Life is a journey, and the most important choice we ever make—and we make it over and over again—is the road we take through life.
MATTHEW 7:13-14: CHOOSING THE ROAD THAT GOES WHERE YOU WANT TO GO
INTRODUCTION
Did you know that Christianity is not a New Testament word?
The earliest Christians called their Faith “the way.”
The word they used was "hodos," which means “way,” “road,” or “journey.”
This new “Way” that the believers followed was a new way of thinking,
a new way of feeling,
a new way of behaving.
When Jesus called his disciples, he said, “Follow me.”
They walked the roads of Galilee with him. They listened to him. They watched him. They shared his life.
The believers of the next generation called themselves “disciples,” or “followers of Jesus.”
They knew the way Jesus traveled included a Cross. They budgeted for that, and some of them gave their lives because of their faithfulness.
They remembered that Jesus told people: “If any of you want to come after me, you have to deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9.23).
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus issued this invitation (Matthew 7.13-14):
“Enter by the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction,
and those who enter by it are many.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life,
and those who find it are few.”
I. Let’s look first at the road that the wide gate leads to.
A. The road is easy. It’s just the natural way to go—the obvious choice.
The Greek word here means “spacious,” or “roomy.”
There’s a lot of company on this road.
There’s plenty of room for a variety of opinions and lifestyles.
You can choose whatever philosophy or beliefs you feel comfortable with.
You can be religious or irreligious. You can live and let live.
You don’t have to make any decisions because we are all just naturally on this road.
B. But there’s a big problem with the easy road: it leads to destruction.
The idea of a road that leads to destruction isn’t a very popular part of Jesus’ teaching. People don’t like the idea that our choices on earth have eternal consequences.
II. But Jesus urges us to enter by the narrow gate and take the hard road.
A. The road the narrow gate leads to is narrow, like its gate.
The word for the road is translated either “narrow” or “hard.” The Greek word means both. It is literally, “pressed together,” “restricted,” or “afflicted.”
Jesus says the hard road isn’t popular, but it leads to life.
We read in Acts 14.21-22 of how Paul and Barnabas exhorted the new believers “to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
An old minister came to die. His friends were gathered around his bedside listening to his last words.
“Would to God I were back in my pulpit but for one Sunday,” he said.
“What would you do?” asked a brother minister at his bedside.
“I would preach to the people the difficulty of salvation,” he answered.
Sometimes Christians are surprised when the road of salvation becomes far more difficult than anyone told them it would be.
We who lived long know about the hard road.
We have become more and more aware of our limitations. Sometimes we feel useless.
It is hard to be spiritual when you are feeling crummy.
It is hard to keep faith bright when you are separated from your Christian friends.
A famous saint from long ago—St. Bernard of Clairvaux—said this true saying: “The road winds uphill all the way—yea, to the very end.”
B. But this narrow way, this hard road, this way of affliction is glorious because it leads to life.
It is our hope of glory that gives us cause to rejoice in the Lord.
Paul wrote to the Romans (5:3-5): “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering producer endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.”
It’s a hard road, but it is glorious because we know that it leads to the New Jerusalem, the Holy City—our Eternal Home.
CONCLUSION
Some of you have heard of the classic book written on the Christian journey called The Pilgrim’s Progress.
It was a book that every child in a Christian family would have read in our grandparents’ time.
I read somewhere that in the log cabin in which Abraham Lincoln grew up, there were three books: The Bible, Aesop’s Fables, and Pilgrim’s Progress.
The Pilgrim’s Progress has been translated into more than 160 languages, and more copies have been printed than any book written in English.
Once when I was young a preacher visited our church and gave a week messages for children based on this book. He had an old-fashioned magic lantern and projected pictures of the story on the wall.
The Pilgrim’s Progress is a commentary on the road to the Celestial City, or what we call “Heaven,” told as a dream.
The story starts out with a man, named Christian, clothed in rags, with his face turned from his house, a Book in his hand, and a great bundle on his back.
He opened the book and read from it. He began to weep and then broke out in a lamentable cry, “What shall I do?
He went to bed hoping for sleep but the night was as troublesome to him as the day. He spent the night in sighs and tears.
When he awoke they asked him how he did and he told them: “Worse and worse.”
Each day he felt worse and worse.
As he walked one day in the field reading his Book, he cried out: “What shall I do to be saved?”
This part of the story represents conviction of sin.
Then he met a man named Evangelist, to whom he told his tale of woe.
Evangelist pointed into the distance: “Do you see yonder wicket-gate?” (A wicket gate is a little door cut into a big door.)
Christian said, “No.”
And Evangelist said, “Do you see yonder shining light?”
And Christian said, “I think I do.”
Then said Evangelist, “Keep that light in your eye, and go up directly to it. Knock at the door.”
So Christian made his way to the wicket-gate and knocked.
The gate was opened by a grave man named Good Will.”
Good Will had to pull him inside because, just at that time, Beelzebub began to shoot his flaming arrows at him.
The wicket gate represents the narrow gate that leads to life.
Still carrying his great burden Christian went on until he came to a hill on which was a Cross, and a little below the Cross a sepulcher, or open grave.
As Christian came to the Cross and looked upon it, his burden loosed from his shoulders and came off his back and tumbled into the sepulcher.
Three shining ones came to him and said, “Peace be to you,” stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with new clothes.
Then Christian gave three leaps and went on singing,
“Blest Cross! Blest Sepulcher! Blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me.”
This scene represents forgiveness and being clothed with the righteousness of Christ who died for us.
Christian went on his way singing with joy but his troubles were far from over.
He came to the Hill Difficulty.
He had to pass roaring lions beside the path.
But finally he came to the Palace Beautiful and met four lovely ladies: Discretion, Prudence, Piety, and Charity.
The ladies listened to his story and conducted him to a large chamber whose window opened towards the Sun rising, and the name of the Chamber was Peace, and there Christian slept until the break of day.
The next day they instructed him in the way he should go and outfitted him with a suit of armor for the battles ahead.
They gave him the Helmet of Salvation, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shield of Faith, and the Sword of the Spirit.
This part of the story represents church fellowship.
Christian went on alone and came to the Valley of Humiliation, where he fought a desperate battle with Apollyon—the Destroyer—who represents Satan.
At the end of this valley poor Christian had to go meet an even worse test in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He was almost to despair when he heard a voice saying, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me”
So Christian went on. But soon he met another kind of temptation in the town of Vanity, where they were having a fair, Vanity Fair. There people tried to sell him the merchandise of the town and to tempt him with many pleasures to deter him from his journey.
And when he spurned their wares, they arrested him and he barely escaped with his life.
The Valley of Humiliation, the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and Vanity Fair represent the temptations we Christians face in our journey.
In Vanity Fair Christian almost lost his life, but he found a companion, Hopeful, who continued with him until they blundered into By-Path-Meadow and were captured by Giant Despair and locked up in a dungeon in Doubting Castle.
But they found the key called “Promise” which could open the door of the dungeon, and so they escaped.
This part of the story represents the doubts Christians sometimes have about their salvation.
Finally Christian and Hopeful came to the river that represents death, within sight of the Celestial City, shining with pure gold and sparkling jewels.
As they entered the river Christian began to be afraid, but Hopeful said, “Be of good cheer, Brother, for I feel the bottom, and it is good.”
And they heard the Lord’s voice saying, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through rivers, they shall not overflow.”
So they came out of the river and were met by two shining ones who led them to the gate of the city.
And so they came to Mount Zion, the Heavenly Jerusalem with the innumerable company of angels and the people of God who had gone on before.
There they were clothed in white robes.
There they were met by trumpeters and the bells began to ringing to welcome them.
And a voice said to them, “Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
And so the story ends. And so ends my message for you today.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Good Life: Matthew 5:5: “Blessed Are the Meek…”
Do you remember the old comic strip Caspar Milquetoast? Some people think to be meek is to be like Caspar Milquetoast, but Jesus had a different idea.
MATTHEW 5:5: “BLESSED ARE THE MEEK, FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.”
INTRODUCTION
Jesus begins his “Sermon on the Mount” with a series of short sentences describing the people that are most fortunate and most to be congratulated.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit…”
“Blessed are those who mourn…”
In these short sentences he turns the world’s values upside down.
Most people think the people to be most envied are those who are good looking, have loads of friends and admirers, have perfect health, and who can have anything they want.
Today I want to talk about the third beatitude. Matthew 5.5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
“Meekness” isn’t a very popular virtue nowadays. People think of meek people as being wimpy, spiritless, people who don’t stick up for themselves.
Would you consider it a compliment if someone told you: “I admire you because you’re so poor in spirit”? Or if they said, “I wish I could be as mournful as you are”? Or if they called you “meek.”
I would be reminded of the old newspaper comic about Casper Milquetoast. It was called “The Timid Soul.”
Poor Caspar Milquetoast was painfully shy.
He was so timid that if he saw a sign that said “No Loitering” he would walk faster.
One cartoon pictures him looking at his hat that has blown onto a lawn marked “Keep Off The Grass.”
Caspar is standing on the sidewalk a few feet away from his had and scratching his head.
He says to himself: “Oh well, I had to buy a new hat anyway. I might as well get one today.”
But that isn’t what “meek” means in the Bible.
The word has changed its meaning.
I. The original Greek word here translated “meek,” was used in several ways:
Mild words were "meek."
Soothing medicine was called "meek."
Kindly people were called "meek."
And tame animals were called "meek."
In English also people used to use the word “meek” to describe a gentle, obedient animal, a horse, for example that had a good disposition, that was obedient and easy to control.
