Sermon Audio Sermon Video
The role of women in the corporate life of the church is an issue that many Spirit-filled, God-honouring, Bible-believing Christians have come to different conclusions on. We examine 4 common views: Radical Feminism, Paternalism, Egalitarianism and Complementarianism, which all sound a little scary, but they're not so bad once you get to know them! The first 2 views are more extreme and most Christians would agree that they do not fit with the teaching of Scripture as reflecting God's intention for the Church. The latter 2 views, however, both take the Bible seriously as God's inspired and authoritative guide for belief and practice today.
This message does not seek to examine all of the arguments for and against each view - that would take a really long time - but rather to briefly portray the emphasis of each and indicate some of the reason why our church teaches the complementarian view, which is that men and women are created equal but different. We should not compete with one another but rather enjoy the way that God has designed us to complement each other and fulfil our respective roles in love and humility.
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Sermon - How Can We Be Saved
How Can We Be Saved?
John 2:23
22/03/09
John 2:23-25
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
Many people believed in Jesus yet Jesus knew their hearts, and He knew that while they might believe something about Him, that belief did not make them His disciples. Some may have believed He could be a political king. Some may have believed Him to be a great teacher. Some may have believed that He could meet their physical needs, like providing food for the crowds and healing for the sick. None of these beliefs qualified them for membership in His kingdom.
Is belief enough, or is something more required?
Do we need to believe and be baptized?
Mark 16:16
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
This verse seems pretty clear! What about Romans 6…
Romans 6:3-4
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Do we need to be baptized properly and have hands lain on us?
Acts 19:1-7
While Apollos was at
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
What about Repentance?
Acts 2:38-39
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Acts 17:29-31
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
Do we need to make a public confession of faith?
Romans 10:9-10
9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Matthew 10:32
32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven
Do we need to confess our sins to God?
1 John 1:8-9
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
So, to be on the safe side, we should:
· Believe in Jesus
· Be baptised into His name (in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
· Turn away from our sins
· Publicly confess our faith in Jesus
· Confess our sins to God
Or are we looking at this the wrong way?
John 3:16
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
John 20:30-31
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do
Danger of having a list of things to qualify for salvation is that it becomes an issue of our works – have we done everything properly in order to be saved?
Our salvation is a gift from God, an expression of His grace. We access this gift through faith alone – not through any other qualifying act. However as verse 10 points out, we are saved by the work of God in order to do the good works He has prepared in advance for us to do.
Why then does the bible mention all these other things in relation to salvation?
We need to recognise that there is a difference between acts that earn salvation and acts that accompany salvation.
Our salvation has been earned by Jesus, and is received through believing in Him (not our own ideas about Him, as in John 2:23, but the truth that He is the Christ, the Son of God).
Salvation is always accompanied by certain actions, as Jesus Himself explains in Matthew 7…
How can we tell if a person is truly saved?
Matt 7:15-23
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
There are going to be people who seem to have all the right boxes ticked, but who have not genuinely believed in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. They might be deliberately deceptive, or they may tragically deceived. Jesus knows the condition of the heart where we cannot, but what He tells us to look for are the acts that accompany salvation – the evidence that a person has genuinely been saved.
These include many of the things we have already mentioned:
· Being baptised into His name (in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
· Public confession of faith in Jesus
· Turning away from sin and toward obedience to God
· Evidence of the fruit of the Spirit – Christlike character
· Confession of sins to God and each other (James 5:16)
When it comes to the passages listed earlier, a proper study of each of them in consultation with the whole counsel of Scripture makes it clear as to why each of the things listed are not things that earn salvation, but rather accompany it. If I were to step through each of the passages that list something other than faith or belief, we would be here for a very long time, but I will just mention some principles that will help you understand most of these better.
- In passages that discuss baptism, you should keep in mind that there are various types of baptism: a water baptism of repentance, a water baptism into the name of Jesus and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Understanding which baptism is being discussed is the key to properly understanding these passages.
