THE OUTRAGE OF MISGUIDED FAITH

#302                                                 THE OUTRAGE OF MISGUIDED FAITH

                                                                        Fleeing from Fickle Fires

Scripture          Mark 14:54, 66-72                                                                                 Orig. Date 8/28/1966 (4/1979)

                            John 21:18                                                                                                             Rewr. Dates 10/10/1985

Passage: Mark 14:54, 66-72; John 21:18, NIV

Mark 14:54, 66-72  54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.  66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.  “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.  68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.[g]

 69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it.  After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”  71 He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”  72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time.[h] Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice[i] you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

John 21:18  18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

Purpose: To remind my people that from time to time we need to re-examine the methods of our faith.

Keywords:                           Denial                   Discipline             Faith

Timeline/Series:               New Testament Church

Introduction

                Just a few short years ago, one of the best loved and most highly respected ministers in America was Peter Marshall.  He briefly held the position of Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.  The story of his  life, from boyhood in Scotland to his death was the subject of a Hollywood film.

                His wife, Catherine, never one to be bashful about her own Christian convictions did not reach prominence until after her husband’s death.  She became an accomplished author writing the happy reflections of two people sustained by the wonderful grace of God, and of the greater sustenance that came to her in his death.  In actual fact, more people have been blessed by the contribution of her writings than could ever have been touched by a Presbyterian minister, even the Chaplain of the Senate.

                In her book, Beyond Ourselves(1), she includes a personal manifesto.  She writes of her tragedy, and of a greater door that was opened to her through her personal suffering.  It is a personal record of her escape from grief.  Along the way, she advises what is at stake and what the potential cost may be.  She wrote, “Don’t surrender to God unless you mean it, because He may have to take some sizable chunks out of us.” 

                Simon Peter is an example of the outrage of a man’s misguided faith.  Even so, the cost of commitment is likewise outrageous.  Perhaps there is something for us to learn from the experience of Simon Peter.

I.             Physically, We See a Man Following at a Distance.  V54 “But Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.” 

                A curious man.  It had driven him into the water to walk beside Jesus.  (Matthew 14.)  When Jesus first spoke of death it roused him to rebuke Jesus.  Just before this, he takes sword in hand to defend Jesus.  Now he is torn between love for Jesus, and fear of his enemies.  Curiosity is not uncommon in the faith.  John 4 “Jesus said, ‘Except you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’”  Again, John 12, “They came not for Jesus’ sake only, but to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.”

                A complex man.  He was another with much to offer.  Under controlled circumstances he would give completely.  It is said by some that his death was the death of crucifixion in Rome.  Like many of us he needed simple answers to complex questions.  He heard the answer to John’s question (Luke 7) “Are you the One that was to come, or do we look for another?”  Though Jesus answered affirmatively, faith in that response would come ever so slowly.

                A concerned man.  He knew the anguish of the people around him.   He had seen Jesus confront pseudoreligion, and draw believable pictures of God.  He wanted to believe, but how long would it take to convince him?  Gene Bartlett’s hymn tells the story needed by Simon and most of us.  “Set my soul afire, Lord, for Thy holy word.  Burn it deep within me, let Thy voice be heard. Millions grope in darkness, in this day and hour, I will be a witness, fill me with Thy power.  Set my soul afire, Lord, set my soul afire.  Make my life a witness of Thy saving power. Millions grope in darkness waiting for Thy word, set my soul afire Lord, set my soul afire.”

II.            But Socially, Simon’s Witness was Degraded by Denial.  V67 “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.”  V68 “But he denied it, saying. . . .” V70 “But he denied it again.”  V71 “I do not know this man.”

                Simon is  here accused of being a Christian.  He is honest in his denial in that he is open about it.  How often do we do the same and hide it? Faith is something to put on on Sunday, a mask to paint over our real feelings.  We grow satisfied with the bleachers of faith because the participants look uncomfortable and overworked.   

                I sometimes have genuine pity for folks who find excuses to stay away from church.  Some may be believers.  They are going to feel so out of place in Heaven, if they make it.  They  will be on edge all the time fearing that someone made a mistake and they are going to be kicked out.  And when the heavenly chorus starts to sing Amazing Grace, they are not even going to know the words.

                It is one thing to deny by word.  That can be quickly changed. We can deny our denial.  We can prove our fealty by our faith.

                But it’s a terrible thing when denial becomes so ingrained it’s worn like a badge of honor.  Jesus makes it clear that we are not free to deny Him.  He refuted the comfortable “logic” that we are free to do as we please.  Matthew 7:26 “Everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon sand.”

                It is evidently clear that there is light enough and we are responsible for denials.  John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that  light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light . . . deeds are evil.”  Misquote “better than light” division of loyalty for “rather than light” error in value judgment.

III.           Third Denial is Purgative.  Psychologically, We See a Man Disarmed by Defection.  V72 “And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him ‘Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.’”  Matthew and Luke “wept bitterly.”

                It is when the soul is desperate that we can best encounter God.  The prodigal.  Isaiah—“Woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. . . .”  David—“Restore unto me the joy of my salvation.”

                Such desperation is the enabler of faith.  Some need such an encounter to experience forgiveness and faith.  Others grow up believing.  They can’t imagine not believing.  The occasion deepens faith and widens horizons of Christian living.

                For Simon, the experience broke him free from the traditions that bound him.  Distance would become directness.  Simon becomes a new man in Christ.  His denial becomes discipleship.  Still many  hurdles to surpass.  John 21:18 “Another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldst not go.”  His defection becomes death to self and life in Christ.  Singly, and in  single stages we are brought into the kingdom.  Isaiah 27:12 “You shall be gathered one by one.”  Luke 15:7 “Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth” –Jesus’ parable of one lost sheep.  Barabbas released (John 18:39). Cornelius dazzling in Acts 10.  There is a right thing, a right way, a right time, and a right purpose.

Conclusion

                In my first pastorate another preacher suggested to me one day that I ought to get a tent.  In my youthful enthusiasm, I thought he was complimenting me and suggesting  that I share my ministry on a wider scale.

                In a later, saner moment of spiritual crisis, the Lord convicted me that the tone of my ministry was a bit too formal and I needed to break out of it.  That may have been what my friend had been trying to tell me all the time.  From time to time, we need to take a good look at our faith and allow the Lord to take some of those “chunks” (C. Marshall) out of us.

1-Marshall, C. (1961). Beyond Ourselves. McGraw-Hill.

ON THE EDGE OF LIFE

#807                                                                 ON THE EDGE OF LIFE                                                                                       

Luke 7:11-17 NIV                                                                                                                                                Orig. 11-23-80

                                                                                                                                                                               Rewr. 10-25-90 

Passage:  Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him.  As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the town was with her.  When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”  Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still.  He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up.” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.  They were all filled with awe and praised God.  “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said.  “God has come to help his people.”  This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.                                                   

Purpose: Continuing a Sunday night study in the lives of people around Jesus, here discovering Jesus’ reaction to a funeral

Keywords:          Compassion       Hope

Timeline/Series:               Biography

Introduction

                In my file are obituaries of all of the funerals that I have preached.  I am not quite sure why this material has been saved.  I don’t ever look through the list, I don’t even know how many there have been.  I suppose there have been a hundred or more. Old men and women, but some not so old.  A few have been youths, several infants.  They always have merited special attention, but never has there been some passing thought of restoring life.  We have gone about the intended business of depositing the corpse in the grave, and encouraging the mourners to get back to the business of living.