In our neighborhood as we take our walks we always see one or two neighbors walking their dogs. Most of the dogs aren’t very meek. They are straining this way or that way on the leash. They want to stop and sniff. They bark and snarl and growl. They want to chase something. They want to go faster or slower than their master wishes.
But now and then we see a meek dog that is a true companion of its master or mistress. It walks quietly beside its owner. They enjoy each other’s company.
So the word for “meek” in this verse could maybe be better translated: “humble,” “gentle,” “considerate.”
II. The meek person is gentle. Courtesy and kindness and consideration of others’ feelings is part of meekness.
A. Paul wrote to the Philippians: “Let your gentleness be known to all.”
People may be unpleasant, but we should be as gracious as possible in return.
I have a prayer that ends like this:
“Let Christ be formed in me, and let me learn of him
all lowliness of heart, all gentleness of bearing,
all modesty of speech, all helpfulness of action,
and promptness in the doing of my Father’s will.”
(from John Baillie, Diary of Private Prayer, day 26, evening)
B. One can be gentle and still be strong.
When I was a child I had a subscription to Popular Mechanics. I remember that in every issue there was an advertisement for Hastings Piston rings. Each advertisement featured a tough-looking man—cap pulled down, square jaw, stubble on his chin, and a sweet smile on his face. He was always doing something tender, such as holding a kitty, smelling a flower, feeding a squirrel, or holding a baby. Underneath the picture was the caption: Hastings Piston Rings. Tough, but oh, so gentle!”
I used to be a public school teacher. I noticed that the strongest teachers—the ones who had good control of their classes—were the ones who never raised their voices.
C. I will confess to you that some people in my church irritate me. I think unkind thoughts about them.
But I remind myself that God would not have me think that way. So I go out of my way to be friendly to them and think of ways to pay them compliments.
I am a sinner too. I must grieve God, but he is patient with me.
If someone slights me, I try to remember when someone spoke too highly of me.
It takes constant attentiveness to behave with meekness towards some people.
D. I want to tell you about the gentlest man I know.
He has had a few heart attacks and has fragile health, but God seems to use him when he’s in the hospital more than any other time.
Recently while riding in an ambulance to the hospital be began talking to the nurse—a very professional lady, maybe a little hard.
He told her that he wasn’t afraid if death came soon because he knew Jesus and was sure of eternal life.
As he continued to talk in this way, she visibly softened and tears formed in her eyes.
She said, “I need to do something about that.”
He said, “If you ever need someone to talk to, here’s my phone number.”
His gentleness softened her heart and turned her toward God.
E. Jesus is our great example of meekness.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
To “bear Christ’s yoke” means be obedient to him, to put our lives under his direction. But he is a kind master. His yoke is easy and his burden is light.
Jesus showed his meekness when he gave himself for our sins. When he was insulted, he didn’t answer back. When was struck, he didn’t defend himself. When he was cursed, he didn’t curse in return. He gave us an example of submission to his Father’s will.
III. Jesus says that the meek will “inherit the earth.”
A. Charlotte and I encourage our children and grandchildren to tell us what they would like to inherit of our possessions. We write them down, so there will be no question.
When our granddaughter comes to visit she says, “Now I want to play my piano.”
Another granddaughter has asked for the workbench, a grandson wants the music CDs, and another granddaughter would like to inherit the Japanese prints.
Maybe you’ve inherited something precious—but nothing like inheriting the earth!
B. The meek aren’t necessarily rewarded in this life.
They may be well-liked because of their goodness, but they don’t usually become leaders in government or industry or on Wall Street.
But they can have the satisfaction of usefulness and knowing that God is their friend.
The meek may not have comfort and ease, but they can have the pleasure pleasing the Savior who bought them.
C. But the real reward of the meek will be in the coming world. In the kingdom that God is preparing for those who love him, the meek will have it all.
CONCLUSION
Someone found in one of the countries of the Bible the ancient grave of a Christian named Atticus. On it was written: “My soul dwells in goodness.”
We know nothing more of Atticus except what is written on his tombstone.
Probably Atticus’s life had not been any more unusual than yours or mine.
He had probably experienced plenty of disappointments and trouble and hard times.
The friend who wrote this epitaph must have loved Atticus and was thinking of Atticus’s blessedness as he had “entered into the joy of your Lord.”
Those words—enter into the joy of your Lord—are the words Jesus used of the faithful servants in the story of the talents.
To inherit the earth is to possess all the goodness of the world to come.
It is to enter into the joy of your Lord.
It is to dwell in goodness.
MATTHEW 5:5: “BLESSED ARE THE MEEK, FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.”
INTRODUCTION
Jesus begins his “Sermon on the Mount” with a series of short sentences describing the people that are most fortunate and most to be congratulated.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit…”
“Blessed are those who mourn…”
In these short sentences he turns the world’s values upside down.
Most people think the people to be most envied are those who are good looking, have loads of friends and admirers, have perfect health, and who can have anything they want.
Today I want to talk about the third beatitude. Matthew 5.5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
“Meekness” isn’t a very popular virtue nowadays. People think of meek people as being wimpy, spiritless, people who don’t stick up for themselves.
Would you consider it a compliment if someone told you: “I admire you because you’re so poor in spirit”? Or if they said, “I wish I could be as mournful as you are”? Or if they called you “meek.”
I would be reminded of the old newspaper comic about Casper Milquetoast. It was called “The Timid Soul.”
Poor Caspar Milquetoast was painfully shy.
He was so timid that if he saw a sign that said “No Loitering” he would walk faster.
One cartoon pictures him looking at his hat that has blown onto a lawn marked “Keep Off The Grass.”
Caspar is standing on the sidewalk a few feet away from his had and scratching his head.
He says to himself: “Oh well, I had to buy a new hat anyway. I might as well get one today.”
But that isn’t what “meek” means in the Bible.
The word has changed its meaning.
I. The original Greek word here translated “meek,” was used in several ways:
Mild words were "meek."
Soothing medicine was called "meek."
Kindly people were called "meek."
And tame animals were called "meek."
In English also people used to use the word “meek” to describe a gentle, obedient animal, a horse, for example that had a good disposition, that was obedient and easy to control.
In our neighborhood as we take our walks we always see one or two neighbors walking their dogs. Most of the dogs aren’t very meek. They are straining this way or that way on the leash. They want to stop and sniff. They bark and snarl and growl. They want to chase something. They want to go faster or slower than their master wishes.
But now and then we see a meek dog that is a true companion of its master or mistress. It walks quietly beside its owner. They enjoy each other’s company.
So the word for “meek” in this verse could maybe be better translated: “humble,” “gentle,” “considerate.”
II. The meek person is gentle. Courtesy and kindness and consideration of others’ feelings is part of meekness.
A. Paul wrote to the Philippians: “Let your gentleness be known to all.”
People may be unpleasant, but we should be as gracious as possible in return.
I have a prayer that ends like this:
“Let Christ be formed in me, and let me learn of him
all lowliness of heart, all gentleness of bearing,
all modesty of speech, all helpfulness of action,
and promptness in the doing of my Father’s will.”
(from John Baillie, Diary of Private Prayer, day 26, evening)
B. One can be gentle and still be strong.
When I was a child I had a subscription to Popular Mechanics. I remember that in every issue there was an advertisement for Hastings Piston rings. Each advertisement featured a tough-looking man—cap pulled down, square jaw, stubble on his chin, and a sweet smile on his face. He was always doing something tender, such as holding a kitty, smelling a flower, feeding a squirrel, or holding a baby. Underneath the picture was the caption: Hastings Piston Rings. Tough, but oh, so gentle!”
I used to be a public school teacher. I noticed that the strongest teachers—the ones who had good control of their classes—were the ones who never raised their voices.
C. I will confess to you that some people in my church irritate me. I think unkind thoughts about them.
But I remind myself that God would not have me think that way. So I go out of my way to be friendly to them and think of ways to pay them compliments.
I am a sinner too. I must grieve God, but he is patient with me.
If someone slights me, I try to remember when someone spoke too highly of me.
It takes constant attentiveness to behave with meekness towards some people.
D. I want to tell you about the gentlest man I know.
He has had a few heart attacks and has fragile health, but God seems to use him when he’s in the hospital more than any other time.
Recently while riding in an ambulance to the hospital be began talking to the nurse—a very professional lady, maybe a little hard.
He told her that he wasn’t afraid if death came soon because he knew Jesus and was sure of eternal life.
As he continued to talk in this way, she visibly softened and tears formed in her eyes.
She said, “I need to do something about that.”
He said, “If you ever need someone to talk to, here’s my phone number.”
His gentleness softened her heart and turned her toward God.
E. Jesus is our great example of meekness.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
To “bear Christ’s yoke” means be obedient to him, to put our lives under his direction. But he is a kind master. His yoke is easy and his burden is light.
Jesus showed his meekness when he gave himself for our sins. When he was insulted, he didn’t answer back. When was struck, he didn’t defend himself. When he was cursed, he didn’t curse in return. He gave us an example of submission to his Father’s will.
III. Jesus says that the meek will “inherit the earth.”
A. Charlotte and I encourage our children and grandchildren to tell us what they would like to inherit of our possessions. We write them down, so there will be no question.
When our granddaughter comes to visit she says, “Now I want to play my piano.”
Another granddaughter has asked for the workbench, a grandson wants the music CDs, and another granddaughter would like to inherit the Japanese prints.
Maybe you’ve inherited something precious—but nothing like inheriting the earth!
B. The meek aren’t necessarily rewarded in this life.
They may be well-liked because of their goodness, but they don’t usually become leaders in government or industry or on Wall Street.
But they can have the satisfaction of usefulness and knowing that God is their friend.
