Don’t Fear What They Fear

Posted by Chris on October 26, 2008 under Sermons

Read Isaiah 8:11-22

Background: It is the 8th century BC. The nations of Israel and Aram are afraid of the wolf at their door – Assyria. If they can invade Judah and set up a leader who shares their national interests, then they just might have a chance at withstanding Assyria.

There’s a lot of fear in Judah. The people are eager to consult the experts and intelligencia to come up with a plan that will secure their future …

Entering into this political mess is a preacher. A man whose sermons are not heard. The preacher’s name is Isaiah. His two young boys are with him – he has given them such strange names: Shear-Jashub and Maher-shallal-hash-baz. Their names mean “A Remnant Will Return” and “Quick to the Spoils, Hurry to the Plunder.” These boys have been given names that preach. Names that proclaim the imminent dawn of bad times but also a hope that some will be spared.

Isaiah preaches in Judah; his nation is very afraid right now. Their enemies are planning an attack and intend to set up a puppet-ruler to replace the current king, Ahaz. The people want the king to get help from another country … and soon. Ahaz feels the same way, and even more so. Ahaz intends on becoming the closest of friends with the king of Assyria. Ahaz’s fear has motivated him to get an altar just like Assyria’s and to worship Assyria’s gods, just like Assyria.

But there are some who disagree with Ahaz and the people. Isaiah is the leader of the dissenters. The rest of the nation talks about Isaiah and his kooky cult. They call them trouble-makers, and unpatriotic. They sneer because Isaiah and his followers claim to speak on behalf of the Lord God, but what they say isn’t anything like the word from the temple priests.

(Isaiah 7) During the midst of the Israel and Aram’s attacks against Judah, Isaiah approached the king. Ahaz was out inspecting the city’s water supply in the event of a siege. Isaiah was waiting to give him a message:

“Be careful, keep calm, and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of those two smoldering stubs of firewood–because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. Aram, Ephraim, and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin saying, ?Let’s invade Judah; let’s tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make Ben-Tabeel king over it.’ Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ?It will not take place. It will not happen. Because, the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is just Rezin. Within 65 years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is just Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7:4-9)

God even authorized Isaiah to give Ahaz a sign to bolster his confidence. He would give Ahaz’s son a name that preached – “Immanu-El” meaning “God Is With Us.” But Ahaz believed that signs were in bad taste. He decided to go ahead with the Assyrian treaty, he was even confident that it was God’s will to do so. Nothing, not even a sign freely given, could change Ahaz’s mind.

Isaiah’s sermons were wasted words. So, he returned to his little school to preach to those who would listen. Along the way, he thought about the treaty that will inevitably be signed; the suffering that it will cause Judah in the near future; and the stubbornness of the king and the rejection of the people. He has no more sermons to give now. Only this parting testimony to prepare his followers for the days to come:

“The Lord God spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:

?Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy;Do not fear what they fear and do not dread it.The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread,and he will be a sanctuary.But, for both the houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.Many of them will stumble, they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.’

Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples. I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. [So] here I am. I and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? [Go] to the law and the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.” (Isaiah 8:11-22)

What are we worried about? What are we afraid of?

• The crash of the stock market and the loss of security?
• The election and its aftermath?
• Terrorists and invasion?
• The decline of America’s strength?
• The collapse of the world as we know it?

All of these things might truly happen. They could be very real occurrences. Isaiah told Ahaz not to be afraid, but Assyria was a reality that would cause Judah to suffer.
All the things that people worry about today might really happen …

But whose way do we follow? Whose hand is upon us?

Do we watch the signs of the spiritualists and mediums of our day an age with their glowing electronic wisdom? Do we wring our hands and wipe our brows in fear of the gloom and doom that they forecast?

Or do we go to the words of the living God and fold our hands and bow our heads in prayer?

Do we follow the way of the people around us in this nation who are filled to the brim with worry and anxiety or do we listen to the voice of God and feel his strong hand upon us?

So many of us dread and fear about our nations borders, our 401K’s, our potential president, and the fate of the USA. So many of us dread and fear the state of health and healthcare.

Why don’t we dread and fear the Lord? Why don’t we hold God to be as holy as our political pride? Why don’t we regard God as a more secure rock and fortress than our investments?

Why? Because we have followed the way of the people. We have made the mistake of Ahaz and put our trust in powerful alliances. We have looked to the wrong signs and consulted the wrong media.

None of the rulers, nations, empires of the 8th century remain. But the sermon of the preacher is preached again today. The names of those children still preach …

God is with us! A remnant will survive! Watch out because they are quick to the spoils and hurry to plunder!

We stand in the place of Ahaz. God offers us a future, a sanctuary. He has given us the sign of a son. We can stand with Isaiah and his sons. We can go the testimony of Scripture, or we can make a deal with the devil and invest in the comforts and securities that will not last.