- In passages that discuss repentance, it should be noted that repentance is simply a change in orientation – a change of mind or heart that leads to a change in behaviour. When repentance is talked about in relation to salvation, it always describes a change from unbelief to belief, or a change from ignorance to belief. It is not talking about a change in lifestyle. The change in lifestyle – the change from a life of sin to a life of obedience - will always follow salvation as the Holy Spirit exposes sin and helps the believer to overcome it. We cannot turn from our sins except with the help of the Holy Spirit and the community of believers. If we make repentance about turning away from sin we place this as a condition of salvation, which it cannot be, since there is nothing we do which merits our salvation. Not only that, but can any of us claimed to have turned away from all our sin? Not according to the Bible, which urges Christians to continue to confess sins and seek restoration. On the contrary, repentance that brings salvation is to believe in the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus, and in Him as our Lord. The implications of believing in Jesus as Lord will be realised as “we work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling” (Php 2:12).
- In other types of passages simply paying attention to the context of the passage is enough to give a clear understanding of what is being said and why.
When it comes to the doctrine of salvation, there are 2 errors that we must avoid:
· Salvation by works argues that there are things we must do in addition to believing in Jesus in order to be saved.
· Easy-believism, or cheap grace, argues that all we need to do is believe in Jesus and we will be saved – end of story.
If you argue against one, you are nearly always accused of teaching the other! In reality, both of these positions are almost right but dangerously wrong. Taking either of these positions will lead to legalism or licentiousness. They lead to insecurity because we can never be sure if we have done everything correctly or to the standard God requires, or we can never be sure if our belief really is genuine. They distort the gospel and make it impossible to clearly witness to the incredible grace of God which is expressed in Jesus.
The only way to be sure of your salvation is to understand the biblical position that is neither salvation by works nor easy-believism.
The bible teaches that salvation is by faith in Jesus alone, but that it will always be accompanied by the fruit of salvation, by which we can be sure of what God already knows about the genuineness of our faith in Him.
*all bible passages from
Monday, 9 March 2009
Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Video
This video has been published on YouTube by the Red Cross. Worth a look to get a sense of the scale of the tragedy but also the scale of the response of generosity and compassion.
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Sermon - Jesus and Nicodemus
Jesus and Nicodemus
John 3:1-21
8/03/09
John 3:1-21
8/03/09
The Story Begins: John 3:1
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.
3 Important pieces of information:
1. The man, Nicodemus
• Identified here as an important man, a Pharisee and member of the highest political and religious authority in the land – the Sanhedrin.
• We later find out (John 7:50) that he used his position in the Sanhedrin to argue for a just treatment of Jesus, but was mocked for doing so.
• After Jesus’ death, he went with Joseph of Arimathea - who was also a member of the Sanhedrin - to bury Jesus’ body, and provided valuable spices to anoint Jesus’ body.
2. Who was a Pharisee
• There were 2 main “political” parties in operation at this time, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They represented opposing sides of the political spectrum. Remember that politics and religion were not separate spheres in Israel, they were inextricably intertwined.
• The Pharisees wanted to maintain Jewish religious tradition and culture. As well as upholding the Old Testament scriptures, they considered the traditions of the rabbi’s to hold equal authority as morally binding. However there were some areas where the traditions of the rabbi’s varied between very strict interpretations of the law and much more liberal interpretations. The Pharisees were most influential in rural areas where people tended to be less well educated and more socially conservative.
• The Pharisees were contrasted with the Sadducees, who were the wealthy elite, and only accepted the first 5 books of the Old Testament. They did not believe in miracles or a physical resurrection, but emphasized living a good life in the here and now. The Sadducees traced their roots back to the wealthy Jews who collaborated with Greek rule and who were granted positions of power and prominence. They helped introduce many elements of Greek culture into Jewish life, and considered themselves to be more intellectually sophisticated than the conservative and traditional Pharisees.
3. And member of the ruling council – the Sanhedrin
• The Great Sanhedrin is the ruling council over the region of Judea. Their were regional councils that dealt with local legal matters, but if they could not deal with an issue it was referred to the council which sat at the entrance to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This was a council of 23
• Made up of the High Priest, Chief Priests, Elders, and Scribes.
i. The High Priest was a hereditary appointment, just as originally the office was given to Aaron and his descendents. However often political appointments were made. The Chief Priests were the senior ranking priests – sort of a priestly nobility.
ii. The Scribes were lawyers, teachers, secretaries, copiers of Scriptures and so on. They were experts in Jewish law, and are often called teachers of the law in the Gospels. Scribes were often closely linked to the Pharisees, as the Pharisees tended to be the more zealous for the law.
iii. The Elders were senior, respected members of influential families.
