse gets said. We pay back wrong for wrong. A bad call gets repaid with slander.

Or how do we respond to criminals? “They should lock him up and throw away the key”. “They should do to him what he did to that old lady”.

At times like this we call upon the God of Justice, and we sometimes forget to see things through the eyes of the God of Mercy.

I have known enough criminals to know that there is a sad story behind every criminal act. That doesn’t absolve them from being responsible for their actions, but it does tend to make me more interested in restoration than revenge. “How can this damaged individual who is so dangerous to society be transformed into a healed and whole person who is a blessing to those around them” is a much better question to ask than “What’s the best way to punish this person for what they did”.

Let me give you a simple illustration: I told you earlier of how I heard that some kids were quite mean to Tim down at the oval yesterday. Within 5 minutes I was down there – I wanted to make sure that my son was having a good time and that he was not being treated badly by anyone.

It turns out that Tim was having a really nice time, but a little later I observed as one of the kids who had been a bit unkind to him earlier on was being spoken to by a significant adult in their life. The way they were being treated reminded me that mean kids are usually unhappy kids (the same is true of adults). Instead of wanting to punish that child for wronging my son, I wanted to show as much kindness as I could to give them a taste of a better way of living.

You see, the time for judgment and punishment is coming. The Bible describes the way that Jesus is going to judge the living and the dead. The punishment that Jesus dispenses for evil will be both severe and sufficient. In the meantime, God has chosen to show all of us kindness through Jesus, in the hope that it will move us to repentance. God does not want anyone to perish, yet the just penalty for all sin is death – eternal separation from God. God wants us to accept his forgiveness before we must face judgement. We have an opportunity to choose forgiveness and transformation.

As God’s people, we have a responsibility to show people what God is like. Instead of retaliating against evil, we should repay evil with kindness. Those who are our natural enemies we should treat as friends.

As Jesus says in Luke 6:35:

³⁵ … he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”

Is there any way that you have been paying back wrong for wrong? Do you speak badly about people who have wronged you? Do you treat badly people who have wronged you?

The Bible urges us to move from vengeance to kindness. The only way we can do that is by forgiving others just as in Christ God has forgiven us. He showed us His kindness in Jesus while we were still acting in hatred toward Him. His kindness moved us to accept His forgiveness and the new life He offers.

Retaliating against one another just continues a cycle of hatred and revenge. Forgiving one another and being kind to one another provides the opportunity for repentance and reconciliation. It paves the way for us to be the sort of community that God wants us to be, a community that overcomes evil with good, a community that builds each other up instead of tears each other down.

Take your eyes of others and what you think they deserve. What does God ask of you in your relationship with others? That is what our last 5 studies in the book of 1 Thessalonians have been about. I trust that you have allowed them to speak to how you relate to people in the church and outside it.

Article - Power from On High

Power from On High

Enough energy to power the city of New York for an hour, and it strikes the earth about 100 times each second. As I watched the “60 Minutes” report on lightning this week I couldn’t help but think “Wouldn’t it be great to be able to somehow harness that power?”

However as Liam Bartlett observed, lightning is “one of nature's most well-observed events, but also one of the most mysterious.” We don’t have the ability to predict it, let alone control it.

As the report re-told the story of Justin Bale and others who have been struck by lightning, I thought back to another story of power descending upon people from on high. Recently I was reading the story of Pentecost Sunday to my son Tim, and we were imagining together what it might have been like to suddenly hear a noise like the blowing of a violent wind, and what looked like tongues of fire coming to rest on those present. Suddenly they began speaking in languages that they previously did not know. These things were signs that something even more amazing had just happened – the God who created the Universe had just come to live inside them. But what is this all about and how does it happen?

Created for Connection

The Bible describes that humanity was created for relationship with God. This relationship is freely available to everyone through faith in Jesus. Having faith in Jesus means coming to the point of genuinely believing that Jesus is God’s Son; His death paid the penalty for everything we have done against God and that His resurrection demonstrated God’s power to give us new life which will never end. Jesus becomes your Saviour (the one who has saved you from sin and death and judgement) and Lord (the one who is rightfully in charge of your life). Having Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord means that you are a part of God’s family. Still, we haven’t yet discovered how God comes to live inside you.

