I am sure that many of us here this morning will have heard of the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was very influential in evangelical Christian thought during the 1930s and even today, and was murdered towards the end of World War II for his active opposition to Hitler's policies. One of his statements was the following: when Christ calls a man to come and follow him, he calls him to come to die. While that, on the face of it, seems like a depressing statement, it is actually very profound and true. What Bonhoeffer means is that, when we make the decision to to follow Jesus, we must be prepared to give up our own personal plans for our lives, and instead commit ourselves to seek God's will for our lives, and to obey him. The life of Christian discipleship is a life of obedience to God, following in Christ's footsteps. During Jesus' earthly ministry, he walked the path that the Father had set out for him, and it led to the cross. When we decide to follow Jesus, the path we tread will also lead to a cross. It might be a cross of a different type than Jesus suffered, but the Christian life will almost certainly require some suffering and sacrifice from us. Bonhoeffer himself lived the words he spoke, and died a death by execution by the Nazis, but his teaching lives on.
Bonhoeffer's words, however, seem like a paradox, because Jesus says, in the 10th chapter of the Gospel of John, the following words: I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. Whoever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Jesus clearly says that when we follow him as our shepherd, we will live life to the full. How can following him then mean that we are going to die? I think this is a great mystery, and that we are talking about the very deepest things of God.
In reality, both of these things are true. When we become Christians, and follow the Lord Jesus, we are in the process of both dying to ourselves and living a more abundant life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul says, in his second letter to the Corinthians, that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! The concept of “dying to self" expresses the true essence of the Christian life, in which we take up our cross and follow Jesus. Dying to self is part of being born again; the old self dies and the new self comes to life. Not only are Christians born again when we come to salvation, but we also continue dying to self as part of the process of sanctification. As such, dying to self is both a one-time event and a lifelong process. You remember well what Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
The title heading for the parshas today is: "He went out," and the reading from the Torah this morning is about a man who is called to leave his present life and start on a new journey, following God and serving him. As he sets out on his journey, he receives wonderful promises from God, gains new understandings of the meaning of the Scriptures, and sees amazing revelations. However, as he does this, he finds that it does not mean he is going to walk along a rose strewn path where everything goes perfectly in his life. On the journey, he must learn to die to self and live for God.
The man to whom I am referring is, of course, Jacob. In the readings today we pick up the story of Jacob just after he has deceived his father into giving him the blessing of the firstborn son, instead of giving it to Esau, and also after Esau has foolishly sold his birthright as firstborn son to Jacob for a bowl of soup. Esau recognizes that he has been deceived, and consoles himself with the thought of killing Jacob. So Jacob's mother Rebecca, advises him to leave Beersheba and flee to Haran to live with her brother Laban, in order to escape from Esau's anger.
On the way, Jacob lies down to sleep one night, and has a wonderful dream where he sees a stairway extending from earth to heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending upon it. He also sees the Lord himself, who speaks to him, and gives him a wonderful promise. God says to him: I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. When Jacob awoke from his sleep he thought: surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it. He was afraid and said, how awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.
So now Jacob is on his way, he has just received this wonderful revelation from God, so everything is going to be all right don't you think? From now on everything will go smoothly, and for Jacob it will be like walking in a garden of roses! Jacob is the bearer of God's promises to Abraham for the salvation of the world, so we would expect that everything would go well for him, wouldn't we? Of course, as you know, it was nothing like this. On the contrary, as we read the rest of this passage from the Torah, we see a woeful story of dishonesty, deceitfulness, sibling rivalry and intrigue, and family unhappiness and division, developing.
We all probably know the story very well. Jacob works for Laban for seven years in order to pay the bride price for Rachel, whom he loves. However, on the wedding day, Laban tricks him into marrying Leah, the elder sister. Laban then demands that Jacob work another seven years in order to pay for Rachel. After that, Laban continually changes Jacob's wages so that he doesn't know what is due him. They reach an agreement as to which one of them will keep which type of sheep and goats. Jacob, in his turn, deceives Laban by creating physical conditions which will favor the development of animals which will belong to him, so that his flocks increase at the expense of Laban's flocks. Then, seeing Jacob's success, Laban's sons conspire to rob him of the flocks which he has obtained. While all this is going on, there is constant rivalry and jealousy in his family life between Leah and Rachel for the affections of their mutual husband Jacob. Leah is desperately unhappy because Jacob doesn't love her, and tries to assuage her sorrow by giving him many sons. Rachel, while she is loved by Jacob, is also unhappy, because she is barren, and Leah mocks her because she cannot bear any children. Leah and rachel are constantly competing with each other, and they even get their maidservants to sleep with Jacob to bear children for them in order to go one up on each other.
There is a complete lack of godly love and unity and devotion within this family. And it all takes place against a backdrop of pagan worship and divination, with an absolute lack of understanding of the need to seek and obey the Lord himself. This is a very unhappy and dysfunctional family! Finally, it all comes to a head, when Jacob decides to take advantage of a temporary absence by Laban to escape from the situation by taking his wives and his children and his servants and all his flocks and head back to the land of Canaan. Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. So he fled with all he heard, and crossing the river, he headed for the hill country of Gilead. When Laban returns from his travel, and finds that Jacob has deceived him by suddenly leaving without telling him, he pursues him and catches him up in the hill country. Laban is very angry, and is only restrained from harming, and possibly killing, Jacob, by a direct intervention from God in a dream.
