Midtown Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
Midtown Church
A weekly podcast hosted by lead pastors, Cassie and Alex. Midtown Church exists to reveal the kingdom of Jesus, together, in Kansas City. This podcast explores ways in which we can become more like Jesus, reveal the places he is already working, and ultimately, renew the reputation of the local church.
Sin is fundamentally a disordering of our loves—loving the wrong things, or loving good things in the wrong order. Jesus comes not only to forgive our sins, but to re-center our hearts, teaching us to love God first and our neighbors as ourselves. The cross is the ultimate act of love, where God’s self-giving overcomes our self-centeredness and opens the way for us to live rightly ordered lives.
For many, the word “family” is loaded with pain, disappointment, or loss, whether from biological relatives or even chosen communities that have let us down. Yet, the New Testament insists that the church is not just a gathering or an organization, but a new family, one that God himself has established through Christ. This is not a metaphor to be discarded, but a reality to be reclaimed and lived out, even in all its messiness and challenge.
When we fixate on the outcomes or gifts of others, we lose sight of the unique calling God has placed on our lives. Comparison turns neighbors into competitors and blinds us to the needs and opportunities right in front of us. The story of Peter and John in John 21 offers a powerful corrective: Jesus calls each of us uniquely, and our focus must remain on Him, not on the outcomes or callings of those around us.
Confession is not about shame, but about stepping into the light of God’s love. When we honestly acknowledge our brokenness, we are met not with condemnation, but with an invitation to follow Jesus and participate in his work. This honest reckoning with our flaws is the starting point for true transformation.
Too often, we expect to see Jesus only in church or during spiritual moments, but He is deeply interested in meeting us in our daily work, our failures, and our routines. Sometimes, our own shame or distractions keep us from seeing Him, but Jesus is always present, inviting us to notice Him and respond.
The rise in spiritual curiosity in our culture reveals a deep hunger for meaning, but a do-it-yourself approach to spirituality often leaves us without a trustworthy guide. The story of Jesus offers not only a compelling interpretation of reality but also a path to the good life, one that is big enough to hold all the strangeness and mystery of our world, yet personal enough to give meaning and purpose to each of us.
In seasons of spiritual uncertainty, disappointment, or unanswered questions, doubt can often feel like a threat to faith, a sign that something has gone wrong or that belief is slipping away. But the story of Thomas, often labeled a doubter, offers a different perspective. When Jesus appears to Thomas after the resurrection, He doesn’t shame him or scold him for his skepticism. Instead, Jesus invites him to touch His wounds, meeting Thomas with compassion, patience, and personal care.
True discipleship is not measured by how much Christian information we can recite or by simply holding the label “Christian.” It is a whole-life apprenticeship to Jesus, where we learn to live as he would live in our circumstances. This requires moving beyond consumption and self-improvement to a deep, ongoing commitment to follow Jesus in every aspect of life.
Easter is a time when we find ourselves, much like the diverse crowd at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, waiting to peer into the empty tomb and discern its meaning for our lives. For some, Easter is the cornerstone of faith, while for others, it may seem like a relic of the past. Yet, the resurrection story is not a mere fairy tale; it is a narrative filled with real people, real emotions, and real encounters with the risen Christ.
Anger is a prevalent issue in today's society, often manifesting in road rage and global unrest. As followers of Jesus, we must resist the sin of anger and strive to live as He would, recognizing that anger can be both a healthy emotion and a hellish habit. Jesus equates anger with murder in Matthew 5:21-26, emphasizing the seriousness of harboring anger towards others. However, distinguishing between healthy anger and a hellish habit is crucial. Healthy anger aligns with God's anger, which is slow, rooted in love, and directed towards injustice and oppression.
Greed, often misunderstood as a vice exclusive to the wealthy, is an insatiable desire for more that can affect anyone, regardless of their financial status. It is a pervasive force in our culture, celebrated and encouraged, yet it leads us away from the contentment and sufficiency found in Christ. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, warns against the dangers of greed, urging believers to pursue godliness with contentment, which he describes as "great gain." This contentment is not about accumulating wealth but about recognizing that life with God makes us rich in ways that transcend material possessions.
Envy is a subtle but powerful force that fuels comparison, competition, and resentment. It shows up in everyday moments—scrolling through social media, hearing someone else’s good news, or watching a neighbor succeed. Left unchecked, it can damage relationships, divide communities, and blind us to the goodness in our own lives. But Scripture offers a different way. As 1 Corinthians 13 says, love does not envy. Love makes space for celebration, connection, and peace. In love, there is freedom from comparison and joy in being exactly who God created us to be.
Pride is a subtle vice that shifts our focus from God to ourselves. It is not about thinking too much of oneself but rather thinking of oneself too much. In a culture that often glorifies self-promotion and attention-seeking, pride can easily become a barrier between us and God. This self-focused pride can lead us to place ourselves at the center of our universe, imagining that we are the source of our own lives. However, true fulfillment comes from making God the center of our lives and seeking His will above our own.
Lust, when left unchecked, deforms our view of others, our sexual appetites, our sense of commitment, and our sense of self. It reduces others to objects and distorts our understanding of relationships. However, God’s call to holiness is not about achieving perfect purity but about setting our lives apart for Him. Holiness is about reordering our lives and loves towards God and His kingdom.
Gluttony is not merely about food but about seeking to fill a spiritual void with temporary pleasures. This misplaced dependency challenges us to examine what truly satisfies our souls. The practice of fasting helps combat gluttony by exposing our attachments, increasing our hunger for God, and creating space for Him in our lives. During Lent, we are invited to embrace fasting—not as deprivation, but as a pathway to spiritual growth and deeper dependence on God.
Sloth, often misunderstood as mere laziness, is a deeper spiritual indifference that can lead us away from God. It is described as a "noonday demon," a temptation that strikes in the midst of our daily routines, causing procrastination and avoidance of what is good. Recognizing and naming this shadow is the first step in overcoming it, as it allows us to confront the underlying thoughts that lead us astray. By acknowledging acedia, we can begin to address the spiritual lethargy that hinders our relationship with God.
The rise of artificial intelligence and digital advancements often tempt us to reduce our humanity to mere data processing, but this is a narrow view. Our faith insists on the value of the human body, emphasizing that being human is more than just thinking or problem-solving; it is about being embodied. From Genesis, we learn that being made in the image of God means we are inherently valuable, entrusted with a royal task, and capable of embodying love. Our bodies are not just vessels; they are integral to our identity and our ability to express divine love.
As followers of Christ, we are called to embody justice, mercy, and humility, proclaiming the good news through our actions. This requires us to be agents of Jubilee, bringing hope and transformation to the marginalized and outcasts in our communities. By living out these values, we reflect the heart of Jesus and participate in His mission to bring healing and liberation to a broken world. Our actions should be a testament to the justice and mercy of God, challenging us to step out of our comfort zones and engage with those who are often overlooked.
In the digital age, the constant influx of information can easily distract us from our spiritual journey. The overwhelming noise can erode our faith by diverting our attention from meaningful questions and reflections. To navigate this, it's essential to take intentional breaks from digital devices and create space for contemplation and spiritual growth. By doing so, we can engage with our doubts and questions more meaningfully, allowing us to focus on our relationship with God and our spiritual development.
In this digital age, pornography has become alarmingly accessible, affecting individuals' perceptions of intimacy and relationships. This calls for a societal shift in understanding and addressing these issues, recognizing the profound impact it has on our youth and communities. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount urges us to look beyond commandments and examine the deeper issues of the heart. This message is not about condemning sexual desire, but about valuing the sacredness of sexual relationships.
Our daily lives are filled with distractions, especially from digital devices that always seek our focus. Research indicates our attention spans are getting shorter, hindering meaningful connections with God and others. To cultivate holy attention, we must intentionally resist digital distractions. This involves practical steps like turn off notifications, use focus features, set app limits, and create time without devices. Practicing silence and solitude helps us be present with God, allowing us to slow down, reflect on our thoughts and feelings, and deepen our awareness of His presence.
In today's digital age, technology offers both opportunities and challenges for managing finances. While there are numerous tools available to help us budget and save, the same technology can also lead to increased debt and lifestyle inflation. Social media and targeted ads often tempt us to spend beyond our means, creating financial pressures that can distract us from our spiritual goals. As faithful disciples, it is crucial to critically assess how technology influences our financial decisions and spiritual lives.
The challenge we face is not just about managing our screen time but understanding how these digital interactions are molding us. Technology is not neutral; it has the power to transform us physically, mentally, spiritually, and relationally. We are living in a "digital Babylon," a world with foreign customs and gods, where remaining faithful to our beliefs requires intentionality and discernment.
Our understanding of love, and consequently God's love, is deeply influenced by our early attachments and family dynamics. These experiences shape our expectations of God, often unconsciously. However, God's love is not defined by our experiences but by His actions, as demonstrated through Jesus. The Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, showing us that God's love is attentive, joyous, self-giving, and glorious.
Advent, marking the beginning of the church year, is a time of anticipation and preparation for the arrival of something greater. It is a period of deliberate tension, where we create space in our hearts for hope, peace, joy, and love. Waiting is often uncomfortable and can feel unproductive, yet it is in this waiting that we are shaped and formed. Our expectations influence how we wait, and how we wait can transform us.
Finding God's peace amid the world's noise, wars, and unrest can be challenging. Mary, mother of Jesus, exemplifies peace in Luke 1 by highlighting God's past faithfulness and future promises. She finds peace through trust in God, despite Israel's unfaithfulness. By reflecting on our spiritual heritage and the testimonies of those before us, we can also find peace.
The holidays, often portrayed as the happiest time of the year, can paradoxically be a period of deep loneliness for many. The pressure to appear joyful and successful can lead to a façade that hides the true state of our hearts. However, the gospel offers a transformative invitation to move beyond mere expectation management to a season of anticipation and hope in Christ.
True leadership, as exemplified by Jesus, is not about seeking power or personal gain but about serving others with integrity and compassion. This approach challenges the world's view of leadership, which often equates authority with dominance and self-interest. Instead, leaders are called to shepherd their communities with a servant's heart, prioritizing the well-being of others over their own ambitions.
In a world that often mocks or misunderstands our faith, we are invited to be unoffendable, to embrace suffering, and to find joy in our trials. This requires a deep reliance on Christ, a willingness to deny ourselves, and a commitment to follow Him. By doing so, we become a powerful witness to the world, demonstrating the transformative love of Jesus.
Peter's call to witness is not a solitary endeavor but rather a meaningful journey undertaken through community. It involves deeply knowing and genuinely showing Jesus through our personal experiences of suffering, actively denying ourselves, and committing to loving sacrifice. These actions are not merely tasks but are, in fact, acts of worship and witness that beautifully point others to the hope and glory that can be found in a relationship with Christ.
Suffering is a complex issue that challenges our understanding of God's will. Rather than seeing God as the cause of all events, it is important to recognize the interplay of human freedom, spiritual forces, and chaos. This perspective invites us to trust in God's redemptive work amidst suffering.
Peter's instructions in his letters are not about maintaining the status quo but about subverting it from within. This concept of subversive stability involves embracing our roles and working for change through suffering love and patient endurance. This approach calls us to remain rooted in our relationships, communities, and workplaces, seeking change from within rather than fleeing when challenges arise.
As Christians, we often forget to fully embrace our true identity as sojourners and exiles in this world. This identity calls us to live differently, abstaining from the passions of the flesh and maintaining honorable conduct among those who do not share our faith. Our lives should be a testament to the transformative power of the resurrection, demonstrating a living hope that defies the pessimism and defeatism prevalent in the world today.
Often our identity as chosen by God is defined by societal standards or personal accomplishments, rather by God’s love and unique purpose for us. The message of being chosen by God, as articulated by the Apostle Peter, is not just a spiritual concept but a call to live out our faith in tangible ways, reflecting the kingdom of God in our daily lives.
While humanity is created in God's image, there is also a need to acknowledge the depravity within us. This acknowledgment is crucial for spiritual growth and transformation, a process known as formation. This process involves actively pursuing our salvation, having an eternal perspective, embracing holiness, seeing God as a loving Father, and participating in community.
Often, Salvation is articulated this way: I have a sin problem, and I am on the road to damnation, but Jesus died for my sins, so now I have a chance to go to heaven. Peter's letter offers a rich tapestry of themes, including holiness, hope, and suffering, which together paint a picture of salvation that is far more than just personal deliverance from sin. It is an invitation into a life of holy community, hopeful presence, joyful suffering, and good news for the world.
The decline in volunteerism reflects a broader societal trend that has infiltrated the church. Many avoid serving due to beliefs in personal responsibility, passivity, and the overwhelming pace of life. However, Jesus' teachings make it clear that serving those on the margins is a gospel mandate. We are called not just to serve but to integrate those we serve into our daily lives.
While the idea of togetherness might seem straightforward, it is often fraught with challenges, especially given the scandals and moral failures that have plagued many religious institutions, including those in our own city. Yet Jesus regularly attended the synagogue, taught, healed, and debated there, despite its imperfections. Our commitment to the church is not about its perfection but about our collective journey towards Christ.
The world is undeniably broken, filled with suffering, injustice, and despair. Many of us have grown disillusioned, giving up on the dream of making a significant impact. However, Jesus invites us into a radical movement that promises to heal the world through suffering love, not through power or force, and live out the reality of the kingdom now while we await its full realization.
In American culture, there is an overwhelming sense that fulfillment in life is tied to sexual pleasure. Shaped in this environment, the sexual ethics of Jesus don’t sound liberating; they sound limiting. But the Christian story insists that marriage is the safest and best place for sexuality to flourish as bonding, mutual submission, and witness.
It is no secret that our culture is relationship-obsessed. Whether it be Hallmark, Zola, Hinge, Love Island, or The Bachelorette, they all sell the same dream that Disney princesses believe—your fulfillment is tied to finding true love. This is problematic primarily because it’s not how Jesus lived or how the New Testament writers articulated marriage and singleness. Single people are welcomed as full participants in God’s kingdom.
The most polarizing question of our generation is: What does Christianity have to say to those who experience same-sex attraction? We must carefully discern God’s heart on this subject and work to align our life with Jesus’. The place we begin is with the biblical text.
We are living through a widespread redefinition of sexuality and sexual norms in the West. There is a cacophony of competing visions vying for our attention and adoption. None is more influential and corrosive than pornography, which offers us the lie of commodified and anonymous pleasure. Against these stories is the Christian vision of sexuality that insists bodies matter, holy union is coming, and there can be a better witness to the world.
We all hold default assumptions about sex; assumptions formed by our environments, relationships, and experiences. Assumptions that have left us all sexually broken, fractured, and misshapen. The invitation of the Gospel is to bring our brokenness to the healer, to become a community of compassion and challenge.
Americans have become less involved with religious institutions, but this has not made them less religious. Instead, Americans have channeled religious fervor and instinct into politics, resulting in new partisan religions. Against these new religions stand Jesus charting a path forward for his followers in the tension between submission and subversion.
In election seasons, it is easy to find ourselves marked by animosity, disagreement, and hopelessness. The discourse around our nation is steeped in insult and outrage. But the way of Jesus is to be marked by love, service, hospitality, and peace, qualities that offer a hopeful alternative to our city.
When it comes to prayer, we all struggle. We feel guilt for not praying more. We feel uncomfortable about praying in front of others. Despite our struggles, Jesus invites us to pray. He invites us to understand prayer not as an obligation but as participation in his coming Kingdom. Jesus teaches his disciples a prayer that has come to be known as the ‘Lord’s Prayer’.
We buy shoes, makeup, clothes, weight loss strategies, house, and photo editing apps, but we find that we aren't any closer to answering one of the essential questions of life—what is beauty? To a world that is asking the question of what is beautiful, we as Christians get to say beauty is not only essential to the Christian faith but also has a name—Jesus.
From Jesus’ healing ministry to the work of modern missionary doctors, a consistent feature of the church's work in the world has been to care for the sick and needy through hospitality, which is both a practice and a posture centered on loving the stranger.
A common problem with a topic like justice is that it evokes many definitions, ideas, and experiences. The desire to "do justice" resonates within all of us, yet frequently, we merely contribute to the echo chamber with our posts. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to do better. It can be difficult to do justice if we are unclear of how God defines it. But we will find that the Bible gives us everything we need: motivation, joy, and mercy to participate in a Just life for Kansas City.
We are all looking for connection, relationships, and friendship, yet, somehow, we can't find it. Jesus's example is a life of friendship; Jesus ate, drank, talked, celebrated, walked, and just dwelt with his friends. Jesus chose to do it with others, from the mundane to the extraordinary. In his example, we commit to presence, serving, and vulnerability.
The United States is predominantly identified as an individualistic culture, in contrast to the collectivist cultures seen in many other parts of the world. Elements of individualism have been a part of American society since its early colonial days. But as apprentices of Jesus, we should prioritize togetherness– for ultimately, the people of God are family.
There is no such thing as a perfect church or ideal community because there is no such thing as a perfect people. And yet Christ still invites us to participate in it. The good news is that on the other side of this idealistic or dream community is true unity around the person of Jesus and radical servanthood.
Despite its failures, the Church is still Jesus’s chosen plan for healing the world. The Church is called to serve as the best example of what God can do with the human community, specifically through unity and presence.
The idea that you can be a Christian without following Jesus is a Western idea incompatible with the New Testament. The invitation of Jesus is to be a disciple and to make disciples. Jesus calls for a grassroots movement to transform the world from the bottom up.
The Christian hope is that our future resurrection will not just change our outward appearance; it will change the world around us and the inner reality of who we are and what we are. The ordering of our disordered desires. And that change is beginning even now.
The Christian faith is often reduced to “I will go to heaven when I die.” But this summary is more gnostic than Christian. It assumes that the material world must be escaped. The Christian hope, as Paul tells it, is embodied. Somehow our God will empty cemeteries and give us new bodies.
In so many ways, followers of Jesus can be made to feel like our faith is unreasonable, clinging to faith in an event despite the obvious, clear, and overwhelming evidence against the Resurrection. But our faith isn’t unreasonable. It isn’t a blind leap into nonsensical belief. Trust in the bodily resurrection of Jesus is reasonable. Jesus appeared to many: disciples, family, skeptics, and outspoken opponents. These witnesses were so convinced by their encounter with the risen Jesus that many were unwilling to recant that belief even as they were executed for it.
Too often we settle for badly summarized Gospels; formulas that are less than compelling. Paul articulates the Gospel as the climax of the long story of Israel, the beautiful and compelling story of God’s activity to save the world.
For many the divinity of Jesus is easy to grasp, but Christian orthodoxy declares that Jesus is also human; and the humanity of Jesus is most on display the night he would be betrayed. In a Garden called Gethsamene, Jesus weeps, pleads, and experiences the whole range of human anxiety. It is in this short story that we begin to see the depths of God’s love for us that he would join us in our suffering.
For every generation, for every time, there are “what is this world coming to moments.” Since 2000, in just 24 short years, we have seen– 9/11, the housing crash of 2008, the war in Afghanistan, the Syrian crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. in the crushing wave of the 24-hour news cycle, we are constantly aware of all the tragedy, all the violence, all the death; it feels like the end of the world all the time. But these moments are not new. Every generation has lived through these moments. As we look to the life of Jesus we find a startling practice that can help us navigate these “end of the world” moments– Lament.
There are times in our walk with God that feel more like a desert than an oasis. These seasons are dry, desolate, and lonely and we feel more of God’s absence than his presence. In these moments we need to be reminded we are not alone, God has not abandoned us, and there might be something to learn from the dry season.
In a culture that is so grief adverse, in a country that openly admits they are tired of talking about the hard things, in a moment where people are so ready to move on, could our grief be something more? Through the story of Joseph and his grief, we learn something about our Savior; "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief"
When suffering crashes into our lives all humans are prone to ask some of the same questions. Is God just? Does God run the world by His justice? Why is there evil? These are the same questions posed by the Book of Job. A tragic story that invites us to reconsider our search for easy answers even as we wrestle with God.
We live in a good world but also a world fractured by evil, both externally in the world and internally within oneself. Teachers of the Way of Jesus have long been warning of three enemies; the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. If we are to be disciples of Jesus committed to the healing of our world, then we must know the dangers; and that victory is possible in the power fo the Spirt.
Healing is often a profound and deeply perplexing topic. Unlike other gifts of the Spirit, healing is intertwined with the most tender and sensitive parts of our life; pain and suffering. But when we experience the healing of God, we are given a trail marker, a signpost: a compassionate beacon pointing us toward God's Kingdom and the world to come.
Communication is messy. Within the communication act there is a sender, a message, and a receiver; and at any point in that process confusion, hurt, or misunderstanding can occur. Yet, spoken communication remains the primary conduit for connection, beauty, story, instruction, and love. In the biblical narrative, God’s love is communicated through the practice of prophecy; hearing and speaking God’s voice on behalf of an individual or group.
In the Post-enlightenment, Western society we tend to be compartmental in our thinking. We easily imagine human beings as segmented; mind, body, emotions, and soul. But the story of Christianity is that humans are deeply interconnected, and the practices of tongues, or unlearned languages, can help us become that integrated whole.
As late-modern Jesus-followers we can often limit ‘knowledge’ to data, information, or facts; content that can fit well in a book or spreadsheet. However, the great danger to that perspective is believing that we can think our way to God. The story of the Bible testifies to a God that is known through experience and encounter. And Jesus’ invitation in John 20 is to know God through the reception of His Spirit.
Consumerism deceives us into believing we can achieve earthly immortality. We look outside of ourselves to find the solution to what is going on inside of us. And we begin to hope in the things we are consuming. But the invitation of Advent is to embrace a hope born on Christmas; a hope robust enough to carry us through all of life.
I shop (and shop, and shop)... therefore I am. The goods and services the market provides becomes the source of our redemption. Oftentimes we can turn to consumption, to buying things as a coping mechanism a form of therapy. But Advent challenges that coping mechanism inviting us to find joy in the child from Bethlehem.
Everywhere we turn we are sold a story about prosperity. Prosperity is having the nicest house on the block. Prosperity is the two brand new cars. Prosperity is a certain type of Christmas complete with gifts under the tree. But the advent story challenges us to redefine the life of prosperity; as a life of trust in God with us.
I shop, I don’t Ask, I don’t Tell.The liturgies of consumption ask us to learn and live in ignorance. Instead of asking where our goods come from, it invites us to believe in a sort of magic, that all of these garments arrive with no moral problems and disappear when they are disposed of. Through the birth, life, and death of our Lord, we have seen a vision of what our God wants for the world; that vision challenges how we consume.
The Story of Secularism is that humanity will eventually build a utopia, with our hands and in our image. The Story of Christianity is that our God is making all things new and dwelling with us.
The Gospel of Jesus is an invitation to follow and join in the healing of the world. Those who accept His invitation are called disciples, and by learning to walk in the Spirit those disciples develop the character of Christ; what the Apostle Paul calls “the Fruit of the Spirit.”
In a world of supernatural skepticism, it can be easy to dismiss the events of the bible as improbable. However, the book of Acts, which details the activity of Jesus’ first followers, invites us to doubt our skepticism. Jesus’ ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit continued in the life of his disciples and promises to continue through us. Are we open to that?
Many of us may carry a bias or misunderstanding when it comes to the work of the Spirit. We can be excited, cautious, or curious, but regardless of our comfort level, the ministry of Jesus is energized the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus ministry, we are invited into a holy collaboration with the Holy Spirit for the sake of the world.
It is easy to believe that “Things would be so much easier if I had been there when Jesus walked the Earth”. While that is an understandable sentiment, it misses what Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit.; through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, all who call upon the name of Jesus can develop a deep friendship with God.
In this world, we are bombarded with voices that tell us we are unworthy or undeserving. These voices are energized by shame, fear, and insecurity; making us feel like impostures everywhere we go. Against these voices is the voice of the Spirit, declaring that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we have become children of God.
In the introduction of his biography of Jesus, the author Matthew, summarizes the Hebrew scriptures and suggests that the Jewish messiah has come. God is answering the Israelites' desperation, their primal cry for a Savior. A man empowered by the Holy Spirit who would not just save them from physical captivity but would save them from their sins, from this never ending cycle of human failure. This is Jesus’ goal as outlined by Matthew. He will be the giver of God’s definitive salvation.
As evident in the scriptures, Jesus believed in the church. We believe that church is family and so every year we want to revisit how we participate in this family or do this whole Jesus thing together. Participants in the Midtown Community are asked to commit to five things; (1) Reveal the Kingdom of Jesus, (2) Belong to a Microchurch, (3) Gather on Sundays, (4) Serve, and (5) Being Generous.
In a world that is confusing, disorienting, and complicated we need luminaries to show us the way. We need those who have explored the reservoirs of human knowledge and found a way to the good life. In the days of Moses, these luminaries were called “Prophets”.
In the History of Israel, we see God’s liquid Spirit, His anointing rest on the person of David. And David foreshadows the true anointed one, Jesus the Christ. The anointed one is a person who brings God’s Spirit to earth through both suffering and victory. Jesus is that true anointed one, the very embodiment of God’s liquid spirit, God’s presence brought to earth, the bridge, the ultimate priest, the true king.
There is a pseudo-religion that has quietly grown in popularity called “workism”; the belief that our job is not just for economic production or personal provision, but that a job can be the center of our identity. Set against this culture stands the biblical vision of work not as an identity, but as a collaboration with the Spirit of God. And two artisans, Bezalel and Oholiab, show us that we have been invited by God to collaborate with his Spirit to produce good for God’s glory.
Many of us have come to believe that God’s presence is only available in a church on a Sunday morning. We start to think God only shows up with the environment, music, and setting are just right. We think God only shows up in the extraordinary. But as Genesis 1 reveals, this is untrue for the Spirit of God is in the very breath we breathe. And if he is that close, then the question isn’t “is he there?” but “Why do I not feel him?”
The ugliness of reality is often uncomfortable to look at. It makes us restless. It drives us to distractions. It makes us desperate for a savior. Malachi, the final book of the Old Testament, sums up the experiences of the Israelite people and articulates their hope in God's salvation; reminding them that it is a salvation worth waiting for.
Against the pain, chaos, and suffering life can inflict we can be left wondering, “Why believe?” Like the Israelites mourning bygone days and the beauty of a city they will never see, we can find ourselves hopeless. But the Prophet Zechariah’s message to the Israelites, and to us, is to renew our trust in God and discover faith again.
“Waiting for you is like waiting for rain in this drought, useless and disappointing.” - A Cinderella Story
Like Israel we are left asking: How and why we can continue to have faith?
What is faith?
Mental affirmation is only the beginning of Faith, It ends with obedient action, or “Enacted Loyalty” - Salvation by Allegiance by Matthew Bates
“Faith is the substance, or reality, of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen.” - Heb 11:1
Allegiance communicates who & what we are loyal to and obey.
Zechariah directs the people of Israel toward a Spirit-empowered Faith
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” -James 4:7-8
God’s promise is consistent that when his people repent and turn toward Him, He is faithful to draw near to them.
Bible Project Resource: https://bibleproject.com/view-resource/246/
Zechariah 3 & 4 offer us a vision of (1) the why of our faith and (2) the how of our faith.
Zechariah 3: Vision about High Priest, Joshua
Role of High Priest:
Act as representative and mediator
Responsible for enforcing the covenant & directing the hearts of the people.
Jesus is our new High Priest; Jesus is WHY we can have faith
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” - 1 Peter 1:3
Doubt isn’t decreased faith, its matured faith
Studies have shown that for every 1 negative experience, you need 3 positive ones.
Give God the chance to give you 3 positive moments.
Faith begins with engaging your mind and ends with actions.
Zechariah 4: Vision about Governor, Zerubbabel
“Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit Says the Lord” - Zech 4:6
God is the source of Zerubbabel’s authority and power.
“Only if his Spirit governs every detail can service be glorifying to him.” -Scholar Joyce G. Baldwin
Spirit Empowerment is HOW we have faith.
“Obedience is about living in the present as if the future has already arrived. It’s not blind faith you’re doing it because you can point back to the resurrection of the risen Jesus.” - Theologian Tim Mackey
Faith is a leap but it’s not blind.
“...real biblical faith is not a general positive mindset or a blind optimism but is directed toward a defined object—and it is the trustworthiness of the object that sources and fixes faith’s genuineness. So if we want to grow in faith, we should study and contemplate God’s extraordinary reliability.” -Author Matthew Bates
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Encourage your soul with stories of FAITH
Posture yourself to receive
Love God & Love your Neighbor
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30
BE THE MOST INTERESTED PERSON IN THE ROOM!
Procrastination is an experience all humans know well. We can put off eating better, a financial goal, a work deadline, or a house project. But we can also procrastinate our discipleship to Jesus, we can put prayer, study, or community on the back burner, waiting to start when we are “less busy.” The challenge of Haggai to an Israelite people who have put off rebuilding the temple is to get started! Get to work and experience the blessing of God.
Timeline:
Haggai is one of the three minor prophets which prophesied post-exile, the other two are Zechariah and Malachi
The book was written in 520 B.C. which was 70 years after being exiled.
And because the Babylonian empire recently collapsed, the Persians were ruling and they allowed the return of a small group of Israelites to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city, temple, and their lives.
The return back to Jerusalem was led by the High Priest Joshua the Son of Jozadak and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel the governor.
The returning people experienced extreme opposition and hardship building the temple which caused them to delay the rebuilding of God’s temple for nearly 20 years.
Haggai delivers a message of hope to the Israelite people and tells them their work will be blessed, God will rebuild a new Jerusalem, and His spirit will be in their midst.
4 Main Sections of the Book of Haggai:
Misplaced Priorities
Missed Expectations
A Call to Covenant Faithfulness
Future Kingdom
Together, we will journey through how God’s presence is revealed in each of these sections as well as in our own stories as God’s covenant people. In the book of Haggai, God is addressing two groups of people: the Distracted and the Discouraged.
1. Misplaced Priorities – Haggai 1:2-10
Haggai asks God’s people to consider what direction their lives were heading and if they really wanted it to continue that way. The Israelites were constructing their entire lives around the throne of Self instead of God’s Kingdom thus allowing their distractions to paralyze their obedience.
2. Missed Expectations – Haggai 2:1-9
The temple was destroyed nearly 70 years earlier and the Israelites knew this new temple was not going to compare in any shape or form to Solomon’s temple. This knowledge brought extreme sadness, and comparison, and ultimately paralyzed them from obeying.
However, God pursues the discouraged and the distracted through Haggai reminding them God's presence will be in their midst to complete the work, to help them return their presence back to the neglected areas of their hearts, and to trust His plan.
3. A Call to Covenant Faithfulness – Haggai 2:10-19
God is giving an analogy of ritual holiness and uncleanness to force the priests to think about the spiritual status of the people. God is telling the people he not only cares about HOW they rebuild the temple but He also really cares about the priorities of their hearts.
4. A Future Kingdom – Haggai 2:20-22
God is preparing the people of God to live in His kingdom. As His people, we are asked to stop building our own castles, repent, and to be co-laborers in God’s kingdom reality. Our presence to God in our own realities plays a huge part as He works to restore the earth. God is too real to be met anywhere other than reality.
Spiritual Practices:
Take time this week and reflect on your priorities - have they brought you closer to God or farther away?
Take some space to honestly ask yourself if you trust God with your attention. Process this with a trusted friend or pastor.
Practice bringing your attention to God and seek what He is wanting to rebuild in your life.
Where do you need to be reminded of God’s presence?
The Prophet Zephaniah warns his fellow Israelites and neighboring nations of the coming judgment of the Lord. Zephaniah’s poetic work ties God’s justice and hope together promising the people of God correction, love, and restoration.
Zephaniah was the Great-Great Grandson of King Hezekiah
He would have the third most royal blood in his veins behind King David and Solomon.
Final decades of the southern kingdom (see 2 Kings 22-23)
Northern Kingdom is Samaria
Southern Kingdom is Judah
King Josiah wanted to bring real change to the land by removing idols and worshiping God alone.
Israel was too far gone and King Josiah’s pride led him to die a tragic death on the battlefield. (see 2 Chron. 35: 20-25)
Zephaniah saw all of this coming.
Three Main Parts of Zephaniah:
Judgment on Jerusalem (1-2:3)
Judgment on Other Nations and Jerusalem Again… (2:4-3:8)
Hope for the Nations and Jerusalem (3:9-20)
Judgment on Jerusalem
“I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
“I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. Zephaniah 1:2-3
“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” Genesis 1:3-4
“Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, before the decree takes effect —before the day passes away like chaff—before there comes upon you the burning anger of the Lord, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.” Zephaniah 2:1-3
Even if there is chaos, destruction, and death around, be faithful because God is faithful. He will never leave or abandon you.
Judgment on Other Nations and Jerusalem Again… (2:4-3:8)
For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted. Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left. Zephaniah 2:4-5
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27
‘“Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.” Zephaniah 3:8
Let our love for God match our character and actions in our home, our neighborhood, and place of work.
