Onward Upward: Recent Episodes

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MBM’s vision is to see lives transformed through Jesus Christ to the glory of God. An important outworking of this is MBM’s commitment to the physical, emotional and spiritual welfare and safety of all people, particularly within our own church families.

Our Safe Ministry Policy has been developed to help us live out our Biblical mandate and our legal responsibilities under Australian legislation.

At MBM Our Core Safe Ministry Values Are Based On:

That all people are respected and valued as they are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and the desire to see the flourishing of all people as they journey with God in safe church and ministry environments.

Our commitment to the protection of children and vulnerable people in our community as essential to our living out our Christian faith (Matthew 18:5-10).

The knowledge that concealing the truth is contrary to the character of God, unjust to victims and a disservice to offenders.

NSW State legislation, particularly in the area of child protection. Our policies are developed to help us live out both our Biblical mandate and legal responsibilities.

To ensure the safety of children and vulnerable people in our communities, MBM, in conjunction with the Anglican church of Australia, will:

1. Adopt and encourage safe ministry practices by its clergy and church workers

• MBM is committed to creating safe ministry environments as well as ensuring safe individuals. We commit to a culture that regularly seeks to provide this through the purposeful design of ministry philosophy, practice and environments. We commit to implementing and reviewing this in ways that seek to reduce problematic behaviour by any person in MBM ministry activities and facilities.
• MBM is committed to the continuous review and improvement of its ministries, facilities and safe ministry processes. We seek to achieve this by a minimum of six-monthly safe ministry reviews of all our programs and facilities and by providing regular opportunities for the MBM church family to provide feedback to the MBM Leadership team including the Deacons.
• Abuse of any form thrives in silence and secrecy. We commit to being a church where it is clear that abuse of any form is not ok, but that talking about it is OK.
• MBM will ensure that it is easy to access appropriately trained and qualified people for support and guidance in the reporting process.

2. Carefully recruit and train its clergy and church workers

• MBM will ensure that all leaders in all ministries will have been appropriately selected and trained for their roles at Church.
• MBM will provide appropriate induction, supervision and ongoing review of all of its ministry leaders.
• MBM will cross-verify that all leaders of children and youth ministries have current WWCC clearances.
• MBM will require all leaders to read, agree to and abide by the Anglican Diocese Faithfulness in Service 2017.

3. Respond promptly to each concern raised about the behaviour of its clergy, church workers and congregation members.

• We understand and value the need for support to all parties involved in an allegation, including the aggrieved person and the alleged offender, and we actively seek to provide this support.
• We are committed to ensuring that all concerns raised are taken seriously, acted on in a prompt manner and that a thorough process of investigation is undertaken.
• We will ensure as far as possible that a compassionate response is the first priority in all concerns raised through offering assistance, protection and care.
• By working towards best practice in minimising the risk of abuse, ministry misconduct and the misuse of positional power by its clergy, church workers and congregation members. Ongoing education, transparent governance, leadership and active promotion of reporting processes are key in this.
• All allegations of suspected child abuse and domestic and family violence will be reported to the appropriate external authorities.
• Any disclosure will be kept confidential within the bounds of good safe ministry practice.

4. Offer pastoral support to any person who has suffered abuse.

• We will provide crisis and ongoing pastoral support to those who have suffered abuse.
• We will assist survivors of abuse to access appropriate support from Government and Non-Government Agencies.

5. Provide supervision of and pastoral accountability (within the context of the ministries, locations and activities of the parish) to any person (who is a member of a congregation and) who is known to have abused a child or another vulnerable person.

• MBM is committed to ensuring the safety of children and vulnerable people in our church as our first priority.
• MBM is committed to ministering grace and discipline to those who have been known to abuse a child or another vulnerable person by appropriate Safety Plans.
• We will do this within the strict guidelines provided by the Anglican Diocese.

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MBM is committed to respecting people’s right to privacy. As a church we collect and use information from church members and visitors regularly. We are committed to ensuring that we uphold the trust people place in us when they provide their information to us. MBM seeks to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (as amended from time to time) at all times.

MBM, publisher of mbm.org.au online, abides by Australia’s National Privacy Principles and is committed to respecting your right to privacy and your right to control the accuracy of your personal information.

Definitions and Abbreviations

For the purposes of simplicity, the abbreviation MBM will be used to include MBM church campuses at Rooty Hill, Southwest, Village Church and Parramatta.

Church Community Builder (CCB) is the main digital database referred throughout the policy.

Sensitive information is material that identifies an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, membership of a professional or trade association, membership of a trade union, sexual orientation, criminal record or health information. This type of sensitive information is not collected by MBM except where it is required by law and the Anglican Church.

How do we collect and store your information?

We will only collect personal information by lawful and fair means, from you or your representative. We collect personal information about you or your family members if:

• we collect personal information directly from you when you attend an MBM church service and/or event and provide us with your personal information, or
• you contribute financially to support the ministry of MBM, or
• you (or another adult authorised by you) provide necessary personal information for children (under 18 years) who attend an MBM ministry program, church service or event. This includes where children (those under 18 years) who are connected with an MBM youth ministry provide us with parental information for medical purposes, or

MBM also collects information from you via CCB (main database), Google Analytics and Heatmap (website) and ‘Get Generous’ and ‘Church Starter’ (financial giving). Safe Ministry information that maybe provided by you is required to be stored indefinitely for legal reasons and is stored in pCloud.

Please Note:

• Personal information about former members may be retained for a period of time.
• People who volunteer to serve with those under 18 years of age or who are vulnerable will be required to provide specific information, by law and the Anglican Church, in order to serve in these ministries. This information is required to be held indefinitely as per legislative requirements.

Photographs and Video

Please be aware that by attending an MBM service, you may be photographed or video recorded. These may be used for display, marketing or promotional purposes both online and in printed media.

If you would like more information, or if you do not agree to photos or video of you being used, please contact hello@mbm.org.au or a staff member.

How do we protect your information?

We protect your personal detail stored on a digital database through encryption, firewalls, secure buildings and computer security systems.

• We will take all reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we hold about you is relevant, not excessive, accurate, complete and up-to-date. You can always correct or update your contact details, to do so please contact the Church Office and we will gladly do that for you.
• MBM utilises CCB as its main church database. CCB secures data with the latest technology on its servers and has strong password protection on its servers and for users. Please see CCB security specifications on www.churchcommunitybuilder.com website for more detail.

How your private information is used and disclosed

We do not disclose your personal information unless you agree, or would reasonably expect us to. Disclosure of information may be required or authorised by or under an Australian law or a court/tribunal order or for mandatory reporting requirements.

Your personal information is maintained on a digital database (CCB). We may use and share your personal information with staff and church members where you have a declared or shared an interest in one or more of our ministries (for example: Sunday Church service, Growth Groups, MBM Kids, MBM Youth, pastoral care).

Your data may be transferred to, and processed in, countries other than Australia – such as the United States, where CCB data hosting provider’s servers are located or Luxemburg where our cloud service is located. As well, web traffic information we collect using Google Analytics may be stored overseas.

You may receive written communication from the church office.

If you have a personal login to MBM’s CCB database you will have the ability to control your communication settings. (Please note a follow up call may be made by MBM staff to validate your decision.)

If we have your email address and you are registered on CCB as an attender of MBM we will send our weekly MBM Minute or other communications promoting events or church information. You can always opt out of these.

If we have your mobile phone number and you are registered on CCB as an attender of MBM you may receive an SMS about MBM services or programs. You can always opt out of these.

How do you view information we have about you or your family members?

If your private information is held on the MBM digital database (CCB) you may request access to your personal contact information. We encourage you to contact the MBM Church office if you have any concerns about the personal information we hold about you. If we are holding your personal information, and you are entitled to a login to MBM CCB database, you may directly control your contact information and the privacy levels applied to that. To obtain a login please contact the MBM Church Office or visit the MBM website and locate the CCB link at the bottom of the web page. You will see a link to request a CCB login.

Please note that we are committed to quality data collection and routinely review the data held by us. You can assist in this by keeping the information you provide us with up to date. You can do so by going onto CCB and updating your own information or by calling the MBM Front office on the contact details below.

How to opt out of your information being stored or receiving communication from MBM

You have the right to request that MBM no longer store your information EXCEPT where we are required to retain the information by law or for legal requirements.

You have the right to opt out of individually addressed promotional mailings, emails and SMS messages. If you do not wish to receive further communication from MBM you can telephone the MBM Church office, write or email us as per our contact details below.

How to update your personal information

To simply update your details, you can do that yourself on CCB, or telephone the MBM Church office, write or email us as per our contact details below.

Data Breaches

An eligible data breach is when there is unauthorised access to or unauthorised disclosure of personal information, or a loss of personal information, when it is likely to result in serious harm to individuals, or MBM hasn’t been able to prevent the likely risk of serious harm with remedial action.

If there a breach of our information systems and data collection, we may notify affected individuals and the Office of Australian Information Commissioner.

Contact Details

Telephone: (02) 9677 0133 Monday - Friday 9.00 am to 5:00 pm EST

Postal Address: 20 Westminster St. Rooty Hill NSW 2766

Email: hello@mbm.org.au

Please provide sufficient information for us to identify you, for example, your name and address.

Complaints

We are committed to dealing quickly and appropriately with any complaint you make about your privacy. If you are concerned that this privacy policy may have been breached or that your privacy may have been compromised please contact us in writing immediately, setting out your concerns. Please include a daytime telephone number where we can contact you. We will get back to you within five working days.

Write to:
The Privacy Officer
St Albans MBM Anglican Church

20 Westminster St Rooty Hill NSW 2766

Unresolved complaints

If you are not satisfied with our handling of your complaint you can refer it to the Australian Federal Privacy Commissioner.

Contact details:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner
GPO Box 5218, SYDNEY NSW 2001, AUSTRALIA.

Privacy Hotline:

• 1300 363 992 (9.00am - 5.00pm EST Monday to Friday) (for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia)
• TTY 1800 620 241
• Fax +61 2 9284 9666
• Web www.privacy.gov.au
• Email privacy@privacy.gov.au

Please note: complaints should be made in writing to the Federal Privacy Commissioner at the above address. If you need help to make a complaint, you can phone the hotline for assistance.

Published August 2021. MBM reserves the right to periodically update this policy.

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Jesus shunned the devil’s shortcut to splendour and chose the slow task of building God’s Kingdom person by person by way of the cross. Alone “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” Today’s passage shows how Jesus is qualified to answer that prayer.

I’ve been watching a show on TV called 'Alone', it’s a survival show, survive for the longest in the wilderness and you win.

It is you versus a slice of freezing Canadian (or wherever) wilderness. Your only shelter is what you can build, your only food is what you can collect or catch eg fish, leaves and slugs.

You get no help, you don’t even know where the other competitors are, let alone how they are going. You just will have to persevere for weeks and months on end, hoping the other competitors ‘tap out’ and quit first. If you’re the last person standing you go home with half a million dollars.

Now, the interest in watching the show is that it's about people’s stamina as they face incredible hardships, as they basically starve, lose their body fat, lose their minds, as they face the temptation to ‘tap out’ at any moment, to press the button on their sat phone and get evacuated back to food, warmth and shelter.

Jesus was led into temptation and it was on no reality show.

He didn’t hunt and gather, He fasted for 40 days, He was as hungry as you can get. Imagine confronting your enemy after that! His body, mind and will would be at breaking point. You can see how He would be so vulnerable to the temptation to ‘tap out’.

To ‘Tap out’ by the way is really a martial arts term when you’ve been wrestled to the ground, and you tap on the floor to say ‘You’ve got me, I submit, I give in.’

Since our forefather Adam in the garden, we’ve been tapping out under temptation. Adam and Eve ate fruit in a paradise where they already had every God-given food and comfort they needed. Israel tapped out and gave in countless times, especially in their 40 years in the wilderness and you can see the parallel here with Jesus’ 40 days. Israel grumbled and complained, they turned to despair, and they ended up dancing around like idiots worshipping a golden calf.

All of us humans, none of us, you or me, can kid ourselves that we’re above tapping out. Giving in to our appetites, be they terrible vices or more commonly hidden, but equally sinful sins.

Who will rescue us from this body of death? Thanks be to God who rescues us through Jesus Christ our Lord! Let’s see how that plays out here…

There are four sections to this chapter. Let’s look at them in turn.

1. Jesus puts the right kingdom first (and overcame temptation for you)

You know what Jesus was being tempted to here? To take a shortcut to splendour. He was tempted by the devil to gain all the kingdoms of the world without the pain of the cross. He need only tap out and give in.

And make no mistake, if Jesus had succumbed, you and I would not be here today. We would have no salvation, we would be slaves to the devil.

Everything hung in the balance here in the desert.

Now temptation only works if you are given a genuinely attractive offer. Take the first one.

…“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” ~Matthew 4:3b (NIV)

He is the Son of God, He has just been told that by the voice from heaven after His baptism. The devil doesn’t try to dispute that, just twists what it means. Surely a quick fast-food miracle would be fine for the Son of God? There is no one around to even see! It would be nothing! Just like Israel eating Manna in the desert, what’s the big deal? But it would be the first step on a slippery slope of putting his own needs ahead of God’s.

Jesus will listen to only one voice! “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of Lord.’” (Deuteronomy 8:3b)

One voice only. The Spirit of God had descended on Him like a dove, had led him into the wilderness, He would only obey His voice. And note where the Spirit’s voice is found here - it is found in Scripture. Do you know Scripture well enough to use it when temptation comes?

A servant is not above his Master, don’t think for a moment that you won’t be tempted by reasonable-sounding whispers:

• “You deserve this”
• “You need this”
• “It’s ok”
• “No one will know”

James says we have to learn to “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7) Jesus resisted with the words of Scripture. Are you reading? Memorising? Praying over Scripture? Do you know it well enough to use it?

I have heard sermons on the temptation of Jesus that are all like that, all about following Jesus’ example as we face temptation. But this passage is about what Jesus did for us, before it is an example of what we’re supposed to do.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Matthew 4:5-6 (NIV) [Psalm 91:11,12]

What is the temptation here? Why would Jesus be remotely interested in throwing Himself off the biggest precipice in Jerusalem?

• Well, it would give instant cred!
• If you want to impress, this is a very public place – it would take Instagram by storm.
• People get millions of views when they do some Parkour stunt hanging off the ledge at the top of a tall building… Imagine if you threw yourself off and angels swoop in and rescue you?!
• ‘Jesus - Stunt Messiah’ Seems better than going from village to village persuading people, doesn’t it?

There is the temptation!

• And the devil even backs it up with Scripture himself this time around! (beware of that tactic… it is a favourite of false teachers on Youtube to this day… quoting the Bible doesn’t stop you from being the devil!).

But Jesus won’t be sucked in

“It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ~Matthew 4:7b (NIV) [Deuteronomy 6:16]

The devil might have quoted Scripture, but he uses it in a way that puts God to the test, far from submitting to the rule of Scripture, he manipulates it. But again, Jesus will only listen to one voice, He won’t twist God’s arm for His own comfort. The voice at Jesus’ baptism identified Him as not just the ruling Messiah, but the wording echoes Isaiah’s suffering servant. To be the Son of God is to suffer! He will go to the cross! Jesus will not shortcut to splendour. He stays on task.

The devil pulls out the big guns here,

…the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ~Matthew 4:7-8 (NIV)

Imagine being offered the American Presidency? Well, big deal! you’re never going to change the world even with that for just a few years. But this is different! This is permanent presidency/prime ministership/Kingship over every nation. Every time. From the Roman Empire to the Chinese. But…

…“Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” ~Matthew 4:10 (NIV) [Deuteronomy 6:13]

Enough! Away from me! This is the same voice that will finally send the devil to hell, Jesus takes charge, He will not be distracted, He stays on mission.

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. ~Matthew 4:11 (NIV)

Notice that Jesus resisted calling down angels to rescue him earlier but now he gets angels! Caring, feeding and restoring him! He never tapped out and God came through. The angels know who He is. And they will sustain this suffering Messiah for the long path ahead.

And that path begins in our next paragraph.

1. Jesus is the Great light

Jesus begins his ministry by moving house, but this is more than a sea change! It parks him right in the heart of the old Israelite tribes, Zebulun and Naphtali. They had long since been smashed by the Assyrians so that the area now had mixed blood. It wasn’t considered pure Israel like Judah was… it was now: ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’. Which says a lot about Jesus, He had come for all 12 tribes, not just pure and proud Judah. And the mention of Gentiles is a hint that He had come for more than just these 12 tribes too!

None of this should surprise a Bible reader… in fact it should excite us, as Matthew makes clear by quoting Isaiah:

“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” ~Matthew 4:15-16 (NIV)

And the excitement really comes if we read on a couple of verses later in Isaiah:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne… ~Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)

The old Northern tribes of Israel had been stuck in terrible darkness since they broke away from Judah 9 centuries earlier, their dodgy kings stopped them from going to the temple in Jerusalem, stopped them from living under the kings in David’s line, and made them worship more golden calves and then they were exiled. It was a long, long, dark, dark night. The very shadow of death. But now the dawn has come… a great light draws near the horizon!

Are you an early riser? It is not my thing but when I force myself to get up early, I always love it. I woke up at 4 am on my day off one winter’s morning and couldn’t go back to sleep so I decided to get up and drive to Mt Hay in the Blue Mountains, it has views in all directions. As I arrived, there was a glow 100km to the east, over Sydney’s CBD, I could see all the city buildings in the crisp morning air but beyond it was the light of dawn, a glow that grew and grew until the Sun blinded my eyes an hour later.

Jesus is the Great Light for broken, sinful, deathly Israel and He walked into their villages, crying out: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

At last! Near, like dawn on the horizon because the King has come. The Prince of Peace, claiming David’s throne forever!!

But notice the message, the kingdom of heaven, the great light, is for those who repent, who stop living in darkness, accept the King on His terms of pardon.

This is just like John the Baptist’s preaching but we have more information now. The King has come, He has passed the test in the wilderness. Three years later He will pass the test on the cross. He never tapped out. He demands we repent and follow Him and enjoy THE LIGHT, who overcame sin, death and the devil for us. Let me plead with you today, if you haven’t yet, repent and turn to Jesus and live under his peace! Be like those being baptised today, repent, and know their joy!

2. Jesus recruited fishermen

Do you want to know what repentance and kingdom living looks like? Look no further than Peter and Andrew, or James and John. Jesus says jump and they say ‘how high’?

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. …and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. ~Matthew 4:19-20, 22 (NIV)

‘At once’, ‘immediately’ they leave their old life behind and follow the King. They are in His service now, they would literally follow him on foot for three years, learning how to fish for men and women. This is the best Bible college or MTS ever!

The challenge of this passage for us, is their willingness. Now they may have already known Jesus, but when the call comes they turn their backs on all that is familiar and comfortable – their jobs, their father and they sign up immediately. How willing are you? Jesus is not an accessory that you add on to life, another god to add to the shelf. He is the LIGHT at the centre of your new life, and He calls you to go fishing.

How willing are you?

• You could do an extra days’ work and drive a better car or you could help with Playtime or Scripture.
• You could hang at home on weeknights having a beer and watching TV or you could sign up for a Growth Group and learn to fish?
• You could think about retirement in your 60’s or you could up and move to Dubai to go fishing among the nations and peoples God has waiting for the gospel there.

You get the idea. Where is God nudging you to serve? “immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” And it is an exciting task.

3. The news is good!

When Jesus goes fishing for people throughout Galilee the response is staggering:

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. ~Matthew 4:23-25 (NIV)

Why is the fishing so good? Are the crowds so big? Because the news is truly good news. We can so easily forget that!

We get used to Jesus and lose the sense of wonder. He is truly amazing! Have you ever had a brand new Christian join your Growth Group of old-timers? It is the best thing for the group! Everyone gets to see the wonder of Jesus again through the new Christian’s eyes. Everyone’s joy gets rekindled!

These verses picture an amazing foretaste of the Kingdom of God, sickness, demon possession, & disability are all erased on the spot. In Jesus, the curse upon Adam in the garden is temporarily reversed. At the cross in a few years, Jesus will utterly undo it! The Great Light is dawning! And the crowds see it! They come from every corner of the old Israel and even beyond.

Think about it… this joy will be ours for all eternity! Imagine Jesus walking down your street in heaven, as he has ten thousand times before, and you’re rushing out to see Him again. Heart filled with joy and wonder that you, of all people, you, are even there at all! Looking again at the nail scars in his hands and feet, evidence that your sin, though deadly, was fully paid for. That is why we should go out and fish for people! Good news is good and not to be kept to ourselves!

Not tapping out, drawing all this together. On Monday nights a group of MBM men don’t just pray ‘keep us from temptation’ to pornography, but take action. They meet. Support one another & pray. And see progress. As we mentioned last week, you can join them, just email reset@mbm.org.au and the guy at the other end of that email will give you some info in confidence.

Those guys seek God’s help to not ‘tap out’.

But how are they different to anyone else out there who wants to overcome sin? Because they have a Saviour who withstood temptation for them! Jesus is a GREAT LIGHT to us because He resisted the darkness of the evil one for us!

Imagine if we resist the temptation to be saved? The leader of the denomination we used to be part of in Thailand impressed everyone by fasting for 40 days like Jesus! Then depressed everyone by committing adultery soon after.

Jesus is a great light because He did what Israel, you and I, failed in again and again. He withstood the devil and his schemes and then went a step further, utterly disarming the devil through his death and resurrection.

Matthew chapter 4 is not about Jesus giving an example of how to fight, though a great example it is, it is about Jesus winning the war for us! Securing our salvation. Only saved people can learn the art of not tapping out.

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.Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. ~Hebrews 4:15-16 (NIV)

In Jesus we have mercy when we tap out. In Jesus we have grace to help us not to next time.

Remember that!

• When you’re ready to give in.
• When your foot is about to press hard on the accelerator, your tongue about to lash out, or your tongue is about to wimp out for that matter…
• Remember who is boss…“Away from me Satan” Jesus said.

And filled with His Spirit, you have the power to not tap out.

So, there you are with your girlfriend or boyfriend, the lights are low, the music is on, you swore you were never going to let this happen, but now every nerve in your body is electricity, you’re here now and you’ve never felt such desire to go further. The devil is whispering in your ear that it is no problem, enjoy this, to hold back is unnatural, don’t think about tomorrow, you’ll never be in this moment again. Well, let me tell you, you can stand up, go for a walk together and cool off so to speak, you do have the power to step off that slippery slope you were starting to slide down, you can say ‘no’. More than that, you can say ‘yes’ to glorifying God, building trust with this one you love, building integrity, holiness, witness. “Away from me Satan”.

Jesus said that for you so that you can walk in His victory and not tap out!

“The people living in darkness have seen a great light”

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Today I want to begin by teaching you an Ancient Anglican Liturgy taken from our Scripture text: God is good… All the time… And all the time… God is good. In the sermon when you hear me say, “God is good”, then I want you to say the next line. This is the main message that Jesus wants us to see in this part of His sermon.

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Jesus wants us to see that His Father is good! He uses his sun and rain to create a safe space where all people can see his goodness. And this is how he wants us to treat others.

Why is Jesus the King calling God a Father? and why would he want us to be children of our heavenly Father? Why is it so important to Jesus that we see his Father as good? Why do we, in fact so many people, find it hard to see God as good?

Jesus is going to answer these questions for us in three ways:

1. Help us see the perversion of our hearts.
2. Help us understand the purpose of the law.
3. Show us the absolute perfection of His Father.

God is good… All the time… And all the time… God is good.

So, what’s wrong with us? You can be excused for thinking the way we fix our problems is to try harder! Righteousness must exceed the scribes and Pharisees! Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. Trying harder to keep God’s laws is not what Jesus is saying.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, Raca, is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, You Fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell. ~Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV)

What does it look like to be children of our good and loving Father in heaven? Not murder! Being children in God’s family looks like a relationship with God and others. Murder is the ultimate destruction of a relationship. Jesus uses the 6th commandment to show us the perversion of our hearts. There are other ways to kill a relationship than pulling the trigger. Raca! You Fool! I am most like this when I drive. When I am in my home!

We are in danger of the fire of hell. Hell is eternal separation from God and others in a place of torment! Do you see what Jesus is doing? The purpose of the law is not only to show us the perversion of our hearts but to protect us here and NOW! When our anger turns to bitterness, we experience a destructive fire burning inside us. “Bitterness is a poison we drink hoping to kill someone else.”

What do we do? We make restoring relationships a TOP priority. Settle matters quickly. Do it while you are still together! BEFORE you are locked up in the prison of your own self-righteousness, arrogance and conceit. Looking down your nose at others while blind to the fact you are looking down from the tower of your own prison cell. God NEVER treats anyone this way - not even his enemies. He is PERFECT. He sends his sun and rain on all people. He gives generously to billions who not only don’t know him but don’t even want to know him.

God is good… All the time… And all the time… God is good.

We not only abuse anger but we twist God’s good gift of sexuality.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ~Matthew 5:27-28, 31-32 (NIV)

Murder destroys lives and relationships while a divorce is always the tragic end of a relationship that started in love.

“The man who divorces his wife does violence to the one he should protect.” ~Malachi 2:16 (NIV)

Whether it is the man or the woman who does the divorcing, it is always traumatic! If you have suffered the trauma of divorce and need help, please speak to me or our women’s pastor, Kim, so we can help you encounter God’s healing love.

The marvel of God’s law is it gives protection to those who are victims of other people breaking God’s law. It also pulls back the protection we place over our hearts and exposes our deepest longing on the inside. God placed protective boundaries around our sexuality when he made us male and female. The latest statistics say 16% of American young people are now struggling with issues of gender.

Our Bishop, Gary Cou, told us in a recent staff meeting that the number one reason people struggle to listen to the Christian gospel are concerns around issues of sexuality. As I have been speaking to others about God’s goodness over the past few months, I have come against this roadblock several times. We have been told by our culture that in order to have REAL life, to truly be satisfied, we must be free to pursue and express our sexual longings any way we want. God sends his sun and rain on everyone! GK Chesterton wrote, “The man who knocks on the brothel door is knocking for God.” Jesus tells us that even in our sexuality we are looking for relationship with God. Whether we look at porn, commit adultery, change our bodies from one sex to another, these actions will never satisfy the deepest longing of our heart for connection.

Here’s the bomb of the sermon: If you keep this law 100% and you marry someone who does the same, sex will not satisfy you. “If you don’t sleep around before you are married you will have a great sex life.” As if a great sex life is the goal! What if you are single? In the eyes of the church, single people can sometimes be seen as second class citizens to those married with children. This is NOT the view of Paul who wished all people could be single like himself.

Apparently, Jesus had a very successful life without ever getting married or having sex. In Augustine’s Confessions St. Augustine writes, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Our sexuality is a precious, beautiful gift from God - that is to be made male and female. But to think we can find the answer to the longing in our hearts in God’s good gift would be to love the gift more than that Giver Himself.

I don’t know where you have been knocking looking for God, but I do know this, Jesus is right when he says, do whatever it takes to get out of sexual bondage. Just as anger leads to the destruction of relationships in the fire of hell, so can twisting God’s good gift of sex.

Steve, I don’t know if I can trust you! A recent study of Americans showed that in 1964 77% trusted politicians. Today 16 %

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfil to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. ~Matthew 5:33-37 (NIV)

These verses raise questions: Do I swear an oath in court? Do I sign a sworn document?

Don’t make a promise you can’t keep. Trust is the essence of a relationship and it’s no different in our relationship with God. The original lie of Satan. We abuse anger, twist sexuality, break trust and fail to bring justice.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ~Matthew 5:38-41 (NIV)

It sounds like Jesus is advocating abuse! He stood up to the religious leaders and rebuked the high priest. So, what is he saying - we are the ones who act unjustly? Take my eye and I’ll take both of yours. Shame me on Facebook I’ll post photos on Facebook and Instagram! This may be how we treat our enemies but that is not how God treats His! His sun and his rain.

God is good… All the time… And all the time… God is good.

What is turn the other cheek all about? In Eastern culture when someone slapped you on the cheek they were not trying to hurt your body but your reputation. They were shaming or insulting you. When you are God’s dearly loved child - remember - This is my dearly loved Son? You are in a safe place. You are protected from all other insults and shame because there is NO condemnation.

So you can give someone the shirt off your back, you can go the extra mile even for your enemies. That’s what God does for us and way more. While we were his enemies Christ died for us. We have abused anger, twisted our sexuality, broken trust, done violence to justice and now God sums up all his law by telling us to love our enemies.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ~Matthew 5:43-47 (NIV)

Remember Jesus was asked, what is the greatest commandment of all? WE love people who are like us and we despise those who are not. The algorithms of social media are set up to feed this trait! Even in church it is easier to talk to people we know rather than those we don’t. Differences makes us uncomfortable. So Jesus says, Be perfect! We have to be made perfect, mature, complete. James tells us to rejoice in our trials and suffering because it makes us complete, lacking nothing, Jesus was made perfect in his suffering.

When we see Jesus hanging on the cross we see more than a man dying. We see a man trusting as he cries out Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Imagine the delight in Jesus when he comes out of the grace on Easter Sunday morning?! Yes!!! I knew my Father would not leave my body and soul in the grave. Jesus invites you to take time to enjoy God’s safe place and there come to know him as your Father. And in relationship with God.

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In the last couple of weeks, we have looked at the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus has been teaching his followers what the lives of those who follow Him would look like. Here at MBM, we have handbooks, of the expectations and character qualities of what it would look like to be a part of a ministry team.

A handbook on what it looks like to be on Jesus’ team, to be a citizen of heaven. In the chapter before this Jesus taught His followers that they should go above and beyond, to live a righteous life i.e. a life that is doing the right thing by God. And in the passage we’re looking at today, Jesus challenges us on the motivation behind why we do the things we do. He challenges us to think about what’s our motivation behind doing the right thing.

Have you ever thought about that? Why do you do the things you do? What motivates you to do what you do? Everything we do has some sort of motivation behind it.

Think about your job. What is it that motivates you to get out of bed each morning and go to work? There may be some of you who love your job. But I’m guessing for most it’s to get paid so you can pay your bills.

If you’re at school or in uni, what motivates you to study? Maybe it’s because you love whatever it is you’re studying but for some of you it’s just to get your marks and pass.

Behind everything we do, there’s some sort of motivation. It may be a little motivation or it may be a lot of motivation. But motivation is what often drives us to do things.

When I in was year 6, we had just moved to Australia and there was this girl that I was head over heels for. And whatever chance I would get, I’d try and hang out with her and she used to do gymnastics after school so guess what, I was pretty motivated to do gymnastics. Now, I had no desire or passion to do gymnastics, no way was I flexible! But I was motivated to do it because I wanted to get the girl!

The reason we do the things we do in life is that we’re all driven by some sort of motivation. Even logging on or coming to church today, what was the motivation for you turning up? Maybe some of you were dragged here, you did it to keep your spouse or your kids happy. Maybe some of you are here because you think it’s a sense of duty.

In this passage that we’re looking at today, Jesus wants us to question our motivation as to why we do what we do. Specifically in this context, He wants us to question, what’s our motivation behind our acts of righteousness. What drives you to worship God?

In this passage, Jesus does this by giving us a principle and then applies this principle in three practical examples. In each example, Jesus addresses our wrong motivation behind doing the right thing and points us towards what our motivation should be.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ~Matthew 6:1 (NIV)

The principle Jesus is laying down is that if: “DO THE ‘RIGHT THING’ IN ORDER TO BE RECOGNISED BY OTHERS” If that’s our motivation, we have no recognition from God.

Now I don’t know about you, but Jesus’ words cut straight to my heart. One of the things about me is that I’m a people pleaser. I find it so hard to say “No” to people because I want their approval. I mean I did gymnastics in order to get that girl to like me! And as I was preparing for this talk, I believe that God was exposing the wrong motives in my heart of why I do some of the things I do.

When I started here at MBM, God taught me that I cared more about performing to please others rather than to serve Him. My role used to be overseeing our gatherings and getting feedback about how a service went etc. My motivation was to do the right thing, execute well, in order to get good feedback. I cared more about what Ray thought rather than purely serving to the glory of God.

Honestly, that’s why I think God has me preaching this sermon because I struggle with this first-hand! But I can’t be the only one… But I know I can’t be the only one! I’m sure many of you struggle with it too. The desire to please others, to get their approval. And I’ve been praying, that as we listen to what Jesus has to say that the Holy Spirit will reveal the areas of your life where you too may have the WRONG motivation behind why you do some of the things you do.

So, let’s have a look at how Jesus takes this principle and applies it in real-life situations. He applies it to three parts of what was common in Jewish worship. Giving to the poor, prayer and fasting.

Principle 1 - Giving

Matthew 6:2-4

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (NIV)

God had commanded his people, in the Old Testament, to take care of the poor and needy, to show compassion to them. One of these ways was to give money to the poor, it was an important part of Jewish worship. But instead of this being an act of righteousness, instead of it being about caring for the needy, it became about the applauding of others. People would give and take care of the needy, in public places like synagogues and streets so that people could see what they were doing. That was their motive.

And the word Jesus uses to describe such a person is a hypocrite. The word hypocrite best translates to the word actor. In Greek plays a hypocrite i.e. the actor would wear a mask, pretending to be someone they’re not. In other words, they would put on a show and deceive others. They look one way on the outside but, there was something else on the inside. And the way ‘hypocrite’ is used here, could be hinting that not only does the hypocrite deceive others, but they also deceive themselves! Genuinely thinking they’re doing the right thing!

And just like an actor comes out at the end of a play and waits for the applause, likewise, the hypocrite waits for the applause of the audience. That’s what motivates them to do what they do. Their motivation behind their compassion is to receive glory for themselves. And Jesus says, Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. The reward for the hypocrite, those of us who are motivated to do the ‘right thing’ to be seen by others, is the applause of people, and nothing more. You get recognised by others, but you get no recognition from God.

But Jesus says, if you’re on my team, that shouldn’t be your motivation on why you take care of the needy, on why you ‘do the right thing’. You’re not to “sound the trumpet”, and draw attention to what you’re doing. As followers of Jesus, we’re not to post on social media and say, “Look at how generous I am!” “Look at how compassionate I’m being!” Instead, those of us who are followers of Jesus are to give secretly. So secretly, that our ‘left hand shouldn’t know what our right hand is doing’!

You see, our motivation, the Christian’s motivation, isn’t the applause of others. But is to please our heavenly Father, our reward is to know that he sees our generosity, sees our compassion. And it’s His approval that truly matters!

A friend of ours was going through a tough time at the start of COVID. Her husband had lost his job and she was only working part-time. They had kids to support and they had just moved into a new house. It was a stressful time and they were struggling financially. And then they received a large amount of money from an anonymous friend. The result of that was that this lady posted on Facebook, praising God for taking care of them. That’s what Jesus is talking about! She still doesn’t know till today, who gave them the money. But that generosity pointed this woman, her family and probably the hundreds of people who read that post, towards God. No one knows who that person is, but their Father in heaven knows what they’ve done.

Donations for Youth Camp, we are encouraged by the generosity of Launch donations. It is an expensive camp, and your generosity enables our youth to hear about Jesus and grow deeper in their relationship with him. Many people will never know who you are but your heavenly Father knows! That’s what counts! That’s the reward followers of Jesus look forward to.

But maybe you’re thinking, hmm, that doesn’t sound like much of a reward. Doesn’t he know everything anyway? That’s not much motivation. If that’s you, can I encourage you to ask yourself, Am I on Jesus’ team? Am I a citizen of heaven? You see Jesus gave his life, for hypocrites like you and I, people who constantly struggle with the wrong motives so that we can be a part of God’s family. Because of Jesus, we can call the God of this universe Father!

By rising again from the dead, and giving us the Holy Spirit, He has given us new hearts and a new understanding of what truly matters in life. What we value, what we see as a reward, is different to those who are outside the value. The reward that the hypocrite gets is only temporary, it doesn’t last forever. A thousand years from now, people aren’t going to know your name, who you are, what you did with your life, but a thousand years from now, God the Father will know what you did. And the only opinion that will matter is His.

You see, when you start seeing life through the perspective of Jesus, it changes EVERYTHING! What you see as a reward changes, the only approval that matters is your father in heaven.

Let me encourage you, if you don’t see being known by God as a reward then get in touch with us, come to Explaining Christianity. Hear of God’s love for you and find the joy of being known by Him through Jesus.

As a Christian, our motive isn’t the applause of others but the recognition of our Father in heaven.

Principle 2 – Prayer

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Lord’s Prayer – 9-15) ~Matthew 6:5-8 (NIV)

Again, just like in the example of giving, Jesus says that if our motive behind prayer is to impress others, then we’ve received our reward in full. In Jewish culture, the synagogue was the centre of Jewish life. like the temple, synagogues were known as a house of prayer. Now often the ruler of the synagogue would call on individuals to pray. And the picture that Jesus is giving us is of someone who is ‘standing’ to pray, obviously to be noticed. Jesus isn’t condemning standing and praying but again, Jesus is getting at the motivation behind prayer. The hypocrite prays to be noticed by others. But Jesus encouragement to his disciples is to go into room, shut the door and pray to your Father who sees what is done in secret.

Now, what does Jesus mean that we need to pray in secret? In fact, for all three examples, giving, prayer and fasting, Jesus says that they need to be done in secret. Does that mean we should never do the ‘righteous’ things in public? I don’t think that’s what Jesus is saying. It would contradict what he said back in Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (NIV)

What Jesus is getting at is the motive behind why we pray, why we do the right thing. You see the right motivation is what Jesus describes in Chapter 5:16. It’s so that people “may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”

If we think that prayer is about impressing others, we miss the gift that prayer is. What Jesus is teaching us here, is that prayer is about a relationship with your Father in heaven. It’s not about impressing those who are listening. Look at verses 7-8, you don’t have to babble on and on and on as if somehow that would be more effective. Jesus says, that’s what the pagans do, but you see the pagans had no concept, of a God who is like a father who cares and responds to His people. Jesus shows us that to pray to God as our heavenly Father indicates a personal relationship. It’s intimate.

My daughter Isla, doesn’t have to come to me prepared with big words to try and get me to do something for her. She doesn’t even know how to talk to yet! But she knows she can come to me because I’m her dad and she knows she’ll find love and protection. Because of Jesus you’ve got the ear of God of this universe. You can relate with him like a child does with their Father, He cares for you and wants you to come to Him.

Jesus then goes on to give us an outline on how we should pray. That’s motivation we should have when coming to God in prayer. Like a child to a Father. Not to impress others. If that’s our motivation, we miss the gift of prayer.

Principle 3 – Fasting

Lastly, Jesus ends with the example of fasting.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ~Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)

Now I’m not going to go into detail about fasting because it can take a whole sermon, you can look at that in your growth groups. But briefly, fasting is to deny yourself of something, most of the time food, to focus on God.

Fasting isn’t done, because we lack anything. We lack nothing in Jesus but rather the act of fasting says, “God you’re more important than food” “You’re more important than whatever I’m giving up.” In Jesus' day the religious leaders fasted twice a week. They didn’t have to do that, it was a law they added on. But Jesus shows us that their motivation wasn’t to focus on God, it was so others would notice them. When they fasted, they wouldn’t shave or bathe and they would have this ‘sombre’ aurora about them so that people would be like “Wow” look how religious they are. It’s all about the show.

But Jesus says to his disciples when you fast, he does expect them to fast, when you fast, don’t let anyone know the difference. Comb your hair, put some perfume on, fasting is between you and your Father no one else needs to know. There’s no need for a performance.

You see we live in a ‘hustle’ culture, we want people to know how busy we are, how much work we’re doing. I guarantee you; you’ll have a conversation this week where you’ll ask someone how they’re going and the response is, “Ah, I’m busy”. I’m working so hard. And they probably are, but they want people to know. But we can do the same thing as the church, we want people to know how much we do, we want them to know how ‘busy’ we are for the Lord.

You see this principle that Jesus applies to Fasting/Prayer/Giving isn’t limited to these three acts of righteousness. It APPLIES TO EVERYTHING we do in life. The next time you’re kind to someone, or donate money or help someone out or serve at church, ask yourself, “What’s my motivation to do this?”

You know the beautiful thing about it is, that there’s freedom that comes from doing the right thing for your Father in heaven alone. Being a people pleaser is hard! I know first-hand. It’s like this weight that you carry around all the time, it’s tiring always trying to please people.

But Jesus sets us free from that, because of Him we have the full approval of God. We don’t need to please anyone else. Imagine how that would change the way you approached being generous to someone and they didn’t say thanks. Your heavenly father knows what you did or the hours you put into serving here at church, but no one notices. Your heavenly father notices and at the end of the day, that’s what counts.

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There is at least one person in your life you are in a power struggle with. A power struggle is where “One person is trying to change another and the other person is refusing to be changed.” Where a person wants you to be a certain kind of person or do a certain thing but you don’t want to be that kind of person or do what they are demanding. The classic mistake in marriage is that each person enters thinking, often unknowingly, they will change the other person only to discover the other person doesn’t want to change.

I remember one pastor, Paul Tripp, in the US saying how his wife was constantly talking to him about his anger. So one day he bit back and said ‘95% of the women of his church would love to be married to me’. She responded by saying “I must be part of the other 5%”

In one sense the birth of Jesus created the biggest power struggle of all, Herod wanted to kill Jesus and Jesus refuses to be killed.

It's surprising because there is nothing more powerless than a baby. They are powerless, if you don't feed them they don't get fed, if you don't change them they smell, if you don't move them they stay put. Their only weapon is their scream.

All of which makes the reaction of King Herod to the birth of a baby a little surprising. A child is born in Bethlehem and a 70-year-old King is terrified, in fact, all of the city of Jerusalem is disturbed.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ~Matthew 2:1-3 (NIV)

King Herod is seriously worried, the child born is called “the King of the Jews” but that was Herod's title. The Roman Senate, 40 years before, declared Herod to be King of the Jews. What we have here is the clash of two Kings, two very different Kings.

First - The child Jesus was the legit king, He had the credentials-genealogy. The Bible predicted that God's appointed forever King had to be Human: Jewish; Tribe of Judah; Line of David; Born of a Virgin in the town of Bethlehem.

Jesus ticks all the boxes predicted in the bible. Herod on the other hand was the illegitimate King, that is why he burnt his own family records.

If you think you’re a little insecure? You have nothing on King Herod. Josephus the Roman Historian tells us that Herod saw everyone as a threat. He had murdered his favourite wife, he killed his own 3 sons along with the mother in law, brother in law and uncle as well as a cast of thousands It was said, “it was safer to be Herod's pig than Herod's son.” Herod is so terrified of being dethroned that he organised the mass slaughter of every boy under two in Bethlehem

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ~Matthew 2:6 (NIV)

How different are these two kings? Herod was the butcher of Bethlehem, he spills the blood of hundreds of boys. He did not want to share his power and every boy under two paid the price. This is the dark side of Christmas. Jesus in contrast would only allow his own blood to be spilt at the cross. When they came to arrest Jesus he said to Peter “Put your sword away, I'm the only one dying this weekend.”