                I suppose that Jesus went to other funerals.  What His demeanor was there, I do not know.  Surely, He was at Joseph’s funeral. And John the Baptist!  When He went to this event, however, He went of purpose.

                Billy Graham can go to London for a crusade, and 50 to 60 thousand people may come out to hear him.  Millions more may watch a playback of the crusade a few weeks later.  The impact of such a crusade is enormous.

                Jesus had no such luxury.  He had a commission from God (Luke 4:43): “I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities also; for therefore am I sent.”  The village of Nain is one of them, and one with a reputation.  One of the roads out of town, perhaps this very one, led Shumen, where Elisha restored life to the son of the Shumanite (II Kings 4:18).  They will be talking about this for a long time to come.  I’ll just keep filing obituaries.

I.             First of All, We Watch Jesus Seeing.  V12 “. . . behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.”  The funeral procession was coming out from the town as Jesus’ procession entered.  Do you see coincidence, or providence at work?  Two crowds meet. One gives ground to the other.  The women are at the front (A61.1 p. 180): “They who brought death into the world must lead it out.”

                What Jesus sees however, is a grieving mother.  Perhaps He thinks of His own, of the day when she will walk thus.  He sees a widow about to lay to rest her almost grown son.

                There are three such occasions recorded: A child raised immediately (Matthew/Mark/Luke); a youth from cemetery road (Luke); Lazarus after four days (John).  The first, sought; the second, unbidden; the third, discouraged.  In every case, the death angel admonished with few words: “Young man, arise.” / “Maid, arise.” / “Lazarus, come forth.”

                Jesus saw the grip of death on mere mortals and He addressed it boldly. Shelly’s Adonais (lament for Keats).  “As long as skies are blue, and fields are green, Evening must usher night, night urge the morrow. / Month follow month with woe, and year wake year to sorrow.”  Wordsworth—She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways:  “She lived unknown, and few could know when Lucy ceased to be: But she is in her grave, and, oh, the difference to me.”  John Donne—Devotions:  “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

                Do I choose to leave my death to Jesus? Or another?

                A long day in Oakdale haunts me still.  Only relative a brother.  When the time came, his remark to me was, “This won’t take long will it?”  It’s the only time in my life I’ve wanted to hit a man.

II.            Secondly, We Watch Jesus Feeling.  V13 “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.”  The feeling He feels for her is empathy.  There is a place for sympathy.  The distress felt by those who can’t, or won’t, do anything.  The commiseration absolved by gifts.  What Jesus offers is feeling for:  Not the word for pity, sympathy;actually the word for bowel (spleen).

Have you felt such yearning to help that you actually hurt?  Clearly, He works in the young man’s behalf, but He is not the object.  All of us know the story of Hezekiah in II Kings 20: Hezekiah was spared from death and 15 years were added to his life; at Hezekiah’s death his son Manasseh became king at 12 years old.  One of my questions centers around what became of the widow’s son. Did he follow? 

                We must not overlook His feeling for the people who saw, and who heard.  There was a grieving company of family, friends, paid mourners, as well as many others who were in the group with Jesus.  V11 “many disciples . . . much people.”  V12 “much people of the city.”  What happened there that day will be told far and wide.  V17 “This rumor of him went forth.”  As far as I know, only the KJV uses the word rumor; others use “It is logos, ‘word.’”

                But see to it, this is not a public relations spectacle.  Jesus’ heart hurts for this woman.  It is within His power to do something.  Compare the story with that of Elisha.  Notice Luke’s special designation. V13 “And when the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.”

III.           Only in This Last Regard Do We Watch Jesus Coping.  V14 “He came and touched the bier: . . . and he said, ‘Young man I say unto thee, arise.’”  There are certain things that we can bring to funerals.  We can bring memories: how important they are, recalling things forgotten, other things not even known. What catharsis there can be.  We can bring kindness and friendship.  When a loss has occurred, the need is for stability; we saw that picture of a grieving Bossier City grandmother, upon learning of the deaths of two daughters and four grandchildren in a fire.  We can even bring nourishment. 

But what we cannot bring to the funeral is hope: We cannot clip the death angel’s wings.  We cannot disengage unbelief’s power.  This is exactly what Jesus brings to the funeral.  Whether bidden or not, He brings hope. Whether in the milling crowd, or in the lonely vigil, He represents hope.  In life’s confrontation with death, Jesus is hope.  Martha: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” John 11:21.

Conclusion

                A children’s book tells the story of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  Alexander awoke to find gum in his hair; he tripped on his skateboard trying to get to the bathroom; got his clothes wet while brushing his teeth; had a particularly bad day at school; and a dental appointment awaited after school.  He had lima beans for supper, bath and bedtime were a disaster, his pillow was gone, and the Mickey Mouse light wouldn’t work. His cat chose to sleep in his sister’s room.

                If Jesus hasn’t been bidden to the funeral, nothing else will take His place.

A TIME FOR CONFESSION

#734                                                                    A TIME FOR CONFESSION                                                                             

Matthew 16:13-16, NIV                                                                                                                                      Orig. 1-19-79

                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. (10-85) 11-7-89 

Passage:  When Jesus can to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”                                                                                                                                                           

Purpose: To use the occasion of the Lord’s Supper to challenge my people of the need to lift up life and voice in confession of Christ as Lord.

Keywords:          Christ                    Lordship              Lord’s Supper                   Ordinance          Communion,                                                     Confession

Timeline:             None

Introduction

Not many of us are generally familiar with the writings of George Buttrick.  His ministry to God’s people ended [long ago].  His books are still in circulation, but may not be known except to an occasional pastor or Bible teacher.

Mr. Buttrick’s is a name often quoted in seminary classrooms.  He left insightful material relating to the work of pastors.  Speaking to the Senior Class of Princeton University a number of years ago, he issued a pastoral challenge.  His ableness of speech came out of the fact that he then served as pastor of Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City.  Several in his audience were themselves going into the pastorate.  He urged these graduates to “be with their people.”  They were to be listeners in the marketplace to understand where their people are in life, and what they are thinking.  He advised what some might find contradictory.  I quote, “When you are at Coney Island, don’t tell the people of the concessions on the Boardwalk, about which they already know; tell them of the mystery of the sea, about which they do not know.”

It is a late hour in the saga of the evolution of life.  We gain wonderful knowledge about our world every day.  But the more informed we become about the world, the less concerned we seem to be for the mysteries of Christ.  The question was asked of the disciples, for which we must have an answer:  “Who do you say that I am?”  I must know the answer.  So must you!

I.             It is Firstly a Question of Determination.  V.13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  Examining the context we know that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem.  Luke 9:51: “He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.”  (He fully/finally determined.) It is with knowledge of His death. He knows it will be violent. 

Caesarea Philippi arcs His course southward.  It identifies the time when Jesus’ public popularity is on the wane. Matt 13:1 “The same day…great multitudes were gathered unto him.” 12:46 “So many sought him (His mother and brothers)…could not get close.”  9:8 (after healing a paralytic) “when the multitudes saw it they marveled and glorified God who had given such power to men.”