The meek may not have comfort and ease, but they can have the pleasure pleasing the Savior who bought them.
C. But the real reward of the meek will be in the coming world. In the kingdom that God is preparing for those who love him, the meek will have it all.
CONCLUSION
Someone found in one of the countries of the Bible the ancient grave of a Christian named Atticus. On it was written: “My soul dwells in goodness.”
We know nothing more of Atticus except what is written on his tombstone.
Probably Atticus’s life had not been any more unusual than yours or mine.
He had probably experienced plenty of disappointments and trouble and hard times.
The friend who wrote this epitaph must have loved Atticus and was thinking of Atticus’s blessedness as he had “entered into the joy of your Lord.”
Those words—enter into the joy of your Lord—are the words Jesus used of the faithful servants in the story of the talents.
To inherit the earth is to possess all the goodness of the world to come.
It is to enter into the joy of your Lord.
It is to dwell in goodness.
The Good Life: Matthew 5:7: “Blessed Are the Merciful…”
If we have received God’s mercy, our greatest desire should be to pass it on to other people. But how can we go about doing that?
MATTHEW 5:7: “BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL, FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY.”
INTRODUCTION
I want to share with you two stories I read in the news recently.
This story was reported just last September:
A man named Ed Peirce of Rock Hill, South Carolina, was retired but went back to work full time to cover the costs of two families who live in rental property he owns.
Just recently the fathers of both families lost their jobs.
Mr. Peirce, their landlord, would have been perfectly within his rights to send his tenants, including their small children out on the streets, especially since he needed the money from their rent for his own living.
But Mr. Peirce refused to evict them. Instead, he left retirement and went back to work to cover their expenses while they looked for jobs.
Mr. Peirce told the reporter: “I sat with them and prayed for better times. These are stand-up guys. Proud. They paid me before, when they were working. You don’t show your faith, your Christianity, in words. You do it in deeds.”
The other story came from The New York Times, August 2005
Ryan Cushing, a 19-year-old was one of six teenagers out for a night of joyriding and crime.
Ryan’s companions were charged with stealing credit cards and forgery, but Cushing was charged with assault for tossing a frozen turkey through the windshield of a car and nearly killing a woman named Victoria Ruvolo. Ms. Ruvolo needed many hours of surgery to rebuild her shattered facial bones.
Convicted, Ryan was facing 25 years in prison.
Upon leaving the courtroom the boy came face-to-face with his victim, Ms. Ruvolo.
He said he was sorry and begged her to forgive him.
Ms. Ruvolo did. She cradled his head as he sobbed. She stroked his face and patted his back. “It’s O.K., It’s O.K.,” she said. “I just want you to make your life the best it can be.”
The prosecutor wanted to impose harsh punishment on a crime he denounced as heedless and brutal, but Ms. Ruvolo’s resolute compassion, changed his mind.
The story ends with this observation: “Given the opportunity for retribution, Ms. Ruvolo gave and got something better: the dissipation of anger and the restoration of hope, in a gesture as cleansing as the tears washing down her damaged face, and the face of the foolish, miserable boy whose life she single-handedly restored.”
The story doesn’t say that Ms Ruvolo is a Christian believer, but I am sure that her generous act of mercy came from her love for God.
I. Jesus said (Matthew 5.7): “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
A. As we saw from the two stories from the news, mercy has two ways of expressing itself:
Mr. Peirce was merciful because he had compassion on his renters. His mercy cost him something. He went back to work to keep from having to evict them from their homes. Mr. Peirce’s mercy is also called “compassion.”
Ms. Ruvolo was merciful because she forgave a terrible injury, and by her action helped to redeem a young man from the consequences of his crime. Ms. Ruvolo’s mercy could also be called “forgiveness.”
B. Mr. Peirce and Ms. Ruvolo were like God.
To be merciful is to be like God.
In his beautiful song of praise in Luke 1, Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father speaks of how God gives salvation to his people. He says,
"By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sat in darkness
and in the shadow of death."
II. Jesus says that the merciful will obtain mercy.
A. A lot of people think that God is bound to love us no matter how we behave. They say, “God is love,” and that’s the only verse they know.
It’s true that God loves even the worst of us. Nothing that we ever do can make God stop caring for us and seeking to draw us to himself and make us his children.
But if we experience the love of God, it has to make us different from the people we were.
Jesus told a story about a master whose servant owed him a gigantic sum of money. When the slave begged to be allowed more time to pay off a loan (which he actually could never have paid) his master generously forgave him the entire loan.
But that servant found a fellow servant who owed him a small sum. When his debtor begged for more time, first servant refused.
When the master heard of what the ungrateful servant had done, he revoked the forgiveness of the loan and handed the wicked servant over to the tormentors.
Then Jesus said something very serious: “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
We have no special claim on God’s mercy just by being alive.
We have no special claim on God’s mercy just by going to church or by believing certain things in the Bible.
Only when we reproduce God’s mercy in our own lives, do we place ourselves in the position where we can experience the fullness of God’s mercy.
If we are unmerciful, we are proving that we have not really experienced the mercy of God.
In the Lord’s Prayer we say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
In the story of judgment in Matthew 25 Jesus, as judge, tells those who were unmerciful, that because they have not fed the hungry, clothed the naked, welcomed the stranger, taken care of the sick, and visited those in prison, they have rejected him.
For them only awaits judgment.
B. The gift of mercy is especially precious because it doesn’t only come from one human being to bless another, but it also comes from God’s heart and God’s hand through his servant.
A Christian, grieving about all the suffering in the world, cried out to God, “Why don’t you do something! Why don’t you do something!”
And then he heard God say, “I did do something. I made you.
A reporter challenged Mother Teresa: “When a baby dies alone in a Calcutta alley, where is God?”
Mother Teresa answered, “God is there, suffering with that baby. The question really is, ‘Where are you?’”
CONCLUSION
God wants to bless us, but only when we let him change us into channels of his mercy into a lost and sorrowing world can we be truly blessed.
I have a prayer I use that ends like this:
"And seeing that it is thy gracious will
to make use even of such weak human instruments
in the fulfillment of thy mighty purpose for the world,
let my life today be the channel
through which some little portion of thy divine love and pity
may reach the lives that are nearest to my own."
(from John Baillie, Diary of Private Prayer, day 2, morning)
MATTHEW 5:7: “BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL, FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY.”
INTRODUCTION
I want to share with you two stories I read in the news recently.
This story was reported just last September:
A man named Ed Peirce of Rock Hill, South Carolina, was retired but went back to work full time to cover the costs of two families who live in rental property he owns.
Just recently the fathers of both families lost their jobs.
Mr. Peirce, their landlord, would have been perfectly within his rights to send his tenants, including their small children out on the streets, especially since he needed the money from their rent for his own living.
But Mr. Peirce refused to evict them. Instead, he left retirement and went back to work to cover their expenses while they looked for jobs.
Mr. Peirce told the reporter: “I sat with them and prayed for better times. These are stand-up guys. Proud. They paid me before, when they were working. You don’t show your faith, your Christianity, in words. You do it in deeds.”
The other story came from The New York Times, August 2005
Ryan Cushing, a 19-year-old was one of six teenagers out for a night of joyriding and crime.
Ryan’s companions were charged with stealing credit cards and forgery, but Cushing was charged with assault for tossing a frozen turkey through the windshield of a car and nearly killing a woman named Victoria Ruvolo. Ms. Ruvolo needed many hours of surgery to rebuild her shattered facial bones.
Convicted, Ryan was facing 25 years in prison.
Upon leaving the courtroom the boy came face-to-face with his victim, Ms. Ruvolo.
He said he was sorry and begged her to forgive him.
Ms. Ruvolo did. She cradled his head as he sobbed. She stroked his face and patted his back. “It’s O.K., It’s O.K.,” she said. “I just want you to make your life the best it can be.”
The prosecutor wanted to impose harsh punishment on a crime he denounced as heedless and brutal, but Ms. Ruvolo’s resolute compassion, changed his mind.
The story ends with this observation: “Given the opportunity for retribution, Ms. Ruvolo gave and got something better: the dissipation of anger and the restoration of hope, in a gesture as cleansing as the tears washing down her damaged face, and the face of the foolish, miserable boy whose life she single-handedly restored.”
The story doesn’t say that Ms Ruvolo is a Christian believer, but I am sure that her generous act of mercy came from her love for God.
I. Jesus said (Matthew 5.7): “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
A. As we saw from the two stories from the news, mercy has two ways of expressing itself:
Mr. Peirce was merciful because he had compassion on his renters. His mercy cost him something. He went back to work to keep from having to evict them from their homes. Mr. Peirce’s mercy is also called “compassion.”
Ms. Ruvolo was merciful because she forgave a terrible injury, and by her action helped to redeem a young man from the consequences of his crime. Ms. Ruvolo’s mercy could also be called “forgiveness.”
B. Mr. Peirce and Ms. Ruvolo were like God.
To be merciful is to be like God.
In his beautiful song of praise in Luke 1, Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father speaks of how God gives salvation to his people. He says,
"By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sat in darkness
and in the shadow of death."
II. Jesus says that the merciful will obtain mercy.
A. A lot of people think that God is bound to love us no matter how we behave. They say, “God is love,” and that’s the only verse they know.
It’s true that God loves even the worst of us. Nothing that we ever do can make God stop caring for us and seeking to draw us to himself and make us his children.
But if we experience the love of God, it has to make us different from the people we were.
Jesus told a story about a master whose servant owed him a gigantic sum of money. When the slave begged to be allowed more time to pay off a loan (which he actually could never have paid) his master generously forgave him the entire loan.