Plugging In

Before Jesus went back to Heaven, He promised His followers that God the Father would send the Holy Spirit. The story of Pentecost Sunday that I mentioned earlier tells how that happened for the first time. Ever since that time, when people have become part of God’s family they have received God’s Holy Spirit to live inside them. This is how the Apostle Paul explained it to some Christians living in the city of Ephesus: “And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.” (Ephesians 1:13-14a, emphasis mine)

So, believing in Jesus (the full truth about Jesus, not just some bits!) is how we plug in to a personal connection with God where God actually comes and lives inside us through the Holy Spirit. But what difference does it make to be connected to God? How can you tell if a person has really got this power within?

Signs of Life

You might look for some of the amazing signs that happened at Pentecost Sunday. On that day, it was very obvious that something special had happened and many thousands of people in Jerusalem noticed. Some people were convinced that they were witnessing a “God thing”, but many people suspected there was something else going on. Throughout history there have been many other times where God has shown pretty amazing signs that He was at work in and through His people. There have been healings and prophecies and people raised from the dead and all sorts of other demonstrations of power. There have also been plenty of hoaxes, such as one in Uganda recently where a preacher is accused of using a device bought from a magic store to con people into thinking that he has God’s power running through him. A lot of people wish for spectacular signs - and they do have a purpose - but they are not always the best way to tell if someone has a genuine connection with God. Next week we’ll look at what the Bible says about the signs of life that come with a genuine relationship with God.

Mike Birch.

Better to Give

Better To Give

On Saturday morning a bunch of children teamed up with Mrs Hooper, Mrs Birch, Mrs Sprigg and myself for “Tidy Narembeen Day”. Actually, it was only from 9 – 10:30am, but “Tidy Narembeen Hour-and-a-half” doesn’t have the same ring to it!

Even though I was a bit of a stress-case leading up to it, I’ve got to say that it was a lot of fun teaming up with the kids to tidy up the main street area as well as fundraise for our tree-planting project next term. I loved the enthusiasm of the young people as they launched themselves into their various tasks, and the support from people down the street – even on a fairly quiet morning – was fantastic. We were able to raise roughly $140 from sales of drinks & snacks.

The primary purpose was to provide an opportunity for the children to do something good for their world in a local sense – we are going to move to a global project later in the year. There are many ways that people can get involved in doing good things for their community through service clubs and local projects, and groups like these are always in need of more volunteers.

According to a news.com.au report on June 27 (based on figures from the 2006 census), about one in five Australians over 18 years of age do volunteer work. W.A. was the worst performing state, with only 16.8 percent of people volunteering (in defence of the bush, this was mostly due to Perth’s low return of 15.1%)!

In my experience, doing voluntary work has been very enriching personally – it provides a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction to have made a contribution to your community or to people further away, and it is a great experience to work alongside people for a good cause. The hardest time to be a volunteer is when it feels like you are going it alone.

In our marketing-driven society it seems that people are being trained to expect more and give less. Jesus goes against the grain and says “It’s better to give than receive”. That sounds like a load of rubbish, but when I think of some of the happiest times of my life, they are often times when I was working together with others for something worthwhile.

The main exception is when people do something because someone needs to do it, but no-one else will. We certainly need people to step up in these situations, but it doesn’t feel so good to be a volunteer when it feels like the effort is being dragged out of you. The best way we can help these people rediscover the joy of giving their time and energy is to get in there alongside them and give them a hand!

What are you passionate about? What are you good at? What times are you most available? What new skills would you like to develop? What are some areas of need in our community? Who would you like to get to know better? These are all things to think about when choosing how to be involved as a volunteer.

Mike Birch

Sermon - Being Patient With Everyone

Being Patient with Everyone

1 Thessalonians 5:14ff

22/07/07

Last week we examined the first part of 1 Thessalonians 5:14 which talks about dealing with difficult people in the Church. We found that instead of reacting against such people, distancing ourselves from them or criticising them; we are to come alongside them and help them in the most appropriate manner. We are to warn those who are out of step with God and the church because of laziness or a rebellious attitude. We are to encourage those whose timidity holds back their growth and service. We are to help those whose weakness causes them to struggle with sin or other causes of bondage.

Today the focus shifts from difficult people within the Church to people generally. All people. We are told in the final part of verse 14 that we are to “…be patient with everyone.”

Today we are going to get stuck into the topic of patience, to find out what it is, why we so often struggle with it and how we can grow in it.

What is Patience?

Patience is the ability to put up with pain, troubles, delays, difficulties, hardship, etc without complaint or ill temper. It is the good-natured tolerance of difficulty or delay.