We will not again see this public acclaim until Matthew 17:1-6: After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James and led them up a high  mountain by themselves.  There He was transfigured before them…The disciples fell on their faces. Matthew 17:24 “Does your Teacher not pay temple taxes?” Mt 19:1-3: “Some Pharisees came to him to test him.”  Mt 21:15: And when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did…they were indignant.”

It is as if some line of demarcation has been passed.  Jesus had always faced opposition. But He had lived in the sunshine of a ministry marked by blessings/benefits to people around Him.  He perceives the sun slipping behind the clouds, darkness invading the land.  As He faces down Mt. Hermon’s flank, He knows another mount, called Golgotha, must soon be scaled.

“Up Calvary’s mountain, one dreadful morn, walked Christ my Saviour, weary and worn;

Facing for sinners death on the Cross, that he might save them (us) from endless loss.

Father, forgive them, thus did he pray, E’en while his lifeblood flowed fast away.

Praying for sinners while in such woe; no one but Jesus ever loved so.”

II.            Secondly, it is a Question of Decision.  V 15: “But who do you say that I am?”  There was no debate about a right answer to this question. It was answerable in different ways: Saviour, Son of God, Anointed, Messiah.  But all are answers that allude to God’s forgiving grace in Christ: that man has a sin problem; that only God’s answer suffices. Matthew 3:15 John hesitated when Jesus presented Himself for baptism. (Not because he didn’t know who Jesus was, but because he did. “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Too many today are uncertain as John was, but their confusion is from the speculation of doubt.  There was speculation even back then.  Healed people were instructed not to tell. (Matthew 8:4/9:30.). Evil spirits guessed His identity and were commanded to silence.  Even John the Baptist later sent for confirmation. Luke 7:19 “Are you the Coming One (anointed) or do we look for another?”  Jesus accepted this reticence. Luke 7:23 (His answer to John): “Blessed is he who shall not be offended because of me.”

Deal with your decision on the basis of being offended because of Jesus.  Are there times when it embarrasses you for people to know you are a believer?  During social upheaval do you tend to remain non-committal? Does the Swygart/Gorman controversy offend you? What about the SBC leadership stand-off?  Are moral crises requiring polarization?  There were reasons for reticence then.  Jesus was not what the people expected in Messiah. He clearly was interested in more than mainline Judaism.

The militant sought to use Him to address their purposes.  John 6:15 “When Jesus perceived that they would come and take Him by force to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain alone.”  There are even good reasons for reticence today: We faced the burden of our sin.  The age grows the more complex, and the void grows wider.  The lateness of the hour suggests the gravity of unbelief.  The message is so unlike the means for making it known.

How do you describe a mountain panorama? The Grand Canyon? A beautiful sunset? A matchless symphony? A 50th anniversary of a devoted couple? But we do try, don’t we? And as well, we must share with those around us our faith in Christ.

“Who do you say the Son of man is?”

Conclusion

                Do you recall the story from Uncle Tom’s Cabin?  Tom was on the barge being taken with other enslaved people to the riverside plantation of Simon Legree.  The name still makes us draw up in dread.  Tom was trying to console another who had been sold away from wife and children.  “Come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  “Them’s good words,” said the other, “but who says ‘em?”

                In a dark hour in Thomas Carlyle’s life, someone read to him from John 14:1.  “Let not your heart be troubled…in my father’s house are many mansions.”  The essayist replied, “Aye, if you were God, you had a right to say that; but if you are only a man, what do you know more than the rest of us?”

                It is thus the Christ who calls us to answer: “Who do you say that I the Son of man am?”

THE MAN NAMED JOHN

#501                                                              THE MAN NAMED JOHN                                                                                     

Luke 1:5-15a NIV                                                                                                                                           Orig. 12/14/1990

In the time of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest name Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.  Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.  But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.  Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.  And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.  Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.  When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.  But the angel said to him:  “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.  Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.  He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.

Purpose: Continuing a series for Sunday evenings on New Testament characters, here presenting John the Baptist as a man striving to please God.

Keywords:          Biography            John the Baptist’s History           

Timeline/Series:               Sequential/New Testament Characters

Introduction

                As noted last week, we are indebted to Luke for much that we know about John’s roots.  All of chapter one, remember, is unique.  In that lengthy chapter, VV 5-25 and 57-80 tell us about the birth of John, and the near-miraculous nature of his conception.

                Zechariah was a priest, married to Elizabeth who was also of the priestly line.  They were godly people, of advanced age, who had struggled somewhat with the barrenness of Elizabeth.

                The estimates for the time suggest that there may have been as many as 18,000 priests divided into the 24 courses.  All would be in Jerusalem for the major festivals (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles).  Otherwise, each course would serve one 8 day stint every six months in Jerusalem, from Sabbath to Sabbath (BI F88 p49).

                One day Zechariah was chosen by lot to burn incense in the temple. (Exodus 30/I Kings 11).  This happened morning and evening each day, however in the morning four were involved, in the evening only one.  It is likely that this honor would fall to a man only once in his lifetime.

                He entered the Holy Place, took incense from a bowl, and put it on burning coals atop the altar of incense, and then prostrated himself for a short period of prayer.

I.             In This Setting, Then, the Angel Gabriel Made His Appearance, Gave His Message of the Birth of a Special Son. (Luke 1:14-16).  Because of his disbelief, Zechariah would become mute, which, with recovery of speech at John’s birth, would be an enabler of many people recognizing this birth as a step, or a fore-work of the coming of the Messiah (V 76-79) “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

                Conclusions that we can reach about this man named John are drawn from v 13 “Thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.”  Repeating what is already established, the parents were elderly, childless; they were both of priestly lineage (of the division of Abijah: I Chron 24).  There is a familial link between John/Jesus. Mary and Elizabeth were kin (v 1:36 “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.”)  Their babies enjoyed unusual, even miraculous, births.  Both would bear names given them by the angel Gabriel: John—Yahweh gives grace, and Jesus—Yahweh is salvation. 

                Of the boyhood of John, we can only surmise.  He was to be reared a Nazirite V 1:15. The Nazirite vow is described in Numbers 6, and Samson and Samuel are examples.  Who takes over to rear a child born in the twilight of life?  No family is left to assume responsibility.  One thing is known: v 80 “And the child was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.”  One strong tradition suggests that John was reared by the Essenes, who were known to take orphaned boys and to live by strict rules of abstinence.  What this does not address is the fact of John’s priestly lineage.  It would be expected of him.  One writer (BI W82 p36) suggests he kept this covenant, but broke with them discovering what many had become.  We might well divide them today between liberal and conservative.

                Matthew’s description of John lead us to close the door on the Essenes. His raiment was camel’s hair; he wore a leather girdle; his diet was of locusts and honey; and he had a message as austere as his dress.  His message was as austere as his dress. V 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

II.            Our Next Concern, Therefore, Must be Message. Luke 3:3 “he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”  The gospel writers all affirm a prophet.  Luke (1:15) brings in the Holy Spirit, the Source of the divine message.