Now, if I was writing the script for a Hollywood movie about God's chosen man to carry the message of God's plan of salvation for mankind, I don't think that I would have made him anything like Jacob. Instead of making him a deceiver and a thief, I would have made him into a hero. I would have made him into an honest and honorable character. Also, if I were to describe his family, I think I would have given him one wife who was godly, honest, and faithful and completely supportive of him, and also quick to point out his faults, so that he would stay on the right path. And I would have surrounded him with family members also basically supportive of his mission. But this is not what actually happened, as we have seen.
Now, through all of this miserable tale, and in the face of all this evil, we find that the promises of God are indeed being fulfilled. Just as things are getting very bad between Jacob, and Laban and his sons, the Lord speaks to Jacob: go back to the land of your fathers and your relatives and I will be with you. Even though Jacob had been involved in so much ungodly activity, we can see that Jacob's heart had been kept open to hear from the Lord. God had been changing Jacob, and Jacob had slowly been giving up his old life. Later on, Jacob hears directly from an angel, and God says to him: I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the god of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.
In all his trials, Jacob acknowledges the work of God in his life through all of the terrible experiences he had while staying with Laban. Finally, he pours out all of his frustration and anger at the way he has been treated. At the meeting with Laban in the hill country of Gilead he says this: I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. And then, finally, he bears witness to the work of God in his life. He goes on to say: if the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.
Isn't it like this for all of us, in our daily Christian lives? When we first come to know Christ we read and believe his promises to us, and we rightfully rejoice in them. The promises are true, and God is faithful to fulfill them. We naïvely think it will be easy to live with the blessings that God wants to pour out on us. However, as we go forward, we find ourselves getting so bound up in the trials and tribulations of living in this sinful world, and dealing with the consequences of our own sin and disobedience, that we miss out on the blessings of God and, instead, needlessly waste much of our time trying to rectify the problems we have brought upon ourselves through not acting according to his will.
But we can truly be thankful that God is always faithful. It is important to recognize just how sinful we are, and how much we need a redeemer. But it is even more important for us to understand that God has paid the price for our sins through Jesus Christ, and is much bigger than our sins and problems, and that he loves us even though we are sinners. In the midst of the dirty washing of our daily lives, even then, God is working for our good. Just as God was working for the good of Jacob, even while he was in the hands of his selfish and deceitful uncle Laban, and even while he was suffering the consequences of his own personal failure to obey God's standards, nevertheless, God was working in Jacob's life to change him. Slowly, ever so slowly, he was dying to his sinful self, and learning to live according to the spirit of God. Let us do likewise. Aided by the power of the Holy Spirit, let us fight to throw off the yoke of our personal sin, and to overcome the opposition of the sinful world around us. As the scripture say in the letter to the Hebrews chapter 12: therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
As we seek to go forward obediently in our Christian lives, let us endure patiently the crosses that this will surely bring upon us, and scorn their shame, just as Jesus did. Let us look at how Jesus dealt with opposition from sinners, and have the same patience and resolve to overcome it that he had. Let us learn to die to ourselves, and live victoriously for God. Glory to his name, Amen.
Tuesday, 5 December 2017
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
Between Easter and Pentecost (Acts 9:1-20, Psalm 30, Rev 5:11-14, John 21:1-19 -20, Psalm 30, Rev 5:11-14, John 21:1-19). Preached at Trinity Church, Pass Christian, Mississippi, 10 April 2016.
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, it is a wonderful pleasure, and a deep privilege, for me to share the word of God with you this morning. I thank each one of you for your support of my ministry in Chile, and I especially want to thank Father David for inviting me to preach today. Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts together be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
We are now in the season of Easter. Two weeks ago we celebrated Easter Sunday, and the resurrection of our Lord from the grave. In a few weeks time we will celebrate Pentecost, when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit in power on the church. At the moment we are between these two important feasts, and it is a good time to ask ourselves what these great events mean for us today, as everyday Christians, here in Pass Christian. What difference is it meant to make to us?
If we can't give a clear answer to that question, well, we shouldn't feel too bad about it, because we are in very good company. In Acts Chapter 1, in a reading we didn't hear today, but which I would like to quote a little from, Luke tells us about one of Jesus's post-resurrection appearances to his disciples. Luke says: On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
At that time, the disciples were also passing through the period between (in their case) the first Easter and the first Holy Spirit Pentecost. What I would like to draw your attention to here is that question they asked him: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Now, when you think about it, this was not exactly the best question they could have asked in the circumstances. It was a natural question for Jews to ask the resurrected Messiah, because it was central to their Old Testament faith that God in the end times would restore his chosen people to their land. But it surely missed the greater issue. The Lord Jesus, after having taught and preached for three years during his earthly ministry, had prophesied his own death on the cross to pay for the sins of all people, and also his resurrection. At the Last Supper, you will remember, he said: this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins, which are words we will hear again later this morning during our communion service. And then, it came true! He was crucified. He did die, and he was resurrected! Clearly, this was a world-changing event that was to have consequences throughout the earth, and for all time, as we have subsequently realized. However, seeing Jesus after his resurrection, all the disciples could think to ask was: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
We shouldn't, however, be too hard on them. They, like we, were on a learning curve. The important thing to see here is, regardless of any misunderstanding they had, that the Lord is very gracious to them, and gently steers them towards the correct path. First he gives them a mild rebuke, telling them that God alone is qualified to know the answer to the question they asked, since by his own authority, he has established the times and dates, the stages and critical events through which mankind must pass until the kingdom comes.
And then, the Lord Jesus sets out clearly the really important issue, which is what the church must be doing until he does return, he says: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. However long the Lord Jesus takes before he returns to the earth at his Second Coming, he expects the disciples, and after them, the church, including us, to be his witnesses, and to testify in places all over the earth, both near and far, about his resurrection, and the salvation that is available to everyone who believes.