• Most of these various people who were a part of the Sanhedrin were associated with the party of the Sadducees.
The two stories show how Jesus has potentially alienated 2 very important religious and political groups right at the start of His public life.
1) The wedding at Cana would have caused a real stir among those sympathetic to the Pharisees – remember Jesus turned their water for ceremonial washing into wine!
2) The cleansing of the Temple would have infuriated the Sadducees – they were the ones in charge there and the main financial beneficiaries of the temple industry. This probably caused the Pharisees some pleasure!
So Jesus has landed in the middle of a political and religious struggle. It’s liberal versus conservative, sophisticated versus straightforward, modern versus traditional, urban versus rural. When you read all of the gospels you see that Jesus doesn’t bother with any of that stuff and just starts doing the work of the Kingdom, teaching people the truth about God and performing signs which show His authority. But all the time on the sidelines are these groups who are either seeking to claim Jesus for their own side or to get rid of Him when he works against their aims.
The Story Continues…
John 3:2a-
2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
It’s little surprise that Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night! He was surrounded by people who Jesus has offended, but he wants to find out more in order to make up his own mind. All he knows is that Jesus’ works seem to show that He really is a teacher from God.
Who is the “we” Nicodemus refers to here? Is it the whole ruling council, or the party of the Pharisees? It is more likely to be a close group of friends among this group who have discussed the matter together, and Nicodemus is now acting as their ambassador and investigator.
3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
There’s a great wordplay going on here, that we don’t get because we’re not reading the original language. In Greek the word for “again” is more literally translated as “from above”. Different Bible translations go either way when translating verse 3.
John is well known for word-plays in his writing, and this is a great example. Jesus responds to Nicodemus saying that he believes that Jesus is a teacher from God by going one step further, and saying that no-one will see God’s Kingdom unless he or she also is born from above. John demonstrates that Nicodemus doesn’t get Jesus’ point, misunderstanding the word (anothen) to mean “again”, and being perplexed as to how an old man could possibly be born a second time.
Jesus then makes it clear what it means to be born from above.
5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
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.19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
Summary of the Conversation:
J: To enter God’s Kingdom you must receive the gift of eternal life through the Spirit. Mortals cannot achieve immortality, only the Holy Spirit brings eternal life.
N: What?
J: Look, if you want to understand spiritual truths you must believe the testimony of those who have received spiritual life. I came from heaven, and I will be lifted up on earth so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life. I wasn’t sent to condemn the world, but to save it through my death and resurrection. Believe in me and you will receive eternal life through the Spirit of God. Refuse to believe and you will receive what your actions deserve, God’s condemnation. It’s time to choose: either side with those who hate me because they love evil or come out into the light, so people can see the work of God in you.
Jesus was a genuinely curious seeker, a man of great learning and principle. Yet instead of sneaking to Jesus at night time he needed to come out into the light and take a stand for what He believed.
We are never told what Nicodemus’ response at the time was, but we know that He was supportive of Jesus and helped with His burial. According to non-biblical traditions he did become a follower of Jesus also.
Conclusion
Jesus cannot be claimed or chained by politics or human agendas. Believe in Him and follow Him, don’t try control Him or use Him for your own purposes. You cannot save yourself. You cannot earn God’s pleasure or His pardon. Jesus has done it for you, just believe. When you believe you will receive eternal life through the Spirit and you will start to live by the Spirit in your daily life.
Maybe like Nicodemus you are trying to stay safe in a world system that is hostile to Jesus, and it is time to show your allegiances clearly. Maybe it’s time to make it clear that what you do is done through God.
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Sermon - The Wedding at Cana
The Wedding at
John 2:1-11
22/02/09
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in
Let’s familiarise ourselves with what is involved in a first-century Jewish wedding so we can imagine the story as it is described to us…
Jewish Weddings First-Century Style
When a Jewish young man wished to marry a particular young woman, it was customary for the prospective groom's father first to approach the girl's father with the proposal of marriage. The two men would discuss this possible union including the price offered by the groom for the bride. If the girl's father agreed to the suggested amount, the two men sealed the agreement with a toast of wine.