But that servant found a fellow servant who owed him a small sum. When his debtor begged for more time, first servant refused.
When the master heard of what the ungrateful servant had done, he revoked the forgiveness of the loan and handed the wicked servant over to the tormentors.
Then Jesus said something very serious: “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
We have no special claim on God’s mercy just by being alive.
We have no special claim on God’s mercy just by going to church or by believing certain things in the Bible.
Only when we reproduce God’s mercy in our own lives, do we place ourselves in the position where we can experience the fullness of God’s mercy.
If we are unmerciful, we are proving that we have not really experienced the mercy of God.
In the Lord’s Prayer we say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
In the story of judgment in Matthew 25 Jesus, as judge, tells those who were unmerciful, that because they have not fed the hungry, clothed the naked, welcomed the stranger, taken care of the sick, and visited those in prison, they have rejected him.
For them only awaits judgment.
B. The gift of mercy is especially precious because it doesn’t only come from one human being to bless another, but it also comes from God’s heart and God’s hand through his servant.
A Christian, grieving about all the suffering in the world, cried out to God, “Why don’t you do something! Why don’t you do something!”
And then he heard God say, “I did do something. I made you.
A reporter challenged Mother Teresa: “When a baby dies alone in a Calcutta alley, where is God?”
Mother Teresa answered, “God is there, suffering with that baby. The question really is, ‘Where are you?’”
CONCLUSION
God wants to bless us, but only when we let him change us into channels of his mercy into a lost and sorrowing world can we be truly blessed.
I have a prayer I use that ends like this:
"And seeing that it is thy gracious will
to make use even of such weak human instruments
in the fulfillment of thy mighty purpose for the world,
let my life today be the channel
through which some little portion of thy divine love and pity
may reach the lives that are nearest to my own."
(from John Baillie, Diary of Private Prayer, day 2, morning)
The Good Life: Matthew 5:9: “Blessed Are the Peacemakers…”
One of Jesus’ best blessings was for the peacemakers. But what does that have to do with me?
MATTHEW 5:9: “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS, FOR THEY SHALL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD.”
INTRODUCTION
We have two sons and a daughter. The children are very close together in age. John and Peter are the oldest and youngest and Susan was in the middle.
When the boys were little, sometimes they would quarrel. Susan would come between them and make peace.
She didn’t know it, but she was a peacemaker.
I want to tell you about another peacemaker.
This happened in the little town of Ibillin, Israel, in 1966.
There was a great conflict in this town.
Father Chacour, an orthodox priest, had recently come to the town to pastor the Orthodox Church there. The little town was full of strife and anger.
He was greatly troubled by the hatred he saw all around him.
He went into the town and preached about the necessity of making peace with one another. But no one listened.
One day he received a note from one of his congregation. It said, “Begin first to reconcile brothers, sisters, and families together.”
He took those words to heart.
On Palm Sunday, 1966, the church was overflowing.
As he celebrated the Lord’s Supper he felt burdened because he could see how much his people were at odds with one another.
He said, “Every time I turned around to bless the congregation to give them Christ’s peace, I was reminded all over again that there was really no peace among these people.”
So Father Chacour made a startling decision.
He walked down the center aisle and at the back of the church locked the only two doors to the church and kept the key.
He then marched back up the aisle, turned around, and told the people both that he loved them and that he was saddened to find them so filled with hate and bitterness for one another.
He addressed his congregation. He said:
“While I was celebrating the Lord’s Supper I found someone who can help you.
That person is Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can bring peace to this village, and he is here with us.
So on Christ’s behalf, I say this to you: The doors of the church are locked. Either you will kill each other right here in your hatred, and then I will celebrate your funerals free. Or you will use this opportunity to be reconciled together before I open the doors of the church.
If that reconciliation happens, Christ will truly become your Lord, and I will know I am becoming your pastor and your priest.”
Ten minutes passed and no one said a word. The people sat in silence, locked inside their church.
Finally one man stood up. It was a villager serving as an Israeli policeman, who was in uniform.
He stretched out his arms and said, “I ask forgiveness of everybody here. I forgive everybody. And I ask God to forgive me my sins.”
He and the priest then embraced with tears streaming down the policeman’s cheeks.
Chacour then called on everyone to embrace one another and “tears and laughter mingled as people who had said such ugly words to each other or who had not spoken to each other in many years now were sharing Christ’s love and peace” (quoted in L. Gregory Jones, "Embodying Forgiveness: a Theological Analysis," pp180-181).
I told that story because I think it’s a great story and it illustrates what Jesus was talking about when he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
But what does it have to do with you who live at Village Ridge?
This is one of the most peaceful places I know.
I never even hear people raising their voices at one another.
There may be people who don’t get along, but I doubt there are many.
What does it have to do with Charlotte and me?
The members of our family are at peace with one another.
We live in a peaceful neighborhood and go to a church where people love one another?
I. “Peace” is a special word in the Bible
A. The word “peace” in the Bible means more than just the absence of conflict.
Both the Hebrew word “Shalom” and the Greek word “eirēnē” mean “wholeness” or “a sense of well-being.”
That is why Paul addresses so many of his letters: “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”: grace and peace sum up all the blessings of salvation.
B. Jesus said that the peacemakers will be called “children of God.”
There’s a peculiarity in the Hebrew language. When they wanted to ascribe a certain quality in a person they could say he was a son of that quality.
Thus, a worthless person was called “a son of worthlessness.”
To be called a “son or daughter of God” is the highest honor and the richest grace. It means that we are like God and are doing God’s work.
II. First I want to talk about peace with God.
A. We read: “Therefore since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
And again: “I have said this to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
And in Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you ere called in the one body”
B. But the peace that God gives us came at great cost to himself.
The Bible teaches that without Christ we are at enmity with God.
We were estranged from God—like the Prodigal Son who was living in the far country.
And God is the original peacemaker.
God doesn’t make peace by simply saying, “Let there be peace.”
God made peace by sending his Son, our Lord Jesus, to die and rise again for our peace.
We read,
“In Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).
C. People live in fear—fear of sickness, fear of death, fear of poverty. If we can help them find God, we can help them to have peace in their hearts.
Maybe just a word or two expressing our hope in God—or how much it means to feel God’s comfort in hard times—may turn their minds toward salvation.
Many of your fellow residents have at some time in their lives gone to church or had fellowship with Christian believers but have gotten away from God.
Maybe something you say can remind them of church and God and lead them back.
If someone shares a disappointment or a deep discouragement, you may say something like this: “I have had an experience like that, but I find comfort in knowing that God loves me and will never leave me.”
To help people find peace with God is one way to be a peacemaker.
III. And we can help people find peace with themselves.
A. People may have no conflicts with other people, but they may have conflicts within.
People may have stored up disappointments and bitterness and doubts that destroy their peace of mind.
I have known people who came to the end of their lives with resentments still burning in their hearts.
They need the peace that only God can give, and maybe you can help them find it.
B. Offering friendship can help bring peace into the lives of other people.
We make peace when we help people to feel loved,
…when we offer our friendship,
…when we offer sincere compliments,
…when we listen to peoples’ troubles.
Paul wrote to the Romans: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another…” (Romans 12:15-16).
I know that some people like to be left alone. But many others are lonely and want a friend.
Maybe the best gift you can give to people is to appreciate them, to notice them, to act like you’re glad to see them.
Your kindness may lead them to God.
CONCLUSION
The Bible says,
“The wisdom that is from above is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, open to reason,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without uncertainty or insincerity.
And the harvest of righteousness
is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:17-18).
MATTHEW 5:9: “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS, FOR THEY SHALL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD.”
INTRODUCTION
We have two sons and a daughter. The children are very close together in age. John and Peter are the oldest and youngest and Susan was in the middle.
When the boys were little, sometimes they would quarrel. Susan would come between them and make peace.
She didn’t know it, but she was a peacemaker.
I want to tell you about another peacemaker.
This happened in the little town of Ibillin, Israel, in 1966.
There was a great conflict in this town.
Father Chacour, an orthodox priest, had recently come to the town to pastor the Orthodox Church there. The little town was full of strife and anger.
He was greatly troubled by the hatred he saw all around him.
He went into the town and preached about the necessity of making peace with one another. But no one listened.
One day he received a note from one of his congregation. It said, “Begin first to reconcile brothers, sisters, and families together.”
He took those words to heart.
On Palm Sunday, 1966, the church was overflowing.
As he celebrated the Lord’s Supper he felt burdened because he could see how much his people were at odds with one another.
He said, “Every time I turned around to bless the congregation to give them Christ’s peace, I was reminded all over again that there was really no peace among these people.”
So Father Chacour made a startling decision.
He walked down the center aisle and at the back of the church locked the only two doors to the church and kept the key.
He then marched back up the aisle, turned around, and told the people both that he loved them and that he was saddened to find them so filled with hate and bitterness for one another.
He addressed his congregation. He said:
“While I was celebrating the Lord’s Supper I found someone who can help you.
That person is Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can bring peace to this village, and he is here with us.
So on Christ’s behalf, I say this to you: The doors of the church are locked. Either you will kill each other right here in your hatred, and then I will celebrate your funerals free. Or you will use this opportunity to be reconciled together before I open the doors of the church.
If that reconciliation happens, Christ will truly become your Lord, and I will know I am becoming your pastor and your priest.”
Ten minutes passed and no one said a word. The people sat in silence, locked inside their church.
Finally one man stood up. It was a villager serving as an Israeli policeman, who was in uniform.
He stretched out his arms and said, “I ask forgiveness of everybody here. I forgive everybody. And I ask God to forgive me my sins.”