Now, notice that we are to be patient with everyone. Every person that you are in contact with will cause you delays or difficulties at some point. Everyone will need your patience. There are 2 reasons in particular that we need patience:

1) We are all sinful. Whether deliberately or accidentally, we will all do things that are wrong which have a harmful effect on each other. We will fail to listen, we will fail to communicate well, we will fail to care, we will fail to live up to our promises or obligations and so on. Our sinfulness causes difficulties to those around us.

2) We are all different. A lot of the times that we rub each other up the wrong way is not because of sin but because of our differences. God has made us all unique, and He has done so on purpose. As a result of our unique design we have different preferences, different ways of seeing things, different priorities and so on. Because we are different that means we can never have things our own way. Things don’t happen the way we want them to, at the speed we want them to. We have difficulties and delays.

Now, a lot of times that we feel impatient with someone, we jump straight to reason number 1! It’s because someone is doing something wrong. It’s because someone has some sort of failing in their lifestyle or in how they communicate or in their understanding of some subject.

In my experience, far more often reason number 2 is actually the cause of my impatience or the impatience of others. It’s not because someone is wrong or evil, but because they are different that causes me to feel impatient with them.

Have you ever noticed that people tend to naturally gravitate towards others who are as similar as possible to themselves? That’s because we get less irritated by people who are like us! People even choose what local church to belong to based on the similarities they have with others there.

God has actually designed the Church much better than that. He knows that we need certain differences in order for us to be caused to grow and also to be effective in what He is calling us to do. We are to work together as a body, not all be the same type of body part.

However living together and working together with people who are different requires much patience. But how do we develop patience? This morning I am going to examine 3 spheres of our being – mind, heart and spirit – and how each of these play a role in developing patience.

Sphere 1 – The Mind: We need Wisdom.

Proverbs 14:29

A patient man has great understanding,

but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

When we feel impatient we believe that it is the other person’s fault that we feel that way. Our focus is on what they are doing wrong, or on the way that their behaviours and attitudes are affecting us that we don’t like.

Whether we are patient or impatient is actually less about those around us and more about our own maturity. Mature people can tolerate all sorts of irritating or hurtful people and situations, whereas immature people are inflamed by just about anything.

Let me give you an illustration about the importance of understanding. A friend was recently telling me about a holiday he’d taken, which involved hiring a car in France. He had arrived in a particular town and needed to get to the tourist centre to organise some accommodation. Time was precious, as it was already nearly 5 o’clock. He parks in a carpark and is trying to lock the car so that he and his wife can walk over to the tourist centre before it closes, and that’s where the difficulties begin. Pressing the button on the remote control, the car doors lock, but just to be sure, he went around to check the boot, and found that it was unlocked. He pressed the “lock” button again, and found that now the boot was locked. Just to be sure, he went back to check the doors, and found that they were now unlocked! For the next few minutes he became increasingly frustrated as he tried various combinations of presses on the remote control only to discover that something always remained unlocked! The car manual is in French so that was no help whatsoever!

Eventually he stopped and had a think. Something occurred to him as a possibility. He stepped back from the car. Pressed the “lock” button on the remote control, and then threw the remote control over to his wife who was waiting a little distance away. Then he went and checked the doors and the boot, and found that they were all locked. Understanding had dawned! Just holding the remote near the door or boot was sufficient to unlock it. Every time he went to check whether something was locked or not, and stood too close or held the remote too close, the boot or door which had already been locked, was then unlocked.

If he had already known that, he would never have become so frustrated or been delayed for so long. Understanding can be very helpful.

It is the same with people. Understanding people can prevent a lot of frustration.

I find the more I understand about myself and other people, the less angry I get when they rub up against me in ways that I don’t like. The more I understand the better equipped I am to live harmoniously and work effectively with others. However we need to recognise that knowledge is different to understanding.

Just because I know certain things about myself and others doesn’t mean that I will apply that knowledge well. It doesn’t mean that I will act with great understanding in any given situation. Knowledge is a bit like a tool – you can use it well, use it badly or not use it at all!

It’s very easy to learn a lot about personality types and communication styles and other topics that can help your understanding of yourself and others, yet be no more patient or wise in how you relate to other people.