We have to make the choice that Ahaz had to make. God is willing to do his work right here and right now. God is with us. He can do that in this generation. But if we refuse, then he will bind up the promise for a future generation. And he can do that. He can raise up a generation of kids whose names will preach. I would rather see that now than later – wouldn’t you?

Portrait of a Nation

Posted by Chris on October 19, 2008 under Sermons

Take a look at a nation that is decaying.

1. Its people are consumed with wealth and they will use every means legal and illegal to acquire. Call it greed or call it stealing, it works the same.
2. Relationships have very little meaning. Adultery and infidelity are taken for granted. Homosexuality, casual sex and perversion are highly regarded. Children are not considered a blessing, but a financial liability or asset.
3. Substance abuse is wide spread and overt; values of decency are in sharp decline
4. Most offenses are not dealt with in the name of justice, but in the name of financial compensation.
5. Honesty is a rare commodity and one’s creativity at bending the truth is applauded.

Before you assume that this portrait of a nation is our USA, let me inform you that I am in fact talking about civilization on the island of Crete over 2000 years ago. But the similarities are stunning yes? Unfortunately the Crete of 2000 years ago parallels our society today:

1. The courts of law were not interested in justice, but in financial compensation. For instance, a crime as serious as rape did not incur punishment, but a fine. On Crete, mothers could choose to leave their children to die, but only if the father did not want the child. And when a mother killed an infant without the father’s consent, she was charged a hefty fine.
2. The rest of the world regarded Cretans as reprobates, dishonest, and uncultured. Today we have the ugly American, then they had the ugly Cretan.

Crete had become well known as a degenerate nation by the time of Christ:

1. The people of Crete were well known as liars and reprobates. A common expression about lying in that day was “to out Cretan a Cretan.”
2. Crete’s major industry was piracy. The northern shore of Crete was a haven for pirate bands that terrorized the Mediterranean. The pirates of Crete were the most feared in the second century BC. Even after the Romans made Crete a province in 67 BC piracy continued on Crete.

But Crete had not always been such a despicable place. The earlier period of Cretan history (3000 – 1500 years BC) was a shining, golden age. The Minoan civilization rivaled the culture of Ancient Egypt. It was the basis of the legend of Atlantis. Five hundred years BC, Cretan law was recognized as strict, but fair. In fact, the Law Code of Gortyn is recognized today as unique, because the burden to make a case is on the one bringing charges.

A once great nation, now sick and decaying. Perhaps in examining Crete we do not look at the past, as much as we see our own possible future as a nation. We have a tendency to believe that things are worse than they ever have been. I do not at all wish to paint a rosy picture of our society today. There are serious problems and obvious moral decay. But let us not be na?ve and think that this has never happened before. In fact, knowing that times past have been worse may help us. For instance, we wonder how we will ever influence our society for good with the gospel, well consider this: How do you preach and teach the gospel on Crete?
The message of the risen Messiah took shape within the context of the community of Israel. Israel is a highly moral community. In fact, their high morality often leads them to become arrogant, prudish, and self-righteous.
But now, some 20 to thirty years after the resurrection of the Messiah, we find a missionary, a Christian gentile named Titus entrusted with the task of sharing the gospel among pirates, thieves, perverts, drunks and liars. How? How do you do this?

Titus’ Mistake:

1. Facing the opponents “on their own turf”
2. Arguing their warped teaching on their terms. Don’t get bogged down in their senseless and useless arguments. (Avoid foolish controversies – 3:8)
3. The opponents, who care very little about healthy teaching, will adapt and thrive. They aim to keep as many followers as possible and gain a profit
   • Here is a lesson for the church: We have spent too much time fighting shadows and too little time calling people to grace.
     – As a teen I was not impressed by the reasons that preachers gave for certain music being wrong. I knew all those reasons and I even knew more reasons. What impressed me were people, who appreciated “good” music and godly things even more than I appreciated the things I did.

   • How?• Transformation, not just information       – Leaders that Teach us How to Live • Community of Faith – Loving Relationships • Generation to Generation – Living Curriculum

     The best way to “muzzle” or silence those who are “upsetting entire households” is not to argue or attack, but to teach “things that are excellent and profitable for everyone.” – (Titus 2:11; 3:8)

Paul’s Strategy:

1. Take care of what remains, and 2) appoint elders in every city (Titus 1:5)
2. Appointing elders is entrusting those who can lead others
3. Taking care of what remains: Right Belief and Right Behavior
   Belief = Grace and Gospel; Behavior = Holiness
   • Healthy teaching produces holiness (Both are important)
   • “To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking.” – Goethe

Healthy Teaching Two warnings to stop, then disassociate with them (3:10) Focus on the healthy teaching (2:1) Build up mentors (2:2-6) Model it (2:7) Doing Good (3:8) Rejecting ungodliness (2:12-13) Serving and maturing (3:14)

How do you share the gospel in America?