He and the priest then embraced with tears streaming down the policeman’s cheeks.
Chacour then called on everyone to embrace one another and “tears and laughter mingled as people who had said such ugly words to each other or who had not spoken to each other in many years now were sharing Christ’s love and peace” (quoted in L. Gregory Jones, "Embodying Forgiveness: a Theological Analysis," pp180-181).
I told that story because I think it’s a great story and it illustrates what Jesus was talking about when he said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
But what does it have to do with you who live at Village Ridge?
This is one of the most peaceful places I know.
I never even hear people raising their voices at one another.
There may be people who don’t get along, but I doubt there are many.
What does it have to do with Charlotte and me?
The members of our family are at peace with one another.
We live in a peaceful neighborhood and go to a church where people love one another?
I. “Peace” is a special word in the Bible
A. The word “peace” in the Bible means more than just the absence of conflict.
Both the Hebrew word “Shalom” and the Greek word “eirēnē” mean “wholeness” or “a sense of well-being.”
That is why Paul addresses so many of his letters: “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”: grace and peace sum up all the blessings of salvation.
B. Jesus said that the peacemakers will be called “children of God.”
There’s a peculiarity in the Hebrew language. When they wanted to ascribe a certain quality in a person they could say he was a son of that quality.
Thus, a worthless person was called “a son of worthlessness.”
To be called a “son or daughter of God” is the highest honor and the richest grace. It means that we are like God and are doing God’s work.
II. First I want to talk about peace with God.
A. We read: “Therefore since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
And again: “I have said this to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
And in Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you ere called in the one body”
B. But the peace that God gives us came at great cost to himself.
The Bible teaches that without Christ we are at enmity with God.
We were estranged from God—like the Prodigal Son who was living in the far country.
And God is the original peacemaker.
God doesn’t make peace by simply saying, “Let there be peace.”
God made peace by sending his Son, our Lord Jesus, to die and rise again for our peace.
We read,
“In Christ all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).
C. People live in fear—fear of sickness, fear of death, fear of poverty. If we can help them find God, we can help them to have peace in their hearts.
Maybe just a word or two expressing our hope in God—or how much it means to feel God’s comfort in hard times—may turn their minds toward salvation.
Many of your fellow residents have at some time in their lives gone to church or had fellowship with Christian believers but have gotten away from God.
Maybe something you say can remind them of church and God and lead them back.
If someone shares a disappointment or a deep discouragement, you may say something like this: “I have had an experience like that, but I find comfort in knowing that God loves me and will never leave me.”
To help people find peace with God is one way to be a peacemaker.
III. And we can help people find peace with themselves.
A. People may have no conflicts with other people, but they may have conflicts within.
People may have stored up disappointments and bitterness and doubts that destroy their peace of mind.
I have known people who came to the end of their lives with resentments still burning in their hearts.
They need the peace that only God can give, and maybe you can help them find it.
B. Offering friendship can help bring peace into the lives of other people.
We make peace when we help people to feel loved,
…when we offer our friendship,
…when we offer sincere compliments,
…when we listen to peoples’ troubles.
Paul wrote to the Romans: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another…” (Romans 12:15-16).
I know that some people like to be left alone. But many others are lonely and want a friend.
Maybe the best gift you can give to people is to appreciate them, to notice them, to act like you’re glad to see them.
Your kindness may lead them to God.
CONCLUSION
The Bible says,
“The wisdom that is from above is first pure,
then peaceable, gentle, open to reason,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without uncertainty or insincerity.
And the harvest of righteousness
is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:17-18).
The Good Life: Matthew 5:10: “Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake…”
Unlike Christian believers in many nations, we in the United States probably haven’t experienced much persecution for our faith. So how can we share the blessing of the eighth Beatitude?
Matthew 5:10: “BLESSED ARE WHOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ SAKE, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.”
INTRODUCTION
The disciples who listened to Jesus that day when he gave them the Sermon on the Mount would pay a high price for their faithfulness.
So in the last Beatitude Jesus is preparing them for the persecution they were going to experience because of their faithfulness to him.
According to tradition, only one of the 12 disciples was not required to give his life for his faith. That was John, who lived into old age and died a natural death.
The history of the early Church records the death of many believers—old and young, men and women.
Some died by mob violence. Some were executed by government officials. And many suffered death by being torn in pieces by wild beasts in arenas for the amusement of spectators.
Some of those who suffered for their faith rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for their Savior. They remembered the words of Jesus who said, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”
And sometimes their unbelieving neighbors, seeing their faithfulness and trust, decided that the faith they died for must be true and became Christians.
Let us not forget our debt to those martyrs of the faith.
If they had not been willing to remain faithful to death, the name of Jesus would have been forgotten.
We would never have learned of God’s love for us.
The knowledge that Christ died for us and rose again for our salvation would never have come down through the ages and reached us.
We have probably not experienced much persecution.
I can only imagine what I might have done if I had been faced with the choice of denying Christ and living or confessing him and dying for my faith.
I. But sometimes, even in our culture, sincere believers may suffer a kind of persecution.
In many circles it’s not considered “cool” to be “religious.” In other situations unrighteous conduct is expected.
I think of believing high school students who face isolation or ridicule because they don’t go along with the crowd.
I think of college students may hear the Bible and the Christian faith ridiculed by their professors.
I think of politicians who tell the truth and as a result may lose elections to those who tell people what they want to hear.
Of business people who, because consider the welfare of their employees and customers, may lose out to unscrupulous business people who think only of profits.
Sometimes faithful employees have been penalized for refusing to go along with unethical practices.
II. But now I want to talk about the real persecution that hundreds of thousands of Christian believers face right now in our world.
Here are some of the news stories I have picked up from the news during the last few weeks.
If you use the internet, you can find more stories of persecution every day.
[Use as many of these items as seems appropriate.]
In Malaysia there is a big movement going on to deny the right of Christians to use the Malay word for “God” in their publications. Gasoline bombs have been thrown at churches, and they have been burned to ashes.
Christian communities have thrived in Iraq almost since the time of Christ, but the war in Iraq is quickly extinguishing the Christian faith in Iraq as Christians have been killed and others are being forced to flee the country as refugees to avoid death. One 14-year-old boy was actually crucified.
Christian girls in many Islamic nations have been kidnapped and forced to marry Muslim men. Children have been taken away from Christian parents and given to non-Christian relatives.
The greatest danger to Christian believers in the world today is to Muslims who dare to profess faith in Christ.
They are accused of “apostasy,” which is a crime punishable by death in 8 countries: Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
In other Muslim countries, where it’s not illegal to become a Christian, authorities look the other way as Christians are killed.
A Muslim shopkeeper in Pakistan was arrested and imprisoned because a competing shopkeeper falsely accused him of burning a Koran. He was arrested under their “blasphemy law.” In such disputes the Christian is almost always considered to be in the wrong.
A Christian man and his son have been in hiding in Egypt for many months, afraid to come out in public because they have been told they will be killed if they do.
In Saudi Arabia there are “religious police” who keep constant watch to insure that no one is carrying a Bible or wearing a cross or gathering even in groups of three or four to study the Bible.
There are believers in these countries, but many are forced to believe secretly because they know if they openly confess Christ they will be killed.
Some Muslims have decided to become followers of Jesus because they have seen the courage and faith of persecuted Christian believers. They say, “Look, they are willing to die for their Faith! It must be true!”
But the country most hostile to the Christian faith is not a Muslim country, but North Korea where many believers are now in prison and many have been executed.
In one state of India recently Christians have been attacked by Hindu mobs who seek to force them back into Hinduism. A Christian family was burned to death when their house was set fire by a screaming mob. Many were forced to flee to the forest and try to survive in the wild.
In Laos, Christians, who refuse to worship the ancestral gods, have been robbed of their livestock and farms and forced out of their villages.
III. So what can we do?
A. We can hold up these persecuted brothers and sisters in prayer.
The author of Hebrews was writing at a time when many believers were being killed or imprisoned.
In Hebrews 13:3 he writes, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body.”
They may not know that we are praying for them, but God will make our prayers give them strength.
We can pray that the lives of the persecuted believers will be so pure and loving and righteous that others will see the Truth they confess.
We can pray that the Faith will not die out in these nations where there are so few believers.
B. And we should give thanks to God that we are not faced with such terrible choices as they are but can worship freely and speak of our Lord to others.
C. And, most of all, we can make use of our opportunities for worship and fellowship and service.
It is sad that so few in this care facility come to worship services and Bible studies.
Many here have gone to church in times past and consider themselves Christians. But they no longer practice their faith in fellowship with other believers.
And yet it is so easy, and there’s so little cost to us to be faithful to our Lord.
This story comes from the early days of Christianity, during the terrible persecution of the emperor Diocletian.
It was the year 304. A group of 49 Christian believers was meeting secretly in one of their homes in Abitene, a town in what is now Tunisia. Among them was Senator Dativus, the priest Saturninus, the virgin Victoria, and the reader Emeritus.
They were gathered to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
Suddenly, soldiers burst in and arrested them. They were taken to Carthage to Proconsul Anulinus to be interrogated.
When the Proconsul asked them if they kept the Scriptures in their homes, the martyrs answered that they kept them in their hearts.
As they were tortured, they bore witness to their Lord. As Emeritus was being tortured the Proconsul asked him: “Why have you received Christians in your home, transgressing the imperial dispositions?”
“Sine dominico non possumus” (we cannot live without Sunday), answered Emeritus. Emeritus explained that without the gift of worship and fellowship Christians simply could not live.
On that day 49 followers of Jesus gave their lives because they refused to deny their Lord by refusing to gather together in worship.