The potential bride then entered the room whereupon the prospective groom proclaimed his love and asked her to be his bride. If the young woman wished to be his wife, she accepted his proposal at this time. The validation of the agreement made by the engaged couple was the presentation of a gift by the groom. He offered it in the presence of at least two witnesses. As he gave the gift, usually a ring, he said to his intended bride, "Behold you are consecrated unto me with this ring according to the laws of Moses and
Arrangements were also made right then concerning the terms of the marriage. A written contract listed the time, place, and size of the wedding as well as recording the dowry and terms of maintenance of the marriage. This binding document called a "ketubah" was kept in the bride's possession until the consummation of the marriage. Finally, this first part of a two-part ceremony was concluded by the toast of a glass of wine. The whole ceremony was called the "Shiddukhin," or engagement.
The Bible refers to the status of the prospective bride and groom as "espousal" or "betrothal." It meant that the two people were committed to each other as much as a married couple would be. The only parts of the marriage not yet completed were the formal "huppah" ceremony followed by their physical union. This betrothal was considered so binding that the only way to break it was by an actual bill of divorcement.
The groom then departed, but not before he assured his bride with the promises of building a home for her and returning to complete the marriage ceremony. He usually took a year to prepare her new home which often consisted of an addition built onto his own father's house.
The bride was expected to remain true to her groom as she prepared herself and her trousseau. She lived for the day of his return for her which would be heralded by a shout from the members of the wedding party. The impending return of her groom was to influence the bride's behavior during this interim espousal period.
The typical Jewish wedding took place at night. As soon as any members of the wedding spotted the moving torches signaling the groom's approach, their cry echoed through the streets, "The bridegroom is coming." The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia tells us, "Mirth and gladness announced their approach to townspeople waiting in houses along the route to the bride's house." Upon hearing the announcement, the excited bride would drop everything in order to slip into her wedding dress and complete her final personal preparations for marriage.
Rather than the groom entering the bride's house, the bride came out to meet him. The two, accompanied by their wedding party, returned together to the groom's home for the marriage ceremony. Following the public ceremony, the newlyweds entered their bridal chamber to be intimate with each other for the first time. After this union, the groom came out and announced to the wedding guests, "Our marriage is consummated."
Upon receiving the glad news, the wedding party began a "festive" seven-day celebration. The celebration lasted seven days only if this was the first marriage of a virgin girl. During this time the bride and the groom stayed with each other in seclusion. At the end of this time of privacy, the groom would present his unveiled bride to everyone in attendance. The newlyweds then joined in the wedding feast with the guests. [i]
This information will help us picture what is happening as we read the story, but I want to zoom out for a minute and remember the symbolism with which the Bible talks about our relationship with Jesus as being like His Bride.
There is a lot of symbolism evident here when we think of Jesus as the groom and the Church as His bride. Some that I would like to comment briefly on this morning include:
§ The gift that was given in front of witnesses with the words: “Behold you are consecrated unto me with this ring [for example] according to the laws of Moses and
§ Upon this betrothal a document was signed that guaranteed the legal status of the relationship. The Bride held on to that document to reassure her that the groom would in fact return for her when he was ready to take her to her new home. When the Groom’s father judged that the Groom had built a suitable home, he gave the Groom permission to go and fetch his Bride. In a similar way Jesus is preparing a home for us, the Father has already set a time for when Jesus will come and claim us, and we have been given a guarantee in the form of the Spirit who lives within us, and the promises of Scripture which remind us of God’s plans for us and the sureness of our salvation. Jesus will return and take us to be with Him forever. The betrothal period of commitment but separation will be over.
§ In the meantime we are to prepare ourselves to receive Him well. We are to be ready for His call and be faithful to Him while we wait.
Communion
(We partake of the Bread and the Wine to remember our glorious Husband who has purchased us to be His Bride, and who will return to take us to our eternal home).
The Story Continues
Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. a
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in
2 Things to Take From the Story:
(There are lots of things that we could take the time to comment on, but here are 2 for today!)
1. Jesus’ Heart for Service
There was nothing in it for Jesus. He did not want to reveal His power yet, He had a clear sense of timing (which we discover elsewhere in the gospels) and this was not yet the time for miraculous displays. Yet even though it was not in His own interests, He still helped out.