• This is not your father’s America. Let’s accept that.
• We have a choice: 1) We can continue to lament, we can criticize and argue among ourselves, or 2) we can live a gospeled life and encourage others to do the same. (Illus: My great-grandfather argued with the TV – I know his excuse, What’s our excuse?)
• Bob Briner, Roaring Lambs –

  • “Go into your office or place of business and ask how many of your colleagues understand the doctrine of inerrancy or know what the apostle Paul meant with the word kephale or [when the rapture will occur]?”(p. 29)
  • “The best way to stop the spread of evil is to replace it with something good.” (p. 39)
• It’s fine to rebuke what’s wrong – to drive out the bad spirit, but who will offer the good spirit in its place? (Luke 11:24) (Hollywood is not just corrupt because immoral people went to Hollywood, it is corrupt is because we spent our time arguing with those who did not care and we neglected/discouraged creative people who could have stepped in and made a difference.)

Whether it is Hollywood or Houston, LA or LJ, Federal government or family – we need to follow Paul’s advice to Titus: “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.” (3:14)

A Common Future

Posted by Chris on October 12, 2008 under Sermons

[This lesson was presented by 2 people.]

Notes of David Chadwell

In Acts, you can tell by the content of the sermon who the audience is.
In Acts, God is always the partner — nothing is the result of a purely human achievement.

Who knows where we will go in the future?
The destination will be good if we respond well to three questions.

1. Will we listen to God?
   • Not as easily done as most think.
2. How will we treat people?
   • Will we treat other people godly?
   • God always placed great emphasis on how His people treated others.
3. How will we react when we have problems?
   • How will we solve our problems?
   • Nothing declares godliness more eloquently than how we treat each other as we solve problems — and we will have problems.

Our lives may write a sentence in the history of this congregation.
Rarely will a life write a paragraph. And never a whole chapter.
What will your life write?

[Prayer]

Notes of Chris Benjamin

Golf in the Year 2000, is a novel by J. McCullough written in 1892. It tells the story of Alexander J. Gibson, who falls into a deep sleep in the year 1892 and awakens in the year 2000.

The plot follows Gibson as he is introduced to the wonders of the dawning 21st century by his host, the current owner of the house where Gibson lay sleeping for 108 years. There are golf clubs that automatically keep their user’s score, driverless golf caddies or carts, and special jackets, which everyone must wear, that yell “Fore!” whenever the player begins his swing.

Modern readers are fascinated by the many startlingly accurate “predictions” contained in Golf in the Year 2000. These include bullet trains, digital watches, and television (although those specific terms are not used).

One of the novel’s “predictions” is the liberation of women. In the book, women have achieved substantial equality with men, but with some remaining and new differences. Gibson learns that the women of 2000 dress like men, hold key positions in business and government and in fact do almost all of the work… while the men play golf full time. In the view of the fictional narrator, this is a true utopia, though he does not find 21st century females (not “women”) to his liking. – [Source: Wikipedia Entry]

What will the world be like in 2033?

1. It’s a Small World After All — Already we see how the US and world economies are tied together. Politics are also tied together closer than ever. Events in the Middle East and China shape our lives here in very personal ways – gas prices, reservists called into duty are just some examples.
   • One of the implications of this is that categories such as foreign and domestic will not make sense in 2033. UA Fort Smith is working to create partnerships with Japan and China. The world just got smaller.
   • William Carey is named as the father of modern missions. He was an English cobbler who was so fascinated by James Cook’s travels to Polynesia that he wanted to take the Christian faith to “the heathen.” That was 1792. Now, in 2008 we might ask “Who’s the heathen?” And are we supposed to “go” into all of the world or is the world right here?
   • In the 1980’s the vision of West-Ark was to see the world around us because of the Laotian congregation. Tom and Lou Porter’s mission field was here. Already we see terms like domestic and foreign fading in meaning. Likewise in 2002 when the Iglesia de Cristo was planted in Fort Smith.
   • Will there be some major event that will change the world between now and 2033? In the last 25 years we experienced the fall of Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War, and 9-11. How will we respond as God’s people? Whose interests will we support?
2. Nothing in Common – What defines this generation? Nothing in particular. That’s why they are called Mosaics. In 2033 the people who will be about my age will not have many common experiences.
   • George Barna defined Mosaic Generation as those born between 1984 and 2002.
   • Some describe this group as “comfortable with contradiction,” “post-modern” and exhibiting “non-linear” thinking.
   • Barna said society has taught Mosaics to think in this different way through fast-edit videos, constant computer use and easy access video games. In addition, 91 percent of all Mosaics, compared to 51 percent of all adults, use the Internet, where they absorb information and build relationships. (Source)
   • With the advancement of technology and the availability of media via the internet, TV, radio, cell phones, PDAs, or MP3 players, Mosaics have minute-by-minute information at their finger tips. Fears of a classmate not showing up due to, not sickness, but rather being shot and killed the night before is all too real a possibility for Mosaics. (Source)
   • They are an extremely realistic generation. That’s good. There’s less pretense and more concern for what truly matters. When people learn to cope with such rapid change, instant information, and sudden tragedy, they might become impatient, unsympathetic, or misunderstanding of our lack of realism.
   • Relationships mean everything – but relationships are built differently. Belonging has changed.
   • Ethics are compartmentalized. One set for work, one set for home, one for faith.
3. The 411 – How we gather information will change. Not sure how, but it will. Live feeds. Constant feeds.
   • The nature of storytelling and communication is changing
   • Post-literate society is a society wherein multimedia technology has advanced to the point where literacy, the ability to read written words, is no longer necessary
   • So how will we read the Bible?
     • We haven’t always read the Bible the same way …
     • Early Christians were often illiterate. Hearing was more important than reading. Faith comes by hearing! Not reading.
     • Acts 8 – that scroll that the eunuch was reading was expensive. It wasn’t common.
     • Oral tradition kept the stories of faith alive.
     • Major changes in the 15th century with the invention of the printing press. Technology changes the way we communicate.
     • Now we have copies of scripture. We have an emphasis on accuracy and word studies. The word is a written event rather than a spoken event
     • In America, the word is regarded as a “constitution,” a body of statement that we read flatly. That’s a very modernist view. Very rational and scientific.
     • Now we communicate with images and symbol, but also with sound. We can print easier than ever, but people don’t read like they used to.
     • And the Word isn’t regarded as a constitution. It isn’t flat. It has multiple terrains. It is more than one genre.
     • Spoken, written, read or symbolized – the word of God has always been a living word. Active!
   • Authority of word will depend on authenticity of those who live it.

