Sermon - Light and Darkness pt 1

Scriptures on Light and Darkness:

John 8:12

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Matthew 6:19-24
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and
steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be
full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If
then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or
he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money.
Matthew 6:33
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given
to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry
about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Job 29:2-3
2 “How I long for the months gone by,
for the days when God watched over me,
3 when his lamp shone upon my head
and by his light I walked through darkness!
Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord
2 Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed
into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit.

Sermon - What's the Big Deal About Baptism?

What’s the Big Deal About Baptism?

13/07/08

(This is not a manuscript, just an outline with the relevant Scripture passages included. To hear the sermon, visit my sermons page)

Baptism is a picture of the central truth of Christianity:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

Why is that truth so important?

1) Because we have all sinned

Romans 3:23

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

2) Because God will one day destroy sin and sinners

Romans 6:23a

²³ For the wages of sin is death….

Romans 14

For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹ It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,

‘every knee will bow before me;

every tongue will confess to God.’”

¹² So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Revelation 20

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. ¹⁴ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

2 Peter 3:8-15a

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

3) Because God has provided a rescue

Romans 6:23

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16-18

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Revelation 21:1-4

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

4) Now you must choose life or death

John 5:24

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

Prayer of faith

Lord Jesus, I believe that you died for my sins. Thankyou for taking the punishment that I deserve. I believe that you rose again. Thankyou that You have also promised me eternal life with You, life free from sin and suffering. Amen

Prayer of dedication

Lord Jesus, thankyou for saving me. Help me to live for you for as long as I am on this earth. Help me to share the good news about you with others. May my life show others that you are good, that you love them and want them to be in your family forever. Help me to reject the evil that surrounds me and stand firm in your truth. Amen.

Sermon - Faith

Faith

06/07/08

What is faith?

The general definition of faith is found in…

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Illustration

The simplest way to illustrate this understanding of faith is to talk about how many of us have exercised faith already this morning. We have stood up to sing some songs, and then most of us sat down without so much as a backward glance. Why on earth would we do that? Because we had faith that the pew that we were sitting on a few minutes earlier was still there, and that it would still bear us! If we were not certain of that, we would have turned around and done a visual check, and perhaps lowered ourselves slowly and carefully until we were sure that the pew was OK to sit on.

The act of sitting down showed that we were sure the pew was still there and certain that it could hold our weight. We demonstrate faith in hundreds of different ways every day of our lives. However not all faith is proved to be well founded.

Carolyn was once in a church service and when she went to sit down she discovered that her chair had been pulled away by a mischievous young man behind her. She came thudding down to earth in a very uncomfortable and embarrassing way! She learned that you should not be so sure that your chair always stays in it’s place!

Faith can be well placed or misplaced.

Many people place their faith in friends, money, their own abilities and resources, family and so on. That’s fine, in fact it’s absolutely necessary. We need to recognise though that sometimes these things will let us down. There is nothing in this world that is worthy of our absolute trust and certainty.

Sometimes people read this definition of faith in Hebrews and slightly miss the point. Faith is not just the ability to be sure and certain in our own minds, it is the ability to hope for something and see someone who is sure and certain. Who or what your faith is in is more important than how strongly you believe.

Some people teach that if your faith is strong enough, you will receive whatever it is that you are believing for. It might be a new job, better health, a better relationship or a winning lotto ticket. If you can just get your mind to a point of being sure of what you hope for, if you can bring yourself to see in your mind with certainty what your natural eyes cannot, then you will receive it.

When the Bible talks about faith, it is talking about faith in God. Faith is absolute trust in who God is, what He has done and what He has said.

This is what 1 Corinthians 5:7 is talking about when it says:

We live by faith, not by sight.

What is “The Faith”?

Jude 3

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

Jude 20

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith

So if faith is being sure about God, what He has done and what He has said, what is “the faith”? Is there a minimum standard of how much you must know about God in order to have enough faith to be a Christian?

Plenty of people say “I believe in God”. Does that make them Christian?

Colossians 1:21-23

^21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of ^ your evil behaviour. ^22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ^23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

This passage does indicate that there are certain things you must believe in order to be a Christian. Hebrews 11 talked about being certain of what we hope for, and this passage describes that hope as being what is held out in the gospel. So what is the gospel?