                The message proclaimed is repentance.  For us: a change of mind as consequence of sin. New Testament Greek: a change of mind from evil to good, worse to better.  The Old Testament word for repentance: shuv is more often translated “return again.” Remorse, regret, humiliation, grief because of sins against God mean much more than tears.  I Kings 21:27: “When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.  Hebrews 12:17: Esau “found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”

                That repentance was to show in their lives.  Their deeds were to give evidence. “Fruits meet worthy”—from the Greek axiom.  Our “axiom” means self-evident truth. 

Additionally, John was to be the one who would introduce the Messiah.  It was a call to preparation. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Matthew 3:3/Luke 3:4.  There is no need even to comment on his expectation of a particular person.  How well did he and Jesus know each other?  The link of their mothers does not guarantee any relationship.  John recognized Jesus as the appointed one.  Did he, however, recognize Jesus as the son of his mother’s kinswoman?

III.           Finally, What Stands Out of John’s Example?  V16 “And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.” 

His ministry began as a prophetic ministry of preaching and baptism.  Luke 3:3 “preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin.”  Some say the unnamed disciple of John the Baptist (1:35f) was the other John.  John the Baptist offered the example of prayer. Luke 1:11 “Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.”  Certain aspects can be taught. We know it more caught than taught.

He taught them to fast (abstain from food).  Matthew 9:14 “Then came to him the disciples of John saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?”  Pharisees: practiced legalism which Jesus rebuked.  Religious disciples from his Spartan days with the Essenes.  Jesus’ answer to them (Matthew 9:15) was that “the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Conclusion

We still have much to learn from John in the exercise of commitment.  What they learned from him they practiced.  They were jealous for him.  In John 3:25 they argue with the Jews, and question John about Jesus’ early success.  John’s disciples are still at work long after his death.  In Ephesus (Acts 19:1f, c. 65A.D.) “disciples” of John the Baptist are ministered unto by Paul, subsequently baptized “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” 

Though, as this indicates, some were slow to follow, John the Baptist pointed people to Jesus.  His whole ministry was predicated on forecasting the Messiah. Four Gospels: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”   The “way” is the very word used by Jesus of Himself. John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”  He exercises a humility in relation to Jesus that most of us have yet to learn.  John 1:27, 30: “He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie….This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”  John 3:30: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

BIBLE STUDY

#477                                                                         BIBLE STUDY                                                                                                

Scripture  Luke 14:1-24 NIV                                                                                                                             Orig. 3/13/68

                                                                                                                                                                 Rewr. 3/1971, 12/1974

Passage:  One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. ² There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. ³ Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” ⁴ But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. ⁵ Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child^[a] or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” ⁶ And they had nothing to say. ⁷ When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. ¹¹ For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” ¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” ¹⁵ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁶ Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. ¹⁷ At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ ¹⁸ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ ²¹ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ ²² “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ ²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

Keywords:          Banquet               Disenfranchised

Timeline/Series:               Bible study

Introduction

                Luke records four of the seven occasions of Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath.  (1) In Chapter 4, the  healing of Simon’s mother-in-law; (2) in Chapter 6, the man with the withered hand; (3) in Chapter 13, the woman with an 18-year infirmity; and (4) here, a man with dropsy—an excess of body fluids, known today as edema.

                It would seem that anyone so intent on upgrading man’s physical and spiritual condition would have drawn the immediate acceptance of the people.  Jesus, however, was hated by many. 

                Jesus’ Attitude at the Supper. 14:1  Jesus never refused any man’s invitation to hospitality.  He went into the house of one of the Chief Pharisees on the Sabbath day to eat bread. They watched Him: Jesus never lost patience with men even in times of stress.

                Jesus’ Action at the Supper.  14:2-6  His first responsibility is the alleviation of human suffering. V4 And He took him and healed him and let him go.  Attention is called to the Pharisees’ lack of value judgment.  “Which of you will not remove your beast from a pit on the Sabbath day?”

                Jesus’ Analogy About a Supper.  14:7-11 His teaching is always relevant.  V7 He marked how they chose out the chief rooms.  His teaching here is in regard to humility. V9 When you are bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room. Humility is retained by examination and by comparison.

                Jesus’ Advice to His Host at the Supper. 14:12-14 His advice is to examine our motives.  V12 Do not invite your friends, your brethren, your kinsmen, thy rich neighbours, lest perhaps they also invite you.  Their motives would be, perhaps, a sense of duty, self-interest, vanity, or an effort to befriend.  The result will be blessing from God rather than men. V14 And thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee.

                Apposition: Jesus Was Rebuffed By a Guest at the Supper.  14:15 The guest who said “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God,” was perhaps incensed at Jesus’ word to the host.  What right had He, through healing, to contradict the Law? What right to instruct the spiritual leaders? What right to advise the Chief Pharisee?  The guest might have said, “What do you know about blessing? He is blessed who is of the spiritual heritage of Israel.”

                Application: Jesus Rebuked False Claims of the Jews at the Supper.  14:16-24 Even a word spoken to a cynic is spoken in kindness. 

                But those to whom the kingdom was offered, rejected it: Because of vocation, and so immersed in work that there is no time for fellowship—“I have bought a piece of ground”; because of avocation, so taken with some novelty—“I have bought five yoke of oxen” (Did you know that 80,000 people a week see the Saints play football?!); because of invocation, in that the Mosaic Law says a man with a new wife will not go to war or be charged with business for one year—“I have married a wife.”

Closing

                There are those to whom the Christian life is a melancholy and a dread.  Swinburne, the poet, wrote, “Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean, The world has grown gray from thy breath.”  John Ruskin, an English author, told of a jumping jack given to him as a child, taken away by a pious aunt with the remark that toys were not things for a Christian child.  It’s little wonder that his brilliant mind turned to socialism and nature.  Wesley founded a school where the rule was no play, “because he who plays as a child plays as a man.”

                Jesus, however, pictured His Kingdom in terms of a feast.

***THE REMAINDER OF THIS BIBLE STUDY HAS BEEN LOST***

NO MORE CHANCES

#463                                                                  NO MORE CHANCES                                                                                         

Scripture Luke 13:6-9 NIV                                                                                                                                  Orig. 2-16-68

                                                                                                                                                                                Rewr. 10-26-81 

Passage:  Then he told this parable:  “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.  So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down!  Why should it use up the soil?’”              

Purpose: Continuing the series on the parables to remind my people of the teaching of Jesus relative to our responsibility to use our opportunities.

Keywords:          Grace    Judgment           Providence        Revival                 Uselessness

Series:  Parables

Introduction

                As Jesus continued his teaching, one of his Judean listeners raised a question.  There was no great love lost between the Judeans and the Galileans, and a report had been recently circulated that Pilate had stormed out against their rebellious character by having his guards strike some of them down even while they were offering sacrifices.   The one who raised the question was implying that they probably got what they deserved.  If there is any place that a right-thinking person ought to be safe it is at the appointment of sacrifice.  If, therefore, harm fell to them there, it simply means that they are guilty as charged and got their just deserts.

                Jesus then answers directly.  Do you think that those Galileans were the chief sinners among Galileans because that happened to them?”  Jesus then laid the burden of sin right at their feet.  “No!” he said, “They were not necessarily the chiefest of sinners just because they were killed.”  Then, addressing their own disdain of God’s purpose for them, he continued. “Unless you repent, you will also perish.”