   Communication – Symbol or word, communication is still critical. God didn’t always communicate to us through words. He used symbols. He came in the flesh.

   • Technology influences the way we communicate and the way we form community
4. Faith in the Future – The 21st century may be the most spiritual century ever.
   • Spirituality is not the same as Christianity.
   • Christianity is not the same as Christendom – Christian politics and territory. Churches of Christ have understood this better than anyone – we’ve been apolitical and apocalyptic and we need to hold on to this because it will help us in the future.

Why will the 21st century be so spiritual? As people lose hope in broken, worldly institutions they will be seeking something more. Something meaningful and bigger than ourselves.

• Thus we dare not become more institutional
• Resources: UnChristian and Revolutionaries. (See Barna Group) Half of young churchgoers said they perceive Christianity to be judgmental, hypocritical, and too political. One-third said it was old-fashioned and out of touch with reality. A common concern among Christians and non-Christians = “Christianity in today’s society no longer looks like Jesus.”
• Implication – we will need to wear our institutional structures and concerns lightly – like a pair of shoes. We can change our shoes depending on where we are going, but we need to have a healthy body otherwise it doesn’t matter what kind of shoes we wear.
• Attitudes and behaviors will need to reflect the spirit of Christ. The world is becoming increasingly hostile and tribal – evening homes and unfortunately at church. There must be an oasis of healing and hope – a people who are better and different.
• In 2033, being right won’t make a difference if we aren’t also righteous. [But that’s always been the case – it’s just the rest of the world knows that even before we do]

Eschatology. The kingdom of heaven is breaking in. There is a story, something is happening.

2 Peter 3:10-14
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b]That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

Romans 13:11
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

A Tribute to Tom Drane

Posted by Chris on September 21, 2008 under Sermons

What follows is a collection of memories from a church family that appreciated Tom very much. He was our neighbor, but he very quickly became our brother.

Tom wasn’t a part of this church family for very long but we came to know him … We knew that he loved oranges and Dr. Pepper. We knew that he served his country in the U.S. Navy. We knew that he loved his wife and missed her very much. We knew that he loved his sons.

We knew that he loved to study the Bible and had a thankful heart. We knew that he cared about everyone without regard to their status. We knew he was our friend. We knew that he was God’s friend.

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:11-13

To Tell the Truth: Authentic Christian Community

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

I was reading a book on preaching some time ago and came across a very profound statement in the footnotes. [Charles Campbell, Preaching Jesus, p. 222]. The author suggested that what people really needed was a truthful community. That means a community of people who are tied together by their value of the truth. It would suggest a people who can be honest with one another, a people without pretense, a people who are not duplicitous or manipulative, a people who are connected to something bigger than themselves.

In the final words of James letter, he wraps up all the themes he’s been presenting: friendship with God, righteous behavior, endurance in trials, controlling one’s speech, humility, caring for the needy. He wraps them up into a vision of a truthful community … Read James 5:12-20.