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ^2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

^3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance^: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ^4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…

Christian faith, saving faith, is described in verses 3 and 4: Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again. He died to be our Saviour. He rose to be our living Lord. This is the foundational truth that defines Christian faith. You cannot have Christian faith without placing your trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Is that all there is to “the faith”? No way – it’s the starting point.

There’s so much to learn and put our trust in about God, what He has done and what He has said.

The Bible talks about a journey of growing in faith. This means that the body of what you know and believe about God should be constantly growing. It is something that we will never come to the end of.

In Hebrews 5:11-14 we read:

^11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. ^12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ^13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ^14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Christians should be growing in knowledge, understanding and trust in order to live the lives that God wants us to live.

That’s why in 1 Timothy 3:9 as Paul is describing the characteristics of deacons in the church we read:

They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

“The Faith” is the whole body of truth that God has revealed to us. This truth is centred on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

That raises the question then…

How do we grow in faith?

Ephesians 4:11-13

^11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ^12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ^13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Notice that each of those roles: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher; are concerned with passing on the truth so that people might place their faith in Jesus and grow in that faith. God has equipped the Church with people whose particular task it is to help others grow in their faith. Notice also that the point of each of these ministries is to prepare people for action. We are built up only as we all put into action the truths that we are taught.

Titus 1:1-3

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— ^2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, ^3 and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Saviour.

However it is up to each one of us to receive that ministry.

Hebrews 4:2

For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.

1 Peter 1:19-21

^19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ^20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. ^21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 3:15-16

Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ^16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Growing in faith means never being satisfied with what you know of God, what He has done and what He has said. It involves a constant desire to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:16).

We grow in faith by receiving God’s truth and allowing it to shape our lives.

Story – the tightrope artist over Niagara falls.

Have you ever heard about the guy who walked a tight rope across Niagara Falls? Many people watched him do it. To them he asked, "Do you believe I can walk a tight rope across the Falls?" They all replied, "Yes." They had already seen him do it.

Then he pushed a wheel barrow on a tight rope across Niagara Falls. When he completed the feat, he asked the onlookers, "Do you believe I can walk a tight rope across the Falls pushing a wheel barrow?" To that they replied unanimously, "Yes." Because they saw him do that too.

Finally, a buddy of the tight rope walker climbs into the wheel barrow and the tight rope walker pushes him across the Falls. Wow, what a daring feat! When they finished, the tight rope walker asked the crowd, "Do you believe I can walk a tight rope across the Falls pushing a wheel barrow with a person in it?" To that they exclaimed, "Yes!" For they were now believers in this guy's awesome abilities.

Then he looked at the crowd and asked, "Who's next?"

How does a growing faith affect my life?

Growing in faith will glorify Jesus

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

^11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfil every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. ^12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Growing in faith will bless others

James 2:14-17

^14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ^15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ^16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ^17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Growing in faith involves growing in love

2 Thessalonians 1:3

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing

Growing in faith involves growing in righteousness

^{1 John 3:3}

^3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Are you growing in faith?

The God Delusion pt 2

Well it's been nearly a month since I posted pt 1, so I thought I'd better get something down!

I was doing some research on another topic when I came across this review by Stephen Tomkins on the shipoffools website. It expresses a lot of what I want to say after reading the first few chapters of the book. So I won't reinvent the wheel - have a read of what Stephen had to say!

I've been finding the book very interesting, confronting and I empathise with Dawkins' contempt of much that huddles under the umbrella of "religion". However he is incredibly selective in his use of material - he makes no attempt at fairness but seeks to tar all religious thought and practice with the same very ugly brush.

I would treat "The God Delusion" not as an informed critique of religion or of the existence of God (as defined in the opening chapter) but rather an expose of how religion is perceived by Dawkins himself and those who are of similar mind /perspective.

Sermon - Worldly vs Godly Sorrow

Worldy vs Godly Sorrow
Mark 14:12-72, 2 Corinthians 7:10
22/06/08

The story of Peter in Mark 14 is tragic. He begins with such confidences and finishes as completely shattered. What do we do when we get to such a low point emotionally and spiritually?

The full sermon can be heard by accessing the website, but here's some basic notes...