The bridegroom faced serious social stigma for failing to adequately cater for his guests, and could even be fined for the offence. Jesus, perhaps repaying the generosity of the groom in inviting both Jesus and His disciples, relieves the tension of this situation. He could have very easily told those servants to hitch up the cart and go to the market in Sepphoris for wine (remember we talked about Sepphoris a few weeks ago?), and told the master of the banquet to distract everyone for a few hours until they got back, but Jesus sacrificed His own agenda for the sake of serving others, and in doing so set an example for us to follow. When Jesus serves, He serves well. The wine isn’t passable. It’s more than good enough to get the bridegroom off the hook. It is first class. I think this says something about the quality of service that we should offer also.
2. Jesus’ rejection of current religious culture
Mark 7:1-7
The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles. a)
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ b 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
These stone jars are for holding the water used in ceremonial washing. Normally there would be one of these in the kitchen or somewhere convenient so that people could wash their hands at the appropriate times. The practice of hand-washing changed over the centuries and it is hard to say exactly how it was being carried out in
Now faced with the situation of needing to provide wine for the party, what does Jesus do? He has the servants fill up these jars, and then turns the water for ceremonial washing into wine for joyful consumption!
Is it a good idea to wash hands regularly and thoroughly? Of course it is! But Jesus is no respecter of our cultural sensitivities – even our religious ones. Sometimes we need to be challenged as to whether our own religious habits are the commands of God or the traditions of men to borrow Jesus’ words from Mark 7:8. We need to be continually coming back to the commands of God and asking Him to show us how to best obey them in the situations that we find ourselves in today, not just doing what people before us have done.
a Greek two to three metretes (probably about 75 to 115 liters)
a Some early manuscripts pitchers, kettles and dining couches
b 6,7 Isaiah 29:13
[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mk 7:1).
[i] http://www.oasistradepost.com/Weddings_/weddings_.html
Friday, 30 January 2009
Sermon: The Rejection of Jesus - John 1:10-13
The Rejection of Jesus
John 1:10-13
25/01/09
Before we get stuck into our passage today we need to think together a little bit about the issue of rejection.
Rejection Hurts
Do you know what it’s like to be rejected? It’s not a nice feeling is it?
Rejection occurs when you offer something that is refused; and the greater the thing that you offer the greater hurt you suffer at it’s refusal. For example:
- “Would you like a coffee?” – if it’s turned down that’s no big deal.
- “Would you like to have a coffee with me?” – that brings disappointment if it is turned down, because it’s more than just the drink, it was time together that was being offered.
When I was the chairperson of the Telecentre one of the things I found hardest to do was interview people for positions and then have to contact some to let them know they were unsuccessful. I know what it’s like to do your best to offer yourself as a good employee, and how disappointing it is when you get turned down. Sure, it might be disappointing not to get the job, but it feels like you have been rejected as a person as well – that you had been measured up and found lacking.
Some people will be able to recall the mixed feelings of fear and hope as they offered themselves romantically to another, and the deep despair and even humiliation if rejected. Some will remember the hurt of rejection by loved ones – whether they are parents, a partner or even children. How many parents have felt the rejection of children who have grown up and no longer depend on them or want their advice?
We have all been rejected in all sorts of different ways, and we know how much it hurts.
In dealing with painful rejection or trying to help others deal with it, the most common strategy is two-pronged:
1) Reassurance – don’t let this destroy your self-esteem. You are valuable, special, capable, attractive or whatever else might be appropriate. This was just the wrong situation or the wrong person or the wrong job. Keep going, don’t let this pull you down. Keep training, keep studying, keep dating, keep applying or whatever else is required.
2) Indignation – they were wrong to reject you. They didn’t see the real you. They don’t know what they’re missing. It just shows how shallow they are. It just shows that you can do better than being with them.
Do these sound familiar?
Keep these things in mind as we turn to a passage which contains both some of the saddest and some of the happiest verses in the Bible, John 1:10-13.
10 [Jesus] was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. [1]
Jesus Understands Rejection
Verses 10 and 11 talk about the greatest injustice ever perpetrated. Follow the story of John 1 so far: John has described to us this incredible being who is the Word, who is God, who created the Universe, who is the Light and the Source of life; and says that this One is coming into the world. A man also named John came to witness to this fact and prepare people for His reception.
When this Creator-God comes into His world, what sort of reception does He receive?
First of all, verse 10 tells us that he was not even recognised! Despite the testimony of John the Baptiser, despite the many miraculous signs, despite His authoritative teaching, despite even His death and resurrection the world as a whole did not and has not recognised Jesus for who He is!