Hope for the Nations and Jerusalem (3:9-20)
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you in, at the time when I gather you together; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.” Zephaniah 3:17-20
Zephaniah contains very intense images of God's correction and Love.
Correction: A passion to rescue his world from human evil and violence.
He brings this correction to restore. In order to create a world where everyone can flourish in safety and peace because of his love.
“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5
“While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Spiritual Practice:
Are you living separated from God?
Does God recognize you?
Accept his Correction, Love and restoration.
Make disciples.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
When our world is filled with evil, heartbreak, and injustice the natural question is why? The book of Habakkuk is one prophet’s honest dialogue with God around this subject; it is a divine conversation in which God assures his followers and promises his justice.
HABAKKUK & GOD
Habakkauk’s Complaint: Violence of Judah
“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” - Habakkuk 1:2-4 ESV
God’s Response: Unbelievable Work
“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” - Habakkuk 1:5 ESV
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint: Violence of Babylon
“Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One?“ - Habakkuk 1:12 ESV
“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.” - Habakkuk 2:1 ESV
God’s Second Response: Unshakeable Faith
“And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” - Habakkuk 2:2-4 ESV
Babylon’s 5 Woe’s
1 & 2: Unjust Economics
3: Slave Labor
4: Abuse of Alcohol by Irresponsible Leaders
5: Idolatry
Spiritual Practice:
One: Set Your Eyes on What God Has Done
“O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” - Habakkuk 3:2 ESV
Two: Find Joy in What God is Going to Do
« Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” - Habakkuk 3:17-18 ESV
The one of most powerful nation in the ancient world was Assyria; an empire infamous for its violence, brutality, and oppressive practices. At the height of Assyria’s power, the Prophet Nahum offers a dark and unbelievable prediction that the Assyrian empire and its capital city, Nineveh, will fall. Nahum knows the Israelite God is one of justice, despising evil, and correcting wrongdoing. Nahum’s work is a prophetic reminder that our God refuses to watch suffering from a distance, but rather draws close and enters into human history.
Nahum 1 :
The oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance
and is fierce in wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance against His foes;
He is furious with His enemies.
The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.
His path is in the whirlwind and storm,
and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
He rebukes the sea so that it dries up,
and He makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
even the flower of Lebanon withers.
The mountains quake before Him,
and the hills melt;
the earth trembles at His presence –
the world and all who live in it.
Who can withstand His indignation?
Who can endure His burning anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
even rocks are shattered before Him.
The Lord is good,
a stronghold in a day of distress;
He cares for those who take refuge in Him.
But He will completely destroy Nineveh
with an overwhelming flood
and He will chase His enemies into darkness.
Whatever you plot against the Lord,
He will bring it to complete destruction;
oppression will not rise up a second time.
For they will be consumed
like entangled thorns
like the drink of a drunkard
and like straw that is fully dry.
One has gone out from you,
who plots evil against Yahweh,
and is a wicked counselor.
This is what the Lord says:
Though they are strong and numerous,
they will still be mowed down,
and he will pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no longer.
For I will now break off his yoke from you
}and tear off your shackles.
The Lord has issued an order concerning you:
There will be no offspring
to carry on your name.
I will eliminate the carved idol and cast image
from the house of your gods;
I will prepare your grave,
for you are contemptible.
Look to the mountains –
the feet of one bringing good news
and proclaiming peace!
Celebrate your festivals, Judah;
fulfill your vows.
For the wicked one will never again
march through you;
he will be entirely wiped out.
Nahum’s 3 Chapters:
Nahum is comprised of three short chapters, and each chapter serves a purpose.
Chapter 1: A Message of Deliverance
Chapter 2: The Fall of Nineveh
Chapter 3: A Woe Oracle
When we look at the book of Nahum we realize that there isn’t just one audience, but two.
This is a message of hope and deliverance for the people of God.
Three reasons the people of God would struggle with believing a message of deliverance from the Ninevites:
Power
Extreme Brutality
History
God is bringing forth the promise that although his people have been afflicted, he is going to bring relief. He is going to show himself as the comforter to his people.
Nahum 3:1-7:
Woe to the city of blood
totally deceitful,
full of plunder,
never without prey.
The crack of the whip
and rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse
and jolting chariot!
Charging horseman,
flashing sword,
shining spear;
heaps of slain,
mounds of corpses,
dead bodies without end –
they stumble over their dead.
Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute,
the attractive mistress of sorcery,
who betrays nations by her prostitution
and clans by her witchcraft
I am against you.
This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts
I will lift your skirts over your face
and display your nakedness to nations,
your shame to kingdoms.
I will throw filth on you
and treat you with contempt;
I will make a spectacle of you.
Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying,
“Nineveh is devastated;
who will show sympathy to her?”
Where can I find anyone to comfort you?
God is slow to anger, abounding in grace. But he will not let injustice and evil reign forever.
Nahum's prophetic message is that God is faithful in the midst of the brokenness.
God does not negate our experience just because he knows the ending, because he knows what it feels like to walk through the valley of death.
Psalm 34:15-22:The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their cry for help.
The face of the Lord is set
against those who do what is evil
to erase all memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
and delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
He saves those crushed in spirit.
Many adversities come to the one who is righteous,
but the Lord delivers him from them all.
He protects all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
The Lord redeems the life of His servants,
and all who take refuge in Him will not be punished.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE:
Experiencing Brokenness
Instead of withdrawing and isolating ourselves, lean in.
Instead of being hardened by our pain, be vulnerable.
Instead of being skeptical, be reminded.
Instead of running away, make space.
Being People Who Walk with Others Through Brokenness
Be present.
Listen with love.
Weep with those who weep.
Carry each other’s burdens.
The Prophet Micah’s instructions to ‘act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly’ first function as an indictment against Judah’s rich and powerful. Judah’s political and religious leaders had turned to exploitive practices to line their pockets and accumulate influence all at the detriment to the disenfranchised. Thus, Micah’s prophesy reverberates through the ages as a poignant reminder for the people of God to use whatever power we have at our disposal for the flourishing of others.
Three Things to Remember:
A prophet is a messenger sent by God to call the People of God back to covenantal or relational faithfulness.
The Old Testament Covenant was an agreement between God and Israel. When a covenant is broken, the relationship is broken, and there is fallout from the broken relationship.
God does not just leave the people in their brokenness. He works to restore his relationship with them, the covenant through the prophets.
Image bearers have power that is meant for the flourishing of others, to be shared in community through justice, mercy, and humility.
Micah 6:8 “ He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Idols of Judah:
Idol of Money
God cares about what we think about money, and how we steward it.
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” 1 Timothy 6:7
Idol of Power (Resource: Playing God by Andy Crouch)
Power can be bolstered by a multitude of things.
Privilege:
It’s the responsibility of the privileged one to determine how their power will be stewarded
“The exercise of true power always involves us in risk and requires creaturely dependence on God and other people.” - Andy Crouch
Authority
Hidden habits and hidden loves corrupt souls until they overpower us and lead to injustices
Idol of Pride
Pride can be summed as the idol of self.
Self-sufficiency is a lack of humble submission to God
Biblical Power
Biblical power is meant for creating space for thriving, collaboration, reconciliation, relationships, and multiplication of power.
God’s desire is for image bearers to practice their authority in a way that embodies the commitment to giving of yourself to God and giving of your power to and for others.
“Power is nothing without Love and Love without power is less than what it was meant to be.” - Andy Crouch
Acting justly is a lifestyle. When we love mercy, acts of justice will follow.
“True power that multiplies is on the other side of the choice to empty ourselves of power.” - Andy Crouch
Three Actions to Help Us Reclaim the Gift of Power:
1 Abide with the Lord
Resource: Invitation to a Journey by Robert Mulholland
2 Be Interruptible
Add one solitary discipline to your rhythm
3 Silence, Solitude, Fasting
Disclaimer: if you’ve ever suffered from an eating disorder or live with a diagnosed medical condition, you should consult a doctor, therapist, or pastor prior to fasting.
The story of Jonah lives in the imagination of many as the story of a runaway prophet and a big fish. While those are elements of the story they are far from the point. Rather, Jonah is the startling and bizarre story of what happens when our enemy-hate runs into the grace of God.
Context:
No other book like this one in all of scripture. Jonah starts off similar to the other Minor Prophets but is actually about the prophet himself.
One of the few minor prophets of which we do not know who the author is, the other being Malachi.
A prophet is simply a messenger of the Lord to call the People of God back to covenant faith.
Theologians have two schools of thought when it comes to Jonah:
Historic Story
A Parable using real people. Jonah was mentioned in 2 Kings as a prophet that prophesied that Israel will expand its borders. Jesus also mentions Jonah displaying similarities of Jonah being in the belly of a fish for three days and himself being in the tomb for 3 days.
Jonah’s behavior is dramatic yet we can act like Jonah often. You will find that Jonah is really a story that is aimed at us, God’s believers.
Narrative:
Jonah 1:
Jonah means ‘Dove’. Amittai means ‘Faithfulness’. So Jonah begins with the line, “Now the word of the Lord came to Dove son of Faithfulness. This is ironic, as Jonah is the most faithless person in this story.
Jonah is tasked to go to Nineveh and to call out against their evil. Of which there is some historical context to understand here.
Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian empire.
They were brutal people with ruthless practices.
Assyrians were responsible for near genocide of the Hebrew people, killing 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Jonah instead flees the presence of God to Tarshish, the farthest west city of the known world.
The Lord prepares a mighty tempest that nearly destroys the boat. As a result the sailors interrogate Jonah. Of which ends with him being thrown overboard and then swallowed by a great fish.
Jonah 2:
We see our son of Faithfulness in the belly of the fish. He ends his poem with this ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’
He then is vomited up onto dry land.
Jonah 3:
Jonah is commissioned once again to carry out the task that the Lord has for him.
He gets to Nineveh and preaches an eight word sermon. “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown”
He doesn’t mention what evil they have done or what they need to do to not be overthrown.
He doesn’t lie with this sermon. God does indeed overthrow the Ninevites, just not not the way that you would expect. He overthrows their hearts
Word even reaches the king of Nineveh and he issues a bizarre decree. No man nor beast can taste anything and that they all be covered in sackcloth.
God relents from sending destruction.
Jonah 4:
If we were to not have Jonah 4, Jonah would have a happy ending. But, Jonah 4 has the big reveal of why Jonah didn’t want to come to Nineveh to begin with.
We assume that Jonah doesn’t want to come to Nineveh because he was afraid of the Ninevites, but it is actually because he hated them. This begs the question, what do we do when God loves our enemy?
Jonah then laments to God and quotes God’s own words to him from Exodus 34:6.
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…”
The Old Testament covenant was an agreement between God and Israel. Exodus 34:6 was God’s response to Israel after they made a golden calf and God still chooses to renew the covenant and to not leave his people in their brokenness. They ask God why would you do this? Exodus 34:6 is his response.
Jonah’s true worst enemy in this story is himself.
Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us. - Charles Spurgeon
Our hatred can blind us from part of what God has for us.
God asks a simple question, “Do you do well to be angry?”
Jonah completely ignores this question. Then he goes outside of the city to watch what would become of it.
God then has a plant grow next to Jonah which gives him shade. This makes him exceedingly glad. Not too long after, God appoints a worm to attack the plant making it wither.
God is using this as a teaching moment for his prophet. God is still not finished with Jonah. He still has one more person to reach, Jonah.
Although Jonah messes up so many times, God is in fact gracious and compassionate. Slow to anger and abounding in love.
Jonah’s anger went from avoidance to anger to selfishness.
The Lord ends Jonah with this question, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”
The Ninvevites didn’t know any better.
God is inviting us to all meditate on these questions. Should he not pity those who we call enemies as well?
Spiritual Practice
Forgiveness of our enemies is key.
“The first step towards enemy love is recognizing the common humanity, the common brokenness that we all share.” - Tim Mackey
Sit down and meditate with a pen an paper of a time where someone displayed a characteristic that made you upset or hurt you. Now meditate and think of a time where you displayed that same attribute.
Humble yourself. There is pride in our hatred. It can cause us to completely miss what God has for us.
Take joy in the small mundane day-to-day interactions. God could be using these small conversations to impact this person in a huge way.
Pride is any internal deliberation, or outward attitude that diminishes others. It is an insidious emotion that disrupts the community and isolates us from others. The Prophet Obadiah’s message is a divine pride check for the nation of Edom centuries ago and for us today who maintain the same sense of unhealthy pride. In order to become a spiritually, and emotionally healthy community, we must reflect on the destruction egotistical pride has the potential to cause in our life, and then we must look to our subversive savior for direction.
Welcome to a community pride check.
Call them pride checks, or embarrassing moments; we have all had moments when our pride does not allow us to move forward well, and love others in the process.
What we do know about Obadiah and the minor prophets.
The prophets are messengers sent by God to call the People of God back to covenantal or relational faithfulness.
The Old Testament Covenant was an agreement between God and Israel. When a covenant is broken, the relationship is broken, and there is fallout from the broken relationship.
God does not just leave the people in their brokenness. He works to restore his relationship with them, the covenant through the prophets. He helps them learn to live in his new kingdom.
There is space for a good sense of pride.
Good pride is acknowledging accomplishments you (and others) have worked hard for.
Bad pride is any internal deliberation, or outward attitude that diminishes others.
(We should not resist vulnerability. We should resist the urge to use our past hardships or accomplishments to attempt to gain power in relationships.)
Bad pride is the hard truth of when it gets in the way of revealing the Kingdom of Jesus in Kansas City. (God hates this.)
Problem: The more we allow ourselves to abide by pride, the more we do it subconsciously. Pride is the root cause of all sin.
Historical Context:
Jacob’s line = Israel (God’s chosen nation).
Esau’s line = Edom (Systematically self-focused).
When Israel was being destroyed by Babylon, Edom chose to watch their brother nation come to ruin. Then, they looted the ruins.
Edom took pride in their physical security. Edom’s capital city, Petra, literally means “rock.” It was an impenetrable fortress high up in mountain clefts. This was Edom’s pride and joy; the centerpiece of their security. Their primary attitude existed as “Who could ever reach us from up here?” Which applied both to their geographic location, as well as their spiritual relationship with the Lord.
But hedges mean nothing to God.
Obadiah 6 says “Every nook and cranny of Edom will be searched and looted. Every treasure will be found and taken.”
Edom took pride in their strong alliances. They participated in the destruction of Israel by siding with wicked Babylon. They wanted to maintain connections to success, even if that meant evildoing.
Edom took pride in their own sense of wisdom. They assumed that because they were smart, they were also independent from God.
“The first and worst cause of errors that abound in our day and age is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit to darken the mind and misleads `judgment. Pride is the main handle by which he has hold of Christian persons and the chief source of all the mischief that he introduces to clog and hinder the work of God.” - Johnathan Edwards
May spiritual wisdom not be used to gain leverage or power over others, as so many have done. May it not morph into a mode of pridefulness, taking place of humility.
Edom was prideful of:
their own sense of security;
their strong alliances;
and their perception of wisdom.
They were blinded by their pride, and they disobeyed God by aiding in the destruction of their brother/neighbor. (FOR THIS, GOD WAS ANGRY.)
He pride-checked them. God called them out for (at least) three things:
Verse 11. Edom! You should have helped Israel when strangers plundered Jerusalem. But because you stood back, you are as guilty as those who invaded (11).
Verse 12. Edom, you gloated over their brothers in the days of their misfortune. You took pleasure in the harm that came to Israel (12).
Verses 13-14. Edom, you exploited Jerusalem by looting the city. When you stood at the crossroads while people fled. And when you captured Israelites to traffic (13-14).
Verse 15. Obadiah reminds Edom that the day of the Lord is coming. What they have done will be done to them.
“Those who are high and powerful today should not be so overconfident in themselves, whether they are a nation, a corporation, a church, or a family. Just as Edom was destroyed for its pride, so will anyone who lives in defiance of God” (What Ticks God Off, Jantz).
To start the pride-checking process we must acknowledge where it is occurring.
Where are the patterns of pride in your life?
Does it get in the way of having genuine relationships with people?
What are the messy closets you’re trying to hide away, making sure no one can see?
Is the pride of your home a hindrance to enjoying your family?
Is the pride of your friend group excluding people you know you need to support?
Is the pride of your education or your accolades coming into conversations more than your ability to listen to someone else’s ordinary life?
Are you paying more attention to protecting your pride or allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you?
Solution: Take the cue from the Son of God.
When Edom, a spiteful nation was destroyed, it was rubble. When Jesus, a holy man was destroyed, there was resurrection. Out of His destruction came life.
Luke 14:11 “All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
God’s solution to pride based on our idea of independence and self-sufficiency is to humble ourselves. Humility is not weakness. It is not solving our problems alone. It is not holding superiority over others. It is a radical, subversive way of life that Jesus has taught us.
1 Chronicles 7:14 "My people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways.”
Defending against pride according to the Father:
Prayer
Seek His face
Turn from wicked ways
“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Romans 12:9 (NLT)
Just as Edom was responsible for taking care of its brother nation, we are responsible for taking care of the brother/sisterhood of humanity. God has not called us to always be waiting to do the right thing. In our doing, may we not be so inwardly focused, overwhelmed by the big picture of everything, that we forget about our own neighborhoods and apartment complexes
The beginning of Obadiah is a somber declaration of God’s impending judgment upon a prideful nation. The ending contains a joyful noise of “the Lord himself will be King.”
Blessed by God, for we have realized our need for Him. For the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to us.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:3
Whether it is multi-million-dollar settlements where companies do not have to admit guilt, ministries hiding sexual abuse or covering up theft, or platforming the narcissistic pastor so that they can save face. We have witnessed the fallout from wrongdoing, both on a personal and national level. This is just how the world works, right? The Prophet Amos challenges this status quo and reminds the people of God that we have a role to play in bringing about justice.
Now Dylan has a song called “God On Our Side” where he traces some of the moments from America’s history and speaks about how he was taught that we won wars and had a right to manifest our destiny because God Was On Our Side. And one of the verses goes like this:
Through many a dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ was
Betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.
Am I a part of the problem? Am I contributing to ecological disasters? Am I caught up in the extreme consumerist attitude of the culture? Am I doing anything to help my city and my neighbors suffering from injustice? Do I have implicit or explicit prejudice? Does the change I want to see in the world need to start with me?
Amos, like all prophets, is a messenger sent by God to call the people of God back to covenantal or relational faithfulness.
Amos is advocating on behalf of the covenant God established with the Israelite people. Which is consistently broken by their sin, rebellion, and unjust treatment of one another resulting in a broken relationship between the people and God..."
“Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye' while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye,” (Matthew 7:3-5).
Justice and Righteousness is THE key theme for the book of Amos.
God has called us to change our hearts, not just our clothes. To be people who go through both outward AND inward change. Israel, however, thought changing their clothes was enough.
Amos 5:21-24, I hate, I despise your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. Even if you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle. Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream.
“What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not!” Romans 6:1
The prophets never separated themselves from the people of Israel.
They led through their EMBODIMENT, not through political or social power.
“Forgive US our debts,” Matthew 6:12
“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44
“Seek God and live.” Amos 5:4
Spiritual Practice:
Grieve/Lament
Personal inventory
Energization/Hope
Luke 19:41-44, “41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
“Faith without works is dead.” James 2:17
In a moment that is marked by celebrity, clout, and influencers, we can come to believe that the work of God is reserved for the few, the special, the called. But the prophet Joel outlines that a day is coming in which God’s Spirit will be poured out on all people. Joel says God’s invitation is for everyday ordinary people to join him in the renewal of our world.
A 2022 report done by the Mental Health Million Project at Sapien labs found that people between the ages of 18-24 became fixated with one or more celebrities at 12 times the rate of their parent’s generation.
The first shall be last and the last first (Matthew 20:16)
Blessed are the meek and poor (Matthew 5)
Go and tell no one that I have healed you - Various scriptures
“Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.” -Luke 9:58 (MSG)
An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” - Luke 9:46-48
God’s invitation is for everyday ordinary people to join him in the renewal of our world.
Prophet Defined: The prophets are messengers sent by God to call the People of God back to covenantal or relational faithfulness.
Covenant Defined: The Old Testament Covenant was an agreement between God and Israel. When a covenant is broken, the relationship is broken, and there is fallout from the broken relationship.
Good News: God does not just leave the people in their brokenness. He works to restore his relationship with them, the covenant through the prophets. He helps them learn to live in his new kingdom.
A few things about the book of Joel-
There is no explicit indication of when it was written. People believe it was written during the time period of Ezra-Nehemiah after Israel’s return from exile during and after Jerusalem's destruction.
Joel is also different because he refers to many of the other prophets.
Joel never accuses Israel of a particular sin.
Joel teaches us that as everyday ordinary people we join God in the renewal of our world by:
Changing our lives, not just our clothes
Coming back to our God
Receiving the Spirit
Change your life, not just your clothes
“Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God!” - Joel 1:13
“A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” - Galatians 6:7-9
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” -Joel 2:12-13
“Come back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!” 13–14 Change your life, not just your clothes.” -Joel 2:12-13 MSG
Come back to God again and again
“It is the task of the prophet to stand up in such moments of catastrophe and clarify who God is and how he acts.” - Eugene Peterson
“Come back to me and really mean it! Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!” 13–14 Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God. And here’s why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now, maybe he’ll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all’s said and done, there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God!” -Joel 2:12-14 (MSG)
In Exodus 34, Moses encountered the God of Israel and wrote– “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” –Exodus 34:6.
In Psalm 108, David, Israel’s most famous king, declares– “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” –Psalm 108:3–4.
The apostle John writes- “God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” –1 John 4:8-9.
Receive the Spirit
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants” - Joel 2:28-29
Spiritual Practice
Suggestion 1: Some of us really need to work on changing our lives, not just our clothes.
Suggestion 2: Some of us need to work on really knowing who God is.
Suggestion 3: Some of us need to be open and receptive to the leading of the Spirit.
The Story of Hosea offers a jarring illustration of Israel’s unfaithfulness and idolatry through the marriage of Hosea and Gomer. But the story of Hosea does not dwell on the actions of Gomer, but rather it emphasizes God's action through Hosea and the restoration we are all offered.
The prophets are messengers sent by God to call the People of God back to covenantal faithfulness. God is consistently faithful to his people, even when we fall short.
The Old Testament Covenant was an agreement between God and Israel. When a covenant is broken, the relationship is broken, and there is fallout from the broken relationship.
The prophet's invitation is to reflect and restore a broken covenant, coming back in relationship with God and restoring the faithfulness of Israel to the covenantal relationship.
When the covenant is restored, the people live as God has called them to live. They understand their calling as Kingdom people and live in that kingdom reality.
When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” Hosea 1:2
And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a bussell of barley. And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” Hosea 3:1-3
A Marriage:
God has chosen us from the beginning of time. He has pursued us.
Adultery:
The world was very chaotic around Hosea. Israel was split into two kingdoms. They were referred to the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. Hosea was from and lived in the Northern Kingdom. Kings of Israel kept getting assassinated. The Assyrians were pressuring the nation of Israel. So Israel had the choice to follow God or the gods of the nations around them.
Baal was the god of life and fertility. This is ironic because Baal was a false God. The people had the real God all along but chose to seek the other.
Illustration:
The cactus is a very hardy plant. It can survive extreme weather. Going from Cold to intense heat. All the cactus needs is a little water and Sun. It can not live without the Sun. What kills the Cacti is over-watering. We are the same. All we need is God. But we tend to fill our lives with other things to replace God. We over water ourselves. We are committing Adultery to God when we try to replace him.
Restoration:
The story of Hosea does not dwell on the actions of Gomer. The story dwells on God's actions through Hosea. Buying his wife back. Cleaning her up. Restoring her.
Gomer is a picture of us.
Hosea is a picture of our God.
He will do whatever it takes to restore her to himself, even if she currently has no intention of changing her ways. - Eric J Tully
Each time you fall He’ll pick you up. He knows your own efforts are never going to bring you anywhere near perfection - CS Lewis
Other examples of restoration: David, Peter, Barnabas, Paul
Spiritual Practice:
We are not perfect, we have not arrived. One of the biggest lies today is we don't have to change. We do have to change EVERYDAY.
Abide in Christ
Accept the Forgiven Life
Prioritize a Jesus Community
Following the victory of Jesus’ resurrection, the natural impulse would be to think ‘practicing resurrection’ is to move from mountain top to mountain top; from spectacle to spectacle. However, anyone who has followed Jesus for a significant amount of time knows that most of our life is lived between mountain tops, in the mundane and ordinary. Jesus’ invitation is to become aware of His presence in every moment of life.
“The practice of resurrection is an intentional, deliberate decision to believe and participate in resurrection life, a life out of death, a life that trumps death, a life that is the last word, Jesus-life.” – Eugene Peterson
The moment we reside in is becoming increasingly post-Christian.
In his work Sickness unto Death, Phillip Reiff divided Western history into three phases or what he calls “worlds;” I think his summary is helpful in understanding the moment we find ourselves.
The First World is the Pre-Christian World.
This is a pagan culture with a pantheon of gods, and spiritual creatures hiding behind every bush. The culture pushes towards belief in an enchanted reality.
The Second World is the Christian World.
To be clear there has never been a Christian culture. What Rieff argues is that the cultural momentum of this Second World pushed one toward Christian institutions. In this world, it is economically, politically, and socially expedient to be “Christian”.
The Third World as Rieff imagined was Post-Christian.
This isn’t a world that has moved on from Christianity; in so much as it is reacting against Christianity.
To be post-Christian is to become increasingly unaware of those origins, and to react against Christianity.
“Let’s face it: we have become unwelcome guests in this post-Christian world. Our children ride their scooters in neighborhoods where conservative [orthodox] Christianity is dismissed or denounced as irrelevant, irrational, discriminatory, and dangerous. Many of us go to work in places where sensitivity training has become an Orwellian nightmare… Christian common sense is declared ‘hate speech’ by the new keepers of this culture. The old rules don’t apply anymore. Many Christians genuinely do not know what to say to their unbelieving neighbors. The language and the logic have changed almost overnight.” –Rosaria Butterfield
“He [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd, he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for [Jesus] was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” –Luke 19:1–10.
Israel is an occupied territory, under the oppression of the Roman Empire. A Roman tax collector was one that collected exorbitantly-high Roman taxes, sometimes up to 50% from his friends, family, neighbors, and fellow Jews.
“To stay in such a person’s home was tantamount to sharing in his sin.”– I. Howard Marshall
But throughout the ministry of Jesus, he is consistently criticized for who he shares meals.
“…the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable…” Luke 15:2–3 (ESV)
Throughout his Gospel, Luke presents meals as one of Jesus’ basic strategies for mission. (Luke 5:27–32; 7:36-50; 9: 13-16; 22:7-23; 24:13-33)
Three types of meals that we, as apprentices of Jesus, are invited to;
A meal with God.
A meal with family.
A meal with the lost.
A Meal with God:
In the pattern of the early church, and in response to Jesus’ instructions to “do this in remembrance of me” we center our community gatherings around a table and partaking in the Meal that Jesus gave us.
Christ has invited us to share a meal with Him; a meal that is now infused with His story, His power, and His hospitality–it is first and foremost the meal that Jesus gave us.
A Meal with Family:
When we confess Jesus as Lord, we join the family of the redeemed. A divine household that transcends space and time, culture, nationality, and ethnicity.
When we come together as the family of God, in microchurches, we declare that we are a new family learning to live as God’s people.
A Meal with the Lost:
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” –Luke 19:10.
Jesus’ invitation is for any who find themselves wandering and lost to be adopted by God the Father and to find a home in the Family of God.
It is a beautiful invitation that often begins with a meal.
“In a post-Christian community, words can only be as strong as your relationships. Your best weapon is an open door, a set table, a fresh pot of coffee, and a box of Kleenex.” –Rosea Butterfield
Practicing the meal(s)
Resist idealizing meals.
Hospitality is a posture, not a resource.
We are nourished for our mission by partaking of meals with God and family.
In the West, we are experiencing a monumental shift in which the culture at large is increasingly post-Christian. It's not that culture has abandoned Christianity altogether, it is that culture is reacting against Christianity. In this moment, how do we proclaim the good news when so many have already decided that it is not good news? We believe that there is a practice of Jesus that subverts the ideological defenses of our neighbors and sets a table for an encounter with the Kingdom.
“The practice of resurrection is an intentional, deliberate decision to believe and participate in resurrection life, a life out of death, a life that trumps death, a life that is the last word, Jesus-life.” – Eugene Peterson
The moment we reside in is becoming increasingly post-Christian.
In his work Sickness unto Death, Phillip Reiff divided Western history into three phases or what he calls “worlds;” I think his summary is helpful in understanding the moment we find ourselves.
The First World is the Pre-Christian World.
This is a pagan culture with a pantheon of gods, and spiritual creatures hiding behind every bush. The culture pushes towards belief in an enchanted reality.
The Second World is the Christian World.
To be clear there has never been a Christian culture. What Rieff argues is that the cultural momentum of this Second World pushed one toward Christian institutions. In this world, it is economically, politically, and socially expedient to be “Christian”.
The Third World as Rieff imagined was Post-Christian.
This isn’t a world that has moved on from Christianity; in so much as it is reacting against Christianity.
To be post-Christian is to become increasingly unaware of those origins, and to react against Christianity.
“Let’s face it: we have become unwelcome guests in this post-Christian world. Our children ride their scooters in neighborhoods where conservative [orthodox] Christianity is dismissed or denounced as irrelevant, irrational, discriminatory, and dangerous. Many of us go to work in places where sensitivity training has become an Orwellian nightmare… Christian common sense is declared ‘hate speech’ by the new keepers of this culture. The old rules don’t apply anymore. Many Christians genuinely do not know what to say to their unbelieving neighbors. The language and the logic have changed almost overnight.” –Rosaria Butterfield
“He [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd, he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for [Jesus] was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” –Luke 19:1–10.
Israel is an occupied territory, under the oppression of the Roman Empire. A Roman tax collector was one that collected exorbitantly-high Roman taxes, sometimes up to 50% from his friends, family, neighbors, and fellow Jews.
“To stay in such a person’s home was tantamount to sharing in his sin.”– I. Howard Marshall
But throughout the ministry of Jesus, he is consistently criticized for who he shares meals.
“…the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable…” Luke 15:2–3 (ESV)
Throughout his Gospel, Luke presents meals as one of Jesus’ basic strategies for mission. (Luke 5:27–32; 7:36-50; 9: 13-16; 22:7-23; 24:13-33)
Three types of meals that we, as apprentices of Jesus, are invited to;
A meal with God.
A meal with family.
A meal with the lost.
A Meal with God:
In the pattern of the early church, and in response to Jesus’ instructions to “do this in remembrance of me” we center our community gatherings around a table and partaking in the Meal that Jesus gave us.
Christ has invited us to share a meal with Him; a meal that is now infused with His story, His power, and His hospitality–it is first and foremost the meal that Jesus gave us.
A Meal with Family:
When we confess Jesus as Lord, we join the family of the redeemed. A divine household that transcends space and time, culture, nationality, and ethnicity.
When we come together as the family of God, in microchurches, we declare that we are a new family learning to live as God’s people.
A Meal with the Lost:
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” –Luke 19:10.
Jesus’ invitation is for any who find themselves wandering and lost to be adopted by God the Father and to find a home in the Family of God.
It is a beautiful invitation that often begins with a meal.
“In a post-Christian community, words can only be as strong as your relationships. Your best weapon is an open door, a set table, a fresh pot of coffee, and a box of Kleenex.” –Rosea Butterfield
Practicing the meal(s)
Resist idealizing meals.
Hospitality is a posture, not a resource.
We are nourished for our mission by partaking of meals with God and family.
In a society where friendship is networking, a strategy for career moves, a transaction, where you can be lonely in a room full of people, Jesus-followers can demonstrate a friendship that reflects Christ's wholly undeserved and self-sacrificial death. To live as Jesus did, to practice resurrection, we must be in community. We have to have friends. You cannot preach the Gospel alone. You cannot love alone. You cannot follow Jesus alone.
“[Loneliness is] proven to be worse for health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day.” - Mark Robinson
The CDC states on their website that there is a strong correlation between loneliness and increased health risks for those over the age of 50:
Social isolation significantly increased a person’s risk of premature death from all causes, a risk that may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.
Social isolation was associated with about a 50% increased risk of dementia.
Poor social relationships (characterized by social isolation or loneliness) was associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke.
Loneliness was associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide.
Gallup states, “Experiencing significant loneliness is entangled in a larger global issue of mental health and emotional wellbeing. Recent Gallup research estimates that over 300 million people globally don’t have a single friend, and one in five don’t have friends or family that they can count on when needed.”
According to a Gallup poll conducted in January of 2023, 17% or 44 million American adults experienced significant loneliness, reporting they felt lonely “a lot of the day yesterday.”
Young adults under the age of 30 account for 24% or around 10 million adults who experience severe loneliness in America.