Like the disciples, we are in the season of Easter. The Lord Jesus died on the cross, taking away all our sins, he rose from the dead to new life, and he brings us new life as well. I think what he is saying gently to the disciples is: Look at the big picture! It’s time to stop thinking about old historical issues and controversies, and failures, and to concentrate on proclaiming the wonderful new and fresh message that Jesus has risen from the dead! It’s a true story, and people out in the world need to hear it, because God loves them!
In our readings this morning we heard about two people to whom this teaching applied in a very powerful way. They were two men from very different backgrounds, who were going to play a very important part in carrying the Gospel to the world.
The first was Saul of Tarsus, who we now know as the Apostle Paul. Let us remind ourselves of the first few verses of the reading from Acts we heard this morning: Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Now, it is important to recognize Saul was a very brilliant and well-educated man. He was a Pharisee, thoroughly trained in the rabbinical law, and a student of Gamaliel, the most highly respected Rabbi of those times. If Saul were alive today, he would probably become one of the top professors at Harvard Law School, or the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
But Paul was also a zealous idealogue, who obstinately believed in the absolutely importance of obeying and preserving the traditional Mosaic and rabbinical legal codes, and of stamping out any dissent, so that the ancient law could be maintained, and the kingdom of Israel restored. As far as he was concerned, this new Christian teaching, that God had been born into the world as the man Jesus, and that people could be forgiven and could approach God by faith in Jesus name, was a heresy which, if allowed to take root, would end up destroying all hope of restoring the old Jewish order. Saul even believed he was justified in killing people to achieve his ends. What does it say in that reading? Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples...
Paul was such a clever man, that it would have been impossible to argue him out of his point of view. The Lord knew that if he could be caused to see the truth, his gifts and talents could be used to spread the gospel throughout the Roman world, and that he would be able to preach so effectively that men and women of all backgrounds and cultures and nations would hear the gospel of Jesus and receive him as their savior.
But in Paul’s case it would take drastic action, and that is exactly what happened. The reading goes on: As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Later, the Lord sends Ananias to pray for Saul’s blindness to be healed with these words: “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Do you see how Saul, who later changed his name to Paul, became obedient to God’s command to be one of Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth?
The second man we heard of this morning, who had to change his way of thinking, so that he could become a witness for Jesus, was Peter. He was completely different from Paul. He probably only had about a seventh grade education, and made his living as a hard-working fisherman. I think many of us have a soft spot in our hearts for dear impulsive Peter. He always wanted to say and do the right thing, but often ended up making such a mess.
We recently heard, on Good Friday, how he said to the Lord Jesus “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! Of course, we know he did deny the Lord, and it led to what must have been the most miserable three days of his life. This morning we heard the following words: The third time he said to him “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep ... Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
So Peter was restored, and did follow Jesus, and was a witness of Jesus's resurrection and salvation throughout the rest of his life. On the first day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts, which we are going to read about in just a few weeks, it was the simple fisherman Peter, not Paul, who preached the first great public sermon in Jerusalem proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus, and the good news of salvation.
Though we may not be great scholars like Paul, or have the simple but immensely strong faith of Peter, we are also called to tell other people about Jesus. Let us show our love for him, and for others, by doing just that.
Let us pray: O Lord, at work and at home, at church and at play, with friends and family, in meetings and in solitude, in every situation, may we always testify of your love. Amen.
We are now in the season of Easter. Two weeks ago we celebrated Easter Sunday, and the resurrection of our Lord from the grave. In a few weeks time we will celebrate Pentecost, when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit in power on the church. At the moment we are between these two important feasts, and it is a good time to ask ourselves what these great events mean for us today, as everyday Christians, here in Pass Christian. What difference is it meant to make to us?
If we can't give a clear answer to that question, well, we shouldn't feel too bad about it, because we are in very good company. In Acts Chapter 1, in a reading we didn't hear today, but which I would like to quote a little from, Luke tells us about one of Jesus's post-resurrection appearances to his disciples. Luke says: On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
At that time, the disciples were also passing through the period between (in their case) the first Easter and the first Holy Spirit Pentecost. What I would like to draw your attention to here is that question they asked him: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Now, when you think about it, this was not exactly the best question they could have asked in the circumstances. It was a natural question for Jews to ask the resurrected Messiah, because it was central to their Old Testament faith that God in the end times would restore his chosen people to their land. But it surely missed the greater issue. The Lord Jesus, after having taught and preached for three years during his earthly ministry, had prophesied his own death on the cross to pay for the sins of all people, and also his resurrection. At the Last Supper, you will remember, he said: this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins, which are words we will hear again later this morning during our communion service. And then, it came true! He was crucified. He did die, and he was resurrected! Clearly, this was a world-changing event that was to have consequences throughout the earth, and for all time, as we have subsequently realized. However, seeing Jesus after his resurrection, all the disciples could think to ask was: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
We shouldn't, however, be too hard on them. They, like we, were on a learning curve. The important thing to see here is, regardless of any misunderstanding they had, that the Lord is very gracious to them, and gently steers them towards the correct path. First he gives them a mild rebuke, telling them that God alone is qualified to know the answer to the question they asked, since by his own authority, he has established the times and dates, the stages and critical events through which mankind must pass until the kingdom comes.
And then, the Lord Jesus sets out clearly the really important issue, which is what the church must be doing until he does return, he says: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. However long the Lord Jesus takes before he returns to the earth at his Second Coming, he expects the disciples, and after them, the church, including us, to be his witnesses, and to testify in places all over the earth, both near and far, about his resurrection, and the salvation that is available to everyone who believes.