                Then he brought up the case of a recent natural disaster.  The tower of Siloam in Jerusalem had fallen causing the death of 18 people.  He implies that if such as this can happen in Jerusalem, then the people must think that these victims were somehow deserving what happened to them.  Again Jesus addresses their own sin problem.  “That is not the case.” He says, but unless you repent of your sin, then you will ultimately perish just as violently as they did.

                He does not deny that these Galileans and these workmen in Jerusalem were sinners.  There is just not anything that he can do for dead sinners.  His concern is for the living and for their errant rationale that allowed them self-justification.  They were not safe from judgment simply because they were Jews.  They were not to be excused from the necessity of repentance simply because of the chance of their birth to a Hebrew mother.  Thus he shared with them the parable of the barren fig tree.

I.             The Parable Addresses Opportunity: The fig tree owned a special providence.  V6 “He came seeking fruit thereon.”  Perhaps the significance of a parable needs to be restated.  It is a story with a hidden meaning.  The significance of such a story is never in what is obvious.  It is not about a fig tree, but what the tree represents.  It must somehow relate to productivity. 

                If this is just about trees, then there are many factors to be considered: size, fertility, climate, etc.  If about trees, it can produce only what it is.  But if its meaning is about people then we startlingly discover that a person can do much more than just produce another being like unto himself.  Not only can he improve upon what nature has given, he can do more. He can produce a thought, an idea, a word, and a deed which, by the way, may be good or evil.

                It is a consuming thought to come to realize that the master of the orchard is conscious of every plant.  He expects no more that the plant, or that which it symbolizes, is capable to produce.  Of a fig tree, he would expect a fig.  But of one created to produce more and better things, he would expect that also.  The master of the orchard knows the opportunity of each of us and expects that of which we are capable.

II.            The Parable Addresses Obstructions to Opportunity.  The fig tree reminds us that uselessness invites disaster.  V7 “Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.”  Some would like to apply the parable to Jesus’ hearers, thus the Jewish nation. It is true that Isaiah foresaw such an eventuality. He describes the beloved’s vineyard “on a fruitful hill” and marks its destruction.  Isaiah 5:1-7 “I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard. My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.  He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.  He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.  Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.  Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.  That more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it?  When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?  Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard:  I will take away its hedge and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.  I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there.  I will command the clouds not to rain on it.  The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in.  And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness but heard cries of distress.”

                We dare see not see it, however, as relating to other than ourselves.  Judging a tree we examine its leaves—right size and of good texture; its roots deep and strong; its fiber soft, pliable, moist; but if it bears no fruit, cut it down.

III.           The Parable Asserts Offensiveness.  The fig tree will understand that nothing which only takes and does not give can survive.  V7 “Cut it down, why doth it cumber the ground?”  The literal meaning is why does this plant allow the ground to be reduced to inactivity?  Not only is the tree useless, the soil beneath it is rendered useless.  An interesting parallel exists with other parables: Prodigal—“Lost,” loss of wellbeing; Strait Gate—“Destruction,” loss of wellbeing; Fig tree—“cumber,” loss of wellbeing; Fig tree—“cut it down,” loss of wellbeing.

                The message is a twofold one, for empires and for individuals. We must never passively keep someone else from achieving their spiritual best, and we must anchor our lives to a bold, assertive spiritual activity.

IV.          The Parable Speaks of Obligation.  By the grace of the keeper of the orchard, a second chance is extended.  V8f “Let it alone for one year more.  I shall dig about it, and if it bear fruit, well.”

                We are not directed to do something about our past, for we cannot; Thomas Hardy wrote in The Ghost of the Past, “We two kept house, the past and I.”  We are not to be dazzled by the future, for we cannot grasp what it may hold; Longfellow wrote in A Psalm of Life, “Trust no future howe’er pleasant! Let the dead past bury its dead! Act, act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o’erhead.”

                Be sure only of this, that God in Christ gives to each of us, to all, a second chance.  Christ, on the cross, prayed “Father, forgive.” The foundling church offered to Israel a second chance to believe. Acts 13:46, First to Israel, “But seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”  The nation, the denomination, the individual church, the believer, likewise understand that our very being (wellbeing) is “second chance.”  The mind of the Father and the Son is the same that repentance spurned.  The soil must be cleared for one who will repent.

V.            Finally, the Parable Acknowledges Oblivion.  The fig tree testifies that there is coming a last chance. V9 “If it does not bear fruit after this year, then, cut it down.”  The judgment made by the gardener is based on its fruitlessness.  It is not the fault of the gardener.  It is not the fault of the soil.  The fault rests only upon the agency judged.  Understand this, please, of the judgment of God: It will always be upon spiritual potential denied.  He will not judge any person for something they were incapable of doing. What one is capable of, and what one “wills” to do with that capability is, sadly, too often, two different things.

                We, who have been favored to live in a part of the world graced by the finer things of life must accept a responsibility to do with these things to the glory of God.  Who then must face a more severe judgment? The Russian who grew up being taught that God was a capitalist plot? The remote tribesman whose only notion of God is the predictability or unpredictability of nature?  The third world refugee who knows nothing so completely as he knows hunger?  Or the polished citizen of a western culture who has the best of all things, but who ignores the clear warnings of sin, and judgment, and last chances?

                Make no mistake, we are accountable.  The divine gardener pleads “spare.”  It is he who finally declares “cut it down!”  Recall please the message of John the Baptist, the forerunner.  He admonished Israel to repent, and then warned, “and even now is the axe laid unto the root of the trees: Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.”

Conclusion

                We are called therefore to believe.  That belief requires repentance, for we have sinned, and in spite of our sin the second chance has been given.  Finally, acknowledging that second chance means that we choose to live in such a way that others understanding our commitment to life in our Lord Jesus Christ will begin to reckon their own lives in relation to Him.

THE PARABLE OF THE LOVING FATHER

#379                                                THE PARABLE OF THE LOVING FATHER                                                                       

Scripture  Luke 15:11-32 NIV                                                                                                           Orig. 6/30/63 (10/81)

                                                                                                                                                                                    Rewr. 8/6/87 

Passage:  ¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.  ¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.  ¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.  “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  ²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  ²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.  ²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’  ²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’  ³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Purpose: In a series on the New Testament parables, here sharing with my people on the theme of human intemperance beset by God’s great love.

Keywords:          Disobedience                   Forgiveness        Revival                 Self-righteousness         Sin        

Timeline/Series:               Parable

Introduction

                Once upon a time there were two young children who went to spend the summer with their grandparents.  Their names were Billy and Sally.  They lived most of the year in the city, and a few weeks on their grandparents’ farm in the summer was a wonderful experience for them.