David Brooks, opinion writer for the New Yorker, argues that we have shifted from identity politics that emphasize our common humanity to identity politics that emphasize a common enemy.
To follow Jesus is to be community, to have friends.
Practicing Resurrection:
Our God defeated death; The central message of our faith is that Jesus died, was buried, and came back to life in the flesh (Mark 16:9, John 20:18, Matthew 28:9, Luke 24:34, Luke 24:13-31, John 20:19 and 26, John 21:1, etc.).
Easter is everything. More than a day or a celebration of Spring, Easter is the climax of the Christian story. It is God’s invitation to belong to a new world, his kingdom.
We practice resurrection. In the words of Eugene Peterson, “The practice of resurrection is an intentional, deliberate decision to believe and participate in resurrection life, a life out of death, a life that trumps death, a life that is the last word, Jesus-life.”
“The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” - Matthew 10:2-4
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:34-35
“This is where we as Christians have such a beautiful story to tell. They will know you are Christians, how? By being friends.” - Professor Dan Hasse
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another. - John 15:12-27
“The named people remind us that the resurrection takes place among men and women like us—puzzled, bewildered, confused, questioning, and even stubbornly doubting friends. And yes, also singing and believing and praying and obeying friends.” - Eugene Peterson
To follow Jesus is to be in community, to have friends.
2 Barriers, 3 Suggestions:
Barrier 1: Hurt
Barrier 2: Hiding
Suggestion 1: Intentionality
Suggestion 2: Trust
Suggestion 3: Hospitality
Rosaria Butterfield: “In a post-Christian community, words can only be as strong as your relationships. Your best weapon is an open door, a set table, a fresh pot of coffee, and a box of Kleenex.”
What do we do about our never-ending pressure to have more, to work more, and to be defined by our work? In the Christian tradition, our response is Sabbath, a practice that frees us.
Practicing Resurrection:
Our God defeated death.
Easter changes everything.
We practice resurrection.
“The practice of resurrection is an intentional, deliberate decision to believe and participate in resurrection life, a life out of death, a life that trumps death, a life that is the last word, Jesus-life.” -Eugene Peterson
“26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth…”28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it… 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good… 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” - Genesis 1:26-2:3
Things we learn from the creation account:
Work is not bad.
God rested.
We were meant for rest- it is part of our identity.
Egyptian economy of work found in Exodus 5:
v. 4 Pharaoh says, “[W]hy are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!”
v. 7-8 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But you shall require of them the same quantity of bricks as they have made previously; do not diminish it, for they are lazy.”
v. 9 “Let heavier work be laid on them; then they will labor at it and pay no attention to deceptive words.”
v. 10-11 “I will not give you straw. Go and get straw yourselves, wherever you can find it; but your work will not be lessened in the least.”
v. 14 “Why did you not finish the required quantity of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before?”
v. 17-19 “You are lazy, lazy; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ Go now, and work; for no straw will be given you but you shall still deliver the same number of bricks.”
God’s economy:
“8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” -Exodus 20:8-11
“There are limits to how much and how long slaves must produce bricks! There are limits to how much food Pharaoh can store and consume and administer. The limit is set by the weekly work pause that breaks the production cycle. And those who participate in it break the anxiety cycle. They are invited to awareness that life does not consist in frantic production and consumption that reduces everyone else to threat and competitor. And as the work stoppage permits a waning of anxiety, so energy is redeployed to the neighborhood. The odd insistence of the God of Sinai is to counter anxious productivity with committed neighborliness. The latter practice does not produce so much; but it creates an environment of security and respect and dignity that redefines the human project.” - Walter Brueggemann
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” - Mark 2:27-28
“The brilliance of sabbath is not so much in sabbath keeping but in sabbath keeping us.” -Rich Villodas
“Sabbath is not primarily about us or how it benefits us. It is about God and how God forms us. It is not, in the first place, about what we do or don’t do. It’s about God completing and resting and blessing and sanctifying. These are all things that we don’t know much about. They are beyond us, but they are not beyond our recognition and participation. Sabbath does, however, mean stopping and being quiet long enough to see, open-eyed with wonder—resurrection wonder.” - Eugene Peterson
Sabbath: a 24 hour period every week to stop, delight, and worship.
“Sabbath moves us from production to presence. Sabbath is not just a rest from making things; it is rest from making something of ourselves.” - Rich VIllodas
“People who keep Sabbath live all seven days differently.” - Walter Brueggemann
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest.” -Hebrews 4:9-11
The Resurrection of Jesus is the defeat of death and the beginning of a new creation. It stands as an invitation into a new story; a story that replaces our disenchantment with wonder.
“if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and…. we are of all people most to be pitied.” –1 Corinthians 15:17, 19
To be culturally disenchanted
In Taylor's work The Secular Age, Taylor suggests that in the past 200 years, we have told, and been told a disenchanted story.
Living out a disenchanted story is not just giving up on believing in the supernatural; it includes a sense that science and technology have an explanation for every question we may ever ask.
“You never understand everything. When one understands everything, one has gone crazy.” – Phillip Anderson
“You think that [humans]--can figure it all out? This to me seems so crazy! It cannot possibly be true! What they figured out is one particular response to their actions, and this response gives this universe, and the reality that is behind this is laughing! ‘Ha ha! They think they have found me out!”–Paul Feyerabend
Disenchanted stories leave us desperate for answers to all of our questions– and only leave us left with a sense of emptiness.
And is it possible that in telling this disenchanted story we’ve lost something essential?
Might it be that the story of Easter is an invitation to a life of wonder?
“The women who had come with [Jesus] from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath, they rested according to the commandment. – Luke 23:55-56
24 “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” – Luke 24:1-3
“4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” – Luke 24:4-5
To their shock, instead of the body of their King– they are greeted by two heavenly messengers with a question that will rock them to their core– “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
“6 He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” – Luke 24:6-7
“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” –Luke 24:26–27.
The Bible is a library of ancient writings, of both divine and human origin, that tell a unified story that leads to Jesus.
“all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.” – Romans 3:23
The Resurrection is Jesus' victory over death, sin, and the Evil one.
“The good news is that the one true God has now taken charge of the world, in and through Jesus and his death and resurrection. The ancient hopes have indeed been fulfilled, but in a way nobody imagined. God’s plan to put the world right has finally been launched. The ancient sickness that had crippled the whole world, and humans with it, has been cured at last, so that new life can rise up in its place. Life has come to life and is pouring out like a mighty river into the world, in the form of a new power, the power of love. The good news was, and is, that all this has happened in and through Jesus; that one day it will happen, completely and utterly, to all creation; and that we humans, every single one of us, whoever we are, can be caught up in that transformation here and now. This is the Christian Gospel. Do not allow yourself to be fobbed off with anything else.” – NT Wright
“And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” –Luke 24:8-12
θαυμάζω | thaumazō
marvel
be atonished
wonder
Luke’s strange tale of Easter has wonder right at its center.
The women were perplexed by the empty tomb…
The women were frightened by the appearance of the angels
Peter went home marveling, [in wonder] at what had happened…
“The practice of resurrection is an intentional, deliberate decision to believe and participate in resurrection life, a life out of death, a life that trumps death, a life that is the last word, Jesus-life.” –Eugene Peterson
Cultivating a Sense of Wonder
Pay attention to Beauty.
Open yourself up to the gift of others.
Consider the Resurrected Christ.
It is the best-selling book of all time and sits at the center of our cultural consciousness, yet the Bible remains a difficult element of our faith. The confusion around the Bible might simply be that we’ve lost sight of what it is; a library of ancient writings, of both divine and human origin, that tell a unified story that leads to Jesus.
Three questions–
Why should we trust the Bible?
What is the Bible?
And how should we engage with the Bible?
Why should we trust the bible?
“Our trust in the Bible stems from our trust in Jesus Christ… I don’t trust in Jesus because I trust the Bible; I trust the Bible because I trust in Jesus. I love him, and I’ve decided to follow him, so if he talks and acts as if the Bible is trustworthy, authoritative, good, helpful and powerful, I will too… Even if some of my questions remain unanswered, or my answers remain unpopular.” – Andrew Wilson
We trust the bible because Jesus trusted the bible.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. – Matthew 5:17 ESV (emphasis added)
What is the Bible?
“[Christ’s] sayings were no repeal of the former [the Old Testament], but a drawing out and filling up of them.” – Chrysostom
The Bible is a library of ancient writings, of divine and human origin, that together tell a unified story that leads us to Jesus.
A Library of Ancient Writings
It is a collection of writings, with well over 60 authors spanning thousands of years, composed in several genres.
of Divine and Human Origins.
David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared…– Mark 12:36a.
The Bible’s origin is a divine and human collaboration– a perspective some have called the incarnational model of scripture.
A unified story
The bible can broadly condensed into three genres–
Narrative (44%)
Poetry (33%)
Discourse (23%)
A unified story of scripture in five parts–
Creation
Fall
Israel
Jesus
New Creation
That leads to Jesus.
“And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” – Luke 4:20-21 ESV
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me.”– John 5:39 ESV
How should we engage the bible?
Studying the Bible
The Bible Project.
Biblia.com,
Biblical commentaries
Study Bibles.
Being formed by the Bible.
Jesus’ imagination and thought patterns are so thoroughly saturated in the scriptures that he puts his suffering in the context of a longer story.
“When we submit our lives to what we read in scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but our stories in God's. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find themselves.”― Eugene Peterson
There is no technique or strategy to shape by the Scripture, there is just a posture.
In the West, we have come to believe that stuff can satisfy our deepest longings–we would never admit that, but our closets, amazon purchases, and bank account betray us. The problem isn’t just stuff; it is the place that stuff occupies in our heart. Jesus’ alternative; “seek first the Kingdom.'“
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” – Luke 12:15
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” – Luke 12:33
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”– Matthew 19:24
American Gospel: the more we have the happier we will be, more stuff is what we need.
The French sociologist Jean Baudrillard argues that atheism hasn’t replaced Christianity, shopping has.
“When we lose our divine center- our source of security- we have an insane attachment to things.” –Soren Kierkegaard
The problem isn’t just stuff. It’s also the place that stuff occupies in our heart.
Problem 1: Inward Stuff
“No servant can serve two masters… You cannot love God and love money.” – Luke 16:13
“Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God…But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort” – Luke 6:20,24
“where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21
Problem 2: Outward Stuff
“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” – Luke 12:15
“Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail.” – Luke 12:33
“Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. – Matthew 6:25-33
Soren Kierkegaard reflects on how we are to pursue the kingdom of God in light of this passage saying- Should a person get a suitable job in order to exert a virtuous influence? His answer: no, we must first seek God’s kingdom. Then should we give away all our money to feed the poor? Again the answer: no, we must first seek God’s kingdom. Well, then perhaps we are to go out and preach this truth to the world that people are to seek first God’s kingdom? Once again the answer is a resounding: no, we are first to seek the kingdom of God. “Then in a certain sense it is nothing I shall do. Yes, certainly, in a certain sense it is nothing, become nothing before God, learn to keep silent; in this silence is the beginning, which is, first to seek God’s Kingdom.” – Soren Kierkegaard
One Solution: Seek FIRST the kingdom of God.
“[Christian simplicity] is an inward reality that can be seen in an outward lifestyle or choosing to leverage time, money, talents and possessions toward what matters most.”– Richard Foster & Mark Scandrette
Further Resources:
Celebration of Disciplines by Richard Foster
Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
4 Simplicity practices:
Think before you buy
Get into the habit of giving things away
Live by a budget
Cultivate a deep appreciation for the little things.
“In everything, love simplicity.” – Saint Francis de Sales
We have a world that does its best to drown out silence and medicate loneliness with noise. When we experience a moment of silence it feels disruptive, unsettling, and agitating. Silence does not come naturally to us. But there is something beautiful in silence and solitude; It is where we enter into the mystery, the unknown, and realize that God is already there and has always been there.
As the Church of the West, we are far more familiar with the God of the mountaintop than the God of the wilderness. When suffering crashes into our lives we often wonder where God is, and Lent is an annual practice that teaches us to find His presence in our wilderness.
Word’s that describe silence: disruption, unsettled, agitated. Do those words come close to describing it? We don’t experience silence often.
When we leave this place, we are immediately greeted by the sounds of a large city. There are the mechanical whirling of automobiles, never ending construction, and the voices of the people going to and fro. In our cars, there is the constant beeping telling us that we really should put a seatbelt on that we drown out with our favorite sports commentator, podcast, or playlist. Or maybe you have a kid who does all the noise making you could ever need.
We can all empathize with the “white noise” of the world today whose volume knob has been turned all the way up to 11. On top of that, PEW research has shared that 22% of US adults struggle with feelings of loneliness during a typical week, which start rising exponentially with young kids, teens, and adults who regularly engage with things like social media.
Long story short, we have a world that does its best to drown out silence and medicate loneliness with noise. When we look at the world this way, it makes total sense why we would look at a period of silence with words like disruption, unsettled, and agitated. It is not something that comes naturally to us. And that is why, during the Lenten season, it is ever more important to talk about.
Confronting Comforting Loneliness:
We fear silence and we fear being alone.
The last person we want to be with is ourselves. We fear what will be uncovered. We fear the shadowy side of ourselves, the compilation of all of our worst traits that we know all too well. We fear the voice of the critic that brings forth accusations.
There is a time for silence and solitude, and a time for engaging back with the crowds.
Richard Foster, “Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.”
Christ Green, “We’ve made a world where it is easy to think that we can control what our experience is like all the time.”
That is the beauty of silence and solitude. It is where we enter into the mystery, the unknown, and realize that God is already there and has always been there. That is how we confront and sanctify loneliness.
Vision for New Horizons:
The Prophetic Imagination, a work by Walther Brueggemann describing how the prophets of the Old Testament had a two-pronged duty when trying to bring the people of God back into their roles as His covenant people when they had fallen astray. Now, when we hear the word “prophet,” you may think of several things: YouTube personalities screaming about an election or a recent event in the Middle East, crystal balls that predict future events, or even a bad movie depicting what they think the end times are going to be like. This is our culture’s view of prophecy, and though it can try to pass itself off as “Christian,” the reality of biblical prophecy is much deeper. When a messenger from God comes to His people, they have a lot more to say about God and His relationship with his church.
Prophetic Critique is the work of a prophet when they have to show people that things are not as they are supposed to be. This may include calling out things like idol worship, social and economic injustice, as well as periods of exile and wilderness.
Prophetic Energizing is when the prophet energizes the people of God for the work of ministry. If things are not as they should be, then we have work to do! We have wrongs to right. We have alternative kingdoms to live in!
This is where silence, solitude, and the prophetic imagination collide so beautifully. The New Testament tells us that we are not only a royal priesthood, but a prophetic people. When the Spirit descended at Pentecost, the same Spirit that emboldened the prophets for critique and energization entered the people of God. It is the same Spirit that we declare we believe in every Microchurch when we say the Apostle’s Creed. It is the same Spirit that is within us, guiding us as we go throughout our day to day.
Sense of Freedom:
John Mark Comer, “Anybody remember this? Waiting at a bus stop, stuck in traffic, sitting in the theater before a movie, in the back of a less-than-enthralling political science class with nothing for your mind to do but wander through the infinite realm of possibility? While it is easy to sentimentalize something as inane as boredom, none of us, honestly, wants to go back to a pre-digital world. We’re more efficient than ever. I get more done in less time than I ever dreamed possible a decade ago. But again, pros and cons. We now have access to infinity through our new cyborgesque selves, which is great, but we’ve also lost something crucial. All those little moments of boredom were potential portals to prayer. Little moments throughout our days to wake up to the reality of God all around us. To wake up to our own souls. To draw our minds’ attention (and with it, devotion) back to God; to come off the hurry drug and come home to awareness.”
There is so much freedom found when we can get off the hurry drug, or the white noise of normal, and come back to the reality of God all around us.
So, how do I practice silence and solitude?
First, let’s sanctify the small moments. Sanctify means “to make holy.” So when we say to sanctify the small moments, we mean to look for the small moments of quiet and invite God into them.
Second, make intentional time to practice silence and solitude. Find a closet, a park, or a breakroom to be a holy space where you can be alone with your Father in heaven who loves you. Find the time to cut out the white noise and look inward, to face the thoughts and impulses that we hid from everyone else and bring them before a compassionate God who knows just what it is like to do this whole human thing.
Finally, be ready for your silence and solitude to be interrupted.
John Mark Comer, “There are times when what you really need is alone time with Jesus, but, well, life happens. People happen. You set aside time to Sabbath or pray or just take a night off with no plan, but then you get a text from your boss, a minor crisis at work. Your two-year-old swallows a LEGO Kylo Ren. You Google ‘Closest emergency room.’ Your roommate had a bad day and could use a chat. Two hours later and they are still crying… Y’know, ordinary life stuff. Sound familiar? You ever feel like, try as you might, you just can’t get time to rest? You’re in good company with Jesus himself.”
The human condition is to experience a complex knot of desires. Many of those desires are God-given, good, and necessary for life on Earth. Many are disordered, nefarious, and destructive. For millennia, fasting, going without food and drink for a period of time, has been a core practice of the Church; this is in part because it brings our body and spirit into alignment clarifying our desires and reordering our appetites.
As the Church of the West, we are far more familiar with the God of the mountaintop than the God of the wilderness. When suffering crashes into our lives we often wonder where God is, and Lent is an annual practice that teaches us to find His presence in our wilderness.
Eugene Peterson calls spiritual disciplines, like abstinence and fasting, “voluntary disaster”.
We live by phrases like, “the heart wants what the heart wants.”
The result is that we find ourselves in a wilderness of competing desires.
In the language of the New Testament, this is the tug-of-war between your flesh & spirit.
In Freudian thought, this is called the pleasure principle.
pleasure principle
is decision-making that works toward immediate gratification and avoidance of pain, in order to satisfy biological or psychological needs.
It is to do whatever feels good at the moment.
In the language of New Testament the pleasure principle, this move toward instant gratification, is called “the flesh.”
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh –Ephesians 2:1–3.
Fasting is the practice of going without food and drink(excluding water) for a period of time.
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” –Genesis 3:1–6.
The fall of humanity is deeply connected to food; or more accurately, our inability to resist instant gratification.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God –Galatians 5:19–21.
The Genesis narrative demonstrates that we have the propensity to abandon God’s best, in favor of a quick fix– instant gratification
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:1–4.
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:16–18 (ESV)
Jesus assumes his disciples will fast because it helps us fight the flesh and feed on the Spirit.
31b “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” –John 4:31–34.
“[Fasting] is body talk—not the body simply talking for the spirit, for the mind, or for the soul in some symbolic way, but for the person, the whole person, to express herself or himself completely. Fasting is one way you and I bring our entire selves into complete expression. The Bible, because it advocates clearly that the person—heart, soul, mind, spirit, body—is embodied as a unity, assumes that fasting as body talk is inevitable.”– Scot McKnight
“Fasting helps us to express, to deepen, and to confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain the Kingdom of God.” – Andrew Murray
But Jesus also assumes we will mess it up.
In the midst of Lent; we commit ourselves to fasting as we journey with Jesus toward the cross.
“Sometimes, the call is made to fasting, and sometimes to a feast.” – St. Athanasius
So, how do I practice fasting?*
Pick a day and try it
I suggest fasting (going without food and drink) twice a week for twelve or twenty-four hours.
I would also suggest working your way up to longer fasts.
This may not be drastically different than your normal busy life. The goal is to be intentional with it.
*If you’ve ever suffered from an eating disorder or live with a diagnosed medical condition, you should consult a doctor, therapist, or pastor prior to fasting. Fasting is a helpful practice given to us by Christ, but notice that fasting is not intended to harm the body. Rather, it is designed to bring the body and soul into alignment.
If you’ve suffered from an eating disorder it is our belief that you can experience healing. With time, community, and Spirit’s help– healing is possible.
Lent provides an opportunity for us to practice drawing closer to God in the midst of suffering and the wilderness. We look to the example of Jesus, who in the moments where suffering is most difficult turned to prayer.
How do we pray in seasons of wilderness or suffering?
First, we learn that Jesus suffered.
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. –Isaiah 53:5
Second, we learn Jesus routinely responded to suffering with prayer.
Jesus prayed amidst grief
“10 [King Herod] sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter…12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus. 13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.” - Matthew 14:10-13
Jesus prayed amidst exhaustion
“But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” - John 5:15-16,
“And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” - Matthew 14:23
“Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” - Mark 6:31
Jesus prayed amidst anxiety
39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” - Luke 22:39-45
“And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives.” - Luke 22:39
In Jesus greatest moment of suffering, he prays because he has practiced it.
Suffering can draw us away from God but it can also draw us closer to him.
Two things to practice during lent:
Abstinence
The Lord’s prayer
“In the end, darkness is not explained; it is defeated. Night is not justified or solved; it is endured until light overcomes it and it is no more. In the meantime, we do not stop asking our questions of God. He allows us to ask them when we need to because he loves us. And we bring our perplexity into the prayers and practices of the church so that they can shape and direct our own questions. Through its prayers, practices, and gathered worship, the church tells us over and over again, “This is what God is like. This is his name. This is how you know he loves you.” - Tish Harrison Ward, Prayer in the Night
As the Church of the West, we are far more familiar with the God of the mountaintop than the God of the wilderness. When suffering crashes into our lives we often wonder where God is, and Lent is an annual practice that teaches us to find His presence in our wilderness. The Wilderness is a place of harsh clarity, an uncluttered discomfort, where our hearts are laid bare before God– and we discover one that is always there.
As the people of God, tell time differently.
Whether we are aware or not, our calendars shape us.
As the Church, our calendars are patterned after the life of Jesus.
In each season, we are guided to reflect on a different moment in the life of Jesus. This is a guide that year over year shapes our identity, our practices, and our story.
Advent & Epiphany – God with us.
Lent – God prepares us.
Easter – God for us.
Pentecost – God in us.
Ordinary Time – God through us.
Lent is a season of preparation; dedication to repentance, abstinence, and fasting in order to prepare one’s heart for the celebration of Easter.
Lent is a season of preparation in the wilderness.
The Wilderness in Genesis
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.”–Genesis 1:1-2
5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground. –Genesis 2:5–6.
cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
–Genesis 3:17-19
Genesis 3 closes with humanity leaving the Garden and returning to the wasteland of their own making.
The Wilderness in Exodus
16…‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” –Exodus 7:16.
And in their idolatry and stubbornness, they live as nomads in the wilderness for forty years.
The Wilderness in 1 Kings 19
“Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And [Elijah] arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.”
And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper [or a thin silence]. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”–1 Kings 19:7–13.
There Elijah confesses his distrust of God; he repents of his mischaracterization of the God of Israel. God meets him in the wilderness, but that's only after Elijah abandons his post and gives ups.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the biographers of Jesus, each tell the story of our Messiah’s experience in the wilderness of Judea.
“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan [river] and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days being tempted by the devil.” – Luke 4:1-2
And that ancient serpent makes an appearance again; tempting Jesus to turn rocks into bread, to give in to ambition, and to take power for himself.
Jesus patterned His life off the story of scripture and the love of his Heavenly Father.
In response, may we pattern our lives after the one who overcomes the wilderness.
And Lent is an annual practice that stips back distractions and teaches us to find His presence in our wilderness.
The main theme of Lent is repentance.
“return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger,abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.–Joel 2:12-13 (ESV)
Fasting is the practice of going without food and drink(excluding water) for a period of time.
Abstinence is the practice of creating margin in our daily schedule for the purpose of reorienting our lives towards Christ.
Corporately we will practice this on Ash Wednesday and every Sunday with 15 minutes of preservice prayer.
The biblical narrative offers us a brief depiction of a malevolent being hellbent on our suffering; It suggests that chaos has been planned, disease sown, and violence cultivated. Our response to this darkness is not to cower or shrink back but to become people of prayer and action, injecting love into the darkness.
“To lead us not into temptation and deliver us from the evil one”– is to request that God might rescue us from the darkness within ourselves and outside ourselves.
“Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil” – Eugene Peterson
The shockingly simple observation of this prayer is that we live in a warzone– a conflict our souls testify to.
“In Rwanda, I shook hands with the devil. I have seen him, I have smelled him and I have touched him.”–Roméo Dallaire
The Biblical Cosmology
The scriptures propose that all the evil we encounter in our world is either a direct initiative or a painful ripple of the disorder introduced by the Evil One in the garden.
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.” –Luke 4:1–2.
The temptation Jesus faced was subtle in nature.
“Nobody believed he was real. . . . That was his power. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”—Keyser Söze
The subtle touch of the Evil one.
For as much as we like to think of ourselves as rational and independent beings, we are all shaped by powers small as microscopic biochemicals and as large as inherited notions of gender roles and stereotypes.
Contending with the Darkness
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12
“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”– Jude 3
“Fight the good fight of the faith.” –1 Timothy 6:12.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” –1 Peter 5:8–9.
We pray and act.
Let’s abandon the false dichotomy between prayer and action. We can be a community of prayer, gospel, and justice. Prayer and action–held together.
“The Christian story dares us to believe that the work of prayer is not so far away from the gift of sewers, that hands lifted in prayer and the scientific commendation of hand-washing flow from a shared source. Our work of prayer participates in and propels our public work of restoration.” – Tish Harrison Warren
“By giving us this prayer, then, Jesus invites us to walk ahead into the darkness and discover that it, too, belongs to God. –Tom Wright
In Praying, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One” we are reminded that we are in the midst of a conflict but a conflict that has already been decided.
Learning to contend in prayer–
Learn to pray with your body.
Learn to pray with your emotions.
“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”― Karl Barth
In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus instructs us to pray, “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us”,a prayer of confession. But contrary to popular belief, confession is not simply a reminder of our fallenness, but an assertion of our forgiveness. We confess not because God needs a verbal record of our wrongdoings, but because we need to cultivate brutal honesty about what we have done wrong in order to enjoy God’s abundant forgiveness.
Authenticity
The true irony of our current cultural moment: we crave authenticity but lack the foundation to admit that anything we do, think, or feel is really wrong.
In this environment, where many of us are craving authenticity, and honesty in our own lives, the lives around us, and even in the church, the practice of confession can be both refreshing and uncomfortable as most truly authentic things are.
This prayer becomes both a prayer we recite and a guideline or pattern for our prayers. It is where we go when we wonder, Jesus how do we pray?
The Lord’s prayer also reveals that prayer is both communion and collaboration with God. Oftentimes we view prayer as simply communication with God. But it is so much more than that. This prayer reveals that we commune with God the father. We take time to simply remember he is a father and then we collaborate with him. And thus, as Alex explained last week, we are not merely passive stage props in a prewritten cosmic drama. We are creative partners with God in the writing, directing, design, and action that occurs on the stage of history.
And finally, this prayer reminds us that the essential foundation of Christian prayer is that God is love and he likes us.
On Sin
First and foremost, before we jump into confession, I want to briefly define sin as the two concepts are so connected and often misunderstood.
God’s desire for us, as his creation, has always been a life of beauty, justice, and love. It’s important to understand that what God deems as sin is not bad because it is forbidden– it is forbidden because it is bad- it sits in opposition to his foundational desires for us. Lead-based paint isn’t bad because someone passed a law; someone passed a law because lead-based paint is bad for you.
“[Sin] is an unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness.” – Saint Ignatius
Psalm 51
Daniel 9
Mark 1
Luke 19
“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 18:9-14
If sin is not simply what we have done but also what we have left undone, then we are all sinners in need of forgiveness and therefore, God does not need our confession, we do.
Sin is not simply what we have done but also what we have left undone.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22: 37-40
Quite simply sin is not just what we have done- even though there is plenty of that to go around. It is also what we have left undone.
So sin is not simply what we have done but also what we have left undone.
We are all sinners in need of forgiveness.
“We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” – CS Lewis
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
God does not need our confession, we do.
Confession is NOT a magical incarnation that controls God or forces his mercy to flow.
“[E]veryone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It does not say they shall be saved if they confess 5 times a day- if they discover the magic formula. But all you have to do is call on the name of the Lord.” – Acts 2:21
Our admission of sin does not diminish God’s grace as repeatedly outlined in the scriptures
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
Our prayers do not add to the redemption accomplished on the cross
Our prayers never add to God’s knowledge which is already complete.
If sin is not simply what we have done but also what we have left undone, then we are all sinners in need of forgiveness and therefore, God does not need our confession, we do.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICEConfession is an invitation to approach the forgiveness of ourselves and others like that of the running father. In our sin, we are all one of the brothers, but in our forgiveness we have the love and give the love of an embarrassing, dotting, unabandoned, father with open arms.
So what do we do? How do we practice confession? We begin with the pattern Jesus has outlined for us in the Lord’s prayer:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. We confess. We take several moments to reflect on the actions of that day or the previous day and ask God to bring to moments where we were unlike him. Then recite the confession prayer just as we prepare to do so now.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me[a] anything in my name, I will do it.” – John 14:12-14
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” –John 15:7
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” –John 15:16
“In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” – John 16:23-24
Why is it that Jesus says ask for anything in my name and you will receive it but I don’t always receive it? This tension sits at the very core of why many of us do not pray for what we need.
If God disappointed me once, will he not disappoint me again?
If God didn’t answer my prayers before, why ask?
If God’s ways are higher than my ways, what is the point in praying for what I need? Does he even care?
I think many of us have simply stopped petitioning for our daily bread as Jesus instructs in the Lord’s prayer. But as we will see today, petitioning is still a worthwhile task.
This prayer becomes both a prayer we recite and a guideline or pattern for our prayers. It is where we go when we wonder, Jesus how do we pray?
The Lord’s prayer also reveals that prayer is both communion and collaboration with God. Oftentimes we view prayer as simply communication with God. But it is so much more than that. This prayer reveals that we commune with God the father. We take time to simply remember he is a father and then we collaborate with him. And thus, as Alex explained last week, we are not merely passive stage props in a prewritten cosmic drama. We are creative partners with God in the writing, directing, design, and action that occurs on the stage of history.
And finally, this prayer reminds us that the essential foundation of Christian prayer is that God is love and he likes us.
PETITIONING FOR THE KINGDOM
This prayer is not the only place in which we see bread or food as a central component of Jesus’ life.
“His parties weren’t simply a matter of cracking open another bottle for the sake of it; the prayer to the Father for daily bread was part of his wider and deeper agenda.” – N.T. Wright
At the very heart of this demonstration-turned-teaching sits a foundational biblical symbol of the kingdom that can be traced all the way back to the Old Testament, to the Israelite people.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, my cup overflows.” – Psalm 23:5
“On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines.
And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud over all people; he will swallow up death forever.
He will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth.” – Isaiah 25:6-8
“Give us each day our daily bread” reminds us of a kingdom in which every day we will have daily bread and plenty of it.
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
Part of our petition for personal needs is Jesus to come and make this world right. May the party, may the feast continue.
PETITIONING FOR OURSELVES
However, the verse “give us each day our daily bread” is not just about petitions for God’s soon and coming kingdom, it is also about the right now.
How wonderful it is that God does not look down on our needs, that he doesn’t sit up in the clouds on a throne and sneer at our pathetic, needy bodies. He cares.
Issue 1: We are too proud and independent.
Issue 2: We worry in God’s direction.
Issue 3: We neglect to turn outward.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
And yet, I still think there is hope for us. Jesus obviously thought there was and gave us a tool to help. So when we struggle with a petition, first let’s start with Jesus’ pattern:
Let’s begin with contemplative prayer.
Then begin interceding for those around you.
Petition for your daily bread.
In his Gospel, Luke gives special attention is to Jesus’ prayer habits– here are a few examples.
“great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” –Luke 5:16
“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles” –Luke 6:12–13.
“28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.” –Luke 9:28–29.
When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
or we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
– Luke 11:2–4.
“Your Kingdom come” is a practice known as intercessory prayer.
Intercession is to pray for someone else.
"If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer: Intercession is a way of loving others. Intercessory prayer is a selfless prayer, even self-giving prayer. In the ongoing work of the Kingdom of God, nothing is more important than intercessory prayer” – Richard Foster
In praying “your kingdom come” we pray not just for ourselves, but for our whole world.
God’s original intention was that we would be his collaborators, free and intelligent beings, partnered with Him in ruling the world.
“… God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”–Genesis 1:26(ESV).
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” – Genesis 2:15–17 (NIV)
From the beginning, we’ve been intercessors, the in-betweeners, the mediators between heaven and earth. Given the freedom and authority to care for creation on God’s behalf.
Where freedom exists, evil is always a decision away.
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” –Genesis 3:6 (ESV)
But despite it all, God never gave up on his vision of free collaborators; and so in the most surprising of decisions He comes to Earth in the form of a Jewish Rabbi named Jesus.
In Jesus, that identity that was corrupted in our rebellion is restored.
We are not pawns in a cosmic story, destined to play a part, we are invited to help God direct the world.
“We are not merely passive set pieces in a prearranged cosmic drama but we are active participants with God in the writing, directing, design, and action that unfolds. Prayer therefore is much more than asking God for this or that outcome. It is drawing into communion with him and there taking up our privileged role as his people. In prayer, we are invited to join him in directing the course of the world.” – Skye Jethani
Prayer is not a charade, where God does what he is planning, and pretends we were of some help.