Like the disciples, we are in the season of Easter. The Lord Jesus died on the cross, taking away all our sins, he rose from the dead to new life, and he brings us new life as well. I think what he is saying gently to the disciples is: Look at the big picture! It’s time to stop thinking about old historical issues and controversies, and failures, and to concentrate on proclaiming the wonderful new and fresh message that Jesus has risen from the dead! It’s a true story, and people out in the world need to hear it, because God loves them!
In our readings this morning we heard about two people to whom this teaching applied in a very powerful way. They were two men from very different backgrounds, who were going to play a very important part in carrying the Gospel to the world.
The first was Saul of Tarsus, who we now know as the Apostle Paul. Let us remind ourselves of the first few verses of the reading from Acts we heard this morning: Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Now, it is important to recognize Saul was a very brilliant and well-educated man. He was a Pharisee, thoroughly trained in the rabbinical law, and a student of Gamaliel, the most highly respected Rabbi of those times. If Saul were alive today, he would probably become one of the top professors at Harvard Law School, or the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
But Paul was also a zealous idealogue, who obstinately believed in the absolutely importance of obeying and preserving the traditional Mosaic and rabbinical legal codes, and of stamping out any dissent, so that the ancient law could be maintained, and the kingdom of Israel restored. As far as he was concerned, this new Christian teaching, that God had been born into the world as the man Jesus, and that people could be forgiven and could approach God by faith in Jesus name, was a heresy which, if allowed to take root, would end up destroying all hope of restoring the old Jewish order. Saul even believed he was justified in killing people to achieve his ends. What does it say in that reading? Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples...
Paul was such a clever man, that it would have been impossible to argue him out of his point of view. The Lord knew that if he could be caused to see the truth, his gifts and talents could be used to spread the gospel throughout the Roman world, and that he would be able to preach so effectively that men and women of all backgrounds and cultures and nations would hear the gospel of Jesus and receive him as their savior.
But in Paul’s case it would take drastic action, and that is exactly what happened. The reading goes on: As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Later, the Lord sends Ananias to pray for Saul’s blindness to be healed with these words: “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Do you see how Saul, who later changed his name to Paul, became obedient to God’s command to be one of Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth?
The second man we heard of this morning, who had to change his way of thinking, so that he could become a witness for Jesus, was Peter. He was completely different from Paul. He probably only had about a seventh grade education, and made his living as a hard-working fisherman. I think many of us have a soft spot in our hearts for dear impulsive Peter. He always wanted to say and do the right thing, but often ended up making such a mess.
We recently heard, on Good Friday, how he said to the Lord Jesus “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! Of course, we know he did deny the Lord, and it led to what must have been the most miserable three days of his life. This morning we heard the following words: The third time he said to him “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep ... Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
So Peter was restored, and did follow Jesus, and was a witness of Jesus's resurrection and salvation throughout the rest of his life. On the first day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts, which we are going to read about in just a few weeks, it was the simple fisherman Peter, not Paul, who preached the first great public sermon in Jerusalem proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus, and the good news of salvation.
Though we may not be great scholars like Paul, or have the simple but immensely strong faith of Peter, we are also called to tell other people about Jesus. Let us show our love for him, and for others, by doing just that.
Let us pray: O Lord, at work and at home, at church and at play, with friends and family, in meetings and in solitude, in every situation, may we always testify of your love. Amen.
Sunday, 10 January 2016
A new light (Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-38) Preached in Weston Chapel, Weston, Devon
Good afternoon, everyone, and may I wish you a happy new year. The Christmas holidays have come and gone. January is here, and, in the cold of winter, Britain has gone back to work. So let me begin by asking a series of questions that we may want to ask ourselves. What do we have to show for the last weeks? What mark have they left on us? Have the courses of our lives been changed? Should we expect them to be changed? Do we want them to be changed? What are our expectations for 2016? Is it going to be a case of the same old thing? As Christians, how is the Lord Jesus going to be a part of our lives in the coming months. Will God be glorified through us this year? What meaning and significance does Christmas have for each one of us personally? Today I would like to talk about how we might think about these questions, so that we can glorify God and serve him better in the coming year. And may we have a greater understanding of his steadfast love for us, and may we have a greater desire to share this love with those around us, and especially with those who do not personally know him.
We are now no longer in the season of Christmas. On 6 January, the 12th day of Christmas, which was last Wednesday, we entered into the season of Epiphany. Epiphany marks the visit to the baby Jesus by the three Kings, or Wise Men. In the West, Christians began celebrating Epiphany in the 4th century. As we know, according to the Gospel of Matthew, the men found Jesus by following a star across the desert to Bethlehem. The three men, traditionally named Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, represented Europe, Arabia, and Africa, respectively. According to Matthew 2:11, they offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gifts were symbolic of the importance of Jesus' birth, the gold representing his royal status, frankincense his divine birth, and myrrh his mortality. Epiphany is a Greek word, and means to show, referring to Jesus being revealed to the world. The three wise men were not Jews, they were Gentiles, and so Epiphany is symbolic of the revelation of the Lord Jesus as King, not just of the Jews, but of all the peoples of the Earth. Of course, Jesus was a very special King, a King that was born to serve, to suffer, and to die for us on the cross. The gift of myrrh, especially, reflects this crucial aspect of his kingship.