2 Corinthians 7:10

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Worldly Sorrow:

· Sorrow about ourselves – guilt, shame, remorse, hopelessness, consumed by our own sin.

· Sorrow for ourselves – our own victimhood, anger at others, bitterness, consumed by others’ sin.

Both lead to death. We are trapped in a cycle of thinking, feeling and doing that there is no escape from. The best we can do is live with it by hardening our hearts so we don’t feel it as deeply.

Godly Sorrow:

Instead of seeing things from our own point of view or from Satan’s (who is our accuser and the one who trains us to join him in accusing others), we see things from God’s point of view, and feel things the way God feels things.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.

1) It produces a change. Change of mind, change of heart, change of behaviour. We stop being trapped by guilt, shame, bad habits, bitterness toward others or whatever else Satan might use to keep us in that low condition.

2) Which leads to salvation. Paul is not just talking about getting into heaven, he’s talking about being saved in this life. Being saved from being controlled by sin. Being saved to a life of purity. Being saved to unimpaired relationship with God and with others. If we all experienced Godly sorrow there would be no broken relationships in the Church of God. Sadly, many of us indulge in worldly sorrow instead.

3) And leaves no regret. Godly sorrow deals with sin and then leaves it behind.

Psalm 103:8-12

^8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

^9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;

^10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

^11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

^12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
God did not stew over this injustice of having to deal with our sins. He removed them from us. Hallelujah! In the same way God does not want us to stew over our sins or the sins of others – that would be to undo His marvelous work!

We do not perhaps share God’s ability to separate people from their sins in our minds, but we can do our best and ask Him to help. The Bible gives us practical instruction on how to do this.

Challenge:

If you are feeling at that low point or you know someone who is, let me encourage you to work on changing worldly sorrow into godly sorrow. Worldly sorrow is natural. Godly sorrow comes from God. Worldly sorrow can be identified because it brings only death and division. It produces long term regret and bitterness. It prevents individuals and the church from bringing glory to God. Godly sorrow leads to changed lives which demonstrate God’s blessing and bring Him glory.

Maintenance or Mission?

I am someone who naturally falls into fairly stable rhythms of activity - most of us do that. Not that my life becomes predictable or boring - far from it. Yet I am not someone who actively pursues new dreams.

Part of what's happening for us at the moment is the fact that we believe God has called us to conclude our ministry here in Narembeen at the end of 2009. It's been a pretty big decision to grapple with, and we've only just told the church over the last week. We don't have much of an idea of where God is calling us to go to, but that's not something we need to focus on just yet.

There's lots of reasons why we believe that this is what God is leading us toward, but that doesn't make the decision any easier. We genuinely care about the people in the church and the region. We will miss the people and the place when the time comes to leave. We also genuinely believe in the future of the church here - we don't believe that it is just going down the same track of so many churches in rural areas. There is a huge challenge ahead of us, but God has opened up lot's of wonderful opportunities.

One thing that this deadline has done for me is to help me be much more mission-minded in how I approach my role. This is not a new thing, we've actually been pretty creative and committed to the whole concept of the mission of the church. We've worked on connecting with the community in various different ways, of presenting the message of the gospel in lots of different forums and investing in projects further afield in order to build up the Church.

But I've also allowed certain things to just drift along. I've carried too many responsibilities that should have been delegated to others, but I am not someone who naturally pushes people to get things done. I've also allowed some regular activities to dwindle in effectiveness as they cruised along in a comfortable routine. I've operated within boundaries that needed to be challenged more.

Something I have been excited about over recent weeks is to see how some people are responding to the challenge to step up and do something different because of what they believe. As we do that together it builds a sense of optimism and unity. It also brings a sense of freedom as people are energised to dream new dreams, and are supported in making those dreams a reality. When I talk about dreams I'm talking about the inspiration that comes from the Holy Spirit bringing the Bible to life in our thinking. They are the answers to the question "What will it mean for us to live this out today?"

We have a long way to go. It's going to be a very interesting 18 months or so. I believe though that the church here is entering into a new phase of life and mission. The only ones who can prevent this are ourselves!