“God’s response to our prayers is not a charade. He does not pretend that he is answering our prayer when he is only doing what he was going to do anyway. Our requests really do make a difference in what God does or does not do. The idea that everything would happen exactly as it does regardless of whether we pray or not is a specter that haunts the minds of many who sincerely profess belief in God. It makes prayer psychologically impossible, replacing it with dead ritual at best…of course this is not the biblical idea of prayer, nor is it the idea of people for whom prayer is a vital part of life.” – Dallas Willard
When we pray things that were not going to happen, happen.
“When we pray we are not sending a letter to a celestial White House, where it is sorted among piles of others. We are engaged, rather, in an act of co-creation, in which one little sector of the universe rises up and becomes translucent, incandescent, a vibratory centre of power that radiates the power of the universe. History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being.” – Walter Wink
We have been given a profound invitation to help set the world to rights through our prayerful intercession.
“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”― Karl Barth
“The only way to learn how to pray is to pray.” – Teresa of Avila.
A study published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization in 2021, found that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, prayer Google searches “rose on all continents, at all levels of income, inequality, and insecurity, and for all types of religion, except Buddhism.”
The researchers concluded that the global rise in religiosity or spirituality happened because “people pray to cope with adversity.”
“Our culture is increasingly abandoning anything that resembles orthodox Christianity in favor of a generic or sentimental kind of spirituality. This has caused many, including those within the church, to embrace a distorted vision of prayer. They seem to think that prayer is little more than a form of self-therapy but with a spiritual facade. In some places it’s seen as a self-improvement practice that any health-obsessed person should do, like working out or eating quinoa.” – Skye Jethani
Christian prayer should be concerned with relationship not results. To whom we pray is more important than how we pray.
LUKE 11
This prayer for Jesus followers has become both a pattern and a script for those in the Christian tradition. It is a guideline for prayer AND simultaneously, a prayer we regularly recite. It is the place in scripture we go to when we ourselves wonder, “Jesus, how do we pray?”
This is why for the next several weeks leading up to lent, we will be unpacking each line of the Lord’s prayer in a teaching series entitled “Teach Us to Pray.” Each week we will focus on a different aspect of prayer as reflected in the Lord’s prayer.
Week 1: Communion
Week 2: Contending
Week 3: Petition
Week 4: Confession
Week 5: Mission
GOD AS FATHER
Jesus begins the Lord’s prayer reminding us that our communion with God as father is the foundation for all of prayer- it is the starting place- it’s everything. The who of prayer is God our Father.
The opening line of this prayer, “Our Father in heaven” would have been shocking even scandalous to the ears of Jesus’ 1st-century audience for a few reasons:
As aforementioned, God was never referred to in an intimate way but always in a formal and reverent one.
Prayers in the 1st century for both Jews and non-Jews were generally formulaic in approach using words to compel a reluctant God to act.
Our Father in heaven, these four words changed the way we relate to God and thus the entire nature of prayer. In defining the who, Jesus changes the why, when, where, what, and how of prayer.
BREAD FOR A NEIGHBOR
“And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” – Luke 11:5-8
“Ancient Israel was an honor-based culture and highly communal. A person’s reputation was of paramount importance, and their reputation was inexorably linked to their extended family and community. Failing to provide bread to an unexpected visitor, which is the core problem in Jesus’ story, would not only bring shame upon an individual but also upon the entire village.” – Skye Jethani
The point is remarkable simply: God does not answer prayers because of our reputation but because of his.
In one simple story, Jesus takes the focus of prayer off of our own righteousness or even our dedication to God. And he places the focus of prayer on God’s desire to retain his reputation as a good loving father who gives his sons and daughters what they ask regardless of the quality of the asker.
God answers prayers not because of our reputation but because of his reputation. And he is known as a good father.To whom we pray is more important than how we pray.
GIVER OF GOOD GIFTS
“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”’ –Luke 11:11-13
As mentioned beforehand, the betrayal of God as a good and loving father was a scandalous idea for Jesus’ first-century context. God was rarely referred to in an intimate way. He was almost always referred to formally and reverently.
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” –Genesis 3:1
Interestingly enough, in Genesis 2, God is referred to over and over again as Yahweh Elohim or Lord God. But when the serpent comes onto the scene in Genesis 3:1, twisting God’s words and creating half-truths, he refers to God by only using the word Elohim. Scholars call this keeping the abstract but dropping the personal. It would be like calling someone by their title and not their name.
RESTORATION OF FATHERAccording to theologian N.T. Wright, there are nearly half a million words in the Hebrew Bible yet God is only portrayed as father 15 times.
But then we turn to the New Testament. Gone are the days of reserve or distance. There is a new tone, a new familiarity, a new narrative. Jesus calls God father 65 times by the time you finish the gospel of Luke and over 170 times by the time you reach the end of John.
It is only in proximity to the Father God of love that we “grasp how wide and long and high and deep” God’s love is for us
We must stop thinking of prayer as simply communicating with God and start communing with God.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICEWe do this through a practice commonly known as contemplative prayer.
Contemplative prayer, as defined in the Handbook of Spiritual Disciplines, is a way of being with God without wordiness relying on God to initiate communion and communication.
“Let your heart rate decrease. Know that you’re already bathed in the Father’s love, and ask simply for what you need, in the assurance that the One to whom you’re speaking is already cupping His ear in your direction.”– Wesley Hill
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” – Matthew 6:7-8
Troubled about status and position
“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” – John 1:11.
Seeking
“For by gold the power of a king is signified, by frankincense the honor of God, by myrrh the burial of the body; and accordingly they offer Him gold as King, frankincense as God, myrrh as Man.” – John Chrysostom
Another Way
“Frodo: 'It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill Gollum when he had the chance.'
Gandalf: 'Pity? It's a pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play in it, for good or evil, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many.' Frodo: 'I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.'
Gandalf: 'So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides that of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.”
Spiritual Practice
It's ok to be troubled/ask questions. Let those moments change you toward a better relationship with Jesus and others
Seek community and seek Jesus. Ask someone to hang out this coming week. Start a book club with this community. Start engaging with people who don’t have a relationship with Jesus and invite them into the community.
Maybe it's time to go another way. You've been in sin, you have been putting yourself before others. Turn and ask Jesus to help you on this hard journey toward the one who saves.
Advent
Advent consists of the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day in which the Church anticipates the future arrival of Christ by remembering His first arrival.
Although it may seem counter to the festivities of Christmas, it is important to practice waiting.
And in our waiting we focus on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love along with the rest of the global church
In First John, the Author summarizes his time with Jesus, his long career as an apostle, and a lifetime of reading the scriptures with three words.
“God is love.” – 1 John 4:8, 16
“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” –Exodus 34:6.
“I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” –Psalm 108:3–4.
“...God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. –1 John 4:8-9.
We miss that this is a season that shows off the love of God, in part because we often confuse love with sentimentality.
But sentimentality is not love – it is a counterfeit.
Sentimentality is to experience the internal emotions of love– but to do nothing with it.
The four gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each tell of God’s Christmas love from a different angle.
Emphasizing the Love of God, not with sanitized cliches or impersonal definitions; but through dysfunctional family trees, gritty action, strange stories, and dirty glory.
The Gospel of Matthew and the God of love in a dysfunctional family tree.The first book of the new testament, written by Matthew for Jewish people, starts by thoroughly arguing that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah.
He argues that the Creator has entered the family tree.
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers…” – Matthew 1:1–2.
Like a house built brick by brick, the story of God’s love is told name by name through Jesus’ family tree.
And the family Jesus came from tells us everything about the Family he came for.
The love of God shows up in dysfunctional family trees intent on redemption and writing a new story.
The Gospel of Mark; The God of Love in gritty action.
Mark’s nativity jumps straight into the action with Jesus being baptized, being tempted in the wilderness, and kicking off his ministry with an announcement;
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”–Mark 1:14
God’s love for humanity is broadcast through Jesus’ every movement as he touches the sick, hurting, and vulnerable. It is Jesus’ willingness to reach out and touch that God’s love is made palpable.
Mark does not begin with our king in a crib, but he tells of our God’s loving action– moving towards our deepest brokenness and his healing touch.
The Gospel of Luke: The God of Love in unlikely places.A young engaged-to-be-married woman pregnant. She bears the weight of assumptions, disapproving looks, whispers, and small-town gossip.
A working-class family, a feeding trough for a crib, minimum-wage shepherds, foreign seekers, and political refugees.
In the most unlikely of places begins a complete reversal, an inverting of everything, the dawning of an upside-down kingdom.
The God of Love displays his affection through the strangest stories with the most unlikely characters.
“And that is the wonder of all wonders, that God loves the lowly.… God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and broken.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Gospel of John: The God of Love in dirty glory.
“14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” –John 1:14
“The Word Became Flesh”; this is the hinge by which all of John’s Gospel turns.
John speaks of Jesus as “the Word [that] was with God, and the Word [that] was God” (John 1:1). In Jesus, “all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” says the Apostle Paul (Col 1:19).
What does it mean that the God of Heaven became flesh? That he took up residence amongst us? That he dared to be seen, touched, carried, held, struck, hated?
The love of God is not pristine white garments pressed for Christmas day, it is in a dirt-caked robe of a middle eastern carpenter.
Our God became flesh and dwelt with us, in dirty glory.
Advent
Advent consists of the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day in which the Church anticipates the future arrival of Christ by remembering His first arrival.
Although it may seem counter to the festivities of Christmas, it is important to practice waiting.
And in our waiting we focus on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love along with the rest of the global church
10 ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the angel said to them. ‘Look: I’ve got good news for you, news which will make everybody very happy. 11 Today a savior has been born for you—the Messiah, the Lord!—in David’s town. 12 This will be the sign for you: you’ll find the baby wrapped up, and lying in a feeding-trough.’
13 Suddenly, with the angel, there was a crowd of the heavenly armies. They were praising God, saying, 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest, and peace upon earth among those in his favor.’ –Luke 2:10-14
“If you try to point out something to a dog, the dog will often look at your finger instead of at the object you’re trying to point to. This is frustrating, but it illustrates a natural mistake we all make from time to time. It’s the mistake many people make when reading the Christmas story.” -N.T. Wright
Our familiarity with the word peace or the idea of peace on earth, has kept us from understanding the real message of Advent.
God’s peace comes from costly obedience.
God’s peace is disruptive.
“When we feel peace in this world, it is probably because we are drifting with the cultural moment.” - Pastor Jon Tyson
“The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” -C.S. Lewis
God’s peace is antifragile.
“Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.” -Nassim Nicholas Taleb
“Sooner or later if we follow Christ we have to risk everything in order to gain everything. We have to gamble on the invisible and risk all that we see and taste and feel. But we know the risk is worth it because there is nothing more insecure than this transient world.” -Thomas Merton
God’s peace is miraculously ordinary.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33
The question remains, do we want this real peace? And if so, are we willing to open ourselves up to it, up to Jesus?
Advent
Advent consists of the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day in which the Church anticipates the future arrival of Christ by remembering His first arrival.
Although it may seem counter to the festivities of Christmas, it is important to practice waiting.
And in our waiting we focus on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love along with the rest of the global church
Patience sets a good example for others, aids in decision-making, increases success, and even helps you see waiting as a positive thing - Sarah Landrum, Forbes
Poems must be approached slowly, paying attention to detail and imagery to capture the author’s full intent.
“Hope commits us to actions that connect with God’s promises. What we call hoping is often only wishing. We want things we think are impossible, but we have better sense than to spend any money or commit our lives to them. Biblical hope, though, is an act—like buying a field in Anathoth. Hope acts on the conviction that God will complete the work that he has begun even when the appearances, especially when the appearances, oppose it.” ― Eugene H. Peterson
Hope is holding the tension of doubt, trust, and faith all together.
Hope is not the outcome but the waiting.
“Christian hope is a BOLD choice to wait for God to bring about a future that is as surprising as a crucified man rising from the dead” - Bible Project
Hope is found not just at the end of the positive outcomes or even in the outcomes I envision.
Hope is in the Jesus I find in the valley waiting with me, and in the curious unexpected outcomes.
Hope is in the Jesus I have holding my weary soul in the waiting and on the other side, win or lose, no matter my perception of the outcome.
Advent is a time when we get to remember what we are waiting on. We remember why we have hope and who our hope is in.
What has increased/decreased my hope in Jesus today?
What promises am I waiting on Jesus to answer right now?
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
Our confession today is;
”I believe in the Resurrection of the Body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
Often, that phrase is mistaken for –
“I believe I will go to heaven when I die.”
These do not mean the same thing.
The Gnostic Heresy.
Gnos·ti·cism /ˈnästəˌsizəm/
is an ancient philosophy that claims the material world is evil and the “spiritual” is good.
When asked what Christianity is about, many would say something about good deeds, going to heaven when you die, and leaving behind the material world. This story is more gnostic than Christian.
Ultimately it misses that God is not interested in taking us to heaven– but bringing heaven to earth.
The Christian story is that the Creator God has demonstrated in Jesus’ resurrection what he intends to do for the whole world.
Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians
Paul’s outline of Jesus’ Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)
Jesus died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.
He was buried.
He was raised on the third day.
He appeared to many witnesses.
Paul goes on to describe the implications of Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12-52)
our resurrection
the transformation of our bodies
our life in the everlasting kingdom.
“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. – 1 Corinthians 15:12-22
Our inheritance from the first humans, Adam and Eve, is sin and death. But in our new inheritance in Christ is resurrection.
Easter morning is not a one-time occurrence but a preview of our own resurrection.
On that day we will be transformed.
Not into disembodied spirits, but into a new form of physicality.
Depending on your translation you may read in verse 44; “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” or in verse 50 “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” These don’t quite do justice to what Paul is conveying.
He is not drawing a distinction between physical forms and nonphysical forms; or flesh and spirit. Rather, he is drawing a distinction between our first form and our second form.
The way we should understand this is that when the human body is glorified– transformed and freed from some of its previous limitations.
“Why will we be given new bodies? According to the early Christians, the purpose of this new body will be to rule wisely over God’s new world. Forget those images about lounging around playing harps. There will be work to do and we shall relish doing it. All the skills and talents which we have put to God’s service in this present life—and perhaps, too, the interests and likings we gave up because they conflicted with our vocation—will be enhanced and ennobled and given back to us to be exercised to his glory” – NT Wright, Surprised by Hope
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. – 1 Corinthians 15:24–25.
And The End will Come.
Not the destruction of the world, but the end of the present order. It is God uniting heaven and earth.
When we read “heaven” in the scriptures we should think of “God’s presence”, not a spiritual location.
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”– Revelation 11:15.
This is to say Jesus is the King of the world, and we’re just waiting for him to make his move.
Our future is an everlasting kingdom, and in it, we will be freed from the touch of death.
“There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man. Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ. But we have to wait our turn: Christ is first, then those with him at his Coming, the grand consummation when, after crushing the opposition, he hands over his kingdom to God the Father. He won’t let up until the last enemy is down—and the very last enemy is death!”– 1 Corinthians 15:21-26 (Message Paraphrase)
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?” — 1 Corinthians 15:54-55
Christ has gone first overcoming death, then at the right time, we, his followers will be brought back to life.
As with Christ, so with us.
Spiritual Practice: To Imagine Our Promised Future.
J.R.R. Tolkien has an essay, called “On Fairy-Stories;” and in it, he suggests that there are longings in every human that only fantasy, fairy tales, or science fiction can really speak to. We have this curiosity and fascination with cheating death, escaping time, and friendship with other living things.
Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings author, the world-builder, and Christian believed we long for the infinite because we were not created to die, but to experience life everlasting.
"We are built to live in the kingdom of God. It is our natural habitat." – Dallas Willard
As we head into Advent, the whole season is about cultivating a longing for the arrival of our King.
It is to wait with anticipation and expectation about the new world He is bringing.
My suggestion this week is to imagine the future we’re promised in Christ.
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
“[Sin is] rejection or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him, not being or doing what he requires in his law- resulting in our death and the disintegration of all creation.” – New Gospel Catechism
“Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.” – Luke 22:54-55
In Isolation Sin Attacks
Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” – Luke 22:56-60
The Weight of Sin
“And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.”And he went out and wept bitterly.” —Luke 22:54-62
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” – Colossians 3:12-13
Forgiveness and breakfast
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” –John 21:15-19
“We believe that we stand not by our own achievements but by the achievements of Jesus death and resurrection. We believe that the spiritually strong and the spiritually weak are both sustained by the same forgiving grace.” –Ben Myers
Spiritual Practice
Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive? What is keeping you from forgiving?
Is there someone who you need to ask for forgiveness? What is keeping you from confessing?
How is your unforgiveness or lack of confession in your life affecting your relationship with others and with God?
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
THE GOOD LIFE IN OUR CULTURE
In our culture, the good life can be based on individualism and the next new thing.
In our culture, the good life is all about ourselves, and the next new thing:
THE GLOBAL CHURCH & THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
The Global Church includes “the holy ones”, “the saints”, the people who live in community with God and each other. This community regularly shares gifts with each other. These gifts include encouraging each other’s faith, offering each other excessive grace, serving one other and loving each other.
“The lives of the Saints are the hermeneutical key to Scripture.” – Stanley Hauerwas
EPHESIANS
Ephesians was not written so much to address problems in a particular church; more so, it was written to explain some of the great themes and doctrines of Christianity.
While previous letters from Paul focus more on God’s work in us as individual followers of Jesus, Ephesians focuses on the communion of Saints.
Some believe that this letter was not simply written to be heard and kept in one church in Ephesus, but to be heard in Ephesus and distributed to many different churches in different cities… the global church.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD LIFE
ONE: Disconnect & Rebellion
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins” – Ephesians 2:1
In this sense, “dead” implies the disconnect between us and God while “trespasses” implies our intended or unintended rebellion towards God
“Sin is an unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness.” –Saint Ignatius
TWO: Disobedience
“in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” –Ephesians 2:2-3
THE GOOD LIFE
ONE: Connected & Loved
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” – Ephesians 2:4-7
The Not-So-Good Life leaves us disconnected from the greatest love there is, at odds with ourselves and others, and consumed with ourselves.
The Good Life leaves us connected to the greatest love, that of Jesus. A love that was available in our rebellion. A love that looks past our past, allows us to be deeply connected to Jesus in the present, and promises us immense grace in the future
TWO: Obedience
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 4:8
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
ONE: MICROCHURCH
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” – Ephesians 2:19-22
Microchurch is the full expression of Christ’s church in smaller, everyday environments like a living room, coffee shop, or kitchen table. Microchurches are the primary way we reveal the Kingdom of Jesus, together, in Kansas City.
“When I do surround myself with people, I make sure that I’m able to contribute to them. And in fact, that’s the best part… is when I am there, I am really there. And I go way out of my way to show the people that I love, that I care about them, that I understand them, and that I will do what I can to support them.”
While the burdens of this life can tend to tear us down, the good life of community can build us up by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Good Life is discovered, learned, and lived with:
FELLOWSHIP at Midtown Church.
JOINING a Microchurch
And building the Good Life TOGETHER
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
HOLY SPIRIT IN CULTURE
For many, the Holy Spirit has not been acknowledged or even worse, has been used as a weapon. And for those who do not belong to the Christian community, the spirit has become a thing of good vibes, a feeling.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that research has shown that US adults have very little understanding of the Spirit. In a study conducted by LifeWay Research in 2018, a majority of US adults, 59%, say that the Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being.
The Holy Spirit in the story of scripture:
Creation
The Old Testament
Jesus
The Early Church
Us
CREATION
“20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.” –Genesis 2:20-22
OLD TESTAMENT
Fast forward in the story to Exodus 40 where we see God’s presence no longer in us, but as a dense, visible cloud by day and a fire by night that led the Israeliteis out of Egypt.
In 1 Kings 8, the tabernacle has become a more permanent home called the temple. And as we see throughout the rest of the Old Testament, the temple is good but it is incomplete. It is good because God's presence is with God’s people.
JESUS
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14
The word became flesh is the person of God becoming the living, breathing, physical being of Jesus.
The Greek word for dwelt means Jesus in the flesh pitched his tabernacle or lived in his tent among us.
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” – John 20:21-23
We learn that upon resurrection Jesus says the spirit that I was given, that has been in me, is now given to you. As I have been a living, breathing tabernacle, you are now a living breathing tabernacle.
THE EARLY CHURCH
In Acts, the early church, the disciples begin to do the very things that Jesus had been doing.
The disciples are freed from prison
Paralytics are healed
Paul heals a man who falls out of a window while he is preaching
Daily they feed people
And they also suffer just as Christ suffered.
“16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”– 1 Corinthians 3:16
US
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”– 1 Corinthians 6:19
Once again, the Spirit of God is tabernacled within us just as it was in creation.
In creation, the Holy Spirit is seen through Adam and Even as God affirms their bodies as a dwelling place for God’s spirit- living temples.
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is seen through Moses’ tabernacle and Solomon’s temple as he comes to live in the heart of a city with God’s people.
In Jesus, the Holy Spirit is seen through Jesus as it comes to live in Jesus. And through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection every barrier between God and us is broken.
In the Church, the Holy Spirit is seen through the gathering of God’s people. God’s spirit binds us every time we are together and we know he is here in our midst.
In us, the Holy Spirit takes up residence. He dwells in us as our bodies become temples. It is intimate and it is offered to anyone who accepts Jesus’ offer of grace. We are filled with God’s spirit exactly as Jesus was.
God’s Presence
“God’s goal was never to get us into his presence. It was to get his presence into us.” – Tyler Staton
“7 The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all. 8 To some people the Spirit gives a message of wisdom. To others the same Spirit gives a message of knowledge. 9 To others the same Spirit gives faith. To others that one Spirit gives gifts of healing. 10 To others he gives the power to do miracles. To others he gives the ability to prophesy. To others he gives the ability to tell the spirits apart. To others he gives the ability to speak in different kinds of languages they had not known before. And to still others he gives the ability to explain what was said in those languages. 11 All the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit. He gives gifts to each person, just as he decides.” – 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
“It is the lived conviction that everything, absolutely everything in the scriptures is livable, not just true, but livable… This is the supernatural core, the lived resurrection and Holy Spirit core of the Christian life.” – Euguene Peterson
We have moved from a majority Christian culture to a post-Christian culture.
For the first two centuries of our nation’s history, the Christian faith was the assumed default for most people. But over the last two decades, the west has shifted from a majority Christian culture to a post-Christian culture; And our city is no exception to that.
As our team prepared to begin ministry in Kansas City, we did our best to research the spiritual, religious, and cultural environment we were stepping into. And we made three observations about the relationship between Christianity and our city–
1. The population has very little understanding of the person of Jesus.
Many in the community might say “I believe in a God of Love”, but that God of love is totally disconnected from the Incarnation of Jesus.
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:14–15 (ESV)
Jesus’ message was that God rule is here and now, it is everything we’ve ever longed for– rethink everything and commit to learning its ways!
2. The synchronism of Christianity and nationalism.
This is the belief that America is uniquely blessed by God and particular values must be upheld in our culture with influence and power. The emphasis of this religion is not following the way of Jesus, but securing power at all costs.
3. The population of our city and our neighborhood is continuing to grow in its distrust of religious institutions.
Our neighborhood’s thoughts on religious institutions are complicated and painful. At a national level, we continue to see the fall of prominent Christian leaders. Locally, many bare wounds were received at the hands of Churches in our city. And while we can say that we were wounded by Christians, and not by Christ–learning to trust a Christian community takes time and healing– and many are never able.
Faithful Christians have moved from the majority to the minority; from the center to the fringe; from well-thought-of to the weird.
This idea of cultural displacement or exile cuts through the entirety of scripture; a theme that can offer us guidance as we navigate life as a minority.
In 587 BC Israelites were taken into exile by the Babylonian Empire.
Home, family, temple, culture, and language– everything familiar left behind as they arrived in Babylon. The Israelites found themselves in a strange land disconnected from everything they held dear.
One day, two messengers arrive from Jerusalem with a letter from the prophet Jeremiah.
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare[shalom] of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare[shalom] you will find your welfare [shalom].” – Jeremiah 29:4-7
Shalom is wholeness. It is this idea of a vibrant and healthy community that is driven forward with a divine purpose toward human flourishing. It is a society living in the goodness of God, where all are taken care of.
God is working to reveal himself in the everyday and ordinary elements of life on planet earth.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you” –Jeremiah 29:11–14.
The promise of Jeremiah is not that everything you do will be blessed; but that what God is bringing about in His promised future is better than anything we can imagine.
Whatever cultural displacement we feel; whatever exile we experience; whatever isolation and alienation may come–if we search the raw materials of life we will find God in our midst.
A DECLINE IN FORMAL RELIGION
A study from the Pew Research Center found that Christians accounted for about 90% of the population 50 years ago, but as of 2020, that figure has slumped to about 64%.
The study found that the number of people who identify as “religiously unaffiliated” is on the rise. Although some of these individuals are atheists, it mostly comprises a population that is agnostic, spiritual, or nothing specific. This percentage is currently projected to overtake the US Christian majority by the year 2070.
"Some scholars say that it's just an inevitable consequence of development for societies to secularize. Once there are strong secular institutions, once people's basic needs are met, there's less need for religion… Other people point out that affiliation really started to drop in the '90s. And it may not be a coincidence that this coincides with the rise of the religious right and more associations between Christianity and conservative political ideology." – Stephanie Kramer
PRIVATIZED RELIGION
This is when one believes they should rely on themselves rather than the established or organized religious traditions to answer spiritual questions – “I am into Jesus, but not the Church.”
JESUS AND THE CHURCH
As evident in the scriptures, Jesus believed in the church, not just in the Christian community but also in the institutional religion of his day.
“For Jesus, the church was never optional. Jesus was not anti-institutional. He regularly led his disciples and himself into the church of the first century which was the synagogue and temple…. [Jesus] immersed himself in the relationships at the temple, he went to the temple for prayer, and he added his own voice to the teaching of that temple.” – Tyler Staton
HOW DO WE DO CHURCH TOGETHER IN 5 COMMITMENTS
Reveal the kingdom of JesusThe kingdom of Jesus or the reign of God, is not simply the rule of God in each believer's heart, but a kingdom that pervades every aspect of our lives- the spiritual and the physical- and looks utterly unlike the kingdoms of this world.
It is an upside-down Kingdom, a new world order– under the leadership of Jesus. It is a Kingdom that we were made to be a part of.
"We are built to live in the kingdom of God. It is our natural habitat." – Dallas Willard
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”– Mark 1:15
Belong to a microchurchMicorchurch, is prayer, scripture, and mission.
So just like the disciples, we may be a messy bunch of people with varying beliefs and backgrounds, but we come together time and time again, in the midst of laughter and conflict, to shape one another.
So here is my encouragement to you today…
If you are not a part of a microchurch, consider joining one or starting one. Sign up for Dinner Party.
If you are already in a microchurch, re-evaluate and commit to being part of that community.
Regularly attend unless you’re out of town, sick, or there is an unforeseen, unavoidable circumstance outside of your control.
Give your wonderful mirochurch leader a 24 hours notice for any absence.
Actively participate: help with the meal, hosting, and clean up. Add to the conversation, prayer, and discussion.
Lead a microchurch. We need more microchurch leaders who are willing to open their homes and hearts to pastoring people. If you are interested in this, talk with your current microchurch leader or one of our pastoral team members.
Gather on Sunday
We still believe in the value of the Sunday rhythm. There is something about gathering together, letting the voices of those around you carry you, hearing the stories of the people of God, being reminded of the teachings of Jesus, being challenged to commit to a spiritual practice every week, confessing with one another and taking communion with one another that forms us and shapes us to be the sent people of God.
ServeJesus’ teachings and the depictions of the early church in the New Testament is filled with instruction to us regarding service. To name a few…
Mark 10:44-45 says, “And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.”
Galatians 5:13-14 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus and his disciples instructed in and demonstrated service to one another and to those in need. And it is our desire to reclaim the full breadth of the word service including both those two things: serving one another and the community of Kansas City.
Serve one another on a Sunday. At Midtown Church, we desire to be a place where many do a few things instead of the few doing many. So, here is my request: please consider serving one another 1-2 times a month, to say I am going to contribute to serving this community of Jesus followers on a regular basis.
Serve the community throughout the week. Service should always extend much farther and wider than these four walls to the people of Midtown and to Kansas City. At Midtown Church, we want to shift from a praxis that says only certain people or ministries are called to serve and love the poor, oppressed, and marginalized to a praxis that says all are called. Jesus’ teachings are pretty clear that serving the marginalized is a Gospel mandate.
This month, our serve day is Trunk or Treat on October 29. Last year we had 500 people in attendance, a vast majority of which are local and from low-income families.
Be Generous.
We are descendants of an ancient church that has historically practiced a 10% tithe. And as a participant in this community, we ask that you work toward that 10%.
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” – Mark 12:41-44
This is why we pray our generosity prayer every week as we work to shape our hearts and minds toward the person of Jesus and not the idol of money. As we work to be more like the poor widow than the rich people in this story.
Five Commitments
Reveal the Kingdom of Jesus
Belong to a Microchurch
Gather on Sunday
Serve
Be Generous
Have you given up on trying to heal the world?
Maybe we’ve given up because we’ve been let down or we’ve just grown old enough to recognize our way of doing things is not going to get the job done.
What if you were to learn that we are being invited into a conspiracy that will radically reshape the universe?
The Gospel Jesus preached.
For many of us, this description of a conspiracy to restore our broken world is nothing like “the Gospel” that we learned in Sunday school. To answer the question, “what is the gospel” the best place to begin is with the gospel Jesus preached.
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17 (ESV)
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:14 (ESV)
“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” – Luke 4:43 (ESV)
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:14–15 (ESV)
Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel [euangelion] of God.” (v. 14)
70 years prior to Jesus’ birth, Caesar Augustus unified a divided Rome into what would be known as the Roman Empire. The Emperor became known as “Son of God”, “Lord”, “Savior”, and “Prince of Peace” In fact, one ancient inscription reads;
“The birthday of the God (Caesar Augustus) was the beginning for the world of the glad tidings [good news] that have come through men through him.”
A euangelion in the ancient world was a royal announcement about a king and a kingdom.
Jesus says, “The time is fulfilled…”;
The Old Testament, its prophesies and predictions, are about to come to pass.
“The Kingdom of God….” [the Kingdom of Heaven in the gospel of Matthew]
1: the range of God’s effective will.
2: Or as Jesus’ definition goes it is the space in which “God’s will is done on Earth as it is in heaven.”
Many will translate it as the “reign of God” because it communicates something more active for the English hearer.
The Kingdom pervades all parts of life and it is a Kingdom that is utterly unlike the kingdoms of the world.
"We are built to live in the kingdom of God. It is our natural habitat." – Dallas Willard
“…the kingdom of God is at hand”
God’s conspiracy to take back his world from Satan, sin, and death has begun in the person of Jesus. His method for overthrowing the powers is not military force or political coercion– it is suffering love.
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” – Revelation 22:1-5
The good news is that the one true God has now taken charge of the world, in and through Jesus and his death and resurrection. The ancient hopes have indeed been fulfilled, but in a way nobody imagined. God’s plan to put the world right has finally been launched. The ancient sickness that had crippled the whole world, and humans with it, has been cured at last, so that new life can rise up in its place. Life has come to life and is pouring out like a mighty river into the world, in the form of a new power, the power of love. The good news was, and is, that all this has happened in and through Jesus; that one day it will happen, completely and utterly, to all creation; and that we humans, every single one of us, whoever we are, can be caught up in that transformation here and now. This is the Christian Gospel. Do not allow yourself to be fobbed off with anything else.” – NT Wright, Simply Good News
We will only discover how to follow the way of suffering love if we heed Jesus’ instructions to “repent and believe”. (v.15)
Repentance as is used by Jesus is an invitation to ‘rethink everything.”
Belief in Christ is an act of allegiance; an allegiance that leads us to do things strange to this culture for the sake of the Kingdom.
Repentance is to rethink what is possible and belief is to risk for what could be.
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
We live the entirety of our lives caught between beauty and brokenness, good and evil, life and death. It is the tension between life and death, where two disciples’ have a surprising encounter in Luke 24.
A Dangerous World of Death & Tyrants
“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” – Luke 24:13-21
The Emmaus-bound disciples go on to describe the events of the weekend. We live in a dangerous world; one that is often more like a warzone than a garden.
“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26)
A STORY OF SUFFERING & GLORYWe do not have any record of what Jesus said to the Emmaus-bound disciples, but we have the Scriptures that are the prequel to the Jesus story. Without the details, it's a fragmented story.