The reading we heard today, from Isaiah 42, came from the lectionary. It is selected to correspond to the season of Epiphany, and like the Epiphany to the three kings, it is intended to explain to us who Jesus is. God himself is speaking, and he says (in vv. 1-4): Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope. Christmas is past, the baby is born, but just exactly who is this baby whose birth we celebrated? This passage tells us he is God’s special servant, and he is the chosen one in whom God delights. He has God’s Holy Spirit put on him, and he is sent to bring justice to the nations. This is Jesus, whose name means “Savior,” and he will not be discouraged, and he will not fail in his purpose, and the people will put their hope in him.
In the first chapter of the gospel of John, it says of Jesus: In him was life, and that life was the light of all men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem he brought God’s light into the world. In our present day world, there is much darkness, and it seems very much that the darkness is constantly increasing. It seems that the lights which we have previously trusted in, the lights of Christian civilization, with its requirements of honesty, truthfulness, faithfulness, peacefulness, decent behavior, clear moral guidelines, the maintenance of holy institutions like marriage, are being snuffed out, and that the world is descending into chaos around us. There is a breakdown in public order here in Britain, and around the world war is on the increase. Yet God’s word still assures us: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. How are we to trust in this word in the coming year, in the midst of such troubles? By putting our faith in Jesus, the light of the world, whose birth as a baby in Bethlehem we have just celebrated. And how are we to give practical expression to that faith? John goes on to tell us in his gospel: The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive 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. John tells us the answer: to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. We put our faith in him when we receive him into our lives, when we believe in his name. This means every day, when we get up, when we go out to work, or to our daily business, whatever it is, we must commit ourselves to his care, obey him, and trust him to guide us and protect us. We may not be able to change the world ourselves, but we can commend ourselves, and our families and communities, to Him who certainly can change it. As we live our lives in faith, we show Jesus, as in the first Epiphany, to the world around us.
But, you may say: ‘I am weak, how can I have faith like that?’ Well, the truth is, that everyone of us, even the best of us, lacks faith, and needs more of it. In the letter to the Hebrews it says: … without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. This is a challenge, but as we start this new year, with whatever it holds, in the season of Epiphany, we can be comforted that God knows our weakness, and is merciful with us. In our reading earlier we heard: A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. Though my faith may be as weak as a bruised reed, or a smoldering wick, Jesus will not break the reed, or snuff out the wick. He will bear with my weakness, and he will still faithfully continue his work until he establishes justice on earth. And as I exercise my faith, and experience his faithfulness, my faith, like every physical muscle in my body, will grow stronger.
The reading we heard earlier goes on to say: This is what God the Lord says – the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: ‘I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.' Again, God the Father is speaking about the Epiphany of the Lord Jesus. He says: I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. Jesus, the baby born in Bethlehem, holds the Father’s hand. He will be made a covenant for the people, and a light that is to be shined throughout the earth, to the Jews and to all the Gentiles. First he was shown, as God’s king and savior, to the three kings, but in the end all the peoples of the earth will see him too.
The God of this world, the evil one, wants me (and you) to be blind, so that I cannot see the light. He wants me to be imprisoned in a prison cell, so that I cannot see the light of Jesus through the dungeon walls. He does not want me to be shown the light of Jesus in his Epiphany, he does not want me to see it. But God says that Jesus will: … open eyes that are blind … free captives from prison and … release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I will be given sight to see Jesus, and I will walk free from the prison of fear and doubt to witness Jesus working in the world. God says it in his word. May I take hold of it in faith.
In our second reading today, from the book of Acts, also from the lectionary for Epiphany, we heard that Peter said: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message … how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Peter explains how God filled Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit to heal people who were in bondage under the power of the devil. The power of the Holy Spirit is still available today, to all who believe in the name of Jesus, and who receive him into their lives. He has power to set us free from the power of spiritual darkness, so that we can show forth the light of God, and truly experience his love.
I began speaking today by asking a series of questions: Have our lives been changed by Christmas? Should we expect, and do we want, them to be changed? What are our expectations for 2016? Well the season of Epiphany, and the readings we have heard, help us to answer these questions. If we believe the Word of God, and if we trust it is true, then we must believe in, and take hold of, the promises of God. When God first called us and drew us to himself, and when we accepted his salvation through the Lord Jesus, it was never his intention to leave us at the mercy the spiritual darkness we had experienced in our former lives. Paul, speaking to the Romans, says: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. God promises to transform us, he wants us to worship him and to experience the very best life has to offer us, as we live it for him.
We have recently been reminded again of the miraculous birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. We have read the scriptures, and sung the carols, which tell of his coming to this earth, and we have worshipped God for what he has done to fulfil all the prophecies which foretold Jesus’ coming. But God does not want this to only be a pleasant and sentimental remembrance. Whenever we prayerfully read the Word of God, it has real power to change us eternally. God says through Isaiah today: See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. Christmas is past, but God is still declaring new things, for me and for you.
The answer is: Yes, we should expect and want our lives to be changed by Christmas, for it means Jesus is in the world and the kingdom of God has arrived, with power to transform not just our personal lives, but the whole earth. What should our expectations be for 2016? Well, the baby born in Bethlehem is, as we have heard in our Epiphany readings today, the Son and servant of the most high God, who comes into the world to bring salvation, healing, justice, and renewal. We should expect that we will indeed see him work in our lives, our families, our communities, and our nation.
Let us open up our hearts, and welcome him this coming year. Let me close with the following prayer, which I invite everyone of you to make your prayer also: O God, in the mystery of the Word made flesh, you have caused a new light to shine in our hearts, to give the knowledge of thy glory in the face of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. My your light shine in my heart. Work in my life this year to extend your kingdom.