It gets even worse than that in verse 11. There is a subtlety in the Greek language here that we don’t quite get in the English translation. It says “He came to that which was his own” – “his own” there refers to his own place or possession. It continues “but his own” – this time referring to his own people – “did not receive him”
If there was anywhere in the world that God’s Son – the promised Messiah – should be able to find a welcome reception, it should be in the Promised Land that God gave to the Israelites. If there were any people that should recognise and receive Christ as King it should be the people who God himself had made into a nation.
Jesus Himself told a parable to the religious leaders of
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
So Jesus came into the world and to the nation that God had established to be His very own people. He’d given them land, laws and everything they needed, yet they had turned away from true worship and rejected His lordship. They had killed the prophets He sent to call them back to Him. Finally God sent His Son, and even the Son was rejected and killed.
“Yet”, we read in verses 12 & 13, “to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God”
If Jesus had never endured the rejection of His people we would never have had the chance to receive Him. If Jesus had never been unfairly crucified, we could never have received forgiveness.
All this was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, as we read in Isaiah 53:1-6
“Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”
So What Does This Teach Us?
So as we think about the rejection of Jesus by His world and His people, what are some lessons that we can take away and apply to our own lives?
1) Do not join with others in rejecting Jesus
The Bible is quite clear that God the Father will judge us on the basis of whether we have accepted or rejected His Son. We can accept Him as our Saviour and our Lord, or we can continue to go our own way and accept the penalty for our own actions. The choice is between eternal life and eternal death. Choose life!
If you have accepted eternal life through Jesus, you must continue to be careful not to reject Him in any aspect of your life. He must be the Lord of our eating, our working, our playing, our speaking, our relating, our thinking. We must remember to do everything as an act of service to Him with all our heart (Colossians 3:17,23). We must also remember to treat people with the same generosity and love that we have for Jesus, because what we do for them we do for Christ, and to reject them is to reject Christ (Matt 25:31-46).
2) Don’t try and make Jesus marketable!
During the week I read this story from the Reader’s Digest magazine:
On a sightseeing trip on
Sometimes people are tempted to change the signs on Jesus – to change the gospel that they preach – in order to achieve a better result. It might be to focus on Jesus’ ability to improve our lives but leave out His demand that we surrender our lives to Him. It might be to focus on legalism instead of grace in an attempt to better control people’s behaviour. It might be the love of God without the righteousness of God. There are countless variations.
We need to proclaim the true Jesus as revealed in Scripture, and allow people to reject or accept the truth. I don’t care how many people are in a church if they are not following the real Jesus. I would rather them not have any Jesus than to have a phony Jesus. We need to think carefully about how accurately we are portraying Jesus in what we say and more importantly in how we live.
3) Expect Rejection!
If we follow Jesus we can expect rejection. Rejection is inevitable anyway, but following Jesus with all your heart is a sure guarantee of it!
The great thing is that we no longer need to fear rejection by people, because we have been accepted by God! I would much rather be accepted by God and rejected by people than be accepted by people and rejected by God. Yet so often I lose sight of that. So often we try and walk a tight-rope between pleasing God and pleasing people, when it should be no contest at all.
Yes, you will suffer rejection in life, but you can handle it. Look at what Jesus endured and take heart, because His Spirit is within you strengthening, encouraging and comforting. Find out the truth about who you are in Jesus – that is all the reassurance you need to help you through even the most painful rejection by others. You don’t need to prove that you are fun or smart or sexy or anything else that people feel they need to prove in order to be accepted or desired by others. You are incredibly valuable because of who God has made you and because of who lives in you. Don’t sell out to the petty demands of those who want you to conform to the expectations of this world.
When you feel the indignation rising in you about how unfairly you have been treated, remember that we live in an age of grace. God will judge people fairly, but he would much rather judge people generously. He longs to forgive, not to punish; and as His people we must be the same. So in the words of Jesus (Matt. 5:44-45), “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”
It’s not easy, but in Christ you can do it.
[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Jn 1:10).
[2]Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Sermon - Living for Eternity - 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 – Living for Eternity
18/01/09
Who likes camping?
I do! My son and I love to go camping at Roe Dam at Easter – it's great... for a weekend!
As much fun as it is to set up tents, explore, cook on campfires and rough it for a while, most of us would rather not live that way. We like our houses more than we like our tents!