No Swearing and Cursing – In our day we think of swearing and cursing as foul language, but that’s not always been the case. Certainly there is a sub-species of language and words that is just crude. It’s immature. However, swearing and cursing is language that invokes the divine and the spiritual. Ancient cultures, like James’, depended on spoken words uttered in the presence of witnesses. When those words invoked the name of God or of heavenly realities, “by heaven,” then some sort of gravity was attached to those words and they were considered true and binding.

James, following the teaching of Jesus, is making the case that the need to use oaths to back up our credibility suggests that we are not truth-tellers at all times. So the instruction is simple: Just let your no mean no, and let your yes be yes. Mean what you say and say what you mean. That fits for those who are “hearers and doers of the word.”

So we’re fine if we just refuse to make oaths and don’t say things like “Gosh Darn and Gee Whiz?” No, that’s being nitpicky. The lesson is much deeper than this. Our language is littered with revealing phrases like “I’m going to be honest with you …” or “Okay, here’s the truth …” as if anything else said was somehow not true? Our written language and much of our dialogue is duplicitous and misinforming. We live in a day and age of legal, careful speech that we can twist and bend through loopholes and technicalities. Euphemisms stand in for that which is wrong or horrible – a layoff is a “downsizing,” casualties mean death, free expression means rudeness.

As disciples of Jesus, we will have to learn to maintain our native tongue. Our native language is truth and we need to practice its vocabulary even though we are often in situations when some other language is spoken.

But what about cursing? It’s the opposite of swearing. Cursing invokes the divine in order to do harm to others. What’s odd about our age is how people who have no regard for spiritual things will summon the divine to condemn others. There are those who do not believe in God or prayer, but certainly seem to believe in hell because they expect others to go there.

Prayer and Praise – The language of a truthful community is plain speech. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t spiritual. Those who are in distress do not resort to cursing, they pray! They don’t even paste on a sappy smile – they pray. When we are distressed we might even be tempted to lash out and vent our anger. James has already warned us that such abuse of language is like a spark that sets a forest on fire.

But praying appeals to God. It speaks the truth about God and about ourselves to God. Many of the Psalms are prayers from the hearts of oppressed and distressed believers. Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and oppressed – Psalm 86.

The alternative is to praise God. Psalms were prayers and they were also songs. (We make too much of a distinction). Those who are happy and cheerful tell the truth about it by praising God who gives good gifts. Telling the truth, the simple truth, means learning to praise God. It takes us outside ourselves. [Tom Drane – We noticed that Tom knew how to do this. He gave thanks to God and praised him for all things. And he never begrudged or cursed his situation. Why? Because he trusted in God and he had learned to speak the truth.]

Calling and Care – A truthful community is not just about words, it is about actions. Truth is embodied. Those who are weak are encouraged to summon the elders. This empowers the sick and the weak. There is a trust in God’s power and a confidence in the role of elders as those who minister in prayer. Care is shown in the laying on of hands and the anointing with oil.

Some have no problem with this, but for some of us it is much harder. Why? The answer is revealing to the way we often form community …

[Rabbits are different from cats and dogs because they are not hunters. They are often what is hunted. Its hard to tell when a rabbit is weak or sick. It’s a survival skill. If they can appear okay, then they are less likely to be attacked.]

Maybe this is why we don’t want to admit our weakness or admit to being sick. We don’t want to be pitied. We don’t want to be shunned. In a truthful community, we do not pity and we do not view the weak as burdens on limited resource, for God’s resources are unlimited.

According to James, the sick are empowered to summon (to call) the elders – Do this, and do not assume that they know your need without a sign. There is no shame in weakness for it is an opportunity for God’s grace to be on display. Praying, laying on of hands, the anointing with oil or other tangible demonstrations of care should not concern us. What ought to concern a truth-telling community is the horrible philosophy of survival of the fittest. Let us refuse to be rabbits or wolves. Let us be truly human.

Sharing and Saving – Sometimes it is impossible to cover up our physical weakness or illness, but what about the illnesses and weaknesses that are not a matter of DNA, cells, tissues, joints and bones? What of the illnesses of spirit, heart, thought, attitude. We can hide these, but they can be just as destructive and just as contagious as any virus. James instructs us to tell the truth. To confess our sins to one another.

But that’s risky, if I confess my sin, then that gives you power over me. But the sin already has power over you. And if anyone takes advantage of the confession, then we too fall under God’s judgment. The confession of sin is a practice that a truth-telling community deals with reverently. It is in the presence of God and we are all humble. So our response to those who confess is to forgive.

But that forgiveness means that we all live in truth as a truthful community. We cannot take that truth lightly. James encourages us to reach out to the person who drifts from the truth. What’s called for here is not the self-righteous meddler who wants to fix everyone else. What’s called for is the loving and honest communication, prayers, and presence of the brother or sister who striving to save someone who is in danger. The goal is to restore the sinner to speaking and living the truth.