There’s a great saying which is found in 1 Corinthians 8:1, which says: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” That leads us to the second essential ingredient of

Sphere 2 – the Heart: We need Love

1 Corinthians 13:4a

“Love is patient”

When our focus is on ourselves, the result is that we will react badly toward those who cause us pain or inconvenience. When our desire is to love others, we are less conscious of our own needs or desires, and more conscious of the needs and desires of others. We learn that love covers over a multitude of sins, because what matters is not how people fail us or inconvenience us; but on how we can bless other people.

Love understands that relationships are costly, but that the cost is worthwhile.

Knowledge by itself can be used to help or hurt. It can be used to manipulate others for our own purposes. It can be used to judge. It can be used to dismiss and belittle. Love comes along and gives good motives to how knowledge is used.

It is very easy to say “I love you”. It is easy to say as a Christian “I love others”. What does that love cause you to do? When James wrote about faith, he basically said that faith without action is useless. “I will show you my faith” he says “by what I do” (James 2:18).

The same principle is true of love. It’s easy to claim to love, what matters is what we do about it.

What are you doing to love others – even those you find most irritating? The ones who strain your patience. The Bible stresses the importance of showing hospitality to each other, worshipping together, encouraging one another, helping one another, bearing one another’s burdens and so on. This doesn’t just apply to those you feel most comfortable with, it applies to everyone.

I have seen many cases where people have harboured resentments or reacted angrily to others. I have seen groups divided over issues or incidents. Very often I have tried to explain things to people in ways that help them to be more patient and accepting of one another, but the truth of the matter is that most times, a lack of knowledge or even understanding is not the biggest problem – the biggest problem is a lack of love. Probably I need to spend less time trying to help people understand our differences and more time saying “Hey, those differences are there, and they make life tough for us sometimes, but let’s love each other anyway. Let’s not focus on those things so much, but really work on loving each other as best we can.”

Many times because people have been unable to come to agreement on things there has been an angst that remains between them. Love says that even if we don’t agree or even understand where another person is coming from or why they do what they do, we can still live together and work together. We can happily submit to one another in love, instead of getting uptight with each other and competing for who gets their way. Love is patient.

Sphere 3 – the Spirit: We need Spiritual Vitality

Galatians 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is…. patience…”

When we are experiencing life through the Holy Spirit, patience is one of the things that we will naturally exhibit. It is something that God Himself will produce within us. It is the fruit of spiritual vitality – which just means spiritual life.

You see, God is perfectly wise – there is no limit to His understanding and knowledge. He is perfectly loving – His very nature is love. The result of this is that among all of the other wonderful characteristics that God possesses, He is patient.

God’s patience is incredible. If you are like me sometimes you question God’s patience. “Is it possible that God still wants me in His family? Is it possible that God still lives in me and wants to use me after what I’ve done and how I’ve let Him down?”

Sometimes we think of how people in our lives have responded to us when we have hurt them or let them down, and we think that God is like that.

But God is perfectly patient. Being patient doesn’t mean that He is indulgent. You can be patient with someone while at the same time disciplining them for example. God even has the ability to be patient and angry at the same time, but that is a topic for another day!

In 1 Peter 3, the Apostle Peter is writing about the second coming of Christ, and how it was not happening as quickly as people expected. By way of explanation, he says that God “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (1 Peter 3:9).

When you stop and think about how difficult it must be for God to tolerate the existence of evil in a world He created as good. Evil which required the sacrifice of His son. Evil which continues to offend Him and cause such pain to those He loves. When you realize how much pain this causes and the fact that He patiently endures it for the sake of His love for people who are yet to accept His salvation; then you begin to understand the patience of God.

He continues to allow rebellious humanity to shake it’s fist at Him and to treat His creation with contempt when He has the power to stop it in an instant.

Now think about how you have treated those who offend you. Those who irritate you. Those you find hard to live with and work with. Think about those people who you avoid. Think about those you resent. Those you remain angry with. Those you treat badly.

If you are spiritually alive, you cannot treat people this way. Those feelings and attitudes cannot live inside you when the Holy Spirit is in charge. If those things are there, it points to a lack of understanding, a lack of love, and a lack of spiritual life.

Conclusion

Being impatient with people is not due to a problem with others, it is a problem with us. Whether it’s being inflamed by other people’s sinfulness or just their differences; if I am impatient or resentful that is a problem with me, not them.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 says “be patient with everyone”. As you grow in wisdom, in love and in spiritual vitality, you will discover that by the grace of God you will be able to consistently obey this command, no matter how difficult your circumstances or the people around you are proving to be.