We read this in the book of Hebrews (10:23-25):
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for he who promised is faithful;
and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another,
and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
CONCLUSION
In all of the Beatitudes, Jesus is the great example:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit…” Jesus was humble; he is poor in spirit.
“Blessed are those who mourn….” Jesus is the “man of sorrows”; his heart is moved by the sorrows of the world.
“Blessed are the meek…” Jesus is meek and lowly in heart—always gentle with the weak and sinful.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” Jesus always hungered and thirsted to do the will of the Father.
“Blessed are the merciful…” Jesus is merciful; he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart…” Jesus is pure in heart; he was always obedient to his Father.
“Blessed are the peacemakers…” Jesus is our peacemaker; he made peace by the blood of his cross.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…” Jesus suffered and died that he might bring us to God.
The surest way to experience the truth of these beatitudes is to keep our eyes on Jesus.
As we worship Jesus, as we love Jesus, as we obey Jesus, we gradually become more and more like him.
Christ is formed in us and he lives through our lives.
Then the blessedness Jesus promised will fill our lives.
Matthew 5:10: “BLESSED ARE WHOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ SAKE, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.”
INTRODUCTION
The disciples who listened to Jesus that day when he gave them the Sermon on the Mount would pay a high price for their faithfulness.
So in the last Beatitude Jesus is preparing them for the persecution they were going to experience because of their faithfulness to him.
According to tradition, only one of the 12 disciples was not required to give his life for his faith. That was John, who lived into old age and died a natural death.
The history of the early Church records the death of many believers—old and young, men and women.
Some died by mob violence. Some were executed by government officials. And many suffered death by being torn in pieces by wild beasts in arenas for the amusement of spectators.
Some of those who suffered for their faith rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for their Savior. They remembered the words of Jesus who said, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”
And sometimes their unbelieving neighbors, seeing their faithfulness and trust, decided that the faith they died for must be true and became Christians.
Let us not forget our debt to those martyrs of the faith.
If they had not been willing to remain faithful to death, the name of Jesus would have been forgotten.
We would never have learned of God’s love for us.
The knowledge that Christ died for us and rose again for our salvation would never have come down through the ages and reached us.
We have probably not experienced much persecution.
I can only imagine what I might have done if I had been faced with the choice of denying Christ and living or confessing him and dying for my faith.
I. But sometimes, even in our culture, sincere believers may suffer a kind of persecution.
In many circles it’s not considered “cool” to be “religious.” In other situations unrighteous conduct is expected.
I think of believing high school students who face isolation or ridicule because they don’t go along with the crowd.
I think of college students may hear the Bible and the Christian faith ridiculed by their professors.
I think of politicians who tell the truth and as a result may lose elections to those who tell people what they want to hear.
Of business people who, because consider the welfare of their employees and customers, may lose out to unscrupulous business people who think only of profits.
Sometimes faithful employees have been penalized for refusing to go along with unethical practices.
II. But now I want to talk about the real persecution that hundreds of thousands of Christian believers face right now in our world.
Here are some of the news stories I have picked up from the news during the last few weeks.
If you use the internet, you can find more stories of persecution every day.
[Use as many of these items as seems appropriate.]
In Malaysia there is a big movement going on to deny the right of Christians to use the Malay word for “God” in their publications. Gasoline bombs have been thrown at churches, and they have been burned to ashes.
Christian communities have thrived in Iraq almost since the time of Christ, but the war in Iraq is quickly extinguishing the Christian faith in Iraq as Christians have been killed and others are being forced to flee the country as refugees to avoid death. One 14-year-old boy was actually crucified.
Christian girls in many Islamic nations have been kidnapped and forced to marry Muslim men. Children have been taken away from Christian parents and given to non-Christian relatives.
The greatest danger to Christian believers in the world today is to Muslims who dare to profess faith in Christ.
They are accused of “apostasy,” which is a crime punishable by death in 8 countries: Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
In other Muslim countries, where it’s not illegal to become a Christian, authorities look the other way as Christians are killed.
A Muslim shopkeeper in Pakistan was arrested and imprisoned because a competing shopkeeper falsely accused him of burning a Koran. He was arrested under their “blasphemy law.” In such disputes the Christian is almost always considered to be in the wrong.
A Christian man and his son have been in hiding in Egypt for many months, afraid to come out in public because they have been told they will be killed if they do.
In Saudi Arabia there are “religious police” who keep constant watch to insure that no one is carrying a Bible or wearing a cross or gathering even in groups of three or four to study the Bible.
There are believers in these countries, but many are forced to believe secretly because they know if they openly confess Christ they will be killed.
Some Muslims have decided to become followers of Jesus because they have seen the courage and faith of persecuted Christian believers. They say, “Look, they are willing to die for their Faith! It must be true!”
But the country most hostile to the Christian faith is not a Muslim country, but North Korea where many believers are now in prison and many have been executed.
In one state of India recently Christians have been attacked by Hindu mobs who seek to force them back into Hinduism. A Christian family was burned to death when their house was set fire by a screaming mob. Many were forced to flee to the forest and try to survive in the wild.
In Laos, Christians, who refuse to worship the ancestral gods, have been robbed of their livestock and farms and forced out of their villages.
III. So what can we do?
A. We can hold up these persecuted brothers and sisters in prayer.
The author of Hebrews was writing at a time when many believers were being killed or imprisoned.
In Hebrews 13:3 he writes, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body.”
They may not know that we are praying for them, but God will make our prayers give them strength.
We can pray that the lives of the persecuted believers will be so pure and loving and righteous that others will see the Truth they confess.
We can pray that the Faith will not die out in these nations where there are so few believers.
B. And we should give thanks to God that we are not faced with such terrible choices as they are but can worship freely and speak of our Lord to others.
C. And, most of all, we can make use of our opportunities for worship and fellowship and service.
It is sad that so few in this care facility come to worship services and Bible studies.
Many here have gone to church in times past and consider themselves Christians. But they no longer practice their faith in fellowship with other believers.
And yet it is so easy, and there’s so little cost to us to be faithful to our Lord.
This story comes from the early days of Christianity, during the terrible persecution of the emperor Diocletian.
It was the year 304. A group of 49 Christian believers was meeting secretly in one of their homes in Abitene, a town in what is now Tunisia. Among them was Senator Dativus, the priest Saturninus, the virgin Victoria, and the reader Emeritus.
They were gathered to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
Suddenly, soldiers burst in and arrested them. They were taken to Carthage to Proconsul Anulinus to be interrogated.
When the Proconsul asked them if they kept the Scriptures in their homes, the martyrs answered that they kept them in their hearts.
As they were tortured, they bore witness to their Lord. As Emeritus was being tortured the Proconsul asked him: “Why have you received Christians in your home, transgressing the imperial dispositions?”
“Sine dominico non possumus” (we cannot live without Sunday), answered Emeritus. Emeritus explained that without the gift of worship and fellowship Christians simply could not live.
On that day 49 followers of Jesus gave their lives because they refused to deny their Lord by refusing to gather together in worship.
We read this in the book of Hebrews (10:23-25):
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for he who promised is faithful;
and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another,
and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
CONCLUSION
In all of the Beatitudes, Jesus is the great example:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit…” Jesus was humble; he is poor in spirit.
“Blessed are those who mourn….” Jesus is the “man of sorrows”; his heart is moved by the sorrows of the world.
“Blessed are the meek…” Jesus is meek and lowly in heart—always gentle with the weak and sinful.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” Jesus always hungered and thirsted to do the will of the Father.
“Blessed are the merciful…” Jesus is merciful; he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart…” Jesus is pure in heart; he was always obedient to his Father.
“Blessed are the peacemakers…” Jesus is our peacemaker; he made peace by the blood of his cross.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…” Jesus suffered and died that he might bring us to God.
The surest way to experience the truth of these beatitudes is to keep our eyes on Jesus.
As we worship Jesus, as we love Jesus, as we obey Jesus, we gradually become more and more like him.
Christ is formed in us and he lives through our lives.
Then the blessedness Jesus promised will fill our lives.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Resurrection of Christ: John 20:24-29: How Doubting Thomas Became Believing Thomas
Have you ever wondered: “Is it all true after all?” “Did Jesus really die for me?” “Did he really rise from the dead?” “Is there really another, better, world after this one?”
JOHN 20:24-29: HOW DOUBTING THOMAS BECAME BELIEVING THOMAS
One of the most difficult tribulations a child of God ever endures is the doubts that arise when disaster strikes.
Or sometimes it isn’t even disasters, but you get to thinking and wonder why, if God is real, why don’t more people believe?
It would be different if we could see Jesus, if we could see a miracle or some sign that would just put to rest all our doubts.
Then life would be beautiful. We would live in the sunshine of the Lord.
A Christian wrote this in a letter to a friend: “I think there is no suffering greater than what is caused by the doubts of those who want to believe.”
The great Russian author Dostoevsky also struggled with doubt. He said: “I do not believe in Christ and his confession as a child, but my hosanna has come through a great furnace of doubt.”
Sometimes people who are very intelligent and think a lot and feel for the sorrows of other people, have a hard time believing that God is real and that he is good and that he loves us.
Today I want to talk about a famous doubter, who is a great example for us who sometimes wonder if the wonderful story in the Bible is all true after all.
Since it is Easter, you have probably guessed that I’m going to talk about “Doubting Thomas.”
I. We don’t know much about Thomas. Except for his name, he is only mentioned three times in the gospels. But those three incidents give us a clue to his character.
A. The first thing we read about Thomas in the gospels is in John 11.
In John 11, we read, “After Jesus learned that Lazarus was ill, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’
His disciples said, “Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to stone you, and are you going again?”