                Billy, like many little boys, was exceedingly curious.  He enjoyed all the different things, and animals that he encountered.  One day Grandfather had some work to do in the hayloft and it was too hot for Billy to help.  He was free to roam.  He picked up his slingshot and went out to play hunter.  Out beyond the barn, almost out of sight of the house, Billy had armed his weapon and had it ready.  Suddenly, Grandmother’s pet duck waddled around the corner of the barn.  Without so much as a flinch, Billy let fly his artillery.  His aim usually wasn’t very good, but this time he was right on the mark.  The duck lay dead.  He looked to see if anyone was in sight.  Then, scared though he was, he quickly buried the duck back of the barn.  That night at supper he couldn’t eat.  His grandmother asked if he was sick.  After supper he and Sally went to wash dishes. She said she wasn’t going to help, and if he complained she’d tell about the duck.

                You can imagine what the next week was like.  Billy was miserable.  Finally, one afternoon Billy went to his grandmother’s sewing room.  He stood around, picked up trinkets in which he had no interest.  Shuffled from one foot to the other.  “Billy, if you need to know it, I love you.”  Then came the flood of guilt and confession.  “Billy, I was sitting here by the window and saw the whole thing.  I wondered how long you would endure this bondage to Sally before you came to me.”

I.             First, Parables are Often Unique in Their Setting.  We can back up a couple of chapters.  Luke 13:22. “. . . Jesus went through the towns and villages . . . as he made his way to Jerusalem.”  Jesus is clearly conscious of the precious commodity of his dwindling days.  Luke 17:11 “Now on his way to Jerusalem”—his last.

                More directly, the scribes and Pharisees were murmuring about his friendship with sinners.  Luke 15:2 “[They] muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”  Aren’t you glad Jesus is like this?  You know where we would be otherwise.

                Thus Jesus shares 3 parables of lost possessions.  There is a lost sheep (15:3).  It doesn’t will to be lost. It just wanders away.  The shepherd seeks it until it is found.  It is lost! It is sought! It is found!  The finder rejoices.

                There is a lost coin (15:8).  It has no capacity to lose itself, or to understand its lostness.  The one discovering it lost, holds other things incidental until it is found.  It is lost! It is sought! It is found! The finder rejoices.

                There is a lost son.  He is lost, not because he wandered off, or was impassively misplaced, but because he chose to leave, to separate himself.  He was just as lost! He was sought! He was restored! His return causes joy for his father.

                The elder brother does not joy in return.  Nor does he find joy in his father’s joy.

II.            Next, We View the Lost Son As a Principal Character in Our Story.  V11: “A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.”  It is noted that Jesus does not call this young man a prodigal.  Keep in mind the religious bigots listening.  They are vindictive of Jesus’ openness to sinners.  We can measure both sons and their sin.  The younger was callous and rebellious; the older was censorious, retaliatory.

                We can learn that there are good things about this young man.  He is his own person.  He is ready to strike out on his own.  But he handles it poorly.  His immaturity shows he gives his father no chance to counsel him.  He is seeking only what is rightfully his. Deuteronomy 21:17 The right of the firstborn is a double portion.  He seems to be a man of simplicity and responsibility.  He discovers his mistakes, and blames himself.  He knows his best chance is starting over. At home? Enslaved?

                The Bible describes three kinds of enslavement: Bondsmen—respected family extensions; servant—subordinate but with status; hired servants—temporarily indentured.  The younger son is a man to whom repentance is not an unreasonable alternative.  V.17 “And when he came to himself, he said . . . I will go . . . and say . . . Father, I have sinned.”

                Don’t make the mistake of accusing him as an unthankful delinquent.  There is a mind sustained by childhood teachings.  There is a heart with gratitude for a loving father.

                There are interesting interpretations. Augustine: the “far country” represents the forgetfulness of God. “Came to himself” suggests restoration from madness.  Paul’s description in Ephesians 4:18, “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance . . . in them due to the hardening of their hearts.”

III.           Then, We Must Consider the Older Brother Just as Lost in His Condescending Attitude.  V28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in.”  The elder brother stands in the parable for the hardhearted Pharisees who necessitated its message.  They did not share Christ’s concern for sinners.  We must consider our own attitudes.  As the younger was riddled by an uneasy conscience, this one purported to be without fault. V29: “I never disobeyed your command.”  He was unforgiving.  One-third of the estate has been lost.  His ledger-book mentality demands censure.  Even brotherhood is too high a price for acquittal.  Add to his other wrongs that of betraying his father’s joy.  Father: “this thy brother.”  Son: “This thy son.”

                The theologian George Buttrick wrote: “The far country is measured in motives rather than miles.”

                Finally, the parable shows no evidence of repentance for the elder brother.  Some suggest that it is a true story.

IV.          The Parable Remains Forever that of Loving Father.  V22 “But the Father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it; and let us eat and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and is found.”

                There were some things that the father could do. The robe, best or first, showed honor and restoration.  The ring established the relationship and oneness (Wedding Ring, Class Ring, Super Bowl Ring).  The shoes, not worn by the lowest servants, were provisioned to sons.

                There were other things, however, that the father could not do.  He could not erase the wrong done: Billy could not revive the pet duck. He could not promise a second part of the estate.

                He depicts all the characteristics of the heavenly Father.  He waits patiently and lovingly.  He recognizes the repentant pilgrim.  He goes out to meet the weary son.  He interrupts the confession.  God is no stickler for law for law’s sake.

                A totally new picture of God emerges.  We saw the shepherd search for the lost sheep.  We watched as the homemaker searched for the lost coin.  We sense that the father is brooding for his lost son.  God’s concern for the lost is the brooding concern for what is of eminent worth.

Conclusion

                I have had recent occasion to reconsider the different attitudes allowed my Dad and myself in regard to God as Father.  When he was a lad, his dad deserted them.  He tried to run the tiny farm, but in failure, lost the only holding they had.  He has lived out his life without owning property: fearful of loss.  But the greatest disparity is that he knew no human counterpart to depict for him the true picture of God as one of zealous good will.

IN THE WAY

#140                                                                          IN THE WAY                                                                                                 

Matthew 19:13-15 NIV                                                                                                                         Orig. 7-11-65 (9-73)

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 8-25-88 

Passage:  ¹³ Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Purpose: Approaching the new church year, to remind my people of our need to offer ourselves in service to the needs around us.

Keywords:          Christ the Saviour                             Heritage               Hunger

                                Children                               Home                    Special Day        

Timeline/Series:               New Church Year

Introduction

                Both of the presidential candidates are talking about things important to all of us: childcare, education, patriotism.  Private education has become a felt need for many parents.  We are reading more and more about parents who are being allowed to educate their children at home.

                Problems in the schools, public and private, are rife.  One is put in mind again of the Baltimore woman who brought suit against her county school board.  She claimed that her son, in choosing not to participate in what she called religious exercises, was being unduly ostracized.  At that time, the schools opened with scripture, and with the recitation of  the Lord’s prayer.  Children who did not wish to participate were allowed to excuse themselves  and leave the room.

                Two hundred years ago, and many of the years since, every school of higher education in this country was connected with some church denomination.  Except for the joint effort of Christian people, there would have been  no higher education on this continent.  Most of those colleges and universities are still around: Colgate, Bucknell, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, and many others.  They are, however, no longer denominationally aligned.  Then, the terms, “education” and “Christian education,” were synonymous. 

                In light of what is happening in education today, it  is no longer remotely conceivable that our children will not be challenged by spiritual things in public or private education.  We must be sure that our churches do our utmost to provide this vital service.  Every Christian is obliged to offer himself/herself in this essential kingdom service.