No surprise that 30 years later Jesus would hang under the sign: "This is the King of the Jews" (In Matt 2 is the only time King of Jews is used in a positive way re Jesus and by Outsiders) so the world would know it was written in 3 languages.

The coming of Jesus peels open the desperation we humans have for power and control. CS Lewis, who wrote Narnia, tells how he was wrestling with letting God take control.

"What mattered most of all was my deep-seated hatred of authority, …Christianity placed at the centre of what then seemed to me the great interferer.… what I wanted; some area, however small of which I could say to all other beings "This is my business and mine only" He wanted some area of his life where he could fence God out, with barbed wire and guard it with a notice that said “No admittance!”

Deep-seated resistance to give up control to King Jesus. Does this sound familiar? Of course, it does. Even as Christians we have those corners of our life where we say to God “Stay out”.

Rebellion to Christ may not always look as ugly as Herod wiping out every boy under two. Most often it's just ignoring Jesus' claim on our life. Most adopt a passive-aggressive posture to Jesus. How do we often treat people we are in a power struggle with, by limiting contact and tolerating them 2-3 hrs in the year. And maybe that is what we do with God… give him 2-3 hours a year…We are engaged in a power struggle.

Remember: A power struggle is defined this way “One person trying to change another and the other person refusing to be changed.”

Either God wants to change you and you are refusing to be Changed or you are trying to change God to agree with you and he is refusing to be changed. Herod does not want to change and worship Jesus.

There is no power struggle between wise men and Jesus, the Magi were wise men from the East, probably Persian, modern-day Iran.

I read one cartoon that said if the 3 wise men were instead 3 wise women:

• They would have asked for directions,
• Arrived on time
• Helped deliver the baby
• Cleaned the stable
• Brought practical gifts
• And made a lasagne.

It doesn’t say there were 3 of them nor that they were kings. The Magi studied the stars, probably royal advisers to the courts of the eastern nations. They came to realise that to worship the true God you must worship his Son, King Jesus.

They stopped worshipping the stars and came following a star.

Somehow (and we don't know how) they have been told that a star will take them to the King of the Jews. Do you know what makes these Magi wise? In fact, what makes anyone wise is that they worship God's appointed King of Kings. Jesus is God's way to God.

They say you can't grow your IQ but you can grow your EQ. You can definitely grow your Wisdom. There are in the end only 2 options for worship, you either worship the true God or yourself.

The Magi come to worship because they recognize Jesus as the King of Kings. They came and bow before him and were filled with Joy. They came bearing gifts fit for a King, giving him their best. They had come to worship, not the stars, but the one who created the stars. That is what you do to God's king.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. ~Matthew 2:11 (NIV)

While the wise men travel 800km to worship, Herod cant travel 8km to go to Bethlehem. People say I want to worship Jesus but not to gather each week. In the end, you can't win if you enter a power struggle against Jesus. Herod, he plans, he plots and plays his many games and it's all a waste of effort and time, it is so futile.

What is crystal clear is that God is in control. Each time Herod plots to kill Jesus God gives Joseph and the Magi dreams, telling them to move on, change direction, like a game of chess.

Herod is outsmarted and checkmated. God is so in control as he always is.

Entering into a power struggle with God is like seeing a Buffalo run headlong into a train, you may admire its courage but you have to doubt its wisdom. The Buffalo is going to come off second best.

Are you in a power struggle with God? Who do you worship?

There are one of two options, You or God. Herod worshipped himself, his need for Power, Control, Comfort and Approval. Can you identify these idols.

If you seek power or success, or winning or influence

• People around you feel used
• You battle with anger!
• Your great fear is humiliation

If you seek approval

• People around you feel smothered and
• You battle being a coward
• Your great fear is rejection.

If you seek comfort (privacy, lack of stress, freedom)

• People around you often feel neglected
• You battle with boredom
• Your great fear is stress and demands

If you seek control (self-discipline, certainty, standards)

• People around you often feel condemned
• You battle with worry
• Your great fear is uncertainty.

Whether it's power, approval, comfort or control, Jesus says it's time to be set free and worship me. Jesus says I am no longer a baby in a manger, I have become a man who lived the life you should have lived. I no longer hang on a cross, the price for your sins has been paid. I no longer lay in a tomb, I've risen, never to die again. I am now seated at the right hand of the father above all power and authority. I will come back and on my thighs are tattooed the words ‘King of King and Lord of Lords’

Your longing for power will be satisfied for you will sit on my throne and your desire for approval will be met, for I love you. Your need for Comfort will be addressed for I will be with you 24/7, you will have rest. Your yearning for Control will be satisfied for all authority in heaven and earth has been give to me, you can relax.

Your power struggle with me needs to come to an end. Let this day be the day when Jesus is your king and your saviour.

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There was a time when different States had different mottos on their number plates

• NSW is the premier State
• QLD is the sunshine state
• Victoria is called the Garden state (i think it should be called "the Barista state")

Different local councils had different mottos: Sutherland shire is "the birthplace of a nation". Botany Bay is where Captain Cook landed. Nothing like a few years to make us realise how insensitive that sounds to first nation people.

But for Israel, her birthplace was the wilderness and the river Jordan. In the wilderness, God entered into a covenant at Mt Sinai. It was in the wilderness that Israel was tested and found wanting. From there they crossed the Jordan River and entered the promised land.

So, it's not surprising that John the Baptist came crying out, in the desert and baptising in the River Jordan. Here was Israel's birthplace. The last of God's great prophets came to renew the

Covenant with God's people. Calling on them to start again in preparation for the Messiah, God's King.

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ~Matthew 3.1-2 (NIV)

It was a message of repentance, turn from your sin and turn to God. Like the prophets of old, it was a call for Israel to come back to God. You cant start the new life unless you turn from the old life, it was a word to begin again, it was not just to the ratbags of Israel

People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan ~Matthew 3:5 (NIV)

To God's own nation, John came saying, ‘You have got it wrong start again! Repent!’ Repentance is not just remorse, take Peter and Judas, both sinned, both felt bad. Judas betrayed Christ and he was seized with remorse, Peter denied Christ 3 times and wept bitterly but only Peter repented.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ~2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)

Repentance brings salvation and leaves no regret. John the Baptist is like the sign on a ramp on the expressway that says

"Go back, you’re going the wrong way" The message from this prophet was bringing Israel to her knees.

Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ~Matthew 3:6 (NIV)

John was calling for Jews to be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. He is telling those who thought they were in that they were out and had to start again. They came confessing. To confess your sins is to stand with God and agree with you, I have failed I need your mercy. But not all came to repent

… he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, ~Matthew 3:7 (NIV)

They represented the two big elite sections of respectable religion. They didn’t think they needed to confess and get baptized. So John hammers them with a barrage of judgment.

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. ~Matthew 3:7b-8 (NIV)

You can't fake repentance, good works will never put you right with God but good works will always be found in the one who is right with God. Faith will always bear fruit. Faith and good works are like conjoined twins who share the same heart. They must not be confused, they must not be separated.

You try to have faith without works or repentance without fruit and you will die! It's why at MBM our vision is to see lives transformed not just informed. So why won’t these Pharisees and Sadducees repent?

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. Matthew 3:8-9 (NIV)

They had trusted in their national religious identity, they say to themselves, ‘I am a Jew, son of Abraham, therefore I am a child of God’. John had exposed their misplaced trust.

What conversation do you have with yourself? Because I am an Anglican, a Catholic, Orthodox, or Baptist; because I am Assyrian, an Arab, or Argentinian; I have been baptized, confirmed, ordained, I'm ok with God.

You are not born into a faith, you need to be born again.

What lies are you telling yourself right now? Stopping you from repenting? Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And the Kingdom has come near because the King has come and his name is Jesus. God is beginning a revolution.

In Jesus, God has come to reclaim the world that has turned its back on him. From Isaiah 40 John the Baptist's job is to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord - Yahweh.

The message is not simply repent, it's repent or die, to those who want to play religion the warning is severe.

The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ~Matthew 3:10 (NIV)

No fruit = No salvation.
No repentance = No Rescue.

It is not a popular message to preach repentance.

A guy at church who smoked dope, understood it was wrong and felt remorse, he understood Jesus' death for his sins but smoked with guilt, morning, noon and night. His last minister told him he should stop it but he said, ‘we all battle with sin’. I see no battle so I see no fruit of repentance, I suggested he consider stop calling himself a Christian until he does repent. He walked away, slightly dumbfounded, 2 days later he came back and thanked me for drawing the line. He was a man with a weak will in a society with a weaker will. He confused remorse and regret for repentance. Produce fruit for repentance

The one who will bring this judgement will not be John but Jesus, not so meek and mild

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ~Matthew 3:11 (NIV)

And for those who do not confess and bear fruit

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. ~Matthew 3:12 (NIV)

For those who don’t repent Jesus will cut down and cast out and they will be consumed in the fire of judgment, Jesus is not to be fooled with.

There was this Christian woman who went on Tinder, engaged in a series of sexual relationships, married one of the men she was sleeping with who claimed to be Christian and together they attend church. They never missed a beat at church, he didn't feel any guilt or shame, she had no problem with it. No confession, no remorse, no repentance, she has no idea that the axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Christianity is not a religion it is not even a relationship with Jesus. Christianity is a relationship with Lord Jesus on his terms.

John twice says No to baptism. He says ‘no’ to those who don't want to repent and He says ‘NO’ to the one who doesn't need to repent. The amazing thing is that Jesus wants John to baptise him. You see the problem? Why would the sinless Son of God, the judge of all the earth, need to be baptised for repentance?

What sin would he need to confess? There is none! He knew no sin.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ~Matthew 3:16-17 (NIV)

When everyone else is baptized what happens? They confess their sins, when Jesus is baptised the Spirit descends and anoints Jesus as Messiah. He is what Israel never was and in him God will start again.

If you have repented and put your faith in Christ I urge you to be baptised as a mark of repentance. When we each are baptised and confess our sin, the heavens remain silent,

God says you will get no argument with me!

When Jesus is baptised God tears the heavens apart and declares “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Finally someone who did it right and kept the covenant.

Have you noticed that when people are prepared to confess their failures to each other we are so quick to rescue people?

You’re not that bad, You’re being too hard on yourself, You’re only human. When what we should be saying is You’re much worse than you can imagine, You’re more loved than you can ever hope.

But why does Jesus allow himself to be baptized? As St Paul put it ‘He who knew no sin...became sin’. He is the Servant of the Lord from Isaiah 42 who stands with us before he dies for us, Jesus identifies with the sin of the people he came to die for.

The ministry of Jesus begins by not just with a call to repent and a word of judgment but instead Jesus standing in your shoes allowing himself to be baptized so that he can bear your sins.

This is the logic: you sin, He dies, He dies you live. Sinless Jesus not only plunges into the waters of the Jordan, He plunged into the judgment of God at the cross. Without Jesus' death, the call to repent is impossible and unbearable. With it, repentance is a joy and privilege.

When I became a Christian I was convicted by the Spirit in whom I was baptised into. I had prior lied about my Dad's income so I could get a government allowance, I knew I needed to confess the theft to the government and pay it back. Restitution is part of repentance, I got a job and paid the government back $5000 over a year. Repentance is a Spirit-given gift, I loved paying that money back, I was so glad to know Jesus and enjoy his mercy and be in his kingdom.

After what Jesus did for me it was the least I could do.

Our good works confirm our election. There are a lot of Christians who lack assurance because they have an intellectual faith not a faith with the fruit of repentance.

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Have you ever wondered: Why didn't Jesus go straight to the cross. Drop down from heaven and by-pass 33 years of suffering, pay for the sins and then make a clean exit?

But in some fashion Jesus needed to be more than a human to die for our sins, He needed to be an obedient human who lived a faithful life, who was tried and tested. God was in search of one who would love him with all his heart, one who would climb on the cross as the Son who learned obedience. That is why.

The Spirit of God led Jesus to be tested with real choices and found obedient. We know Adam failed that test and we know Israel failed as well. But would Jesus? In one sense Jesus is called to fill the shoes of a nation. Israel was called God's Son, as a nation, it was her task to obey God and be a light to the nations and the hope for the world. As God's son Israel failed badly. Only with Jesus do you hear the Father saying at the beginning and end of Jesus ministry "This is my Son in whom I love, with him I am well pleased"

What we have in today's passage is nothing less than a battle for your soul. Were Jesus to fail at any point, heaven would be closed to all.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ~Matthew 4:1-2 (NIV)

So far the devil had a 100% success rate with humans. Every human who has ever walked on this earth had surrendered to temptation and sin. It's not surprising that Satan did not want his record broken. After 40 days of not eating Jesus is not just famished, this is not just cranky Ray when dinner is served late.

Doctors say after 40 days of no eating your organs begin to shut down, your muscles begin to spasm, your heart beat is irregular and your decision making impaired. The devil comes at a moment of profound weakness.

It's like 3 rounds in a UFC match.

Round 1

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ~Matthew 4:3 (NIV)

Jesus is the Son of God, He knew it, The Father knew it, Satan knew it. But would he be an obedient Son? Now that his stomach cries out for food, now that he has not eaten for nearly 6 weeks. All the time Jesus has access to power that lies at his disposal.

Did you know that Jesus never performed a miracle just for himself? He did miracles for the Father's glory. He did miracles out of compassion for others and He did miracles so that you may believe he is the Son of God and be saved. But he never did a miracle to benefit himself

This was not why he was empowered by the Spirit. He would miraculously feed 5000 but he would not feed himself.

Would Jesus be like Israel who spent 40 years in the wilderness? God tested them to find out what was in their heart and they repeatedly tested God rather than trust him. Jesus response to Satan is clear and decisive.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ~Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

We rely on God's word for life in the same way we rely on food to feed our bodies.

Moses said ‘These words are not idle words, they are your life.’

The question is will Jesus trust the words that leave his Father's mouth? The devil has come to hi-jack the rescue mission, to get Jesus to misuse the power at his disposal. All Jesus had to do was snap his fingers and he could have covered the desert with croissants and melted butter. Just like at his hour of death could have snapped his fingers and called on 1000s of angels.

But that would not be the Father's will.

A couple from church lived next to the neighbours from hell, drugs, loud music and violence. One day the neighbours bashed the wife, the husband worked for a tattoo parlour, owned by a bike gang. When the bikie's heard what had happened to their mate's wife they wanted to take them out. He had so much power at his disposal but at that moment he chose to trust God's word to not repay evil for evil.

God required that Jesus learn obedience and not use his powers to avoid the pain of obedience. It's so hard to trust God and not cut corners, that is why its called temptation. When you think there is no other option but to sin because too much pain is at stake, too much money is at stake, too much pride is at stake, too much pleasure is at stake or too much shame at stake. Jesus lives by every word that comes out of the mouth of the Lord.

Round 2

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ~Matthew 4:5-6 (NIV)

This time temptation comes packing a Bible not a porn site.

Satan quotes from Psalm 91, a Psalm that speaks of God's protection for those who trust him. He has your back. So Satan comes along and flips it by wanting Jesus to test God. See if you really trust God's Word, throw yourself from this building and his angels will come. The order is reversed by Satan, as with Israel, Satan is eager to have Jesus test God instead of trust him.

Like the man I heard who said ‘I don’t wear seat belts because God promises to take care of his own’ ‘I don’t take out insurance because I am a child of the King of Kings’ and then was robbed. I'm sure he was a child of God but he was not a wise one.

The problem with "name it and claim it" theology. What they call trusting God is actually testing God. Here is a verse, out of context, used to pressure people to believe in something God hasn’t said. Jesus will trust God so Jesus quotes the word of God that he feeds on.

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ~Matthew 4:7 (NIV)

We are called to trust God not test him. God does not have to prove himself by giving you health and wealth or a job or a relationship. He proved himself by raising him from the dead, we are called to trust his promises.

Anyone can quote the bible, even the devil, the wise one knows what the Bible also says. During the COVID seasons, I raised a number of issues health, government, freedom of conscience, love for weaker brothers, etc. If you grab one of them and forget the others then you’re not reading the bible well. If all you do is say the Bible says, by quoting one verse, you can miss the point, you need to say, the bible also says... Good bible reading is like juggling balls. If each ball represents a truth and you hold onto one of them then others fall. The Fundamentalist is someone who treats a partial truth like it were a whole truth.

Round 3

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” ~Matthew 4:8-9 (NIV)

Is Satan claiming too much? Were the kingdoms of the world his to give? It's true that the Devil is the Prince of this world, he is the god of this age who has blinded the minds of unbelievers.

But nothing, absolutely nothing, happens outside the will of God. He talks like he is sovereign when he is not. As Jesus keeps obeying his father, all the way to the cross, He will pay our debt and defeat death. So prevent Satan from accusing you and condemning you.

Jesus has fought for your soul and won, God had created the world for his Son, not Satan and Satan can't stand it. God says to his Messiah King and not Satan

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. ~Psalm 2:8 (NIV)

But the temptation here is that Christ will be crowned without the cross, he must suffer and be killed before he is raised on the 3rd day. So with us first the suffering and then the glory.

There are no short cuts, the way of the messiah is the way of the Messiah's people

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. ~Matthew 4:10-11 (NIV)

No compromise, the response by Jesus is to quote the Word of God and to give God exclusive worship, in the words of Psalm 73: "Whom have I in heaven but you, and the earth has nothing I desire besides you."

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. When is an opportune time? When times are good and bad? Like that proverb

"Don’t give me too little or I might steal, don’t give me too much or I might forget you"

When I am overworked and tired
When I am successful and proud
When I am healthy and invincible
When I am bored and distracted
When I am in love and forget God's love
When I have been wronged and feeling entitled

I'm often asked how to tackle temptation

1. Know that the battle for your soul has been won at the cross. Jesus paid it all and your failures will not condemn you. So you engage from the vantage point of victory.
2. God may test you but he does not tempt. While God wants you to make it, its the devil who wants you lose it. He is the High priest who has been tempted himself and he gets the battle and he has your back.
3. No temptation beyond what you can bear. With the Spirit you have a real choice to say No. Which means when you sin you need to own it and not justify yourself because you are already justified in Christ alone.
4. Prayerfully depend on the holy Spirit. Its amazing how often you find Jesus in prayer, and he is still praying for you. Pray about your battles,dont shut God out in your struggles.
5. The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit. If you make time for God's word you will make much of Jesus, you will more clearly see through sin and the lies of the devil. As you make time for word and prayer God will become big and your problems become small.
6. Take radical measures, if your hand causes you to sin be ruthless.
7. Fellowship - No one makes it long term with Jesus on their own, I've had friends in my life who hold me accountable, We even ask hard questions like “Who are you attracted to?”
8. Learn Satan's games - Two big ones - feeling sorry for yourself will lead you to a sense of entitlement and a pathway to sin. Today Satan says “Go and sin, God will forgive you” Tomorrow he says “Your such a pathetic Christian you might as well sin again for there is no mercy for you.” Train your soul to see the lies of the world and the scheme of the evil one. Learn to stand back and see how he operates. Examine the lies you tell yourself

Sigmund Freud's nephew ran an ad company in the 1920s, in New York, he was asked how they can get women smoking, so he organised for a number of models to walk in the May Day Parade. At a certain point, newspaper photographers were told to wait, the women stopped, lifted up their dresses, reached for a packet of cigarettes in the garter belt and lit one up. The photo went round the world and the message was clear “Smoking empowered women” What they thought was freedom was now taking 5 years off their life. Satan promises life only to enslave us to sin and death. The joy of sin is for the moment, the joy of obedience is long-lasting.

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There is a growing interest in finding out about where we come from, going back through records. I think we want to find out who we are by finding out where we come from. I was given a birthday gift to do my DNA Ancestry.

• I am 52% South Europe (Sicilian, Greece)
• I am 22% Middle Eastern (Saudi Arabia Jordan, Oman, Yeman, Emerites, Lebanon, Israel)
• I am 15% Caucasus (Armenian, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey)
• I am 4% North African
• And 3% Jewish

No wonder I’m confused. Who am I? Who are you? But if you want to know who you are then you need to find out who is Jesus? To find out who Jesus is you need to see where he comes from.

The genealogy in Matthew begins to tell us who Jesus is and where he came from. Let's be honest, it's not the most interesting way to start the gospel and begin the New Testament. The list of names puts Jesus in context. The whole of the Old Testament is compressed into 17 verses. What is the purpose of a genealogy? It answers the question people were asking.

In the words of John the Baptist, "Are you Jesus the one or should we wait for another." The waiting is over.

1. The origins of Jesus

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: ~Matthew 1:1 (NIV)

It is literally the genesis/origin of Jesus Christ. Although Jesus goes back into eternity, according to the flesh, Jesus goes back to Abraham, the father of God's people. Jesus doesn't just burst on the scene unannounced, claiming to be Lord Christ, and Lord without credentials. Of all the people on the list, Jesus is seen as the Son of Abraham and Son of David. Jesus is the YES to the promise to Abraham who lived 2000 years before Jesus

The LORD had said to Abram, ... all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” ~Genesis 12.1,3 (NIV)

Jesus is now the agent of world blessing. Jesus is the YES to the promise to David who lived 1000 years before Jesus

I will raise up your offspring to succeed you,...and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ~2 Samuel 7:12,13 (NIV)

Jesus locks into both co-ordinates, son of Abraham and son of David. God had been planning Jesus' arrival for a long time.

Blaise Pascal who I think said:

"The climax of all that was foretold was to demonstrate that it could not be said it was all due to chance. Anyone with only a week to live is not interested in believing that all this is merely the work of chance"

In the words of Jesus to the Samaritan Women, Salvation from the Jews, God's plan of salvation is not through the Chinese or Maltese or Americans it was only through the one nation, the Jews. Someone who could trace his line through to David and Abraham. It is pointless looking for a saviour anywhere else, don’t waste your time, but it has been a long wait.

Rise and fall and rise again. What we have here in the genealogy is a selected list of names, great and not so great. It is a quick overview of the Old Testament, where the history of Israel is broken into 3 sections. Each section with 14 generations on view.

The first comes from the time of Abraham to King David, a promise to an old man ends up with Gods people living in

God's place under God's King. The second period is the downfall of David's family line, his dynasty. God's people lose their land, their temple, their blessings and their king and sent them into exile. So what happened to God's promise? No saviour to bless the world and no king to rule the world. But the promises to Abraham and David still stand. God is not in a hurry. Life went on after the exile and the promises given to

David and Abraham cried out to be fulfilled.

…and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. ~Matthew 1:16 (NIV)

The waiting is over, the roller coaster of Israel finally ends with Jesus. God has kept his word. While the Saviour had to come from the Jews, He is the saviour for the world.

As you scan the names, you notice what? In this Jewish male line you have 4 women, not only four women but non-Jewish women, not just non-Jewish women but women who were victims of sexual abuse or participated in sexual immorality

verse 3 - Tamar, who was abandoned and forced to seduce her father in law, Judah.verse 5 - Rahab, not a Jew and a prostitute

verse 5 - Ruth was a Moabitess, the arch-enemy of Israel

verse 6 - Uriah's wife Bethsheba was the wife of a Hittite, a non-Jew and a victim of abuse caught up in adultery

Jesus is not from thoroughbred stock, He too had a shady past.

The bible does not do pretend, rather than hiding the shameful past, it highlights it. So what is the point? This Jesus has come to invite Jew and Non-Jew, Male and Female, Saints and sinners, they include his own family line

... For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. ~Matthew 9:13 (NIV)

As you read you might think that Mary is part of this suspicious past of Jesus.

2. This was not your normal pregnancy

A teenager who got pregnant outside of marriage.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ~Matthew 1:18 (NIV)

Before the days of obstetricians and IVF. Joseph a Jewish nobody in the line of King David, discovered that his fiancée Mary is pregnant. It's not impossible to be pregnant without being married. In Australia, 56,000 children came into this world without having mum and dad married. What made this pregnancy different is that it happened without sex, before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph didn't know that of course, he thought Mary had sex with another guy, so he was about to quietly break it off.

Hard for Mary and hard for Joseph.

Righteous Joseph did not want to bring shame to Mary even though Joseph thought Mary brought shame on him. To break a betrothal you needed a divorce. Joseph would have felt so hurt and it would have been so easy to make Mary pay. The righteous thing was to love. Then he gets the astonishing news that Mary was made pregnant by God. The point here is that Joseph is not the natural father of Jesus but the adopted one.

The word ‘father’ is missing to describe Joseph's relationship with Jesus.

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah ~Matthew 1:16 (NIV)

Jesus does not have Joseph's DNA in him. Jesus is part of this family line, but not his bloodline. This birth is different because this man, Jesus, is different. The one who left the womb of Mary would be no less than God himself.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). ~Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV)

The wonder is not that a woman bore a child without sex, the wonder is that God has become a human. That is why this Jesus can require so much when you’re God.

• To love him more than parents, spouse and children
• To deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him
• To go and make disciples

When Joseph names Jesus he is recognizing that Mary's child is his legitimate son. So, what's in a name? I once paid $20 to find out that Galea comes from a noble family. The man who gave us this record said that some people get really upset when they find out what their name means. A lady with a common Irish name wanted to find out what it means and upon the computer came the meaning "One with an ugly head."

The angel who came with the news went on to tell Joseph not only is the child born of the Spirit but a name that will remind everyone then and for generations to come as to why he came.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” ~Matthew 1:21 (NIV)

He is to be named Jesus/Joshua because he will save his people from their sin. The name Jesus tells you he is the Saviour. The title Immanuel: tells us that he is God, Jesus fully God and fully man. Our Saviour needed to be human because

only a human can take the sins of another human, only God can endure the punishment that our sins experienced.

From the moment he entered that womb he was on a one way road that would lead him to his death, a death on a cross.

Jesus is God's great rescue plan

• He saves those who lived during his life
• He saves those who come after him like you and me
• He saves those who came before him.

Jesus saves his own ancestors from their sins.

As you look over the names of his ancestors you see they needed saving. The worst was Manasseh who offered his own son in child sacrifices to false gods. King David the pick of the bunch was himself a murderer. The ancestors of Jesus burst the bubble of Jewish pride. God's people needed to be saved from their sins.

How were the Jews saved before the Saviour came to die? One of my favourite kid's talks is a family is lined up at an ice cream van with the father at the end of the line. Each child enjoys the ice cream before the father at the end of the line pays for each ice cream. Faithful Israel enjoyed forgiveness before sin was paid for and Jesus came so that we may be saved from our sins

There are 4 ways to misunderstand Jesus and miss out on his rescue plan

1. If you think there is no sins to be saved from.

Gods got a case against you and can I say a darn good case.

There is only one guy that I’ve ever met who thought he was perfect. He had a dozen cans of beer that were empty. If I was smart enough I should have asked his wife and she could have told me the truth.

1. Most admit that their not perfect but there is a refusal to admit that God will punish sin. God can't expect me to perfect, so I don’t expect he will punish me. But the wages of sin is death. Your upcoming death is the first reminder that God takes sin seriously.

2. You may heard some say "I don't have to wait for hell I have already suffered it." For every Christian, this earth is the worst it will ever get, for every non-Christian this earth is the best it will ever get.

3. If you have a very sensitive conscience you may think that something in your past is unforgivable. You may be here and thinking, could Jesus forgive my abortion, my adultery, or incest, or the way I treated my children or parents. Most names mean nothing but Jesus' name says it all.

And then Jesus says it himself.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest ~Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

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Have you ever had your breath taken away? I don't mean that hard knock on the sporting field, I mean that sense of being overwhelmed. Looked over a cliff's edge, stand before a wild animal, faced a consuming bush fire or lost control of your car.

Isaiah's breath was taken away by nothing less than the holiness of God.

Point 1 - The Vision of the Holy King

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ~Isaiah. 6:1 (NIV)

This vision comes in the year that King Uzziah died, the same King who trampled on the Holiness of God by offering incense that only the priests were allowed to do. So, God struck him with leprosy and lockdown. The throne in the vision tells us that God is the true King, no one else is in charge “He is high and exalted” The only other time that phrase is used in Isaiah is of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 52.

High and exalted for we do not look down on this King as if God is our slave. We do not look out at this king as if God were just a peer or mate or buddy or homeboy, we look up for he’s high and exalted on his throne.

So radically different to us, above us and beyond us is God. He is not like us and we certainly are not like him. In this vision, His endless robe fills the temple as his glory fills the whole earth. All pointing to his breathtaking majesty. We never get to see what God is like in this vision but we do get to see and hear the Seraphim, these 6 winged heavenly beings

Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” ~Isaiah 6:2-3 (NIV)

The seraphim, literally "the burning ones", have 2 wings to cover their feet, 2 wings to cover their eyes. So, even though they are sinless, they are unable to look at God. With 2 remaining wings they do God's bidding, constantly on the move in praise and service. Then this picture gives way to words, not once and not twice but 3 times for emphasis, the seraphim, bouncing off the walls, sing to each other. Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD God Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory.

In heaven, there are some songs you will never get sick of singing. Not surprising that Isaiah’s preferred title for God is “The Holy One of Israel”

1. Holy in the sense of totally unique. I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like me.
2. He is Holy as to his character – just and righteous, his judgments betray that impeccable purity.

A Holy God calls for a holy people. It is not ours to grow a large crowd but to grow disciples of Jesus. Ours must be a holy mission, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty.

Point 2 - God is so profoundly different.

People spend lots of money travelling the world to see something different, only to end up with a version of the same old. Everything about God is different to us, you want different? Do you want unique? Gaze into the glory of God's holiness. Even the sound of the holy praise from the seraphim is enough to shake the foundation of the temple. Isaiah is under sensory overload, like a 3D Imax experience, sight, sound, touch. This is one awesome Holy King

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ~Isaiah 6:4 (NIV)

Friends, this is not the God you can slap on the back and call mate, he is not "the man upstairs". The shaking of the doorposts stops Isaiah from approaching. The smoke stops Isaiah from seeing. Isaiah is very much aware that he is unworthy to be there. It was the holiness of God that Israel had forgotten which led her into every possible sin.

Already in chapter 5, Isaiah issued for a series of woes...

5:8 Woe to you who add house to house of consumerism

5:11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks

5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil

Woe to you is now woe is me. Isaiah is standing before this Holy God, he is not taking comfort that others are worse.

Point 3 - The Confession of Isaiah

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” ~Isaiah 6:5 (NIV)

In the presence of such purity, you’re only left with one come back “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!

God is uncompromisingly holy.

How many sins did it take Adam and Eve before they were kicked out of the garden? Just one sin and every human dies. Just one touch of the Ark and Uzzah is dead 2 Samuel 6. One lie and Ananias and Sapphira both bodies are carried Acts 5.

The question is raised “Who can stand in the presence of a holy God? It's why Peter says:

Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” ~Luke 5:8 (NIV)

So very, very different to the aggressively casual way Australian culture talks of God. Australians treat God as if they were some talkback radio shock jock, like Kyle Sandiland or Ray Hadley. Or those who boast in words like, “Wait till I meet God and give him a piece of my mind.”

Isaiah only has a vision of God yet this holiness is enough to absolutely terrify him. Ruined, literally lost and undone! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. Our lips carry the words that are a mirror to the heart. Gossip, slander, rage, sarcasm, cynicism, swearing and blasphemy. God will judge us by every word that leaves our mouths. Isaiah has a deep sense that he is in serious, serious trouble.

One Holy God + Unholy people = There is big trouble.

So hopeless he does not even bother to ask for mercy.

I remember having a dream when I was a young Christian, I was on the deck of an aircraft carrier and there was this old plane on the deck, out of control and spinning ever closer to me, pushing me further back on the edge. I feared being pushed off.

Then the plane stopped moving, I felt this sense of relief...I'm safe...until I heard the booming sound, I looked up and there was this massive plane about to crash land on top of me. I thought to myself “Oh No Im dead!” “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!

Point 4 - The Cleansing of Isaiah

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” ~Isaiah 6:6-7 (NIV)

Imagine the relief to hear those words, “your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Modern Australians have reduced guilt to just an emotion and made our consciences our only judge. If that is the case, then all we have to do is join a self-esteem class and learn how to forgive ourselves. But Isaiah is facing God's holy anger as a sinner. A thousand "I'm sorrys" is not going to cut it. Old Covenant or New, confession is never enough.

So, the seraphs take a coal from the altar and touch his lips to make him clean. Guilt has to be removed by God and only then sin is forgiven. But if the blood of bulls or goats doesn’t forgive sins you can bet your life neither will the coals that fuel the altar. For that, we wait for Jesus, 700 years later, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. The one born to a virgin, the suffering servant on whom the Lord will thankfully transfer our sin and the punishment those sins deserve.

Isaiah is now a totally forgiven man, he is what Israel could become. He is what you are in Christ. He is what some of you could be if you come to Christ.

So back to my dream, when the plane was about to land, I told myself in the dream. “I am going to die so I will close my eyes count to 10 and when I wake up I will be in heaven. So I counted to 10 and woke up to find I was only in my bed, I was so, so disappointed. Why? Because I knew my guilt was taken away and my sin atoned for.

Now Isaiah takes up the call to preach.

Point 5 - The Commissioning of Isaiah

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” ~Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

This is the first time God speaks in the vision. Now forgiven before a holy God…He is thankful, he is busting to serve because he who is Forgiven must love much.

Send me, he doesn't ask 'where? when?' or how long?' just says "send me". Whatever it takes, send me! Isaiah is told here is not so much what he would say but what is the reaction to his preaching. This is Isaiah's mission statement

He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” ~Isaiah. 6:9-10 (NIV)

In other words, God says ‘Isaiah, know this, you will preach and they will not listen, yours will be a church emptying ministry until Israel is not much more than a burnt stump. What a shocking message to preach. The preaching will harden only hearts that are already hard.

Fast forward 750 years - Christ died and rose again and the good news went from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. In Acts 28 Paul is in Rome under house arrest, the Jews come and hear the message that Jesus is the Messiah who had to die for their forgiveness. They reject the message and Paul then quotes this verse in Isaiah 6: "Isaiah was right…you are forever listening but never perceiving" and then says:

“Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” The seed from the dead stump of Israel will bear fruit. ~Acts 28:28 (NIV)

Understand the time zone we are in, we live in a time of reaping. They will listen! Do you believe this? This is the reason why we are right to approach the mission optimistically. God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!

There are 3 billion people who are not a Christian and don’t know a Christian nor have no contact with a church, if we preach to them they will listen. Our problem is that we are guilty of one thing and it's this “We believe in a God who can but probably won't.” we need to repent of that. Yes, some places and times providentially will see more or less success. Yes, Chinese and Iranians are God's favourites at the moment but our Holy God has called us to a holy optimism. God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!

Now that will take your breath away. Do you believe this? The good news is, God is not calling us to Isaiah's ministry of hard hardening. You are called to serve in the era of reaping. You may or may not get to the overseas mission field but God has placed nations all around you. When I just beg you, don't reach your death bed and realise you have missed this great opportunity.

Have you ever invited someone to Explaining Christianity? This year, pray daily to invite 3 people. I know too many that wake up later in life and know they wasted their life.

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Sandy and I planned to go to Malta 33 years ago to do gospel ministry but her health stopped us. The Apostle Paul did not plan to go to Malta but a shipwreck took him there to preach the gospel.

Most people don’t know where Malta is, I usually explain it this way: if Italy is the foot in the Mediterranean and Sicily is the ball that it's kicking. Now imagine a bit of mud flicking off and landing in the Mediterranean, that’s Malta. Unlike Australia, which is the biggest Island in the world, Malta is a very small Island, in some maps, you can't even see it. It's only 30 km long. When I went back to Malta in 2009, I wasn’t sure the Island would be long enough for the plane to land. The population is around 400,000 and there are more Maltese in Australia than there are in Malta.

Malta is the size of Blacktown City council but it still has 68 different local councils. How is that possible?! It was and still is a very religious people. There are 365 churches, 1 for each day of the year. MBM has sent 3 families to serve as overseas ministry partners. China may have ¼ of the world's population, the USA might be the richest nation in the world, but Malta has 10 verses in the bible.

While many have left Malta to find a better life, the apostle Paul is carried to this Island to offer eternal life but it was not just the storm that did it, it was the hand of God.

The story so far:

Most of Acts tells the story of how Paul took the message of Jesus throughout the Mediterranean world. Along the way, he got in trouble. He was stoned and starved as well as arrested. What he did to others was now being done to him. Eventually, he is placed under arrest and sent to Rome to have his case heard.

He is put on a ship with other prisoners and when the ship docks at Crete God warns Paul not to leave Crete until after the winter. The Captain refuses to listen, the ship takes off for a 1000 km journey for Rome, the ship is caught in a storm for 14 days, the time it takes to have a two week holiday. The ship was thrown around the Mediterranean, like clothes in a washing machine. God then tells Paul that all will be kept safe

Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” ~Acts 27:23-26 (NIV)

Richard Branson who recently sent the Virgin Galactica flight to space, tells the story of when he was on holiday with his first wife in the Caribbean, it was the last day of their holiday and he pleaded with a deep-sea fisherman to take him out on a charter. The Captain didn’t want to do it as the weather was not fine. He paid him some extra money and against his better judgment, the captain said yes. A couple nearby, on their honeymoon, heard about the deal and joined them. After an hour or so on the ocean the storm rose up and the charter boat was hammered in the storm until it all went quiet they were in the eye of the storm. What do they do? Another side of the storm awaited them. Richard's wife said to him this boat won't take another battering, we have to swim to shore, and that is what they did. They swam for an hour, reaching the shore they walked for another hour to get help and the search and rescue went out and to this day that boat and its passengers were never found. All lost on board except Richard and his wife who escaped with their life.

Richard is alive because he listened to his wife, those on Pauls ship are alive because they listen to the word of God through Paul.

God has revealed to Paul that all will be saved but not the ship, God is clearly in control of this storm, God wants Paul to preach the gospel in Rome at the heart of the empire but not before he does so in this small Island on the outskirts of the Empire, it was planned. God is not just interested in big empires, He is interested in small islands. He is interested in his name being glorified in Blacktown, not just Berlin, He is interested in people being saved in Mozambique and Mexico, He is interested in repentance being preached in Penrith and Pakistan.

The gospel doesn’t just speak via planned mission trips, it happens in unexpected storms, as it has during COVID.

So God makes Paul have an unexpected stop off.

Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. ~Acts 28:1 (NIV)

My family grew up not far from St. Paul Bay, where the apostle landed. Notice what the first thing we read about the Maltese

The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. ~Acts 28:2 (NIV)

Who could argue with that? If this doesn't prove that the bible is the word of God then nothing will. Why unusual kindness?

Unusual because it didn’t happen very often. When a shipwreck takes place people loot, just like when a riot or a flood hits a town then TVs and X boxes walk out of stores, it's every person for themselves. So here was God's common grace through non-unconverted Maltese, even the Roman governor of Malta was kind.

There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. They honoured us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed. ~Acts 28.7,10 (NIV)

The Maltese are described much nicer than say the people of Crete.

“Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. ~Titus 1:12-13a (NIV)

Sorry if there are any Cretans with us.

A good reminder, being kind does not mean the Maltese won’t need to repent and be saved.

After the Shipwreck, Paul gathers some brushwood and puts on a fire. At that point, a snake escapes the heat and bites Paul on the hand. The so-called ‘kind’ Maltese say to each other.

“This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live ~Acts 28:3-4 (NIV)

Not so kind now. Why a murderer? He might have survived the horrific storm but he did not survive the snake bite. Pauls snake bite meant he was punished for some bad crime like Murder.

At this stage the Maltese did not know the bible, like many faiths in the world, bad things happen to bad people

…Justice has not allowed him to live ~Acts 28:4 (NIV)

Justice is not another name for fate. The Maltese, like many in Roman Empire, believed in the Roman gods. The goddess of justice DIKE (or Dicé) - daughter of Zeus, she made sure justice took place in the world, she was Ms Payback, she made sure that you get what you deserve in life.

The Maltese think Paul may have escaped the shipwreck but Ms Payback won't allow him to escape the snake bite that Paul must have had coming. Like the soldier who survives 3 years in Changi Prison of war only to be killed by a tram in Melbourne the same day he arrives.

It’s a form of Karma where you reap what you sow. What a cruel doctrine. It means every disabled person, every sick baby, is suffering for past sins. It treats the victims as guilty. It’s a sad thing and people all over the world, including Malta, still believe it. My mother tells of one woman who said that the reason why another family lost a child is because they stopped going to church. But Karma theology comes back to bite you. A year later the woman who said that had a son who became a paraplegic.

While suffering and death came as a result of sin the bible is clear that things happen and it's not always the result of a particular sin. The book of Job shows suffering came to him as a compliment from God. Jesus commenting on 2 tragedies where lives were lost said that they are no worse and you are no better - unless you repent something worse.

There are now no venomous snakes now in Malta but there was then. A new superstition surfaces saying that even if a venomous snake enters the borders of Malta it will lose its venom. I always thought that would be an easy theory to test. Take an Australian king brown snake and see what happens.

Paul is one moment a murderer then next he is called a god. He survives the impossible, now they want to worship him…

But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. ~Acts 28:4 (NIV)

They changed their minds, which means that they repented, they went from one wrong idea to another, from thinking he was a murderer to thinking he was a god, but that is not the change of mind that God wanted. He wanted them to go from worshipping idols to worshipping Jesus, not Paul. The same thing happened earlier in the books of Acts 14, in a place called Lystra in Turkey, you could say that these were the first Lysterines. Paul heals a crippled man and they want to worship Paul. One moment they are called gods then next they are nearly stoned to death. Here in Malta, they thought he is a murderer but now think he is a god. How fickle!

Without the bible you just keep jumping to wrong conclusions, at the mercy of superstitions, creating fear and suspicion. The miracles that Paul performed on the Island of Malta were part of the evidence that Jesus is alive and Lord. The good news is that God raised a dead man to life as Judge of the earth. In the past, God overlooked such folly but now he commands all people to repent, to turn from worthless things to the living God.

Its word for every nation, big or small, it’s a word for every generation, it’s a word to you. They thought the goddess Justice had punished Paul, Justice may be the name of a false god but its the very nature of the true God. Gods justice means that sins will not be ignored

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; ~Exodus 34:6-7 (NIV)

God forgives sin but not one sin will be ever be forgiven without first being dealt with at the cross. Your sin will be punished either in your body or in the body of his Son who died on the cross. Which is to be friends? Either Jesus will carry the weight of your guilt at the cross or you will carry the weight of your guilt through eternity. That answers the question of how can God be right, and make us right when we are so wrong? It's at the cross that justice meets mercy, at the cross justice and mercy kiss, setting us free, free from condemnation, free from blame, free from self-loathing, free from superstitions. We don’t have to live in superstitions and Karma for Jesus is the great Karma buster. The Maltese were right the first time, Paul was a murderer, in fact, he was the worst of sinners and he was forgiven.