But Thomas said to his fellow disciples: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
We get the idea from this little exchange that Thomas was a gloomy man, the kind of man who looks on the dark side of things.
Or maybe Thomas saw more clearly than the others, the disaster that awaited Jesus.
We see from this conversation how much Thomas loved Jesus. He was willing to die with him.
I am a little like Thomas. Some people always see the bright side. And they are often disappointed.
I consider all the things that can go wrong. And I am pleasantly surprised when things turn out okay.
In Basic Training, one of the first things our sergeant told us was: “Expect the worst, and you’ll never be disappointed.”
That’s a gloomy way to live, but that’s the way some of us are made.
B. The next thing we read about Thomas is in chapter 14 of John.
Jesus has this wonderful saying, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.”
And Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going; how can we know the way?”
Thomas was the kind of man who didn’t like to live with questions.
Maybe the others thought they knew where Jesus was going, but they didn’t know any more about it than Thomas.
So poor questioning Thomas asked the question that elicited from Jesus one of his greatest sayings: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by me” (v6).
II. Ten days pass.
A. And in those 10 days come the betrayal, the arrest, the trial, the crucifixion, the burial, and the amazing story that Thomas couldn’t believe—the story that Jesus was alive again!
Read John 20:24-29
B. It was just too good to be true.
It wasn’t that Thomas didn’t want to believe.
Thomas wanted to believe with every fiber of his being.
And the harder he wanted to believe, the more impossible it became.
Have you ever had that feeling?
I have. Lots of people have.
But the good thing Thomas did was to stay connected to the people who did believe. He stayed in fellowship with the believers.
The worst thing you can do when you have doubts is stay away from the people who believe, to stay away from church, to stay away from Christian fellowship.
So a week later, Thomas was there—and Jesus showed up again.
C. Thomas didn’t need to put his finger into the wounds in Jesus’ hands, or put his hand into Jesus’ side.
When he saw Jesus and Jesus repeated to him the words he had spoken in his doubt, Thomas was overwhelmed by a joy that removed all his doubts.
Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!”
This is the grandest line in the whole book. And it was poor doubting Thomas who got to say it.
This is the first time anyone addressed Jesus in this way. It takes us right back to the beginning of John’s Gospel. “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the Word was God…”
III. Now look at what Jesus tells Thomas about you and me.
A. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
We’ve been talking in weeks past about the Beatitudes.
Here’s a beatitude that’s not in the Sermon on the Mount.
This beatitude is especially for us. We’ve not seen but we’ve believed.
The Word of witness has impressed itself on our hearts, and we say with Thomas, “My Lord and My God!”
B. Back in v20, when Jesus met his disciples on the evening of resurrection morning, we read, “Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”
We are glad too—although we’ve not seen the Lord with our eyes, we’ve felt him alive in our hearts.
And we’ve seen him alive in people who love him.
CONCLUSION
Is it hard or easy to believe that Jesus rose from the dead?
The more we love Jesus, the more we learn of him, the more we seek to please him—the easier it becomes to believe.
What we hope for and pray for, that we are ready to believe.
And the more we keep connected to our Christian brothers and sisters, the more real Jesus becomes.
Let us make Jesus our constant companion, and then it will be true of us, as it was to those believers to whom Peter wrote so long ago:
“Without having seen him you love him;
though you do not now see him,
you believe in him
and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy” (1 Peter 1:8).
Or as the King James Bible has it: “...with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
JOHN 20:24-29: HOW DOUBTING THOMAS BECAME BELIEVING THOMAS
One of the most difficult tribulations a child of God ever endures is the doubts that arise when disaster strikes.
Or sometimes it isn’t even disasters, but you get to thinking and wonder why, if God is real, why don’t more people believe?
It would be different if we could see Jesus, if we could see a miracle or some sign that would just put to rest all our doubts.
Then life would be beautiful. We would live in the sunshine of the Lord.
A Christian wrote this in a letter to a friend: “I think there is no suffering greater than what is caused by the doubts of those who want to believe.”
The great Russian author Dostoevsky also struggled with doubt. He said: “I do not believe in Christ and his confession as a child, but my hosanna has come through a great furnace of doubt.”
Sometimes people who are very intelligent and think a lot and feel for the sorrows of other people, have a hard time believing that God is real and that he is good and that he loves us.
Today I want to talk about a famous doubter, who is a great example for us who sometimes wonder if the wonderful story in the Bible is all true after all.
Since it is Easter, you have probably guessed that I’m going to talk about “Doubting Thomas.”
I. We don’t know much about Thomas. Except for his name, he is only mentioned three times in the gospels. But those three incidents give us a clue to his character.
A. The first thing we read about Thomas in the gospels is in John 11.
In John 11, we read, “After Jesus learned that Lazarus was ill, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’
His disciples said, “Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to stone you, and are you going again?”
But Thomas said to his fellow disciples: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
We get the idea from this little exchange that Thomas was a gloomy man, the kind of man who looks on the dark side of things.
Or maybe Thomas saw more clearly than the others, the disaster that awaited Jesus.
We see from this conversation how much Thomas loved Jesus. He was willing to die with him.
I am a little like Thomas. Some people always see the bright side. And they are often disappointed.
I consider all the things that can go wrong. And I am pleasantly surprised when things turn out okay.
In Basic Training, one of the first things our sergeant told us was: “Expect the worst, and you’ll never be disappointed.”
That’s a gloomy way to live, but that’s the way some of us are made.
B. The next thing we read about Thomas is in chapter 14 of John.
Jesus has this wonderful saying, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.”
And Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going; how can we know the way?”
Thomas was the kind of man who didn’t like to live with questions.
Maybe the others thought they knew where Jesus was going, but they didn’t know any more about it than Thomas.
So poor questioning Thomas asked the question that elicited from Jesus one of his greatest sayings: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by me” (v6).
II. Ten days pass.
A. And in those 10 days come the betrayal, the arrest, the trial, the crucifixion, the burial, and the amazing story that Thomas couldn’t believe—the story that Jesus was alive again!
Read John 20:24-29
B. It was just too good to be true.
It wasn’t that Thomas didn’t want to believe.
Thomas wanted to believe with every fiber of his being.
And the harder he wanted to believe, the more impossible it became.
Have you ever had that feeling?
I have. Lots of people have.
But the good thing Thomas did was to stay connected to the people who did believe. He stayed in fellowship with the believers.
The worst thing you can do when you have doubts is stay away from the people who believe, to stay away from church, to stay away from Christian fellowship.
So a week later, Thomas was there—and Jesus showed up again.
C. Thomas didn’t need to put his finger into the wounds in Jesus’ hands, or put his hand into Jesus’ side.
When he saw Jesus and Jesus repeated to him the words he had spoken in his doubt, Thomas was overwhelmed by a joy that removed all his doubts.
Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!”
This is the grandest line in the whole book. And it was poor doubting Thomas who got to say it.
This is the first time anyone addressed Jesus in this way. It takes us right back to the beginning of John’s Gospel. “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the Word was God…”
III. Now look at what Jesus tells Thomas about you and me.
A. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
We’ve been talking in weeks past about the Beatitudes.
Here’s a beatitude that’s not in the Sermon on the Mount.
This beatitude is especially for us. We’ve not seen but we’ve believed.
The Word of witness has impressed itself on our hearts, and we say with Thomas, “My Lord and My God!”
B. Back in v20, when Jesus met his disciples on the evening of resurrection morning, we read, “Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”
We are glad too—although we’ve not seen the Lord with our eyes, we’ve felt him alive in our hearts.
And we’ve seen him alive in people who love him.
CONCLUSION
Is it hard or easy to believe that Jesus rose from the dead?
The more we love Jesus, the more we learn of him, the more we seek to please him—the easier it becomes to believe.
What we hope for and pray for, that we are ready to believe.
And the more we keep connected to our Christian brothers and sisters, the more real Jesus becomes.
Let us make Jesus our constant companion, and then it will be true of us, as it was to those believers to whom Peter wrote so long ago:
“Without having seen him you love him;
though you do not now see him,
you believe in him
and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy” (1 Peter 1:8).
Or as the King James Bible has it: “...with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Cross of Christ: 1 Corinthians 1:18, 20-25: The Meaning of the Cross.
The Cross was once the emblem of shame, but we see it as the symbol of the greatest love that ever was. What happened?
1 CORINTHIANS 1:18, 20-25: THE MEANING OF THE CROSS
INTRODUCTION
In our church building’s worship space there are dozens of crosses. At the end of each pew there is a cross carved in the wood.
Every hymn book has a cross on the cover. Every pew Bible has a cross on its cover.
There is a cross on each of two lecterns from which the scripture is read.
The robe of each choir member has a cross on its front.
There is a cross on the wall behind the communion table and beside the table, a cross on a stand.
The pastor’s stole is decorated with crosses.
I counted 430 crosses in plain view
Our name tags have crosses on them and so to the bulletins.
…and some of our people wear crosses around their necks.
But I wonder how many people who come to worship think much about what all those crosses mean.
Catholic Christians also use crosses, maybe more even than we do. But there is a difference. Many times their crosses have the figure of Christ on them. They are called “crucifixes.”
When I was a child four years old, one of my little friends, a neighbor girl named Peggy gave me a little crucifix. It was black with a little silver Jesus on it.
I asked Peggy what I was to do with my crucifix. She told me that I could hang it on my bed.
I was very pleased because the crucifix was pretty.
I took it home and showed it to my parents. They told me: "We don't use crucifixes," and they took it from me. I suppose they threw it away.
I have always been a little sad about that.