So if we have any hope in understanding the phrase– “He descended to the dead, on the third day he rose again.” – we must look to the same scriptures and recreate the story Jesus told his disciples–
The Creation
The Fall
“Sin in is an unwillingness to trust that what God wants is our deepest happiness.” – Saint Ignatius
What God deems sin is not bad because it is forbidden; it is forbidden because it is bad. The fallout of our choice to do what is right in our own eyes is exactly as God predicted in Genesis 2–
“you will die” (Genesis 2:17).
Or as the Apostle Paul put it–
“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
Genesis 4-11 tells the story of people choosing to do what is right in their own eyes, and the devastating consequences on themselves, those around them, and creation as a whole.
The Nation of Israel.Israel fails to trust that what God desired for them was simply the good life. From Exodus to Judges from First Samuel to Second Kings– time and time again, the Israelites go about things their own way– doing what was right in their own eyes – and the fallout is pain, suffering, violence, and death.
The Suffering ServantAt one point the Nation of Israel is split in two– the nation to the south a smoldering ruin– its people taken into captivity. The northern nation suffering under corrupt rulers and unholy alliances.
“The servant grew up before God— a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand… But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed.”– Isaiah 53:1,5-6 (MSG)
OF BROKEN BREAD & BURNING HEARTS.
”And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight” –Luke 24:31
On the third day, he rose again.
He was dead, but now he is alive.
And in resurrection Death is defeated.
Upon the realization that Jesus was back from the dead, the disciples exclaim–
“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” –Luke 24:32–33
Our task is to practice resurrection– to bear witness to the preciousness of life and the sacredness of connection.
We practice resurrection with long walks with good friends. We practice resurrection by checking in on a friend and asking – “what’s been going on?” We practice resurrection by reading, pondering, and teaching the Story of Jesus. We practice resurrection by sitting at a dinner table with people we don’t know.
They are as ordinary as bread and cup– but they point to something stronger than death itself.
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
The Church and church people are way more acquainted with the God of the mountaintop than we were with the God of the valley.
What would it look like to develop a theology of the valley?
“He suffered under Pontius Pilot, was crucified, died, and was buried.”
“And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” – Luke 22:39-48
In this passage we see Jesus experience the fullness of human suffering in four themes:
Theme 1: Loneliness
“To be crucified was to be cast out of the human community, rejected by God, and the world- a fate worse than death.” - Benjamin Myers, Apostles Creed
Theme 2: Anxiety
Theme 3: Broken relationship
Theme 4: Death
“Because in Jesus, God has fully shared our condition there is no human experience that can alienate us from God- every affliction is an opportunity to identify with Jesus- to suffer with him so that we may be glorified with Him. We die differently because the Son of God has touched our frail mortality and has drawn it into the wider context of his life. We die differently because we know that “neither death, nor life … will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Benjamin Myers, Apostles Creed
STEP 1: Experience Grief
STEP 2: Re-story
STEP 3: A New Narrative Emerges
We can find God in moments of suffering when we allow ourselves to experience grief, restory, and emerge with a new narrative, one that knows how to walk with Jesus in the valley.
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
The fragile, messy human life of Jesus shows us God is personal and cares about the most mundane things in our life as well as our most significant moments.
Bible Study Note: Pay attention to literary style! It helps us understand what the author is trying to communicate.
The incarnation makes it possible to know God in ways never before possible.
“In God’s Incarnation, in the human Jesus of Nazareth, the Absolute became relative, the Almighty a baby, the Ancient of Days nowadays, the divine-human, the eternal temporal, the immortal mortal, the infinite finite.” - Dale Bruner
In order to understand the incarnation of Christ & the virgin birth, one must understand the beginning of creation & Israel’s history as told in the holy scriptures.
Jesus shows us a new way to be human.
The life of Jesus is our road map, not just on how to act but how to live life to the fullness of God’s intent!
It’s not a question of seeing God, but of seeing with God.
To be human is to be connected to reality and appreciate it.
Spiritual Practice: Slow down & find the beauty in the mundane, connect to reality & appreciate it.
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
“CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH”
The Apostles' creed rifts on the first words of scripture, as well as many other text throughout the biblical narrative;Exodus 20:11, 31:17, 2 Kings 19:15, 2 Chronicles 2:12; Psalm 115:15, 121:2, 124:8, 134:3, 146:6; Isaiah 37:15-16; Acts 17:24-25; 2 Peter 3:7; Revelation 14:7.
ANCIENT GNOSTICISM
“Gnostic” can literally be translated as “knowers”, and it was a diverse school of philosophy; but it generally describes a dualistic conviction that the material world (earth, stars, water, grass, animals, people, and coffee) is evil and the “spiritual” is good.
MODERN GNOSTICISM
Modern Gnosticism takes the form of a separation between our Sunday convictions and our Monday vocation. It takes many forms, but one of the most pervasive is a philosophy that our theology is of little consequence to the rest of our lives; and that the rest of life is of little consequence to our theology.
AN GNOSTIC TELLING OF CREATION AND CHRISTIANITY.
The story arch of scripture in three parts; (1)Creation, (2) Decreation, and (3)Recreation.
CREATION: THE KINGDOM BEGINS
Earth= human space
Heaven= the sky, God’s space
“2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness” –Genesis 1:2-4 (ESV)
The testimony of Genesis 1 challenges any idea that the material reality doesn’t matter; our environment, our planet, our possessions, our body, and our neighbors matter.
CREATION PT 2: PARTNERS FOR THE KINGDOM
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” – Genesis 1:26–28.
Genesis 1 is not primarily about the creation of the universe– it is primarily about God's creation of humankind– and his efforts to prepare a beautiful place in which he may dwell and partner with those made in his image.
“The LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed… 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it”. – Genesis 2:7-8,15
DECREATION: A RIVAL KINGDOM BEGINS
The central features of the Creation story become the central motifs of the biblical narrative.
God moves toward humanity in loving kindness.
He invites them into relationships and partnerships.
And humanity ruptures the relationship by choosing to do what was right in their own eyes.
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” – Romans 8:20–23.
RECREATION: THE KING ARRIVES
“1, In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-5
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.” – Colossians 1:15-17
“17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… [he is] making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth”. – Ephesians 1:3,9–10
“13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” – 2 Peter 3:13.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” –Revelation 21:1–4.
ALIGNING OUR STORY WITH HIS STORY.This is the hard work of properly framing our view of scripture not as a reference book to my life, but as the story that I am joining.
“[We are invited] to see Scripture as the narration of the unfolding drama of the God who acts. We are called to be characters in this story, to play the role of God's image bearers who care for and cultivate God's creation, to the praise of his glory. To learn this role is to become what we were made to be. This is not playacting or pretending: it is the role we were born to play. In becoming these characters, we become ourselves. To assume this role is to find our vocation.” – James KA Smith
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE–
We must recapture the understanding that what we spend most of our time doing whether that is welding, accounting, writing, cleaning, or parenting matters.
And it matters how we show up to these things.
The obvious question is how do I show up in the way Christ would want me to?
“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
–Colossians 3:17
I think a simple rubric is asking; Am I advancing the cause of (1) Beauty, (2) Justice, or (3) love?
THE POSITION OF GOD IN OUR CULTURE
Position 01: God’s Reign
“The Lord reigns, let the people tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!” –Psalm 99:1
“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” – Amos 5:24
Amos is considered a “minor prophet of the Bible” that covers a time when Israel experienced economic advancement that led to significant social injustice.
Position 02: God’s Greatness
“The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!“ – Psalm 99:2-3
Zion was a city of refuge if you will… a city of protection against the evils of the world… safe space.
Position 03: God’s Justice
“The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!” – Psalm 99:4-5
THE JUSTICE OF GOD IN THE BIBLE
“Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.” – Psalm 99:6
God uses Moses, a product of injustice, to OVERTHROW AN EMPIRE BUILT ON SLAVERY.
God uses Aaron as an ALLY OF THE PEOPLE AND ACTIVIST AGAINST OPPRESSION.
God uses Samuel, who even under the umbrella of monarchy, deeply associated with kings even, REFUSED TO ABUSE POWER WHEN HE HAD A WEALTH OF OPPORTUNITIES TO DO SO.
“God is a just God who challenges us to: learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s case.” - Isaiah 1:17
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: THE WAY OF GOD IN US
Seek God
They called to the Lord…– Psalm 99:6
Follow God
“and he answered them. In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them; they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them. O Lord our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.”–Psalm 99:6-8
Worship God
“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!” –Psalm 99:9
The First Forsaken King
“According to The Doe of the Dawn, A Psalm of David”
Psalms by David normally have two headers:
Of David, a Psalm
A Psalm of David
Psalms that start with “of David, a Psalm” are when David finds himself directly in the presence of God. As a result David picks up an instrument and plays.
Psalms that start with “A Psalm of David,” David does not find himself in the presence of God but rather picks up an instrument and begins to sing about what he is experiencing in the moment.
“My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Contrast with Psalm 139, “Where can I go from your presence?”
Not only a question, it is also an assumption by David.
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” - C.S. Lewis
The alternating themes of Psalm 22
David begins to recount the goodness of God from the past
David focuses on himself again in the third paragraph, “I am a worm”
He goes back to focusing on the goodness of God, ending with a plea to God
The danger of isolation
We can isolate ourselves from the church, family, and God as a result of our feeling abandoned.
This is damaging to our spiritual health as well as our health in general.
“The lies of the enemy thrive in isolation” - Alex Ferren
The church culture of being composed
Sometimes questioning God makes us feel like we don’t have everything together and that is okay. It is okay to not be okay.
There is value in crying out to God because by doing so we are in communication with God.
There is comfort in knowing that the God we cry out to, knows exactly what we are going through. He’s lived it.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” – Hebrews 4:15
The Second Forsaken King
The prophetic elements of Psalm 22
Psalm 22:1 Both David and Jesus say, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Verse 7-8 both had insults thrown their way, both mocked for their trust in God. Matthew 27, the governor’s soldiers mock Jesus as the king of the Jews. Matthew 27:43 tells us that people would walk around Jesus on the Cross almost taunting him saying “Let God rescue him now if he wants him.
Verse 16 David says his hands and feet are pierced, Jesus were as well.
Verse 18, Lots were cast for Jesus robes in Psalm 27:35.
“I am a worm”
Jesus in John 5:58 goes from saying “Before Abraham was born, I am” to quoting the same chapter that says, “I am a worm”
The crimson worm, Tola.
Immanuel, God with us
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” - Colossians 1:17
Christ feels as though God is away from him for the first time in Christ’s entire existence. In desperation, Christ cries out to the Father.
God hurts with us.
“He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” - Psalm 34:8.
“Jesus doesn’t just teach us what to believe, but how to believe.”– Heath Adamson
Spiritual Practice
“I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me against the rock of ages” – Charles Spurgeon
The lessons from the Forsaken Kings
Our first prayer and request on a daily basis should be, “God, be not far from me.”
Jesus cries out to God, why have you forsaken me? But Matthew ends with Jesus promise of “I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Who are we in proximity with? We should help carry each other’s burdens
The strength in our vulnerability helps us build community.
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
The "Secular", is not a place of anti-religion or neutrality, it is the space of contested belief.
Everyone in the Secular Age experiences what Charles Taylor calls "cross-pressure"; We have all come to realize that what we believe cannot be taken as the default of society anymore.
“I don’t believe in God, but I miss him." – Julian Barns, Nothing to be Frightened of
As we wrestle with our doubts, I think Jesus' encounter with Thomas in John 20 offers us the most beautiful glimpse into God's reception of the doubter.
“So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." After saying these things, he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him." The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." – John 11:6-16 (ESV)
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 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 if 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 to where I am going." 5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" – John 14:1-5 (ESV)
“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe." –John 20:24-25 (ESV)
In the midst of Thomas' disappointment and doubt, God, in Jesus, draws close.
“Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." 28Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" –John 20:26-28 (ESV)
Jesus invites us to come to him, fully human; full of hope and cold hard facts.
Doubt is not the opposite of faith; unbelief is.
“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." –Matthew 28:16-20
They worshiped and doubted– and changed the world.
Even at the Great Commission, the disciples held doubt and faith together.
“We don’t believe instead of doubting; we believe while doubting. We're all Thomas now.” – James KA Smith, How (not) to be Secular
Thomas embodies the human condition; full of faith and trust one moment and full of questions and doubts the next.
To say, “I believe in God” is not made, without doubt, it is to trust in the midst of doubt. The biblical concept of faith is not an illogical leap but a trust in the nature of God.
“...Christian belief is [not] an irrational leap into the dark. It is more like tasting a dish that you have never tried. You have seen other people enjoying it; you have read the reviews; the chef swears you’ll like it. There are good grounds for trusting, but you will never know for sure until you try it. “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” sings the psalmist (Ps 34:8). The first act is an act of trust that gives rise to ever-increasing [confidence], which in turn nourishes a deeper and a more knowledgeable trust.” –Ben Myers, The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism
Four ways in which we can cultivate a life of faith amid the cross-pressures of our moment.
1. Rethink success, not as certainty or control, but as trust. The biblical concept of faith is trusting in the nature of God.
2. Doubt your Doubts. We should be equal opportunity doubters, not just of belief but of disbelief as well.
3. Strive for Emotionally Health. Wrestling with anything, including doubt, becomes exponentially more complicated when we struggle with our emotional health.
“Sometimes doubt is fostered by sleep deprivation especially in those who are overworked or are students… it comes from bad habits, zealous perfectionism, and bad time management… The point is that as human beings our mind, body, matter, spirit all work together and if you push yourself to the limit you are inviting depression, breaking down, and looking at the world through dark, gloomy habits, and then the godliest thing you can do in universe is get some sleep!” –DA Carson, Scandalous
4. Lean into the community of God. God is not unknown, he can be known. Joining in the songs of the saints, dinner with your microchurch, and the stories of God's activity creates an environment in which faith can grow.
Summary of Psalms
Composed of 150 Hebrew poems. 73 of them were written by David.
Scholars say the Psalms are broken into 5 sections with an introduction and an ending. The ending is 5 chapters that end in praise to our God.
Lament and praise are the main expressions in Psalms. Lament is an appropriate response to the evil that we see in the world. While praise expresses joy and celebration of the goodness of God.
“With my voice, I cry out to the Lord; with my voice, I plead for mercy to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him” – Psalm142:1-2
“Caves make good closets for prayer; their gloom and solitude are helpful to the exercise of devotion. Had David prayed as much in his palace as he did in his cave, he might never have fallen into the act which brought such misery upon his later days.” – Charles Spurgeon
“When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.” – Psalm142:3-4
“I cry to you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’”– Psalm142:5
“Attend to my cry for I am brought very low Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me! Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.”– Psalm 142:6-7
The story of David isn't one that celebrates only mountain tops; It's one that shows the practical struggles and God still being faithful to us.
Spiritual Practice
Lament and praise. Take time to grieve the hard and trying times. But also give thanks and praise to God in the bad and good.
SUMMARY OF COLOSSIANS
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
THE ACHE FOR BELONGING.
“We all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves”; is a phrase that almost needs no explanation for we all know the ache for belonging.
An MIT Study published in Nov. 2020 found that humans crave social interactions in the same region in our brain that we crave food. A different study indicated that our experience of social isolation or loneliness originates in the same region of the brain in which we experience the sensation of physical pain.
We all seem to be looking for a community of meaningful participation.
The Church is called to be a collaborative community; collaborating with God and one another.
THROUGHOUT THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE GOD DEMONSTRATES A DEEP DESIRE TO COLLABORATE WITH HUMANITY.
“The human job description…found in chapter 1 of Genesis indicates that God assigned to us collectively the rule over all living things on earth, animal and plant. We are responsible before God for life on the earth. However unlikely it may seem from our current viewpoint, God equipped us for this task by framing our nature to function in a conscious, personal relationship of interactive responsibility with him. We are meant to exercise our ‘rule’ only in union with God, as he acts with us. He intended to be our constant companion or co-worker in the creative enterprise of life on earth. That is what his love for us means in practical terms.” – Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, 22
THE GOSPEL CAN BE UNDERSTOOD AS GOD’S INVITATION TO BE HIS COLLABORATING PEOPLE.
“The task of the church is to serve as the best example of what God can do with human community.“ – Stanley Hauerwas “What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God’s future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether. They are part of what we may call building for God’s kingdom.” – NT Wright, Suprised by Hope To collaborate with God is to understand his plan for the future, and to simply work towards it. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” – Col 3:1–2.
PAUL’S MOTLEY CREW OF COLLABORATORS.
Two Messengers (Tychicus, Onesimus), three Jewish collaborators (Aristarchus, Mark, Jesus “Justus”), three Gentile collaborators (Epaphras, Luke, Demas), and a few final greetings (Nympha, the Church of Laodicea, and Archippus). “Christian friendships are call-and-response friendships. We tell each other over and over, back and forth, the truth of who we are and who God is. Over dinner and on walks, dropping off soup when someone is sick, and in prayer over the phone, we speak the good news to each other. And we become good news to every other.” — Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary
OUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE IS TO IDENTIFY & CENTER FRIENDSHIPS IN CHRIST.
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Make friends with Christians who spur you towards the good.
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This means you need to show up to the Christian community.
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You must put yourself out there– be intentional.
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Keep working at friendship.
SUMMARY OF COLOSSIANS
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
SUMMARY OF COLOSSIANS
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
ON UNCOMFORTABLE PASSAGES IN THE BIBLE
Passages like Colossians 3:18-4:1 are known as a “household code”, instructions to Christian people on domestic matters. They define what a homelife should look like, but many of these instructions seem outdated.
When we come to passages that on the surface seem problematic we can respond one of a few ways;
We can breeze over it, focusing on the parts we like.
We can outright ignore it, call it a product of a bygone age and keep on what we’re doing.
We can say “the bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it”.
We can wrestle with it.
The bible is a library of ancient literature revealing God’s activity to bring about beauty, justice, and flourishing out of the chaos of our world.
The Bible was composed over thousands of years by people who have a very different lifestyle from our own; It take thoughtfulness, research, and an open-minded curiosity to interpret the scriptures. accurately.
BIBLICAL THEOLOGY
The Greco-Roman world that the Colossians believers occupied was patriarchal and male-dominated.
“It is, in fact, extremely unlikely that Paul, having warned the young Christians against conforming their lives to the present world, would now require just that of them after all.” – NT Wright
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” – Colossians 3:2
Why call for a focus on heaven, if moments later you are going to suggest a social dynamic that mimics the earth?
The key to Paul’s understanding of subversive love is found in verses 11, 14, and 17.
“Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” – Colossians 3:11 ESV
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” – Colossians 3:14 ESV
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”– Colossians 3:17 ESV
In summary, Paul suggests that the Church is a community of diverse equals, united in love, and working to do everything “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”
- Marital Relationship
“...as between the sexes, the male is by nature superior and the female inferior, the male ruler and the female subject.” – Aristotle
“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. “ – Colossians 3:18-19
Wives submit to their husbands, which deserves careful attention:
it is spoken to a Roman culture obsessed with status and power.
this terminology has long been used to justify the domination and abuse of women.
“...though [Jesus] was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. – Philippians 2:6–8 ESV
The call of Paul is for husbands and wives to march into life not struggling for power but in self-sacrificing love
- Parental Relationship
“He who loves his son will whip him often,so that he may rejoice at the way he turns out. An unbroken horse turns out stubborn,and an unchecked son turns out headstrong.Pamper a child, and he will terrorize you;play with him, and he will grieve you.Do not laugh with him, or you will have sorrow with him, and in the end you will gnash your teeth. Give him no freedom in his youth,and do not ignore his errors.Bow down his neck in his youth, and beat his sides while he is young, or else he will become stubborn and disobey you, and you will have sorrow of soul from him.Discipline your son and make his yoke heavy,so that you may not be offended by his shamelessness.”– Sirach 30:1,8-13
“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. “ – Colossians 3:20-21 ESV
In just a few crisp sentences Paul says what thousands of books on parenting say in chapters– “children need discipline, and so do parents.”
- Socioeconomic Relationship
While first-century slavery was not the racially-motivated evil of the Antebellum south; it was still the practice of owning another human.
“Fodder and a stick and burdens for a donkeyBread and discipline and work for a servant:Set your slave to work, and you will find restLeave his hands idle, and he will seek libertyYoke and thong will bow the neckAnd for a wicked servant there are racks and tortures”– Sirach 33:26-27
Paul doesn’t outright condemn slavery, in this or any other passage, but his instruction put cracks in the foundation of slavery and provides an opportunity to begin seeing beyond the evil institution.
What he does is subtle, but powerful nonetheless.
First, Paul is not putting women, children, or slaves in their place – he is instructing them on what it looks like to behave like Christians in the social roles they are already playing.
“…Paul is trying to Christianize a difficult and possibly abusive situation on his first occasion of addressing the Colossians and so to help the subordinate members of the household not merely survive but have a more Christian environment in which to operate.” – Ben Witherington III
Second, his instructions to the slave follow his radical assertion in verse 11.
“Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” – Colossians 3:11 ESV
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” – Galatians 3:28 ESV
Amongst the people of Christ, the old hierarchies of social order and economic status are being erased by Christ.
And Third, he addresses the slave directly, instructing them on faithful service elevating their status.
“Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. “ – Colossians 3:22-25 ESV
And fourth, he addresses the master’s treatment of their slaves in chapter 4, verse 1.
“Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.” – Colossians 4:1 ESV
In this seemingly innocuous add-on at the end, Paul shatters whatever foundation one held for owning another human.
Paul insists on defending the humanity of wives, children, and slaves appealing to their equal standing in Christ and warning the powerful that they will be held accountable for their actions.
In the Gospel, Christ is establishing an entirely new social order– one that stands against the exploitive systemic injustices of the Roman Empire.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE – Love through Service (The ministry of the Towel)
In John 13, there is a peculiar story about Jesus, his disciples, and a towel. A task reserved for the lowest of low, taken up by the king of Kings;
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” (John 13:14–15)
“A sign hangs on the wall in a New Monastic Christian community house: “Everyone wants a revolution. No one wants to do the dishes.” – Tish Harrison Ward
Summary of Colossians
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
Pentecost Sunday is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of the church. It comes after Easter as it specifically celebrates and remembers Acts 2.
First, Paul says, the Church community should be rooted in Christ.
In John 1, Christ is described as the word or the logos.
“[W]ords spoken by Jesus, words spoken about Jesus, and Jesus himself dwell in you richly.” – Scot McKnight
Second, Paul says, the church community should hold one another accountable.
Paul here is emphasizing that Church is a responsibility shared by all who claim to be a part of that community.
Paul says Church holds one another accountable.
Thirdly, Paul says the Church community should sings songs of thankfulness.
“[P]art of a life of thankfulness that overflows into song.” – N.T. Wright
Similar to the early Christian community, as a church we gather week in and week out around simple songs, a psalter reading, and the doxology hymn.
And part of engaging in Church is showing up, singing songs, and thus rooting yourself in Christ.
And Paul says this is what the church should look like: a community rooted in Christ, in which we are held accountable to one another, and we sing songs of thankfulness.
In order to be in this type of community, with people that will inevitably hurt us, we have to practice an abundance of forgiveness.
“It is important to think about the Church not as “over there” but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and in whom we meet our Lord and Redeemer.” – Henri Nouwen
“if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” – Colossians 3:13
“A community has hope of holding together and growing together when the need for forgiveness is recognized on each side where the fault has been committed.” – James Dunn
“First, it is utterly inappropriate for one who knows the joy and release of being forgiven to refuse to share that blessing with another. Second, it is highly presumptuous to refuse to forgive one whom Christ himself has already forgiven.” –NT Wright
So Paul says, when the messy community of Christ hurts you, you must work towards forgiveness with one another because Christ forgave you.
“Forgiveness is a lovely idea until you have something [or someone to] forgive.” – C.S. Lewis
Paul, echoing the teachings of Jesus, instructs the Colossians to forgive.
Moving Toward Forgiveness
Dr. Everett Worthington is a Jesus-follower and psychologist who has spent 30+ years conducting the clinical science of what helps people forgive. Worthington believes true forgiveness can take place using the following research-based model in the form of the acronym REACH:
Recall the hurt Empathize Activate the Altruistic Gift of ForgivenessCommit Publicly to forgive Hold on to forgiveness
Summary of Colossians
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
Our impulse to hide from community“I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid… The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” – Genesis 3:10-12 ESV
Hiding from community looks like withdrawal or defensiveness.
In defensiveness, I can avoid changing.
In withdrawal, I can avoid being fully known.
But in our hiding, we fail to grow.
Paul’s thesis– We will take on the likeness of Christ when we are in 1) a community of strangers, 2) committed toone another, and 3) under the guidance of the Prince of Peace.
A community of strangers(v.10-11)“put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” – Colossians 3:10–11.
Paul is deliberate with the boundary markers he chooses to include.
“ The ancient world, just like the modern, was an elaborate network of prejudice, suspicion, and arrogance, so ingrained as to be thought natural and normal…” – NT Wright
Confirmation bias–the habit of searching out, favoring, or recalling information that supports our pre-existing beliefs.
“Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians 3:11b)
“If we are a people rich in social relationships, we are rich indeed. Whenever we develop significant friendships with those who are not like us culturally, we become broader, wiser persons.” – Richard Foster, Streams of Living Water
A community committed to one another. (v. 12-14)“12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Paul anticipates conflict. He assumes there will be hurt, pettiness, and sin– he assumes that as humans we will act like humans; And he gives us a strategy to deal with the conflict.
This list of virtues is little more than a description of love lived out in the community:
“To love the Lord you God…and to love your neighbor as yourself.” – Mark 12:30-31 ESV
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
A community under the guidance of the prince of peace“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” – Colossians 3:15
Paul uses a word we translate as “rule” that has the connotation of an umpire or arbitrator.
“… seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” – Colossians 3:1-4
“So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” – Mark 16:19
“While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” – Luke 24:51.
“Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”– John 20:17-18
“And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” – Acts 1:9
This event is known as the Ascension of Jesus.
“The aim of God in history is the creation of an all-inclusive community of loving persons, with Himself included in that community as its prime sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.” – Dallas Willard
Paul’s vision is a community of strangers committed to one another under the guidance of the Prince of Peace.
We cannot follow Jesus alone.
“Whether you define church as a Sunday gathering around a stage, a much smaller community around a table, or, as I would recommend, a mixture of both, we can’t follow Jesus alone. Jesus did not have a disciple (singular); he had disciples (plural). The call to follow Jesus was—and still is—a call to join his community of the Way.”
— John Mark Comer, Live No Lie
We will take on the likeness of Christ when we are in a community of strangers, committed toone another, and under the guidance of the Prince of Peace.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE – Commit to the community
Life together is difficult, but it is far better; it's the life we so desperately long for.
We must drop our impulse to hide, withdraw or become defensive, in order to be known and transformed.
This is why we do microchurch. Let us pastor you into one.
“My life is not where I thought it would be.”
Our expectations do not always line up with reality.
Why haven’t I experienced true and lasting transformation in my life?
Summary of Colossians
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
In verse 5, he outlines the first list, sins of desire. He says: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:[a] sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
In verse 8, he outlines the second list, sins against community. He says, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.”
Dos and Don’ts
In a letter, Paul writes for the purpose of growing the Colossians' spiritual maturity, this is the first instance of a has dos and don'ts list.
Paul knew something that we often forget: rules don’t compel people to act, stories do.
This is why Pauls spends the first two Chapters of Colossians rooting us, placing us in the story of Jesus.
Putting to Death Sin
“[T]o put something to death you must cut off its lines of supply- every Christian has the responsibility before God to investigate the lifelines of whatever sins are defeating him personally and to cut them off without pity- Better that than have them eventually destroy you…One cannot always prevent angry or hateful thoughts from springing into one’s head, but they should be dealt with firmly before they turn into words. It is not ‘healthy’, as is sometimes supposed, to allow such thoughts to find expression. It is certainly healthy to recognize and face up to one’s own anger or frustration, and to search for proper and creative ways of dealing with it. But words do not merely convey information or let off steam. They change situations and relationships, often irrevocably. They can wound as well as heal. Like wild plants blown by the wind, hateful words can scatter their seeds far and wide, giving birth to more anger wherever they land.” – N.T. Wright
Paul ends these lists with a summative statement. He says in v. 9 and 10;
“9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[c] with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
Sins as Lies
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” – John 8:44
“our fight with the devil is first and foremost a fight to take back control of our minds from their captivity to lie and liberate them with the weapon of truth.” – John Mark Comer
Clothing Metaphor
The idea of clothing is commonly associated with resurrection. When Lazarus is resurrected, Jesus instructs the people to unbind him, to rid him of his burial clothes. When Jesus is resurrected, he leaves his burial clothes behind.
“The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off.” – CS Lewis
1. We live in the already but not yet.
Paul in v. 1 of Chapter three says if you then have been raised with Christ in the past tense. Then in v. 10, he says our new self is being renewed in knowledge present tense.
“As people our souls are tethered to [the story or kingdom of Jesus] like a rubber band and the further we get from that story the more tension we feel. And being that we live in the between there are constantly things that belong to death pulling us from that kingdom citizenship.” –Ashley Anderson
Part of the reason transformation is difficult is because although we have been clothed in new clothes we still live in a world filled with old clothes. We are in the already but not yet.
2. Transformation does not feel achievable is because we focus too much on our old clothes.
Paul goes on later in vv. 12-14 to say don’t focus on the old clothes, but focus on the new ones.
We need to focus more on our new clothes and not on our old ones
3. Transformation feels difficult because we lack the long view.
Malcolm Gladwell’s 2008 book, Outliers: The Story of Success explains that in order to become an expert in anything you have to spend at least 10,000 hours practicing a particular skill. That equates to 20 hours a week for 10 years.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE |
What would it look like to apply the 10,000 hour rule to our spiritual formation? Could it be that this transition from old to new clothes is something that happens over a lifetime and not simply a day, a week, a month, or a year?
“As I write this [chapter], I just came off a pretty rough week. A few interpersonal things had me really stressed out and by the time my Sabbath rolled around I was really feeling it. I’ve had an adulthood-long struggle with anxiety, that while better than it’s ever been, still rears its ugly head on a regular basis. And in that moment of discouragement, when I was literally thinking, Will I ever mature past anxiety’s hold on my soul? I felt the Spirit remind me to take the long view.
Here’s John Mark and peace in his twenties…. Not much to look at. A very anxious young man with a tortured sensitivity.
Here’s John Mark and peace in his thirties… Better but still a long way to go.
Forties… Wow, I see a noticeable uptick. But still a lot of road ahead
But by the time I’m in my sixties? Deep shalom, friends, deep shalom. Come what may, my soul is at peace with God.
So with that vision of my future self in mind, I go about the rest of my day. I am practicing the Way of Jesus as best I can and playing the long game. As my father frequently said, take the long view.” – John Mark Comer
What would it look like to establish a vision for our new lives in Jesus?
3 Point Summary of Colossians 1. This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing. 2. Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1) 3. Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives. Genesis 3 After the fall we have tried to hide certain areas of our life. What does this do? Creates two kingdoms. The human struggle is our kingdom vs Gods Brings shame and constant worry. (Am i in right standing with God) Luke 10:25-37 Colossians 3:1-4 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Spiritual Practice The Lord's Prayer: As our Savior taught us, so we pray; Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.
3 Point Summary of Colossians
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Paul advances the idea that Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual Maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus is growing in maturity in every aspect of our lives.
Our greatest temptation is to believe the subtle lie that Christ is insufficient.
Three dominant worldviews that influence the Church in the U.S. today:
Christian Performance Culture
Core Desire: Be more like Jesus in all his perfection and characteristics.
Disordered Priority: We make our boundaries and rules the source of salvation
Indicator:Judgment of others may show that you have added Christian Performance to Christ.
New Age ThoughtCore Desire: Reach ultimate truth
Disordered Priority: The search for truth becomes Spiritual Wandering formed by cherry picking beliefs, and we find ourselves Deeming Christ insufficient.
Indicator: If you find yourself absorbing different “truths” or beliefs in a space of Spiritual wandering, then you may have exchanged truth for a spirituality that is self-made.
Idol of Political PartyCore Desire: See human flourishing
Disordered Priority: You’re more committed to a political party's platform than the ways of Jesus
Indicator: Political anxiety is a good indicator that you‘ve bought into the idol of political party.
“The church need look nowhere else for forgiveness for the past, for maturity in the present, and for future hope.” - N.T. Wright
“…the sin underneath all our sins is the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ and must take matters into our own hands.” - Martin Luther
Being a disciple of Jesus is a progressive process of learning to be influenced by Jesus. It’s not about perfection, it’s about commitment that aims to look more like Jesus every day.
3 Point Summary of Colossians
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
An Information War
As 21st-century people, much of our understanding of warfare comes from World War 2. However, most conflict in the 21st century has not been with bullets but with ideas.
Paul uses service in the military as a metaphor for our experience with the faith.
“...fight the good fight of faith” – 1 Timothy 6
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”– 2 Timothy 2:3.
“...cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light”–Romans 13:12.
“we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”– Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
On our true enemy
John 8:44-45: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.”
Jesus believes there is a hostile spiritual intelligence, known as “the devil.”