I.             First, There Must Be Education.  The words of Matthew are that Jesus “blessed them.”  It is a heritage of Judeo/Christian conviction.  Every person in this land is better off because of our heritage.  Many do not acknowledge it.  Yet, they feast on what these religious imperatives have given.  It is one God, living, loving, working through the evils of satanic influence.  Adam was warned after his compromise: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat bread.” 

                This life knows no true good that comes without cost. There is a truism: “There’s no free lunch.”

                Our heritage is not only Judeo-Christian, but set in a free republic.  Whatever your genetic origins, what would life be in those origins?  At once remembering the price paid by our forefathers for this, we are not that far removed from forebears who tilled the ground behind hand-forged plows, and unrelenting oxen, carrying a blunderbuss for protection.  You worry about the cost of living:  They paid dearly for meat and potatoes.

                The blessing is  that the Kingdom of God has come among us.  It is as near as breathing and sunshine.  It does not come with little children, but from little children who are brought to Him.

                True prosperity is not material but conditional.  The need of the hour is in the Kingdom of God.  So we are not the answer.  These, our children, are not the answer.  All of us become the KINGDOM.  That’s the answer.

                Since the Bible is taken from the school, we must pinpoint its value as never before.  We need sixty-seventy people involved in Christian education.  We have no more than half.  Church Training is an eight-cylinder engine beating on two.  Missions and music are hanging on the hope and whisper of half-a-dozen.

                We start next week.  What will you as a Christian be doing between morning worship services from one Sunday to the next?

II.            Secondly, We Must Grasp the True Vitality of the Home.  “Then there were brought to Him little children.”  The event here described is simply that of caring mothers bringing a child to some distinguished rabbi for a blessing.  It was a common occurrence.  It happened on the child’s first birthday.

                A question of responsibility is put forth.  What is the bottom-line charge?  It is, of course, parental.  The best thing the church can do for parents is to convince them.  Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  III John 4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

                In an age that seeks liberation from all strictures, some demands are to be put in place.  There is little efficacy in marriage.  The license doesn’t prove God is in it.  Being a biological parent is no proof of Christian manhood or womanhood.  The mystery content is found in commitment: commitment to God; commitment to each other forever; commitment that children will be reared in an atmosphere of love and trust.

                “My parents forced me” say the uncaring and the uncommitted.  “I will not force religion down them.”  Would you force air if suffocating? If cancer attacked, would you force treatment? Would you advise seat belts, helmets? 

                If they were hungry, would you not force food for them?  During the noon meal in this country, 1200 children worldwide will starve to death.  30,000 will die today. 12-18 million people will die this year.  Check the label to see where a gift was made.

III.           And Three, Certainly not the Least Important, Is to Encourage Them to Faith in Christ.  “Suffer the little children and forbid them not.  We  have long heard of parallelism in Hebrew prose.  Something uniquely important is repeated.  And as if to add further meaning, he repeats the concept positively then negatively.  “Permit” is followed by “do not forbid.”

                Perhaps we need to review some of the marvelous characteristics of childhood.  Trust is the first essence of children. They readily forgive even to the threshold of abuse.  They approach life with an eye for wonder.  Obedience is natural to them.  But disobedience is a learned ruse.  Childlike faith is to live in trust of God, to think first of obedience, to desire to be forgiving, to contemplate the wonder of God’s care.

                The best way to such faith is development over time, to so touch the lives of our children, to see other children whose lives can only be touched for good by the gospel.  No matter what the age of need, it is still this child-like faith offering opportunity—not childish, but childlike.

                And Jesus instructs us.  We are not to be negative influences. But more, we are to be positive motivators urging spiritual children of all ages to the gospel: to Jesus.

Conclusion

                We have approved our Nominating Committee report, and we have a full slate of workers.  Next, the Finance Committee gets to work on the budget.  It will need to be between $100,000 and $120,000.  Peter spoke for the early church: “Silver and gold, have I none; but such as I have give I thee.  In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk.”   Such as we have also.                                              

IN THE ARMS OF JESUS

#136                                                               IN THE ARMS OF JESUS                                                                                      

Scripture  Mark 10:13-16 NIV                                                                                                                          Orig. 6-23-78

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 6-24-88 

Passage:  ¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Purpose:  Dedicated to the cause of the spiritual education of boys and girls through the church.

Keywords:          Christ the Saviour                             Education            Christian Education         Heritage               VBS

Introduction

                A few years ago, late in the year, I was working with a young couple who were soon to be married.  It happened to be one of those occasions where both participants were doing everything humanly possible to effect a sensitively done ceremony.  And I was eager to help them. 

                They felt that this was the only way that they could look back upon their wedding day and rejoice in a day that had been commemorative to their faith in Christ as well as to their love. 

                Two days before the wedding, the newspapers told of another wedding.  In fact, it was on the front page.  The wedding thus described took place  in New Roads, La.  The bride/groom were dressed in the attire of witch/warlock.  Their attendants were decked out as ghouls and southern belles.

                The media would never have written up the wedding we were planning.  They were all too eager to describe in full measure the frenetic energy of a society that has lost its way.  It is this effort to expedite the abnormal that allows a sideshow to become acceptable, and the abnormal to become normal.

                It is thus, with fear in our hearts, that we undertake a program of Christian education.  If we do not teach others of Jesus, and His waiting arms, however will they learn?  The paranormal, the abnormal, is the word  the world passes on.  Our word is spirit, and it is life.  To that end, VBS is a vital part of our effort.  We must teach our children, and all others whom we can, of Jesus, and of his waiting “arms” of blessing.

I.             His Arms Speak First of Substance.  V16 “And He took them up in His arms, put hands upon them and blessed them.”  The substance here is seen in our Judeo-Christian heritage of family. One God: all living, all loving, working against the influence of Satan,  who, by the way, is having a field day primarily on  the back of religious organizers—TV entrepreneurs, denominational controversies, a New York preacher playing leapfrog with lies.  If we don’t tell or show them what God is really like, who will?  At Summer Theater in New Orleans, dissidents placarded Anita Bryant in the late 70’s: “Jesus may have died for sin, but not for mine.”

                God has chosen to work through His church in accomplishment of His purpose.  Satan is pleased to work through the ungodly.  He takes greater pleasure in magnifying faithlessness of so-called believers.  Did you notice the recent write up of dedication of the national headquarters of Atheists? Organized, they’re no threat.  The threat is when we can’t muster interest in doing what we need.  What have you invested in VBS? A lady in town called. She wanted her three daughters in VBS.  She called back, “What can I do?” People ought to be standing in line to help.  Are you?

                Substance is also seen in our purpose.  That  purpose is to guide people in redemptive choices.  Jesus’ parable of the prodigal was to make the point of the difference of life’s values, and difficulty of life’s choices.  The pulse he came to eat was a cheap substitute.  Your children,  your neighbor’s  children, are going to get wrapped up in something.  Why not Jesus? The Greek for “took”—enagkalisamenos—means “folding in his arms.”  If you’ve never “folded” a child in your arms, my heart bleeds for you. 