I understand why Protestants have a different view about the cross with the image of Jesus on it. But I don’t think the Catholics are necessarily wrong about that. That cross with the suffering Jesus upon it represents the most important thing in all the world.
It reminds us that Jesus suffered and died for their sins.
In his first letter to the believers in Corinth Paul tells them what the Cross represents:
“The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…
“Where is the wise man” Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
For since, in the wisdom of God,
the world did not know God through wisdom,
it pleased God through the folly of what we preach
to save those who believe.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
but to those who re called,
both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
and the weakness of God is stronger than men”
(1 Corinthians 1:18, 20-25).
I. Crucifixion was the cruelest and most shameful form of execution the Romans could devise—and they were experts in cruel executions
A. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst criminals: run-away slaves, terrorists, revolutionaries, murderers
Death on a cross was a long, drawn-out painful death. It sometimes took days while the poor man hung, naked, dying of thirst, exposed to burning sun and the gaze of passers-by. Every breath was an agony as the man hung from the nails through his hands. His hands were also tied to the wood, so the hands wouldn’t pull free.
It was a shameful death. The one crucified was stripped of all his clothes. The crucified man might be ridiculed and tormented with objects thrown at him. The Latin word crux was considered an obscenity, not even to be mentioned in polite society.
Jesus’ enemies supposed that exposing him to this humiliation, they could bring such shame on him that no one would ever again take his claims seriously.
II. When Christians proclaimed the Cross, the unbelieving world thought they were ridiculous.
A. To the Jews, the death of Christ on a cross was a stumbling block.
The Jews expected their Messiah to be a great warrior who would kill their enemies.
Jesus was too weak and helpless to be a Savior, they thought.
B. To the Greeks, the idea a Savior who had died was foolishness.
Greek gods were not good, but they were beautiful and powerful. Greeks couldn’t understand a God who was so weak that he let himself be crucified.
C. So Paul says, “…Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom…”
In other words, “The Jews want a miracle and the Greeks want an argument.”
III. But to Christian believers, the cross was “the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
A. Believers knew that Jesus had been raised from the dead.
He had died—to be sure—but he hadn’t stayed dead.
And they had experienced the risen Christ in their lives.
B. Believers knew the power of the Cross.
They knew that God had taken upon himself the evil of the world…
When John saw Jesus, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1.29).
They knew that Jesus had paid the price for our sins…
“There was no other good enough
to pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven and let us in.”
They knew that Jesus, by his death had brought us to the Father.
“Christ…suffered for sins once for all, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3.18).
CONCLUSION
The story is told of a popular monk in the Middle Ages announced that in the Cathedral that evening he would preach a sermon on the love of God.
The people gathered and stood in silence, waiting for the service while the sunlight streamed through the beautiful windows.
When the last bit of color had faded from the windows, the old monk went up to the candelabrum, took a lighted candle and walking to the life-sized statue of Christ on the cross, he held the light beneath the wounds on Christ’s feet, then Christ’s hand, then his side.
Then, still without a word, the monk let the light shine on the thorn-crowned brow. That was the sermon.
The people stood in silence and wept, everyone knowing that they were at the center of a mystery beyond their knowing, that they were indeed looking at the supreme expression of the love of God—a love so deep, so wide, so eternal, that no wonder could express it, and no mind could measure it. This is the GREAT ACT of Christianity—that God’s love gave to the world what was most precious to him: his only Son.
If the story of Christ’s death on the cross does not move us to tears, it should move us to love him and give ourselves to him.
Look at Christ suffering on the cross for your sins and mine.
He’s holding out his hands as if to welcome poor sinners like you and like me.
He says, “See how I have loved you”
“Come to me and live.”
“Give yourself to me and share my eternal life.”
Do you remember these words from the hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"?
“See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?”
I will close with a prayer from a believer of long ago:
“Thou, O Savior art here upon the cross
suffering for my sins.
What can I offer thee for so great a mercy.
All thanksgiving is too feeble; all expression, too weak.
I give thee myself, my soul and body I offer unto thee.
I are not worthy of it, but thou lovest me.
Wash me with thy blood from all my sins and fill me with thy Holy Spirit.
And so shall I praise thy name acceptably for ever more.”
[from Thomas Traherne (1637-74) Centuries]
1 CORINTHIANS 1:18, 20-25: THE MEANING OF THE CROSS
INTRODUCTION
In our church building’s worship space there are dozens of crosses. At the end of each pew there is a cross carved in the wood.
Every hymn book has a cross on the cover. Every pew Bible has a cross on its cover.
There is a cross on each of two lecterns from which the scripture is read.
The robe of each choir member has a cross on its front.
There is a cross on the wall behind the communion table and beside the table, a cross on a stand.
The pastor’s stole is decorated with crosses.
I counted 430 crosses in plain view
Our name tags have crosses on them and so to the bulletins.
…and some of our people wear crosses around their necks.
But I wonder how many people who come to worship think much about what all those crosses mean.
Catholic Christians also use crosses, maybe more even than we do. But there is a difference. Many times their crosses have the figure of Christ on them. They are called “crucifixes.”
When I was a child four years old, one of my little friends, a neighbor girl named Peggy gave me a little crucifix. It was black with a little silver Jesus on it.
I asked Peggy what I was to do with my crucifix. She told me that I could hang it on my bed.
I was very pleased because the crucifix was pretty.
I took it home and showed it to my parents. They told me: "We don't use crucifixes," and they took it from me. I suppose they threw it away.
I have always been a little sad about that.
I understand why Protestants have a different view about the cross with the image of Jesus on it. But I don’t think the Catholics are necessarily wrong about that. That cross with the suffering Jesus upon it represents the most important thing in all the world.
It reminds us that Jesus suffered and died for their sins.
In his first letter to the believers in Corinth Paul tells them what the Cross represents:
“The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…
“Where is the wise man” Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
For since, in the wisdom of God,
the world did not know God through wisdom,
it pleased God through the folly of what we preach
to save those who believe.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
but to those who re called,
both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
and the weakness of God is stronger than men”
(1 Corinthians 1:18, 20-25).
I. Crucifixion was the cruelest and most shameful form of execution the Romans could devise—and they were experts in cruel executions
A. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst criminals: run-away slaves, terrorists, revolutionaries, murderers
Death on a cross was a long, drawn-out painful death. It sometimes took days while the poor man hung, naked, dying of thirst, exposed to burning sun and the gaze of passers-by. Every breath was an agony as the man hung from the nails through his hands. His hands were also tied to the wood, so the hands wouldn’t pull free.
It was a shameful death. The one crucified was stripped of all his clothes. The crucified man might be ridiculed and tormented with objects thrown at him. The Latin word crux was considered an obscenity, not even to be mentioned in polite society.
Jesus’ enemies supposed that exposing him to this humiliation, they could bring such shame on him that no one would ever again take his claims seriously.
II. When Christians proclaimed the Cross, the unbelieving world thought they were ridiculous.
A. To the Jews, the death of Christ on a cross was a stumbling block.
The Jews expected their Messiah to be a great warrior who would kill their enemies.
Jesus was too weak and helpless to be a Savior, they thought.
B. To the Greeks, the idea a Savior who had died was foolishness.
Greek gods were not good, but they were beautiful and powerful. Greeks couldn’t understand a God who was so weak that he let himself be crucified.
C. So Paul says, “…Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom…”
In other words, “The Jews want a miracle and the Greeks want an argument.”
III. But to Christian believers, the cross was “the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
A. Believers knew that Jesus had been raised from the dead.
He had died—to be sure—but he hadn’t stayed dead.
And they had experienced the risen Christ in their lives.
B. Believers knew the power of the Cross.
They knew that God had taken upon himself the evil of the world…
When John saw Jesus, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1.29).
They knew that Jesus had paid the price for our sins…
“There was no other good enough
to pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven and let us in.”
They knew that Jesus, by his death had brought us to the Father.
“Christ…suffered for sins once for all, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3.18).
CONCLUSION
The story is told of a popular monk in the Middle Ages announced that in the Cathedral that evening he would preach a sermon on the love of God.
The people gathered and stood in silence, waiting for the service while the sunlight streamed through the beautiful windows.
When the last bit of color had faded from the windows, the old monk went up to the candelabrum, took a lighted candle and walking to the life-sized statue of Christ on the cross, he held the light beneath the wounds on Christ’s feet, then Christ’s hand, then his side.
Then, still without a word, the monk let the light shine on the thorn-crowned brow. That was the sermon.
The people stood in silence and wept, everyone knowing that they were at the center of a mystery beyond their knowing, that they were indeed looking at the supreme expression of the love of God—a love so deep, so wide, so eternal, that no wonder could express it, and no mind could measure it. This is the GREAT ACT of Christianity—that God’s love gave to the world what was most precious to him: his only Son.
If the story of Christ’s death on the cross does not move us to tears, it should move us to love him and give ourselves to him.
Look at Christ suffering on the cross for your sins and mine.
He’s holding out his hands as if to welcome poor sinners like you and like me.
He says, “See how I have loved you”
“Come to me and live.”
“Give yourself to me and share my eternal life.”
Do you remember these words from the hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"?
“See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?”
I will close with a prayer from a believer of long ago:
“Thou, O Savior art here upon the cross
suffering for my sins.
What can I offer thee for so great a mercy.
All thanksgiving is too feeble; all expression, too weak.
I give thee myself, my soul and body I offer unto thee.
I are not worthy of it, but thou lovest me.
Wash me with thy blood from all my sins and fill me with thy Holy Spirit.
And so shall I praise thy name acceptably for ever more.”
[from Thomas Traherne (1637-74) Centuries]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)