You don’t have to live in uncertainty, whether God can forgive, the good news is that God justifies the ungodly.

It's amazing how so many Christians in times of suffering start to revert back to pagan thinking. Is God punishing me for some sin, am I reaping what I sowed, is my infertility, unemployment, singleness or cancer payback from God. When instead what we need to do is cast our cares before our Father in heaven, who loves us.

Behind the goddess Justice is Satan, he has been exposed as a liar and stripped bare at the cross, disarmed with no right to accuse.

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Christianity is always on trial. Always has been and always will be!

Today, especially in the Western world, we’ve seen Christianity on trial all around us. No matter how old you are, no matter where you find yourself, in the courtroom, in the classroom, in the common room or in the living room, Christianity is always on trial. Followers of Jesus will always be accused, questioned and challenged about their faith. If you love the Lord Jesus and that’s not happened to you yet, get ready for it. And if you’re thinking of taking the hand of Jesus, let me give you the heads up, this will happen sooner or later.

Let me give you a few examples: Christianity was on trial when Jack Philips, owner of Masterpiece Cakes in Colorado was fined for refusing to bake a gender transition celebration cake.

Christianity was on trial when Joshua, an Australian uni student was suspended, why? Because he prayed for another student.

Christianity IS on trial in Victoria right now, whereas a Christian, you can be charged for praying with people about issues of gender.

That’s one end of the spectrum but it can also be in the simple, everyday questions like: Why are you missing our family event because of church? Or among colleagues: why aren’t you getting drunk with us tonight? They’re questions. But they’re more than questions aren’t they. There are built-in accusations like: why are you against our family? Why aren’t you one of us?

I’ve heard of a person from another church being challenged with the claim that the Bible promotes domestic violence. I’ve heard of youth being asked in the playground: “You’re a Christian, you hate gays don’t you?”

Friends, you don’t have to be in a courtroom, Christianity is always on trial and when we’re on trial as followers of Jesus, we’d do well to learn from what Paul does in this pressure-cooker situation. In this back end of Acts, we’ve been seeing how Christianity is on trial through the experience of Paul himself. Paul, the great ambassador of Christianity. Love him or hate him, Paul would have to be in the top 10 as one of the most influential people in the history of the world.

Paul’s already been on trial 3 times. Way back in Acts 22, he was first put on trial before the crowds in Jerusalem, then there was the Sanhedrin, effectively the Supreme Court back then.

In Acts 24, he fronted up to a Roman tribunal led by the Governor Felix. And as we turn over the page to Acts 25-26, Paul’s got two more trials in store. One before the new Governor in town, Festus, and another before King Agrippa.

Now there’s plenty of sources outside the Bible which confirm the existence of a Roman Governor called Festus, which means we’re talking roughly 60AD. We’re in Israel, or more specifically the province of Judea. There’s local Jewish political

and religious leadership but ultimately they’re answerable to the mighty Roman empire.

For the last two years, Paul’s effectively been under house arrest in Caesarea, is about 100km north of Jerusalem, it’s the administrative centre with Government offices and Embassies, like Canberra, but without the roundabouts. Now the fact, he’s locked up doesn’t seem to bother Paul, he’s got some freedoms, he’s even had opportunities to speak about Jesus.

But even more so, Paul knows, based on a direct word from God, that despite his current circumstances, it’s not a matter of if he’ll get to Rome, but when. And that’s because of who the main actor in Acts is, the book of Acts is 28 chapters long.

28 chapters that describe the ACTS of the Risen Lord Jesus through his apostles, by the power of the Spirit. We saw it last week in 23:11 as the Lord Jesus spoke a direct word to Paul

…. “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” ~Acts 23:11 (NIV)

Paul can take heart because God’s got it sorted. Even though he’s on trial, locked up in Judea, Paul’s 100% confident that God will get him to Rome! In fact, it just so happens that God’s way to get him to Rome is via these trials. Paul himself probably didn’t expect he’d arrive in Rome in chains and as God would have it, by appealing to Caesar himself, Paul books his ticket to Rome!

…But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” ~Acts 25.11-12 (NIV)

The fact that this is God’s way of getting Paul to Rome, dragging him before the authorities, having his very own life threatened while riots form around him, proves yet again that God’s ways are not our ways. How much do you and I need to hear that right now? Whether it’s being forced into isolation. Whether it’s testing positive. Whether it’s having things, good things, like holidays or social catch ups cancelled. Or in our family’s case, it can be having a ticket to Hamilton, the musical, cancelled. Not once, not twice, but three times, this week, we FINALLY got to see it and boy, it was worth it the wait!!

Well, in the midst of the cloud of COVID, how comforting is it to know that ultimately, there is someone who is calling the shots.

Especially when you contrast God’s ways with the ways of evil, blood hungry Jews.

They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. ~Acts 25:3 (NIV)

With a change of Roman governor, from Felix to Festus, the Jews have hatched this new plan. Seriously, I’m amazed at how relentless these guys are. They’ve been waiting two whole

years to get their hands on Paul who is public enemy number 1.

Well, the ambush doesn’t quite happen. Now it just so happens that the Jewish King Agrippa, and his sister Bernice are in town. Maybe, just maybe, these guys will finally give the blood-thirsty Jews what they want.

The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in ~Acts 25:23 (NIV)

Russian artist, Nickolai Bodarevsky, has depicted this scene in his painting, so there’s Agrippa and Bernice sitting down in their fine clothes and jewellery along with all the other heavy weights, listening to Paul plead his innocence. Surely if anyone wanted to act in the interest of the Jews, if anyone wanted to hatch a dodgy plan to wipe out Paul, surely it’d be Agrippa. After all, it seems to run in the family, his great grandfather, hunted baby Jesus down and wanted him dead the moment he was born. His own dad ordered James, a fellow co-worker of Paul’s, to be beheaded.

Well, Agrippa doesn’t end up following in his parents footsteps, and maybe that’s because he’s influenced by Festus early on:

Take a listen to what he says to Agrippa.

I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. ~Acts 25:25 (NIV)

A few days before Agrippa and Bernice’s arrival, Paul had appealed to Caesar, it would be his only hope for acquittal.

This caught Festus off guard, he now not only needs to send Paul to Rome to front Caesar but he needs a charge. Something with enough teeth on it, enough substance to it, to

send Paul to Rome with. Otherwise, it’ll all be a waste of Caesar’s time and come back to embarrass Festus. Only he can’t find one.

But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. ~Acts 25:26 (NIV)

Even Agrippa, instead of conniving some scheme to wipe out Paul, is intrigued. He wants to hear from Paul firsthand, which is how Chapter 26 opens, with Paul laying out his testimony, his story of how he came to know Jesus.

Now Luke’s recorded Paul giving his testimony 2 other times already. So, it’s worth asking, what’s his purpose in using up precious resources? Because remember these guys were writing on parchment scrolls, using up ink. Luke obviously thinks by including these details yet again, it’ll help us have certainty in our belief. Well, I reckon it’s to prove an historical point and to make a spiritual point.

So first, the historical point - Paul wants to point out, especially in front of a Jewish big wig like Agrippa, that Jesus is God’s promised, long awaited King! The one that was predicted and promised all along throughout the Jewish scriptures. Paul wants Agrippa to join the dots, he’s got all the pieces of the puzzle by virtue of his Jewish upbringing, Paul just wants to help him put it all together. Take a look at how he opens up his speech to Agrippa, after describing how he’s a Jew through and through, raised a Jew and lived in Jerusalem.

And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O King, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me. ~Acts 26:6-7 (NIV)

Paul’s saying here that, by sending Jesus, God’s now come good on his promise! A promise made way back to our original ancestors. And in case it hasn’t clicked for Agrippa yet, Paul has another crack

But I have had God’s help to this very day, so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” ~Acts 26:22:23 (NIV)

Right, so the Messiah’s job description involves three things. Unlike every other king, this king will: first - suffer, second - rise from the dead, and third - speak a message of light not just to the Jews but to the Gentiles. That’s code for non-Jew.

Now if you’re hearing Jesus’ job description for the first time today, chances are your reaction is probably the same as Festus.

• At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defence. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.” ~Acts 26:24 (NIV)

Really, Festus’ reaction describes all of us at some point or another, because let’s face it, if you’re a Christian here today, you’ve signed up to believe in some weird stuff. At least in the world’s eyes. I don’t know if you’ve had that experience of trying to share Jesus with someone else and them just looking at you blankly. “You really think this stuff is true?” Sometimes, even we ourselves ask that question. Especially when we hear the words fall from our lips. We think to ourselves: Gees - this does sound weird.

And yet, this has been the historical point Paul’s been making all along. Just a few verses earlier, Paul has described to Agrippa how God transformed him. How it took nothing short of Jesus himself appearing, grabbing his attention in the middle of the day. Blinding Paul. In Paul’s own words in verse 11, he was obsessed with hunting down Christians, punishing and even killing them. But now his new obsession is to see them rescued!

Which brings us to the second point Paul makes in his speech,

the spiritual point. If Jesus’ job description involved suffering, rising and speaking then for the new Paul, his job description, straight from the lips of the same Jesus, can be found in verse 16.

‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ ~Acts 26:16-18 (NIV)

Paul’s focus is on the Gentiles. Specifically, as he invites people to follow Jesus, he’s to:

• Open their eyes.
• Bring them into the light
• Deliver them from Satan.
• Offer forgiveness
• Invite them to join a new community; find their spiritual home.

Notice here how Paul is speaking in spiritual categories. He’s not talking about physical, tangible things. Things you and I can see on the outside. He’s not offering a new fad diet that will make you lose 20 kilos so that it’ll be obvious to everyone.

Instead he’s speaking about matters of the heart, of the soul, of what God sees and knows about us. And if, and this is a big if. If you’ve got the ears to fully comprehend Paul, he’s actually revealing something quite offensive and quite disturbing about our true spiritual situation.

What I outlined just before was putting it positively. Open eyes, moving from darkness to light etc. But let me frame it the other way around. Let’s imagine that Paul is speaking to the cultural norms. The identity statements that we live and breathe today. In five different ways, you guys are actually much worse off than you think you are. See, as much as we’d like to think otherwise we’re actually spiritually blind. I’m legally blind, I’ve even got the driver’s licence to prove it.

But left to our own devices we’re actually incapable of clawing our way out of this situation ourselves, no amount of human reason or scientific research, or technological advancement.

When we’ve yet to find a cure for cancer then we have got absolutely no hope of finding the cure for spiritual blindness. That’s because we’re not as enlightened as we think we are. We’re actually far worse off. Paul’s verdict is that we’re in complete and utter darkness.

The third thing Paul says is this, that as much as our world invites us to dream big, to imagine we’re free to do what we want, whenever we want. If only we follow our dreams and never give up. The fact of the matter is that we’re enslaved. We don’t actually have complete autonomy. There actually is someone holding us back, Satan. We’re enslaved to Satan.

The fourth statement Paul makes about our true spiritual condition is that we’re not as innocent as we think we are. That despite sincerity or despite the fact our moral compass is now self-determined. In God’s eyes, we fall short. We don’t measure up. We have missed the mark. So much so that we’re in desperate need of someone to offer us forgiveness.

And finally, we’re a people who even though we’re longing for inclusion, looking for community, we’re actually shut off. You think lockdown and iso were bad, this is far, far worse. Boil it all down and what Jesus is saying to you and me today is this: without me, you’re in more trouble than you could ever imagine.

Now to an outsider that is thoroughly, universally, completely and horribly offensive.

And yet, it’s really important to understand at this point. That as difficult as it might be to stomach this piece of news, Paul’s heard this from the lips of the risen and ascended Lord Jesus.

This is Jesus’ account, His perspective. Without Jesus, we are in a world of trouble!

Well, thankfully, Paul doesn’t leave us hanging. I’m not sure if you noticed it when Paul was making that last statement about who we are. But Jesus alludes to verse 18

…a place among those who are sanctified by…. ~Acts 26:18 (NIV)

Their spiritual performance? By their hard work? By their family background? No - it’s by their faith, their trust, their dependence on me.

Here friends is the universal welcome of Jesus. One that Paul issues to, as he says a few verses later. Verse 22 - “small and great alike”. I love that little reference!! Sure he’s addressing Agrippa, someone who’s great, but he’s also offering this welcome to the small as well, to the lowly, to the poor, to the oppressed, to the marginalised, to the victims, to the sick, to the mourning, small and great alike.

I’ve already talked about how weird Christianity and Jesus can sound to others or as we hear it fall from our lips. Well, here’s the warm welcome Jesus offers; to small and great alike.

I reckon one of the big overarching challenges the book of Acts puts before us is the call to action again and again. The invitation Acts puts on the table is to be part of someone’s story. Be part of someone’s story in them coming to know Jesus. Time and time again, we’ve seen boldness in the face of opposition. We’ve seen people speak up for Jesus at great cost. Because the fruit of that is something so special. So precious. Acts has shown us how, that as a result of people being willing to be part of someone’s story in coming to know Jesus, they’ve had their lives turned upside down. Right way up. We saw it in Paul’s own before and after story. Before he met Jesus he was the chief persecutor, throwing Christians behind bars and hunting them down. AFTER he met Jesus, it’s a different story, he is the Chief proclaimer of Jesus, a part of thousands and thousands of people’s story.

We’ve heard Paul’s story today. Let me ask you, if you’re someone who has, thanks to Jesus, had your eyes opened.

You’ve stepped into the light. You know for sure that your sins are forgiven. Who’s story are you seeking to be part of? Let me end with two concrete ways that can happen for you. First thing is to share your story, after all, that’s what Paul beautifully demonstrates for us here. The simple act of him telling his own story. Instantly, he becomes part of Agrippa’s story, he becomes part of Bernice’s story, he becomes part of Festus’s story and all the other high-ranking military officers and prominent men who were gathered with them that day.

And so, if you haven’t already, you could simply follow Paul’s structure to telling his story. Paul begins by describing what his life was like before he met Jesus. We’re told he’s religious and it got to the level of religious fanatic. So much so that he opposed Jesus and his people. For some of you, you may have had the privilege of always knowing Jesus. You can’t remember a time when you DIDN’T know Jesus. There’s nothing boring about that sort of before story. That’s an incredible privilege and all of us have a part to play in helping the kids and youth of our church be able to re-tell that story themselves, God-willing.

But others, you’ve got a distinct BEFORE story. One that, like Paul, was very clearly in rebellion towards Jesus. Either way, the next part of telling your story is to describe how you came to know Jesus. For Paul, it was meeting Jesus, in a vision, on the Damascus Road. For you, probably not similar, but you’ll have a way of describing the same reality. You met Jesus through a friend, through reading and listening to his words.

And finally part 3, how did Jesus change you. This is the after part of the story, where you outline the difference Jesus makes.

It’s very obvious for Paul, we’ve got it recorded in our Bible’s

You’ll have your own story too, you may describe how you’ve found a place of welcome, of acceptance. How you’ve been freed from the evil power of Satan or how you’ve had your eyes opened. Telling your own story is a great way to be part of someone’s story because it’s YOUR story, no one knows it more than you. It’s very natural, you don’t have to worry about getting it wrong.

But this is not the only way we can be part of someone’s story.

There’s perhaps an even easier but no less powerful and effective way to be part of someone’s story. Upon hearing Paul’s own testimony, listen to how Agrippa responds.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” ~Acts 26:28 (NIV)

Don’t you just love Agrippa’s honesty there? Even better is Paul’s reply

Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” ~Acts 16:29 (NIV)

So often the application of every Bible verse is read your Bible, pray or tell others about Jesus. Well, as a preacher, I for one am so glad that I can say today with a clear conscience that

Acts 26 has the last two of those applications!!! And did you notice the success here, success for Paul is not in whether Agrippa takes the hand of Jesus or not? No - it’s actually in him being truthful as he’s told his story. Directly answering Agrippa’s question and it’s in him now praying for him. Paul is so utterly dependent on God. Short time or a long time, it could be today, it could be after Paul’s long gone.

Also, he knows full well that just as God intervened in his own life, it’ll be the same God who’ll have to intervene in Agrippa’s life. But not just Agrippa, notice there: “All who are listening to me” There’s the universal welcome, the open invite God issues yet again.

Let me end by telling you the story of a bunch of guys from our 9am service last week, who, through the simple act of praying, were part of someone else’s story. Cafe. Praying. The owner asked what are you doing. One guy said we’re thanking God. That was enough, to see them front left in the Rooty Hill auditorium last Sunday. All through the simple act of praying before a meal in public.

Friends when it’s that easy, why wouldn’t you want to be part of someone’s story.

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Have you known how the phrase “God willing” is falling off our lips? It's one of the things that Covid has blessed us with, we can no longer be certain about the immediate future. We make our plans and then there's another viral variant, a new government policy and plans are changed. We go into lockdowns, border closures, and as today - live services stop.

So, I say ‘see you next Sunday for live services, God willing!’

As Paul sets his face to Jerusalem, he passes from one city to another catching up with new disciples.

We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. ~Acts 21: 3a-4 (NIV)

In chapter 20, the Spirit urges Paul to go to Jerusalem, now he seems to be telling Paul to not go to Jerusalem. So, which is it? Either the apostle got it wrong, the disciples got it wrong or the Spirit got it wrong. We can live with Church getting it wrong. We are surprised if the apostle got it wrong but we are in big trouble if the Spirit got it wrong.

When the voting for a new Pope in 2005 was taking place the Australian Catholic Archbishop - George Pell was being interviewed on TV. He said that the Spirit directs the decision of the Cardinals to appoint the man God wants to be Pope. The interviewer then asked the Archbishop "What about those Popes who even the Catholic Church admits were heretics or sexually immoral?" Then Archbishop Pell replied "Well, sometimes the Spirit gets it wrong."

So my first question from today's passage. Does the Spirit get it wrong? This is not the only time that the Spirit warned Paul about his trip to Jerusalem.

After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.” When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. ~Acts 21:10-12 (NIV)

Again Paul ignores the warning to not go to Jerusalem, is Paul resisting the Holy Spirit? Is he despising Prophecy?

Let's look carefully. Agabus, with the style of an Old Testament prophet, re-enacts out what would happen to Paul if he goes. It's clear that this is from God, we are told it is what the Holy Spirit said and we also know it's from God because it happened.

The Spirit got it right! So did Paul get it wrong by going? No! If you look carefully the Spirit did not say 'don’t go'. God lovingly warns the Apostle but does not stop the apostle.

If anyone got it wrong it was Christians. The co-workers jumped to the wrong conclusions.

When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” ~Acts 21:12-14 (NIV)

Like so many Christians they thought that avoiding suffering is what God always wants. Friends, the world lives by one formula, that happiness is the most important thing in the world. It's deadly! And it's making us an immature culture when your highest goal in life is the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. You will not do the Lord's will.

EXAMPLE: One woman who was seriously ill had a minister who would only pray for healing and nothing else. She became exasperated with him and said to him "Why do you deny me the opportunity to know my God better through this suffering."

It didn’t help Paul to tell him to avoid suffering and not go to Jerusalem. Let's see what did help

When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. ~Acts 21:5 (NIV)

So the point of the warning was to not only prepare Paul and the other Christians to expect it and so not be discouraged. It was to provoke support and prayer. We are quick to give advice but we are slow to bring those needs before our Father in heaven. Do the Lord's will whatever the cost and entrust it to the Lord for his will be done.

1. Is the 'all things to all men' a waste of time?

Paul comes back to Jerusalem, he has two groups who could oppose him, he has Non-Christian Jews who despise him and he has Christian Jews who are upset at his reported view on the Jewish law, especially converted Pharisees. It's this second group that is his focus.

He is warmly greeted by his Jewish brothers in Jerusalem. Paul tells how God saved the nations through his ministry and they praised God. James, the Lord's brother, appears to be the head of the church in Jerusalem, he instructs Paul to join in a Jewish Nazarite vow of purification and to pay not just for himself but for 4 others. Why would he do this? He wants the Jewish Christians to know that Paul is not anti-law of Moses. He is being slandered and accused of telling Christian Jews that their children should be circumcised. So why would he agree to share in a Jewish vow and pay for four others, this is the principle of 'all things to all people'. To be a Jew become like a Jew.

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ~1 Corinthians 9:20 (NIV)

In that chapter, he lists all his rights as an apostle and then he talks about and forfeits those same rights. He lets love limit his liberty. Its rarely followed by Christians and it's an easily misunderstood principle. Paul himself was accused of being inconsistent and people-pleasing but it comes from grasping that he knew that in Christ he was neither Jew nor Gentile. His identity was bound up with the Lord Jesus, he could sit loose with his culture because he was defined by Jesus. It freed him to work to a higher principle than love, whether they were non-Christians and need to be saved or whether they were Christians and he did not want to cause offence

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible…. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ~1Corinthians 9:19,22 (NIV)

In short, we bend for others for that is what Jesus did for us.

What is the result of this costly sacrifice for Paul? More trouble!

2. Is the 'all things to all men' a waste of time?

Wanting to work on his relationship with Jewish Christians, Paul is attacked by non-Christian Jews. ‘You feel like saying you cant win!!! He is spotted in the temple by non-Christian Jews from Asia, where Paul had an effective ministry, they go berserk and stir up the crowd. They accuse Paul of being anti-Moses, anti-law, anti temple and anti-Jerusalem.

They wrongly assumed Paul had brought a non-Jew, Trophimus, into the temple, the whole city was up in arms. They drag Paul from the Temple, they began to beat him with a view of killing him, until the Roman commander steps in. So much for being all things to all men, he does the right thing, he takes a Jewish vow for Purification, he pays for 4 others. For his trouble, he gets beaten to within an inch of his life while showing his respect for the law of God, he is accused of hating the Law of God.

But friends if its the right thing to do then do it. Forfeit your rights, compromise, bend here, bend there and expect that it will get misunderstood. You may well get condemned any way, we don’t judge something by the outcome, if something is right then its right, whether it appears to work or not.

EXAMPLE : If I choose not to lie at work and then I lose my job, it doesn’t stop being the right thing.

The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. ~Acts 21:33 (NIV)

Just as the prophecy has warned. For the Lords will be done!

Whatever is happening God has not lost control. What is clear is that Paul is allowed to live. The Roman Law again protects Christians from Jewish opposition and Paul will use the chaos to preach the gospel and give a defence.

The Roman commander can't get to the truth from the rabble, the crowd is dead set wanting to kill Paul. Amidst all this conflict what is Paul doing? He angles for an opportunity to give his defence and share the gospel to the crowd. He gets permission, Paul follows Jesus words to be cunning or wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove.

Notice he starts with what they have common. So he speaks in Aramaic which gets their attention and he reminds them he is a Jew with the best credentials. He has been trained under the best of the rabbis. He was born in Tarsus but brought up in Jerusalem like them and has a zeal for the law. Like them he had persecuted Christians - what they were doing to him - he had done to others. Paul was no lone ranger - he had the backing of the High priest and the ruling Jewish Council

But in the midst of his persecution, on his way to take Christian prisoners in Damascus, the living Jesus appeared to him. In a blinding flash, he heard the voice of the Lord Jesus

“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ ~Acts 22:6-7 (NIV)

He both sees and hears from the risen Lord Jesus. You would think that would have triggered the crowd in a feeding frenzy, but it doesn’t. He is told that he is chosen by God to witness to all people what he saw and heard from Jesus. He is told to be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. None of this caused a reaction.

Paul wants to make the point while praying in the temple and in a trance he is warned to leave Jerusalem because of persecution. He tells Jesus in the trance that he would be accepted because he was the greatest Christian persecutor.

His conversion should win the day but still no reaction. What gets their goat.

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” ~Acts 22:21-22 (NIV)

The thought of wanting people like you saved made them want to kill Paul. As far as they are concerned no human is fit to live who would want someone like you, a non-Jew to be in Gods kingdom and be part of Gods people. So did Paul's defence work? It would not get him off the hook. This will be the first of 5 opportunities before the courts and the crowds for Paul to give a defence. He wasn't flogged but that had more to do with the fact that Paul was born a Roman citizen.

Let the Lords will be done. And it was the Lord's will for Paul to stand before courts to give witness and that witness was that anyone from any nation who called on the name of the risen Lord Jesus will be saved. But what guarded Paul was not his Roman Citizenship. It would be that the Lords will be done.

"When David Livingstone was asked if he didn't fear that going into Africa was too difficult and too dangerous, he answered, I am immortal until the will of God is accomplished."

In other words, I will live as long as it takes for God to do what he wants me to do.

Let's not be ashamed of Christ. The Spirit warns us that anyone who wants to live a godly life will be persecuted. That should lead us to pray. We should seek to forfeit our rights and bend for others. Let us take the opportunity to side with Jesus, to speak for Jesus. Knowing that the outcome is in God's hand.

The Lords will be done

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I’ve got so many great stories and memories from our time living in Asia. One memory was sitting in India and reading 3 book series with our son Taran when he was just a little fella, The Chronicles of Prydain, the Narnia Chronicles and finally we read The Hobbit and then the Lord of the Rings. It took years, sitting on the cane lounge with our legs spread out towards each other. It was always so hot that we’d have to make sure our skin wasn’t actually touching, we were sweating, but we were engrossed. Now fast forward 10 years and a global pandemic later. On day 1 of the Covid lockdown in Thailand, mid-March 2020, I realised it was time to dust off the old books and start reading with Ruby. We got through the first two series in about 4 months, we had a lot more time on our hands. The image from those books that’s been in my mind and heart over the weeks preparing for today's talk is from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. It’s where Aslan, the Lion, breathes life onto the people and the creatures of Narnia that have been turned into stone by the wicked White Witch. As Aslan breathes his warm breath on them, the people thaw. Colour, warmth and life return, as the horrible spell is broken.

Today’s passage is about the Gospel, life through faith in Jesus, going out across the ancient world in Acts chapter 18. And amazingly, how God still uses his people today, to be a part of that great work. (verses 1 - 18a) the Gospel goes to Corinth. So firstly today, the Gospel goes to Corinth.

Verse 1 has the first mention of Corinth in the bible. Corinth was the main city of southern Greece, a busy place of trade and travel. But Corinth was famous in those days as the city of the Greek goddess of Sex – Aphrodite, which is where we get the word aphrodisiac from. It was a pretty wild place.

So, in Acts 18 Paul goes to Corinth as the next step on his mission trip, he meets a Jewish couple called Aquila and Priscilla, and a wonderful gospel friendship is born. One of the things that bond Paul with Priscilla and Aquila is their trade, they’re all tentmakers, they make and they repair tents. And in a very generous act of hospitality Priscilla and Aquila invite Paul to and come stay with them and they all keep busy earning money together through their trade.

But Paul’s heart, as always, is to share this message of Jesus which has completely transformed his own life. So come Sabbath day, Paul downs tools heads to the Synagogue, and preaches the good news to any Jews or Greeks who happened to be there. But before we move on, we need to notice one important fact about Pricilla and Aquila’s story. What got them to go to Corinth in the first place? Why did they end up there? It’s possible that they were among the first Christians to ever arrive in this completely unreached city. The answer is tucked in verse 2, they went to Corinth… because they’d been kicked out of their home in Rome. It was religious persecution that made them to pack up their life and leave. As refugees, they needed to run to save their skin.

As a young Christian fellow, I used to think that I’d love to be persecuted for my faith. I can take it! I can stand firm! Send me some suffering God. I’m ready to be your faithful servant! I was a little naive. About 20 years ago, Leaf and I had our exploratory trip to India . We met our friends Steve and Ellen. As we sat bright eyed and bushy tailed in their house, they told us about the pain of the adoption process they were going through to get their precious daughter out of an orphanage. They were really beaten down. But I remember thinking all for the Gospel hey? Bring it on! Bring it on!

There was a knock at the door. It was their teammate. He was a doctor. How exciting? A real Gospel worker. Maybe I can meet him? Maybe I can get his signature? I didn’t get to meet him because he came to see Steve and Ellen, and deliberately didn’t come inside, because he had just been diagnosed with Tuberculosis in his lungs and was terrified that he would pass it onto Steve and Ellen and also to his wife at home. In my head, I’m like, ‘Yeah, TB for the Gospel. I can take it.” A few minutes later, the phone rings. It’s Ellen’s dear friend Robyn. Robyn had heard that a bomb had just gone off in a church in Pakistan. 5 people were killed and her uncle was injured along with 400 others. That was the day when persecution started to loose its charm for me. Real people killed and real people suffering for their commitment to Christ.

We don’t know the ins and the outs for Priscilla and Aquila, but looking back, we can see that God used all things to His glory. Now that’s a really easy thing to say. That God is at work in all things for my good. I’d love to say that 15 years of faithful service has taught me to believe it, but I’d be lying. I don’t like suffering. I used to think I was a faithful Christian. Until I really suffered. When you get to the point where your head feels like it will explode from confusion and your heart feels like it is sinking into a deep, deep, dark hole in the ground. It’s so much easier to believe that there is no hope. There’s no way out of that hole than it is, to believe, that God is at work for my good.

It doesn’t make sense. It seems, at the time, like a cruel lie. Is that something that you can relate to? Even lately, maybe you’ve been struggling deeply and you’re just so worn out. God has a word for you today, and for me. You see Paul also knew about suffering, he knew about it a lot. Up till now on his journey, he’d been beaten so badly that his attackers thought he was dead, he’d been flogged, and imprisoned. In Corinth, where he is now, the Jews reject and abuse him. And so, Jesus comes to Paul in a vision

…“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ~Acts 18:9-10 (NIV)

Now this a specific promise to Paul at a specific time, while he’s in Corinth. But some of this promise is for those of us who are Jesus’ people today, it’s a promise to us, all the time. The words, “For I am with you”. Do they sound a little familiar?

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, … surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”. ~Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

Do you, as a son or daughter of God, need to hear these words? I do. It’s so hard to be hanging on when things are so dark and so bleak, and your strength is just gone. Jesus says, “It’s ok, I’m with you. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I’m with you now and always.” You know that phrase that’s around today? People say, “You got this!” Jesus doesn’t say to us, “you got this”, he says, “I got you.” We don’t have to have stuff worked out. As long as we have Jesus, we just move forward, day by day, sometimes it’s more inch by inch, and he works it out. These were words for Paul and they’re for us today.

I’ve also noticed about Acts 18, is that it’s littered with beautiful Gospel relationships. Paul with Priscilla and Aquila, Timothy and Silas arrive and financially support Paul to preach full time. In verse 7, Titius Justus, a Gentile worshipper of God, opens his home for Paul to share the message of Jesus there. Because the Gospel goes out into the world through Gospel relationships. Can you open your door for gospel ministry? A meal? A Bible study?

The couple, Steve and Ellen, that I just mentioned before from 20 years back, they have become some of our dearest friends in the world. We lived together in India and then in Thailand. We’ve laughed and we've cried, we’ve hurt each other and we’ve hugged each other. And we have the wonderful testimony like what Paul and his team saw in Corinth

…many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptised. ~Acts 18:8 (NIV)

Because the Gospel goes out through Gospel relationships. The second movement in Acts 18 is the Gospel going to Ephesus. Just like Corinth, this is the first time that Ephesus is mentioned in the Bible, again, Paul goes to a completely unreached area. Now today Ephesus is a spectacular site of ruins in Turkey but back then it was a big commercial city. So, when Paul goes with the Gospel, he takes a team of trusted friends. Because how does the Gospel go out? Through Gospel relationships, yes that’s right.

Priscilla and Aquila go with Paul. They lived and worked together for a year and a half in Corinth and so now, they pack their bags and hit the road together. Paul continues to train them and guide them, because soon he’s going to leave them to continue on the work without on him. It’s a beautiful model of a spiritual friendship.

In our years in Asia, we wanted people that were mature to join our communities to serve alongside us. The dream team would have been a mix of ages and gifting and personalities, but most importantly, people that love Jesus and are mature and experienced in ministry. Have you been serving faithfully in your context? Could you go to an unreached area for the Gospel? But maybe you’re thinking, Brendan I’m not a ministry machine, I’m an engineer, I’m a nurse, I’m a teacher, I’m in IT, I do admin, I’m retired. But what about going somewhere to enable the work to happen? Being in a support role?

Janet Banks is a friend of ours from Mt Druitt and she served faithfully as a primary teacher for decades around Mt Druitt, in fact, she was Leaf’s primary teacher, Janet is tough and she’s skilled. She now teaches at a tiny school for missionary kids in the middle of Niger, Africa, so that parents can stay on the field serving Jesus. And our very own Al and Liz Walker, in the Philippines, are doing exactly that at Faith International. Keeping missionary families on the field. Maybe you might like to pray Jesus’ prayer for the Father to send out workers into his harvest field. The need is still so, so great.

Now friends at MBM, I need to say, I wrote and preached this sermon one week before Ray and Sandy’s bombshell was dropped, I was as shocked as all of you. In missions, there are heartbreaking goodbyes, whether it’s a new church plant in Parramatta or going to pastor a church in Dubai. There’s a price that is paved in tears, but because of the Gospel, the goodbyes on earth will all be eclipsed with that final hello that we have together in the new Kingdom. Our stories on earth don’t end with a goodbye, for those of us in Christ, there’s a new beginning coming with the never-ending hello. And plus, a stopover in Dubai will never be boring ever again.

But now Paul leaves the ministry in Ephesus in the hands of Priscilla and Aquila, their apprenticeship is over. And off he sets on his Home Assignment, Deputation, Furlough, different words for the same thing. Where the Christian worker goes back to the church where he or she was sent from, to give a report of all that’s happened. This is the conclusion of Paul’s second mission trip which lasted 3 years.

Paul goes back to Antioch from where he was sent out. After Paul’s first mission trip, it says this about Paul’s home assignment.

From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving in there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. ~Acts 14:26-27 (NIV)

And so now in chapter 18, today’s passage, Paul returns again to Antioch, and we can confidently assume, that Paul would have reported to the church once again.

This is our sixth Home Assignment where we’ve reported back to the saints here at MBM church. What you’ve done in sending us out and receiving us back, is what the church has been doing for 2,000 years. And we want to say a huge thank you to every one of you for the support that we’ve received over so many years. Emails, Facebook messages, financial support, care packages, visits. Through this Gospel relationship that we have had together, if we look back at the ongoing legacy, praise God, there are lots to celebrate; We’ve seen travellers come to place their faith in Jesus. We’ve seen a global network of communities with the same vision for travellers get started. We’ve trained up people to share Jesus with seekers and seen them go and travel all over the globe. We’ve seen a weekly Christ-centred meditation start-up in a neighbouring city of northern Thailand and probably best of all, we’ve fed about 10,000 hippies and travellers in our Jesus communities and have been able to tell them that we do it, because we love Jesus and we love them. It has been a powerful witness and a great privilege, and you have all enabled that to happen. As this is now our final Home Assignment as a family, I would encourage you all to find another mission family to support, just as you supported us. Get behind them. Pray and give. And grow to love the people and the culture that your workers have gone out amongst. Support them well, because the Gospel goes out through Gospel relationships.

And now, we come to our final section in Acts 18 and we see how the Gospel grows in Ephesus. You’ll remember that Paul left Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus to continue on with the work there. From 1 Corinthians 16:19 we know that they successfully started a house church in Ephesus. Praise God for that!

But in the last section in Acts 18 we’ve got this interesting person named Apollos who appears out of nowhere. Apollos is a Jew and comes from Alexandria in Egypt. Alexandria was the ancient equivalent of our modern day Cambridge or Oxford, a city of great learning. So Apollos has a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, he’s a great preacher and he teaches about Jesus accurately, but there are some gaps in his theology. It’s really hard to be sure of what these gaps are though. Some commentators say that maybe he didn’t know that Jesus had taught for all believers to be baptised, or maybe his own understanding of the Holy Spirit was somehow confused. But either way, he begins to preach in the synagogue in Ephesus. And now we get to a fascinating verse

…When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. ~Acts 14:26-27(NIV)

This powerful orator from Cambridge University gets up and preaches up a storm. Priscilla looks over at Aquila and says, “He’s young, passionate, gifted, but a bit misguided, shall we invite him to lunch dear?” And they do. Notice what they didn’t do. They didn’t shout him down as a heretic. They didn’t gossip and ruin his reputation. They didn’t belittle him. They didn’t smile and thank him politely and then rip him to shreds on the drive home from church. They invite him to their home, into their lives. They reach out to extend the hand of Gospel friendship and in that context, they explained the truth more fully to Apollos.

The ones discipled by Paul, are now discipling a young and talented, upcoming leader. They have become his mentors. In the context of relationship and hospitality, they instruct Apollos. They might not have his gifts, but they have lessons that Apollos needs and so they teach him. Is there a younger person that you could mentor? Get alongside and help them to grow in their life and in their ministry? But the other angle to look at this encounter is from Apollos’ view. He could have said, “Look I’m the preacher here. I’m the upfront guy. I’m the leader.” But he doesn’t. He humbly receives their instruction. Apollos is more eager to serve effectively than to keep his ego intact.

Are you a Christian leader? Do you have mentors that you go to? Are you open to instruction by a person in your church? If Priscilla and Aquila invited you for lunch, would you go? What we see here is mutual humility from both parties. Because Gospel relationships must exude grace to each other. Why? Because Jesus and his grace is at the centre of our gospel relationships. Now there are so many other applications we could look at here but we don’t have time. The wonderful role of women in the New Testament church. The beautiful sight of a husband and wife doing ministry side by side like Priscilla and Aquila, enabling others to flourish. And it would appear that Apollos did flourish. After a while he gets the churches full endorsement to go as a teacher to the church in Corinth and continue to water the seeds that Paul and Priscilla and Aquila had earlier planted there.

How does the Gospel grow in us? As we come to the end of Acts 18, we’ve seen the Gospel going out to Corinth and Ephesus and then grow through Gospel relationships. But what about us? How does the Gospel grow in us? How does it take root in our lives?

…he was a great help to those who by grace had believed ~Acts 14:26-27 (NIV)

In other words, it only grows by God’s touch, God’s initiative, by God’s miraculous work of breathing on people made of stone and making them come to life again. When you’re made of stone, it’s very difficult to do anything at all, even scratch your nose, let alone bring yourself back to life.

But the grace of God at work is sometimes hard to see. I’ll give an example. My dad’s a reader, he reads a lot, he loves novels and war history and where the good guys beat the bad guys. I’ve been praying for my dad since 1990. That’s a long time and plenty of time to get discouraged that nothing will ever happen. Two and a half years ago, we visited Australia, I knew my dad was attending church with my dear mum, I knew he was even going to Bible study. If you were to have asked him why at the time, I think he’d say, “I enjoy the historical side of things”. So when I was visiting I was excited to ask about where dad was at with God. I think we were out around one of my dad’s famous BBQ’s (wood not gas) and started chatting. I was very discouraged when as the conversation wrapped up, my dad said something like, “Yeah, but Bren, I’m going to church, but nothing’s happened!”. I remember saying to Leaf, “I can’t believe that nothings happening. That doesn’t make sense.” I was really discouraged. About a month later, I heard an incredible story of my dad getting his life together in a big way. And I started seeing things happening. As time went on, I heard that my dad was getting more involved in church and his Bible study group.

A year ago, our family returned to Australia with our collective tails between our collective legs. They were a tough 12 months, we were so beaten down, we finally got to see my mum and dad and had another beer around the BBQ. I was excited to talk to my dad more and see what was going on for him. We talked and he started to talk about his bible readings and things he was enjoying. I could see things were happening. So I asked him a curly question. I said, “Yeah but dad, with all this bible study and going to church, do you think you’ve done enough to be a Christian?” He just looked at me stunned and said, “But it’s not about what we do, it’s about Jesus and his death and resurrection.” Fist pump. It’s by grace that we believe and are saved. Only by grace.

Friends we all need relationships. We want good friends. We want mentors. Many of us would like to be married one day. We long for that small group where people really have each others back. We all want a bestie that will stick by us through thick and thin. You’re thinking, if I had those types of friendships, I’d really be ok. Just one friend like that. The bad news is these relationships are hard to come by. The good news is, that there’s a friend waiting that I’d like to tell you about. A faithful companion (and he doesn’t have 4 legs). A friend who is closer than a brother. A friend who would be willing to put it all on the line for you. A friend who has your back, and who would be willing to take the knife for you. And a friend that will be with you always with no goodbyes. A friend that loves well. This the message of the Gospel. Jesus is that friend. He’s the faithful one who sacrificed his relationship with his Father, he was prepared to lose that relationship, to die, so that we would never have to be cut off from God ever again. This is the Gospel relationship that we all need.

Jonathan Edwards says, all other things in our life are the shadow. But God is the substance. God is the one we need. Jesus is the friend you need. And he comes to us by grace. We don’t straighten up our lives and then go to him. He comes into our lives and then by that same grace he starts to straighten us up. He helps us. And when we find this friendship with Jesus, and he changes us, we don’t sit back and wait for friends to come to us. Because we have Jesus, we go out and we are a good friend, to everyone. Even to people with different skin colour or a different accent to us. We bare the good news in words and deeds and then we stand back in wonder as Jesus breathes on hearts of stone and makes them alive again. Do you need this Gospel relationship with Jesus? Ask him to breathe on you. He will. Maybe even now, you can feel a thawing in your fingertips.

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Merry Christmas friends, I hope this is a time of blessing, I hope the presents are to your liking. Every parent thinks their kids are special, we grandparents are even worse. As my friend Al says ‘If I knew it was going to be this good I would have bypassed being a parent and gone straight to being a grandparent’.

Some parents think their kids are exceptional, you find them standing on the sidelines shouting at the ref. They are sure their child can sing better than Adele, play soccer better than Lionel Messe. I guess we are all a little guilty trying to live out our dreams through our kids.

But only one set of parents had the right to think that their kid was out of this world... That would Joseph and Mary for their Son was God their son literally came from out of this world. And you can tell by heavens reaction to his birth.

1. I bring you Good news

At the birth of any child, there is a lot of fuss, cameras, light, actions, visits and presents. But at the birth of Jesus, the angel of the Lord turns up and makes a big announcement to the shepherds. Since I'm the son of a goat herder shepherds have a special place in my life.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ~Luke 2:10-11 (NIV)

Here is God's comment on Jesus birth, God wants the shepherds (and you) to know that the birth of this child is Good News. Who doesn’t want good news?

Once I heard that we are going to have 25,000 cases of COVID per day by the end of January, I needed cheering up. We need good news because you can't live life without hope. It's always good news when a baby is born, this is Good News because the waiting is over. For today, in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; at that moment in history - the long awaited Saviour has arrived.