Sermon - The Trap of Offence

Mark 14:1-11

14 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. ^2 “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

^3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

^4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? ^5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. (The gospel of John names Judas as one who voiced an objection to Jesus)

^6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ^7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ^8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. ^9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

^10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ^11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

I didn't write a full manuscript for this sermon, but click here if you would like to listen to the audio - choose the sermon titled "The Trap of Offence" from the list of available messages.

The basic idea is that to take offence with one another is to fall into a dangerous trap that damages both our own lives and the Church. We get locked into a pattern of thinking, feeling and acting toward one another which stifles love, unity and partnership in mission. Offence gives us an excuse for failing to love and support one another. On the contrary it causes us to betray and hate one another.

John Bevere's book on the subject is titled "The Bait of Satan", and that is exactly what offence is. As demonstrated in Mark 14, Satan was powerless against Jesus and His followers. Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of Hades will not overcome His Church. Yet we hand Satan that power when, like Judas did with Jesus, we betray one another because we have stumbled into the trap of offence.

There's a strong challenge for each of us to examine our own hearts toward one another, to see if we have allowed ourselves to fall into this trap. If so, we need to deal with that offence before it does further damage. There is also a huge amount of practical application of Scripture required to teach us how to think, feel and act toward one another so that offence has no room to operate. Learning to appreciate and utilise each other's strengths instead of being offended by each other's weaknesses is a good place to start.

Photo Gallery Updated

Last night I updated our photo gallery with pics of some of the things we've done around the outside of our home over the last few years. There's also pics of my PNG trip and family pics if you'd like to take a look. Go to http://www.birchfamily.org to have a look! Under the Media Gallery button on the left hand side choose "log in" if you have a username and password, or "browse" if you don't!

Sermon - Being the Church

Being The Church

8/6/08

How will we receive the Word of the Lord Today?

Before we start reading and hearing the Scriptures we really need to consider our attitude toward them.

The Testimony of David

Psalm 119:101-105

^101 I have kept my feet from every evil path

so that I might obey your word.

^102 I have not departed from your laws,

for you yourself have taught me.

^103 How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

^104 I gain understanding from your precepts;

therefore I hate every wrong path.

^105 Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light for my path.

The Witness of Jeremiah

Jeremiah 15:16

“When your words came, I ate them;

they were my joy and my heart’s delight,

for I bear your name,

O Lord God Almighty.”

On the contrary....

The Conclusion of Stephen’s Speech

Acts 7:51-53

^51 “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ^52 Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— ^53 you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.

Prayer

God may we be open to receive Your truth today. May we follow the example of David and Jeremiah and savour it, digest it and obey it. May we not be like those who Stephen rebuked, who received it but did not obey it. May we not respond to it in defensiveness and stubbornness of heart, but may we experience the joy of the abundant life that comes only through obedience and faith. Amen.

From here on I have included just the Scriptures, not my commentary. I think they speak for themselves! For the commentary feel free to listen to the sermon audio, accessed through www.birchfamily.org/church/sermons.htm (when I get on to uploading it!!)

Mark 13:32-37

³² “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴ It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

³⁵ “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶ If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷ What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Galatians 5:13-15

^13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. ^14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ^15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

1 Corinthians 3:1-17

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ⁷ So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. ¹⁴ If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

¹⁶ Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

1 Peter 4:1-11

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. ² As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. ³ For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. ⁴ They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. ⁵ But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 10:19-25

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Remember what we learned about baptism a little while ago?) ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵ Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Colossians 3:12-17

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Romans 15:5-7

⁵ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, ⁶ so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 12:1-13

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Love

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

1 Corinthians 12:12 – 13:13

¹² The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

¹⁴ Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Love

And now I will show you the most excellent way.

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹² Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Challenging stuff hey? If we take these passages seriously and allow them to shape our participation in the Church, just imagine what our local churches would be like! Perhaps like a city on a hill, or a lamp on a stand!

Why Should I Go To Church?

I've started to put together some ideas for this week's sermon, which is from Mark 13:32..36...

³² “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴ It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

³⁵ “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶ If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷ What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

The part that really stood out to me was in verse 34: "...each with his assigned task..."

There's an accountability that each of us has to be doing our own assigned task as part of the serving team. Sure, we work together and depend on one another in order to get our jobs done, but there is a sense of individual accountability to our Master for our own work. There is a need to be prepared for when He returns.