We are now no longer in the season of Christmas. On 6 January, the 12th day of Christmas, which was last Wednesday, we entered into the season of Epiphany. Epiphany marks the visit to the baby Jesus by the three Kings, or Wise Men. In the West, Christians began celebrating Epiphany in the 4th century. As we know, according to the Gospel of Matthew, the men found Jesus by following a star across the desert to Bethlehem. The three men, traditionally named Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, represented Europe, Arabia, and Africa, respectively. According to Matthew 2:11, they offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gifts were symbolic of the importance of Jesus' birth, the gold representing his royal status, frankincense his divine birth, and myrrh his mortality. Epiphany is a Greek word, and means to show, referring to Jesus being revealed to the world. The three wise men were not Jews, they were Gentiles, and so Epiphany is symbolic of the revelation of the Lord Jesus as King, not just of the Jews, but of all the peoples of the Earth. Of course, Jesus was a very special King, a King that was born to serve, to suffer, and to die for us on the cross. The gift of myrrh, especially, reflects this crucial aspect of his kingship.
The reading we heard today, from Isaiah 42, came from the lectionary. It is selected to correspond to the season of Epiphany, and like the Epiphany to the three kings, it is intended to explain to us who Jesus is. God himself is speaking, and he says (in vv. 1-4): Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope. Christmas is past, the baby is born, but just exactly who is this baby whose birth we celebrated? This passage tells us he is God’s special servant, and he is the chosen one in whom God delights. He has God’s Holy Spirit put on him, and he is sent to bring justice to the nations. This is Jesus, whose name means “Savior,” and he will not be discouraged, and he will not fail in his purpose, and the people will put their hope in him.
In the first chapter of the gospel of John, it says of Jesus: In him was life, and that life was the light of all men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem he brought God’s light into the world. In our present day world, there is much darkness, and it seems very much that the darkness is constantly increasing. It seems that the lights which we have previously trusted in, the lights of Christian civilization, with its requirements of honesty, truthfulness, faithfulness, peacefulness, decent behavior, clear moral guidelines, the maintenance of holy institutions like marriage, are being snuffed out, and that the world is descending into chaos around us. There is a breakdown in public order here in Britain, and around the world war is on the increase. Yet God’s word still assures us: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. How are we to trust in this word in the coming year, in the midst of such troubles? By putting our faith in Jesus, the light of the world, whose birth as a baby in Bethlehem we have just celebrated. And how are we to give practical expression to that faith? John goes on to tell us in his gospel: The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive 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. John tells us the answer: to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. We put our faith in him when we receive him into our lives, when we believe in his name. This means every day, when we get up, when we go out to work, or to our daily business, whatever it is, we must commit ourselves to his care, obey him, and trust him to guide us and protect us. We may not be able to change the world ourselves, but we can commend ourselves, and our families and communities, to Him who certainly can change it. As we live our lives in faith, we show Jesus, as in the first Epiphany, to the world around us.
But, you may say: ‘I am weak, how can I have faith like that?’ Well, the truth is, that everyone of us, even the best of us, lacks faith, and needs more of it. In the letter to the Hebrews it says: … without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. This is a challenge, but as we start this new year, with whatever it holds, in the season of Epiphany, we can be comforted that God knows our weakness, and is merciful with us. In our reading earlier we heard: A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. Though my faith may be as weak as a bruised reed, or a smoldering wick, Jesus will not break the reed, or snuff out the wick. He will bear with my weakness, and he will still faithfully continue his work until he establishes justice on earth. And as I exercise my faith, and experience his faithfulness, my faith, like every physical muscle in my body, will grow stronger.
The reading we heard earlier goes on to say: This is what God the Lord says – the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: ‘I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.' Again, God the Father is speaking about the Epiphany of the Lord Jesus. He says: I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. Jesus, the baby born in Bethlehem, holds the Father’s hand. He will be made a covenant for the people, and a light that is to be shined throughout the earth, to the Jews and to all the Gentiles. First he was shown, as God’s king and savior, to the three kings, but in the end all the peoples of the earth will see him too.
The God of this world, the evil one, wants me (and you) to be blind, so that I cannot see the light. He wants me to be imprisoned in a prison cell, so that I cannot see the light of Jesus through the dungeon walls. He does not want me to be shown the light of Jesus in his Epiphany, he does not want me to see it. But God says that Jesus will: … open eyes that are blind … free captives from prison and … release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I will be given sight to see Jesus, and I will walk free from the prison of fear and doubt to witness Jesus working in the world. God says it in his word. May I take hold of it in faith.
In our second reading today, from the book of Acts, also from the lectionary for Epiphany, we heard that Peter said: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message … how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Peter explains how God filled Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit to heal people who were in bondage under the power of the devil. The power of the Holy Spirit is still available today, to all who believe in the name of Jesus, and who receive him into their lives. He has power to set us free from the power of spiritual darkness, so that we can show forth the light of God, and truly experience his love.
I began speaking today by asking a series of questions: Have our lives been changed by Christmas? Should we expect, and do we want, them to be changed? What are our expectations for 2016? Well the season of Epiphany, and the readings we have heard, help us to answer these questions. If we believe the Word of God, and if we trust it is true, then we must believe in, and take hold of, the promises of God. When God first called us and drew us to himself, and when we accepted his salvation through the Lord Jesus, it was never his intention to leave us at the mercy the spiritual darkness we had experienced in our former lives. Paul, speaking to the Romans, says: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. God promises to transform us, he wants us to worship him and to experience the very best life has to offer us, as we live it for him.