It's been a long time coming. In the bible, 2000 years before the first Christmas Day, God said to Abraham that he would have a descendant who would bless the world. 1000 years before the first Christmas day, God spoke to King David and said that his descended would be a king whose kingdom would never end. 500 years before the first Christmas day, God spoke to the prophet Micah and said that God's king would be born in Bethlehem (11.4 km from Jerusalem). Here is the promise

“But you, Bethlehem ... out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, ~Micah 5:2 (NIV)

The wait has been so long. It's like when my kids would say on those holiday trips up the coast ‘WHEN. ARE. WE. GOING. TO. GET. THERE?!’ God's people knew that the Saviour was coming, they just did not know when he was coming, only Mary could lock in the date, once conceived by the Holy Spirit there was only 9 months go. But at the birth of Jesus, the waiting was over, no more wondering when. Today in the town of David (Bethlehem) a Savior has been born to you; Today, it may be old news for us but oh its still good news. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

It's good news because he is a Saviour, the same angel told Joseph “You shall name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” Born in Bethlehem and DIE in Jerusalem, so you can live forever. Born to die and to take upon himself your sins and guilt.

We need a Saviour just as much as they did. We need to be forgiven just as much as they did. With this Saviour, there is nothing that he can't forgive. It's good news because he is God's forever King. Someone is in charge of this crazy world.

Your forever story is bound up with this forever king, it's good news because he is the Son of the Most High. God has made himself known. He has come for one thing, for you to be in a personal relationship with him on his terms.

God went to a lot of trouble to make sure that you would know that the Christ had to be born in Bethlehem.

Question: How did a couple living in Nazareth end up giving birth in Bethlehem? (128 kms walk away.) That is one long donkey ride. It's not like Joseph said to Mary “Well my darling we better get going, so climb on this donkey because we are going to Bethlehem to fulfil Micah's prophecy”

No.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world… And everyone went to their own town to register. ~Luke 2:1-2 (NIV)

God worked in the heart of an Emperor living in Rome 2000 kms from Bethlehem. He gets the emperor to organize a Census across the whole Roman empire. The Census required Joseph and Mary to move to their hometown of Bethlehem, just when the baby was to be born. And so fulfil the prophecy in Micah. A reminder that this is not a myth or Middle Earth, we are not dealing with an episode in Stars Wars “A long, long, time ago in a Bethlehem far, far away” Let's not also miss the phrase He is born to you...

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ~Luke 2:11 (NIV)

Born to bless you; born to do you good.

Martin Luther once said "Why is it when I go into my Garden all the birds fly away as though I mean them harm." If he was Maltese and had a shotgun sure.

This one born on Christmas Day has come to save not to condemn you, He has come for you.

Why is it when I mention Jesus among some of my friends they change the subject as though Jesus meant them harm?

Could it be that some of you love Christmas but are afraid of Christ? Right now running away from him in your heart?

Could it be that you’re thinking, ‘I'm too ashamed Ray, I cant be saved’

Could it be that you’re thinking, ‘I am upset with God taking my loved one away? This Christmas will be an awful one.’

Could it be that you’re thinking, ‘I am afraid of what the Saviour will ask of me because he wants to be my lord as well?’

Or maybe you’re thinking, ‘I don't want to be disappointed yet again, this is truly a broken world.

In the kid's movie "The Incredibles", it opens with the main superhero, Bob Par, engaging in a quick run of heroic acts, he saves one person after another, but as soon as he saves one person another person is in trouble, needing to be rescued, a bit like a Bondi lifeguard. At one point he is frustrated and says “Why doesn't this world stay saved?” It keeps breaking down.

God's Word to you is this: I have good news for you, I’ve not just come to forgive you, I’ve come to bring in a new world where there is no more crying or grief or pain or death. Yes, no more COVID. As Saviour, Lord and King nothing less than a new creation is on God's agenda. I've come not just to save you but save this world. This baby has been born to you and for you. With good news comes Great Joy. Whenever the angel meets up with shepherds fear turns to joy.

I don’t know what happened when you were born. If you're the firstborn, then I’m sure they made a fuss, if you’re the 4th born, like me, then you’re lucky if they take a photo. When Jesus was born Heaven opened up and the Angelic Hallelujah chorus turns up

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” ~Luke 2:13-14 (NIV)

Not just one angel but an army of angels burst on the scene, louder than a Wanderers soccer match, praising God “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” Notice God's glory is tied to our peace, what is good for us, is good for God.

LOOK! the angels may not have burst into song when you were born - sorry to disappoint but did you know that they burst into song every time a person is born again

I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. ~Luke 15:10 (NIV)

Since Jesus is Saviour, we need to surrender to him, since Jesus is Lord we need to serve him. As Maltese we grew up calling Jesus I’ll 'Bumbein' - The Baby. There is nothing intimidating about a baby, but this Jesus is no mere baby, He is Lord, Saviour, King of Kings. When he becomes YOUR Lord, Saviour and King then you are born again. Those who have a personal relationship with Jesus

... are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ~1Peter 1:8 (NIV)

This is a flabbergasting joy, a joy so wonderful that at times you won't be able to find the words to describe it. If you are not born again, you don’t know this joy, you may know happiness but not joy. Joy, the one unique Christian emotion where you’re gripped by a deep sense of thankfulness for being rescued by Jesus, from hell itself. And friends that is why when the Saviour comes, praise and thankfulness always follows. As we know, you can't silence a person who’s in love.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. ~Luke 2:20 (NIV)

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For all people and that includes you. They had no room for Jesus when he was born, I wonder if you have room in your heart for this Saviour, Lord and Christ?

This is my last Christmas sermon at this church, so please hear me. Jesus doesn’t need you but you need him! He doesn’t need you but he wants you and is for you he is offering you the greatest gift - himself. But like any gift it must be received. Today a Saviour is born to you and for you.

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I often say Gods providence makes MBM looks more organised than it is. When I planned the sermon series 12 months ago, I had no idea that I was leaving for Dubai and preaching this passage.

Paul is speaking his final words to a church he won't see again. This is the only speech in Acts that is directly addressed to Christians

• Paul is specifically speaking to the leaders of the church

• Called by the standard 3 titles - Elders, Shepherds and Overseers

Notice they are in the plural - A good reminder that only one of the Pastor elders of MBM is leaving for Dubai, the rest are staying. You’ve had me for 31 years.

Paul was with the Ephesians church for 3 years and is now away for 1 year. Since that time, false teachers have savaged his character and he is forced to defend his ministry. The integrity of the gospel is tied to the integrity of the messenger. So he looks back, he looks forward and then he looks straight at them with a word of warning.

1. He looks back to his past ministry

From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ~Acts 20:17-18 (NIV)

Six times Paul appeals to their experience of him: 'You know', 'You remember.' and 'You are witnesses'

It's the reason why the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. The Ephesians knew Paul first hand, he was above reproach, Not just at the beginning but consistently for the whole 3 years.

I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents ~Acts 20:19 (NIV)

He reminds them of how he was in their presence. He was not afraid to be vulnerable with them. He took his calling seriously because souls were hanging in the balance. This was not a job - they mattered to him.

I remember in the early days of MBM a committed brother fell away. I went to his place of work to see how he was going and before I knew it I broke down and cried. In ministry, there are tears of grief, tears over those who won't repent and tears over those you see drifting away.

Anyone can impress when the wind is behind them, it's only when you’re hammered that your character comes to the surface. It's why we don’t appoint Elders who are young in the faith and have not been tried and tested. We watch and see if suffering has made them bitter or better.

You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. ~Acts 20:20-21 (NIV)

He taught the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In season and out of season, welcomed or not, he held nothing back that was for their good.

As far as I know, I can't think of a Biblical truth I clearly see in scripture that I did not clearly teach you, no matter how unpopular. From predestination to God's view on sex to government, I taught what I believed. Because it's only the truth that sets you free. How many times have you heard me say ‘We refuse to believe the lie that we are wiser than God’.

Paul preached consistently both privately and publically, it was the same message to Jew and Non-Jews. Notice the summary phrases: he covered 'the whole counsel of God', he focused on the gospel of grace. His message called for the response - Repentance to God and Faith in the Lord Jesus.

You can fake a great interview but it's hard to fake 3 years of ministry. His Loving tears, his perseverance in trials, his faithful teaching and his use of treasures. Paul did not covet anyone's silver, gold or cloth, he lived out the truth that it is more blessed to give than receive. He was a stumbling block.

One of my in-laws asked me what my salary would be in Dubai. I said I have no idea and she couldn’t understand how I could make such a big decision without knowing the salary.

Paul says appeals to their experience of him. Can I ask friends:

“What case can you make based on how you have lived.” In other words, make it your aim to have a death bed confession - able to look people in the eye and say “You are witnesses and so is God how I conducted myself before you.” Whether you’re a parent, or pastor, a worker, friend, or brother or sister in Christ, it won't do to say ‘Do what I say not what I do.’ It won't do to say ‘What I do in private is nobodies business.’ Live life where you’re able to say ‘Imitate me as I imitate Christ.’ Which includes a bucket load of apologies.

Paul then moves from what they know to what he knows

2. His future suffering

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ~Acts 20:22-23 (NIV)

The Spirit of Jesus lovingly warned Paul again and again that in Jerusalem, prison and hardship await but everyone except Paul makes the same mistake. If suffering is coming then it must be avoided at all cost, Paul must change his travel plans.

They confused the warning of suffering from the need to avoid it. Paul will not be stopped.

Sandy and I have really appreciated it when people have given reasons not to go to Dubai. But what I loved is that the cost of going was not one of the reasons to not go. Our prayer was simple, if you want us to go we will go, if you want us to stay we will stay, whatever the cost. The issue for Paul was not the suffering, the issue is finishing the race well

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. ~Acts 20:24 (NIV)

The issue friends is not living well but ending well. Paul's life didn’t matter only Jesus' Kingdom did. To be fair, he was given a specific brief as an apostle, to complete the task given by Lord Jesus.

This is very clarifying, getting the cancer diagnosis is not to be your biggest concern, missing out on the job or love of your dream should not be your biggest grief. Finishing well. Not once but twice Paul says to the elders “I am innocent of the blood of any of you.”

“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. ~Acts 20:25-27 (NIV)

In Ezekiel 33 - The watchmen stands guard and announces that the enemy is coming. If the people don't prepare for that judgment, it's on them. If the watchmen does not warn and blow the trumpet then it's on him. In this passage, Paul is blowing the trumpet and warning the elders of false teaching that is coming.

Like a lifeguard who warns the swimmers that a shark is in the water, he is innocent of their blood.

Travelling west one holiday, I noticed an old Vauxhall car veering off the road, the senior driver fell asleep at the wheel and was heading for death. All I could do was blow the horn and warn him, he woke up, heeded the warning and veered back.

“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. ~Acts 20:25-27 (NIV)

There is a limit to a pastor’s responsibility. We can plead, urge, preach, teach, warn with tears but we can't repent for you or we cant believe for you. We can't live your Christian life for you.

We can't say your prayers, read your bible for you, parent your kids, serve at church for you and forgive your enemies. That is on you. We are explicitly told that the church grows as each part does its work.

Paul looked back on his ministry, he looked to his future suffering in Jerusalem and he now speaks a word of warning in the present.

3. Final Words of Warning

Keep watch over yourselves and the church

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ~Acts 20:28 (NIV)

Keep watch over yourselves first, the hardest person to lead is yourself. The last of the fruit of the Spirit is Self-control. How many Pastors have brought the name of Jesus into disrepute? Pray every day for the nominators, that they appoint a man who watches over his life and doctrine every day. Paul was aware after preaching to others that he would not himself be disqualified.

He knows that he has to give an account to Lord Jesus when he returns. We Pastors must never forget that we are sheep before, therefore shepherds. Early on at MBM, I realised I was rejoicing over the salvation of others and stopped rejoicing over my salvation. I was watching over the souls of others and forgot to watch over my own soul. It’s a serious task to watch over the souls of others. When an Anglican minister is ordained these words are spoken to him

"Have always therefore printed on your mind how great a treasure is committed to your care. For they are the sheep of Christ, whom he bought with his death, and for whom he shed his blood. The church and congregation whom you must serve is his bride and his body. And if it should come about that the church, or any of its members, is hurt or hindered as a result of your negligence, you know the greatness of the fault and the judgment that will follow."

I don’t know one minister at MBM who does not shudder when they hear those words. Not one pastor who feels they are up for the task. Each one of us is aware of how we failed in some area. We know we will be judged by God more severely and sometimes the sheep can bite

I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. ~Acts 20:29-31 (NIV)

When it comes to false teaching be alert! It can start by being bored with the gospel. It can start when Pastors wanting to scratch where people itch and ignoring hard truths because they want to be liked or bending to an ever-changing culture.

From the beginning of MBM, we have sought to preach the whole counsel of God chapter by chapter. Its why our preaching series for 31 years follows the same pattern.

Did you hear when I did warn you? How you cannot love Jesus and not love and serve his people. Was I clear that faith alone in Christ alone saves and that faith without works is dead - that anyone who divides the church starts a war with God himself.

Did you hear when I said if you’re ashamed of Christ he will be ashamed of you or that a love of money is the root of all kinds of evils? Did I warn you that unless you repent and have Jesus as your Lord you cannot be saved? I will be honest, the hardest thing about leaving MBM is entrusting you to God

“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ~Acts 20:32 (NIV)

I keep telling myself that MBM is God's church, not mine. Jesus purchased you with His blood, not mine. It's His gospel of grace and not mine that transforms lives. Now is not the time for final goodbyes; you will see me again.

Remember Sandy and I will be your new overseas ministry partners. I fear at MBM we have a soft underbelly, a good number who seek comfort over Christ, who have moved from being part of the core to being part of the crowd, who have become Consumer Christians, happy to receive but don’t give of themselves. In short, some Christians have stopped counting the cost. That is why I think the best sermon I can give you is for Sandy and I to go to Dubai.

We spent the last week minding the grandkids. We are aware that we are going to miss their birthday's parties and Christmas together. When my kids and grandkids cried at us going, I remember the tears of my mum 41 years ago when I told her I could no longer in good conscience be Roman Catholic, she cried for 2 years. The verse that I held on to then was:

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me;… ~Matthew 10:37 (NIV)

When I saw the tears of kids and grandkids the second part of the verse came back to me.

…anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me ~Matthew 10:37 (NIV)

Jesus is worth it! Have you stopped counting the cost? Don’t dishonour Christ by hiding behind some form of cheap grace

Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ~Matthew 10:38 (NIV)

That my friends is a warning from the Spirit of King Jesus.

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When was the last time you shared the gospel… and what was the response?

My wife Sally was born in Kenya, her parents were missionaries there. They came back when she was about 6, then 20 years later they went back full time to the same place.

Her dad is the head of the missions in North Kenya. We’ve had the privilege of visiting a couple of times and doing some ministry there.

They head out on these missions to people living in the aridest places. They drive for hours where’s there’s just nothing for ages and then a little town of huts will pop up in the middle of nowhere. They’ll stop and tell them about Jesus. Most of the towns they come to have never heard the gospel before.

One town they went to last year, had lived in fear of demons and the spirits of their ancestors for as long as they could remember, and after spending time telling them of the power of Jesus over the Spiritual realm, 60 households turned their lives over to Jesus! He’s seeing that happen all over the place as they take the word out!

God’s word is powerful enough to break the hardest heart and to call in those we consider the furthest gone. But the question for us is - do we believe that?

All the way through Acts - since Jesus rose and left, people have been opposing and speaking against this Gospel message; trying to discredit the word of God. Here in chapter 19, we see God confirming the validity and power of his word as lives are continually transformed, the word goes out and the world experiences the difference that Jesus makes.

Let’s dive in! First off we meet a group of people who, like my taste in music, are living in the past.

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ~Acts 19:1-4 (NIV)

These guys had been around when John the Baptist was calling people to repent and get ready for the one who was coming after him. They were faithful Jews, trusting in God’s promises of a saviour who was coming: They just didn’t know he already had! They were missing the final piece! So Paul tells them the gospel and they’re baptised into Jesus’ name!

On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. ~Acts 19:5-7 (NIV)

They finally experienced the fulfilment of all they’d been looking forward to. They had a part of the story and were believing that part, but until Paul filled them in on the fullness of the Gospel, they had no personal relationship with the Christ they’d been waiting for. And all it took, was the Gospel! The message Paul was entrusted with.

See, it’s not enough just believing in some closed idea of God, thinking "that’s good enough". Instead, true salvation, a personal relationship with Jesus, takes hearing and believing the truth - the Gospel. This is the Gospel Paul and the Apostles were taking to the world.

I wonder if you’ve personally accepted that message. These guys show us something of what many of us can fall into. Something I had also fallen into.

That is, a state where you know some things about God, but still don’t know God personally. Not in a personal relationship with Jesus by His spirit, based on His truth!

This can particularly affect people who have grown up in a Christian household or have a background of Catholicism or other denominations or religions that was very heavy on tradition and not a relationship. You may have heard lots of things about God, and taken on many of those things, but not personally met and accepted Jesus. Maybe you’re listening here today and recognise that’s you. You know some things about God, but haven’t personally accepted that God’s own Son, Jesus - died in your place, for your sins, offering you forgiveness for everything you’ve done - enabling you to begin a relationship with him now and spend eternity with Him in heaven.

If that’s you, let me invite you today to accept his offer! All it takes, is to pray and ask Him to forgive you, to give you his spirit and lead you in his word. If you’d like to talk more, come and see me, or stop at the ‘New Here’ flag.

Over the next couple of verses, we see the word opposed again by the Jews in the Synagogue, so Paul takes those who have believed down the road to a pagan hall and he meets with them daily to talk about Jesus and the Christian life and verse 10 says:

This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. ~Act 19:10 (NIV)

Luke wants us to see that God’s word would never be bound to a building! This reminds me of the last couple of years through Covid, even though we couldn’t meet in the church building, the word continued to go out, and even to areas we didn’t expect. We were seeing people turning to Jesus online, over zoom and even people overseas were benefiting from that ministry. As much as some of us flinch at the word 'Zoom', it was a massive blessing that we praise God for!

The word just can’t be constrained to a building! It rang out in Ephesus as the disciples came in and went out, and I pray it keeps ringing out from us here as we gather and go!

After confirming the power of the word there, the next section is another confirmation of how there’s no one and no power God’s word isn’t powerful enough to transform.

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. ~Acts 19:11-12 (NIV)

OK, now this is just crazy right. Hankies and aprons healing people. What is going on there? And I think the big question is - is this something we should expect to see happening today? And if not, then why not!? Discussions about Miracles in the bible and today can be tricky ground to navigate, especially when reading Acts, because Acts doesn’t always give us clear signs of what is meant to be read as just descriptions of special events, compared with what we should expect as the normal Christian life.

One thing I love here is that Luke himself, the author, is a Physician, a doctor, a man committed to science, and he sees no issues accepting science and God’s hand in performing miracles. In his mind, they’re not opposed, but completely possible, because of who God is. As I said at the beginning, this chapter especially, is working to show us how God was

confirming the power of His word through the Apostle Paul. And one of the ways he confirmed his word was by enabling Paul to do miracles!

When Jesus was on earth he called specific people to him and marked them as Apostles. Apostle means - a sent one - a messenger. These Apostles were commissioned to be the particular witnesses for Jesus who would pass on the gospel of Jesus’ life to the generations after them. This is why we call our faith an Apostolic faith - faith in the message of the Apostles.

…one of the chief signs / marks of an Apostle is that they perform signs and wonders - miracles! ~2 Corinthians 12:12 (NIV)

These miracles confirm their message! Miracles never save a person, but they draw attention to the message that does save!

The apostles were given the ability to perform specific miracles to confirm that saving message, which we now have today written down in our bibles! Which also bears witness to their miracles, as we read here. What Luke writes here isn’t for us to think our lives will be the same as Paul’s, but for us to see and have confidence that: The Word Paul preached about Jesus - was the truth that brings salvation and eternal life! Because God confirmed it through Paul’s miracles! If we walk away from this just wanting to do the miracles, but not wanting to preach the word, then we’ve missed the point!

Now, that doesn’t mean God doesn’t still do miracles through people, or that he can’t do miracles anymore! Absolutely not!

I’ve heard story after story of how God has continued to do miraculous things throughout the world to bring people to himself, but what we often see, is that it happens in places

where God’s word is harder to source and it draws them to His word, and once they come to find His word, the miracles don’t seem to be as prevalent. Not as needed…because miracles don’t save, only the Gospel saves!

I’m happy to chat more about this with you personally if you’ve got more questions. What we’re seeing here is a confirmation that this Word Paul was preaching – is powerful and trustworthy! And that’s what I think this next little section is showing us. There are some people going around trying to drive out demons saying - “in the name of the Jesus Paul preaches - come out” - but getting nowhere… even to the point that the demon-possessed people overpower and attack them!

The demons say “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you!?” again, confirming God was doing something particular through Paul that he wasn’t doing with others. Look at the effect that has on the surrounding area!

When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ~Acts 19:17 (NIV)

Notice first of all who’s name was held in honour - Paul’s! NO - Jesus’! Even as powerfully as God might decide to use someone - the glory and focus are always for Jesus’ name! Not ours! So, let’s keep preaching it and looking for the miracle of a saved life: Someone receiving the miracle of the Holy Spirit! Moving from Death to life!

Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practised sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. ~Acts 19:18-20 (NIV)

Back then a drachma was a day’s wages, so that’s 50,000 days worth of work! 136 years! These people considered the power of the word of God of more worth than their sorcery! Of more worth than their livelihoods, as they burned their means of making money. More powerful than their shame as they confessed their deeds, and were ready to openly, publicly change their lifestyles for the name of Jesus! That’s a powerful word! And we see this in verse 20 - these changed lives caused more lives changed!

But as I began with, the question for us is - Are you convinced of the power of the word? Of it’s worth or Jesus’ worth in other people’s lives?

I think we can often decide ahead of time if people’s lives are too hard for God to work on and we don’t share the gospel with them because we think it won’t work. Or we see their lives and they look so comfortable or messy that we convince ourselves the word isn’t worth their life change. We limit God! I do it all the time! It’s so foolish! We forget our own stories. Let’s stop doing that - Christmas is coming up - let’s use the opportunity to speak up and watch God go to work! And as he does, you can expect it to have an effect on others, positively & negatively…

About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” ~Acts 19:23-27 (NIV)

So, obviously, the gospel has been spreading and loads of people’s lives have been changed, so much so that the idol-making business has gone downhill! The guys making these household gods are upset for a few reasons. They think these idols / statues are real gods and will lose their glory - if that’s possible. If their god loses followers - they lose their jobs. It’s a sad reality, they’ve built their lives around a false god, a god who is dependent on their followers… who they’re continually making images of, thinking there’s something real going on there… They can’t see the inconsistency… either way, they’re not happy!

When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theatre together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theatre. The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. ~Acts 19:28-32 (NIV)

Isn’t this just a classic picture of our world today! This mob unite over a common mindset and storm into the theatre - a place where they would have held shows, meetings and also gladiator wars, slaughtering animals and people. They want blood! They’re Angry! Violent! Confused. They want their lives back, they want money! They drag in Paul’s travelling buddies! They really want Paul - the cause of all this! But the Church won’t let him in - they know how this ends… he was stoned before. But I love what happens next! And I think this is the point of this section, the city clerk stands up and pretty much tells them to pull their heads in.

The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. ~Acts 19:35-36 (NIV)

He’s saying, if Artemis is truly God, we shouldn’t have to defend her like this but obviously, the resurrection of Jesus has brought these “undeniable facts” into question.

I love what Spurgeon said about God’s word when someone asked him to defend it’s validity, he said, the bible is like a lion, you don’t defend a lion, you just let it out of its cage and it defends itself!

Anyway, the Clerk says, if these guys have done something wrong, the courts are open, you can put in a case there.

You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. ~Acts 19:37 (NIV)

They’ve done nothing wrong, us on the other hand:

As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” ~Acts 19:40 (NIV)

It’s just beautiful and shows that the only thing the Christians had done “wrong” was share the gospel! The Ephesians were rioting because they were feeling the effects of the good news taking root in people’s hearts. And there’s such a contrast here between how the world takes matters into their own hands when life turns upside down and how the church brings about change. Rioting, anger, rage and violence is fuelled by a false idea about life, worshiping a false god. Compared with Paul, who’s nowhere to be found, because he’s already made his

Difference, through the preaching of the gospel, no rage, no violence… just words! It reminds me of what the Apostle Peter wrote, to a church suffering under the weight of their culture.

Live such good lives among the pagans [unbelievers] that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. ~1 Peter 2:12 (NIV)

If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. ~1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

The word is powerful to change lives…We don’t need to be like this crowd and take matters into our own hands - we need to be like Paul. Preach, and let God do his work.

I’ve been reading Exodus lately, and I’ve loved seeing this connection with God’s word and his power…Moses - faltering lips - called to go to pharaoh and just speak “Let my people go”

Not called to do anything violent! God did miracles through him, but he was called to speak - and let God do the work! Same when the people left Egypt, God told them to ask the people for their gold and silver, He didn’t say, before you leave, sneak in and grab as much as you can… but just ask, and watch me do my thing! I'll make them favourably disposed towards you…

And so today, God calls us to speak! To share the gospel and watch him go to work! Share the word, and watch God move hearts. The Gospel transforms, and God’s given us the privilege of being his witnesses, as others experience our changed lives. We ourselves are God’s walking Miracles today!

Never underestimate your testimony as a witness to God’s miraculous confirmation of His powerful word! Share your story!

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We all know that Christianity has a shrinking voice in the public square. Since the 60s sexual revolution, we went from quaint to irrelevant to the enemy in a short time. With the growing hostility to biblical Christianity, we are perceived by the media to be on the wrong side of history.

Tim Keller was right, for the first time, the modern secular West doesn’t see itself as a culture, it's just right and everyone else is wrong. In the public square, we live in what OS Guinness calls "The world of the ABC… Anything but Christianity."

As we think of great commission to make disciples of all nations, it's very easy to be intimidated, it's very easy to be overwhelmed, it's very easy to be pessimistic. This is the challenge as we seek to bring the gospel and plant churches in Australia. Will we be intimidated? Paul's sermon in Athens will speak to this fear.

The apostle Paul is on his 2nd missionary trip and he finds himself in Athens, this is not a Contiki tour of the Greek Islands.

He is waiting for his co-workers to join him and as he walked around the city, with a great history and proud culture, he is not just curious, he is deeply upset. Athens was a forest of idols.

why was Paul so distressed? Paul is jealous for God's glory, who will not share his glory with another. They have turned the living and speaking God of the universe into a lifeless image who needs to be carried. Oh, that we would be jealous for the nations to glorify God.

Before long Paul is invited to speak at Areopagus-Mars Hill, this is infotainment at its worst and best. These epicureans and stoics didn’t so much love truth but love new ideas. At one level Paul is a Jew talking to people from other cultures who worship other gods. He is in our world, a multicultural, multi-faith world. His God is clearly different from theirs. Paul begins respectfully and he begins where they are.

They are extremely religious people but ultimately, they worship what they do not know. He starts where they are at. Paul notices an altar marked ‘to an unknown God’, they were having an each-way bet. He finds points of agreement to show that Jesus is Lord over every culture. We need to hear it for one reason because, in our post-modern secular Australia, we are told that we don't have any right to share the good news of Jesus with other people, that we do more harm than good.

John and Betty Sharpe, who worked amongst the Tegutil tribe, for 12 years in Indonesia, saw 75% of the tribe become followers of Jesus. Years later one American anthropologist said to the people…“People from my country USA think that what Betty and John did was wrong by bringing Christianity and changing your culture.” One of the Tegutil men was very upset and said “Go back and tell your people what it was like before John and Betty brought Jesus, we lived in fear... fear of spirits... fear of ancestors”

So, what do all humans have in common

1. One Creator

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ~Acts 17:24-25 (NIV)

Paul begins by placing all humans under the one God who created the heavens and the earth. This was the opposite of the Epicureans and Stoics, they believed that everything is a random fluke, not unlike modern Australia. Paul draws a circle around all humanity, we have all been created by the one God, we don't create space for God in temples, he creates space for us here on earth. We don’t make him in our image, He made us in his image. Every nation, language, tribe, have one thing in

Common, we are all equally dependent on him, he is not dependent on us. Paul quotes their own poets in a hymn Zeus: "For in him we live and move and have our being." He is trying to show how the greek gods were spiritually bankrupt. These gods need us to serve them. Idolatry always places gods at the mercy of humans and not humans at the mercy of God. We don't carry God, he carries us.

2. One God and One Ancestor

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; ~Acts 17:26 (NIV)

Paul believes in a historic Adam. Go back far enough and we are all related. We are cousins by blood but we are brothers and sisters by the blood of Jesus. Adam is as much the granddaddy of the Aborigine as he is the granddaddy of the Turk. A proud Assyrian from MBM, who will remain nameless, did a DNA test, he was shocked to find that he is only 35% Middle Eastern. I’m 27% Arabic and he thought he was a thoroughbred, and he is, he is 100% a child of Adam.

When my friend was pregnant and people asked her ‘what are you hoping for?’ She gave the same answer, a human! We are all children of Adam. By the way, this is what makes racism both wrong and stupid, whether institutional or personal racism, constantly examine yourself to see how racism can lurk in your heart. Will you embrace the full humanity of every person? One God, one Ancestor.

3. One purpose in Providence

God is in charge of the rise, spread and fall of every people.

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ~Acts 17:26 (NIV)

It was God who determined when the Athenian culture would flourish and when it would end, it was God who decided when the Russian Revolution would begin and when the Soviet Union would be dismantled. God is the reason why 1⁄4 of babies born are Chinese. It was God who decided who and how many migrants would come to this land. God was behind you or your father or your grandfather or great, great, great, great grandfather coming to his country. Whether it was 50,000 years ago or 5 days ago. This is not to deny the injustice of land taken from first nations people.

4. God One Purpose in Providence : To reach out for him

God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ~Acts 17:27 (NIV)

God's hand is found in every event of a cultures life with one reason, one purpose so that people can seek him and find him and be saved. All history is salvation history. God's hand is found in every step of a nations life so that they would be saved. I don't know how this works out in every detail but I know when God humbles humans and dislocates nations that people cry out to God.

Whether your grandparents were part of the 3 million who migrated from Europe after WW2 like my parents. In the 70s there were 120,000 Asian refugee migrants and 20,000 who escaped the Lebanese Civil War and tens of thousand of political asylum seekers from an oppressive dictatorship in South America.

In the 80s there were Chinese student refugees from the Tiananmen Square massacre.

In the 90s there were the Yugoslav Wars in the Balkans and more recently the Sudanese civil war and the Syrian crisis. God has brought the world to us so that they may reach out for him.

MBMs extended Vision and mission statement makes this clear.

God, in His sovereign control of history, has brought the nations into our backyard. We refuse to let this wonderful opportunity slip through our hands. God desires all people to be saved and so do we. Why do you think you are living in Australia? it's not just for a better life, it's for eternal life, and yes we can speak to every culture because we all share the one common judge.

5. One Judge

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” ~Acts 17:31 (NIV)

God has appointed one man to be judge over all nations, there are no cultural favourites. Everybody will have to give an account before this judge, the Lord Jesus. No one gets in because they think to themselves: "I’m Australian Anglican" or "Italian Catholic" or "American Baptist" or "Chinese Buddhist" or "African animist" or "Indian Hindu". Every human on this earth will stand before one Judge and his name is Jesus Christ king of kings. That we have not already been judged is Gods mercy, He has overlooked our rebellion so far

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. ~Acts 17:30 (NIV)

6. One command, to repent

There is one command for all people everywhere, turn from idols and trust in Lord Jesus. Repentance is not just remorse, you can be sorry for sins you never stop doing, repentance is not just reform. Lots of alcoholics have said 'no' to the bottle and not 'yes' to Jesus, repentance is about turning from my sin to Jesus. From a life run by me to a life run by Jesus. Repentance is about making Jesus the main character of your life. Aligning my view of the world with Jesus'. The plea, "But I was brought up this way" will not stand on the day of judgment. We must not fall into the trap of thinking that we are victims of our culture or family.

This God commands all people everywhere to repent, all nations, all ages, all classes, all styles, all personalities, all sexual orientations, all religions, all generations, to repent. You and I are not at the mercy of our upbringing. What we need to be clear in our head is this

7. One Proof for all people

There is no excuse now.

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” ~Acts 17:31 (NIV)

As far as God is concerned the resurrection of Jesus is enough proof for everybody to become a Christian.

Bertrand Russell, a famous British atheist philosopher, was asked “Bertrand what would you say to God on judgment day if Christianity proved to be true?" He said, "You didn’t give me enough evidence." But as far as God is concerned the resurrection of Jesus is enough proof for all people to repent. For every Australian in every state or territory regardless of who they are or where they come from: a Kenyan grandmother, a Columbian farmer, a Thai nurse or a Portuguese chef.

God commands all people everywhere to repent. No one is born a Christian, God has no grandchild. Kids and teenagers, you need to repent for yourselves.

The result of Paul's talks was that some became disciples while others laughed. Which is it to be for you? Will you be a follower of Christ or will you laugh in the face of this evidence? The tendency today is to focus on the cultural difference but God tells us we have far more in common. The one God made all of us from one man and we will stand before one judge who was raised from death and issued one command.

That is why when God speaks to Athenians 2000 years ago before microphones, microchips, microwaves. He speaks as much to you and me. We will all stand before the one judge and the evidence for the resurrection is sufficient proof. There is no "us and them" where it counts, it's just us. Remember it's God who commands not you. So yes gently, respectfully, winsomely, share this message.

And today God commands you to repent and he commands your loved ones to repent.

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So often when conflict arises there are times when we need to ‘agree to disagree’ but there are other times when we simply can’t. It's not like there was no conflict in the early church, one of the things I love about the bible is that it won't pretend, it’s 'a warts and all' story. In this midsection, in the book of Acts, we have two major conflicts recorded for all to read. One that needed to happen and the other one unfortunately often happens. One was a matter of salvation and the other was a matter of wisdom. I'll take the second one first

Question: What is the hardest thing about being a missionary?

It's other missionaries! Paul and Barnabas worked together so beautifully, for so long, and saw so many saved and many churches planted. Then Luke tells us they had a sharp disagreement. It was over whether to take John Mark with them on the 2nd missionary trip. You can imagine Barnabas, the son of encouragement, telling Paul “We must take him, sure he bailed on us, but don’t we believe in grace and hey he is my cousin” Paul said “No way Barnie! The gospel is too important and if he was not faithful in small things we cant give him big things.” Notice the solution, they agreed to disagree. This was a wisdom call.

We are not clear who was right. We are clear it didn't stop either of them preaching the good news of our Lord Jesus.

It's important to learn when to ‘agree to disagree.’ Don’t be an idealist! Conflict happens in the church! I've seen godly men who are good friends, who love Jesus and join the same church staff, and in 6 months one resigns.

Paul never lost respect for Barnabas but on this one, they went their separate ways and didn’t lose sight of the gospel.

The other conflict was not one you could ‘agree to disagree’

It is the most important conflict that has ever been waged. Certain men from Jerusalem came to the beautiful multiethnic church in Antioch to tell non-Jews that they were not true Christians

The Issue: Salvation by Works or Grace.

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” ~Acts 15:1 (NIV)

You can take the man out of Pharisee but it's hard to take the Pharisee out of the man. If these teachers were right then the church of Antioch was not a true church and all non-Jews had to become Jews to be saved. This would have meant that the Gospel is no longer good news.

Faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone.

Right now unvaccinated people are having their privileges stripped from them. Unless you are vaccinated you can't keep your job. It has created tremendous pressure. How much more is it to say to non-Jews, you can't be saved unless you’re circumcised.

At one level we can understand how the issue of circumcision arose. God nearly killed Moses for not circumcising his 2 sons and it was quick thinking by his wife that saved him from death.

Circumcision was the God-given sign that you belonged to God's people. Everything was at stake.

We have all experienced someone coming along and denying our salvation. Unless you have this spiritual gift, belong to that particular church then you are not going to heaven.

I was offered $10,000 to sack a student minister, by their mother, because she wanted them to come back to her church. She was convinced that unless he went to church on Saturday he could not go to heaven.

Paul and Barnabas immediately take on the false teachers.

This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. ~Acts 15:2 (NIV)

The language is strong because this is the most important issue the church has ever had to face. This was so important that they went to the apostles in Jerusalem to sort it out. The process is all done in a gracious, clear, public, ordered and emphatic way.

How is this matter to be cleared up? What is interesting is this - they do not go to the Prophets for an answer as in the Old Testament. NO! There is no word of knowledge, no word of wisdom. The Apostles and Elders gathered and a passionate debate takes place among the leaders. This is the first Church Council and it would not be the last - the Council of Nicea 325 dealt with Jesus being truly God. What is interesting is that in a Church so Spirit-filled, led by Apostles who were still alive, the right thing to do was to have a debate among the leadership with bibles open.

When you see churches debating issues, like the Anglican Synod (Parliament), don't lament that the church is divided, this is the way things have always been done, so pray that the right decision is made. So pray for your Synod Reps: David and Pat Jackson.

After much debate, three people speak, Peter Paul and James. They all point to what God has done. Peter affirms that God chose him to preach the gospel to the Nations. He saw how God poured his Holy Spirit on these believing non-Jews just as he did to Jews in Pentecost. In other words, God makes no distinction between them and us, between non-Jews and Jews. Their hearts were cleansed not by the law of Moses but by faith in Lord Jesus. So to place them back under the law would be to test God not trust God. God made them Spirit-filled Christians not by circumcision but by faith in his Son.

Peter makes the side point - let's face it, we Jews couldn't carry the load of the law and its 613 commandments, so why lay it on the non-Jewish Christians. Then the clincher.

No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” ~Acts 15:11 (NIV)

We are all saved in the same way as they are, by grace and not by law, through Faith alone in Christ and not works of the law, by what Christ has done not what I do. This is the issue that is forever being fought over throughout the church. This is the issue that is being fought in every heart. God accepts me, not on the quality of my performance but on the perfect performance of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. Christ loves me no more on my good days, He loves no less on my bad days. To trust Jesus, I need to stop trusting in my good works.

There was once a TV ad with the two boys in the hospital waiting room, they both had their hands stuck in the cookie jar. They could not pull their hands out unless they let the cookie go!

Let's be clear, we are not to stop doing good works but stop trusting them and cling to Jesus. We are not yoked to the Law we are yoked to Jesus, our identity is not tied to religious symbols but to our relationship with Jesus.

So first Peter then comes Paul and Barnabas and their point is simple.

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ~Acts 15:12 (NIV)

If Peter witnessed the conversion of the nations and the gift of the Spirit, then Paul witnessed the signs of wonders among the Nations, again making the point: What God did among them he did among us. There is no ‘us and them’ Signs and wonders are used to not only prove that Jesus is alive and Lord but also show that nations are in.

God has gone to a lot of effort to show us once and for all that you and I are saved by grace and are part of God's people.

Finally, James, the Lord's half-brother speaks. It should not surprise us that the nations are included, because God had predicted it.

Acts 15:15-18 he quotes Amos 9

The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’—things known from long ago. ~Acts 15:15-18 (NIV)

It wasn’t a new idea, the Bible always said God's remnant will include the nations who call on God's name. It's not for those who bear the mark of circumcision but bear the name of God.

On this one, we are not going to ‘agree to disagree’

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ~Acts 15:19 (NIV)

There is no Jesus plus Christianity
There is no faith plus works gospel
There is no mixing of Grace and law good news

If this battle had not been fought and won then it's not just that we would have to book every new Christian to see a doctor to be circumcised, it means that Jesus' death might as well have never happened. Paul says that if righteousness could be gained by the Law then Christ died for nothing.

We steal God's glory when we don’t rely on the finished work of Christ. Christianity would be as useless as every other religion

The writer C.S. Lewis once came late to a conference and he asked the ministers what they were discussing? They said “What is unique about Christianity compared to every other religion?” He said “That is easy, Grace”

500 years ago bishops, priests, nuns, and ordinary laypeople left the Catholic church. Why? The church stopped preaching that we are saved by faith alone in Christ, alone by grace alone.

With the gospel of grace comes freedom, true freedom is given to serve others.

James then asks only that the Non-Jews abstain from 4 things.

Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ~Acts 15: 20 (NIV)

But Jesus had declared all food clean, Christians are not under the law of Moses, so why ask them to limit their freedom?

For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. ~Acts 15:21 (NIV)

You’re free to eat but don’t use your freedom to harm others. Let the truth of the gospel set you free but let it set you free to serve your fellow Jewish Christians. Let love limit your liberty.

Not every Christians get this!

In the last couple of weeks, I heard two lovely stories. One person chose to not get vaccinated because they loved their spouse who was strongly vaccine-hesitant. I know another person who has strong concerns about vaccination who got vaccinated because they wanted to teach Scripture in schools.

In both cases, they made love for spouse and the lost, their highest value. Grasping grace sets you free to love and love sends us in all sorts of directions

Luther said, Paul was hard on the gospel and soft on love, he would not allow the false teachers to demand circumcision,

He would not ‘agree to disagree’ This was the time to be nonnegotiable! But when he took Timothy on his mission trip, he asked him to get circumcised, Why? So that the Jews could hear the gospel from Timothy.

John Newton said Paul was like an Iron pillar on essentials and like a reed in nonessentials. Let's pray for wisdom to know the difference.

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Life is full of defining first times: The first time we went to school, got a job, fell in love. Our world has its quota of first times and they are game-changers: The first time women voted; first time humans landed on the moon.

The book of Acts is a book of first times: The first time Spirit came down on all of God's people in Jerusalem; first time Samaritans called on the name of Jesus and the first time non-Jews were fully included in God's family.

Now we see in Antioch the first time a Church made up of Jews and non-Jews and the first time a church intentionally sent out missionaries. We are going to cover 80 verses in 30 minutes to inspire you to play your part in God's mission at MBM.

It took 11 chapters in Acts before it was clear that God has no favorites and he accepts all people who fear him. Jesus may have said “Go and make disciples” but it took a big push by God, through persecution, to force out the disciples from Jerusalem, and with them, out went the gospel. But they didn’t get the memo because they were only preaching to Jews in places like Antioch. Antioch is located on the eastern side of the Mediterranean. It actually took some men from Cyprus and Cyrene to preach to non - Jews in Antioch and many became Christians. So now for the first time, we have a church in Antioch with Christian Jews and non-Jews. Barnabas then goes to Tarsus to find Paul and bring him back and together they taught for a year to large numbers of believers. The church of Antioch has reaped where others had sown and now it was time for them to sow so that others may reap.