                The Kingdom of God is mentioned twice.  It belongs to those who, like these children, are receptive.  Jesus did not say it consisted of little children,  he said it happens when those of simple spirit find true substance in Him.  And it’s never been easy.  Our forefathers tilled behind a hand forged plow, and unrelenting oxen, with blunderbuss for protection.  They would have found it easy to live for Jesus in an air-conditioned home with a late model car,  microwaves, and the like.

II.            In This Light, His Arms Speak of Significance.  V13 “And they brought young children to Him that He  should touch them.”  It is undoubtedly true that many parents have no interest in children coming to Jesus.  In many instances, but not all, there is something we can do.  Those who are grandparents, do you sacrifice your witness as an infringement?

                To be  truly redemptive, genuine  parental responsibility must be proclaimed.  It is never a problem to lead a child to faith whose parents are believers.  It is a hundred times more difficult if one or both are not.  The home must exercise responsibility.  Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go.”  3 John 4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

                Some deny that the home can be what it once was, a vine-covered cottage down a quiet lane with happy,  unthreatened children.  But ours is a drug-sated, alcohol-scarred abused community of unconcern. 

A father took a job in a distant city.  He  moved the family into a motel. Several weeks passed.  A motel employee asked, “Little boy, don’t you have a home? I see you here all the time.”  “Sure, we just haven’t found a house to put it in yet.”  After we get settled, as believers, is when we need to do all we can to help other people to have a home to put in a house somewhere.

Let me try to define “home” for you.  It is a place where individuality is happy to  play second-fiddle to family.  It is a  place where neither children nor spouses have to play guessing games about love.  It is a place where God’s Word and work are reverenced.  It is a place where there are no distractions between the way one lives and what one says or teaches.  The church, as an extended family, carries a correlation to the home.

III.           His Arms Testify Ultimately of Salvation.  V14b “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.”  I see this as a positive admonition of need.  The three verses just prior stress the sanctity of the home.  Jesus is instructing the parents to take the lead in their children’s well-being (paidua). The word means “earliest childhood.”

                I am reading salvation into this, of course.  The parent expresses faith in the bringing.  The child discovers faith as what was brought.  There is a parenthetical warning here.  Yes, some bring their children.  Some merely avoid standing in the way, at least by intent.  Some, thoughtlessly, prevent them.  The spirit of Jesus is clearly seen in response to these variant attitudes.  V14 “When Jesus saw this, He was much indignant”—NIV. The King James reads “displeased.”  My Greek dictionary doesn’t describe “indignant.” It refers to “anger.”  In this instance He was angry with the disciples.  Be reminded, He was angry because they stood in the way.

Conclusion

                “Nobody Said It Was Easy” is a term that all of us have used, or have had used on us.  The book of which it is the title happens to be a book on parenting.  It isn’t easy at home, or at church, but it must be done, and you ought to help.

THE COMPONENTS OF GROWTH

#115                                                      THE COMPONENTS OF GROWTH                                                                             

Scripture  Mark 4:1-20 NIV                                                                                                                            Orig. 12/11/83

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 8/19/86 

Passage:  Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” ⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’^[a]”

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Purpose: Continuing a Prayer Meeting series form Mark, sharing with my people the need to commit oneself to the task of learning the Kingdom of God.

Introduction

                Helen Keller once responded to a student’s question about the difficulty of blindness by responding that it was worse to “have eyes and not be able to see.”  She merely wanted to shock the shortsighted into the realization that one must pursue for understanding, even of the Kingdom of God.  The hearer must not only be aware of the words spoken, he must heed them with the intent to understand and believe.

                There is a great host of people, to whom the gospel has been revealed, yet who choose not to believe.  Opportunity may be extended.  Obligation is clearly demanded. Open heartedness is the need of the hour.  But all too often, opinion is allowed to cloud the mind and close the door of faith.

                The issue addressed by Jesus in this parable is simply in determination of whether we hear Him or another.  Matthew 13:15 (context) “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them.”

                Isaiah 6:9-10 “⁹ He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.^[a]
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,  understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

Mark 4:24 “And He said unto them, ‘Take heed what ye hear.’”

Luke 8:18 “Take heed therefore how ye hear.”

I.             The First Component Is the Seed as the Hearing of Faith.  V4 “. . . as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside . . . v5 other fell on the rocky ground . . . v7 and other fell among the thorns . . . and others fell into the good ground.”

                Recall the occasion of this teaching, somewhere in Galilee with a large crowd, curious, concerned, confused, contentious.  He was positioned to teach effectively (Mark 3:9). They saw also the fields, paths, sower, and birds.

                As the parable revolves around seed, we must briefly examine it.  No distinction is made in the quality of the seed.  Farmers go to great length to compare seed types and their yields, using computer records and magazine recommendations.  Here, the seed stands for “the word of the Kingdom.”  Luke 8:12 “The seed is the word of God.” Mark 4:14 “The sower soweth the word.”

                What we know is that in every instance the right seed is used.  I Peter 1:23 “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever.”

II.            The Next Component Is the Soil: The Heart Seeking Fulfillment.  V4f “. . . wayside . . . stony ground . . . among thorns . . . good ground.”

                The wayside hearer has a hard, beaten, worn pathway.  There is good seed, but no soil.  Seeds  roll before the wind, and are scavenged by birds.  The seed does not even germinate.

                The stony ground hearer has good seed, but the soil is poor.  The seed did germinate, but no depth of earth existed to offer moisture.  Without roots it wilted under a hot sun.  This is the hearer who listens but does nothing with what he hears.

                The thorny ground hearer has good seed and good soil, but competition for soil moisture and  nourishment is acute.  For instance, at an athletic contest there are ability and desire; victory often belongs not to ability but to desire.  Player and coach communication are the key.  How preoccupied are we at Bible study or worship or witness opportunities?

                The good ground hearer has good seed and good soil. Growth begins quickly with singlemindedness.

III.           The Final Component Is that the Sower Is God.  V3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.”  Jesus, in Matthew 13:18, calls this the “Parable of the Sower.”  Note that there were  no distinctions in the quality of the seed, nor in the intent of the sower.  The singular difference is the soil.  The sower, however, is not incidental. We perceive that he stands in the place of God.  Little else is known. Mark says, “Listen! Behold!”

                Other scriptural references to sowing are:

                Ezekiel 28:25, “I gathered Israel from the people among whom they were scattered.”

                Amos 9:15, “I will plant them upon their land and they shall no more be pulled up.”

                Matthew 13:37, “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man.”

IV.          Lessons

                No farmer plants his seed minimally.  Farmer Buddy Fairchild replanted with 80% growth.  God will not do less than we.  II Corinthians 9:6 “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he that sows bountifully will reap also bountifully.”

                The responsibility for receptivity is our own.  Keep the components clear, encourage children, influence others.  The end result is judgment on what we do with what we have.  I Corinthians 2:14, “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.”  Galatians 6:8, “He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

Conclusion

                I remind you that  the land we eagerly wait to plow and to plant in the spring owes us no bountiful crop; it owes us  only the right to get out of it what we can and will.  The schools of the parish owe  no student an education; but he is owed the right to pursue the fullest of which he is capable.  God’s creative genius does not owe the nations peace; He owes us the right to pursue peace and to show that we are worthy of it.