Paul echoed this idea in 1 Corinthians 3 when he rebuked the Corinthians on getting caught up with personalities and allegiances instead of simply working together for the Master.

As I was browsing the web I came across a number of sites posting reasons why Christians should be committed to attending a local church, and it was pretty much all good stuff. I think the bigger question than "Why should I attend church?" is actually "How can I play my part in being the Church?". Church services are very important, but they are one part of what it means for us to be the church together -to be the community of Christ's servants who are committed to fulfilling their tasks together. Again, as Paul writes in 1 Cor 12 and the New Testament commands all over the place, we can only fulfill our duties by working together and supporting one another.

So going to church is one part of what I do in my quest to be the church.

(God Willing) I'll post more information on how that works when I finish the sermon. The idea that is speaking to me right now though is that as God's people we need to focus less on the event of church services and our opinions of that event, and focus more on the big picture of how we are being the Church, and our personal responsibility (individual accountability to Christ) for how we are doing that.

The God Delusion pt 1

My basic plan is to jot down a few initial reactions as I read through "The God Delusion". Later on I hope to work through the various issues raised by the book in a more detailed way, but I don't want to get too bogged down at this stage - I do have other things to do! Because I'm just jotting down some thoughts, I'm sure that I will misread, misinterpret and misremember things on occasion, but I'm not afraid of being corrected where necessary.

It's an important exercise, as I wrote about in the "Richard Dawkins and the Johari Window" post. As someone who asks others for a hearing on significant issues and seeks to bring about some change in belief and behaviour, it is only right for me to give others the same chance to speak to me.

So here goes. Chapter 1....

Dawkins' rightly begins by clarifying what sort of God he is talking about, since there are so many divergent images that people have in their minds when the read, hear or speak about "God". He shows "deserved respect" for the metaphorical god (god is a metaphor for the Universe in all it's complexity) or pantheistic god (God is the universe - we are all part of god), perhaps even for the deist god (god got the universe going but does not interfere in its operation - the clockmaker god). None of these 'gods' are the God that he is attacking in the book. He is going after the supernatural, interventionist, personal God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Making the distinction is important. Too many Christians (including preachers) are quick to grab quotes from intellectual luminaries like Alfred Einstein and claim his support for our belief because of things he said about "God". It does not give intellectual credibility to our beliefs when we deliberately or accidentally misrepresent the views of others.

There is an interesting quote from Carl Sagan which concludes "A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the Universe as revealed to us by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths."

That has always been my experience of Christianity. Certainly it has been what Louie Giglio has been tapping into with his presentations such as "Indescribable" and "How Great is our God" which utilise the latest images of and information about the grandeur of the Universe to bring a fresh appreciation for the incredible nature of the Creator God. Of course, to say that they are the creation of this God is a statement of faith, not science, but nevertheless it is one example of how religion has been enriched by the discoveries of science.

The second part of chapter 1 is concerned with the "undeserved respect" which mainstream religions receive in society. Dawkins takes aim at the many concessions and privileges which religious institutions and dogmas receive which are not afforded to non-religious organisations, demographics and ideas. The obvious product of this is that religion becomes a tool for wielding illegitimate influence and power. All sorts of abuses and injustices can follow.

Of course as a Christian I want my views to be respected by society and I want to be free to live according to my beliefs and express them publicly. Am I willing to extend that same courtesy to others? Sadly many Christians (and people of other faiths) can be quite ungracious in this regard. I need to be able to express my disagreement with other religious and non-religious ideologies and movements, and I need to be able to tolerate it (and even listen respectfully) when others express their disagreement with my views.

Dawkins goes on to list some of the worst examples of 'religious' violence and intolerance. I agree with his condemnation of these episodes, but I would disagree that these should be categorised as religious. There are all sorts of sociological & historical factors involved. I would agree though that in some cases religion has been the trump card played by people with a vested interest in cultivating hatred & violence.

At the same time, it is unfair to suggest that intolerance and hyper-sensitivity are the norm for religious people.

In my culture for example, the name of my precious Saviour is used as an acceptable expletive. Yet you don't see me attempting to blow up T.V. and radio stations where this sort of language is being broadcast! Generally, I ignore it as a learned behaviour which is not meant to cause me any personal offense. The best I can do is ask people around me to respect my feelings on the issue in the same way that I try to avoid causing offense to them.