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. ~Acts 13:1 (NIV)

A generous church - this church has already sent money to Christians in a famine in Jerusalem, sent with Barnabas and Paul. They were a multiethnic church, Saul from Tarsus; Barnabas for Cyprus, and possibly two Africans, Simeon called Niger which means black and Lucius of Cyrene - North Africa.

They were economically diverse, not just slaves. Manaen was either a school friend or a foster brother to King Herod. They were gifted in the word ministry and they had Prophets and Teachers and they were about to send their best preachers on the mission field.

Antioch would serve as the first church-based mission to the nations. In that sense MBM shares some similarities with Antioch: We are both multiethnic and economically diverse. We have also sent some of our best teachers out: Rowan to New Zealand and Grant to MBM South West. Like Antioch, we are a sending church; planting churches locally and globally by sending homegrown missionaries.

Antioch had ministry trainees like John Mark and during the past 30 years, we have had 35 Ministry trainees and 105 student ministers. We have reaped where others have sown and we sow where others will reap. Our leadership at MBM is like that of Antioch, I count 13 different cultures across staff and deacons and next year we will be joined by our first African MTS, Kwabena. From the beginning, we understood that the Kingdom of God is bigger than MBM.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. ~Acts 13:2-3 (NIV)

This first mission was cutting new ground. I say explicitly because all mission is Spirit-led but here the Spirit of Jesus directly speaks, perhaps via a prophet, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, the point is clear, this is God's plan.

The second mission trip has no explicit mention of the Spirit. But all plans were be bathed in prayer. We are to prayerfully depend on the Holy Spirit. I don’t think I have ever told the church but before I went to Bible college I prayed and fasted 3 days. When we started MBM we prayed each week for a year. The bishops laid hands on me and ordained me to plant MBM.

It's clear that the living Jesus, through his Spirit, is directing this church to send missionaries to the nations. It would take 2 years (46-48AD) and I count 6 places that they went to evangelise: Salamis and Paphos (in Cyprus); by boat they went to Pisidian Antioch, Iconium and Lystra and Derbe, all in modern Turkey.

Here are some patterns between MBM and them.

1. They went to the Jews first.

Jesus is first a Jewish messiah. He was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises. Some of the Jews would become elders in the new churches. At MBM we first reached Maltese and other second-generation Middle eastern and Mediterranean.

2. They went to cities and towns

Cities have more people to evangelise and they were more likely to find a synagogue (a hub for the Jews) in the cities. Our focus the Western suburbs of Sydney; where many call home.

3. They then went to the nations

They saw many non-Jews converted, the first was Sergius Paulus. He was impressed by teaching about the Lord. Roman readers of Acts would realise that the gospel is not just for slaves and Jews but for the intelligent Roman elite, and he was not the last.

4. They faced growing opposition

In Paphos, they encountered a Jewish false prophet who was into magic dark arts. Elymas hindered Proconsul from accepting the message. And Paul, full of the Spirit, confronted him headlong

Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” ~Acts 13:9-11 (NIV)

Paul gave him 5 descriptions and not one was a compliment. He didn’t so much issue a curse on Elymas but announced God's judgment. Paul knew exactly what it's like to have the hand of the Lord against you since he was blinded 14 years earlier.

In Pisidan Antioch Paul was slandered and thrown out of the region. In Iconium they threaten to stone him and in Lystra they actually did stone him and left him for dead.

For us, at MBM the opposition has been as individuals and families. The first Maltese to become a Christian got punched by her father in the face. She is now the wife of an Anglican Minister. I remember visiting the parents of an Italian woman who was the first to be baptised at MBM, her father was angry and wanted to see me. I remember sitting in his kitchen where he kept telling me he had a shot gun in the next room, with bullets. All the while his dog was chewing my new slacks.

Jesus was clear with his disciple and Paul is clear with us.

… “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. ~Acts 14:22 (NIV)

Of course, you can avoid hardship by not being salt and light and by being silent. Some like John Mark found it too hard and he returns home. But it's not the end of the story for him. We will see Paul say later “Get me John Mark he is very useful to me.” Your past failures don't have to determine your future ministry.

5. They respond to persecution with great boldness

In Lystra, a lame man is miraculously healed through Paul. These people from Lystra, thought the gods had come down again, they confused Barnabas and Paul with the Roman gods Zeus and Hermes. One moment they try to worship Paul and then they try to kill Paul. But Paul gets up, shakes the dust off and went on to the next town to preach.

No matter how bad it got they didn’t skip a beat. They went to the next town and preach Christ. Their courage was breathtaking.

McCrindle research shows that people are more open to hearing about Christ:

• During COVID, nearly ½ of people spent time thinking about the meaning of life and their own death
• 57% thought this was the hardest time of their life
• 30% of Australians are very likely to attend church if invited.
• It's 45% for Gen Z

Since last year I prayed every day for courage and I ask you to join me in this prayer as we look to 2022. Sandy and I were waiting for a cup of coffee and a lady walked past and said ‘I feel the need to ask you, do you know that Jesus loves you?’ Let's prayerfully depend on the Holy Spirit for courage.

6. One door closes and another opens.

Again and again, the rejection from some Jews spearheaded the good news going to the nations

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ~Acts 13:46 (NIV)

Our first focus was to reach 2nd generation Mediterranean and Middle eastern but then we found ourselves with a large group from hippy or heavy metal - heavily tattooed, who loved the message. At one stage we had 13 up the front where one person led the next to Christ. Eventually came those from Asia, South America, Africa

7. As apostles they were blessed with signs and wonders.

Miracles of healing such as the lame man in Lystra, miracles of Judgment on Elymas, these apostles were in the words of Isaiah, a light to the nations

John and Betty Sharpe were members of MBM for 12 years, they took the gospel to the Tugital in the jungles of Indonesia. One of the men who got converted, years later, told John that when he first came to their tribe he was following John in the jungle and as he was about to pull out his machete to slice Johns's head off, he said someone stopped his hand. When all is said and done, they like us were committed to same thing.

8. They preach same gospel according to the scriptures

Paul gives an extended speech in the Synagogue in Pisidia Antioch. Paul addresses Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, it would be the same message for both. Paul retraces the steps of Israel's history and the points were clear.

This is God's salvation for all nations:

• God chose Israel
• God made them great in Egypt
• God put up with them in Wilderness
• God destroyed the 7 nations and gave the land to his people
• God raised up judges
• God raised up Kings
• God raised up King David, a man after his own heart.
• God raised up a Saviour from the line of David, they may have killed him
• God raised Jesus to life never to experience decay, as predicted in Psalm 16. And Jesus appeared to many confirming he is alive and ruling.

All good preaching is grounded in the scriptures
All good preaching focuses on the good news of Jesus.
All good preaching calls for a response with a warning

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. ~Acts 13:38-39 (NIV)

It's good news because Jesus alone offers a clean slate and a fresh start. Only through Jesus can you be justified and set free. True freedom day is not coming out of lockdown, It's coming out from under the wrath of God and it's knowing you are fully pardoned.

I was watching Gladys our former Premier being grilled by ICAC and her words were being used against her. She looked so uncomfortable. Then I thought, Try being on judgment day with your words used to condemn you. In Jesus we are Justified, we know now what God is going to say on the last day - Not guilty! That is why it's called a message of grace, good news of our Lord Jesus.

I beg you that there is only one Saviour and he comes to forgive, but you must come to him. Then as now, some believed and some rejected. As then - so now

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. ~Acts 13:48 (NIV)

What kept Paul steadfast and true? What keeps me sane seeing that some accept and some reject? This is God's salvation and those whom he chooses for eternal life will believe. So our labour is not in vain. That is why we don’t change the message-whatever happens during COVID; that is why we don’t panic for this is his mission.

Paul's mission is not just to preach Christ. Paul and Barnabas backtrack and visit the same places where they were slandered and stoned. It's to strengthen Christians, appoint elders, and establish churches.

MBM Mission

Many know the MBM vision but not many would know our mission statement which is:

To bring all people in the west of Sydney to Christ, and into maturity of Christ, and establish them as active partners in the church of God to the glory of God the Father.

It's why after Explaining Christianity we offer a year-long course called Firm Foundation course. To make sure new Christians are grounded. After Firm Foundations, we invite them to Belonging to join our church. And if not our church, then to join another.

The apostles returned to their home church in Antioch to report what God had done.

On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. ~Acts 14:27 (NIV)

In a sense it's what we are doing today in the celebration series as we look back and reflect on what God has done through us all. In 2021 we are celebrating over 20 people come to faith this year and over 100 people Explaining Christianity

God doesn't need us but his plan is to use us. And what a plan!

Not every church is a sending church. This has been our privilege at MBM for 30 years. May it always be so as we turn our attention to the next campus in the next couple of years.

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It's hard to appreciate what we all take for granted. When was the last time you thanked God for your Australian citizenship? So little regard that we threaten citizens with a fine if they don't vote but if you lived in a refugee camp on an endless waiting list you will treasure that citizenship when you finally get it. I was talking to a newly arrived Afghanistan man at Westmead hospital on Sunday, he was visiting his sick mother, he was so thankful for our medical system, so thankful for Australia allowing him to come here, he was an interpreter for US forces and 6 others didn’t make it.

Today God wants you to appreciate a precious truth - That God accepts people from all nations. It cuts through every temptation to racism. In this section of Acts, Peter is slammed for going to a non-Jewish house and eating with them. What's the big deal!

In Chapter 11 Peter is retracing the events that led him to have fellowship with Cornelius–a God fearing non-Jew–who he led to Christ.

It's hard for us to appreciate because for the last 2000 years the church has been in the hands of non-Jews. But at the beginning of the church, the vast majority of Christians were Jews. As yet the apostles haven't been confronted with non-Jews coming to Christ. They are trying to catch up with what God is doing. This is one of the biggest jumps the apostles will ever have to make.

Like last week we have 2 visions given to 2 people to make 1 point. God will show the church he has no favourites. Two visions from two angels which confirming that what has happened is real.

…‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ ~Acts 11:9 (NIV)

Peter is in a coastal town called Joppa, he has just raised a woman from the dead and as he is praying and waiting for lunch to be prepared he falls into a deep trance on the roof of the house. In the vision a sheet appears and is lowered, in it are the very animals that God declared as unclean in the Old Testament, they were off-limits to any Jew who wanted to take God seriously. In the vision, God surprisingly says to Peter... Kill and eat! Peter is still a good Jew and resists.

“I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ~Acts 11:8 (NIV)

Peter was committed to the Law even in his subconscious. No rasher of bacon, no lobster mornay has ever touched his lips. But it is God who sets the terms for worship and the terms have changed. With the coming of Jesus, all food is clean. It so goes against Peters grain so that he won't do it. Remember, all his life eating pork was a sin. God is moving him on to New Covenant freedom and he is reluctant to catch the freedom.

“The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ ~Acts 11:9 (NIV)

There is nothing more arrogant than saying something is wrong when God says it's right. It's what religion is all about, thinking you can be more holy than God, claiming you know better than God. Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. Consider every major world religion, they are still calling clean - unclean. Muslims and Jews refuse to eat pork, Hindus and many Buddhists refuse to eat meat. Jesus was already clear on this, it’s not what goes into your mouth that makes you unclean it’s what comes out of your heart.

Master chef owes its existence to Jesus declaring all food clean and don’t we enjoy our freedom, remember our International luncheons pre COVID, food from the Pacific Islands, China, SE Asia, Philippines, Africa, Middle East, Mediterranean, South American - I think Crocodile made it on the menu once (it tasted like Chicken).

We take for granted the celebration of our freedom in Christ. It is the height of arrogance to tell God how he is to be worshipped. I love to tell the story of my wife’s 30th birthday present, I gave Sandy a very big expensive red wheelbarrow, you may laugh - only because you don't know my wife. Now we live in a 2 bedroom unit and it would be a lousy gift.

God was now declaring that all food is clean for all time. You can't be wiser than God. Remember when Jesus said he must suffer and be killed and peter rebukes him Jesus? Jesus rebukes Peter, “you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.” We do not tell him how he is to be worshipped, he tells us.

This vision points to something bigger than Christians being able to eat sweet and sour pork, just as there were no unclean animals so there were no unclean nations. So, God gives a vision to a man, who was once off-limits to a Jew.

Peter speaking:

“Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ ~Acts 11:11-14 (NIV)

Cornelius was the man who had the vision and sent for Peter. He served in the Roman Army as a centurion with 100 men under his command. Cornelius was a devout God-fearer, he would have been viewed as unclean not because he was a soldier but because he was an Italian, a non-Jew. In the midst of one of his many prayers, he receives a vision. Both Peter and Cornelius are given visions, like a chess player God is moving the pieces. In a vision to Cornelius, he knows to send for Peter, and in another vision, to Peter he knows to go to Cornelius. If eating unclean food was almost impossible for Peter, eating with unclean Non-Jews was impossible.

Peter arrives at Cornelius house with 6 others, each serving as witnesses to this big next step in God's plan. This is probably the first time Peter has entered into a Gentile's home. Cornelius and his family were so excited because Peter will bring a message through which he and his household will be saved. Notice Cornelius invited everyone he knew because he wanted his loved ones to be saved, Peter found a large gathering of people. I see that each time we run Explaining Christianity, people invite their loved ones. Notice how Cornelius responds to meeting Peter

As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ~Acts 10:25-26 (NIV)

This will happen again in Acts, humans confusing the message with the messenger and Peter will not allow it. He is there for them to worship Jesus, not him. It's so easy to miss the point, notice his first point

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ~Acts 10:34 (NIV)

Have you ever thought as you read the gospels that if you invited Peter to your house for a meal he would say 'No'! If you were one of the 5,000 you would have been fed but kept separate from the rest. Even after Pentecost, there was no way you could visit Peter in his home. Only now does he realize that God accepts from every nation the one who fears him. We may want to say to Peter ‘What took you so long?’

God is now redefining his terms, better said that God is fulfilling his promises to Ab to bless the world. The shift from Old Covenant to New Covenant is now taking place, God does not show favouritism, His holy nation will be a holy people, now from every language and tribe. The reason this takes place is not some government policy on tolerance and inclusion where some fear of being called a racist. It's tied to who Christ is.

So, Peter brings Cornelius up to date with God's plan. Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ who is Lord over all, He was anointed by the Spirit, empowered with signs and wonders, went around doing good, casting out demons, killed by men on a tree, raised to life by God, seen by God chosen witnesses who preached. God appointed Jesus as Judge of the living and dead.

The message from the Old Testament prophet and New Testament apostles is the same. "everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” God has no favourites. "God so loved the world that whoever believes..." and yes, that even includes the Italians. Since I'm 52% Southern Italian and Malta lies 100 km off the coast of Sicily that particularly warms my heart. To confirm this final step, God pours out his Spirit among these Italians.

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. .. So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” ~Acts 11:15,17 (NIV)

What God did for Jews at Pentecost He has now done for these Romans at Caesarea. The point here is not that we ought to expect a vision before we share Christ or that every new Christian should break into tongues, the point is that the ground has been cleared, God has no favourites! The Gospel is for all nations, forgiveness is for those who repent, don’t take this for granted.

At MBM we get to have front row seats on this amazing plan of God. We started as the Maltese Bible Ministry 30 years ago and within 2 years we had more Assyrians. Then came other Mediterranean’s and Middle Easterners, then Chinese, S E. Asians, Indians and Sri Lankans, Africans and South Americans as well as Indigenous and 2nd, 3rd ,4th, 5th generation Aussies.

In hindsight, I would not have started with a single ethnic focus. At MBM we are now convinced that each new campus is multi-ethnic unless there is a need for specific language ministry such as Arabic Soul Salvation. We don't want the world to miss out on the wonder that salvation is for all who believe. Our fellowship at MBM is a reminder that God has kept his promise to Ab to bless the nations. Each gathering of MBM is a picture of the age to come where people from every nation is gathered around the throne. So, lets gather next week and each Sunday and show the world that Christ is Lord of all nations where people from warring nations are no longer at war.

Early on at MBM we had a Greek and a Turk co-leading a Bible study. They loved to say ‘The only thing we fight over is who came up with the kebab.’ That truth must be worked out on every angle, race, class, style.

I remember preaching on the book of James on how God does not show favouritism, one man came up to me and said ‘Ray I was really convicted by the sermon today’ ‘Why is that Joe?’ ‘Frank Spiteri asked me to ride with them today and I said ‘yes’ ‘I don’t understand?’ ‘Ray, a Harley rider never rides with Japanese bikes.’ Joe had rightly understood that we define ourselves in terms of Christ not cultural preferences and style. Don’t take for granted that God grants even the Gentiles repentance that leads to life.

When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” ~Acts 11:18 (NIV)

Once the disciples heard Peter story they went from anger to praise the Lord. God shows no favouritism for those who fear him and repent.

A response is required. Can I urge you whoever you are wherever you come from and whatever you have done. Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus who is Lord of all. Jesus is Judge of all but he is only Saviour to all who trust him.

Only in him is full forgiveness found. May God show no favouritism and accept any who come to him. Let's make sure we never take this truth for granted. Let us praise the Lord Jesus for we are citizens of heaven.

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Our Vision at MBM is to see lives transformed through Jesus Christ to the glory of God. No better example of a transformed life is that of Matt Anderson who sadly died this week at age 30. Facebook alone tells you how many people were impacted by him. He served both here and overseas, in some ways he was just like Paul who said we not only shared the gospel but our very lives, and yet Matt’s story is very different from Paul's.

Matt did not have much of a before and after story, at age 15 he was having hour-long prayer times while Paul in contrast had a massive before and after story: he was the worst of sinners, he was ultimately an example of God’s grace and he was then given the most important job - to take the gospel of grace to the ends of the earth.

We resume our time in Acts. Let's take a step back, Luke in his gospel first told the story of Jesus' life death, and resurrection. In Acts, he tells the ongoing story of the living King Jesus taking the good news to the ends of the earth. After Jesus ascended to heaven and 50 days later the Spirit descend. He turns 12 scared lambs into 12 bold lions preaching, with the threat of arrest and death. The good news spreads from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth. The church spectacularly grows from 12 to 120 to 3,000 to 5000. The church becomes devoted to prayer, fellowship, apostles' teaching, and breaking of bread. With blessing comes persecution, forcing believers to be pushed out of Jerusalem, with them the message spreads to Samaria. Today we see one of the worst persecutors of Christians becomes the preacher of Christ.

1. Saul: The Persecutor of the church

Saul was behind the death of the first Christian, Stephen, not satisfied with one dead Christian.

But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. ~Acts 8:3 (NIV)

No Christian was off-limits, both men and women. No house or synagogue was beyond his reach. No city was exempted.

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ~Acts 9:1-2 (NIV)

There was an uncontrolled zeal to wipe out the name of Jesus, to eradicate Christianity from the face of the earth, Saul in his own words tells us in Acts 26 - many saints in many cities were dragged out of many synagogues and sent into many prisons - All in God’s name. He is more like a suicide bomber doing it for God’s glory. If they were taking votes on the person most likely to NOT become a Christian, it was Saul. Many thought it was just impossible for him to be saved. Imagine the most unlikely person today to become a Christian and then double it that is Saul! Ruthless, focused and determined in his hatred. No one would have expected him to be saved.

1. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Saul was onto his next city, arresting even more Christians in Damascus - 220 kilometres, when who should appear on the road to Damascus but the living Lord, Lord Jesus, the absolute last person he expected.

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” ~Acts 9:3-6 (NIV)

Jesus confronted the persecutor head-on, the flashing light, the voice of the Lord Jesus, and then the question… “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Shouldn’t he have said ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting my people?’ Saul was killing Christians, not Christ. Jesus had already ascended to heaven but Jesus stands so close to his people. When you mess with Christian people you mess with Christ, it’s always that personal with Jesus. You cannot love Jesus and not love his church.

But of course, Saul did not know Jesus, when he hears the voice he says, “Who are you, Lord?” That was a giveaway, different from when Ananias hears Jesus and he says “Yes, Lord.” Notice also this is not a private vision. Mohammed and Mormonism rely on private revelations that can’t be verified and fact-checked. When Jesus speaks to Saul, there were others around him who heard the voice as well and they were not Christians.

Ananias, who is a Christian, is in Damascus and he also is given a vision about Saul’s vision. It was at the same time in a different location, independently verifying what happened to Saul really took place. Ananias is told to go to Saul who by this stage has been in Damascus for 3 days. Saul is blind, in prayer and in such deep sorrow he can’t eat. We can only imagine what went on in Saul’s mind those 3 days

1. The one whom I hated with a passion turned out to be the Living Christ, the Son of God.
2. The followers of Jesus whom I personally arrested and killed are about to be my brothers in the Lord forever.
3. While I thought I was working for God it turns out I was working for Satan.

How wrong can one person get? So serious that Paul never stopped calling himself the worst of sinners, which means you can only be the 2nd worst. But mercy comes to Saul, the worst of sinners. At the command of Jesus, Ananias lay hands on Saul and he is instantly healed of his blindness and receives the Spirit, and is baptized. The change is so complete he will change his name from Saul to Paul - he is a new creation. Almost without hesitation, Paul begins to speak of Jesus. The persecutor becomes the proclaimer

2. The Persecutor becomes the Proclaimer

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ~Acts 9:15 (NIV)

This was no simple offer of forgiveness, it was a commissioning not just a conversion. He would not just be a disciple like every Christian but an apostle. Jesus was giving not just a fresh start but a job, He is God’s chosen instrument. His many letters remind us of that truth “Paul, called to be an apostle by the will of God.” This is one job you cant apply for. He will carry the name of Jesus to nations, to kings and before the people of Israel.

Paul’s conversion will take the lead in the mission to the nations. Acts will now mostly follow Paul, taking the good news …to the ends of the earth. And sure enough, as soon as he regains his strength he preaches in Damascus.

At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. … Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. ~Acts 9:20, 22 (NIV)

Notice what he preaches, Jesus is the Son of God – the Christ, the very thing that Jesus was condemned to death for, the very thing Saul arrested people in synagogues for. The one who led the fight against Christianity is now leading the defence for Christ because Jesus appeared as God’s Son and God’s reigning King, that was enough to guarantee his death sentence.

3. The Persecutor becomes the Persecuted

The hunter becomes hunted. Jesus had already lovingly warned Saul

I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. ~Acts 9:16 (NIV)

This warning is not in the small print on page 342, Jesus was upfront with Saul. As Acts unfolds, we will see him beaten, stoned, arrested, shipwrecked, jailed and left to die. Just as he caused many to suffer, so now he will suffer for the name of Jesus. No greater evidence than Saul, a Christian killer, now becomes a Christian witness that Jesus is alive.

I believe in the resurrection of Jesus for numerous reasons, it is not just based on eyewitnesses who were friends of Jesus. The greatest witness to Jesus being alive came from his greatest enemy. That is probably why Paul’s testimony is repeated three times. If you don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead then why does Paul change sides? He lost everything including his life for this Jesus, he got no money, he lost all respect, it was replaced by a life marked by suffering. Can you keep on rejecting this evidence?

The Jewish leaders were just not interested in the truth, the moment Saul preaches, he is persecuted. First in Damascus where he came to arrest Christians…

After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. ~Acts 9:23-24 (NIV)

Saul, came into that city with great power and authority, he is now humbled and helpless and finds himself blinded. Flat on his face and led by others and given sight through a disciple of Jesus. Then ended up being lowered at night down a basket through an opening in the wall.

From Damascus, he goes to Jerusalem and it’s no better there… Again, boldly preaching he finds himself with a death sentence and then sent off to his home city, Tarsus, all because he met the risen Jesus. One of many pieces of evidence that Jesus is alive.

4. Brother, Saul

What is clear is that Saul was one terrifying man. Every Christian feared the day he might come into their town, their synagogue and their homes to hunt them down. Imagine you’re one of the only 1000 Christians left in Afghanistan waiting for the Taliban to come knocking on the door.

Now the same followers had to deal with a different issue. Now the issue was welcoming, forgiving and trusting the man who tried to kill them. When Ananias was first told to lay hands on Saul in a vision, he tells Jesus…

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” ~Acts 9:13-14 (NIV)

When he comes to Jerusalem, the disciples also were afraid.

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ~Acts 9:26 (NIV)

You don’t blame them! Every believer was afraid - could they trust him? Was he some undercover spy, like a double agent? Imagine Saul would take his place in this church with the relatives of the late Stephen. How could you break bread with a man who broke your brother, the one who organized your son’s death? How could you drink of cup with one who spilled the blood of your loved ones; who was behind the arrest of your friends and family?

But Ananias said it better than anyone.

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here— has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ~Acts 9:17 (NIV)

There are two words that stand out for me: "Brother Saul" How hard it would have been to say: "Brother Saul" And how important it would have been for Saul to hear "Brother Saul" Not just "friend", or "sir" but "Brother Saul." Before he had time to prove he was genuine. Before he had time to say “I’m sorry” out came the grace of the Lord Jesus, Brother Saul. The same grace was offered by Barnabas before the apostles.

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. ~Acts 9:27 (NIV)

Barnabas urged the apostles to accept him. He is one of us. What do we learn? We believe in the God who can convert anybody. Nothing is impossible for God

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. ~Isaiah 65:1 (NIV)

I get shocked when a person says to their loved one: "I don’t want you coming to church unless your heart is in it." What? Who cares. If God can show mercy to the worst of sinners, then He can show mercy to anyone, including you. No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. No one is so bad that they cant be forgiven. No one is so good that they don’t need to be forgiven. If God can show mercy to Saul, the worst, of course he can show mercy to you.

There is a dangerous bi-product to grace. We want to sometimes avoid people who God has forgiven. It’s the same problem of having those nations you were taught to hate now as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Whatever happens friends don’t stay away because you have been hurt by thoughtless words about whichever side of the vaccine you may fall. Refuse to define yourself or other in terms of vaccine. Don’t tear down what the gospel of grace has restored.

The early church had to fellowship with the worst of sinners who had killed their family. There is a temptation here, can you see it? Answered in two words Brother Saul.

God has taken our brother Matt home, He taught us not to waste what years we have, he not only shared the gospel, he shared his very life and for that example we thank God.

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Chances are - if you’re afraid, you’re afraid of the wrong thing.

In the days when royals ruled, Queen Elizabeth I, was sovereign in Great Britain over 400 years ago. For a brief time, she considered marrying a French Duke - clearly, she had a preference for Mediterranean men - and who could blame her? But one of her subjects wrote to her saying it was not appropriate for the British monarch flirting with the French and the Queen was furious. She summoned the man, asked him which hand he wrote the letter with, and then ordered that his hand be cut off and he was sent to prison for 18 months. Now that is what you call royalty with a kick. These days, Queen Elizabeth II can’t even stop the paparazzi from ruining her holidays. How times have changed!

Psalm 2 teaches us that those who defy God and his king have no hope in heaven or hell of getting away with it. Psalm 2 contains 4 scenes. Imagine a camera moving from one scene to the next.

Scene 1: Kings against the King of Kings

The rulers and nations of the earth are pictured in a plot to overthrow God and his anointed one. Our world is in open rebellion against God:

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” ~Psalm 2:1-3 (NIV)

The question is asked - not because he is confused, He is shocked at the sheer stupidity of such a rebellion. Such plans will always come to nothing. They plot in vain and in every attempt to overthrow God, we come off second best. Yet still they rage “against the LORD (God of Israel) and against his Anointed one (the Messiah) ”. The one whom God has given the right to rule the universe forever (2 Samuel 7).

This is not kingdom versus kingdom or human versus human, but humans versus God. This is the ultimate and highest form of genuine conspiracy, the ultimate problem is not them out there, those anonymous men in closed meetings who operate in the shadows who are pulling strings to gain control, to crush the lives of the average person. This ignores our part in suppressing the truth. When the Times newspaper, asked its readers, “What’s wrong with the world?” GK Chesterton’s simple answer was, “I am!” Psalm 2 speaks of the Worldwide conspiracy that we are all involved in. It began with Adam and Eve by the time you get to the 6th chapter of Genesis,

… “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” ~Genesis 6:5 (NIV)

This is complete, thorough, and wilful defiance. I think of a woman who rented out her house as a retirement investment. Her mortgage repayments were high and she had the tenants from hell. First the tenants paid the rent irregularly. Then they stopped paying altogether. It was 4 months before the sheriff was able to remove the tenants. If that was not bad enough, they trashed the house and they left behind a photo of one tenant staring at the camera and sticking up her middle finger, what my kids used to call “the rude finger”.

This is what we do to the God who gave us this world to live in. The world has always hated God. That hatred reached its climax when God and man met face to face and Jesus Christ came into the world. Psalm 2 describes the treatment of King David by the nations - it also operates as a prophecy when they plot against Jesus. The apostle Peter draws this link for us he quotes psalm 2 then says

...for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. ~Acts 4:27-28 (NIV)

Psalm 2 looks forward in time 1000 years as the world takes its stand against God’s anointed. Herod, who “treated him with contempt and mocked him”. Pilate, who gave permission to execute Jesus. The people of Israel who cried out “Crucify him” and the Roman soldiers who pierced and nailed Christ.

God became one of us so we hunted him down. Given half a chance, man’s first inclination when he meets God face to face is to kill him. What they did to Jesus at the cross is what we in our sins have always been trying to do - to remove God from our lives; break free, once and for all. I demand my independence!

The U2 song gets it ‘When Love Comes to Town’, I was there when they crucified my Lord I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword I threw the dice when they pierced his side But I’ve seen love conquer the great divide.

There comes a time when you need to come clean, your sins and mine nailed Jesus to the cross.

Scene 2: God the king

Now the camera turns to see God’s reaction to the rebellion:

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” ~Psalm 2:4-6 (NIV)

As we see God’s reaction we learn 3 things.

1. He is fully enthroned - God is not intimidated, He is totally in charge.

When I was 11, we had a string of casual teachers at school and more than one of them left the class in tears, never to be seen again but God is not intimidated by our rebellion. When the philosopher Nietzsche declares that “God is dead”, and stand-up comedians make jokes at God’s expense. Do not think that God has lost control or that He is a victim of hate speech. He is not tortured with an inferiority complex. Nothing could be further from the truth.

1. He laughs

What did God do when:

• Judas, out of greed, handed Jesus over to the priests
• The priests, out of envy, handed Jesus over to Pilate
• Pilate, out of fear, handed Jesus over to the soldiers who then crucified him?

In a nutshell, God laughed. God will always have the last laugh.

But this is not the laughter of one who enjoys what is happening, He scoffs at the sheer stupidity of mankind. Rebellion is not just wrong, its dumb. Like walking onto a freeway in front of a massive truck going at full speed, and thinking that the truck is going to come off second best - there is simply no contest. God laughs at our futile attempts to defy him. Whenever you’re overwhelmed by what is happening on earth it always pays to lift your eyes from your screen and look up to heaven to see who is enthroned.

1. His king is installed

To his enemies, God is clear “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” In effect, God is saying, “Do what you like to him, he is still the King.” God’s enemies could not get rid of King David or Son of David. You would not normally think of a crucifixion as a mark of victory.

About 70 years before the time of Jesus, there was a slave rebellion led by Sparticus. They defeated 2 Roman forces, overran most of southern Italy, and they grew to many thousands.

The Roman army’s fury eventually killed Spartacus and his men and to make the point that Rome would not tolerate such rebellion, 6,000 other slaves were crucified on the Appian Way leading into Rome, for all to see. Their bodies were left on the crosses for months. So, the cross is normally the symbol of crushing defeat but on that first good Friday - the cross became the platform for God’s greatest victory. On the cross the Devil was disarmed, Death was defeated, God’s anger turned away from us onto himself and our forgiveness was fully purchased.

That is why Jesus’ kingdom will never end. That is why God made sure that above Jesus at the cross were written the words “This is the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:38). Written in 3 languages (Latin, Greek and Hebrew) so all the world would know that God had installed his king on Zion

Scene 3: God’s anointed king

Now the camera focuses on the king, God announces his plan for this king:

I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” ~Psalm 2:7-9 (NIV)

We learn 2 important things about the King.

1. Son of God

Firstly, this king is Gods son. Rebellion against Christ is deeply personal for God, He is his one and only Son, I can relate to that. One day when my daughter was at preschool, my wife found her on the ground with a group of preschool boys kicking her, while the ring leader raised his clenched fist, chanting, “Kill girl, kill girl!” Werent those boys lucky I was not around that day. Imagine facing God’s anger after you have defied his Son. Jesus doesn’t become God’s Son when he rises from the dead, but his resurrection makes it obvious to everyone what was hidden at the cross is made public at the resurrection. Christ’s resurrection marks both the defeat of death and it’s a declaration that Jesus is God`s Son. You’re not called to submit to a dead king but to a living Lord. Dead people are not scary, they’re just smelly, but a living Son of God is awfully intimidating. This living King has defeated our ultimate enemy: death.

1. Heir to the universe

God made the entire world for his Son. There is not square metre of this universe where Jesus cant say this is mine and I own it. Understand this, and you understand the meaning of life. The Father invites the Son to ask for the nations who rebel as an inheritance. What belongs to God belongs to his Son, the authority of Jesus is so complete that if any oppose him, he will dash them to pieces like broken pottery. Jesus said don’t fear the one who can kill the body fear the one who can throw the body and the soul into hell.

As Bob Dylan once wrote: The iron hand it ain’t no match for the iron rod. The strongest wall will crumble and fall to a mighty God. For all those who have eyes and all those who have ears it is only he who can reduce me to tears [...]

Of every earthly plan that be known to man, he is unconcerned, He’s got plans of his own to set up his throne when he returns. On that day those who rebel will beg God to kill them and they wont be able to die. But God does not want to dash anyone to pieces; He does not delight in the death of a rebel.

Scene 4: Kiss the king

The last section is a call to all of us who have rebelled to be wise, to be warned, and to serve the Lord, to give up and take refuge in him.

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. ~Psalm 2:10-12 (NIV)

Kiss the Son or kiss heaven goodbye! When you kiss a king, it’s a sign of submission, it’s a mark of surrender, this kind of kiss says, “I want peace with God’s king on God’s terms”.

In the film, The Devil’s Own, Brad Pitt plays an IRA terrorist, he says about the British “They say the word ‘peace’, but … all they want is surrender”

God is saying with me and my son PEACE and SURRENDER must go together. Peace can only come if we surrender to his Son. We all have a choice to make, but what choice is it when the options are so clear?

A ministry trainee at church once explained the rule of Jesus to two Iranian doctors who had spent 8 years studying medicine in Russia. On hearing of Jesus’ authority, they immediately wanted to become Christians. Surprised by their quick reaction, the trainee asked them, “Are you sure? Do you want time to think about it?” They responded, “We have no choice!” Do you see Jesus with such clarity?

Accepting Jesus as Lord is motivated by many things.

• The truth of Jesus’ claims
• The resurrection of Christ
• The consequence of rejecting him
• Motivated by the extraordinary promises of blessing.

Psalm 2, is so clearly fulfilled in Jesus, what most Christians don’t know is that it also applies to us who submit to him. To the church in Laodicea he says:

“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” ~Revelation 3:21 (NIV)

In a surprising twist, we in Christ get to share in the inheritance and rule of Christ. This is why God allows us to call Jesus our brother and not just our Lord. This is why we are deemed to be co-heirs with Christ. This is why we are told that the meek will inherit the earth, not this earth, but the new heavens and the new earth.

What is the difference between Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon, and the average Christian? Apart from 177 billion dollars, Mr Bezos dreams are too small. He may one day get you to the moon but in Christ you co-own the universe. We Christians are insatiable dreamers, we refuse to be satisfied with nothing less than everything.

We rightly want it all. Jesus has it all. If we kiss the Son,we get it all - to the glory of God! When we understand this, we will not treat our jobs as if they were careers, our houses as if they were palaces, and our lover as if they were god.

Kiss the Son, or kiss it all goodbye.

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What is the role of a pastor? This is one of the issues raised by COVID, both sides of the vaccine debate have wanted me to tell the congregation to get vaccinated or not get vaccinated, I can see why. The best of both sides are driven by love and are concerned for the health of our community, I have unapologetically said “I am a pastor, I am not a scientist nor a doctor” I go to my doctor who I trust for my health, I don’t go to my pastor friends.

But behind the question is my failure to teach the difference between Truth and truth. That is the Big 'T' truth concerns special revelations from God in the bible and the Small T truth concerns everything else from science, politics and psychology. Big 'T' truth is timeless and without error the Small 'T' truth is experimental, open to be tested and examined.

My role as pastor is to speak to what is timeless and revealed, so when I bang on about preaching the gospel as of first importance and love being the most excellent way and that there should be no division in the church of Christ, it's because its revealed truth. I will go to jail for Big T truth not Small T truth. It may not be where you’re itching right now, but my task is to preach what is revealed in season and out of season.

The history of the church is filled with pastors and priests who have over reached, saying the earth is flat or that political leader is the antichrist or in the 70s we were told bankcard was the mark of the beast. Gresham Machen, awesome bible teacher, protested against traffic lights as a violation of human rights. It didn’t take too long before they were made look foolish and made Jesus look bad.

Pastors are to teach what is revealed, no more and no less. I'm not saying that there is not a relationship between Big T truth and little T truth but the Bible has a lot to say about government but it doesn’t say whether we should be a constitutional monarchy or a republic. So, when Christians DIVIDE the church on little 'T' truth, like views on vaccine, I want to say 'you’re over reaching'.

It's not surprising that when it comes to Big 'T' Truth, Timothy guards the deposit that has been entrusted to him. He is charged to avoid godless chatter, this sounds like social media to me, this is the 3rd time that he names false teaching and it's the 3rd time Paul charges Timothy to guard the truth. He is to teach it, guard it, fight for it and take hold of it, verbs like insist, command, refute and silence. The test for big 'T' truth is if it:

… agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching ~1 Timothy 6:3 (NIV)

There is a benchmark of revealed truth. It is Gods Word and not the NEWS nor the INTERNET. Behind false teaching is bad character

they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words ~1Timothy 6:4 (NIV)

PRIDE making them unteachable, who stir up trouble, claiming special “knowledge” - but have nothing to say. They start arguments and simulate imagination, their words betray their motives.

result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth ~1Timothy 6:4b-5 (NIV)

5 words that result in divisions in the church, you know them by their fruit. How much damage is done by false teaching? One of the truths to be guarded is God's word on GREED

False teaching motivated by financial greed.

…who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. ~1Timothy 6:5 (NIV)

Nothing new, nothing shames the gospel more than greedy pastors and evangelists. That is why at MBM all staff wages are set by the Anglican diocese and at MBM we take the minimum. All full time staff members… The money for the books that I write and the conferences we speak at all goes back to church funds. If we teach for you to be content on your salary then we better be content on ours. There is a special word for all of us. As you know there are millions of people who have more than you but there are billions who have much less than you.

A command to those who have less

But godliness with contentment is great gain. ~1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)

The real gain or profit is to be found in being godly and thankful for what you have. I took a funeral of Dave from the Parramatta campus and Julie his wife said they made a decision they were not going to chase after possessions. They had a life filled with love and the Lord Jesus, there were 10 eulogies on how much Dave was a blessing to his family, his church and his non Christian friends. I thought that most billionaires wouldn’t know the joy that Dave experienced.

The way to stay content is to take a step back

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ~1 Timothy 6:7-8 (NIV)

You start your life with zero dollars and you end your life with zero dollars. In between we spend a lot of time worrying and a lot of energy chasing stuff. You may say ‘well my kids will get it’ Did you know that most wealth doesn’t survive 3 generations. The 1st generation makes it, by the 2nd generation only 30% hold on to it and by the 3rd generation its down to 9%. The point is to sit tight with Jesus and sit loose with your stuff and teach your kids to as well. God has a low bar for us to be content.

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ~1 Timothy 6:8 (NIV)

Food and clothing is CODE for basic NEEDS not WANTS. So, when you see a friend with a better car, a new house, the latest phone, a loving spouse and I'm feeling jealous, frustrated, resentful or angry, I am to ask myself - Did I eat today? Yes. Do I have a bed to sleep on? Yes. Have I got a roof over my head? Yes. Am I a child of God who has been blessed in heavenly realms with every special blessing? Yes … that is enough… thank you Jesus. This doesn’t stop people being ENTREPRENEURS it means you won’t panic.

The question before us is clear are you seeking to be content in COVID? Contentment is a challenge for those who have less or more. A British movie director was on a luxury liner with 4 Billionaires, he asked them “What do you want in life?” They all said at the same time, “MORE”. My ability to give does not hang on what I earn, it hangs on how content I am. I loved what one MBM pensioner said ‘The first two things I do when I get my pension is I put money for Rent and for the Church’ She gives her best not her leftovers because she is content with food and clothing.

Let me stop and say if you find yourself in desperate financial need then let us know. I’ve had a number of conversations with people who have lost their job because of the economic downturn or no jab no job. I want you to know you are our family. There is a command to be content and a warning if we are not. A warning for those who want to be rich.

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ~1 Timothy 6:9 (NIV)

While everyone is sharing in the excitement of a pay rise, investment return or unexpected inheritance, God says, oh be careful, you’re sitting on a ticking time bomb, the wealth will incite twisted desires you never knew you had and can plunge people into nightmares you can’t imagine.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ~1Timothy 6:10 (NIV)

We know that it’s not money but the love of money that is the issue. Jesus already said. You CAN’T LOVE MONEY AND ME! One of us will have to go. I’ve never met a person who said that they love money, we just love what money can buy …lifestyle, status, security, significance, power connections. How many have lost their faith because of EAGERNESS FOR MORE?

Example 1 The older couple receive an unexpected inheritance, they sell house and buy an expensive RV and spend days on endless travel - lost marriage - lost faith. It would have been better if they had died then got that inheritance.

Example 2 A young couple buys a house they can’t afford, they over mortgage and now are working 2 jobs with no time for GG, they are too tired for church and off they go slip sliding away.

Example 3 The price for retail therapy or gambling is that they end up drowning in a sea of credit debt and with it, depression. If that is you, there is hope! We can direct you to good financial counsellors.

A command to those who have more.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ~1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV)

It’s a command from Christ - Don’t be arrogant. Everything you have has been given to you, what a concept! No matter how clever, how hard you worked, no matter what your parents gave you. Everything you have has been given on loan to steward. Which means everything you have can be taken from you. It took just one Global financial crisis and billionaires went bankrupt, just one little BRAIN Aneurism and your personal bank balance is reduced to nothing.

Unlike false teachers, God wants us to enjoy his good gifts, contentment is not about destroying desires, that is Buddhism and Stoicism, I think it was Luther that said, “The problem with greed is it breeds discontent and we end up NOT enjoying what we do have.” Don’t be arrogant be generous

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ~1 Timothy 6:18 (NIV)

The King of Kings commands us to be rich in good deeds – in case you missed it, that means, being generous and willing to share. I want to say how much the Sudanese suffering with COVID were thankful for the many who offered help.