The devil’s end goal is anti-creation; or death.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10
“The terms “powers and authorities” (Col 1:16; 2:15)... undeniably describe spiritual and cosmic forces at work in this world … Yet, some of this language is routinely used for, say, Roman structures and institutions. In other words, the powers refer to dark cosmic forces that are at work in the structures of God’s world.” – Scott McKnight
- The Enemies’ primary means of destruction is deception.
“Ideas…are the primary stronghold of evil of the human self and in society. “ – Dallas Willard
The Colossian Captivity
The temptation to believe the lie of the enemy is what Paul is addressing in the Colossian Church:
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” (Col. 8:8)
The way to counteract these types of lies is to confront them with the truth; therefore Paul launches into who Christ is and what he is done.
The Fullness of Deity
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”– Colossians 2:9-10:
As NT Wright suggests, these verses give the Colossians the reason why they must not be ensnared by lies– there is nothing these philosophies have to offer that is not better in Christ.
We lose in the realm of spiritual warfare– thus spiritual maturity– anytime we believe the original lie that Christ is not enough.
Three ways to confront this lie and to know that Christ is enough:
A community of truth
Our sins do not dictate our future
And Christ has defeated the powers of darkness.
The Community of Truth.
“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” – Colossians 2:11-12
Both circumcision and baptism were signs that you belong to a particular community– God’s community.
Our sins do not dictate our future
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” – Colossians 2:13-14
In our apprenticeship to Christ, one progressively learns what it is to choose to believe truth over lies.
The powers that be have been defeated by Christ.
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” –Colossians 2:15
When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.” – Colossians 2:13–15 (The Message Paraphrase)
The cross has become a source of hope for all who have been held captive by their lies.
Spiritual Practice – Spiritual warfare is putting yourself in proximity to truth.
But as Jesus and Paul teach us, spiritual warfare most often comes in the form of a lie and the way to confront these lies is with the truth.
Spiritual maturity is learning to put yourself in a position to hear the voice of truth, over the lies of the enemy
After building this foundation of who Christ is and reminding the Colasse church yet again that Jesus is the Messiah or the true savior, he gets to the purpose of his whole letter: spiritual maturity.
FAILURE TO LAUNCH
You have heard it said:
“Kids these days don’t have the same work ethic as we did.”
“Youth are lazy and self-indulgent. They only want to work in jobs that are prestigious and pay well.”
“It seems like all young adults are living with their parents nowadays.”
“Or young people just don’t want to grow up”
There is actually a relatively new term that has been invented to describe this phenomenon called “Failure to Launch”; this idea that today young people have not launched into life quite like generations preceding them.
“[T]hat there is no new developmental period of emerging adulthood and that the notion is not accurate that “kids these days” are profoundly different than those in the past. Instead, [this] phenomenon has been experienced by youth across generations.” – Nancy E. Hill and Alexis Redding, The End of Adolescence: the Lost Art of Delaying Adolescence
No matter the generation, whether you are a baby boomer, genX, millennial, or GenZ, growth is hard and oftentimes uncomfortable.
ON SPIRITUAL MATURITY
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.” – Colossians 2:6
Spiritual maturity is walking in Jesus, being rooted in him. Spiritual Maturity is thinking, acting and being like Jesus in our context today.
This is why at Midtown Church we define our kingdom value of intentional formation as aligning our story with the story of Jesus. We desire for every aspect of our lives, our work, our family, our social lives, to reflect the person of Jesus.
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT & LIFE STAGES
Four developmental stages:
Infant: Consumer Stage | Infants do not have the ability yet to give; they simply take.
Child: Certainty Stage | Children ask a lot of questions in pursuit of certainty.
Adolescent: Challenge Stage | Adolescence is marked by challenging the certainty developed as a child.
Adulthood: Contribution Stage | Adulthood is marked by contribution and responsibility.
PAUL’S MAIN IDEA
“[Christ] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” – Colossians 1:28
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” – Colossians 2:6
“We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less… My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him.” – Colossians 1:28, The Message Paraphrase
Studying Jesus’ teaching is central to spiritual maturity.
“to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery was hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery(2), which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” – Colossians 1:25b
“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” – John 14:23
For Paul, there is an unbreakable connection, a symbiotic relationship between spiritual maturity and knowing Jesus’ teaching
Spiritual maturity costs.
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” – Colossians 1:24
For[ people’s spiritual maturity], I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. – Colossians 1:29
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face.” – Colossians 2:1
We read in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, that Paul was
Whipped on five different occasions
Beaten with rods on three different occasions
Stoned once
Shipwrecked three times
Was left for dead driting on the sea
Maintained a crazy travel schedule
Made dangerous journeys through rivers and the wilderness
He journeyed in lands frequented by robbers
He was hurt by many people who claimed to be his friends
He suffered from insomnia
He had many nights without food or drink exposed to the cold
And had mounting anxiety regarding his job overseeing many churches
Resistance to Spiritual Maturity comes from a variety of places-
The spiritual forces of darkness or evil.
Resistance comes from the world.
Resistance even comes in the form of our own apathy.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23
“Real transformation does not happen at disneyland it happens at calvary.” – Ron Rolheisser
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
If you want spiritual maturity, you have to commit to it.
Just like graduating from college, moving into a professional career, getting married, having children, buying a house, planning for retirement, etc. requires commitment, so does spiritual maturity.
Are you committed to becoming more spiritually mature? Do you have a vision for your soul? Are you able to visualize the person you want to be in Christ?
WE’VE LOST A SENSE OF SHARED STORIES.
“We are no longer in the era of broadcast, we are in the era of narrowcast, where different genres are made for different people. Nothing caters to everyone,” – Gamal Guemeih, The age of Narrowcast is Upon Us
“The collapse of trust, the rise of animosity — these are emotional, not intellectual problems. The real problem is in our system of producing shared stories. If a country can’t tell narratives in which everybody finds an honorable place, then righteous rage will drive people toward tribal narratives that tear it apart.” —David Brooks, “How to Destroy Truth”
We find ourselves in a moment in which our stories are fracturing, diverging, and competing.
The Apostle Paul uses a piece of poetry to tell us the Story of Redemption in Christ, in four scenes.
Creation
Rebellion
Redemption
New Creation
SCENE 1: CREATION AND THE IMAGE OF GOD
“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. – Colossians 1:15-16 (ESV)
The whole character and purpose of God are revealed in the person of Jesus:
”...Christ, who is the image of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)
“...Christ Jesus, 6 who, [shared in the nature of God]…” – Philippians 2:5–7
“... [Christ] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” – Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)
“In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was at the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” –John 1:1–5 (ESV)
“God is like Jesus.
God has always been like Jesus.
There has never been a time when God was not like Jesus.
We have not always known what God is like—But now we do.”
–Brian Zahnd
SCENE 2: REBELLION AND THE NATURE OF EVIL
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:1–5.
Humanity’s decisions (and continued decisions) fracture relationships
The fracturing of our relationship with God (Genesis 3)
The contamination of the Earth (Genesis 3)
Violence enters human relationships. (Gen 4)
Sin corrupts our institutions (Genesis 11)
Death reigns supreme (Genesis 3)
“for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust, you shall return.”
– Genesis 3:19
“[we have] all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
The God of scripture is not aloof, distant, or callous to our suffering– in Jesus we see a God who suffers with us.
SCENE 3: REDEMPTION BY THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”– 1 Corinthians 15:55
Verse 18 of our poem is Paul’s anchor for everything he has claimed.
18b. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. – Colossians 1:18-20
Evidence for a bodily resurrectionFor more on the Resurrection, check out NT Wright’s work Suprised by Hope.
The tombs of martyrs were quickly enshrined, and there is no evidence of Jesus’ tomb being memorialized.
There is a lack of Old Testament references in the resurrection accounts, in part because no one anticipated the resurrection.
The disciples' radical change in sabbath day observance, transitioning from Saturday to Sunday, is not illogical without a exceptional happening to inspire the change.
The disciple’s willingness to be martyred in increasingly horrific ways continues to suggest they witnessed something they were willing to die for.
“And when it comes to the church, [Jesus] organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end.” – Colossians 1:18-19, The Message.
SCENE 4: NEW CREATION IS A PROTOTYPE FOR THE NEW PEOPLE OF GOD.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” – Colossians 1:20-23
To be numbered amongst the Jesus people is to play a part in the renewal of all things:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” – Revelation 21:1-5 (ESV)
“It’s common, even in Christian circles, to think of the afterlife as a disembodied bliss in a paradise filled with naked baby angels tickling the strings of harps as our souls bounce from cloud to cloud. But Christianity has never taught a disembodied future in heaven. Our beliefs are more radical.
We believe that one day the entire created world will be transformed to become what God always intended it to be: free of pain, death and sorrow. It will be an earth that still contains some of the things of this life: food, art, mountains, lakes, beaches and culture. There will be hip-hop, spirituals, soul music and grits (with cheese, salt and pepper — not sugar) in the renewed creation. Christians believe that our bodies will be resurrected from the dead to live in this transformed earth. Like the earth itself, these bodies will be transfigured or perfected, but they will still be our bodies.” – Esau Mcaully, What Good Friday and Easter Mean for Black Americans
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: TO LIVE OUT THE STORY.
For those, a part of the new people of God, may Easter be a reminder of your scene in the story of Jesus.
For those who have not joined the People of God, the invitation to that story is always available.
“When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said…” – Matthew 5:1-2
Jesus is the new Moses, leading a new exodus, teaching a new Torah to a new Israel and a new kingdom.
“When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying.” – Matthew 7:28-29
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to him looks like.
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice in imagination
Niel Postman’s Information Action Ratio: information becomes important because of its potential to create action.
Because the tie between information and action has been severed, we are preconditioned to do nothing with information given to us.
We must be people of information AND action.
Three Warnings
The broad way (vv. 13-14)
The false prophet (vv. 15-23)
The shaky foundation (vv. 24-27)
13 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. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” –Matthew 7:13-14
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” –John 14:6
Jesus is the narrow gate.
“Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention. – Matthew 7:13-14, The Message
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you. –Matthew 6: 26-30
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! – Matthew 7:7-11
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:29-30
We aren’t promised that the road will be easy but Jesus does promise to walk with us.
“Many from the east and west will come into the kingdom.” – Matthew 8:11
Matthew 20:18 we learn that Jesus’ death liberates many from captivity.
Therefore, Jesus is not limiting the number that can be saved. Rather, he is calling us to introspection, to ask the question, am I part of the few, to examine moments when we have chosen the broadway and not the narrow.
Three tests to discern between true and false prophet
The Life Test
The Teaching Test
The Relationship Test
False Prophet= false preacher, pastor, teacher, writer, or podcaster
“16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit”. – Matthew 7:16-17
“Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. – Matthew 7:15-20, The Message
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21
“Will of my father” = the Word or teachings of Jesus
“Watch your life and doctrine [teachings] closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” – 1 Timothy 4:16
“Paul and Silas finish teaching the Berean people and it says they “received the word [Paul’s teaching] with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” – Acts 17:10-11
“22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” – Matthew 7:22-23
When confronted with this passage as a pastor, my first inclination should be to “turn the text into a mirror,” to ask myself, “Am I the false prophet of this text? Do I have a public life that is admirable and a private life that does not follow what Jesus has taught in this Sermon?” –Scott McKnight
In being watchful, we not only love and protect ourselves and Christ’s community, but we protect the pastors, the teachers, and the preachers. We help our pastors catch the warning signs before they deviate from the narrow way.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” – Matthew 7:24-27
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on.” – Matthew 7:24-25, The Message
All three warnings concern what happens when we hear something but we do not put it into practice.
Spiritual Practice
Review all of the sermons we have heard since September in this sermon series. Identify one moment when you felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to act in response to the information you were given and you did not. Now, implement that one action this week.
The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech.
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to him looks like.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice in imagination.
Doubt is a consistent human experience. The thorny tension as you look at Jesus’ descriptions of the Kingdom of God is that there are bad things happening constantly.
On The Kingdom of God
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”– Matthew 4:17
The moment these words are first uttered is fraught with political, cultural, and economic tension.
Jesus defines the Kingdom of God as “your kingdom come, your will be done” (Matthew 6:10) The Kingdom of God is the space in which God’s will is done.
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.– Matthew 4:23–25.
A theme that emerges through the New Testament is that of Inaugurated eschatology or the “already, not yet”. It is this idea that the Kingdom of God has begun in Jesus, but will not be fully established until a later date.
Jesus is offering us the invitation to live in the reality of the Kingdom– to experience the goodness of the Kingdom and to express that to all people.
“Ask, and it will be given to you…”
The essential foundation of Jesus’ life and ministry is that “God is a loving father.”
“But, for most of us, the problem is not that we are too eager to ask for the wrong things. The problem is that we are not eager enough to ask for the right things.” – NT Wright
“[Prayer is] talking to God about the things we are working on together. It is a collaboration with God to accomplish the good purposes of His kingdom.” – Dallas Willard
Our lives with God are deeply intertwined with our lives with others– these are not separate relationships.
The Wooden Rule (Lex Talionis) – “Do unto others what they do to you.”
The Silver Rule – "do not do unto others what you do not wish done unto you.”
Golden Rule – “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (v.12)
To practice the golden rule requires that I abandon my privilege, distance, and safety in order to be empathetic and in proximate relationships.
For Jesus the sum of the Law and the Prophets is to become a person of love, reflecting the love our God gives us.
“a lawyer asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:34–40 (ESV)
The baffling nature of the Gospel is that Jesus invites us into a Kingdom in which we, with God, push back evil with good.
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech.
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to him looks like.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice in imagination.
It’s helpful to see this instruction as an inverse of the 5th Beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy”Matthew 5:6–7 (ESV)
“Judge Not” means do be discerning, but do not be hypercritical and condemning.
At times discernment comes with the need for education and instruction.
God has given us much authority as his Children, but both forgiveness and judgment are left for Him alone to decide.
“The tone of your life will be the tone of your judgment” - R. Kent Hughes
God is asking us not to show our neighbors condemnation when He has met us with grace.
“Wrath toward the speck in someone else’s life may come from the suppressed guilt over the same massive sin in our own lives.” - R. Kent Hughes
Jesus is showing us a slower path of self-criticism and personal sensitivity will grip others more deeply than aggressive overzealous techniques.
“Only wounded healers have a right to heal” - Henry Nowen
Accountability is best done with verbal permission and an intentional ask.
Two Points of Caution:
Be wise about who you give permission and authority in your life.
“Some have harmless specks in their eyes; others have harmful clubs in their hands” – Dale Bruner
If you ask for accountability, be prepared to be held accountable.
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech.
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to him looks like.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice in imagination.
5 headlines to you from the New York Times this week,
“War Displaces 1 in 5 Ukrainians, U.N Estimates”
“Another Covid Surge may be coming. Are we Ready for it?”
“Federal Reserve Announces First Interest Rate Hike Since 2018”
“As Offices Open and Mask Mandates Drop, Some Anxieties Set In”
“Netflix is starting to crack down on password sharing”
Jesus is not dismissive of our anxiety, rather he is offering us the chance to reconsider its place in our life.
Anxiety is a warning signal hard-wired into our bodies and is an essential component of human survival.
The verb Matthew chooses is one that has this connotation of choking or strangling. The anxiety Jesus seems to hone in on is a pattern of rumination and self-sabotage that seems to choke the joy out of life.
I think Jesus invites us to investigate our thoughts and feelings to gauge what we’ve given too much power to.
Creation itself demonstrates the care of our Father.
All of creation, everything under the sun, finds its very existence and continued persistence in the care of our triune God.
In his third iteration of the prohibition, Jesus will say “do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.“
When ruminating cycle of anxiety begins to choke you– Jesus’ encouragement is to recognize God’s provision in the creation and to anchor yourself to the moment.
Jesus invites us to exchange working for our Kingdom for resting in His.
The Kingdom is God’s plan, story, and desire for humanity and creation. The Kingdom of God is the place in which His will is “done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
Righteousness refers to our ethical conformity with that Kingdom.
In order to become a nonanxious presence, there are three things to reflect on–
What narratives or situations in my life have I allowed to become bigger or more powerful than they actually are?
How can I become more present to my body and the events of today?
How can I adjust my expectation so that they conform to the Kingdom of God?
In John 15, Jesus says,
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” –John 15:9–11.
The verb for abiding– has much to do with dwelling, staying, residing persisting, to be at home. To learn to abide is to learn to make our home in God’s love.
“Prayer is learning to relax into God”– Ronald Rolheiser
"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." – Augustine
King Midas and the Golden Touch Retold by Pamela Oldfield
The Fellowship of the Ring, The Shadow of the Past, JR Tolkein, pp. 60-62
Theranos, American Scandal, narrated by Lindsay Graham
Regardless of what we make or don’t make, all of these stories, examples, and numbers never seem to stem the tide of monetary dissatisfaction, the need for more.
How do we resolve the cognitive dissonance between money doesn’t bring me happiness and our constant desire for more?
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” –Matthew 19:16–26 ESV
Jesus gives us three scenes:
The Storing up of Treasures found in v. 19-21
The Eye of the Body Analogy found in v. 22-23
And The Warning of Two Masters found in v. 24
A few things to note as we study this passage.
Jesus does not completely reject wealthy or wealthy people.
Jesus does not blanketly preach against owning possessions.
The Storing up of Treasures
Jesus is preaching against the idol of accumulation or the importance of earthly possessions.
The Eye of the Body AnalogyWhen possessions become an idol occupying the place designed for God, we cross lines we never intended to cross. Possessions are mysteriously idolatrous.
The Warning of Two Masters
Jesus says, no one can serve two masters. You either love God or you love money. You can’t love both.
“The commonest god in the world is Success, and the Christian no less than others wants to be successful in something. But this saying teaches that we cannot work largely for God and then moonlight for Gain—it is one or the other.”– Dale Brunner
Spiritual Practice
Jesus does not “remove desire” but rather “redirects it.”
Make a reverse bucket list.
“Each year on my birthday, I list my wants and attachments—the stuff that fits under the categories of money, power, pleasure, and honor. I try to be completely honest. I don’t list stuff I would actually hate and never choose, like a sailboat or a vacation house. Rather, I go to my weaknesses, most of which—I’m embarrassed to admit—involve the admiration of others for my work.
Then I imagine myself in five years. I am happy and at peace, living a life of purpose and meaning. I make another list of the forces that would bring me this happiness: my faith, my family, my friendships, the work I am doing that is inherently satisfying and meaningful and that serves others.
Inevitably, these sources of happiness are “intrinsic”—they come from within and revolve around love, relationships, and deep purpose. They have little to do with the admiration of strangers. I contrast them with the things on the first list, which are generally “extrinsic”—the outside rewards associated with money, power, pleasure, and honor. Most research has shown that intrinsic rewards lead to far more enduring happiness than extrinsic rewards.” – Arthur Brooks
On the Sermon on the Mount
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The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech.
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The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to him looks like.
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Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice in imagination.
Food excess, body idolatry/body insecurity, and the mastery of the body.
What both food excess and body idolatry have in common is that the body has become our master. Whether it is the temptation toward excess and overeating or the over-sexualization of the human body.
In Freudian thought, the pleasure principle is the seeking of immediate gratification and the avoidance of pain, in order to satisfy biological or psychological needs.
Yet, the entirety of our culture is set up to stoke the fires of desire and to feed our disordered desires.
On Genesis 2: Dust and Spirit
5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. – Genesis 2:5-7 ESV
Humanity is both dust and breath or body and spirit. Humans are both physicality and spirituality.
On Genesis 3: To take and eat
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” –Genesis 3:1–6.
Ignatius of Loyola writes; “Sin is an unwillingness to trust that what God wants for me is only my deepest happiness.”
Now whether you read Genesis as history or literary theology, this story reminds us that we all have appetites or desires that are out of sync with God’s best.
On Matthew 4: The New Adam
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” – Matthew 4:1–4.
Jesus, the new Adam, goes toe to toe with the temptor from the garden. At the moment we think he would be weakest– going forty days without food– he proves himself to be strongest.
Where every other human being has failed, Jesus has victory.
Paul will later offer thoughts on this say, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22 ESV)
How does Jesus start his kingdom work with Fasting?
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:16–18 (ESV)
Jesus assumes two things; that we will fast and that we will screw it up.
“When you fast…”
Not if, not on the occasion, but when…
Jesus isn’t necessarily commanding fasting, but there is an underlying assumption that it will be a part of the life of apprenticeship to him.
There are a variety of practices called ‘fasting’; like giving up social media, or TV, or eating a restricted diet. While none of this is bad, I would like to insist fasting should be defined specifically as going without food.
As a first-century Israelite, he was likely fasting on Tuesdays and Thursdays every single week. As Scott McKnight observes,
“The common fast in Judaism was from the evening meal to the next evening meal—skipping food at breakfast and midday. It wasn’t heroic but demanded enough for discomfort.”
What Jesus is calling us to is not heroic efforts, but embodied spirituality.
“Fasting helps us to express, to deepen, and to confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain the Kingdom of God.” – Andrew Murray
Jesus’ warnings on fasting Matthew 6:16-17
Jesus’ instructions are to not practice fasting before others.
Jesus isn’t discrediting communal fasting. Jesus is not calling communal fasts wrong, he is calling fasting to show off wrong.
The Role of Fasting in the life of the apprentice
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Fasting allows us to pray more– every hunger pang functions as an alarm bell.
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Fasting allows us to come into solidarity with the poor. The prophet Isaiah, in a critique of the self-righteous Israelites, wrote–
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” –Isaiah 58:6-7 ESV
- Fasting helps to clarify our desires.
“16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other,to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” – Galatians 5:16–26.
The best way to define flesh is as ‘disordered desires’ or our impulse toward instant gratification.
In fasting, we put both our body and our spirit into alignment by feeding on the energy of the Spirit of God and not food.
Spiritual Practice
- Pick a day and try it. We suggest fasting (going without food and drink) twice a week for twelve or twenty-four hours. This can look like not eating breakfast and lunch, or skipping dinner one night and breaking your fast the next night.*
*A note on eating disorders and medical conditions– if you’ve ever suffered from an eating disorder or live with a diagnosed medical condition, you should consult a doctor, therapist, or pastor prior to fasting. Fasting is a helpful practice given to us by Christ, but notice that fasting is not intended to harm the body. Rather, it is designed to bring the body and soul into alignment.
- Fasting is about freedom– not legalism or pride.
One of the ways to avoid the boasting Jesus warns of is to simply submit to the community paradigm.
The Sermon on the Mount
- The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech.
- The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to him looks like.
- Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice in imagination.
Prayer is difficult in our day for a variety of reasons.
- We are in the age of digital distractions.
- We are the wealthiest generation in human history.
- Secularism, skepticism in the supernatural, is the very air we breathe.
Prayer is the very basis for life with God.
“[Prayer is] talking to God about the things we are working on together. It is a collaboration with God to accomplish the good purposes of His kingdom.” – Dallas Willard
Jesus envisions a life energized by prayer for his disciples– it is difficult to imagine a life of apprenticeship to Jesus absent of a healthy prayer life.
2 Misunderstandings of Prayer
- Prayer as a means of public adoration (Matthew 6:5-6)
He is once again criticizing a performative spirituality and urges his followers to embrace the hidden life.
Jesus’ words are hyperbolic– for he himself prays publicly on several occasions. But the lesson remains, our God is omnipresent and omniscient; he sees us in the hidden place.
- Prayer as a means of manipulating God (Matthew 6:7-8)
Jesus is confronting the gentile spirituality that attempts to manipulate the gods into action by eloquence, repetition, or flattery– the intent is to impose their desires on the deity.
Prayer is to be in a relational posture, not a transactional one.
Jesus organizes his short prayer around the ethos of Love of God and Love of neighbor.
Notice the first half of the prayer is concerned with God’s activity.
“Hallowed by your name”
“Your Kingdom come.”
“Your Will be done”
Then the prayer shifts to concern for our collective wellbeing– note that these are both personal and communal matters.
“Give us our daily bread”
“Forgive us our sins”
“As we forgive those who have sinned against us”
“Lead us not into temptation”
“But deliver us from the evil one”
The Lord’s Prayer is a poetic and prayerful summary of all of Jesus’ teaching;
The beginning of the Lord’s Prayer is the address, a recognition of who we are praying to– “Our Father”
The essential foundation of Jesus’ life and ministry is that “God is a loving father.”
Unless we topple the false image of God that we hold onto – we will never know the joy of prayer.
Jesus’ whole understanding of prayer is built around the understanding that our God is a loving father with nothing but good intentions for us.
The Prayer moves into a petition for God to demonstrate his glory–“Hallowed be your name”
ἁγιάζω | hagiazō | translated ‘hallow’
- Sanctify
- to make holy
- set apart, honored, revered
Dale Bruner rephrases the line this way–
“Please make your real identity known so that we and others will recognize and honor you as you really are.” “Please sanctify your dishonored name in the world.” – Dale Bruner
Jesus teaches us to pray for the reign and rule of God to redeem every aspect of this Earth.
“Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven” is expressing a hunger for God to restore our broken world and take his place as its rightful King
Our prayers bend reality in the direction of God’s coming Kingdom.
Our attention is then drawn to loving our neighbor as ourselves– “Give us this day our daily bread.”
We make the humble request that our daily needs would be provided for but in using the plural our and not the singular my; our attentions are turned outward to our neighbor’s daily needs.
The meaning behind daily “bread” is a little obscure, but I think the simple explanation is that it was and remains a staple in the human diet.
In prayer, we are reminded that we are forgiven people.
This line, in particular, is further commentated by Jesus’ following comments in verses 14 and 15–
“14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” – Matthew 6:14–15
Scot McKnight explains Jesus’ line of thought with these 5 points.
“1. God has graciously forgiven us (of much greater sin/s).
2. Therefore, we are to forgive others to extend God’s grace.
3. If we don’t forgive others, we show we are not forgiven.
4. Forgiven people forgive others.
5. But our forgiveness does not earn God’s forgiveness.”
Jesus offers us this picture of a Kingdom of reconciliation and reciprocating forgiveness. In forgiving others we demonstrate that we have truly experienced forgiveness.
Finally, we request divine assistance to deal with the inevitable opposition that comes with following Jesus – “Lead usnot into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”
Both from personal temptation and simply for us to avoid bad things.
This is not a divine promise that bad things won’t happen– Jesus promises that they will– rather it is an encouragement to pray that you would avoid more than you receive.
The ending, “for yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever” is not included in Matthew’s or Luke’s versions of the prayer.
This is simply an addition that rounds out and concludes the prayer specifically for its public reading.
But it offers a conclusion where Jesus doesn’t really offer one.
Spiritual Practice
In so many ways the Lord’s Prayer helps us to internalize the most fundamental components of Jesus’ teachings while being a daily reflection on who we are called to be in light of Christ.
Memorize this prayer so that it is embedded in your heart and often on your lips.
In the second century, within the first 100-150 years of the church, a manual was compiled on early Christian practice called the Didache. This is what it says on the Lord’s Prayer–
“Neither pray ye as the hypocrites, but as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, thus pray ye:
Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth;
give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debt,
as we also forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one; for Thine is the power and the glory for ever and ever.
3 Three times in the day pray ye so.” 2. Use what you’ve learned from this prayer and apply it to all prayer.
Pray in a way centered on love of God and love of neighbor.
Three Reminders about the sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech.
“[Jesus’] life is but a commentary on the sermon and the sermon is the exemplification of his life.” –Stanley Hauerwas
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to him looks like it is a vision for Kingdom life.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice in imagination
Old Testament on AlmsgivingAlmsgiving is an expression of compassion in the presence of God, it had twofold development as we see in the Old Testament Scriptures:
In the law of Moses - what we call the first 5 books of the Bible - here we see compassion is a feeling cherished and frequently associated with acts of giving to the needy or foreigner (Deut. 15:11).
In the latter part of the Old Testament, prophets considered Almsgiving a right which the needy might justly claim from us (Isaiah 10:2).
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 6:1 (ESV)
How can you balance practicing righteousness not “in order to be seen,” but to be a light so that others, “see your good works and give glory to God”?
A few things I want to address in this seeming contradiction:
First, your fruit is going to be visibile - in fact Matthew goes on to say later in Matthew 7:16 that we will be known by our fruit.
Second, I pose to you that Visibility should be hidden from yourself, not others.
“The Genuine work of love is always hidden” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Finally, we recognize that if we know our righteousness, then we create our own reward instead of receiving God’s. But if we live hidden, God will make visible what is needed for His glory.
Did you know Father is used 17 times in the Sermon on the Mount to emphasize relationship?
God as Father is an idea foreign to the Pharisees’ legalistic, performance-based righteousness.
Matthew is emphasizing that if we are living for the adoration of others, we are missing the heart of the Father.
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” - Matthew 6:2 (ESV)
Note that Jesus didn’t say “If you give” but “WHEN you give”. It is an instruction of generosity beyond your tithe to care for the foreigner, the widow, the poor and oppressed.
Beyond this assumption of giving to the needy, Jesus is more so emphasizing the manner in which they give - without trumpets as the hypocrites do.
“Truthfulness breathes freedom into the spirit. Hypocrisy is a malignancy of the soul.” - Stuart K. Weber
Hypocrisy can’t be present in our lives if we are gonna walk in the freedom that Jesus is offering us and asking us to share with others.
“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” - Matthew 6:3 (ESV)
“Obedience, love & following Jesus are spontaneous & not premeditated” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
At Midtown we believe our habits shape our heart.
Prepare ahead so in the spontaneous moment that Jesus stirs you to act you can be generous.
“So that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” - Matthew 6:4 (ESV)
How can visible & invisible aspects of discipleship be combined?
First, we recognize that it is only by Christ’s death & resurrection and the salvation found in it that we are able to reconcile the visible & invisible.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
Second, we consistently check our motives.
Third, remember Freedom is found in obedience to God
Let’s prepare our hearts so in the spontaneous moment that Jesus stirs you to act you can be generous to those in need.
I challenge you to build the habit of praying Psalm 139:23-24 daily, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Midtown Church exists to renew the reputation of the local church by revealing the kingdom of Jesus in Kansas City.
Tone-deaf Examples of Gospel Preaching
Many of us inside the church immediately flinch at the idea or the thought of “preaching the Gospel” because we’ve seen too many bad examples.
What if sharing the Gospel could look like inviting a neighbor over for dinner? Or taking a Saturday to serve our city in a meaningful way? Or just simply living in such a way that it begs the question? What if sharing the Gospel is more like Jesus and moving towards pain and loving people into the Kingdom?
The Gospel Defined
The word euangelion in Greek is actually where we get our word evangelism. In Jesus’ day, it was not considered a religious word but rather a political one.
The gospel or the good news is simply this: The rule of earthly dictators, the violence of evil forces, and the brokenness of our own heart is coming to an end. God’s perfect rule and reign, his perfect and restored Kingdom is coming.
Euangelion or evangelism is the announcement of God’s vision for creation, his desire for human flourishing. Christ enters the world and gives us a vision for a new life, a new community, a new world– a new Kingdom.
“And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”
– Acts 8:1, 4
The followers of Christ bear the weight of telling the World that the Kingdom of Christ has arrived. But how do we do that?
How would we organize ourselves in that new Kingdom?
We commit ourselves to the following shifts necessary for gospel participation in this community.
From ▸ Few people are called to ministry (pastors, staff, board, select few).
To ▸ All people are called and empowered by the Spirit of God to reveal Jesus to others.
From▸ The Church is a thing I do on Sunday mornings. I choose my church and community based off my needs and preferences.
To ▸ I choose my church and community based on a shared mission to reveal Jesus to those around me.
From ▸ The Sunday gathering is the main event and for my personal enjoyment and growth.
To ▸ The Sunday gathering is for equipping, encouraging, and inspiring people to be on mission and in a microchurch.
From ▸ The Church is a place I can take my children and they can be discipled.
To ▸ Church is a place I can take my children in which all those gathered are a part of my child’s spiritual formation and growth starting me as a parent.
From ▸ Serving with the church is an interruption, optional and a threat to my schedule.
To ▸ Being the church is who I am throughout the week and is a priority as I reveal the Kingdom of Jesus in my community.
From ▸ Programs and events of the church institution are necessary and for my benefit.
To ▸ All efforts of the church are focused on loving one’s neighbor, making disciples, and reaching those who do not know Jesus.
From ▸ Our greatest assets are buildings, pastors, and programs.
To ▸ Our greatest asset is people participating in the Gospel.
From ▸ Success is defined by butts in the seats, money given, and programs developed.
To ▸ Success is defined by the revelation of Jesus’ kingdom through the formation of disciples, the local impact of microchurches, and church planting.
From ▸ Only certain people or ministries are called to serve and love the poor, oppressed, and marginalized.
To ▸ We are all called by Jesus Christ to love and serve the poor, oppressed, and marginalized.
From ▸ Church is a relatively comfortable, homogenous place where I get along with almost everyone sharing the same beliefs, political party, and socioeconomic background.