However reasonable and responsible the majority of religious people may be, there will always be a minority who are sufficiently militant or aggressive to provide ammunition for some people to conclude that such behaviour is the product of their religion. Violence and aggression make the news, but people coming together in communities and living out their faith in harmony with one another isn't the stuff of headlines.

endnote: SBS Television programme "Insight" recently hosted a discussion on faith-based schools, which included a discussion on interfaith dialogue and respect, as well as the difference between education and indoctrination. It's worth a look, including the discussion that arose online afterward. Go to http://news.sbs.com.au/insight/in_good_faith_547814
the discussion is here: http://news.sbs.com.au/insight/do_religious_schools_unite_or_divide_the_community_547825

Sermon - The Widow's Coins

The Widow’s Coins

Mark 12:41-44

1/6/08

Introduction

I love hearing stories of good things that people do for others. This week I was looking up stories of philanthropists. I don’t know what sort of person you think of when you think of a philanthropist – or even if you have heard of the word before! (It literally means someone who has a love for people, but it is normally used of those who are generous toward others.) When I think of philanthropy I tend to think of rich people who give some of their spare money to good causes.

I think of people like Bill and Melinda Gates, who with Bill’s father set up the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation which gives huge amounts of money to projects to help disadvantaged people.

"Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to reduce inequities and improve lives around the world" (www.gatesfoundation.org). They are involved especially in education, healthcare, disease prevention and community development.

The foundation has over 500 employees, and has assets of around AU$40 billion. It has given away over $16 billion in grants since it was formed, and in 2007 made over $2 billion in grant payments.

That’s impressive isn’t it!

Many of you will have seen Paul Newman in movies. He has been very successful as an actor. In 1980 he and a friend were making salad dressing in a bathtub to give away as Christmas presents. After filling all of the giveaway bottles there was lots left over, so they decided to bottle it and try sell it to some upmarket local food stores. Paul had been making his own salad dressing for years, and was quite a connoisseur. The salad dressing was a hit, and so a business was formed. As it grew, Paul decided to give the profits to charity, and since then over $200 million has been given away from profits of the “Paul Newman’s Own” brand.

That’s impressive too!

One more story…

In 1977 TIME Magazine carried an article about an ordinary, everyday person who was also quite a philanthropist.

Thomas Cannon, 53 was a postal worker in Richmond earning $16,000 a year, who in the previous five years had somehow managed to give away more than $33,000 of his own money. Most of it has gone, in $1,000 checks, to strangers whose misfortunes or good deeds he has read about. Some of his beneficiaries: a Colombian orphan who needed heart surgery; a couple who have been foster parents to 40 children; a civic-minded, wealthy businessman who quickly returned the gift. Why does he do it? Cannon and his wife Princetta believe that "the quest for money and acquisitions can be very self-destructive." So they give away as much as they can, while living in a house with a leaky roof and driving a battered 1963 Chevy.

That’s impressive too!

Recap: 16 billion, 200 million and 33 thousand. Very different amounts from people with different levels of resources, but all impressive!

Keep that in your minds as we turn to the gospel of Mark together this morning – Mark 12:41-44.

The Setting – Jesus teaching in the court of the women (John 8:20 also records Jesus teaching here)

Approaching the Passover. Jerusalem’s normal population of around 25,000 had swelled to around 100,000. Some of these people camped with relatives or friends in the city, others stayed in the villages surrounding Jerusalem. Jesus and His disciples stayed in the village of Bethany, which was a few kilometres to the east. Each day they traveled into Jerusalem and spent a lot of time in the Temple courts teaching and debating.

Mark 12:41-44

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.

Along the wall of the courtyard were 13 chests for putting money into. They were known as “the trumpets”, because they were shaped like trumpets – narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. 2 of these “trumpets” were used for the compulsory giving of the annual tax for the upkeep of the temple.

The other 11 were for things such as money for the purchase of animals, wood and incense for offerings, other articles and furnishings of the temple. As you came to the temple you could purchase animals yourself to take to the priests for them to sacrifice on your behalf, or you could put money into one of the “trumpets”. Each day the money would be taken out by the priests and the correct number of animals would be purchased and sacrificed all in one hit.