John Grisham the Christian Novelist said “I judge a good year not by how much I get, but by how much I give” He knows you can take it with you after all.

In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. ~1 Timothy 6:19 (NIV)

Calvin said ‘When you migrate to another country, you send your goods ahead, you know your old country is not home anymore. You make a decision about your possessions knowing you’re going to a new home. We are to lay up treasure not in this age but for the coming age. Lets be very clear, you can’t buy your seat in heaven, that was purchased by Jesus blood alone. But as a citizen of heaven you can invest in it. John Wesley was right. “Make as much as you can… save as much as you can ... so, you can give as much as you can.”

What helps is knowing that Heaven is for everything I never had time or couldn’t afford on earth. I haven’t missed out, I've just delayed my gratification. You can’t be neutral when it comes to money and greed, friends we are engaged in a war, flee from greed - fight the good fight of the faith.

2. Fight the good Fight.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith… ~1 Timothy 6:11-12 (NIV)

Greed is the hardest sin to diagnose, only one person in 30 years has confessed it as a sin to me. In my prayer diary each Thursday under the topic of confession, I meditate on 2 questions - How much of my treasures am I storing in heaven? and am I excelling in the grace of giving? Greed is a virus more contagious than Ebola or the delta strain of COVID. The only VACCINE TO GREED IS generosity. We are to swim against a current of consumerism.

I don’t mind reality TV shows like the block or fixer-uppers but understand, it is making us discontent not thankful. We love the convenience of Amazon and eBay but they bring the false promise of satisfaction when my package arrives and it never lasts. Today is the day to lay treasure in heaven.

3. Who is this God that commands?

Who dares challenge me on what I do with my money?

I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honour and might forever. Amen. ~1 Timothy 6:14-16 (NIV)

The charge is made in the sight of God who sees everything. It's issued in light of Jesus return who remembers and rewards all those who are generous. The good God who gives us everything to enjoy, the God who alone rules as King of King and Lord of Lord, there is no point trying to outsmart him. He is the God who is truly blessed, He is eternally happy and wants you to be happy, it's why he says It's more blessed to give than receive. The God who alone is immortal - death has no hold on him … but then gives us the gift of immortality, that we may share eternity with him. This God lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see but one day we will see his face. We will see how our generosity will put a big smile on the face of God. As he shows us around the new creation, he will point out how much treasure you laid down in heaven.

This is Big T Truth, we want to give you the opportunity to lay some treasure in heaven. We are inviting you to fill out your pledge for next year, I thought given we are online and with questions about restrictions. But is that not what contentment is all about? I don’t wait for circumstances to change before I am content and from my contentment, in Christ, I can give.

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Australia has a soft spot for the underdog, we are an egalitarian culture, in the same suburb, we have rich and poor. We aim for equal access to Education and Health, we speak of the Premier as Gladys and our Prime Minister as Scomo. We have a real sense that we are all equal, there is a familiarity that is attractive but in the hands of some it's an excuse for disrespect, we boo our leaders at sporting events. I liked what one African said to Australian missionaries, ‘You Australians are aggressively casual’

Paul already spoke about honouring widows and Paul now speaks about honouring church leaders. I realised that I would tell my Filo brothers and sisters to call me Ray “Yes, Pastor Ray” “No, you can call me Ray” “Yes, Pastor Ray” You see what I was doing? I was undermining their desire to honour my role, I don’t do it anymore.

Paul has 4 ways pastors and elders are to be honoured

1. Honour them by giving them a proper Honorarium.

In other words, pay them for the work they do.

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. ~1 Timothy 5:17 (NIV)

In chapter 3, leaders of the church were called overseers, here they are elders. Elders have a long-standing place in the Bible, they ruled at the town gates in the Old Testament in the church. In the New Testament, they are to direct the affairs of the church. Literally to ‘rule’ or lead, honour them, especially those who teach Gods word well. All elders must be apt to teach, but not every elder will be given over to full time preaching and Respect leads to Remuneration. You can see by what follows

For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” ~1Timothy 5:18 (NIV)

Your income should be used to bless, bless yourself, bless your family, bless the poor, bless the pastors, bless ministry partners who are overseas.

As we think of pledging for next years church budget, you’re covering 2 out of 5 pastors and missionaries, pray now and plan how you will feed those who feed you the word of God. Paul grounds this in two places

“Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” ~Deuteronomy 25:4 (NIV)

If God wants animals to be nourished from their labour then how much more should pastor elders be nourished from their ministry. When an ox is treading grain God want it unmuzzled and allowed to eat from grain it is crushing. The Aussie version is the person cooking the BBQ can eat some of the sausages while he is cooking

The second quote is from Jesus instruction to the 72

The worker deserves his wage. ~Luke 10:7 (NIV)

We know it's true on the factory floor or the office, just as true in the church and on the mission field. Feed those who feed your faith, when we do, we are partnered with them in the work.

Talking to one of our OMP (Overseas Missionary Partners) in Malta, our giving means we are partnered together in their work, I thank God for how for 30 years at MBM He has inspired so many generous hearts to give to the work of MBM and beyond.

We leaders are to lead from the front, last year the Staff and Deacons covered 13% of the budget

2. Protect them from false accusation

Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. ~1 Timothy 5:19 (NIV)

The Old Testament principle is clear, one testimony is not sufficient to convict a person in court. This principle protects elders from those who slander leaders, they wanted to attack the message by attacking the messenger.

I remember asking one woman to join us on staff and she said

“Thanks, Ray but I don’t want a target on my back.” She knew that when you are in public office you are open to criticism. I remember in the early days of MBM someone going around saying false statements. I realised early on I just had to trust the congregation. It's why this Proverb is on the wall of our office:

In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines. ~Proverbs 18:17 (NIV)

In other words, we don’t take things at face value, the exception is in a situation of abuse where a process is triggered that protects all parties, beginning with the victims

Honour elders

To protect the office of elders from ungodly elders

But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. ~1Timothy 5:20 (NIV)

Elders who sin and don’t repent need to be dealt with publicly. Elders who sin grievously need to step down, their sin is to be named before everyone. This functions as both a warning to other elders and it guards the office of elders, it guards the church and it guards the gospel, otherwise, we have nothing to say to the world.

Imagine turning up one Sunday to be told, from a written statement, that one of the pastors, or youth or kids worker, has committed adultery, and is being stepped down, what is worse is when they are not stepped down. Please pray we will not have to. So, Paul ratchets up the command

I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favouritism. ~1Timothy 5:21 (NIV)

That is one serious warning! Don’t let your friendship or their wealth, power or influence blind you to the sin of an elder for we are to give an account before God himself and Lord Jesus.

Honour the elders by not making a quick decision

Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. ~1 Timothy 5:22 (NIV)

Resist the urge to appoint an elder quickly. We were told something similar in chapter 3, don’t appoint young Christians as elders or they fall into the trap of the devil which is pride. Don’t be impressed by gifts and ignore character, when that happens all the elders share in their sin. Note the wisdom of not being hasty

The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. ~1 Timothy 5:24 (NIV)

Give yourself enough time to watch and wait, let them be tried and tested, faithful in small things before we give them bigger things. As the song goes ‘From little things, big things grow’

Time has a way of bringing issues to the surface, the sins of some are already waiting to be used against them on the day of the Lord. But if you wait, the sins of others will follow a person and in time will catch up with them. Discover they are living a double life, abuse in the home, addiction issues or just can’t take feedback and if you wait it may become clear that they are not fit for an elder.

In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever. ~1 Timothy 5:25 (NIV)

We are to do our good works for our Father to see but the reality is, most good works don’t stay hidden. Person x cares for person y, that doesn’t stay a secret for too long, at staff meetings we often celebrate stories and that is good gossip!

And those good works will also be waiting on the Day of the Lord, to be rewarded. In the meantime watch and wait. One person who has been tried and tested is Rahul Dougal, he has been appointed Deacon for the Parramatta campus, it’s a slow process but it’s worth it.

In the middle of all this after Paul says “Keep yourself pure”

Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. ~1 Timothy 5:23 (NIV)

My guess is that some of the elders were false teachers, claiming that wine was unclean. Paul is saying elders are not to get drunk but they can drink some wine, especially if it helps the stomach.

Notice that Timothy was often sick. So much for the prosperity doctrine - Come to Jesus and he will give health and wealth. Paul is NOT saying “Tim your often sick because you have sin in your life you need to repent.” He doesn't say “Tim you’re often sick because you don’t have enough faith” “Tim, Jesus is the same yesterday today or tomorrow, He healed then and he can heal now” “You must not have the anointing of the Spirit”

No, he says ‘You’re often sick so take a Panadol’ in this case, drink some wine. He encourages him to use wine medicinally.

Agree or disagree about a particular vaccine. But when I saw that sign “Jesus is my vaccine” in an illegal protest, that is just bad theology. Claiming that faith in Jesus mean you won't have COVID is woeful and makes Jesus look bad.

But for what it’s worth, if I were to give a REPORT CARD, as one of the elders, MBM you’re doing a great job because we Elders feel honoured by you. We all have a bad day, but I truly thank God for how you journey with us as leaders. It's not easy being a leader, it’s not easy being a member of a church.

There are hard days before us, the fear of Vaccination Passports is real, the Archbishop has pushed hard with the government for No Vaccination passports, whatever happens, we are pastors for the whole church, both for and against vaccination. I want to stress that the church of God must hold together in the face of these challenges. It’s easy to have churches filled with one side of politics, one side of vaccination, one ethnic group. The world is filled with ‘like-minded’ groups, no miracle there, but what makes the church really different from the world is the blood-bought unity of Christ. Having very different people united by the Spirit of God.

When we look back after we are over the worst of COVID, we will rejoice that we managed to genuinely love each other with different views. For one reason, we share one Father who did not withhold his only Son. Through it all, we pastors count it an honour to lead MBM, and it’s a joy because of your encouragement and prayer and respect. Honour your Widows, Honour your Elders, Honour your Masters.

All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves. ~1Timothy 6:1-2 (NIV)

Why didn't Paul dismantle slavery? In lockdown, we are all battling with our rights being infringed but remember, slaves had no rights, Paul calls on slaves to escape NO to obey masters. Worse, if they had masters who are Christians, then serve even better, not worse. Remember, slavery wasn’t tied to one race as in US with only African-Caribbean. In fact, nearly all cultures have enslaved people, the first century there were different kind of slaves, some were enslaved by kidnapping and war, others were enslaved because of owing a debt. Slaves could be teachers and doctors, slaves could be adopted into a family. 30% of Romans empire were slaves, the economy was built on it.

So why doesn’t Paul tell Christian masters to release their slaves? You can see that the seeds of dismantling slavery in the New Testament,

• Slave trading is a sin
• Gospel declared slaves free in Christ
• In the Church of Christ neither slave nor free
• Slaves and masters were brother and sister in Christ
• Slaves were encouraged to take their freedom
• Masters were to be devoted to welfare of their slaves.

And yet Paul calls on slaves to obey masters. Why? We rightly apply this to our bosses and we need to be seen as respectful in our workplace. Bagging out your boss is not what Christians do, but we get to leave - slaves don’t. So why wouldn’t Paul immediately dismantle this wicked institution? He is working to a higher principle.

All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. ~1Timothy 6:1-2 (NIV)

Reform will come but in the meantime Paul was jealous for God's name and the gospel to save the lost. So, the call to slaves is clear, be a good slave and make Jesus look good, be a good worker and make Jesus look good, be a good manager/boss and make Jesus look good.

So, I ask you is God's name and the good news of our Lord Jesus being slandered by how you carry yourself in this season of COVID? The real issue is not whether you took the jab or not it's whether you made Jesus look good.

Over the years we have had people come to Church and they notice someone from their work and awkwardly says, “I would never have thought they were Christian.” Equally, we have visitors come to church because they were so impressed by someone at work who claimed to follow Christ and wanted to know more - they made Jesus look good.

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I spoke to a former elder of a large church with a gifted lead pastor, the pastor was asked to be stepped down for multiple

charges of bullying. I said to this elder “How did you guys let it happen for so long” “Ray we fell for the classic mistake. We were so impressed by his gifts we ignored his significant character defects”

It’s a rookie mistake, 101 Christianity, when the gifts of the Spirit outrank the fruit of the Spirit, when that happens the church is in serious trouble and its not as if we were not told.

1 Timothy 3 tells us what God expects of church leaders, be they Elders or Deacons. Whether it's for those who serve in word or deed ministry. God doesn’t allow us to come up with our own list: Smart, good looks and a great sense of humour are not on his agenda. This list tells us a lot about our God and what matters to him. Remember the purpose of the letter.

if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. ~1Timothy 3:15 (NIV)

The church of the living God is NOT built and held up by bricks and concrete but by the truth of God. The church is to hold up and hold out the truth of God. God has placed his Word in the hands of the church to steward. Especially by those whose walk and talk line up

Godly leadership

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. ~1 Timothy 3:1 (NIV)

In the New Testament, a church leader can be called Elder, Overseer, Leader, or Pastor but never a Priest. When the gospel is preached, people are saved, Churches are formed

and Elders are appointed. In a real sense, the appointment of an oversee or elder is the application of the principle in 1Timothy 2. Where teaching and authority over the whole church is reserved for male elders to teach and direct the affairs of the church. The first thing you notice is that its not wrong to want to be a church leader - it’s a good desire

Application

I remember reading this as a young Christian and being surprised. God gives permission to ask him for the opportunity to preach and pastor his people. To be sure, God won't call you without letting others know as well. It's a good desire because it is a good work. What greater privilege is there than to present God's church to Jesus on the last day, holy and blameless.

Now if we are all called to submit to elders - then what kind of elders are we called to submit to. The great relief is that CHARACTER is God's main focus. Before you teach it you have to be it. Leaders are called to watch both their life and not just their doctrine. We are saved by grace but we are appointed based on faithfulness.

There are 11 qualities mentioned, notice: What is required of the leader is what is required of every true Christian

As Don Carson once said, “It's remarkable how unremarkable is this list.”

Don’t get drunk and don’t punch anyone in the face, it’s a checklist for every Christian, male or female. Leadership is about character, even the world starting to wake up to this truth.

Now the overseer is to be above reproach ~1 Timothy 3:2 (NIV)

Above reproach is blameless, not sinless, otherwise only Jesus could apply for the job. Above accusation, ours is a public role with public accountability, the more authority the higher the expectations. You have a right to look at my life.

There are 4 areas of being above reproach

In relation to family

Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, ~1 Timothy 3:2 (NIV)

Literally to be a one-woman man, it's not saying everyone else can have 2 wives, the point is that he must be faithful to his bride before he can be entrusted with the bride of Christ. This does not forbid single men from being elders, Timothy and Paul seemed to be single. It is a mystery how the Catholic church still requires priests to be single and celebrate. Presidents and Prime Ministers may keep their job if they have affairs but not Pastors and Evangelists, forgiven, yes but not re-instated.

We are not running a government, it is the church of the living God that Jesus builds - upholding the truth by our teaching and by our life

He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) ~1 Timothy 3:4-5 (NIV)

Fathers are to see to it that children obey them, a father who doesn’t discipline their children doesn’t love them. A Pastor who won't discipline the church of God doesn’t love them. It can be hard when kids get older, I remember when the same Don Carson spoke about bringing up teenagers, our rule was simple

“We never tolerated sass and disrespect but pretty much everything else was negotiable”

Interestingly, they are not to see to it that their wives submit, that is the choice of the wife, between her and God. And Fathers are to behave and be worthy of respect. Before I need to be gentle with the congregation, I need to be gentle with my kids. The principle is clear, if you can't care for your family how can you care for Gods church?

I said to my kids when they were very young “You have the most power at church. If I don’t treat you properly then I have to step down from being a pastor.” That was good for them to hear and me to know.

I remember preaching one Sunday on what God requires of fathers, a new person found out he was sitting next to my daughter, Maddy, his first question was ‘What is Dad like at home?’ Right question…I pay her $50 to give the right answer(Joking).

I was talking to my nephew who had become a suffi Muslim.

He was saying how his Sheik mentor had been divorced 3 times, I said ‘that's interesting, the qualification of an elder in a church is how you conduct your marriage and family. If you can't manage your own family, how can you manage the family of God.’ My other nephew who is not a Christian said 'That makes sense…' Above reproach in relation to family and in relation to oneself. Who is the hardest person to lead? - it's you

…temperate, self-controlled, respectable,… not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money… ~1Timothy 3:2-3 (NIV)

Self-control is the last of the fruit of the Spirit, Self-control so that in your anger you do not sin, in conflict you don’t bully and with your money you are generous. At MBM every Elder and Deacon agrees to at least tithe their income, you can't lead others if you can't lead yourself.

Above reproach, in relation to family, in relation to oneself and in relation to outsiders

…hospitable… ~1 Timothy 3:3 (NIV)

An elder welcomes the stranger, each pastor must have the welcoming face of God to the outsider. More than that he…

He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. ~1Timothy 3:7 (NIV)

I break up this list in 1 Timothy over a week and reflect on the different aspects for my time of confession. Next to this one I put the name of a real estate agent, a lovely muslim man, Azzam, who I had to apologise to for speaking with a demanding tone. I dishonoured my saviour before a watching world, which is exactly what the devil wanted.

Above reproach with family, with oneself and with outsiders, hence the warning to not give this role to those who have NOT been tried and tested.

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. ~1Timothy 3:6 (NIV)

It's unfair on newish Christians to give them too much too quickly. Pride is not far from anyone but a new Christian has not had the chance to be tried and tested. The one gift requirement on this list - He apt to teach.

…hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, ~1Timothy 3:2b-3a (NIV)

What I love is that its tucked in there between being hospitable and not getting drunk, Paul's LAST WORDS to Timothy and Elders before he died.

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction ~2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV)

Elders need to teach correctly in the face of false teaching.

You saw me do that last week, many of you thanked me for siding with God. Good shepherds love the sheep by feeding the sheep, the whole counsel of God and not just parts of it.

People ask who are our elders? Our M pastors serve as elders: Mark, Dan, Rob, Pre, Bruce and myself, together we direct the affairs of the church. We are a church that does team pastoring, its why I always introduce myself as one of the pastors of MBM, I too submit to the collective will of the elders.

If the elders focus on leading, teaching and prayer the deacons serve the church in good works which free up elders to do their work - see Acts 6

In our tradition Deacons watch over finances, building, OHS, as well as release funds to assist with those in need. The work of deaconate is carried on by many who care for the needs of Gods people. I am so glad for the leadership at MBM. Elders and Deacons both, are called to be above reproach, both called to hold to onto the word of God but only the elders are required to be gifted in teaching. Although all our Deacons at MBM run bible studies.

They (Deacons) must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. ~1 Timothy 3:9 (NIV)

We are in the process of interviewing a new deacon for Parramatta, he has been tried and tested and found faithful, he will be interviewed at the next Deacons meeting. If accepted, we will present his name to the church. It appears that deacons are not reserved for just men

In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. ~1Timothy 3:11 (NIV)

Phoebe in Romans 16 is called to be a deacon. We do want women to be part of the Deacon board, let me know if you want to be considered for the roles.

Paul says to Timothy

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. ~1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV)

Friends a lot is at stake, nothing less than the salvation of the world. The way the church of the living God upholds the truth is not just by teaching the truth but by living out the truth. The key to godliness is the good news of our Lord Jesus.

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. ~1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

While the false teacher wasted everyone's time with myths. Paul is saying the mystery of godliness is no longer a MYSTERY and its never a MYTH. Its all about Jesus, who humbled himself and came in the human flesh, who was raised by the Spirit, proving he was the Son of God. Witnessed by messenger both apostles and angels. Not just preached among the nations, but believed on in the world. Gods word will not return empty.

We may be on lockdown but we had 35 people at Explaining Christianity on Tuesday. For this Jesus may have come in humility but was taken up in of glory. One day he will come to judge the living and the dead, He will come to judge MBM, He will judge its leaders and its people.

What you think of me is one thing, what Jesus thinks of me is another. What do you think is our churches great need?

Robert Murray McCheyne was right “My people’s greatest need is my personal holiness”

Oh the damage that is done to the gospel when leaders fall.

That list of fallen leaders is long and getting longer. The list of people who have fallen away because of fallen leaders is longer still. So I plead with you…pray weekly for us pastors, and deacons. Pray for the staff, Growth Group leaders, youth leaders, children's leaders, our overseas ministry partners. Not one leader I know feels they are up to the task. Satans main target for every pastor is his family.

But also pray that God would raise up a new generation of Leaders. Brothers, pray that you would consider this noble task.

Brothers, this is not just a good prayer, it is an urgent need. We have, at the moment, 25 vacant churches in Sydney Anglican diocese alone. We are needing godly men to consider this office, start by taking the next step of serving. By application we constantly are looking for men and women to STEP UP to serve and lead in ministries

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ~Acts 20:28 (NIV)

Father,

Please Raise up godly elders and deacons from among us who will love the church by loving the truth, proclaiming the truth and live by the truth.

Thank you for the many men and women who lead at all levels of ministry at MBM.

May we seek to encouraging them so that their work may be a joy for them. In Jesus Name Amen.

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As a pastor, you can avoid a lot of heat at church by just skipping this book and this chapter. That is why we preach chapter by chapter to stop us from only teaching the bits we like.

But first a Warning

This passage is not a full-blown summary of women's ministry. Since the passage is drawing boundaries on who can preach and have authority in the church, the tendency is to talk about what woman can’t do. So, I want to intentionally begin where the Bible begins.

In Genesis 1, men and women are both made in God`s image, from the beginning males and females together are to rule this world under God, together. Under the Old Covenant only male Jewish priests were given limited access to the presence of God in the temple. With the coming of Christ

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus ~Galatians 3:28 (NIV)

Peter says we are all co-heirs with Christ

Ministry and Women

One picture of how men and women work side by side in the gospel is seen in Romans 16, you notice there are a lot of women mentioned. Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena and Tryophosa, Persis, Julia (trust me they are women) Paul calls these women fellow workers in the gospel who worked very hard in the Lord at great personal expense.

Women were engaged in teaching and evangelism. Both Priscilla with her husband Aquila instruct the gifted preacher Apollos more adequately in Acts 18. Then there are the ‘one another’ passages with no gender restriction.

…teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, ~Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

Paul speaks of women praying and prophesying in the church. So, it's with that background we pick up this passage, we are all mindful that this is an ancient text to a church in an ancient culture in Ephesus. They lived before feminism, before the

abolition of slavery. So, is this the word of God for us or a temporary instruction to a local church problem? We also can't be blind that we ourselves are shaped by culture as well.

Many years ago, I read 1 Timothy 2 with two groups, I got a sense that both were shaped by their culture. One group read the passage through a Middle Eastern lens and had no problem. The other read the passage through a Middle-class feminism lens and had a big problem. So we must work very hard to make sure what is driving our conclusions. We also need to come clean on our personal preferences.

For me, I wish there were no differences:

• It's one less thing I have to get embarrassed about when speaking to non-Christians
• It's one less barrier for non Christians to believe in Jesus.

But we are people of the book, that book, including this passage is God-breathed. We refuse to think we are wiser than God. Let's first remind ourselves about the purpose of the whole book?

… I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. ~1 Timothy 3:14-15 (NIV)

God's appointed apostle Paul charges Timothy to guard the truth in God's church. This letter focuses on how we conduct ourselves at church.

Chapter 1: to silence false teachers; Chapter 2: to pray for everyone including rulers so that we can have peace. With peace, we can preach Christ, who wants all people to be saved.

For men in the church to pray and not fight. For women to focus on inner beauty not external wealth, not on how they look but how they live, to be known for good works not good looks. Then Paul speaks about the relationship between men and women at church.

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. ~1Timothy 2:11-12 (NIV)

Paul gives women 2 directives, one is about something they are to do, learn quietly and with all submissiveness. And one is about things they are not to do, to teach or exercise authority.

Don’t skip the wonder: A woman should learn - that was not the expected norm for any women in the ancient world. The equality and education of women is a concept uniquely promoted in the bible. Notice one idea informs the other, to learn is paralleled with to not teach. In full, submission is paralleled not to have authority over men.

While the word for woman can also be translated to wife, you notice no translation goes down that road because the purpose of the book is not marriage but church. Paul says “I do not permit..” remember its Paul the apostle not Ray the Dragons supporter who does not permit.

And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. ~1 Timothy 2:7 (NIV)

So let it be clear, it is God who does not permit women to teach and to have authority over men in the church of God.

Picture a pyramid with 3 levels of teaching:

• There is at the top Jesus the Teacher-in a class of his own
• There is the middle level gift of Teacher-to build up the church
• There is the bottom level of one another teaching for every body

1 Timothy 2 is speaking about one aspect of level two. Teaching here is authoritative teaching of sound doctrine to the whole church.

It's important that we don’t under apply or over apply this text. To over apply, stops women from having leadership in work or church it stops women from any teaching and preaching ministry. To under apply explains away any relevance for this passage for today's church. Its important that we don’t go beyond scripture. This principle is applied for us by Paul himself.

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well…especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. The teaching and authority restricted to men is the role of elders who teach and preach ~1Timothy 5:17 (NIV)

Which means:

• A woman can teach other women as in the women's conference, Titus 2:3
• A woman is able to teach men/women in one another ministry
• A woman can co-teach at mixed growth group because—it's not church
• A woman can teach children and youth in home and in church, 2 Timothy 3:14-15
• Timothy himself was taught by his mother and grandmother
• A woman can pray and prophesy-and speak a timely word from God for the encouragement of the saints, 1 Corinthians 11
• A women can be a deacon in the church

But this verse appears both limited and emphatic. She is not to be the teacher for the whole congregation nor its pastor elder.

This teaching restricts all women and 95% of men who will never be elders.

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. ~1Timothy 2:11 (NIV)

But not absolute submission-not if it violates God's word 1 Timothy 6:3-4.

Under Christ we are all called to submit to someone, Children to Parent, Wife to Husband, Congregation to Elders, Citizens to Government. We are all called to submit ultimately to Christ, who himself will submit all things to the Father. By submission we mean “a voluntary and willing acceptance of the leadership and responsibility of another.” [Claire Smith] Gods good design

The verse begins and ends with quietness, that is without a rebellious spirit toward either the teaching or the teacher. What I see at MBM are Godly women who humbly accept God`s order of ministry in the body of Christ. Women who have wide ranging personalities, who graciously serve, and love, gifted women who lead teams, and serve on staff, women who raise children and raise issues, and who respectfully stand their ground for Jesus, women who are marked by modestly, prayer, and a generous heart, whose words are drenched with wisdom, patience, and knowledge, who are able to encourage and rebuke when appropriate. Making us a healthy church.

But are we over reading the text?

Was this a temporary ban for a local problem

• Female false teachers
• The influence of the liberated New Roman women
• A misapplication of the freedom women have in Christ.

But this teaching is consistent with other passages that teach of differences between men and women in the family and family of God (1 Corinthians 14). Paul never makes a blanket statement for a specific problem. (Romans 14)

Just as Jesus went to Genesis to affirm Marriage, Paul goes to Genesis where Gods plan revealed and rejected. In contrast Paul may encourage Slaves to obey Master but he never argues for slavery in God's purpose for humans in Creation. In fact he says to slaves if you get your freedom, take it. He doesn't say of women if you get the chance to be an elder take it. Paul gives 2 reason why women are not to teach and have authority over a man in the church of God

For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ~1Timothy 2:13 (NIV)

Adam and Eve represent the first couple, the first family and the first church. Adam is given the authority of the first born to lead Eve in ruling the world under God. You see that authority when Adam NAMES Eve or when Adam is held responsible for the Fall. Eve was made from Adam to be his helper and ally, together they would rule this world under God. The second reason-show where God plan is rejected

And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. ~1Timothy 2:14 (NIV)

Adam and Eve both sinned in the garden but in different ways,

Adam sinned by failing to lead Eve by his silence when Eve was tempted, by listening to Eve and taking the fruit, Eve names her sin as deception. She was deceived into listening to the lies of Satan and then leading Adam into sin

• She overturned the order of creation
• She was to help Adam rule creation
• Here creation tempts her to undermine her husband

Paul is saying this pattern is not to be repeated in the church. God is saying, I want men and women to work together in the family and family of God. Within that I want men to teach and lead the whole church. This is not about women being more gullible or less intelligent or less gifted than men. Women are encouraged to TEACH, women and children prophesy and pray. This is a specific instruction on how women are to use their gifts of teaching in the church of God. Just as WOMEN cant be ELDERS so MEN cant be MOTHERS

The section ends on the note of good works fit for a woman of God which includes motherhood

But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. ~1Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

In case you’re wondering, its not saying you’re going to heaven because you have a baby or you wont feel any pain if you do have a baby. Singleness and Marriage are deemed as gifts from God by the apostle Paul. Here child bearing is part of a long list of good works that marks out women of the Lord who will be saved. She will be saved with a faith marked by godly living. Notice how Paul describes godly widows

well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. ~1Timothy 5:10 (NIV)

Our culture is increasingly anti motherhood

Question: What do you do?
Answer: I am just a mother?

Because in our culture value is only tied to income and not Gods purposes. Just a mother – the Bible views motherhood as more important than that of the Presidency of USA or running a company of 1000 people, hence the grief for women who cant have children

Feminism has rightly pursued equality and justice at multiple levels for women and there is more to be done but it has done two dreadful things.

• it has encouraged women to overthrow the distinctions between men and women in the family and church
• it has downgraded the good work of having children and raising them.

But Chauvinism under the guise of the bible has done even worse, it has corrupted the beautiful notion of Christ like sacrificial leadership, it has denigrated to hyper headship - an excuse to control, abuse and manipulate women. No wonder that domestic abuse is not lower in churches then in the world.

There is a dance before us in Gods church and in every

Christian family, a dance between men and women who are called to serve together as equal partners. Men and women working together marked by love and respect, not control and fear.

We are missing our chance to show the world how God's order can lead to women flourishing and men leading with sacrificial love. Men who will operate not from fear and insecurity but love and service. At present the elders of MBM are M pastors, each of us work closely with women on staff. Learning together, celebrating each others success, wanting each other to flourish as we all submit to Gods plan.

The pressure of the world is to change God's teaching, the pressure of the flesh is to abuse Gods teaching. Lets stand with God on this issue. Which means we stand with the apostle Paul

But by end of his life Paul says:

At my first defence, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. ~2 Timothy 4.16 (NIV)

On this issue not many want to stand with the apostle. This truth not to be tolerated- like some awful tasting medicine. This is Gods precious loving word for our good and His Glory. Will we be the church of God which is the foundation and pillar of the truth? And yet will we love our brother and sisters who differ on this important issue?

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Well, I don’t think Paul had any idea what would be happening in the year 2021 but this passage reads as if it was freshly scripted by God for us this year! It’s a very timely word.

1 Timothy is a letter that speaks into a whole range of issues that grind against our culture - it’s not anti culture - but trans-cultural - that is - it speaks of how to live as God’s family, in any and every time in history! And generally, that’s going to clash with some aspect of culture! - often has!

I don’t know how you’ve felt about all the decisions the government have been making over the last couple of years as we’ve journeyed through Covid - but I think it’s fair to say that we’ve all felt the frustrations of restrictions! Loss of jobs, masks on everywhere, weddings cancelled, solo birthday parties. Gyms closed, eating too much, everyone’s hair is growing out - I’m glad I learned to cut my own hair before covid!

As Christians we’ve definitely felt the restrictions! Church gatherings closed down, singing was taken away from us, home groups were told they couldn’t meet, our Church has had to go digital - gathering online… which we praise God for.

Now in our tightest version of lockdown … And lots of people are feeling very tense… very restricted… It’s been a really tough time in so many ways but what I’ve found really interesting is seeing how people have been responding to the whole thing online - or on the radio or TV… And it’s not only been interesting but at times it’s been really polarising!! One side against another! Maybe you’ve also felt it?

As people are feeling the stress of the virus and the lockdowns they’re pushing their views and responding intensely to others' views. Many wanting the government to be doing certain things and being really upset when things haven’t gone the way they expected! or wanted.. The polarisation has been crazy! There are so many sides on so many fronts! From Masks to vaccines to laws to freedoms…

Last week was a perfect example! There was so much talk about how our premier, Gladys Berejiklian, stuffed up because she didn’t lock NSW down hard and fast… And then when she finally did lock us down - hard and fast - there was a protest from people not wanting to be locked down hard and fast! She couldn’t do anything right!

It’s been interesting seeing the weight people have been placing on the government to almost be the solution to their life’s problems… “If they’d just do this or that - then my life would be better…” Or if other people would do this or that - stay home, - get vaccinated, - or stop telling me I need to be vaccinated that would affect the government’s decisions and then life would come back to normal for me - I would essentially be - free again!

Christians haven’t been exempt from those feelings, many have felt like the restrictions have even been a target on the church … a form of persecution… feeling like God’s work is being restricted by the lockdowns… And we get it - as ministers - it can definitely feel like that! And though this isn’t that - it’s not persecution: It can definitely feel like lockdown - restricts God!

But I love what Paul wrote from his prison cell while he sat restricted by physical chains!

I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. ~2 Timothy 2:9 (NIV)

It’s not bound! It made it out of that prison cell and it has been powering on through history and through Covid! Praise God for phones and internet! I’ve heard story after story of how God has been actively working even while we’ve been physically separated. And Paul shows us here how God continues to work no matter what’s happening in the world around us — whether restricted or not! He shows us what our role is in that work and where ultimate freedom is to be found! And very different from what we feel like we need to do: Paul says - Our role is to Pray!

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~1Timothy 2:1 (NIV)

Paul encourages various types of prayer here as we reflect on the different people that affect our lives. Notice the focus of the different prayers here are not for our daily needs, not for money, food or clothes, but for people! — All people! He means all kinds of people - people in all kinds of places - and he particularly lists those in authority - in their day kings, Emperors, in our day a Queen and our governments, police and so on… I think it can be really easy for us to generally lean a certain way in our prayers based on our personality differences… either focusing on negative things in others or just all the positive things.

But Paul helpfully draws us out of just praying prayers in line with our own views - to learning to see the world and people through God’s eyes and to bring all their various scenarios to him. So, for me it’s learning to not just pray for all the faults I see in others and praise God for food… but thanking him for our Garbos, who take away our rubbish each week… for those who serve in our healthcare system, and keep our shops going… for our electricity companies who keep our lights going… It’s learning to praise God for bringing the vast range of people from different nationalities into Australia - who live up and down our street… who work in our neighbourhood and praying for opportunities to interact with them…

It’s praising God for people who hold different views to me, that they can help me understand the world in a different way than I do… and praying for opportunities to open up conversations together… Praising God for our boss’s and co-workers - and praying that God might sustain them and helps us work together well. For opportunities to love them. So many different people to pray for and praise God for in so many different ways! And Especially - at the moment - our Government! I wonder what your response and attitude has been towards our government over this last little while? What have you been feeling towards them?? So many of us have been really appreciative of them in their difficult task! And have been praising God for them… But I’ve also seen so many Christians attacking or complaining about the government publicly on social media recently… and in different conversations… I’ve personally been feeling for them… I haven’t necessarily agreed with everything they’ve done - but have definitely been feeling for them in their roles!

But as I’d been working on this talk I realised, I’ve been praying for the government with different groups, I’ve been trying to help people think positively about them, even defending poor ol’ Gladys to different people… But I realised I hadn’t been personally praying for them on my own! Or praising God for them… I’d praised them to other people - but not to God… I realised I’d been talking about them a lot, but not talking to God about them. So, I spent some time this week bringing them all before God.

Now I’m not saying you have to be happy with everything they’re saying or even agree with it all - It’s a free country - we have voting rights… but what I will say is what Paul’s telling Timothy and the church in Ephesus! That one of our greatest witnesses to our world that we trust in a Governor that’s greater than any human government is that we pray for our governments - long before we complain about them! 1 Timothy is about God’s family - Christians - Guarding God’s truth by the way we live and speak - so that our world will see and know the glory of the gospel!

If we let go of the truth in the church - we have nothing to give the world! And friends - even how we interact online is a demonstration of our commitment to God’s cause… Not even the way we interact - but what we go looking for! What we speak about and the way we speak online before a watching world can serve to either repel or compel others towards Jesus. Complaining about our government - as legitimate as your points may be - does not help the cause of the gospel!

Historical Context: You know, when Paul first issued this command in the 60’s AD, they were living under the Roman emperor Nero, who was an absolute tyrant. There were no voting rights for all and no democracy, but it was more of a dictatorship! Nero hated Christians and viewed them as the scum of the earth. People viewed Christians as enemies of humankind because they held that their Lord Jesus was Lord above all governing bodies, and that even the emperor should submit to Him. Christians were outcasts - they were quite counter cultural - not engaging in the brutal Roman sports or in political offices at all! Eventually Nero falsely accused the church of setting a fire in Rome and he set a mass persecution against them! Listen to how Nero treated Christians in Timothy’s day:

Its in that context that Paul calls the church to pray - not just for friends and family, for their church and loved ones but for their govt… for people in authority!! Nero and his soldiers… And that’s because the power of prayer is greater than the power of protest - or of any other action we can take - because the God behind our prayers is unrestrictable! He can do far more than we can!

One wise pastor put it this way: Let’s get more Petitions to God in prayer - than signatures to Government in letters. Let’s get our knees to the floor in humility - before our fingers to the keyboard in hostility!

This week I saw a Christian friend share what she’d done for the government - she’d sent a letter to Gladys, encouraging her in her role and letting her know she’d prayed for her!

How much more does that serve God’s cause rather than publicly shaming her?

Imagine she received a heap of letters from MBMers over the next few weeks saying the same thing…? And to what end are we praying? What’s the goal of this prayer?? What are we hoping would happen as we pray and praise God for all these people?

…that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~1 Timothy 2:2 (NIV)

We pray that God might sovereignly handle all the aspects that affect our lives - that we might get out of lockdown??? - NO - That we might have the opportunity to live in a way that demonstrates trust in a God who’s bigger than this world’s issues. Quiet - Peaceful - Holy lives. Not Angry, violent, or civilly disobedient lives. In that way - by prayer and faithfulness - we achieve what God really wants.

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ~1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV)

What’s the “Good” here? What is it that pleases God? That we pray? Or when our prayers are answered? Is the good thing when people are saved and come to the truth? I think all are on view - it’s good that we entrust ourselves and other people to God and live in a way that honours him and the connection here is that that’s how God brings people to salvation! Through His people’s prayers and their godly witness. And that’s what God wants! He wants more and more of that!

I put out a post this week on our church Facebook groups asking for people to share how they’ve seen God at work even in the midst of lockdown and it was so encouraging to hear the stories! God has definitely not been restricted! One guy said he was sharing the gospel with the Obrien’s window replacement man who came to fix his car. Another person who lived in a unit block had fresh opportunities to get to know their neighbours who were usually out at work all day. Another started online gaming again and reconnected with some old friends and found that one of them was going through a really tough time and he was able to pray with him and share the gospel with him!

Friends, God’s word is not bound! He hasn’t stopped working! I wonder how that goal - God’s goal of seeing people saved - might affect the way you rethink what life for you should look like in these restrictions? Lockdowns? Helping people see God’s truth!… Spending quality time at home in prayer is definitely not a waste of time! But possibly an opportunity God has given us! Prayer meeting…

Well, I don’t know what’s been keeping you busy at home — but one thing that’s been eating up my time is TV and social media! And it can be really tempting at the moment to get online or listen to the news and get caught up in the polarising ideas and issues of the day… As if one of them is going to be the solution to our present issues… We feel like we need to be on a side or choose a team or have a view and an opinion… Whatever the platform is the world is constantly telling us - come to my truth! See the world my way! Think like me! View the government, the vaccines, science, the media, the world a certain way - and then all your issues will be sorted…

And we can feel like - if we just get this thing sorted… if the government would just allow this or that… if everyone would just vaccinate - if I could just set up my home office in the right way.. If Centrelink would just provide enough supplement… everything will be ok…

We can get fooled into thinking there’s this ultimate solution to our present problems in a worldly scenario. Yes, we should pray that our government do their job well. Yes, we should pray that they come to know Jesus. Yes, we should pray for a greater moral state of our nation and our world — BUT ultimately that will not happen through having the right political party in place! Or through any other social endeavour! Paul says - as you pray for these things remember, Jesus is your only ultimate solution!

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. ~1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NIV)

Paul here raises our eyes from a worldly solution to a heavenly one! See what this verse is doing in the middle of this little passage about praying for people… especially our governments. There’s one God, there’s one ultimate place of rest and restoration! And freedom! With Him! And there’s one mediator between him and us, one person who can ultimately fix the problem between us, one person who can give us the kind of freedom we need and so desire!

One person who can move the hearts of people to come together rather than being polarised! Jesus Christ! God himself! Not Scott Morrison, not Donald Trump, not Biden, not Gladys, not even the Queen, nor any other political party or governing system… no business or social endeavour… God wants people to be saved and Jesus is how that comes about! The truth about him is what saves!

What did Jesus do for us, He gave Himself as a ransom! A ransom is a price paid to free someone from captivity! I wonder how much you’d pay to end this lockdown? What would your freedom be worth? Well, whatever that price, our freedom with God was far more costly - it cost God the life of his only son! He was willing to pay that for us to be freed from our eternal captivity!

Far more serious than the delta stream of the C-virus, our sin had put us in a state of eternal captivity away from God and we were essentially all heading down a road into an eternal lockdown! Away from God, away from anything good, away from loved ones, away from love, away from any signs of the goodness of life - but locked down in eternal death! But as it says in verse 4 - God wanted people to be saved - and he was even willing to pay the penalty for us!

So, he came into our world, into our sickness stricken, sinful and broken world, and he took up the cross. He was willing to take up death and in his death he experienced that separation from his father that we deserved - so that we don’t have to! He did that - So that for those who accept what he’s done, those who have put their faith in Jesus - whether we’re in a physical lockdown, whether we have others around us, whatever’s happening in our lives right now, we can know for sure that we’re never separated from our loving God!

We’ve been given a freedom that far surpasses whatever freedoms we had before covid or whatever’s coming after it! Freedom from judgement, freedom from sin and its reign, freedom from the fear of death, freedom from living in a hopeless state of expecting our government, or any other broken person to be the solution to our greatest needs!

Jesus is the ultimate solution to our need for freedom! This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. Free yourself from the trap of anxiety, fear and outrage, and turn to Jesus - who offers peace and freedom forever. This Jesus and the freedom he offers is what kept Paul praying and testifying as he waited for his chance to speak the gospel to Caesar - he was in jail, restricted under house arrest but confident of the un-chained power of God’s word.

As I said earlier, it’s like Paul wrote this letter this month, as he immediately applies his call to pray, to the men whose way of dealing with injustice and inaction can often be similar to what we saw in the freedom rally last week, hands raised in rage..