To ▸ Church is a diverse, and at times uncomfortable, community where I may not always agree with everyone but have learned to love, value, and learn from our differences.
From ▸ Church finances should be spent on the best Sunday morning experience.
To ▸ Church finances should be spent to better our community and reveal the Kingdom of Jesus through efforts such as community impact, local organizations, and church planting both local and abroad.
An invitation to a new Kingdom.
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
– Genesis 1:27–28 (The Message):
The Church is not the place where you do your Christian duty and leave— it is an incubator for us to discover God’s goodness in the community and to be deployed in mission and purpose.
Midtown Church exists to renew the reputation of the local church by revealing the kingdom of Jesus in Kansas City.
A CULTURE OF ANONYMITY
Harvey Cox in his book The Secular City, argues from Christianity that it is good that there are cities without a singular religious commitment– that our God is at work in the secular as much as he is in the sacred.
Anonymity | an·o·nym·i·ty
- *not being known by name; unknown by name
- unknown or unremembered*
Harvey Cox makes the argument that the anonymity we experience in urban life is a good thing. In small-town living, everyone knows your name, your family, and your business, but that cannot be replicated in the city.
His solution is to enjoy the anonymity of urban life as the freedom to choose who you maintain a friendship with. Harvey Cox argues that it is okay, that you don’t know the name of your mailman, barista, or neighbor– that you are free to choose those with whom you would like to have a friendship.
The problem with this is left to my own devices, why would I select friendships and relationships that challenge any of my own pre-existing ideas or comfortabilities?
The Church does has adopted a functional theory of anonymity as well.
A MEAL WITH JESUS
Jesus had a habit of eating and drinking with sinners that brought the anger of the Pharisees. (Luke 5)
It was at dinner a broken woman broke an expensive perfume bottle and poured it on the feet of her king. (Luke 7)
It was at a dinner that Jesus instructed his disciples to invite those on the margins to their table, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14)
It was after a meal with Jesus that the notorious Zacheus declared – “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” (Luke 19:8)
It was in the breaking of bread that two disciples who were heartbroken by the death of their rabbi, realized he was not dead but was alive. (Luke 24)
In the last few hours of his life, Jesus chose to spend it with his disciples saying– “I eagerly desired to eat this meal with you… and do this in remembrance of me. Many of us are familiar with this story as it is told by the pastor every time we take communion
“Do this”– was not a tiny cracker and a sip of juice– it was an invitation to do life around the table. In remembrance is not a simple reflection of the cross and Christ’s death, but the proclamation of Jesus’ story.
THE FRACTIO PANIS (Frac-she-o Pa-niece)
There is a fresco painting that archeologists discovered in the 1800s believe dates back to the 2nd century – so within the first 150 years of the Church after Jesus had already died, resurrected, and ascended.
It is called “Fractio Panis” or in English the “Breaking of Bread”
The early church understood that as they gathered around the table it was as if Jesus was there with them.
03. DEVOTED TO ONE ANOTHER
Acts 2:42-47 (ESV) | 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and (1)the fellowship, to the (2)breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed (3)were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and (4)breaking bread in their homes, they (5)received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
You’ll notice, Luke describes 4 specific activities–
Devoted to teaching to the apostles’ teaching
To fellowship and Breaking bread
Sharing (had all things in common)
The prayers
We see this throughout the NT as Paul writes his letters to churches in passages like Romans 16, Colossians 4, Philemon 1.
Romans 16:3–5 (ESV): “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.. [and] also the church in their house.”
Colossians 4:15 (ESV): “15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.”
Philemon 1–2 (ESV): “To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house.”
BECOMING FAMILY AROUND A TABLE
The beauty of gathering around a table is that the stranger, becomes a neighbor and a neighbor becomes family.
Philoxenia (NT term for hospitality) – Love for stranger
Xenophobia – fear of the stranger.
is essentially the opposite of xenophobia. In fact, the Greek term for hospitality is philoxenia or literally, love of stranger. This is the exact opposite of xenophobia or fear of the stranger.
Gathering around a table is not simply what we do as a church– it is who we are as the people of God. For us to be hospitable people, we must learn to welcome all around our table.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE – THE MEAL AT MIDTOWN CHURCH
One of the ways we learn to resist a culture of anonymity and become a hospitable people, is through microchurch. Microchurch is a small gathering of people around prayer, scripture, mission, and a simple meal.
Next Steps
If you have never been a part of a microchurch, now is the time to join one. FIll out the form– midtownkc.church/microchurch
If you have been a part of a microchurch for a while, maybe now is the time to start a new one.
Midtown Church exists to renew the reputation of the local church by revealing the kingdom of Jesus in Kansas City.
Four Visions of Justice in the 21st century
Justice as individual freedom (Libertarianism)
Justice as fairness (Liberalism)
Justice as happiness (Utilitarianism)
Justice as deconstructing power (Postmodern)
Within the Church, justice has become–
A Community Care Department
Worldly
About publicity
Biblical Justice Defined
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” – Acts 2:44-45
“[Christian] Justice is learning to live out what God has done in Christ amongst ourselves first. And in living out this justice in this community, it becomes possible to share this justice with the world.” – David French
Justice is the shape of the Christian community.
“The pursuit of justice is, first, about becoming a particular kind of people in the world…If we are to see new ways of pursuing justice in the world, we must see the work of extending God’s shalom into the world intertwined with becoming a just people ourselves.” –Adam Gustine, Becoming a Just Church
The Church of Christ is to be an oasis in the midst of the world where good flourishes.
“The task of the church is to serve as the best example of what God can do with the human community.” - Stanley Hauerwas
Becoming an Interruptible People
Prepare
Create Rhythms
Embrace Interruptions
The value of intentional formation is being deliberate and purposeful with the people we are becoming.
The efforts of intentional formation are what the Apostle Paul describes as “[working] out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
“Talking to God about the things we are working on together. It is a collaboration with God to accomplish the good purposes of His kingdom.” – Dallas Willard
Things that keep us from praying
Too busy→ Take stock of your time and make prayer a priority
We’re easily distracted→ Being distracted is to be human and normalize boredom.
We feel inadequate → Prayer is not the place for Heroic efforts & education isn’t necessary.
We’ve been disappointed → God never promises to be our genie in a bottle; he promises to be God-with-us.
Corporate Prayer Disciplines–
Sunday liturgy and prayer time
Microchurches
Prayer nights
Personal Prayer Disciplines–
Start with an attainable goal
Create a prayer rhythm within your schedule
Use a guide to direct your prayer time (Microchurch Liturgy or Daily Prayer App)
We learn to pray, even through disappointment, by remembering who we are praying to.
“God loves you. He's on your side. He's coming after you. He's relentless." — Eugene Peterson
Paul quoting the prophet Hosea writes– “In order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ” 26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ” – Romans 9:23–26.
ON THE MAGI
Two common misconceptions.
- That there were three Magi.
- That the Magi were present in the nativity.
“The Magi were not kings but a combination of wise men and priests probably from Persia. They combined astronomical observation with astrological speculation. They played both political and religious roles and were figures of some prominence in their land.” – Craig Bloomberg
Here are a few examples of what Scripture says about Magi:
-
Magi or wise men are the antagonists in Daniel’s epic and the reason he is friends with lions. (Daniel 1:20)
-
Astrology or looking to the skies for divine knowledge is specifically forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:11.
-
King Saul expells the diviners and astrologers from Israel in 1 Sam. 28:3-9.
-
Dealings with necromancers and mediums are listed as one of the evil deeds of King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:6).
God’s revelation to the Magi
- Revelation in Creation
- Revelation in Community
- Revelation in Scripture
- Revelation in Incarnation
God has always looked like Jesus, there has never been a moment in which God did not look like Jesus, and there will never be a moment in which God will not look like Jesus.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.“ –Hebrews 1:1–3
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” –Matthew 5:17
ON HEROD THE GREAT
“The birth of Jesus was a dangerous claim that Caesar nor Herod were truly kings of the world or of the Jews. Jesus [is always] a political threat.” – CJ Rhodes
TWO DIFFERENT RESPONSES
The sad story of Herod is that any one of us is capable of inconceivable evil in the name of self-interest and insecurity. But, in an unexpected twist the Magi, pagan in every way, become the vision of the faithful acceptance of the christ child, “departing to their own country by another way” (Matt. 2:12; emphasis added).
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
What part of Jesus, what part of the Gospel have I, like Herod, taken as a threat instead of an invitation from God in my life?”
The feast of Epiphany– A holiday commemorating the Magi's visit to the baby Jesus and the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. It is this beautiful reminder that the gift of Christ is one that goes beyond the borders of the Jewish people and has become a gift to all people.
Paul quoting the prophet Hosea writes– “In order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ” 26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ” – Romans 9:23–26.
ON THE MAGI
Two common misconceptions.
- That there were three Magi.
- That the Magi were present in the nativity.
“The Magi were not kings but a combination of wise men and priests probably from Persia. They combined astronomical observation with astrological speculation. They played both political and religious roles and were figures of some prominence in their land.” – Craig Bloomberg
Here are a few examples of what Scripture says about Magi:
-
Magi or wise men are the antagonists in Daniel’s epic and the reason he is friends with lions. (Daniel 1:20)
-
Astrology or looking to the skies for divine knowledge is specifically forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:11.
-
King Saul expells the diviners and astrologers from Israel in 1 Sam. 28:3-9.
-
Dealings with necromancers and mediums are listed as one of the evil deeds of King Manasseh (2 Kings 21:6).
God’s revelation to the Magi
- Revelation in Creation
- Revelation in Community
- Revelation in Scripture
- Revelation in Incarnation
God has always looked like Jesus, there has never been a moment in which God did not look like Jesus, and there will never be a moment in which God will not look like Jesus.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.“ –Hebrews 1:1–3
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” –Matthew 5:17
ON HEROD THE GREAT
“The birth of Jesus was a dangerous claim that Caesar nor Herod were truly kings of the world or of the Jews. Jesus [is always] a political threat.” – CJ Rhodes
TWO DIFFERENT RESPONSES
The sad story of Herod is that any one of us is capable of inconceivable evil in the name of self-interest and insecurity. But, in an unexpected twist the Magi, pagan in every way, become the vision of the faithful acceptance of the christ child, “departing to their own country by another way” (Matt. 2:12; emphasis added).
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
What part of Jesus, what part of the Gospel have I, like Herod, taken as a threat instead of an invitation from God in my life?”
- ADVENT PROVIDES US FOUR WEEKS TO REFLECT ON THE ARRIVAL OF OUR MESSIAH.
Advent consists of the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day, and is observed by Christians all over the world as a season of anticipation. We learn to anticipate the future arrival of Christ by remembering His first arrival and reflecting on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.
Advent is a season of praying and waiting. Advent is a season to mourn the violence in our world and anticipate the Prince of Peace, a season to lament the brokenness in our society and anticipate the justice of God, a season to repent of the sin in our own heart and anticipate the redemption of Christ.
- THE LOVE OF CHRISTMAS AS TOLD BY HALLMARK
The love depicted in a Hallmark movie is nostalgic, simple, and predictable. Hardly anything like the Christmas story.
02.THE GOD OF LOVE ARRIVES IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED OF WAYS.
The story of Christmas is that the God of Love shows up in the most surprising of ways and should cause us to ask the question – Am I paying attention?
“This messy, wild, loving God won’t be contained. Or appeased by complacency. Or confined to our rules and labels.This is a God who was born into troubled and violent times. As Jesus, as Messiah, he is invited back into our lives during this season, again into troubled and violent times. Chaos and discomfort are precisely what this God’s arrival cause, and where this God thrives.” – Gail Doktor, Advent Four: Love’s wild and worldly promises
03.THE FAITH OF MARY
“From the prophets, Mary knew that God could very well use someone like her—an unmarried teenage girl, a minority in an occupied territory at a turbulent time in history— to bring the Messiah into the world in the most unceremonious way: through water and womb, blood and labor pains, lullabies and gentle kisses and the helplessness of a baby’s cries. And so she said yes. She believed.” – Rachel Held Evans, Advent 4: Bringing God’s Dreams to Life
“9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us… 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. ” –1 John 4:9-12, 17-18 (ESV)
Philippe de Champaigne's The Visitation (1643-48) depict this moment in our story of two women carrying miracles meeting.
Elizabeth and John’s reactions depict what Luke wants of all disciples – that we recognize that life with God is a joy.
God is inciting joy within all of his Creation.
An unwed pregnant woman and a woman far past childbearing years become empowered by the Spirit and pronounce the Gospel– God is working in the uncertain and forgotten places.
04.THE GOD OF LOVE IS PRESENT
Our God is present with his people in the midst of the mess. While Jesus himself is being knit together and shaped in the womb– redemption itself is being born to the forgotten parts of our world.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth – John 1:1–4, 14 (ESV)
“15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:15–16 (ESV)
- SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Two things to practice–
Being present with God.
Being present with others.
“Imagine a whole company of believers rethinking their lives, redeploying their energy, reassessing their purposes. The path is to love God, not party, not ideology, not pet project, but God’s will for steadfast love that is not deterred by fear and anxiety. The path is to love neighbor, to love neighbor face-to-face, to love neighbor in community action, to love neighbor in systemic arrangements, in imaginative policies.” –Walter Brueggemann, Celebration of Abundance (pg 25)
We don’t have to look farther than the pandemic to know we have a hard time waiting. I remember when we were in lockdown how many people struggled with waiting: waiting for parties to resume, for restaurants to open, for life to get back to normal.
And yet, it seems the entire point of advent, nay the majority of the Christian faith is a life of waiting. So the question remains, how will we wait? How will you wait? Will you wait with hope, peace, joy, and love? Or will you wait in despair, turmoil, fear, and hate?
In today’s passage, we learn that there are two ways to wait, to wait in fear and to wait in joy. –
1 You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
4 And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” – Isaiah 12:1-6
HISTORY OF ISAIAHWritten more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah is quoted more in the New Testament, by Jesus and his followers than any other prophet in the Old Testament.
The Tribe of Judah has split from the nation of Israel and has formed its own nation.
Isaiah 1-5 | Accusation of city leaders
Isaiah 6 | Vision of the Temple
Isaiah 7-11 | Prophesy to King Ahaz
ISRAELITES FEARTheir king and nation leaders were corrupt and unjust. The Assyrian nation was quickly inching closer to taking them captive, conquering their lands, removing them from their homes, taxing them, and even enslaving them.
And yet, after sketching all of the despair that will befall the Israelites in Chapters 6-11, Isaiah encourages the people in Chapter 12 to not wait fearfully.
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” – Isaiah 12:2
FEAR EASY
“[t]he brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones.” Based on his research, it takes 3 seconds for a negative experience to implant itself onto the brain and 14 seconds for a positive experience to do the same. Hanson says the result is this: a brain that is tilted against lasting contentment and fulfillment.” – Rick Hanson
Our brains are literally wired to dwell on the glass half empty instead of the glass half full. Our brains are wired to focus on fear instead of joy.
So how do we choose to wait joyously instead of in fear as Isaiah and later on Jesus instructs us?
CHOOSE JOY
“Joy does not simply happen to us, we have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” – Henri Nouwen
“The decision to set the mind on the higher things of life is an act of the will. That is why celebration is a discipline. It is not something that falls on our heads. It is the result of a consciously chosen way of thinking and living.”
– Richard Foster,
PHILIPPIANS 4:4-8
Paul is writing from a Roman prison and therefore has the best excuse to wait in fear and not in joy. And yet, in his letter to the Philippian people, he says:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4:4-8
Paul instructs us to first:
Give thanks!
Draw near to God in prayer.
Redirect our thoughts.
To wait joyously we must give thanks, draw near to God in prayer, and redirect our thoughts.
DEVELOP YOUR OWN SONG OF JOYDevelop your own Isaiah-like song. Isaiah says in ch 12:
4 “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. 6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
–Isaiah 12:4-6
- THE CHURCH CALENDAR LEADS US THROUGH THE STORY OF JESUS.
The Christian calendar and we adhere to it as a way to follow the story of Jesus.
In Advent, we await his birth and his second coming.
On Christmas, we celebrate that God became man, and dwelt among us.
On Epiphany, we celebrate that the salvation of God is made available to all people.
In Lent, we humble ourselves in prayer and fasting like Jesus in the wilderness.
On Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of our King.
In Pentecost we celebrate the birth of the Church and that we have been sent to love and serve our world.
- ADVENT PROVIDES US FOUR WEEKS TO REFLECT ON THE ARRIVAL OF OUR MESSIAH.
Ad·vent | \ ˈad-ˌvent
1: the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and anticipation
2a: the coming of Christ at the Incarnation
2b: arrival, coming
We learn to anticipate the future arrival of Christ by remembering His first arrival and reflecting on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.
- THE FALSE PEACE PROMISED TO US.
Even in that short description of Advent, it is abundantly clear that the popular notion of the holiday season is very different from that of Advent. We imagine and hope that our Christmas season will be one of peace.
The peace of the Holidays does little to actually create peace.
- THE ARRIVAL OF OUR GOD IS AN EVENT THAT SPLITS HISTORY WIDE OPEN.
Luke 3:1-2a | In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas…
Luke attaches the Gospel narrative to concrete historical events for a few specific reasons–
In order to create “an orderly account” of the life of Jesus for the followers of Jesus. (Luke 1).
He knows that history will never be the same.
In this list of regional rulers, there is an underlying contrast between the Kingdoms of Man and the Kingdom of God.
“They (Rome) make a wasteland; they call it peace.”
–Tacitus, Ancient Roman Historian
Pax Romana – the peace of Rome
- WE NEED A MADMAN IN THE DESERT TO DISRUPT OUR STATUS QUO AND TO LOOK FOR A NEW KINGDOM OF PEACE. Luke 3:3 | And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
In the Gospel according to Matthew. John the Baptist's message during this time of Pax Romana or false peace is:
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2).
Μετανοέω | metanoeō
a) Repent, repentance, a changing of direction
b) You rethink everything
John the Baptist stands as the forerunner to Jesus– preparing a people for the arrival of their King and a new Kingdom.
- OUR SAVIOR IS A PEACEMAKER THAT MOVES INTO THE CHAOS OF OUR WORLD.
Luke 3:4-5 & Isaiah 40:1-5 | “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
The Isaiah passage comes to a people living in exile questioning when their judgment and punishment will come. The author’s words are – take comfort! Rejoice, for the God of creation is coming to make his home amongst his people. And everyone will see the goodness of God.
It is a vision of peace and abundance. It is a vision of future peace on Earth.
The peace of Christ is summarized in the Hebrew term – Shalom.
sha·lom | šā·lôm
a) peace, wholeness, welfare, prosperity
b) absence of warfare, conflict.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. – Isaiah 2:2–4.
In Advent, we are invited to reflect for four weeks on what God’s entrance into our world means.
- AS THE PEOPLE OF GOD, WE MOVE TOWARD THE BROKENNESS OF OUR WORLD IN AN EFFORT TO REVEAL THE PEACE WE’VE COME TO KNOW.
On December 25th, 1914 there is this well-known moment called the Christmas truce… What if these leaders had actually committed to the peace they had just witnessed. Imagine the lives spared if the killing field had remained a soccer field.
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
But I also think it is a warning– that when the caroling stops, the gifts have been unwrapped, and the warm-and-fuzzies are long gone will we still be committed to the peace of Christ.
- MOVE TOWARDS THE BROKENNESS AS A PEACEMAKER.
Like John the Baptist we point forward to the King that is coming by refusing to keep the status quo.
We move towards uncomfortable situations in love.
We have difficult conversations with family members.
We identify ways in which we can serve and love our neighbors.
We move towards the brokenness of our world knowing that our God is bringing about peace.
Jesus commands us to…
Love through the obedience of the scriptures as fulfilled by Christ.
Love by reconciling with all avoiding contempt or long lasting anger
Love image-bearers of Christ by avoiding the second look of lust
Love your spouse as Christ loved the Church and avoid an easy-divorce culture
Love by being a truth-telling people
Love by seeking a third way to avoid violence
AND FINALLY, Jesus commands us to
Love your enemies as your neighbor
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
“And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” -Luke 23:34
Love your neighbor- singular
Love your enemies- plural
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” 45a so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Leviticus 19:18
45b “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
“To love humans is to love all humans. The idea of prejudicial love is not within Jesus’ kingdom. Even a tax collector can prejudicially love.” – Scott Mcknight
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
“Be perfect, that is, love both your fellow Jewish neighbors and the Roman enemies in your midst … as your Father makes the sun rise and the rain fall on all humans—both Jews and Romans—so you are to be perfect in love as your Father is perfect in love.” - Scott McKnight
“So then, you folks shall be- as soon as possible- perfectly mature people, just as your heavenly Father is perfectly mature.” – Dale Bruner
This practice comes in the form of two questions:
Who is your enemy?
How are you turning your enemy into your neighbor?
“An enemy is someone whose story you haven’t heard.” -Brian Zahnd
On The Lex Talionis
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
In Latin this is the lex talionis, or the law of retribution.
“But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” – Exodus 21:23-25
“Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury.” – Leviticus 24:19–20
“Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” – Deuteronomy 19:21
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck asks Buck “what a is a feud?”
“Well”, Buck says, “a feud is this way: A man has a quarrel with another man, and kills him; then that other man’s brother kills him; then the other brothers, on both sides, goes for one another; then the cousins chip in—and by and by everybody’s killed off, and there ain’t no more feud. But it’s kind of slow, and takes a long time.”
This is the cycle of violence.
- The violence of the First Century
Jesus was born into a world drowning in violence. The years between the OT and NT were not quiet. Rather, they were filled with bloody revolutions and armed conflicts.
200 hundred years before Christ was born Israel was under Greek occupation and practicing Judasm was outlawed.
Judas “The Maccabee”, led his fellow Israelites to take up their swords and overthrow the unjust regime. Thousands were slaughtered in just a few weeks and the Israelites gained their independence and religious freedom. The Israelites became utterly convinced that the Maccabeans were their messiah and that this was the “Kingdom of God”– the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.But the Maccabean family would quickly shift from war heroes to violent oppressors. The swords they used to free were quickly turned on their own people.
Rather, Jesus desires for his followers to take action that break this cycle of violence, and create opportunities for those who are our enemy to be transformed.
- Breaking the Cycle of Violence with the Third Way.39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil.
“Do not resist” is a somewhat misleading translation in that we assume inaction, but nonresistance is not the same as inaction.
Fight or Flight; to strike back or to remove ourselves from the situation. But at every turn Jesus rejects this fight-or-flight binary.
“A person shaped by the Jesus Creed [love of God and love of neighbor] responds to injustice not with retaliation and vengeance but with grace, compassion, and abundant mercy in such a way that it reverses injustice.” – Scot McKnight.
- Four illustrations for the third way of Jesus
Physical Violence
But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
B. Legal Violence
40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
“So the person suing goes for what is legal (a shirt), but Jesus goes further by urging his followers to relinquish their rights to a robe. This would deprive the person of standard comforts and provision. What Jesus says, at face value, is to strip in front of the person as a means of exhibiting radical distance from social custom. Jesus experienced this too (cf. Matt 27:35).” – Scot McKnight
Political Violence
41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
Financial Violence
42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
“Our voluntary renunciation of counter violence confirms and proclaims our unconditional allegiance to Jesus as his followers, our freedom, our detachment from our own egos. And it is only in the exclusivity of this adherence that evil can be overcome.”– Bonhoeffer, Discipleship
- Unanswered Questions
What can you do in protection of the innocent?
What about non combatant military roles?
Is any physicality violence?
What about violent forms of entertainment?
What about violent sports?
What about the violence in the Old Testament?
Is any warfare justifiable for the Christian?
Should a Christian hold a government to the same value system?
WHAT ABOUT HITLER?
- Rethinking Violence
Jesus’ announcement from chapter 4– “Repent, for the Kingdom is arriving.” And repent is not simply sorrow over your sinful actions but a process of rethinking.
Jesus was fully aware of the violence in the OT. He still called it scripture. He still gave this teaching– he still choose death on a cross.
As followers of Jesus we are privileged to have his Spirit speaking to us and acting through us. Trust that. May we foster a listening ear that picks up on the still small voice even as we face violent conflict.
“Mugged by Jesus” by Jarrod McKenna
01. A Culture of Spin
The spin room is an area set aside for media representatives to ask debate participants or their representatives about the statements made within the course of the debate. Those answering questions will attempt to “spin” or influence the perception of those reporters in their favor.
We live in a moment in which the spin is all around us. We call it things like;
Public Relations
Image Management
Curation
Marketing
Advertising
Social Media
Filters
Although he spoke over two millennia ago Pontius Pilate's question animates so much of our own moment– “What is truth?” (John 18:38)
02. Do not take the Lord’s name in Vain.
Unlike the previous three antitheses, Jesus is not extending a specific command. Rather he is challenging and prohibiting a practice of oath-taking that had developed.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” – Exodus 20:7 (ESV)
For as Jesus tells us, “the law and the prophets are summed up in Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37-40)
Through Moses, a prohibition was created so that the name of God was not a weapon of dishonesty.
03. A Culture of Oath-taking and half-truths
However, in the first century, the Jewish community had developed a complex hierarchy of oaths to get around the command to not use the Lord’s name in vain.
I swear by the heavens…
I swear by the earth…
I swear by the temple…
I swear by the altar…
This was little more than a workaround to justify lying, corruption, and dishonesty. For when they broke their oath at least they didn’t swear by the name of the Lord.
04. Oaths and dismantling ideas of two types of communication
Built into a culture of oath-taking is a theory of communication that suggests there are two types of statements;
one that is accompanied by an oath which should be kept,
and the other without an oath that we are less of an obligation to be kept.
For Jesus is casting vision for a Kingdom of people who will have no need for oath-taking, or structures of dishonesty, l because we will be people committed to the truth.
This brings us to two aspects of Jesus' command that are worth addressing separately.
Truth-telling in our public life.
Truth-telling in our personal life.
05. Truth-telling in our Public Life.
Now as we talk about oaths– one of the few places oaths are still practiced is in the public sphere.
Oaths of office
Courtroom oaths
Oaths of enlistment
Oath of Allegiance.
Camp 1: A Permissible Service
The first believes that Jesus’ words here apply specifically to interpersonal oaths. If you are called upon to perform a public service for the good of your neighbor then oath-taking is permissible.
Camp 2: A Holy Refusal
The second camp believes Jesus’ words to be the forbidding of all oaths. For if we are now citizens of a new Kingdom, as Paul refers to us, what obligation do we have to rulers of our day? This is an interpretation of a Holy Refusal that can put Christians in conflict with the political structures of our day.
“Taking it seriously can make disciples politically salty. I have the feeling that Jesus gave this Command, among other reasons, in order to make disciples always question the state and their relation to it. This Command is not as irrelevant as it at first seems.” – Dale Bruner
05. Jesus’ ethic of simple honesty
“The essence of swearing that Jesus targets here is about invoking something or someone else, especially God, to make your words seem more significant and weighty. The aim is to impress others with your seriousness or piety so that you get what you want. It’s a device of manipulation designed to override the judgment or input of others in order to possess them for our purposes. It’s manipulation, or, as we say in our culture, “spin”. And Jesus says it's evil. Instead of loving and honoring others with truthfulness, the intent is to get one’s way by verbal manipulation of the thoughts and choices of others.” –Dallas WIllard, The Divine Conspiracy
Jesus compels us to reject the culture of spin and manipulation and to be a people committed to simple, straightforward honesty.
06. We Learn to be honest when we learn to pray honestly.
Learning to speak honestly with one another begins by learning to speak honestly with God. To move beyond the pleasantries that often consume our prayers and to get to the gritty and uncomfortable truth.
One of the ways we can learn to pray honestly is by using the Psalms. The prayers, poetry, and hymns found in the book of Psalms cover the spectrum of human emotion and failure.
“...the Psalms are the great prayer book of the church because they teach us to pray without pretension. The Psalms allow us to rage against God and in our rage discover God’s refusal to abandon us. The Psalms, moreover, train us to speak truthfully because they force us to acknowledge our sins or at least to have our sins revealed.” – Stanley Hauerwas
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes,
lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
–Psalm 13:1–6 (ESV)
The Four Challenges of Matthew 5:31-32
Scripture appears to be inconsistent
The meaning of the word used for sexual immorality is unclear
Our cultural understanding of love, marriage, and therefore divorce is not the same as the biblical understanding of these concepts.
Divorce and remarriage questions are about real people.
We are living in an easy divorce culture.
Sermon on the Mount Series Reminders
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech. Rather the sermon is an exemplification or personification of Jesus’ life.
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to Him looks like.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice of imagination.
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ – Matthew 5:31
1 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. – Deuteronomy 24:1-4
Firstly, we need to understand this is legislation not a command.
Secondly, Moses is actually putting together a set of laws or rules to govern divorce in protection of marginalized women.
“But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the grounds of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” – Matthew 5:32
Two Schools of Thought:
School of Shammai: You can divorce on the basis of moral grounds being violated
School of Hillel: You can divorce for any reason at all
Options for 1st divorced woman:
Live with a relative
Remarry
Prostitution
And Jesus firmly sides with the school of Shammai, the side of the weak and marginalized woman in the same spirit as Moses, coming not to abolish the law but to fulfill it.
Three Forms of Response:
For those of you who have embraced an easy divorce culture, it is time to rethink your view and understanding of marriage and divorce.
For those of you in this room who have been divorced and/or remarried, Jesus sides with the marginalized and is also quick to forgive.
For those of you who maybe grew up in church, we must rethink or repent for the assumptions, indifference, or harshness we’ve displayed toward divorced individuals.
We are continuing to sit at the feet of Jesus and to reflect on his description of what life as his people and in his upside-down kingdom is like. This sermon is Jesus’ description of what it looks like when God is in charge.
5v1-12 | Jesus redefines who the blessed are; and it is not the spiritual elite, the well-to-do, or the most gifted. Rather, God blesses those who have been crushed by the world (the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who ache for justice) and those who advocate on behalf of the crushed (the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers).
5v13-16 | Jesus calls his followers the salt and light of the world, meaning that we bear responsibility in revealing the goodness of God in the places we live, work, and play. We discover how this is done not as isolated individuals, but in the community of Jesus followers– called the Church.
5v17-20 | Jesus then says that he is the fulfillment of the Law & the Prophets (what we call the Old Testament). His life and teachings are not setting aside the previous or keeping the status quo; rather he affirms and extends– working to embed the commands on the hearts of his people.
5v21-26 | We then begin to learn what Jesus means by fulfilling the law as he affirms that we should not murder, but then extends the law to confront the contempt in our own heart.
And now, in verse 5v27-30, he affirms that we should not commit adultery but then extends it to demand a new conversation on sex and sexual desires.
On a culture of Sexual Objectification
There is a pervasive culture that moves us towards emotional detachment and self-gratification in our sexual desire.
The myth, that my sexuality is my business and my mine alone, develops a transactional understanding of sex, sexuality, and desire. We get what we need from wherever we need to– and that’s the end of it.
“Our enlightened values—less stigma regarding unwed mothers, the acceptance of homosexuality, greater economic freedom for women, the availability of contraception, and the embrace of consent culture—haven’t translated into anything like a paradise of guilt-free fun.” –Helen Lewis, The Problem with Being Cool with Sex
These practices of sexual objectification and oppression are nothing new.
“If you should take your wife in adultery, you may with impunity put her to death without a trial; but if you should commit adultery or indecency, she must not presume to lay a finger on you, nor does the law allow it.”
–Aulus Gellius, Second Century writer and a contemporary of Jesus
Jesus redefines adultery as sexual objectification
Adultery in Jesus’ day, as our own, would be defined as sexual relations with someone other than one’s spouse.
Jesus is taking issue with a prevalent interpretation of his day, or at least a well-known take, that limited the scope of Exodus 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery” (7/10).
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. – Matthew 5:27-28
“Anyone who looks” or “everyone who looks…with lustful intent” describes the leering male, the uncomfortable gaze at the work, or the gym, or in the grocery store.
“I cannot keep a bird from flying over my head. But I can certainly keep it from nesting in my hair or from biting my nose off.’” – Martin Luther
“What Jesus sabotages here is not [sexual] desire but rightful desire spent wrongfully.” – Scot McKnight
It is a misconception to think Jesus is anti-sex.
The human body, marriage, sex, sexuality, and sexual desire are not shameful creations but called “very good” by God’s design.
Within the biblical narrative, the two reasons for sex are for (1) procreation and (2)to experience the goodness of God toward those ends.
There is a whole book of scripture that celebrates two lovers and their pursuit of one another in a covenant relationship called Song of Solomon.
“for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love neither can floods drown it, If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, He would be utterly despised.” –Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Notice something profound about the way sexual desire is discussed in scripture. It acknowledges the deep complexities of human sexuality.
Our sexual desires can lead us toward God’s beauty, character, and human intimacy.But sexual desire also has an immense capacity for harm; it can scar the soul, destroy relationships, and leave trauma unlike anything else.