The purpose of each of the trumpets was marked, so as Jesus watched people put their money in He would be able to see what they were giving the money for.

Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Value of the coins: 1/64 of a days wages - in Australia today the equivalent would be about $2.50

That’s the story – that’s what Jesus saw. He then uses what He saw as an opportunity to teach His disciples an important lesson.

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

So what is the lesson that Jesus was teaching, and why does it matter to us today?

I want you to know that God is very impressed when people give everything to Him. It’s not about money, it’s about giving ourselves. Romans 12:1 says that this is our “spiritual act of worship”. In Luke 14:33 Jesus says “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

In verse 26 He listed father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—“yes, even his own life”.

This widow honoured God with everything she had to live on. She voluntarily placed herself in a position of complete dependence on God. He would either provide for her needs or not, but she worshipped Him with everything she had. Jesus was very impressed by that.

When I was a kid I would sometime notice what people put into the collection. Sometimes you'd see the colour of a note or hear the jingle of a large number of coins and be very impressed. Some churches even make special mention of the more impressive contributions that people make, even to the extent of naming buildings or putting plaques on things that have been purchased through the generosity of particular patrons. We love to notice the big givers.

Jesus was training His disciples to look at people the way He did. God once trained the prophet Samuel the same way when Samuel was looking to anoint the next king of Israel. He was impressed by what he could see in David’s oldest brothers, but God said to him “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

You know the great thing about this? It means that we can all be impressive!

We don’t need to be a Bill Gates or Paul Newman or Thomas Cannon, as great as what those people have done is. We don’t need to be a Billy Graham or Rick Warren or whoever else other people might be impressed by.

It is enough to give God everything you have, not whatever someone else has.

God doesn’t care about amounts, He cares about our hearts.

We can either say to God “You are my King and I give You my whole life. Everything I am and all that I have are Yours”; or we can say “God, I am Yours up to this point. You can have this much of my finances and this amount of my time. You can be present in these relationships and these places, but not these other ones. You can have my weekends but not my weekdays. You can have my home life but not my work life. You can have Sunday morning but the afternoon is mine.” However it is you say it you restrict the worship of God to a certain part of your life.

In Jesus' economy you can donate a million dollars to charity and still be a scrooge! On the other hand you can give a couple of bucks and be a big giver in His eyes. It's the condition of your heart in giving that is the point, not the amount which you give.

Giving everything to God does not mean selling everything you have and giving it to the poor. It does not mean giving away your last few dollars. It does not mean working full time for the church for no pay or some pay. It does not mean going to some remote corner of Papua New Guinea to spread the gospel. It simply means giving yourself completely to God to shape and to use however He wants to. That’s not a once-off decision. That’s a decision that needs to be made every day, several times a day.

You can do that. You must, because that is the kind of worshipper - the kind of disciple – that Jesus wants. It’s the kind of worshipper that God delights in.

Richard Dawkins and the Johari Window

Richard Dawkins and the Johari Window

I've got a bunch of books on my shelf waiting to be read. Two of them are Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" and Alister McGrath's reply "Dawkins' God". The first one was given to me by a friend who is an atheist -although he doesn't agree with Dawkins' approach or all of his ideas. The second one I picked up from a Christian bookstore last time I was in Perth.

I've got to admit that I'm tempted to read the second (shorter!) book as a way of killing 2 birds with one stone. It would tell me what Dawkins is on about and why he's on the wrong track, all in one go. I think that's a dangerous path to go down though.

I think we've got to be able to hear ideas from outside our own perspective and listen to them with a sense of careful openness, even if those ideas might be uncomfortable for us to hear. Much of what we hear might be rubbish, but there might be some really important truths that we need to hear if we are going to connect with where people are at and how they are thinking. We also might need to admit that there are some valid criticisms of how we (the Church) have thought, spoken and conducted ourselves that need to be addressed.

One tool that I find very helpful is the Johari Window - do a web search to find out more about it, but here's one way of drawing it:


Most of the time, we look for people to tell us what we already know, or to tell us new reasons why what we already know and do is right! We buy books and listen to people who we already know we like and agree with. As a result we get stuck in patterns of thinking and behaving which stifle growth and maturity.