I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. ~1 Timothy 2:8 (NIV)

And I think it applies to our women too… My Advice - Take a break from the screens - read the word - watch some Olympics - pray for people - we pray because no matter the restrictions on us, our God is never in chains, He’s always at work!

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Father’s day - I didn’t have a great relationship with my dad growing up. One of my Aunties told me when I was like 4 or 5, she would let me sit on her lap in the car and let me help her steer - these are things you could do in the 80’s - and one time when we were coming into the driveway she tells me that I asked if we could run my dad over… I don’t know if that says something about me as a kid or about the relationship my dad and I had even back then.

Things eventually got so rough between us that I moved out at 19 and there was a time we treated each other as if the other person didn’t exist. As I reflect back, I think it was a case of the two of us being too similar in nature and wanting very different things in life! Creating big clashes! We’d fight over the silliest things, neither of us wanting to budge on the issue. The majority of the time I felt like he didn’t care for the person inside, while he was feeling I didn’t care for him because of the way I acted on the outside. It was a real clash, we went through some hard years, it had a big effect on my life and I know it affected my dad too.

Fathers play a huge role in the lives of their children, it’s our great and scary privilege and responsibility. Studies have shown the immensely positive and negative affects a present, involved, loving father can be on a child’s formation compared with a distant unloving one.

Now some of us have outstanding fathers and that’s a great gift! But we live in a broken world and I recognise some of our fathers passed away earlier than they should have. Some of our fathers left us sooner than they should have and some we wished would have left sooner and some of us have not been the kind of father we know we should have been.

Sin and brokenness have affected fatherhood on earth in many ways but today I want to lift our eyes above our earthy fathers, and I want to let the bible encourage our hearts with the reality of our God who has been an ever-present, all-loving, all-wise father to each and every one of us.

No matter what your relationship has been to your own earthly dad, our relationship with our heavenly dad is the one that ultimately defines and shapes who we are!

In the classic book - knowing God, Jim Packer lays out what he thinks a Christian is… he writes: “What is a Christian?” (How would you answer that question?).

“The richest answer I know is that a Christian is someone who knows God as their father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much they make of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as their father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls their worship and prayers and their whole outlook on life, it means that they do not understand Christianity very well at all.”

And my hope is that today we’ll see how having God as our father positively affects our lives in every way, especially in these strange times we’re in right now. So, what does it look like?

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ~Matthew 6:25 (NIV)

Don’t worry! - a phrase every worried person loves to hear. Notice, Jesus starts this section with 'Therefore' He’s just been teaching a big crowd about what it means to have a father in heaven who sees and knows every aspect of their lives and one of the benefits of that he says is not to be consumed with worry. Worry is interesting isn’t it? interesting what worry does to us, it can be helpful at times when it creates helpful action but at other times, it’s just annoying, it can be really frustrating and debilitating! Worry causes us to narrow our vision, to get focused in on a problem, less able to think of the bigger picture, and usually push others away and isolate or we treat others poorly as we try to remove them to focus on our worry.

It’s not like there aren’t things to worry about! I mean from Covid fears to vaccine decisions to people losing their jobs, wondering where their next meals might come from to mental health issues on the rise. Terrorism tearing through Afghanistan! Worrying about the needs of our families, will our kids make it through the year of homeschooling. Worry seems pretty normal right now. It’s very hard to keep our heads out of the tunnel of worry!

I don’t know the things worrying you at the moment but Jesus takes us straight to the big things here in verse 25: Don’t worry about your life… what will keep you alive… He names food and drink… he’s not talking about items for a party… food and drink are things that fuel us, things that keep us alive/going… the sources of life… I mean it seems counter-intuitive but he’s saying don’t be consumed with worry over what’s going to keep you living… then he goes to our bodies - what we’ll clothe them with, again, this isn’t about a decision to shop at the Salvos instead of buying new expensive apparel… a new pair of Nike’s, it’s a question about what we think our bodies are for and what’s really on display for others… Jesus says our bodies are more than, or for more than clothes… so let that worry go…

We’re going to think about each of those things. Our lives and our bodies… There’s a link here between our lives and bodies, and God’s kingdom and righteousness… See if you can work out the link as we go… Let’s think about it… Where is life found? And… What are our bodies for?

If you consult YouTube you’ll find over a million food channels telling you how much food is life and I’m sure they’ve helped a lot of people in lockdown but I’m also sure they won’t have the recipe to life’s bigger questions… what is life and what am I for? In the ancient world and even in many places today - food can be scarce - and the rain falling for the crops to grow relies heavily upon the Lord of the harvest who sends rain. Unlike us with our Uber eats phone apps, they really experience their life’s dependance upon God for their daily food so there often is a contrast between trust and worry. Worry that their father in heaven won’t sustain them. And we can feel a similar thing when we’re stuck in a really tough scenario where we feel like we don’t know if we’ll get through this, we can’t see a way out, no light and no way forward, feeling like God has forgotten us but look at how Jesus encourages us.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ~Matthew 6:26 (NIV)

Birds aren’t made in the image of God, nor are promised eternal life, yet God provides what they need to live.

We’ve been reading this book with our kids recently, it’s about some birds who are watching these humans in different scenarios in their life. And the birds are getting amazed and confused at how much these humans are getting stressed in their businesses, or in their lives, and they’re cutting corners, and making all kinds of bad decisions because they don’t know they’ve got a father in heaven who cares for them just like he cares for these birds… they don’t understand…

And then at the end of the book the birds see a big group of people and they’re all a bit down… and then it shows Jesus in the middle of the group and he says to them all: “Look at these birds… they don’t run businesses or work, but your father feeds them, how much more valuable are you to your father in heaven!? Your life and your bodies are about much more than food and clothes… And then the birds say - HOORAY! They really do have a father in heaven who cares for them!

If only we’d stop thinking we could find our life, our security, our meaning in something else other than God. And he’s not just talking about food and drink and life’s essentials, it’s not about having enough toilet paper, He’s pressing in to the things we think will give our life significance, worth, meaning and sustenance. What are those things for you? The things you feel like you couldn’t live without?? What would other people notice you couldn’t live without? What is it in your life that you feel if I have this or that I’ll be ok and I’ll get through another day?

Whatever it might be, Jesus strips worrying about it right out from under our feet!

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ~Matthew 6:27 (NIV)

It’s painfully true, what benefit is there to worrying? This really gets to what Jesus is trying to say about life. Where is life truly found?

When I was a personal trainer we used to go to seminar after seminar on the latest trends in healthy eating and exercise and mind-body relationship stuff and every new guru thought they’d found the key to a longer life! It was all about extending and improving life and I had this line I’d keep saying to people “live well, eat healthy, exercise, die anyway” - it was inevitable! They could try to extend it as long as they like, but it was always coming to an end, an end they couldn’t control!

It was a reality check for a community who felt like they could control every aspect of their lives to essentially live forever but just as Jesus says, food and drink can never sustain life eternally because the very essence of life is only truly found in God… he holds it in his hands!! Of course, health & fitness have their benefits, but worrying about food or any other earthly thing because we think that’ll secure us in life is ultimately futile.

Earlier in Matthew when Jesus was being tempted by Satan to forget God and use his power to turn stones into bread to feed his hunger he said “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Our lives are upheld and carried through by God. Worrying just wastes life…

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ~Matthew 6:28-29 (NIV)

Solomon was the son of King David around 1000BC, if you want to read about him look at 1 Kings 10. He was by far the richest man who had ever lived up to that point in history and long after him… He had whole towns to store his animals and almost everything in his palace was made of pure gold. In 1 Kings 10:27 it says King Solomon made silver as common as stones, it says he didn’t bother using silver in the palace because it was of little value in Solomon’s day.

And He would have been dressed up to display the wealth of his kingdom with gold all over him, just dazzling! I’d say, probably more majestic than you or I have or will ever dress in our lifetimes but Jesus says he had nothing on flowers…

What does he even mean? Look at verse 30

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ~Matthew 6:30 (NIV)

Notice what flowers are clothes for, what does God clothe with flowers? grass, which is here today and gone tomorrow. God grows flowers, in all their beauty to brighten up the grass and friends, what Jesus is saying is - God clothes us, to brighten up a dark world, not with clothes, but with the light of Christ! With Righteousness! That’s what our bodies are for, that’s what the more than clothes means.

We are made in the image of God, and called by our Father in heaven to display the glory of Christ to the world around us! Not in the way we dress, but by the way we act!! Just before this little section, Jesus told the crowd - you who come to me.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. ~Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

When Jesus went to the cross, he not only stood in our place of punishment and got from his father what we deserved! But he also gave to us his perfect righteousness! It was a complete transfer and substitute! Our sin, for his righteousness. So for us who believe in Jesus, and have accepted him as our Lord and saviour, God clothes us with Jesus. That’s the privilege we have as his children. When God looks at us, he doesn’t look at us with anger, or disappointment, but with full acceptance, with the same love he has for his own perfect son, Jesus Christ. He has clothed us in his righteousness to display His glory to our world as we seek his kingdom above all else!

So Jesus is saying, if that’s what our bodies are for, living out his righteousness, will God not give us all we need to display that beauty, like bright shining stars in a world of darkness!

Daniel saw this future reality coming when he wrote -

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. ~Daniel 12:3 (NIV)

And Paul said:

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. ~Philippians 2:13-16 (NIV)

Isn’t that a timely word for us! Unlike worry which isolates and pushes others away as it tunnel visions, seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness displays the bigger picture and draws others in, it brings others along with us! This is a very important word for us as a church at the moment in a world that is continually feeling polarising!

Did you know that the clothing industry brings in around 2 trillion dollars each year? Jesus is saying, what you can do for the world around you in Jesus name, for your father’s glory is worth far more than trillions of dollars!! And so he says:

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ~Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV)

The point is, we waste our lives with worry about the wrong things! We seek after earthly security and affirmation while our Heavenly Father knows us completely and knows what we need, and as he calls us to seek his kingdom, he promises to actively provide all we need to do that! Hand over your worries to him! Who is far more able to manage them than us…

Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ~1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

The other day while I was sitting working on this talk, I was listening to a Whitney Houston song, yeah, I said Whitney Houston, and there was a line in the song that really got me..

One of the verses goes - If I woke up in world war 3 and I see destruction and poverty and I feel like I want to go home…

And it just really struck me, I think that’s what we’re all feeling at the moment, I just want to go home, I want to go back to when things were normal, when even home felt like home. It’s that feeling of being away from home for a while and just wanting to be back in our comfortable space.

But then I thought, whatever happens, even if we don’t get to get back to that situation, wherever we are, whatever state we’re in, we’re always at home with God! And we can know for sure that our father in heaven is walking with us, holding our hand tightly in his, as we walk together through this messy time. He’s never let us go! And he will lead us all the way into eternal life where we are very safe and sound.

Worry isn’t something he asks of us but trust. In such a time as this, we need to turn our panic into prayer and entrust ourselves to our capable Dad.

I’m a dad of 2, Micah is almost 3 and Hazel is 1 and I just absolutely love them! I love watching them, I love teaching them, I love their cheeky grins and their little cuddles. I love when they annoy me and try to type on my computer when I’m trying to write a sermon, I love their confidence to try to pull away from my hand when we cross a road as I’m tightly holding onto them! I have such a strong desire for them, that I want the very best for them in every way possible in life but I know I can’t control that and I know I’ll fail them in many ways as they grow.

But If that’s the desire of an imperfect, flawed man than how much more does our father in heaven have our best interests in mind as he watches us grow through life?

It’s not that God is going to provide us with a big forcefield that stops every bad thing happening to us. He doesn’t promise us an easy road! The Christian life comes with suffering and hardships just like our Lord Jesus faced, but he assures us he’ll be with us as we travel that road and assures us he’ll carry us home!

What we’re promised is in every single moment of every single day, there is a loving, gracious father in heaven who’s with us by His Spirit, growing us, shaping us, guiding us, caring for us in ways that we may never see until we meet him face to face in eternity…but because of that reality, we can be sure that worry is not something we need to add to our character traits.

All those who have put their faith in Jesus, have been adopted as children of God. And as a child of God, you have every privilege our Lord Jesus had! Just as he prayed - Father, thank you that you hear me, I know that you always hear me… and he does…

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

And so the word for us today is…Trust your Heavenly Father, hold on to the hope of eternal life, and live out His righteousness in the opportunities God has provided for us this day.

What are some things you could do, even in lockdown that will bring a smile to your father’s face?

Already I’ve heard of people getting food packages delivered to other people’s places, people calling people who are doing life tough, others doing 1-1 bible studies with people who couldn’t manage zoom, other groups getting together on zoom to pray for our community and the world, families making the most of the time by spending quality time together, even around the word!

Dad’s, can I encourage you to make sure you use this time to be a light in your families.

Dads we have a huge privilege and responsibility to show our kids how to trust in their heavenly Dad. Your kids may not remember the specific things you say to them, or what you read with them in the bible, but what they will remember is where you sat each morning or night, and what that book was that you were reading. They’ll remember how you treated their mother and their siblings, and what your face looked like as your eyes were closed in prayer to your own heavenly Dad. They’ll remember the focus of your life and what kingdom you spent your time and money building and that will have an everlasting impact in their lives!

Well, Praise God, some years back, my dad and I had time to talk and understand each other and we’re on really good terms now. But I wonder how much time you’ve spent recently seeking to understand your father in heaven and his care for you? It’s easy in these stressful times to let our feelings dictate how much we think God cares for us but that’s a very unhelpful way of viewing reality as one of God’s children. Instead, we should seek to hear his own voice on the matter and with that in mind, let me finish with Jesus’ comforting words:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

John 10:27-29 (NIV)

What a comfort!

Happy Father’s Day.

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Throughout life, it seems the question that we often get asked is: ‘who do you want to be?’ As a child, it’s always “What do you want to be when you grow up?” An author, A gymnast, A fireman, A footy player. Growing up, I wanted to be a bank manager. Why? Well, I thought as the bank manager I would have access to all the money! Then at the end of high school, we’re confronted with that decision again; a decision that rests on a score out of 100.

As we become adults, the question: ‘what do you want to be?’’ then seems to take a different shape. Rather than people asking us, it tends to be us asking ourselves. Is this what I want to be? I remember in my 2nd-year of university, during the summer break, doing a six-week stint working as an auditor in an accounting firm. Well, that was enough for me to say: “this is not for me.” So off I went and pursued Human Resources. Along the way, it seems we’re forever answering the question. Do I see myself doing this for the rest of my life? Is this what I want to spend my time, my energy pursuing? Or do I chase something else instead?

1 Timothy 4 today is going to put something before us all, something that’s well and truly worth aspiring for.

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, ~1Timothy 4:6 (NIV)

Not you might be, you will be a good minister! The word minister there, it’s not talking about the paid minister, someone like myself, or any of the other staff here. No, Paul uses a different word here, different from the words: elder, overseer, deacon that he used back in Chapter 3. The word here is ‘servant’. It’s not a particularly impressive word. When was the last time you heard someone say they had ambitions to become a servant? I don’t think I’ve ever said to my kids: “Hey, forget becoming a gymnast when you grow up. Much better off chasing the dream of becoming a servant” What does a servant do? A servant serves. To be a servant, by its very definition, is to be the opposite of someone important; power and position, status, fame and recognition. These are off the table when it comes to being a servant because a servant serves. A servant doesn’t have on their radar questions like: Whether I’m appreciated, my reputation, recognition. No, because a servant serves. In the age we live in where it’s all about pursuing my dreams, my freedom, my rights, why would anyone want to aspire to be a servant!

Well, let’s break down what it means to be a servant of Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus, who as we saw back in the very first sentence of this letter. Christ Jesus who is our hope, our Lord (1Timothy 1:2). The one who came into this world to save sinners. (1Timothy 1:15) The one who gave his life as a ransom for all. (1Timothy 2:6) There is no greater privilege than to be a good servant of Christ Jesus! What does good looks like for a servant of Christ Jesus? According to 1 Timothy 4, a good servant of Christ Jesus is godly! There it is; godliness. What is godliness? It’s code for living out the truth about Jesus.

Specifically, the focus is on what comes out of the lips and whether it’s backed up with one’s lifestyle. Friends, if 1 Timothy has drilled anything into us over these past few weeks, it’s that truth matters. Especially in the household of God. But what matters just as much is HOW we live out the truth. It’s not enough just to speak the truth we also get to show how good the truth is. We get to show how onboard we are with the truth. We do that through our attitudes, our priorities, what things we say ‘Yes’ to and say ‘No’ to. We do that both within the church and before a watching world. That’s what we’re going to see here today in 1 Timothy 4.

Now, let’s go back to 1 Timothy 4:6

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus. ~1Timothy 4:6 (NIV)

OK, let’s stop there. What comes out of a servant’s mouth are ‘these things’. These things are directed to both men and women. Remember, Paul doesn’t want the women to miss out. He’s jealous they have every opportunity to learn. But what exactly are ‘these things’? The things a good servant points out with their lips are the sort of things we saw back in Chapter 1, things that advance God’s work, things that have love as it’s end point, things that have to do with a purified heart, a clean conscience and a sincere faith, things that involve the trustworthy sayings that are worthy of full acceptance. That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That there is one mediator between God and humanity, the man Jesus Christ. That pursuing the task of an overseer in God’s church is a worthy task. A good servant puts THESE things before God’s family because they’re well aware of the times we’re living in.

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. ~1Timothy 4:1 (NIV)

Notice how THESE things are contrasted from THINGS TAUGHT BY DEMONS. One promotes faith and the other causes people to give up on Jesus altogether. Unlike a godly person who’s on about truth, this demonic teaching comes via verse 2... hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. Whereas the godly person has their walk and their talk line up, the hypocritical liars not only don’t speak the truth but they don’t live it out as well. It’s not like they are trying to turn things around either because their consciences have been dull and insensitive, rather than having their conscience pricked they don’t give a stuff about the truth anymore!

Well, come verse 3 - we get a window into the sort of lies they were spreading.

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. ~1 Timothy 4:3 (NIV)

Right, so the lie was that you were somehow more spiritual if you stayed single and didn’t marry and if you didn’t eat certain food then that’s what made you holy. Well we know that can’t be right because God’s pro-marriage, He’s the one who invented it in the first place! And second, Jesus has declared all foods clean, so go ahead and eat your bacon, get stuck into

the shellfish! Being godly doesn’t mean pursuing the ascetic lifestyle where we deny and reject the very things God’s given us to enjoy. If you’re not a Christian and you’re tuning in then Number 1 - I’m really glad you’re checking out the things of God.

Number 2 - you may be thinking that there’s no fun in Christianity, that you’ll have to give up too many things if I want to side with Jesus. Well, you may have to give up some things but think of it from the other angle, at last, you now know who to thank for all the wonderful things you get to enjoy when used on God’s terms.

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. ~1 Timothy 4:4-5 (NIV)

Look I get that during lockdown, it’s become increasingly harder to be thankful. I’ve struggled heaps, more during lockdown 2.0. I’ve learnt to pause and wait for things to bubble up to the surface that I can thank God for. So let me rattle off a few things, I’m thankful for technology that enables us to stay in touch. Last lockdown our oven broke so I’m thankful for an oven that’s enabled home-cooked food, new recipes to try.

I’m thankful for the sunset I saw on THE Rooty Hill, thankful for the bike I can ride, thankful for these strawberries at $2 a punnet! and so sweet too! How good is it to be a Christian - we know who to thank! Gratitude, that’s what falls off the lips of a good servant of Christ Jesus.

Well, that’s one side of the coin called godliness, what comes out of our lips. The other side has got to do with our lives.

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ~1 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

Notice how godliness is contrasted here with the false teaching that was all over Ephesus or modern-day Turkey, that contrast is important because it shows us that godliness has got to do with truth. Often, I’ve made the mistake of thinking that godliness equals goodliness or simply doing the right thing. I reckon we’ve done that because we’ve bought the lie that it’s all about what we DO, the good deeds I present before God , that’s what helps me earn God’s favour, that’s what gets me into heaven. That as long as on the balance of things, the good outweighs the bad then God will accept me. That would be your classic example of a godless myth that Paul says: have nothing to do with WHATSOEVER! Godliness has got to do with truth. In fact, it’s got to do with God.

Take a look back at 1 Timothy 3:16 in your Bible where we were told about the secret of godliness. Godliness has got to do not with myths about God but truths about God and then Paul rattled off six of them. That God appeared, that He walked out of that grave, Risen and Alive with real hands and real feet and real scars. Shortly after that, the Spirit confirmed he was the real deal, seen by angels, that he was to be preached to the ends of the earth so that people would believe in Him. And that now he’s been taken up in glory. Godliness begins and ends with having a grasp of who God truly is!

And so, on that basis, Paul now says “TRAIN YOURSELF”

WOW! That phrase “Train yourself” - if there’s ever a time when those two words took on fresh meaning now would be it, in the middle of a lockdown, train - not just because many of us have got more time on our hands. No train because with the constant changes and the never ending news cycle that makes us feel

Depressed, disheartened, causes anxiety, uncertainty and fear, that messes with our mental health, that throws us into financial panic. Now, more than ever is the time to TRAIN. Make the extra effort with discipline, put in the hard yards, roll up the sleeves, grit the teeth knowing full well, it won’t be easy but it’ll be worth it.

And not just train, but train YOURSELF. We all know the hardest person to lead is yourself but Paul wants us to feel the weight of responsibility falling on our shoulders, the buck stops with us. Now is the time to step up to be proactive. Of course that doesn’t mean you’re all on your own, yes you’re to take the initiative but there are heaps of ways to - as Paul says in verse 6 - ways to nourish yourself on the truths of the faith.

What will training yourself to be godly...what will that look like for you this coming week? Well, let me ask you how’d you go last week in nourishing your soul with God’s Word? Well, why not try and do a PB - a personal best - this week. So if it was zero times you opened up your Bible last week, that’s fine, train yourself to open it up at least once this week. If it was three times then why not aim for four. If you’re used to reading a paragraph then why not aim for a chapter. If you typically avoid reading the Old Testament, why not begin with a short book like Ruth, or Judges. Maybe you want to consider going deeper? Enrolling in a course. Maybe even Bible college for next year.

I’m more than happy to chat about some options. Wherever you are on that spectrum, let’s aim for a new PB! Of course training isn’t a solo thing, there’s plenty of others who God’s given us to join in this training program, your small group would be one of them

I remember one small group last year, during lockdown, they would organise a morning Zoom meeting only the cameras were off and it was just them individually spending time with God. But the fact they were all doing it and they knew others

were there doing it too, they all helped each other to prioritise it, but it’s been so encouraging to hear people live out those truths within small groups too. I’ve heard of small groups organising for groceries to be delivered when someone’s doing it tough. I

heard this week how one group, the leaders sent out home-delivered supper, so the group share it together over the study.

Sending a bunch of flowers to a member who’s doing it tough.

I’ve heard of group members phoning one another during the week, that’s godliness in action, word AND deed. Truth AND love, keep it up! So yes - train yourself but train yourself alongside others.

In verse 8 we come across another one of Paul’s trustworthy sayings that’s deserving of full acceptance.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. ~1 Timothy 4:8-9 (NIV)

Now I know that for a good number of you, you already fully accept the first half of this saying, up until lockdown, you were heading along to a gym. Maybe you were training for a marathon or a half-marathon. Others were heading out for walks - trying to get your 10,000 steps in. Many of you play competitive sports. Now in lockdown, I know a number of you have jumped on board with the Couch to 5K running app. Or you’ve got your home gym setup. To the notion that there is SOME value in physical activity I can hear many of you say a big AMEN.

Exercise, one of those wonderful gifts from God as we saw earlier. Nothing like a good sweat to clear the head!

But note - it’s of SOME value. Over my life, I’ve trained for a marathon, I’ve trained for a Spartan Race, I’ve trained for basketball games, I’ve spent lots of time at the gym, watching what I eat. Its involved plenty of physio along the way too.

Dragging myself out of bed early in the morning yes - it was worth it, I don’t regret it but all I’ve got to show for at the end of the day is a headband. Oh, and a sermon illustration. Godliness on the other hand, that’s our future. Godliness is the currency of heaven and so the effort, the strain, the spiritual sweat you put in now, you’re just getting a head start for what awaits in glory! Paul calls that a win-win, a win for this life and a win for the life to come.

That’s why Paul will go on to say two more things about how a good servant of Christ Jesus backs it up with their lifestyle.

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. ~1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

We’ve reached a turning point in Chapter 4, so far Timothy’s job has been to expose error, to point out the lies. However, from this verse on, Timothy is to show how good the truth is by living a transformed life. And here in verse 12 specifically, rather than others looking DOWN on Timothy because of his youth, others are going to look UP to Timothy instead, all because of his speech and because of his conduct.

For Timothy, the way he speaks about Jesus, his God-talk, that’s to be worth copying. The stuff he speaks about, it’s not just head knowledge for him, Jesus is real to him, Jesus

impacts how he conducts himself, the way he goes about relationships. It affects all the stuff we saw last week in Chapter 3. Keeping his anger in check, alcohol, how he related to outsiders. Does the public and private life match up?

Do you remember those spot-the-difference games that were in the Sunday newspapers or in the puzzle book when you were a kid? You’d have two nearly identical pictures side by side and you’d have to try and see what was differences between them. On one there’d be a picture on the wall and in the other one it was missing. One the guy would only be wearing one sock whereas in the other one he was wearing both.

Well, when it comes to godliness, sure there might be differences between our speech and our conduct. Our walk doesn’t always match up with our talk but being a good servant of Christ Jesus involves naming it, not doing pretend. And then being committed to removing those differences, that’s why good servants of Christ Jesus pay attention to how they live and act because our lives are on display. People are watching, people are copying, everything from how you drive to what you post about on social media. How you treat your spouse, what your home life is like. From how you use your downtime to how you spend your money, how you dress. We have a tremendous opportunity to help one another, to model for each other what godliness looks like.

Have a think about the person who you looked up to, or look up to now as a Christian role model. You got someone in mind?

Chances are you picked that person because their walk and their talk lined up or at least they were self-aware and honest enough to know that was what they needed to train themselves in. They had set an example for you in speech and conduct. Why don’t you, before today is out, get in touch with that person if you’re able to, call them, message them, pray for them, express your thankfulness in some concrete way.

Timothy is to set an example, not just in speech and conduct, he’s to do so in a context of love, faith and purity.

Love is what’s behind everything Timothy says and does. He’s setting an example for their good. And not only that, when it comes to faith he’s contenting, he’s pursuing, he’s fighting the good fight of the faith. Showcasing those things as opposed to what others in this letter are described as doing, people like Hymenaeus and Alexander who we met back in 1:20, two guys who’ve shipwrecked their faith. Those who’ve abandoning the faith as we saw in verse 1 of this chapter. Or the greedy who wander away from the faith in 6:10.

And then when it comes to purity, Timothy, like all good servants of Christ Jesus, are to lead the way. Interestingly the only other time purity gets a mention is in 5:2 where Timothy is to treat the younger women WITH absolute purity. Good servants of Christ Jesus relate to the opposite sex in wholesome, appropriate and God-honouring ways.

Chances are, you won’t remember any of the sermons I have preached or will preach 10 years from now. That’s OK. I’m not offended. I don’t think I’ll even remember them myself! But I’m pretty sure you’ll remember how I’ve spoken to you, whether positively or negatively. You will remember whether I listened, how I handled a certain situation, whether I understood you, encouraged you, how I served, not just up-front but behind the scenes.

Those of you who’ve come into my home you’ll remember how I’ve tried to disciple my children, how I treat Teresa, how I made you feel welcome. Knowing that, knowing that’s the sort of stuff that determines whether I’m a good servant of Christ Jesus or not, that’s what inspires me to keep working at godliness.

And finally, part of living a life of godliness, living out the truths of God will mean that of Christ progress - not perfection - is the name of the game.

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ~1Timothy 4:15 (NIV)

Notice how Paul goes all out here, rather than giving yourself half-heartedly, he says go “all in”. Be diligent, make an effort, get absorbed in it like you would binge-watch the latest TV show because by doing so, the results will follow. Only in this case, we’re not talking about progress in terms of better test scores or a bigger paycheck. No, the progress has got to do with growing in godliness!

We often say here at MBM, as followers of Jesus, we want our best days to be ahead of us not behind us. That is, we’re all works in progress, I am, you are, we all are, none of us have fully arrived.

Whenever I’m chatting to someone about stepping up to leading the hesitation every time has either got to do with doctrine, “I don’t have the answers” or lifestyle, “I’m not perfect. I don’t feel I’m good enough”

Well, this verse should come as a relief, the pressure’s off, perfection is not what we’re after but rather progress. I’m glad you don’t have the answers because that’ll make you hungry to go and ask questions. I’m glad you’re not perfect because none of us are and you’re aware of what you need God’s help with!

I often say to couples during marriage prep that the test of a godly marriage will look like the husband saying to his wife: ‘I feel more respected by you this year compared to last.’ And a wife saying to her husband: ‘I feel more loved by you this year compared to last.’ That’s progress!

Progress is the name of the game when it comes to sin too. If you’ve been a follower of Jesus for a while, I would hope that there’d be certain sins you could look back on and say, they’ve been put to death from the time you first took the hand of Jesus. I heard one person share humbly this week about how certain TV shows he watched when he first became a Christian he just knows to stay right away from now.

We’re forever playing the long-game on that one in putting sin to death. Recently I’ve been really convicted about the sin of prayerlessness and in particular a shallowness to my prayer life. So, rather than being stuck there, what do I do? I go away, I put the work in. so that in 6 or 12or however many months time, my progress will be evident.

Well, that brings us to verse 16. A good servant of Christ Jesus has got good self-awareness.

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. ~1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV)

They have got a keen eye on their speech and their conduct because at the end of the day, salvation is at stake. Now we know earlier, from this letter, there’s no doubt, we do not and cannot save ourselves. There is only one mediator between God and humanity, the man Jesus Christ.

But Paul wants to make it clear, we do have a role to play, just as the hypocritical liar or the false teacher leads people AWAY from salvation. So too, the person who takes godliness seriously, the person who’s talk about Jesus lines up with their walk with Jesus, how we speak, how we act, it’ll either help or hinder whether the gospel gets a genuine hearing.

I began by asking who do you want to be? Do you want to be a good servant of Christ Jesus? Are you willing to train yourself to pursue godliness? To put in the effort, the discipline, to get back up again when you don’t feel like it. Well if your answer to that question is Yes, then that will have tremendous blessings not just for your life here and now and not just for eternity. It’ll have blessings for the church you’re a part of too.

In the 10 years I’ve had the privilege of being part of this church, I’ve discovered by chatting to others who don’t call MBM home, that we here at MBM are known for many things.

A zeal for lost, introducing people to Jesus, seeing them move from death to life. We’re known for diversity, that’s probably one of the biggest reputations of MBM, after all that’s what the first M stands for, Multicultural.

It’s such a delight to see the United Nations gather Sunday by Sunday, I can’t wait for that day when we’re all together in person again. I pray it’ll be sooner rather than later. Not only that, we’re also known for our commitment to the Bible. That’s what the B stands for. That we’re devoted to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and teaching across all ages and stages, kids, youth and adults. And the final M in MBM stands for Ministry. See what makes up a Ministry? Ministers, servants, or more specifically based on what we’ve been looking at today, good servants of Christ Jesus. Without that, we’re a shell of a ministry. All show and no substance!

And so, if you call MBM home, I don’t know about you, but whenever someone asks, what is MBM known for. Yes - they’ll mention those things we’re already known for but my prayer is that they’ll be able to say ‘MBM, oh yeah - that’s right. That’s the place where there are truckloads of servants of Christ Jesus.

Servants who serve, servants who set an example when it comes to speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. Servants who take godliness seriously knowing that’s the one thing that’ll transition from this age, to the age to come. Servants who are committed to watching their life and doctrine closely.’

I thank God for the many servants of Christ Jesus who call MBM home already. Faithful servants, men, women, children, youth, young adults, singles, couples, parents and seniors. Who are switched to what Paul says in verse 10.

As servants of Christ Jesus, this is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. ~1 Timothy 4:10 (NIV)

How about we pray to that end.

Help us to play our part. Doing whatever it takes. Please show us the areas that need to change. In this coming week. And in the days ahead. Especially in lockdown, help us take the initiative to train ourselves for godliness!

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We find ourselves in difficult times indeed. So far, it’s been hard, but mostly straightforward for churches. Mainly because it has been one rule for all. Now we have been told that churches can return to meeting together when we reach 70% vaccination rate anticipated to be October 17th. However, it’s only for those who have been double vaccinated. It has begged a lot of important questions and I don’t want to simply give the road map for re-entry without a theological framework because this is truly a discipleship moment for our church.

I want to begin by acknowledging that our society has been under a lot of pressure these last five years. We have had various important social movements – Me Too, Black Lives Matter, debates on Sex and Gender, American politics – and now COVID vaccination restrictions.

In addition, we have also had fires, droughts, floods and mice plagues. Then came lengthy lockdowns, widespread fatigue, poor mental health, an overstretched health system, exhausted health workers, postponements of serious medical treatments, the rise of domestic violence and addictions, unemployment stress from the economic downturn and government policies such as ‘no jab, no job’. We are facing unique challenges both as a community and as a church. So how do we go forward and glorify God with these added government restrictions?

The Archbishop has given us the freedom to come back or delay. Like every other church, the leadership team is struggling because there is a clash of biblical principles. It’s the perfect storm of issues with growing tension points. The bible treasures a number of truths, and it’s important to remember not one truth stands alone. We need to do more than just quote one bible verse. When the devil quoted scripture, Jesus’ response was “but the scriptures also say…”.

I once heard a definition of a fundamentalist: “Someone who treats a partial truth like it was the whole truth.” So, what does the bible value that speaks into our situation?The six below points are not in any order.

1. The bible values the gathering of God’s people.

God commands us to not forsake meeting with one another as some were in the habit of doing (Heb 10:25). The context is of those who were choosing to not attend the gathering. As I often say MBM online is important but it’s not church, it’s a ministry of the word. It ought to grieve us that we can’t all gather as God’s people to encourage each other, especially when so many are vulnerable. And yet it’s not an absolute value, since you rightly miss church when you are sick, or when work calls you out for an emergency.

2. The bible values the unity of the church.

We are one in Christ. Galatians 3:28 states, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, (vaccinated or unvaccinated) for you are all one in Christ Jesus, “I truly hope you feel the grief of all of us not being allowed to meet together as God's family. But this does not mean we don’t put any limits on unity. For example, we don’t change our core teaching if some disagree and threaten to leave MBM. Unity is important, but it’s not the only truth.

3. The bible values obedience to the government.

The repeated teaching in the bible (Rom13:1-2,6, 1 Peter 2:13-14,1 Tim 2:2) is that we are to submit, pray, pay taxes and honour our governments, whether they are godly or not. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was burnt at the stake under orders from Queen Mary in the sixteenth century. His second point in his final speech was to obey the government that was burning him at the stake and to do so ‘willingly and gladly without murmur or grudging.’

Why was Cranmer burnt at the stake? Because he was disobeying the government when it came to teaching God's word. Acts 5:29 is clear that “We must obey God rather than human beings!” I said to my son who is a pastor that he may well go to prison for teaching parts of the bible before he dies and Jesus wants him to count that persecution as a privilege (Matt 5:11). However, I don’t see COVID restrictions as Christian persecution, for all people are impacted by them not just believers.

4. The bible wants us to do good to all people, especially those in the household of faith (Gal 6:10).

Our love must extend to how we manage the impact of our health on others. We know our hospitals are at breaking point. Some health workers from church tell us firsthand they are working long shifts. They are exhausted, wards are full, and other medical procedures have been postponed.

We should be conscious of how our health impacts others at church. While I don’t give medical advice as a Pastor where health issues impact church life we take advice from doctors we know and trust. This has been our policy for thirty years at MBM. That is why we are a nut-aware church, or why we tell parents when their child is sick (green runny nose, rash, temperature, or conjunctivitis) they should not bring their kids to church. But the difference here is that the unvaccinated who are healthy can feel like they are viewed as if they are sick and unclean.

5. The bible values respecting conscience and conscientious objections.

We worship a God who understands that not every Christian is going to agree on everything. We are to respect and even protect each other's consciences and choices, even if we think they are wrong.

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ~Romans 14:10

And yet, conscience and individual freedom are not absolutes. You can have a clear conscience and be completely wrong. A person who genuinely believes in the prosperity gospel will be loved at MBM but will not be given a teaching platform.

6. The bible values our witness before a watching world.

We should care about how we are seen by the world. In 1 Tim 6:1, slaves were to submit to their masters. Why? So that the name of God and the good news of Jesus would not be slandered. We should be concerned to make Jesus look good before a watching world, as individuals and as a church. The only thing is, the world consists of different people who are offended by different positions. As a church, we can’t “be all things to all people.”

So, these are some of the issues that push against each other; the gathering and unity of God’s people, obeying the government and obeying God, showing loving concern for the health of our church and community, guarding our individual conscience and choices, and watching how we live before a watching world.

It’s worth remembering it is not a problem unique to MBM. Every pastor, in every church in Sydney, is facing these same issues and very few think there is an easy answer.

Road Map for re-entry

We thought it would be helpful to lay out a road map to deal with uncertainty.

1. We will NOT return to Sunday gatherings when we reach 70% vaccination estimated to be October 17th.

First and foremost because we feel the grief of not having all of us able to attend church because of the restrictions. There are also complications with running MBM kids church, as well as a delay for some still waiting for their second dose.

We are hopeful that restrictions may be lifted beyond 80% vaccination rate but there is no assurance of this happening.

1. If the restrictions are not lifted we wait and NOT meet for five Sundays commencing from October 17 for the sake of those who can't attend.

2. If the restrictions have NOT been lifted we will reluctantly return by November 21st and gather according to government restrictions.

At this point, we want to at least give the majority the opportunity to meet for their good and we want to give non-Christians the opportunity to come to church and hear the gospel.

At that point we hope to start live streaming our services for two groups; those who can't meet because of government restrictions and those who can't meet because of health concerns

3. If the government removes restrictions and allow us all to meet together beforehand we will meet earlier.

If the government allows separate vaccinated and unvaccinated gatherings we will reluctantly consider it, but only as a temporary measure.

Please note that this is not a policy for MBM South West who, as we have announced earlier this year, will become independent in October under the name of, ‘The Church of the Risen King Jesus’.

More information will be forthcoming for MBM Youth and Growth Groups

Whatever road we take there is no soft landing and we hope, pray and have requested the government to lift restrictions as soon as possible. The sad reality is that regardless of government restrictions, every option available to us either now or later excludes somebody

You may be saying;

“Why should I miss out on meeting together for five weeks for the sake of others who choose not to get vaccinated?”Or

“Why should others meet when we who are a part of MBM are kept from the gathering because we are vaccine-hesitant for a medical reason?”

For a moment I ask you to ignore the government law and the MBM road map. I want you to take to heart a key truth that “love limits our liberty”.

Love Limits our Liberty

In Philippians 2, we are called to “value others above yourselves” Then Paul grounds the reason in Christ's humility.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very natureof a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! ~Philippians 2:5-8

There it is! Christ did not use his rights for his own advantage. Rather he went from heaven to earth and from God to the God/man to death on a cross for us. The one who has issued the command to “value others above ourselves”, has led the way. If you are not used to applying this principle in your private life, you may find it hard in your church life.

A Matter of the Heart

As with all truth, it begins in the heart. Can I respectfully place a challenge to us all?

• If you are vaccinated would you willingly give your blessing to not meet face to face for five weeks for the good of those who are vaccinated hesitant and who are not allowed to attend church? Would you let them know they matter to you?
• If you are unvaccinated would you willingly give your blessing to allow the vaccinated to meet from Nov 21st, if restrictions remain, for their good and the sake of non-Christians that they may hear the good news of our Lord?

And let us pray that it will not be long before restrictions are removed. The challenge for any church or society is how the majority treats the minority. And who should know this better than we Christians who are in the minority?

Make no mistake there are godly people on both sides of the vaccine debate. And both sides of the debate have said things they need to apologise for and have. We don’t get to postpone godliness in a crisis.

After the recent Parramatta and Penrith semi-final NRL game, some of the players from both teams prayed together in a huddle at the end of the game. They knew their first identity is not their team but their Father in heaven.

If you go MBM Rooty Hill can I ask you to join us on zoom on Sunday (10:45am, 5pm) for question time and demonstrate the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

This is a time to examine our hearts. One brother shared with me how he has been angry at the other side. He knew he needed to deal with that anger and not let it become a root of bitterness.

I would also ask us all to check our motives; Before COVID restrictions…

• Were you regularly attending church when there were no restrictions?
• Do you normally glorify God by praying for, and obeying the government?
• Were you demonstrating a loving commitment to people at church?
• Did you love those you disagreed with?

Love must not be theoretical

The care of the church is the responsibility of every member. That is why there are fifty-seven ‘one another’ verses and the most frequent is “Love one another”. Make a call, send a meal, provide a care package, send flowers, go for a walk and take interest in others. Mark Boyley’s men group were paired off and walked in twos within the LGA to celebrate the end of term growth group.

For your mental health sake, can I suggest you cut back on your screen time. If your family is telling you that your response COVID restrictions are harming them please listen to them and take steps.

What should be our response to the government?

The government is given by God to restrain our wickedness. In our system, the voice of the people is given by God to restrain government. As a good citizen who wants good government use all the channels available to speak up. Get to know your local state member when you see injustices and advocate for yourself and others. It is good for you; your mental health and you are less likely to demonise politicians.

I spoke to a number of folks who are vaccination hesitant due to medical reasons and who are losing their job. With their permission, I offered to call up our local state member for them. Two of them wrote very clear, respectful and direct letters to the minister. We must support those in our church who are losing their jobs. They are under tremendous pressure.

Gospel Hope!

Our hope is ultimately in the gospel, not politics. Do you realise that Christians in Australia have lost every major public debate in the last fifty years? The last being the abortion laws in state parliament last year. We are simply becoming a more post-Christian culture.

Take heart God still rules! How did Christianity grow from eleven scared men in an upper room to become the state religion of the Roman Empire in under 300 years? It was the hope of resurrection. Christians were not afraid of death. Plagues and natural disasters caused chaos in the ancient world and life was unstable. However, Christianity offered a better explanation, a better story, the forgiveness of sins, a resurrected body and the promise of new creation.

Christians generally coped with disasters better, and they took care of their own and others. When plagues happened many stayed with the sick and some of those who survived became Christian. The world also saw how martyrs faced death with such confidence

The next couple of months will be very difficult and it made me wonder what our great grandparents had to face this time last century They went through World War 1, a pandemic, massive economic depression and then World War 2 and all within thirty years.