The History of the History of Romans

Posted by Chris on September 14, 2008 under Sermons

“The Apostle Paul Slept Here”

• Romans has such a grand history that a history of that history could be written
• Signposts on the path
• Attempts to understand Paul

Romans on Romans

• Paul has never met the Roman churches:
• “One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you … I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now.” – Romans 1:10-13

• There’s no real crisis in Rome:
• “I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.” – Romans 15:14

• Paul is at a turning point in his mission:
• “But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you. I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey.” – Romans 15:23-24

Origen on Romans

• Origen of Alexandria, third century teacher
• Romans describes the Jew and Gentile struggle
• Age of Accountability

Augustine on Romans

• Bishop of Hippo, fourth century
• Divine Grace conquers sinful nature
• Original sin

Luther on Romans

• Martin Luther, 16th century
• Justification by Faith Alone
• Most important piece of the New Testament!

Moser on Romans

• K.C. Moser, 20th century
• The Gist of Romans
• The gospel of the cross
• The importance of grace

The Gist of Romans

1. The gospel has not been preached when the cross has been ignored.
2. Let us not have faith in men, but in God.

Strengthen Your Hearts

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

How about this weather? We’ve been expecting this hurricane system for days now. We have been monitoring the weather, tracking this system and relying on the best technology to predict down to the minute and down to the MPH just where this storm would go and how fast it would blow. And even though we give weather watchers a hard time, they actually are very good at what they do. They really can predict with uncanny certainty what will happen. After all, when you send a plane full of US Air Force Hurricane Hunters into the eye of the storm, I would say that their data is quite reliable. (Now the news media might hype it up, but that’s a different matter).

Think about how different this is from the situation in many parts of the world without access to this technology and think about how very different it would have been in the first century when they notion of a satellite view would have been reserved for God.

Think of the farmer who has tilled the soil not with machines but with muscle and metal and he has dropped seeds into the soil with his own hands. Now all he can do is wait desperately for a crop to bring some sort of return to his toil. There’s no such thing as irrigation, he has to patiently wait on heaven to supply the rain in the proper seasons. Not in his time, but in God’s time. After the nourishment of the rain, he just might harvest a crop. A crop that isn’t simply his livelihood – it is his very life, it is the food that will keep him and his family alive. That is patience!

James has already called us to be patient and to endure … Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Now, concluding his message, James, the brother of Jesus and the friend of God, uses the image of the patient farmer to encourage Christians to be patient. He wants us to be patient because of the hope that Christ will be arriving soon. Let’s listen to his encouragement and notice the image of the farmer, the judge, and the prophets.

Read James 5:7-11

The farmer works and lives with the eager expectation of something. Christians live in anticipation of the arrival of Christ. We believe that Jesus taught us the ways of God. We believe that the world rejected him and crucified him. We believe that he was buried, but that the power of God raised him from the dead. We believe that he lives and that he rules. We believe that he will return. When he returns, all of creation – even its brokenness and sinfulness – will be judged. Everything will be set right and the Kingdom of Christ will be acknowledged by every creature. Like that farmer who can wait patiently on God’s time, we too will be so patient.

That patience calls for a way of life that is consistent with our hope. It wouldn’t make any sense for the farmer to start selling his field before he harvested it. It wouldn’t make any sense for him to start tilling the soil because he cannot wait any longer. No. And it doesn’t make any sense for us to lose our patience in Christ’s arrival and start grumbling and groaning against others.

James understood that the believers in his day and age could have easily began retaliating against their oppressors or in their frustration they could have turned against one another. We are at our worst when we are under such stress. When we get impatient or even desperate we might take matters into our own hands and start finding someone or something to lash out against. Stress, trials, persecution are no excuse before the judge. James tells us that the judge is at the gate. So let us strengthen our hearts, steel our nerves before we also fall under judgment.

This word for “Strengthen” is the same word used when Luke says that Jesus “set his face toward Jerusalem.” Christ knows that his trial and his test are before him. All of his teaching about the kingdom and the work of God will either be validated or invalidated depending on how he responds. Will he trust in God to see him through to the end, will he trust in God to vindicate him? [This word vindicate is interesting. It is different from revenge. We think a lot about revenge. Someone has done us wrong and we are going to get them back or expose them. But we cannot vindicate ourselves. A third party does the vindicating – God vindicates us. We must be patient and let him judge. His judgment is better than ours].