So I'm going to do my best to make time to read "The God Delusion". There'll be times when I agree with what Dawkins' is saying and there'll be times when I think I know better (He's wrong and he doesn't know it!). However there will be some things that I learn from him which may also be of great use to me in my personal and intellectual growth. I'll also acknowledge that there will be some times when both he and I don't know as much as we think, and by listening to guys like Alister McGrath I will gain valuable perspective outside that of Richard Dawkins and myself. In the process of this whole discussion I will be trusting God to guide me in right paths, and even though it doesn't attempt to be a scientific textbook, the divinely inspired truths of the bible will have final authority because they have been tried and tested and more than anything else in this life, I know them to be true.

Sermon - How Good is Good Enough?

How God is Good Enough?

The Story of the Rich Young Man

Mark 10:17 – 27

18/05/08

The Rich Young Man

^17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

^18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone…”

This man doesn’t realise that Jesus is in fact God the Son. He has accidentally affirmed the divinity of Jesus, but Jesus isn’t concerned about that. Jesus says to him “Don’t look at people – any people - and consider them good – only God is truly good.

OK, sure – no-one is completely good except God. You and I know that – “Nobody’s perfect” as the saying goes. I guess the question is “How good is good enough to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus continues…

^19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honour your father and mother.’ ^a”

Jesus lays out some of God’s standards of goodness – a selection from among the many that He could have quoted.

^20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Come on, does this bloke think that Jesus is going to swallow that? Sure, he might not have murdered, slept around or stolen, but let’s not forget that Jesus considers hating someone to be like murder, and looking lustfully to be like committing adultery. Does that change anything? Even so, surely this young man is not pretending that he has never lied, cheated anyone or been cheeky or disrespectful to his parents?

^21 Jesus looked at him and loved him.

Hang on. Jesus usually got pretty narky with people who were self-righteous. The religious leaders certainly copped a hammering from Jesus on many occasions. But it seems that this fellow is very sincere. He has done his very best to do what is right and good. He says with a truthful heart that He has lived by God’s laws since he was a boy.

“One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

^22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

What Jesus did here must have appeared incredibly strange to those watching on.

He gets approached by a man who is humble and sincere, a man who has a history of good deeds but who wants to know what else he must do to obtain eternal life. A man of great wealth. From the other gospels we know he was still a young man, but that he was considered to be a ruler of the people. What incredible potential as a disciple! What an asset to the team! What resources he could bring to the cause! Any rabbi would be ecstatic to have a disciple like this man – but what does Jesus do? He discourages him! He demands the one thing that this fellow will find too difficult to do.

I wonder how people felt as they watched this man – a man who was on the very top rung of the ladder as far as how people measured righteousness – I wonder how they felt as they watched his expression turn to disappointment. I imagine that he would have hung his head and slowly risen to his feet, turned and walked slowly back to his house or the town that he had come from.

^23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

^24 The disciples were amazed at his words.

Jesus contradicted the common way of thinking. Wealth was a blessing from God. Rich people had money to do good works with – they contributed much more to the temple and to charitable causes than other people could. Rich people had the opportunity to study God’s ways. They could afford the time to sit on religious councils and participate in discussion.

But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ^25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The rich young man came to Jesus to inquire about what he must do in order to qualify for eternal life – how he could enter the kingdom of God. Jesus says that it is hard to enter the kingdom. So hard, that even for a rich person it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than to enter the kingdom of God.

^26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

If it’s that hard for a rich person, what about for those of us who don’t have their advantages? We don’t have their education. We don’t have the same resources for doing good works. We don’t have as much time to be involved in religious activities. We don’t have the chance to lead people in God’s ways. What hope is there for us?

^27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

¹

When we look around our community we see “good” people like the rich young man, and we see people who don’t seem so good!

Jesus wants us to stop looking at people that way. Only God is good. None of us are good. None of us are even good enough. We all need God to do the impossible for us to be able to enter His kingdom. Jesus achieved that for all of us in doing what we could not - He gave us His goodness and took from us all of the things which fall short, bearing their weight and carrying them to the cross. Only by turning to Jesus for forgiveness and new life can we enter God's Kingdom.

^a Exodus 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20

^b Some manuscripts is for those who trust in riches

1The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mk 10:17). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.