My friend's family in high school – lived in a shed on a farm. They had a kitchen that doubled as a bathroom, a toilet and a living area which was a combined dining/lounge room. The bedrooms consisted of a couple of caravans parked in the open section of the shed.
Living in the shed was fine for a while, but they were looking forward to getting that house built!
The shed was all you could see, but that's not all there was – they were looking forward to something better coming. All through our high school years my friends family were camping out! I moved back to Busselton after being away for about 7 years, and went out to visit the farm. Finally I got to see what they looked forward to all along, and it was fantastic. Beautiful gardens and a lovely farmhouse. They'd finally settled in and it was worth the wait.
There is a difference between camping out and settling in.
Your Body is a Tent
Look down at your body – look at your hands, arms, torso, legs and feet. Look at your body and realise this... it's a tent!! It is temporary, it is frail, it is fragile, it is not going to last..
The Bible has many important things to say about how you should see your body, think about your body, even think about other people's bodies! But the truth that your body is a tent is probably the most important.
Of course a lot of people would scoff at this idea. “Our bodies are who we are” they would say. Our genetic make-up, the chemistry of our brains, these are the things that define us. When the electricity stops coursing around our nueral networks we cease to be – there is nothing beyond these physical realities.
The Bible says that these physical realities are just the tent that God has put us in. They are incredibly complex – we are fearfully and wonderfully made. But God is so incredible that He has an even more awesome design in mind for us. A design which is eternal, not temporary. A design which does not suffer from the frailties and vulnerabilities of this one. A design which was modeled for us by Jesus when He returned from the grave as what Paul described in his first letter to the Corinthians as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”. If our bodies on earth are a tent, then our heavenly bodies are a palace!
The key thought that I want us all to grasp today is this:
Don't waste your life decorating your tent, prepare for your palace!
It is very easy to make this life all about what is temporary, as if that is all there is. It's not. We were made for eternity - not in these bodies, but in the ones we will receive when Christ returns.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
With this in mind let's re-read
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
I want to ask you this morning - is this how you feel? Do you long to swap this temporary body for your eternal one? Do you long to be present with Jesus? Does this life feel like a burden to you when you compare it to eternity?
If you live by faith, then the answer must be “Yes”. Faith produces confidence in the life to come, and the realisation that it is much, much, much better than this one – better than we could even dream or imagine. If you have accepted the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ then you have no more reason to fear death, rather you have every reason to look forward to real life.
However in 1 Corinthians we were urged to stand firm and let nothing move us – why? Because we are constantly tempted to live by sight instead of by faith. We are tempted to make our temporary campout here on earth all that we are living for. We are tempted to settle in. To find satisfaction in our temporary comforts, temporary achievements, temporary relationships, temporary experiences and so on. Our sight says, “This is all there is, so live it up while you can”, or, “This is all there is, so slave away to give your kids as much as you can so they can have what you missed out on”.
Paul says instead “Don't settle for the temporary, go for the eternal. Work for the Lord because that will last.”
Whether a guy or girl thinks you're attractive won't last. Even marrying that guy or girl will at best only last this lifetime. But risking their rejection by sharing your faith could lead to a relationship that will continue in eternity. Does that change the way you look at people and relate to them? What would it be like if we all saw those around us as people we want to share eternity with? Even the annoying, rude, arrogant or violent ones?
Sinking your money into homes, clothes and cars is a necessary part of life in this world, but it won't last. Using your resources to share the love and truth of Christ – there's a long term investment strategy. Does that change the way you look at and use your money?
The last 2 verses of our passage state:
9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Don't waste your life decorating your tent, prepare for your palace!
The last time I was here I spoke about the fact that this life can only be lived to the full when we live it God's way. Building our lives on Jesus is the only way to have a life full of love, joy, peace, security and so many other good things. It is the only way to have our heart's desires satisfied. But I never want to give the impression that this is the hope of the gospel. I never want to market the gospel as a way of having your dreams and desires fulfilled. That's encouraging people to live by sight and to make Jesus their slave instead of their Lord. You will never fully obey the gospel if you are trying to make this life as good as it can be. You can only live God's way when you become convinced that this life is not the point.
2 Corinthians 5 tells us that God has made us for the purpose of eternity, and our job as a church is to help people be prepared for it.
Don't waste your life decorating your tent, prepare for your palace!
Don't settle in here, camp out until your real home is ready – it will be worth the wait!
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