“Today you are young and very much in love. You think your love will sustain your marriage. Well, I give you the opposite advice: let your marriage sustain your love.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
While much more than discipline one’s sexual desire goes into the life of chastity, it is no small part. A life of chastity or a season of abstinence is a practice of reverence and respect. It is wise to acknowledge that everything, including sexual desire, has a season.
[the greatest command is]“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:37–40 (ESV)”
Jesus condemns the look of sexual objectification because it violates this command– it dehumanizes an image-bearer of God; someone meant to be cherished and respected turned into kindling for sexual fantasy.
Jesus’ instruction is that his followers deal with sexual objectification swiftly and decisively.
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right-hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” – Matthew 5:29-30
On a cultural ‘maiming’What is clear is that Jesus is calling for decisive action to address the root of sexual objectification. Our lustful eyes, the images we entertain, the content or art we engage with.
“To obey this command of Jesus will involve for many of us a certain ‘maiming’. We shall have to eliminate from our lives certain things which (though some may be innocent in themselves) either are, or could easily become, sources of temptation. In his own metaphorical language we may find ourselves without eyes, hands or feet. That is, we shall deliberately decline to read certain literature, see certain films, visit certain exhibitions. If we do this, we shall be regarded by some of our contemporaries as narrow-minded, untaught Philistines... We may have had to become culturally ‘maimed’ in order to preserve our purity of mind. The only question is whether, for the sake of this gain, we are willing to bear that loss and endure that ridicule.”
– John Stott
This is to say that it is better for us to forgo certain cultural phenomenons than to be a slave to sexual objectification and sin.
A word of encouragement
Jesus’ warning is that prolonged sexual objectification leads to a loss of faith in Christ. We are not led to believe that singular trip-ups result in our being cast from Christ’s Kingdom, but rather that our own lust-filled choices tempt us out of His Kingdom.
The spiritual practice this week is to take stock of both (1) your gaze and (2) what influences you let into your heart.
In the words of Ed Stetzer, “it is a warning that we need to understand the risks and threats associated with new habits and tools before we allow them unfettered access to our lives, our households, and our communities.”
We live in the Age of Outrage. The question we must ask ourselves now, as Jesus-followers, is this: how do we live as Jesus would have lived in this cultural moment?
Sermon on the Mount: Be Mindful of 3 Things:
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech. Rather the sermon is an exemplification or personification of Jesus’ life.
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to Him looks like.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice of imagination.
Jesus’ Antithetical Statements = “You have heard it said… but I say”
Each Antithetical Statement:
Jesus quotes from the Old Testament, His Bible
Jesus interprets, extends, or illuminates that quotation and at times opposes how the Jews have previously interpreted that quote
Jesus probes behind the original scripture into God’s mind and heart
And finally, Jesus reveals what the intent of the scripture is and how His followers are to live in accordance
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’” - Matthew 5:21
“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment…” - Matthew 5:22a
“Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” - Matthew 5: 22b
“the anger of the man [or woman] who nurses his [or her] wrath to keep it warm.” - David Brunner
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” –Ephesians 4:26-27
“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” - Matthew 5:23-24
Jesus takes reconciliation very seriously. The act of sacrifice or worship is not nearly as important as the spirit in which it is done.
“Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” - Matthew 5:25-26
“outrage is motivated by a desire to punish or destroy rather than reconcile and refine.” – Ed Stetzer
Characteristics of Outrage:
Outrage is disproportionate: the intensity toward the person does not match the subject matter or the way in which the other initially responded.
Outrage is selfish: anger makes us feel good; we belittle and demean others to mask our fears and insecurities.
Outrage is tribalistic: centered in the language of us vs. them, cannot accept criticism.
Outrage is visceral: centered in the gut, lashing out instead of taking the time to reflect and develop a critical and thoughtful response.
Outrage is domineering: aims to shut down, silence, bully, or shame someone into submission, the use of hyperbole, profanity, and name-calling
Outrage is dishonest: leads us to make untrue statements or generalizations about an opponent to score rhetorical points.
We can know our anger toward someone has gone beyond a momentary emotion or disagreement to full-on outrage when it becomes disproportionate, selfish, tribalistic, visceral, domineering and/or dishonest.
My challenge for you today is this: How have you participated in the age of outrage? For whom have you carried disproportionate, selfish, tribalistic, visceral, domineering and/or dishonest anger against?
Who do you need to reconcile with?
Jesus leads us into a fresh appreciation of the scriptures
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:17–20 (ESV)
Things to be reminded of as we go through the Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech.
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to him looks like.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice in imagination.
Where we’ve been–
Blessed are those who have been crushed and those who advocate for the crushed. (Matt. 5:1-11) Listen to that message here.
We become salt and light, revealing the goodness of God, as a community. (Matt. 5:12-16). Listen to that message here.
Today, we’ll reflect on how Jesus and his followers interact with the bible.
The bible is a library of ancient literature revealing God’s activity to bring about beauty and flourishing out of the chaos of our world.
In modern history, the bible was turned into things it was never meant to be.
Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of this country had the audacity to take scissors to his copy; cutting out any claims of the miraculous or the unexplainable. Anything that challenged his ideas of how the world worked.
In the antebellum South, the victims of American Slavery were given bibles, with Exodus completely removed because it is a dangerous thing for the slaver– if the slave knows God is a liberator.
Today this library we call the bible, sits at the center of the culture wars. With both the right and the left claiming their ideologies as the way to interpret the Bible.
In many ways, the conflict within the church of the west can be boiled down to how we read the bible.
For those that grew up around this book and with versions of it illustrated for children– we may retain a false sense of knowing it.
We read the Bible as a story fulfilled in Jesus.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
The Law and the Prophets – Jesus’ phrase for what we call the Old Testament
The Law (the Torah, the teachings) – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers
The Prophets– Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Also the Latter Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obediah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
The Writings– Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the law & prophets –
This is to say that Jesus understood himself as the climax of the scriptures. Like any the apex of any good story, Jesus is in complete alignment with everything that came before him, but now we can look back on everything previously in a new light.
Jesus teaches as one with authority because it is about him– “28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” –Matthew 7:28–29 (ESV)
Jesus anticipates two misunderstandings
That he came to set aside the law and the prophets
that he came to say the same thing
Jesus interprets the Law and the Prophet by affirming and extending.
“[Christ’s] sayings were no repeal of the former [the Old Testament], but a drawing out and filling up of them.”
– Chrysostom
The Next 28 verses will be affirming and extending – The Ethical commands
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment…. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – Matthew 5:21-22,27-28
For Jesus shows us a new way to be human.
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” –Jeremiah 31:31–34 (ESV)
Jesus calls for a renovation of the heart, imprinting the external law upon our very hearts.
The culmination of this ‘renovation of heart’ is becoming a person of love.
“a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”– Matthew 22:34–40 (ESV)
But this new way to be human is crushing unless we understand the forgiveness of Jesus.
19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
In taking the Lord’s Supper week after week– We confess the condition of our heart and are reminded of his forgiveness.
Our God knows how little control we have.
In coming to the table we learn forgiveness.
He reminds us that it is “not healthy who needs a doctor, it is sick.” – Matthew 9:12
The table of the lord is both a reminder of forgiveness and an operating table for our hearts.
Sermon Notes–
“According to the influential historian Frederick Jackson Turner, the presence of “a continually advancing frontier line” at the “edge of free land” profoundly shaped American culture (Turner, 1893). The American frontier gave rise to a persistent culture of rugged individualism.” – Samuel Bazzi, “The Roots and Persistence of Rugged Individualism is the United States”, 2020
Midtown itself is made up of several small neighborhood associations. Westport is one of those neighborhoods and is also one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kansas City. It got its name, West Port because it was the western most port in the United States in the mid-1800s. It was the last stop along the trail to the west for settlers to stock up on goods and supplies before venturing into the Kansas Territory.
As more and more settlers traveled out West via the nearby California, Oregon, and Santa Fe trails, the more and more Westport grew eventually becoming the sprawling city of Kansas City.
Therefore, as people of Kansas City, as pioneering and entrepreneurial as we might be, we are quite literally steeped in rugged individualism. In fact Bazzi and authors found that counties in America with longer historical exposures to frontier life and conditions “exhibit greater individualism.”
And the church not just in America but specifically in Kansas City, is not impervious to this rugged individualism. If anything we’ve allowed it to seep into our already porous ideas about religion.
Increasingly, religion has been viewed as a private matter.
Specifically, in Christian circles, this private religion or privatized religion has led to a variety of phrases like, “I am into Jesus, but not the Church. “
“For Jesus the church was never optional. Jesus was not anti-institutional. He regularly led his disciples and himself into the church of the first century which was the synagogue and temple.” – Tyler Staton, Bridgetown Church
When we examine the scriptures, Jesus was not a rugged individualist. Jesus did not believe in a privatized religion. For Jesus the church was never an option.
Three things in mind as in exploring the Sermon on the Mount:
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech. Rather the sermon is an exemplification or personification of Jesus’ life.
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to Him looks like. So for those of you more practically minded individuals, this is the sermon series for you.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice of imagination. That is to say that the specific application of Jesus' sermon given in the first century must be adjusted to apply to our moment today.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”
Here Jesus is saying you, my disciples, are the salt among the people of this land. Salt in first century Palestine was most likely taken from the dead sea and was very impure.. These impurities could cause the sodium chloride to leach out of the salt essentially rendering it useless or salt without its saltiness. When this happened there was no way to restore the salt, it had to be thrown
In today’s society, there is a pressure in the words of religious scholar Dave Brunner “to not be too Christian.” There is a pressure to not take our religion too seriously and just to relax a bit. And yet, here Jesus is warning us, don’t lose your saltiness, don’t water down the very things that make you a disciple. If you do, you will be useless, just like salt that has lost its saltiness.
We lose our saltiness when we fall into the temptation to not take our discipleship to Jesus too seriously.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
In the ancient world light was associated with knowledge, truth, revelation, and love.
Throughout scriptures, light is specifically associated with Jesus as he is knowledge, truth, revelation and love.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12
When Jesus declares to his disciples in v. 14 that they are the light of the world, it is as if he is passing the light on. This is a commissioning statement. It is as if Jesus is saying I am the light that cannot be hidden, you reflect me! You bring the knowledge, truth, revelation, and love to those around you! You be Me in the world.
So to be a light to the world is to exemplify or to be the person of Jesus.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Here Jesus gives us yet another example of visibility. He says people don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket, they keep the light visible. Visibility is a requirement of being a disciple to Jesus. Not only should you be salty or have the flavor of Jesus, but others need to see that you are a representation of Jesus. Your light cannot be invisible or it ceases to be a light.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
He shows us that shining our light is to let others see our good works.
A majority of scholars believe the good works mentioned here are in reference not only to the beatitudes but also to the set of responsibilities Jesus gives us in the rest of the sermon on the mount.
Remember, the Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech but rather the sermon is a personification of Jesus’ life. Therefore Jesus is saying, when people look at you I want them to see that you are being with Me, becoming like Me, and doing what I did.
Here is the big idea: for you to maintain your saltiness, for your light to shine, you must be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what he did. You must be the personification of the Sermon on the Mount or the personification of Jesus to the world
We must cast aside our rugged individualism and privatized religion to become a visible disciple of Jesus.
“24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” –Hebrews 10:24-25
“According to the influential historian Frederick Jackson Turner, the presence of “a continually advancing frontier line” at the “edge of free land” profoundly shaped American culture (Turner, 1893). The American frontier gave rise to a persistent culture of rugged individualism.” – Samuel Bazzi, “The Roots and Persistence of Rugged Individualism is the United States”, 2020
Midtown itself is made up of several small neighborhood associations. Westport is one of those neighborhoods and is also one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kansas City. It got its name, West Port because it was the western most port in the United States in the mid-1800s. It was the last stop along the trail to the west for settlers to stock up on goods and supplies before venturing into the Kansas Territory.
As more and more settlers traveled out West via the nearby California, Oregon, and Santa Fe trails, the more and more Westport grew eventually becoming the sprawling city of Kansas City.
Therefore, as people of Kansas City, as pioneering and entrepreneurial as we might be, we are quite literally steeped in rugged individualism. In fact Bazzi and authors found that counties in America with longer historical exposures to frontier life and conditions “exhibit greater individualism.”
And the church not just in America but specifically in Kansas City, is not impervious to this rugged individualism. If anything we’ve allowed it to seep into our already porous ideas about religion.
Increasingly, religion has been viewed as a private matter.
Specifically, in Christian circles, this private religion or privatized religion has led to a variety of phrases like, “I am into Jesus, but not the Church. “
“For Jesus the church was never optional. Jesus was not anti-institutional. He regularly led his disciples and himself into the church of the first century which was the synagogue and temple.” – Tyler Staton, Bridgetown Church
When we examine the scriptures, Jesus was not a rugged individualist. Jesus did not believe in a privatized religion. For Jesus the church was never an option.
Three things in mind as in exploring the Sermon on the Mount:
The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech. Rather the sermon is an exemplification or personification of Jesus’ life.
The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to Him looks like. So for those of you more practically minded individuals, this is the sermon series for you.
Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice of imagination. That is to say that the specific application of Jesus' sermon given in the first century must be adjusted to apply to our moment today.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”
Here Jesus is saying you, my disciples, are the salt among the people of this land. Salt in first century Palestine was most likely taken from the dead sea and was very impure.. These impurities could cause the sodium chloride to leach out of the salt essentially rendering it useless or salt without its saltiness. When this happened there was no way to restore the salt, it had to be thrown
In today’s society, there is a pressure in the words of religious scholar Dave Brunner “to not be too Christian.” There is a pressure to not take our religion too seriously and just to relax a bit. And yet, here Jesus is warning us, don’t lose your saltiness, don’t water down the very things that make you a disciple. If you do, you will be useless, just like salt that has lost its saltiness.
We lose our saltiness when we fall into the temptation to not take our discipleship to Jesus too seriously.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
In the ancient world light was associated with knowledge, truth, revelation, and love.
Throughout scriptures, light is specifically associated with Jesus as he is knowledge, truth, revelation and love.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12
When Jesus declares to his disciples in v. 14 that they are the light of the world, it is as if he is passing the light on. This is a commissioning statement. It is as if Jesus is saying I am the light that cannot be hidden, you reflect me! You bring the knowledge, truth, revelation, and love to those around you! You be Me in the world.
So to be a light to the world is to exemplify or to be the person of Jesus.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Here Jesus gives us yet another example of visibility. He says people don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket, they keep the light visible. Visibility is a requirement of being a disciple to Jesus. Not only should you be salty or have the flavor of Jesus, but others need to see that you are a representation of Jesus. Your light cannot be invisible or it ceases to be a light.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
He shows us that shining our light is to let others see our good works.
A majority of scholars believe the good works mentioned here are in reference not only to the beatitudes but also to the set of responsibilities Jesus gives us in the rest of the sermon on the mount.
Remember, the Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech but rather the sermon is a personification of Jesus’ life. Therefore Jesus is saying, when people look at you I want them to see that you are being with Me, becoming like Me, and doing what I did.
Here is the big idea: for you to maintain your saltiness, for your light to shine, you must be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what he did. You must be the personification of the Sermon on the Mount or the personification of Jesus to the world
We must cast aside our rugged individualism and privatized religion to become a visible disciples of Jesus.
“24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” –Hebrews 10:24-25
Sermon Notes–
As we prepare to explore Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, here are a few things to keep in mind –
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The Sermon on the Mount is not an isolated speech; “[Jesus’] life is but a commentary on the sermon, and the sermon is the exemplification of his life.”– Stanley Hauerwas
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The whole sermon is Christ describing what life in the kingdom and allegiance to him looks like. Jesus’ definition of the Kingdom of Heaven; “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
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Obedience to the Sermon on the Mount is a practice in imagination.
THE FORM OF JESUS’ BLESSING WAS NOT UNIQUE– IT WAS THE CONTENT.
7 I can think of nine whom I would call blessed,
and a tenth my tongue proclaims:
a man who can rejoice in his children;
a man who lives to see the downfall of his foes.
8 Happy the man who lives with a sensible wife,
and the one who does not plow with ox and donkey together.
Happy is the one who does not sin with the tongue,
and the one who has not served an inferior.
9 Happy is the one who finds a friend,
and the one who speaks to attentive listeners.
10 How great is the one who finds wisdom!
But none is superior to the one who fears the Lord.
11 Fear of the Lord surpasses everything;
to whom can we compare the one who has it?
–Sirach 25.:7-11
The Beatitudes can be grouped into two categories–
Blessings on those who have been crushed by the world.
Blessing on those who work on behalf of the broken.
The beatitudes are not a list of virtues, they are a roll call for those whom God calls blessed.
#1. BLESSINGS ON THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CRUSHED BY THE WORLD.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The poor in spirit will cover those who are spiritually, emotionally, psychically, and economically poor.
4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
David Brunner translates the main verb as “brokenhearted”; This is not those with a long face or those that enjoy a sad movie, it is a blessing on those who have experienced the worse the world has to offer.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the little people or the powerless. The third beatitude holds on hope for a renewed earth by which they will be inheritors. The powerful are often willing to give the meek heaven while retaining earth for themselves. Jesus gives them that renewed earth.
“Thus for a third time in three Beatitudes, it appears that Jesus simply picks up the pieces. First to the dependent poor, then to the grief-stricken, and now to the unaggressive, Jesus gives everything: God’s kingdom, God’s comfort, and now God’s green earth. Yet everyone else knows that it is the psychically and spiritually self-confident, the positive- and possibility thinkers, and the dynamically assertive who really get things and who get things done on earth. The meek may inherit heaven—both the entrepreneur and the revolutionary will give the meek heaven—but not earth. Yet Jesus gives them earth.”
– Dave Brunner
The situations in which the world judges as disastrous and hopeless are the very ones in which Christ calls blessed.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
The Jewish theology that would have soaked Jesus’ own imagination has no category for righteousness before God disconnected from human charity or social justice. The prophet Amos has a particularly harsh warning for any who separate their conduct towards their neighbor from their worship.
#2. BLESSING ON THOSE THAT WORK ON BEHALF OF THE BROKEN.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
It is a statement of becoming understanding, warm, empowering. It is defending the potential in all people.
“[F]or the Lord you God desires mercy not sacrifice.” – Hosea 6:6
The proof of Gospel understanding makes one more merciful not more severe.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed is the person-centered on God at their core. Blessed is the person who clearly identifies Christ as their “true-north”.
“Because they will see God”– those centered on Christ will have the gift of being able to identify God at work. Those living in the world, know how difficult the purity of heart is. Thus the challenge to live in this beatitude is rewarded with knowledge of God.
“36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
– Matthew 22:36-40 (ESV)
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Peacemaker could be translated “wholemaker” (brunner). For we are in the work of comprehensive welfare. (Jer. 29:7)
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The life of Jesus embodies this beatitude with tragic potency; those working to see justice, goodness, and beauty in the world will be crushed by the world.
For those who are really walking as disciples of Christ, bitter unpopularity is what should be expected.
REDEFINING WHO WE CALL BLESSED.
“The Beatitudes of Jesus are nothing short of a revolution of evaluation. We see in those whom Jesus blesses those who truly are the Jesus people of this world, and what he calls to our attention about them are not the sort of elements that often go into our evaluation methods.”
–Scot McKnight
Jesus blesses two kinds of people–
1. Those who have been broken by the world.
2. Those who are working on behalf of the broken.
Sermon Notes–
ON DECONSTRUCTION
deconstruction | de·con·struc·tion
1: “the taking apart an idea, practice, tradition, belief, or system into smaller components– in order to examine their foundation, truthfulness, usefulness, and impact.” (Via the Sophia Society)
Unhelpful deconstruction uses the norms of culture, not the teaching of Jesus, to examine the church and Christian practice.
Healthy Deconstruction uses the teachings of Jesus to critique and call the church back to allegiance and faithfulness.
If your heart still aches for the people of God to live in the way of Jesus, to reveal his love, character, and justice to the world – you are likely in the midst of healthy deconstruction.
Instead of using deconstruction the term found on the lips of Jesus is repent.
ON REPENTANCE
Μετανοέω | metanoeō | translated “repent”
Verb, perfect, active, imperative, 2nd person.
1: You rethink everything
“Repentance, as Jesus used it, did not mean that you get down and beat your head on the floor. And when you’re done, you’d better do it a few more times to make sure you fully repented. Metanoia [repentance] means to think about your thinking. In that context it requires us to ask ourselves who is currently king or queen in our lives. If we’re honest, we will answer, “me.”
– Dallas Willard, Intentionality of the Heart.
Matthew gives an example of the first disciples turning away from their occupation in order to follow him:
"18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he [Jesus\ saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. " – Matthew 4:18-22 ESV
ON THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
The Kingdom of Heaven | Also called the Kingdom of God in Luke and Mark
1: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.“ (Matthew 6:10 ESV)
2: God’s transcendent royalty beginning to be exercised here and now.
When we think of Jesus and his Gospel we should think of the Kingdom of God. “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…”
“24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.” –Matthew 4:24–25 (ESV)
“3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” – Revelation 21:3–5 (ESV)
The good news of the Kingdom doesn’t stop at personal transformation, it is the complete renewal of all Creation.
4 things to keep in mind as we begin practicing repentance.
1. Simply admit to the possibility of having wrong ideas
2. Commit to exploring
3. Embrace the mystery of contradiction.
4. Start small
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Devotion conotates both persistence and perseverance.
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Devotion to prayer requires we check the posture of our hearts
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Devotion to prayer requires glorifying God.
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Devotion to prayer requires dependence on God
Prayer of Confession
Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent,
for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name.
Amen.
Devoted to Mission
“After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.” – Luke 10:1-4 (ESV)
We are the sent people of God
“Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.” – Luke 10:5-8 ESV
We learn to identify people of peace
“Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.” – Luke 10:9-12 ESV
We tell people “The Kingdom of God has come near” Devoted to Mission is to declare that the Kingdom of God has come near
B.L.E.S.S.
B: Begin in Prayer
L: Listen
E: Eat
S: Serve
S: Story
It is through these simple practices that we as a community can be devoted to mission and declare that the Kingdom of God has come near.
SABBATH PRACTICES
The Family dinner | Jesus on the night he would be betrayed gathered his closest friends’ for a meal he “eagerly desired” to share with them (Luke 22:15). Luke would go on to write, “And [Jesus] took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19 ESV). “Do this”– was not a tiny cracker and a sip of juice– it was a meal, it was thankfulness, it was celebrating God’s liberation– it was life around a table. When we gather around a table we proclaim the story of Jesus, and we become the family of God.
Practice | commit to a regular rhythm of a home-cooked meal with followers of Christ.
Lighting the Remembrance Candles | Observing the Sabbath helps us recognize and appreciate our reliance on God. Moses in Exodus 31 is instructed by God to “[t]ell the people of Israel: “be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation’” (Exodus 31:13). For those of us who practice sabbathing, every seven days offers an embodied reminder of the covenant God made with the Israelites and his liberation from the Egyptian empire. Sabbath is a day of remembrance. Thus we follow the example of Israelites before us in lighting two small candles in remembrance.
PRACTICE | Typically two candles are lit at the beginning of the Sabbath corresponding to two aspects; remembering (Exodus 20:8) and guarding (Deuteronomy 5:12). A prayer is typically offered, a common one is–
Blessed are You,
LORD our God,
King of the universe,
Who sanctified us with his commandments,
and commanded us to be a light to the nations
and Who gave to us Jesus our Messiah
the Light of the world.
Scripture reading | Include reading through two passages of scripture, one from the old testament and one from the new testament. The scripture is not a magic text or instant transformation, it is a written account of God’s activity in his people. Through regular engagement, the story of Christ seeps into our bones and becomes a part of our story. Scripture reading every sabbath centers our attention and affections on our good God. You can read a different passage each sabbath or read the same few every sabbath.
Suggested Reading: Genesis 2:1-3, Genesis 18:1-8, Exodus 16:28-29, Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 31:13-14, 16, Leviticus 23:3, Deuteronomy 5:15, Psalm 23, Psalm 90, Isaiah 56:1-8, Isaiah 58:13, Ezekiel 20:20, Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 4:14-21, 2 Corinthians 9:10-11, Revelation 22:1-6
Pursuing Mindfulness | Often, when we think of rest or time-off we think of all the activities we get to do; binging a show, shopping, or gaming. However, these activities rarely offer us the rest we so desperately long for and need. All these activities offer a distraction for our mind. A state of mindlessness that does not produce rest, it simply offers a brief numbing. Rest comes from mindfulness not mindlessness. Therefore, we should abstain from mindless activities and lean into those activities that help us process our emotions and focus on gratitude.
PRACTICE | Abstain from binging television, video games, or videos. Read a book, take a walk, share what you are grateful for, share stories, or play board games.
Cultivating a Content Heart | It is theorized that the average American sees between 6,000 and 10,000 advertisements per day. Every day we are exposed to a plethora of messages that are telling us to buy, to be, and to experience something we are not and dissatisfaction has become a way of life. Yet, we follow the King that said, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:25–26 ESV). In a bizarre reflection on nature, Jesus tells us to remain content. Content with our possessions, our sustenance, and with who we are. Therefore, each sabbath let us abstain from those things that would draw us out of the contentment of Christ and into the satisfaction of our land.
PRACTICE | Phone powered off or set to do not disturb, abstain from social media, checking emails, and spending time on your phone generally. Abstain from shopping and online shopping. (The occasional grocery store trip may be necessary.
The Afternoon nap | In a well known story the prophet Elijah, after a particularly stressful day, groans, “It is enough! Now, O Lord, take away my life” (1 Kings 19:4 ESV; emphasis added). He promptly laid down for a nap, and then he awoke for a snack prepared by God. We’ve all had those days where giving up seems much easier than moving forward. However, I am always amazed at the power of a simple nap and snack. So lean into napping on your sabbath. Let it be a reminder of the rest we are given by Christ.
PRACTICE | Take a nap, or simply take thirty minutes or an hour for the whole household to just lay down. Even if you do not nap, the stillness will bring rest.
The Evening Walk | “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8 ESV). Before humanity’s rebellion; God would take an evening walk with his creation. We do not know the content of their conversation, we do not know how far, or the path that we walk; all we know is that God walked. There is something sacred and centering about simply walking with family in the cool of the night. Sometimes conversation is easy, sometimes silence walks with us, either way the walk is worth it.
Cassie and Alex introduce the theme of Sabbath throughout scripture and its importance as we bear witness to the Kingdom of Jesus.
Introductory thoughts
The Genesis poem tells us that the Creator of the Cosmos spent six days bringing order from chaos and shaping reality as we know it. Then on the seventh day He rested from His work, observing the first Sabbath. This first day of rest set a precedent, echoed throughout scripture, that the people of God would set aside a day of the week for prayer and worship. Jesus exemplified this throughout his life with a regular rhythm of prayer, retreat, and rest. Following the example of Jesus, we commit to a sabbath rhythm that sets aside a day of the week for worship and rest. In doing so we trust that the Spirit will shape a life of worship and restfulness set against a world of hurry.
In the first century Palestine that Jesus occupied, the Sabbath was an important practice differentiating the jews from their gentile counterparts. At sundown on Friday night until sundown on Saturday, the Jews ceased all work going as far as creating a robust tradition of regulations to govern their Sabbath. In their honest zeal to be faithful to the instructions of God, the Pharisees had failed to recognize the weight they placed on the back of their communities. In a brief confrontation over picking grain on the Sabbath (considered work), Jesus says to the pharisees; “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27–28 ESV). This is to say, that the Sabbath is a gift to humanity under the Lordship of Christ.
This is to say that Sabbath is both a discipline and a gift meant for humanities betterment.
Sabbath and Sacred Work
The irony of practicing a day of rest is that it places a higher value on our work than the workolatry (the idolatry of work) that rules our day. We learn to trust that God can do more with our six days of work and a day of rest, than we can do with seven days of work.
Sabbath was established by God who does not subscribe to our culture’s idea of what work is. So, what is God’s idea of work? God establishes work in the Garden. In Genesis 1:26, God creates man in his image and man follows God in His work example. God gives humans the responsibility to rule over the Garden. Work starts out directed by God for God’s purposes. Adam and Eve subscribe to God’s structure for Sabbath. There is a measured time of work and a measured time of rest.
When we subscribe to this divide of work and rest, we are subscribing to living a life in the Garden; one where we are working under God’s direction not the direction of our culture which can drive us to restlessness and an overindulgence in achievement. Our identities can get carelessly mixed in with work threatening the merging of identity with our accomplishments.
God’s picture of sacred work lets us maintain our identity which resembles His image and lets the power of who He is permeate us in our work. Now that humans are not in the garden, there is more difficulty in our work. The idea of sitting down and not touching the plow would have been scary for ancient Israelites just as it is scary today.
The risk factor associated with Sabbath is supposed to create a practice of trusting God with His provision towards His children.
Sabbath as Resistance
Sabbath is a merciful gift protecting us from the objectification of workolatry and exploitative labor practices. Narratives of hustle, hurry, and grind permeate our feeds and capture our calendar. These prevailing cultural norms teach us that the product you create, the value you bring, or the hours you work are your value. In a world built on these exploitation stories sabbath offers us an alternative. In subtle ways, the Sabbath insists on our own creature-ness; we are not a limitless commodity or tireless machines, we are human. Thus, in stepping away from our work, once a week, we gain perspective on our own identity as creatures. In embracing the practice of Sabbath, we resist any culture that value is tied to work. The sabbath insists that we are created in the Image of the Creator infused with value; we are worth treasuring regardless of our performance.
In this episode of the Midtown Church podcast, Benjamin Ford joins to talk about the meaning of Juneteenth for the United States and for the Church of Christ.
Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The origin of the Holiday comes from June 19, 1865 when Texas slaves finally received the news that they had been liberated, a two years after the emancipation proclamation.
Three reasons Juneteenth should be a national holiday; (1) it highlights freedom in the US, (2) it commemorates a major event in US History, and (3) it acknowledges both how far we’ve come as a country and how far we have to go (adapted from Jemar Tisby’s The Color of Compromise).
“To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history.” – Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative.
Benjamin recommends reading Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison.
Alex recommends two books; One Blood by John Perkins and The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby.
Preston Ulmer, the founder of the Doubter's Club and director of network development for the Church Multiplication Network, joins the podcast to talk about engaging in spiritual warfare like Jesus. Oftentimes the phrase “spiritual warfare” is used as a phrase to describe a form of superstitious spirituality that we do not see in the life of Christ. Rather, what if we thought of spiritual warfare as working towards human flourishing?
Preston suggests that spiritual warfare is waged on three fronts in (1) the reputation of Christ, (2) the responsibility of Christ, and (3) the reign of Christ.
Resources–
Check out Preston’s forthcoming book.
Learn more about Doubter’s Club.
God at War by Greg Boyd.
Cassie and Alex take the opportunity to reflect on the first few months of 2021 by sharing thoughts on Pentecost Sunday, the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, what it looks like to neighbor well, and share a few resources they’ve enjoyed learning from.
On neighboring, Alex shares three suggestions for communicating care to those who live next door; (1) learn their name and write it down, (2) learn their story and pray for them, and (3) invite them into your life and over for dinner.
Cassie has been reading Future Church by Will Mancini and Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Warren Harris.
Alex has been reading Spiritual Life on a Burning Planet by David T Bradford.
In this episode of the Midtown Church podcast, Cassie talks about the dynamics of being a female leader in the church and how we can make space for more women.
Cassie suggests checking out Good News for Women by Rebecca Merrill Groothuis and How Women Rise by Sally Helgensen.
In this episode of the Midtown Church podcast, Joshua Knowles shares his experience in transitioning out of full-time church ministry into social work.
Thursday, May 13 is when the Church celebrates Ascension Day. Forty days after the Resurrection Sunday Jesus took his place at the right hand of God the Father.
Advent, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost; the Church celebrates a lot of different seasons that you might be unfamiliar with. In this episode of the Midtown Church Podcast, Alex and Cassie talk about the significance of following the church calendar.
Cody Bivins joins the podcast for a conversation on severe mental illness, culture, and the Church.
Amanda Berger, Midtown Church’s pastor of community engagement, joins the podcast to talk about singleness, healthy friendships, and the church.
On this Good Friday, Alex and Cassie talk about the Gospel of Mark’s subversive telling of the Jesus’ final days.
Part 4 of “how do I become like Jesus?”. Alex and Cassie discuss creating intentional habits that are Jesus-like putting us into the gospel narrative.
Part 3 of “how do I become like Jesus?”. Cassie and Alex talk through the formation of our desires and how we reorient those to Christ.
Part 2 of “how do I become like Jesus?”. Alex and Cassie talk about our stories or the narratives that create meaning in our life.
Cassie and Alex begin a four part series tackling the question–how do I become more like Jesus?
In the very first episode of the Midtown Church podcast, Alex and Cassie Ferren sit down to talk about the lessons they’ve learned from planting a church in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.