We have recently been reminded again of the miraculous birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. We have read the scriptures, and sung the carols, which tell of his coming to this earth, and we have worshipped God for what he has done to fulfil all the prophecies which foretold Jesus’ coming. But God does not want this to only be a pleasant and sentimental remembrance. Whenever we prayerfully read the Word of God, it has real power to change us eternally. God says through Isaiah today: See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. Christmas is past, but God is still declaring new things, for me and for you.
The answer is: Yes, we should expect and want our lives to be changed by Christmas, for it means Jesus is in the world and the kingdom of God has arrived, with power to transform not just our personal lives, but the whole earth. What should our expectations be for 2016? Well, the baby born in Bethlehem is, as we have heard in our Epiphany readings today, the Son and servant of the most high God, who comes into the world to bring salvation, healing, justice, and renewal. We should expect that we will indeed see him work in our lives, our families, our communities, and our nation.
Let us open up our hearts, and welcome him this coming year. Let me close with the following prayer, which I invite everyone of you to make your prayer also: O God, in the mystery of the Word made flesh, you have caused a new light to shine in our hearts, to give the knowledge of thy glory in the face of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. My your light shine in my heart. Work in my life this year to extend your kingdom.
Sunday, 5 April 2015
Faith goes further than belief (Isaiah 35:3-6; Matthew 9:27-34) - Preached at Church of the Savior 26 September 2010
The celebration last weekend of the 18th September, Chile's Day of Independence, and this year also the bicentenary of the Republic, was an impressive and beautiful event. Two hundred years as an independent nation, and most of that as a stable democracy, is a great achievement. During its history, Chile has been a predominantly Christian nation. While there have been, and still are, many problems and failures, the behavior and culture of the people have been greatly influenced by Christian teachings and values. I often watch Alfredo Cooper’s TV program: “Hazte Cargo” (which means "Take Charge") in which he and his guests discuss and defend the Christian traditions of Chile.
How sad and depressing, in contrast, I find the spiritual and moral condition of my country of birth: Great Britain. It is the nation where the Anglican church originated, based originally on firm biblical principles. These Christian principles were adopted into the government, and originally formed the basis for British law and public policy for several centuries. Great Britain has since fallen a long way. Every year now, almost 200,000 babies are deliberately killed before they have a chance to be born. Private and public morality has fallen to appallingly low levels. Of men and women who live together, less than 50% are married to each other. Almost 50% of babies are born to couples who are not married. Senior figures in the government have been convicted of corruption for misuse of public funds. Great Britain is now so hostile to Christians, that nurses and other workers have lost their jobs because they offered to pray for their patients, or for wearing Christian crosses around their necks, while on duty. What makes it worse, Christian leaders in Great Britain seem to do, or say, very little in protest about what is going on.
I hope Chile does not go down the same road. Christians in this country must unite to prevent the liberal agenda taking root here. I believe, if they do not do this, it will grow much more quickly than they think is possible.
I pray often for Great Britain. I pray there will be a great Christian revival. I pray that the people will accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. I pray that Christian morals and principles will, once again, be established throughout the country. However, Great Britain presents a great challenge to me for prayer. When I pray, I find it difficult to pray with faith, to believe that what I pray for will happen. I believe God is in control but, somehow, the job seems so big, the corruption is so great, and I find it hard to expect that anything will change.
Actually, this is a fundamental problem that all Christians face in daily life. Our faith does not seem big enough to confront the problems within our own personal ambit, not to mention the larger problems of the outside world.
The same question faced the people who lived in Judah and Samaria at the time the Lord Jesus was fulfilling his ministry on Earth. They had their own problems and difficulties, just as we do. Every day they confronted their personal sins and failures, and those of their families and neighbors. They struggled to make a living, and faced the deceit and exploitation of the world around them. For many years they had suffered under a brutal Roman occupation. Also, their religious life, which God intended to be a source of joy to them, consisted mostly in trying to fulfill a multitude of deadening duties and works, loaded onto them by their religious leaders, who did little to help them, and remained largely indifferent to the tribulations of the people for whom they were supposed to be Pastors.
The Jews at that time, as they still are today, were people who knew the scriptures. They had heard of the coming of a Messiah who would rescue and deliver them from the many types of oppression which they suffered. You recall our first reading today, which they certainly would also have heard. Let me read it again: Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
But the overwhelming number and magnitude of problems they faced must have lead to the same crisis of faith that we experience today. They must have prayed for God to save them, and put an end to the evil around them, but could they truly trust that he would hear them and answer them?
That passage I just read is from one of the great prophecies in Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah. We see that it not only predicts salvation as a whole, i.e., Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you, where it refers to the personal and national renewal we need so much, but it also announces that this salvation will include healings from sickness, and relief from many other causes of sorrow and oppression. The Messiah, when he comes, will have authority over all these things.
Our Lord Jesus, of course, is the Messiah who was promised to the Jews. As we have been studying Matthew over the last weeks, we have seen how he clearly demonstrated, for all those with open hearts and minds, that he truly did have the authority to heal the sick and give sight to the blind. Still, however, there is the need to have faith in order to receive the blessings that Jesus brings. In the passage from Matthew we heard today, when Jesus heals the two blind men, he says to them: According to your faith let it be done to you. So how do we overcome the crushing weight of our doubts and fears and unbelief, and have true faith in God’s promises?
Well, the first step, of course, is to admit the needs we have in our lives, and recognize that only God himself can meet them. However, while God certainly wants us to have faith in him, we must also clearly understand that it is only by his sovereign grace, in the first place, that can cause faith itself to be born in us. Faith starts with God, not with us. The whole process of our life as Christians begins with God’s grace. Without it there would be no Jesus, no salvation, no deliverance from sins, no help for us in time of trouble, and no Holy Spirit in our lives. In fact, there would be nothing that would require even the smallest measure of faith.