The third image James calls us is the prophets. The prophets are heroic figures. People who had a vision larger than what was right before them. He bring in Job to stand among these prophets. Job is the representative of those who have suffered through no fault of their own. Job trusts in a God who will judge all things rightly. Job endures because we waits for the arrival of God to judge all things. Why is James putting the prophets up as an example for us as we wait for the arrival of Jesus Christ? Maybe its because James regards the church as a prophetic community. [And let’s not confuse prophesy with fortune telling. Prophesy is not about predicting the future, it is about heralding the future.] As a prophetic community we don’t have to have special powers or secret knowledge to have vision. We have the story and the witness of those who watched Jesus ascend into heaven. This is no secret. It has been proclaimed for generations. We cannot give you a schedule or program for the end of time, but we can share a promise – Christ will return and will establish a new heaven and earth, the home of righteousness. Be patient as you wait. A faithful, enduring, prophetic people can take encouragement from what we do know about the end (not what we have to guess at) – we know that the judge is standing at the gate and we know that the Lord is merciful and compassionate. So be patient. Humble yourself! Don’t grumble and groan! Why would we grumble and groan? Christ is coming back and that is good news for the friends of God.

[Prisoner of War Camp Liberated before they were Liberated]

The Ministry of Prayer

Posted by Chris on September 7, 2008 under Sermons

Seven Years Ago … We were talking about getting back to normal [after 9/11]

Pitfalls to Prayer

1. Piety
2. “Pentecostalism”
3. Pragmatism

Acts 6

• Three works of the apostles:
  – Ministry of Prayer
  – Ministry of Word
  – Ministry of Service

Healing and Hope

• The Ministry of Prayer and Healing
  – James 5
  – What sort of healing is needed?
  – Prayer places us in God’s Rule

Healing and Hope

• The Ministry of Prayer and Hope
  – Learning to Pray the Psalms
  – Every emotion and concern imaginable is visible.
  – All prayer is dependence on and humility before God

JUST DO IT
[as Nike would say]

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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

Friendship With the World

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

What is friendship with the world?

James describes three ways that friendship with the world causes us to turn against God’s intent for us.

1. Slander and Judgment – 4:11-12
   Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you-who are you to judge your neighbor?

   When we speak against others we presume too much. We presume to have the final word on someone’s worth, on their motives, on their personality and heart. When we pass judgment on others we are actually presuming that we know more than God who is the lawgiver. [Well, wait we never intended to do that did we?] Well, actually we did because we made a judgment that the royal law to love our neighbor doesn’t apply to us.

   Friendship with the world lead to such arrogance that we would judge others! Who do we think we are? Rather than judge others, let us focus on the judgment of the one Judge and Lawgiver.

2. Arrogance and Presumption – Ungodly Boasting – 4:13-17
   Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

   When we strive to control our future determine our own fate we presume too much. We presume that we have life mapped out. If you are a control freak, then you really like your map. You don’t like anything that alters that map.

   There is a tombstone shrine in Hierapolis to Flavius Zeugsus. He boasts that in his lifetime he made 40 sailing trips to Rome on successful business – (cf. Ben Witherington III commentary on James)

   The Rich Fool – Luke 12:13-21

   Our life is a vapor. It disappears and cannot be reclaimed by anything we do. We can work all our life, make all the right choices, be successful in all we do and gain great power and wealth, but when we die, our life disappears and cannot be reclaimed by anything we do.

   Friendship with the world lead to such arrogance that we assume that we can secure our life and future. Who do we think are? Only God can secure eternity.

3. Abuse of Other – Taking advantage of the poor – 5:1-6
   Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

   Grapes of Wrath – Steinbeck describes the plight of the farm workers who are desperate to make a living. 1) There are more workers than work, so the owners lower wages. 2) They charge exorbitant prices in the company store.

   Friendship with the world leads to an acceptance or ignorance of inequality and oppression. This is the worst extreme of arrogance. It assume that our race, our class, our nationality is more deserving or more qualified than another. Once we assume that, then it becomes rather simple to take advantage of those who are less powerful or wealthy.

   Who are we to assume that we can deny such respect to others? God is paying attention to those who suffer because of the greedy and arrogant efforts of those who take advantage of others.

Judgment – Good and Bad
James affirms that there is a judgment. We have portrayed that as something to fear and dread. But why should a humble friend of God fear the day that God makes everything right. [“We are getting our hearing before the judge.”]
Some will welcome the judgment of God, some do not. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t wait for it with humility but also with expectation.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

Posted by Chris on August 31, 2008 under Sermons

Do you remember Highlights magazine? I remember reading it as a child in the dentist’s or doctor’s waiting room. Perfect material for passing the time with puzzles and picture stories. Some of the features in Highlights have been standard. One of those is “Goofus and Gallant,” a comic strip that shows two boys and how each boy would respond to the same situation. Goofus always chooses to behave rudely or irresponsibly, while Gallant always responds with kindness and generosity.

Goofus bosses his friends around. Gallant asks his friends what they want to do next.
Goofus takes the last apple. Gallant shares his orange.

Goofus is always more interesting – admittedly it is fun watching what blunder he is going to commit, but Gallant is the guy you can really count on.
I always wondered if Goofus and Gallant lived in the same town. Did they know each other? Did they go to the same school? Maybe they were even friends.