However, our wonderful God is gracious. He has, indeed, made a way of salvation for us, and has a plan for a new life for every one of us. He has given us many evidences of his great love for us, and his power and intention to fulfill all of his promises for us. He has given us plentiful reasons to have faith in him, and to live our lives by it. As Paul says in Romans 1:17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
The second point to recognize is that the initial amount of faith God requires of us is not great. You will remember that Jesus in a parable told in Matthew 13:31-32, compared the amount of faith needed to a mustard seed, which is one of the smallest seeds there are. The act of faith begins with a very small first step. In Matthew 9:27, 28, which we heard today, it says two blind men followed him, calling out, Have mercy on us, Son of David! When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him... Do you see what the blind men did? First, they followed him, crying out for mercy. Second, when he didn’t answer them right away, they came to see him when he was indoors. All of this shows they were putting their faith in him. It wasn’t much, but it was a beginning. They also showed faith when they recognized his identity. The two blind men called him “Son of David,” which was a Messianic title. In fact, they recognized Jesus was the Messiah even before Peter the disciple did, which is recorded later in Matthew 16:16. As we heard in the first reading today, from Isaiah, the coming of the Messiah was also expected to give sight to the blind, which was another aspect of the faith they were putting in him. You see, just like a long journey begins with the first step, so great feats of faith begin with first simple act of trust and confession.
The third point to realize about faith is that God already understands how weak we are, and how difficult we find it to put our faith in him. He has compassion on us, even in our weakness. Do you remember the story from Mark Chapter 9, when Jesus was asked to heal a boy with an evil spirit? After seeing the boy have a convulsion, he has the following conversation with the boy’s father : Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”. We must not be afraid to come to God for our needs, even if our faith is very weak. He wants to hear us and help us. And it is only by using our faith that it will grow. It has been said that faith is like a muscle in the body. If there is a muscle in my body which I don’t use, that muscle will become weak, isn’t that correct? However, the more I use and exercise that muscle, the stronger it becomes. Well, faith is like a muscle. When we have faith in God, and God answers our prayer, and we see how faithful he is, then our faith will become stronger for the next time we need it.
The next thing to understand is that, in a sense, exercising our faith is not doing something, but learning not to do something. Let me explain what I mean. The famous Christian writer C. S. Lewis once said that putting our faith in God is like learning to dive into the water at a swimming pool. From the time we learn to walk as young children, we find out that, if we fall down, we generally harm ourselves. Therefore, our natural instinct is to stop ourselves falling at all costs. Now, if I dived into a swimming pool when there is no water in it, then, of course, I will certainly hurt myself very badly. However, if there is water in the swimming pool, that is a different matter. It is possible to dive into a swimming pool full of water without hurting myself.
If we want to dive into the water, we have to learn to give up the safety of standing on our legs, and surrender ourselves to the force of gravity trusting that, when we enter the water, it will stop us from hitting the bottom and getting hurt. We trust in the protecting power of the water.
Putting our faith in God is similar to this. We must learn to stop trying to do everything for ourselves, and having complete control over our lives, without trusting anybody else. We must surrender the control of our lives to God, trusting that he will protect, guide, and provide for our needs. Of course, when we do this, there is the possibility that it could go wrong, and that we may be harmed. However, as Christians throughout history and throughout the world will tell you, the amazing thing is - it works! If we trust our lives to God, he always looks after us, and never lets us be harmed. He is always faithful to his word, and he always keeps his promises. Just like the swimmer who gives up the safety of solid ground, and trusts in the water to catch him, the Christian who steps out in faith in God, finds that the Lord’s arms are always around him to stop him from falling.
Faith, you see. is not the same thing as belief. Sometimes the words are used as if they mean the same thing, but this isn’t true. Many people say they believe in God, but that doesn’t mean very much, by itself. James says even the demons believe in God. Faith, on the other hand, consists in believing in God, and recognizing our complete dependence on him, and making the decision to trust in his word and act upon his promises, even when there is some risk to ourselves.
Before the Lord Jesus healed someone, he always required that, either they had faith, or other people acting on their behalf had faith. The reason for this is that, when we put our trust in God and depend on him, and do not try to deal with the problem ourselves, and the answer to prayer comes, or the miracle happens, it is God alone who gets the glory! Jesus always wants to glorify his Father. This is why, even when the two blind men came to him to be healed, and even called him Son of David, he still asked them: Do you believe that I am able to do this? Jesus forced those two men to clarify in their hearts that they not only need his help, and recognize his identity as the Messiah, but also that they also acknowledge his authority and ability to heal their, otherwise, unhealable blindness. Only when they did this, and put their faith in him, could he heal them.
Let me ask you now, what are you going to do after hearing the word of God today? In the gospel reading today, three things are described that happened after Jesus did his miracles.
(1) After Jesus healed the blind men, he asked them not to tell anyone about it. However, they disobeyed him, and told many people about their healing.
(2) After Jesus drove out the demon from another man, all of the people were amazed and said: Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel?
(3) The Pharisees refused the plain unmistakeable evidence of the sovereign work of God among them, saying, with deliberate unbelief, It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.
What is your reaction going to be? I hope you may do three things. First, I hope you will have faith in God, entrust yourself to him, and fulfill his purpose for your life. Second, unlike the Pharisees, I hope you will not harden your heart, but that you will be open to see the amazing power of God working in your life, and let your faith increase as a result. Third, I hope that, after seeing God’s wonderful love for you, and his grace towards you, you will decide to be completely obedient to him, so that he will get all the glory from the way you live your life.
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