Goofus is jealous because Gallant received an award for perfect attendance. Gallant changes the subject.
Goofus tries to make Gallant feel guilty for studying and making high grades. Gallant offers to help him study.
Goofus refuses to study and speaks harshly to Gallant. Gallant later forgives Goofus – for the 100th time.

It’s hard to imagine that they had much of a friendship. We can all guess who was carrying the friendship. I’m sure even Gallant could have had a hard time maintaining the friendship. It might have been very tempting for him to look down on Goofus or get stressed trying to rescue Goofus or make excuses for him. It would be difficult for these two to remain friends if one of them doesn’t change.

The ancient definition of friends is people having the same outlook, the same view of reality, the same mind, and above all to share. (And by now we know that Goofus doesn’t share much of anything except for germs.) Long before Goofus and Gallant, James described contrasting views of reality …

Two Kinds of Wisdom – Two Kinds of Friendship

James describes two perspectives; one is called the wisdom from below. It is a way of behavior and thought ordered by the logic of rivalry, competition, resentment, self-preservation, unrestrained desire and hatred. It is the seed of murder and war.

Opposite of this is the way of life that James’ calls the wisdom from above. It is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. It is actually a rather simple view of the world and less complicated because there is no burden of worrying about others – what they think, what they may do. Those with the wisdom from above are friends of God and they share an outlook and perspective with God. They share God’s values. They begin to see the world as God does. Worth does not come from what we have or what we can control or how much respect we can earn. Worth comes from God. He has sown the seed of his spirit in us and we are the soil that yields God’s good and abundant gifts to be shared with all.

But the wisdom from below is friendship with the world. The world isn’t a good friend. Loyalty to the worldly way of seeing things leads to envy, resentment, anger, selfishness. The turmoil and evil that follow are a corruption and contagion that hurts us and hurts others.

Goofus and Gallant are sort of cute for kids. We can excuse Goofus for taking the last cookie. It’s sort of cute when he stomps in the mud. He’s just a kid. But what happens when Goofus grows up and he lives out his basic philosophy in more sophisticated and complicated situations …

Goofus is stressed and unhappy because of his work environment, so he vents his anger at his family.
Goofus has had too much to drink at the game, but he drives home anyway and is involved in a three car accident.
Goofus uses his influence to give a job to a family member and it costs another person a promotion.
Goofus persuades his bookkeepers to lie about company profits so that his shareholders will be pleased, but when his schemes are revealed, employees lose their retirement savings.
Goofus finds a way to save money in his business by dumping waste product in the river, hundreds of people downriver develop cancer.

Goofus, especially at the adult level, is typical of the wisdom from below. James describes it as envy and selfish ambition. And where you have envy and selfish ambition you will also have disorder and every evil practice. The wisdom from below is a cynical and uninspiring wisdom. No wonder it leads to chaos.

The wisdom from below erodes our better nature. Because it is so common, it can be worth a joke at first, like the “Demotivators” series that takes a jab at pretentious, generic inspirational slogans …

Achievment: You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination and an endless supply of expendable labor.
Arrogance: The best leaders inspire by example. When that’s not an option, brute intimidation works pretty well too.

It’s funny because it’s true, but is this really the world we want to live in? Is that how we want to relate to others, to the world, and to God?
If the wisdom from below is corrosive and corrupting, then the wisdom from above is fruitful. It yields a harvest of righteousness.

• The wisdom from above is seen in a couple in the wake of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. A couple who lost their home is asked if they need anything. They bring the relief worker bags of food and diapers and simply say, “You could find someone who needs this worse than we do.”
• The wisdom from above is seen in foster parents who decide to adopt a severely abused boy whose mother is also a foster child. They have no promise of anything except trials and difficulties, but they wonder who else will care for the child if not them?
• The wisdom from above is seen in a teacher who respects her students so much that they learn character as well as curriculum,
• The wisdom from above is seen in a person who is a perfect bone marrow match for a perfect stranger and yet he donates the gift of life and makes a friend.

When we see true examples of humble people living out good deeds, then we are inspired to believe that the wisdom from above can truly be lived out in our world below.

Friend of God vs. Friend of the World

Now right here is where we have to pay attention, because one or the other of the wisdoms is at work in us. The wisdom from below is saying “Well, that could never be me. I’m just not that kind of person.” We might think that the wisdom from above is gallantry – and we just aren’t sure if gallantry is possible. And the weeds of envy, resentment, cynicism choke out the fruit that God is ready to harvest in you.

But the wisdom from above is more than gallantry. It is humility – humility before God that expresses itself in good deeds. We turn to God and let him purify our hearts. I want you to hear the truth and the good news. It is coming from above and from one who created the world, but is greater than the world; one who is greater that our hearts that sometime condemn us. God is calling us to be different and act differently if he didn’t think we could? Think about that. (Read 4:7-10)
Purify your heart. Ask for the Wisdom from Above. God will give it to you – free! He wants you to be His friend.