This is our time friend so let us not forget how great is the God we worship. When Israel was under siege and starvation was so bad that mothers were even tempted to eat their young we read the words of the prophet Jeremiah.

Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ~Lamentation 3:22-23

Let us pray

Precious Father, these are such difficult days. First COVID then lockdowns, and now restrictions. We beg you for relief.

Assure us of the truth that you rule in all decisions and promise to work in all things (good or bad) for our good including this season.

We are all in this storm, but we are not all in the same boat. Some are doing much tougher than others.

We uphold those who work in the health services, for those who have lost their jobs, for those whose mental health is deteriorating, for single parents and for those on their own.

Let those who suffer, not suffer in silence, and may their needs be made known. Comfort them at this time and use us to be that comfort.

Allows us to all gather safely together for our encouragement, as soon as possible.

We ask that as your holy people we would stand out from the world and make Jesus look good. We plead that we would support each other and not turn on each other.

Please give our leaders your Spirit that they may make wise decisions and grant us patience and a godly response when they don’t. Cause us all to lift our eyes off our screens and up to the heavens where you are ruling and reigning

Help us to grasp that you are for us, and with us. Come what may we will praise you for you are:

God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To you, Lord be honour and might forever.

Amen.

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It's not the easiest time to be an Olympic athlete, they push their bodies to the limit for 4 years and then Covid hits and they wait another year, then they have to get picked again. Some have come down with COVID in the Olympic village. If they do make it there are no crowds to applaud their efforts and some who make it to the final come second by .02 second. While it's an honour to represent your country, they don’t hand out gold medals for trying. Its all based on performance, performance, performance, I'm so glad that salvation is offered to every one including the very worst

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ~1Timothy 1:15 (NIV)

No one is so good that they don’t need to be saved and no one is so bad they can’t be saved. People don’t use the word ‘sinner’ all that much these days.

Christ Jesus came into world to save sinners. No one is excluded from the category of sinner. Some may be worse than others. But as we like to say at MBM, you miss the plane by 3 minutes or 3 days, you have still missed the plane. We have all missed the plane by failing to love God with all our heart and failing to love others as we should.

The question is saved from what?

From a harrowing Christless eternity, that is why Jesus did not come into the world to teach you how to be a better you, to offer a set of self-help bullet points. Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Christianity is a rescue religion not a reform religion, people going to hell is our greatest need, not to be encouraged or educated or enlightened, to be saved.

The 7 year old daughter of a friend found herself in trouble at the beach, she got too close to the rocks and was getting closer, I swam out to her and pulled her back to shore. The girl was very aware of her need to be saved, whether she was aware or not she still needed to be saved. Whether you are aware of your sins and the judgment to come, you still need to be saved. The very name of Jesus tells you why he came to earth, the Angel said to his Joseph

…you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” ~Matthew 1:21 (NIV)

450 year ago in England a man by the name of Thomas Bilney came to trust Christ as his saviour. One day he heard his friend Bishop Latimer wrongly preach how you need to go to the priest for confession before God can forgive you. So Thomas Bilney asked Bishop Latimer if he would hear his confession.

What Bilney confessed were these words "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." It was this verse from Timothy that brought Bishop Latimer to faith, even though a priest, he too needed Jesus to save him from his sins. That same bishop made sure that when the Church of England prayer book was written, after the general confession, this same verse would be read out…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Within the list of sinners in this world, Paul the apostle, saw himself not better than the rest, not the same as the rest, but worse than the rest.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. ~1Timothy 1:15 (NIV)

Literally no 1 sinner is worse than the list of sins in 1 Timothy 1; slave traders, sexually immoral, mother killer, father killers. He said the law was for lawbreakers and he was the chief of the lawbreakers. I wonder if Paul is naming the elephant in the room, the false teachers in Ephesus wanted to undermine Pauls authority and undermine his charge on Timothy to silence false teaching.

Were they thinking? We know what he, Paul, has done, he has no right to command us to silence false teachers, He has blood on his hands. Paul is not hiding the truth.

Do you know who the worst of sinners are?

It’s not Hitler, or Stalin. It’s Not the person who ran over your son. It’s not you. It’s not me. Twice Paul tells us he is the worst of sinners.This is not false humility. Paul is not taking the log out of his own eye. He tells us why he is the worse of sinners.

.... I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man ~1Timothy 1:13 (NIV)

He list his sins in increasing orders: He was a blasphemer and a persecutor. The deep seated violent heart Paul takes us to his conversion, on the road to Damascus where he planned to wipe out the name of Jesus by wiping out every last Christians The risen Jesus strikes him down and strikes him blind “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me”

Then appoints him as His apostle. The one who wrote a lot of the New Testament was not just a murderer. He killed the very people he would spend eternity with and he never forgot it.

He doesn't say ‘I was the worst of sinners’ He says ‘I am the worst of sinners’ Christ Jesus who came to save sinners just like me. But what a relief to know that Paul is the worst, which means you can never say you’re the worst. You can say your 2ND worst, get the silver but the gold medal for sinning goes to Paul.

Two surprising reasons are given for why he was shown mercy

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ~1Timothy 1:13 (NIV)

When he killed Christians, he did not know that Jesus was the Christ, he thought he was doing God a favour, he thought Jesus was a false messiah, steering people away from the truth. He did it for God's sake, which didn’t make him innocent, clearly he still needed mercy. He is like those who killed Christ himself. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”

They are not like the two men mentioned in verse 19, Hymenaeus and Alexander who ship wrecked their faith by knowingly rejecting the truth. No mercy for those who know the truth and choose to turn away. So come to Jesus because he came into your world to save sinners just like you. But maybe you have crossed the line and feel that you are unworthy. The second reason why God saved Paul

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. ~1 Timothy 1:16 (NIV)

Why did God save Paul? He saved him so that you would know one thing, that if God could patiently forgive Paul he can patiently forgive anybody. If God is prepared to the save the worst then of course he will save the rest who come to him. Look again at the word of God

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. ~1 Timothy 1:16 (NIV)

Nobody is beyond the mercy of God and nobody is outside the kindness of God. There may be consequences now, there should be consequences now, murderers should be imprisoned. But coming to Christ is about removing the ultimate consequences.

Right now, in prison, there are those have come to understand that Christ Jesus came to save sinners just like them. Right now in Churches there are some ministers, priests and social workers who refuse to think they are sinners needing to be saved by Christ. They are not forgiven. Christ wont save anyone who doesn't want to be saved. The question is not who is the worst of sinners the question is who wants to be saved.

From sinner to servant

Paul is so aware that even his faith, love and hope has been given to him, he is on the receiving end of so much mercy that God poured out on him

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ~1 Timothy 1:14 (NIV)

How on earth does a man like Paul go from killing Christians to preaching Christ? He lost everything to follow Christ, he went from respect to renegade, so why? He met Christ Jesus, who drenched him in mercy. What's amazing to me is that God gave the most important job, apostle to the nations, to the worst of sinners.

So thankful to Christ, verse 11, God entrusted the gospel to Paul, verse 12, appointed Paul to God's service. From sinner to saint, from blasphemer to apostle, from self centred to servant of the Lord. A reminder that Christians are not saved to just kill time till we meet Jesus we are saved to serve. Serve Christ, serve his people, serve the gospel.

Sure you’re not an apostle, this is a unique privilege of 12 plus Paul, but you are to play a role in making disciples. Christians move from sinner to saint to servants of Christ. Too many get the sinner to the saint but not the serve.

The man who spent his life blaspheming Jesus is now praising God for Jesus

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. ~1 Timothy 1:17 (NIV)

Paul can't talk about God without praising God, and friends nor should we. Those who receives mercy are full of thanks and praise for God.

Praise to the King eternal, the one who has the right to speak into our lives and our church. Who sent Christ Jesus into this world to save sinners. Who commanded Paul to be his apostle and he tells Timothy and us to fight the good fight

Praise to the King eternal, the who is from everlasting to everlasting. The one who speaks timeless truths to us who are trapped in time

We can, mere mortals, praise the immortal king, the undying God, who let his son die for us sinners. The immortal God who gifts us with immortality.

Praise the King invisible who reveals himself in his word and charges Timothy to silence false teachers, because they kept putting words in God mouth.

Only one God and one way to God, He alone sent Christ Jesus into the world to save sinners, He alone deserves honour and glory

Have you thanked and praised God for saving a sinner like you?

A friend of mine, who is a minister, was taking a service. A man came up to take the Lords supper with tears running down his face. Afterwards he went up to the minister and said. “Do you want to know why I am crying? I've been coming to church all my life but I have just become a Christian. When I heard the words of assurance after confession I finally got it” "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

People who think they are healthy never go to a doctor. People who don't think they are sinners never go to Jesus to be saved.

What a tragedy. After Christ has come into your world, to think you would not want to come to him.

Hear the word of assurance

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ~1Timothy 1:15 (NIV)

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We start a new series today with Paul’s letter to Timothy for the church in Ephesus and us at MBM. The series is titled “Life in God's family.” Unless we guard the truth inside the church, we have nothing to offer those outside the church. But who has the right to speak into our life and the church?

From the moment we are born we are told “No one has the right to tell me how to live”

• We are the masters of our own destiny
• We are the definers of our own identity
• We create our own reality
• Not even our body can tell me who I am

We can't see the problem, we act like we are all-knowing and inherently good, we have learnt to be suspicious about everyone except ourselves. In reality, we are born in one family, part of one culture at one time, we are just one blip on the stage of history. We have silenced God, the one who speaks timeless truths in time-bound cultures. It has placed a tremendous burden on a generation that is lost and a church that has lost its way.

But God in his kindness doesn’t leave it up to us, what a relief to know that the one who has the right to tell us how to live is for us.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. ~1Timothy 1:1-2 (NIV)

This letter was written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy. It is about how Timothy is to lead the church at Ephesus, Paul ends this letter assuming the church is reading it.

The chain of command begins with God who is described as Father and Saviour, the highest calling for a Christian, that the only Sovereign God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords who alone is eternal and invisible who dwells in unapproachable light. That God is your Heavenly Dad because Jesus Christ is our hope.

Your future is guaranteed in him.

This letter begins by underlining the authority of Paul, together both God the Father and his Son appointed Paul as an apostle.

Unlike false teachers Paul is not self-appointed, he is made an apostle and ambassador of Christ by God's command. This means this is God's letter to them and God’s word to us.

This book is written to Timothy, Paul’s spiritual son. Timothy came to faith through the ministry of Paul. He served as a fellow missionary with Paul and he was circumcised for the gospel. See the chain of command of this letter – The Father, the Son, Paul, Timothy, the local church and to us. To reject Paul's letters is to reject God himself.

Why is this so important for us? Paul is going to say some tough stuff that we don’t want to hear, start praying that we will let God speak to us. The first thing Paul tells Timothy is to mute the false teachers

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer ~1Timothy 1:3 (NIV)

It’s that blunt.

• Stay and silence the false teachers
• Stop them from damaging the church
• Paul already warned Elders with tears that savage wolves from among them will arise to destroy the church

The best thing about social media is the worst thing about social media, it allows anyone to say anything, even it they haven’t earnt the right to speak, not so in the church of God. We guard the preaching. For me to get to this point to preach I needed to be assessed for 4 years, my teaching, my character and my family was reviewed and I was repeatedly interviewed. Even now if I preach heresy, you can dob me into the bishop.

So what was it they were teaching?

False teaching

…command certain people not to teach false doctrines any Longer. Literally … not to teach other teachings… ‘other than what’? Other then what was handed down from Paul and the Lord Jesus. More specifically:

…(not) devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. ~1 Timothy 1:4 (NIV)

Myths and Genealogies - Teaching made up stories taught as though they were true. Probably Jewish myth because they wanted to be teachers of the Law. Myths often fill in the gaps in the bible. Telling you the things in the bible you were curious to know, stuff your imaginations run wild with.

Haven't you ever wondered what Jesus did as a teenager?

Think how interesting Youth Group could be reading stories about how Jesus spoke to his sisters, how he handled Rabbis with a bad temper, how Jesus coped with his dad who made him work after school when his friends could play.

You don’t have to guess? We have one of the false Gospels of Thomas that was written 140 years after Jesus birth, where Jesus was 5 years old and he is playing with other Jewish boys, making 12 clay sparrows on the sabbath, when his father, Joseph, tells him off for breaking the Sabbath. He claps his hands and all 12 fly away. Great party trick! Not true and not helpful.

What is the Koran? A rewriting of both Old Testament and New Testament story.

What is the book of Mormon but one long myth. Mormons love genealogies, the Mormons have developed the most detailed genealogy record database. They believe that you can save your dead ancestor by naming them and baptising them.

All of it is based on an obscure half verse in 1 Corinthians 15:29.

What is as bad as treating myths as if they were true? Its treating truth as if it were a myth.

I remember one guy coming to church and he was shocked that I was preaching through Exodus, Moses, 10 plagues, Cross of the red sea, like they actually happened. He was taught at his Catholic University that the whole Old Testament was myth.

Paul lets us know the fruit of such lies

Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith ~1 Timothy 1:4 (NIV)

They promote useless and harmful arguments that never advance God purposes. God's word is to be stewarded not speculated, such teaching stir the imagination, they do not spur on godliness. This command is to silence them. It is not driven by insecure leaders who have control issues. This isn’t a power game. It’s about love for God and his people.

The goal of this command is love, … ~1 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)

It’s not loving to mute yourself when lies are being taught. It’s not loving to let lies masquerade as truth. You may not like it when people say in bible studies ‘Where do you get that from the passage?’ But it’s a loving question. Love is as close to Truth as the Father is to the Son.

What drives this command is everything that the false teachers were not.

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ~1 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)

A pure heart is driven by the applause of God. A good conscience that is washed by the blood of Christ and taught by the word of Christ. Sincere faith that genuinely knows and trust Gods word.

In verse 19 Paul calls out two men who shipwrecked their faith by rejecting a sincere faith and good conscience. They slowly drifted, they stopped caring about what is right or wrong, they stopped listening to their conscience. Consciences need to be educated, are you responsive when you’re convicted or do you simply suppress it.

There was a speaker at the Men's conference years ago and he was considered one of the great ones. He preached to 3000 of us while planning to leave his wife for another man, within a few months. He was asked, “how could he prepare people for marriage knowing that in a few weeks he would leave his wife?” He said “that was my professional life” Conscience hardened, faith insincere, heart corrupt. His wife, a very godly woman, said, “God used my husband to convict us of our sin, lets pray that God would convict him of his sin.” She was a godly woman with a sincere faith and good conscience.

How many times have we seen people shift their doctrine only to find they were engaged in some private unrepentant sin. Notice how Paul profiles the false teachers.

They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. ~1 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

Unlike Paul and Timothy, they are self-appointed. Sounds like the trolls on social media, they were confident but clueless.

I am sometimes surprised by what people call a good sermon, so often impressed by the communication and not the content. Train yourself to ask yourself where exactly the message is coming from. Beware of those who spend all their time around the text but not in the text. When you are at Growth Groups, don’t be afraid to say the obvious.Don’t get bored with saying the obvious.

Since these false teachers misused the law, Paul puts them right. The law can refer to the Old Testament as well as the commandments in it.

Paul says 3 things about the law.

1. The law is goodThe law is not a myth and speculation. It's about fact, not fiction. The law reveals both Gods holiness and human sin. The law must be used Gods way

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, ~1Timothy 1:8-9 (NIV)

You can misuse Gods law by

• Subtracting it and ignoring its authority

• Adding to it and become a legalist

• Trivialising it to justify yourself

2.The law is for the godless not the godlyThe NSW government has driving laws and when breached it results in demerit points. Some of you know exactly how many demerit points you have and others don’t have a clue. Demerit points are for lawbreakers, God's law is for those who have rebelled, which is all of us - that is why Christ Jesus came to save sinners.

Paul starts with general rebellion that violate the first 4 Commandments, then he specifically works his way through commandments 5-9

..for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ~1 Timothy 1:9b-10 (NIV)

Here God's law is being used properly, telling us that God is holy and what is sin. Cultures may have changed on both slave trading and homosexual practice but Gods word has never changed. Notice there is no speculation, this is no myth, this list of sins are so clear, so concrete and full of conviction.

This is sound doctrine

—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ~1 Timothy 1:10 (NIV)

Sound doctrine is healthy teaching and healthy teaching leads to a healthy church

3. A healthy church knows that the Law is not the Gospel

…that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. ~1 Timothy 1:11 (NIV)

The law and the gospel both agree when it comes to sin but the law can’t do what only the gospel of our Lord Jesus can. That is to save and forgive sinners

The most well known Christian song has to be Amazing Grace, it was written by John Newton, a former slave trader, who cursed God and kidnapped people and sold them into slavery. After coming to Christ, Newton testified against slave trading and helped bring an end to that evil. It was the law of God and not his culture that told John Newton that slave trading was a sin and it was the glorious gospel of the grace that could save him and transform him.

Friends, if you don't let God speak, sure you can avoid hearing the law as it names your sin, you will still find another law to live by and that law will either condemn you or give you a false sense of self-righteousness. But what you will never hear is silence from God...the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God. It’s that gospel that offers Grace, Mercy and Peace

• God's Amazing Grace - that save wretches like us
• God's extraordinary Mercy - that found us when we were lost
• God's awesome Peace - allowed us, enemies, to be adopted by God the Father

False teachers only have myths and lies to offer, they fail to name sin and fail to offer forgiveness. We either silence false teaching or we silence God!

If we at MBM stop listening to Gods apostle, Paul, we lose the gospel of grace. Unless we guard the truth inside the church we have nothing to offer those outside the church

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When Communist rebels tried to oppose Christianity in the Philippines, they first killed the pastors and when that didn't work they would cut their tongues out and silence them. Leaving them as objects of pity.

The words of a teacher can do the most good and the most damage. We know from recent reports that bad teaching on headship can promote abuse. Get it wrong and a lot is at stake. Hence the warning!

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. ~James 3:1 (NIV)

Everyone should teach one another, that is critical and it is a command. We do it in conversation, in growth groups, in song and in sharing - but not everyone should be teachers.

It’s why we have a limited roster of preachers. Social media gives the microphone to those who have not earned the right to speak. The preaching office is to be guarded, but guarded not avoided. I do hope and pray that we have those who long to teach. Both men and women as God has permitted and gifted.

If I can speak to the men of our church whose instinct is to follow the first man Adam, whose guilt was silence. Stand up men and don’t let the women do all the heavy lifting. Seek to lead your families and at church. The reason for the warning is clear, every teacher will be judged much severely. To be fair, every one of us will be judged by our words.

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words, you will be condemned.” ~Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV)

Like you, I will have to give an account to Jesus, the judge of all the earth for every word I speak. But for us who preach there is a stricter judgment. What I say will be assessed by God and by you, the bar is higher for teachers of God’s Word, because the damage is greater.

It is not that teachers have a greater chance of going to hell, Heaven has been purchased by the blood of Jesus for all of us. But God will test the work of the teacher-pastor with a higher bar. The bigger the church, the larger the platform to speak, the greater the opportunity for damage, that is why we start with smaller places. None of us pastors want to simply escape the flames with nothing to show for our labour. The stakes are high for teachers of Gods word.

When I was a student minister I preached to 3 old ladies in Redfern at the evening service, they were Dot, Kid and Pat. My challenge was, would I prepare for them like I would when I preached to a larger congregation? Would I give them my best?

So keep the pastors in your prayers. Prayer for your children and youth leaders, your growth group leaders, and parents. To all who teach including parents, make sure you handle the word of God correctly, make sure you are prepared. Souls hang in the balance as God's word is unpacked. Yet no preacher and no person can look you in the eye and say we never stumble.

We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. ~James 3:2 (NIV)

James includes himself as one who stumbles, we all stumble. Don’t be idealistic about churches and their teachers, we are not perfect, we all stumble in many ways. It’s important that we teachers don’t stand over you but come alongside you.

I remember being respectfully corrected by Gab Gewargis from South West for using an inappropriate word. He said, “Ray if you use that word in your sermon then other men at church will think it’s ok to use.” Busted! He was so right, I sent an email that night to everyone at SW apologizing for what I said.

We all stumble in many ways… ~James 3:2a (NIV)

The bible is very realistic, how difficult it is to control the tongue, we often speak before we think. This is especially true if you’re a fast talker like me. Ultimately no man can fully tame the tongue. Though the tongue is so small its effects are enormous

James gives 3 examples

Example 1

Small as the bit in the horse's mouth is you can direct a stallion to go where you want it. If you have ever been to Royal Easter Show and seen those massive bulls led round with the nose ring by a small child.

Example 2

Small as a rudder of a ship is it changes the direction of an Ocean liner, it shifts the trajectory of a nuclear submarine.

Example 3

Small as a spark is it can set a bush fire alight. How many bush fires have there been in the Blue Mountains? How many were caused by a simple match, or a cigarette butt flicked out of the car?

My niece’s husband’s family lost two houses in Winmalee 5 years ago, one spark, one small flame and a whole community is devastated. Homes and lives lost. Like a small bullet put in a gun can take a life in a moment. Our simple words have the potential for so much good and so much evil.

How many of you are haunted by words spoken by a parent, a boss, a teacher or ex-best friend? One dear sister in our church was told by her mum “I wish you were never born” The tongue, small as it is, directs your whole body and can send you to hell.

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. ~James 3:6 (NIV)

Your words shape the direction of your eternal destiny. From your lips, you will deny knowing Christ. From your lips, you will confess that Jesus is Lord. The tongue driven by hell will send you to hell. The tongue will then burn in the fires of hell.

Remember again, our Lord Jesus said we will be judged by our words. No conversation is off-limits to God, no word will be forgotten, none of it is off the record. Just think that our Lord is reading every post on social media, seeing every Instagram photo, hearing every word brought up. We know that companies look at old Facebook posts to see if they want to employ the person. How many have said that what I wrote on Social Media has now come to curse me.

After a big Sunday with so many conversations, many encouraging, some critical and occasionally the odd cruel one comes our way. How Sandy and I talk about every member of MBM will be as important as the sermon and it will determine whether Satan is in bed with us.

None of us believed it when we sang in the playground “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Words that have cut deeper than any knife, words that have killed more effectively than a semi-automatic. We have all said those words, we have all been on the receiving end of them. I know 70-year-olds who are trying to prove their dead parents wrong.

I heard one story of a father was dying, his words to his son were “I expect Son, that when you inherit the family business you’re going to ruin it”

James makes the observation, many animals have been tamed by humans, from cats to killer whales well maybe not cats. The first animal I think was the dog 6000 years ago, we tell it to sit and it sits, we tell it to jump and it jumps. We even train pigs to herd sheep into sheep pens and yet no one has yet managed to fully tame his tongue.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ~James 3:7-8 (NIV)

What shocking words about our words, it almost sounds pessimistic and demonic. You would think James was talking about Serial killers, Terrorists and Paedophiles. But he is talking about all the words that leave your mouth, whether you speak by your mouth or by sign language.

Even the most mature saint wishes they could take back the words they have just spoken. I don’t know how anyone can say at the end of their life…“If I had the chance to do it all over again I would not change a thing” Filled with regret, that is why be ever ready to say ‘I am sorry, I should not have spoken that way’ It must come easily from our lips.

Nothing like the thought of your loved one dying to make you wake up to your words and then it’s too late. How many are traumatized by the words spoken to a loved one who unexpectedly died before making peace. We may feel comfortable with our hypocrisy but God isn’t.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ~James 3:9-10 (NIV)

One moment we sing “Oh Lord our Lord how majestic is your name” Then next we say to our loved ones Shut up! I hate you.

You see that any verbal abuse is demonic.

James says this should not be. Think of the words you used getting ready for church. This should not be, whether we are in the church, the home or the workplace.

Some think that the rules change when you go to work. Like I can swear and curse and humiliate workers because I work with men in a factory or mechanic shop or in Jail, I think we forget who exactly we are talking to and talking about, when you’re with non-Christians. Remember: they are humans, even your enemy is made in the image of God, I share the one creator with every human, I share the one Father with every believer.

I had to stop calling bad referees and players who make mistakes ‘idiots’. The reason is that there is a close connection between humans and God. This is God's world - every person is made in God's image, when we do the dirty on another person we do it to God. You speak against another person—and you speak against God. God stands behind every person.

At the time when James wrote his letter, if you dishonoured an image of an emperor you dishonoured the emperor and you paid the price for that.

Just like when those teenagers graffiti the war memorial, they dishonoured the men who died for this country. Yet James expects that we are to tame the tongue. The antidote is wisdom.

James raises the question:

Who is wise and understanding among you? ~James 3:13 (NIV)

You read these words and say - Not me. So, what is the key to taming the tongue? The words you use will depend on the wisdom that you live by.

Remember this truth: Nothing ever comes out of the mouth that is not already in the heart. That is why our words are a window into our hearts. There are 2 kinds of wisdom.

Demonic wisdom

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. ~James 3:14-16 (NIV)

The heart of the problem is the problem of the human heart. Behind our words lies our heart. Hearts that nurtures envy and selfish ambition. Hearts that is shaped by the devil's agenda. The heart that vomits out disorder and evil.

Wisdom From Above

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. ~James 3:17-18 (NIV)

Pure - a heart that genuinely wants to please God, like Jesus, whose greatest joy was to obey his Father.

Peace loving - a heart that strives to bring harmony in relationships, like Jesus who died to turn us enemies into friends.

Considerate - a gentle heart that thinks of others, like Jesus who came to seek and save the lost.

Submissive - a heart that is willing to submit to others, like Jesus who came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.

Full of mercy and good fruit – a generous heart, like Jesus who went round only doing good.

Impartial - a heart that will not have favourites, like Jesus who ate with rich and poor, sinner and saint.

Sincere - An honest heart that refuses to be a hypocrite, like Jesus who could look people in the eye and say which of you can accuse me of sin. No one!

Do you know what Jesus, the average Aussie, and your kids all have in common? They can spot a hypocrite a mile away.

Do you know what Jesus, the average Aussie, and your kids also have in common? They can also tell the real deal a mile away.

It’s time to make Jesus look good by all our words to all people.

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Grace is the main motivator to forgive and make peace. How can we withhold forgiveness when we have been forgiven so much? And we have been commanded to forgive, it's not optional. We must get on that "peace train", we do it by going to higher ground. It’s never just you and that other person. It’s done for Jesus sake and for God's pleasure.

As we think through resolving everyday conflict there are a couple of pieces in the puzzle still missing. The first is found in Romans 12. When you have been profoundly hurt, making the other person suffer is the most natural response, hence the command to not do it.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. ~Romans 12:17 (NIV)

We instinctively want justice, it’s why we love payback and vigilante films, where the Father takes the law into his own hands. He makes others pay for killing his wife and kids.

I've noticed my wife, Sandy is taken with the Taken movie series with Liam Neeson, partly it’s a desire for justice. But God is saying - don’t retaliate. You may confront but don’t humiliate, you may call the cops but don’t personally retaliate. You may even need to use force to restrain someone from hurting but don’t be excessive

What sets Jesus words apart from every other is that He wants more from us than not hating and not hurting

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse ~Romans 12:14 (NIV)

When I lived next door in the church house, I must have called the cops 20 times over the years, we had the drunks, making noise, urinating in my bushes, but twice they pulled 5 new plants out and threw them at my bedroom window at 1:30am,

that’s downright mean. I found myself coming up with plans on how I could get them back, humiliate them, pulverize them, follow them home and rip up their plants. My mind naturally wants my pound of flesh.

At a good moment, I think of Jesus at the cross being nailed by the hands that he created, knowing he could invent a billion ways of making them suffer a slow death, but all you hear is Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Paul then introduces this radical idea, he wants you to punish your enemy by loving them to bits. This is how you can do it.

On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." ~Romans 12:20 (NIV)

Such reverse logic, punish your enemy by doing good to them and it’s like dropping burning fire on their skull. The reason given for letting go of personal revenge, to reject hating, cursing, gossiping, shouting, slandering and withdrawing is the previous verse

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. ~Romans 12:19 (NIV)

The reason why we don’t pay back is knowing that a day will come when God will judge. A day when his anger will be poured out on every sin levelled against you.

We need to remember:

• We are not God
• We don’t have all the information to do it properly
• God has raised up governments to do some of it
• What they don’t do God will do on the day of judgment.

What stops someone from picking up a gun and murdering their unfaithful spouse? It’s knowing that God says I will repay, leave room for my wrath. In other words friends, one key to forgiveness is believing in hell and knowing that justice will be served. This is a comfort, especially for persecuted Christians.

People think if you believe in a God who judges it will turn you into a violent person. Croatian Miroslav Volf said it’s the opposite.

My thesis is that the practice of non-violence requires a belief in divine vengeance…The truth is, if it’s forgiving people that you want, tolerant people, people who will answer evil with love and respond to violence with mercy, if that’s what you want, then you cannot have it, not really, unless you believe in cosmic justice; unless you believe in hell.

You see, we need a universe where evil doesn’t win, where righteousness triumphs, where we can refuse the impulse to take vengeance because we know that God the Lord is an almighty and just Judge.

What makes us able to forgive our enemies is knowing that God will deal with enemies who don’t repent. I don’t need to take things into my own hands because they are in God’s hands and he will do what is right. Vengeance is mine says the Lord.

There is an episode of Inspector Morse, a drug dealer is selling bad LSD to primary school kids who ended up dying from an overdose. The cops set a trap but when the dealer sees them he takes off. The car chase ended with the drug dealer killed in the car crash. At which point the policemen said “Damn it .. he got away” Because if death is the end then he did get away. The next day the policeman was looking at photos of the kids who had died, at which point he said “Its times like this I wish there was a hell.”

That is why in heaven we will join with angels praising God and declaring

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments... He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” ~Revelation 19:1-2 (NIV)

God does not take pleasure in the death of a sinner but we praise God that justice will be served. I can let the injustice go because God will not. Every wrong will be righted.

A key to forgiveness is believing in hell. So now I get to punish my enemy by bombing them with love. OK, but what happens when Christians have done the wrong? Either before they become Christians or after? Have they not gotten away with it?

I was wrestling with this issue with a friend a few years ago, they were deeply hurt by a leader of a church. What stuck in their throat is that this Christian got away with it. And it made it harder to let it go. At the same time as I'm talking to this person

I had a deep sense that God was disciplining me. And it was painful.

So, let’s turn our attention to God's discipline of his people. It may help us to forgive Christians who seem to escape the consequences. The place to go is Hebrews 12, Jesus is God's final word. He brings in a better Covenant because He is the better perfect high Priest, offer the perfect Sacrifice, to the perfect God in the perfect Temple to make us perfect

Jesus is the pioneer and perfector of faith, so set your eyes on Jesus as you face suffering. Jesus who when he faced his own suffering and death He locked eyes on the joy before him, putting aside the shame of the cross. Now seated at the right hand of God. Then the writer says unlike Jesus don’t overestimate your suffering, it could be much worse.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ~Hebrews 12:4 (NIV)

Too many overrate their suffering. You have not suffered to the point of death, then he says don’t underestimate the meaning of your suffering, it has a purpose.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ~Hebrews 12:7 (NIV)

View your suffering through Gods eyes. Consider this hardship as discipline, your hardship is a mark of the discipline of the Father toward a son. You need to reframe how you’re seeing your suffering. The writer quotes Proverbs

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ~Hebrews 12:5 (NIV)

Don’t make light and don’t lose heart, two mistakes, don’t be careless and unthinking, don’t be crushed under the weight of it. Be clear-minded on seeing hardship as discipline, your hardship is not some vindictive punishment from an angry God who takes pleasure at your pain. In fact it’s the very opposite.

because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” ~Hebrews 12:6 (NIV)

So suffering is an expression of God's love, not hate. The wrong application when we go through suffering is to think God is against me, that he is angry at me. Friends if you’re in Christ “You can't make God angry” Remember our Saviour learnt obedience as Son through suffering and he was sinless. In fact, discipline is a mark of adoption not a mark of rejection

If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all ~Hebrews 12:8 (NIV)

I only discipline my kids, not others. When I'm on the train and kids are swearing I'm not usually saying anything but if they were my own it would be very different. God disciplines you because you are his.

The question - What am I being punished for? Is not the right question. Better questions are:

• What part of my character is God wanting me to work on?
• What fruit of the Spirit is God wanting me to grow in?
• Where do I need to trust him more?
• What idol am I holding onto?
• What do I need to repent of
• What foolish behaviour am I reaping the consequences of?

In recent years both my wife, Sandy, and I have felt we have been disciplined by the Lord. We have experienced some painful experiences, not brought on by our sin directly but those experiences have exposed to us a quota of pride in us that needed to be put to death. And yes the writer makes the point when we are disciplined it’s always painful at the time. Whether it’s the discipline of your earthly Dad or your heavenly Dad.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. ~Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)

What is the purpose of Discipline? To punish? No! to produce a harvest of righteousness and peace.

God's one stubborn goal for all of us is to shape us into the image of his Son. To recycle your sins into the praise of God and your suffering to the fruit of the Spirit.

And it’s up to you whether you will become bitter or better. Discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. If you don't fix your eyes on Jesus and paint yourself as a perpetual victim, you will become bitter. If you don’t rethink hardship as discipline from a loving father, you will become bitter. If you don’t let yourself be trained by it a bitter root will grow and cause trouble.

Don’t live your whole life as if you were a 5 year sent to their room for being rude, banging doors, saying I hate you Dad over and over. That is the picture of your whole life, kicking against God's sovereign loving hand. Lives that never get past the pain. I hope you have been thinking about Gods discipline in your life. But I want you to now ponder Gods discipline on other peoples lives.

Back to my friend who was struggling with the Christian leader who he thought was getting away with bad behaviour, I said you know God loves that person, he is Gods son and as part of his love, he will discipline them. You may or may not see it but he is doing a work and it will involve pain. So pray that they and you both will be trained by it. That they and you will consider hardship as discipline recognizing that God is treating you as his child.

Friends, Gods discipline and love is inescapable for his people.

You can escape formative discipline by closing your bibles, and ignoring God's word. You can escape corrective discipline by staying away from the church and avoiding the rebuke of the saints. But God will lovingly use all things in your life to get your attention and shape you to be more like him.

Vengeance belongs to God and discipline is for his people, so learn to forgive and let it go!

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What do you love about Church? The coffee, the music, the sermon, the morning tea/supper or the social aspect? What should we love about Church? Look around, each other, these are the church, these are the people God calls us together for, to love.

The church is God’s gift to his children. It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God's Word and sacraments. Not all Christians receive this blessing.

This term we’ve been thinking about dealing with conflict in relationships in Church, as the bible puts it, pursuing peace.

Just as God considered a relationship with us worth pursuing, worth fighting for, worth suffering for, worth dying for! He also considers our relationships worth pursuing, worth fighting for.

And it’s really been setting a culture. We’ve had story after story of people seeking reconciliation with others, saying sorry, engaging others about the ways they’ve hurt them, calling sin for what it is.

One lady was able to bring up something someone said to her about a year ago that hurt her and it was tough! But she engaged in the conversation and they were able to share their story, apologise, and they’ve reconciled.

Another girl from our Parramatta campus, was encouraged to think about the pain that might be affecting her boss’s anger and was able to love him with patience instead of harbouring bitterness.

Even in my own house, I’ve been able to recognise an idol I was holding onto that stopped me apologising to my wife the other night.

Today, we’re going to be thinking about how the Lord’s supper affects how we think about conflict and relationships in the church.

And to do that we’re going to take a look at one of the worst churches we have read about in History, the Corinthians. Paul writes:

In the following directives, I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. ~1 Corinthians 11:17 (NIV)

Whoa! What is happening in their gatherings? I can just imagine how we’d feel as a staff team if on Monday morning we got an email from someone saying ‘your gathering yesterday did more harm than good!’

We’d be horrified!

Well over the next few chapters Paul explains how to be a church that does more good than harm in a number of areas, but we’re going to stay in this chapter and think particularly about how to do good instead of harm when it comes to the Lord’s supper, we are getting to learn from their mistakes!

See what happened in Corinth was, they were doing the supper, they were getting together, they had food and drink and they thought they were doing ok, but Paul says ‘you’re not even close!’

So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat… ~1 Corinthians 11:20 (NIV)

Whatever the Lord’s supper was supposed to be Paul says, that’s not it! What’s going on during their meal that’s making their gathering a disaster?

In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ~1 Corinthians 11:18 (NIV)

What’s the big issue there? Division!

But what’s the big deal about divisions?

I mean Paul says in verse 19 that divisions are normal, to be expected.

No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. ~1 Corinthians 11:19 (NIV)

What he means is - divisions reveal differences, differences are generally what cause conflict and divisions, we know that, differences/preferences. But it’s a little more pointed here, Paul’s saying, divisions, reveal hearts; divisions expose where our hearts are really at before God. The big problem Paul says is that there are people among you who are neglecting and despising others and that’s telling us something about where they’re at with God!

So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! ~1 Corinthians 11:20-22 (NIV)

What’s happening is that some people in the church who seem to be doing better off financially, or just generally in life, are not caring about, or being concerned for others who are struggling, or are just different from them. They’re not waiting for them to eat, they’re not caring if they have any food. They’re putting themselves and their concerns above the needs of others. They’ve found their little groups of close friends who probably all agree with each other on most things and they’ve closed their door to others, not caring to include them, not caring to serve them, not caring to love them! They’re despising and neglecting those who don’t seem “Good enough” for them. You might have experienced that here in some way, or maybe you’ve been part of that problem.

Around 5-6 years ago I was working at a Church in the Hawkesbury area, and I was amazed at how non-multicultural that area was! Very white! One day I was telling a new guy at the church about this area, and Blacktown and about how so many nationalities are coming into our country, and if you didn’t know what country you were in it would be hard to guess because of how many different backgrounds there are and I said “there doesn’t seem to be many moving out this way” and he said “yeah it’s great hey?” and I said, “No, I was going to say it’s not good, it’d be good if we had more!” And he quickly tried to defend himself.

You know, it’s sad, but the reality is, our natural way is to compare ourselves to, and neglect people who are different from us, not only in race but style, age, financially and educationally. And you know what that causes… Divisions!

And In Paul’s eyes, in God’s eyes divisions are the biggest enemy of the Christian community. They’re out of place in the Church!

What’s so bad about this issue? What’s so wrong with having a few lingering disagreements around the place? Well, it’s because of what the Lord’s supper is actually about! The reason divisions are so out of place in the Church, is because the Lord’s Supper is a celebration of our Unity in Jesus! The Supper is a reminder of our unity in Jesus.

Let’s have a look at what Paul says and break it down

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ~1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (NIV)

So Jesus would have had one piece of bread, he broke it, and he handed it to them all. We can’t see it in English, but the “you” there is a plural. This is my body, which is for you all!

Westy - “yous”
United Stated - “y’all”
My Mum (English) - “you lot”

Now some churches in history have gotten caught up with the word “is” here.. thinking Jesus was saying he’s handing them his actual body, teaching them that he was literally in the bread.

And even now when some churches do the Lord’s supper, they pray that the bread and drink would really turn into the very body and blood of Jesus. It’s very problematic and that’s reading far too much into this sentence. Jesus wasn’t being that literal, but symbolic.

Here’s a picture of me “that is me” “this is me” that’s a representation of me. Jesus also said he is the gate, he is the good shepherd, he is the vine. He’s not saying he is literally a gate but likening himself to those things to teach a point about what he’s like for us. He was making the point, that just like bread is a staple food source for life, he himself, is our food source for spiritual life!

Just as we eat bread and it enters our body and fuels us for life, it becomes part of our body! Jesus is saying that he is the very thing his followers are to feed on for true and ultimate life. Not by eating him but by accepting him by faith, entrusting themselves to him, for life and sustenance in their relationship with God.

When we feed on him by faith, when we accept him into our lives and hearts He actually unites himself with us! We become one with him! He gives us his own spirit. His life-giving Spirit!

Jesus lived a perfectly obedient life and then gave over his body as a sacrifice and substitute for us broken, sinful people, that if we trust in him, God would now see us as perfectly righteous in Him!

As we eat this bread, it’s a visual reminder that Jesus’ real body was broken on the cross for us all, that he made a way for us to be made whole, to come back into a restored relationship with God! We remind ourselves that everyone who trusts in Jesus is no longer under the judgement of God for their own sin but is now seen by our father in heaven as if we were like Jesus himself. Viewed as God’s very own beloved son or daughter because of our union with Him. There is no greater thing to be!

No Instagram picture, no Facebook post, no photograph, no selfie, no amount of make up or muscles could make us look anywhere near as lovely as how our God now sees us because of Jesus! Oh doesn’t that just fill your heart?! Back in chapter 10 Paul says:

Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. ~1 Corinthians 10:17 (NIV)

That’s what the bread symbolises - our collective union with Jesus. What about the drink?

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ~1 Corinthians 11:25 (NIV)

This cup represents the new covenant in my blood… what’s that? What was the old covenant?

...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness… ~Hebrews 9:22 (NIV)

That is - sin deserves bloodshed/death, so because we sin, we either lose our lives, have our bloodshed or we offer the life of another in our place, in the old covenant that was an animal.

In Hebrews 10 it explains how the Priests under the old covenant, year-after-year would have to keep bringing animal sacrifices for their own sins and the sins of the people, shedding blood and offering animal after animal, again and again. But that’s an endless cycle, right? it never fully deals with our problem of sin, it really just highlights it!

But Jesus is saying, once I’ve shed my blood for you! It is finished! One ultimate sacrifice for sin, by a perfect substitute!

Once and for all!

That’s the new covenant. This sacrifice is given, ahead of time, in your place, perfectly sufficient, provided by the very one we’ve offended. Whatever we’ve done. Whatever we deserved from God for it is dealt with at the cross! All my sin, all my failures have been forgiven at the cross! Everything you’ve ever done and will do. It has been nailed to the cross and forgiven through the blood of our Saviour Jesus. What a sacrifice!!! To bring us back into a relationship with himself.

Jesus said, as you share this drink together, remember what I’ve done for you all.

See, it’s not about each of us individually coming to God with our own offering for our individual sins, but about together, recognising our equal need before God… that we’re all in the same boat! That the ground at the foot of the cross is level, we’re all equally in desperate need for Jesus, no one any closer or further away, no one any better or worse off. We together, recall our hopeless state apart from Jesus… lost, without hope, broken, abandoned by the empty promises of our world. In darkness and in need, out of a relationship with our maker and not just out of relationship but in conflict with him! Deserving His judgement…

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. ~Colossians 1:21b-23a (NIV)

That’s what we remember as we eat and drink together. Jesus brought peace, between us and God. But not only between us and God, but he’s also brought peace between us - each other!

The big word is Reconciliation. Or more profoundly, union with God. We’ve been united to God, because of Jesus, by His own Spirit! And because each of us are united to Christ, we are therefore united with each other! If you trust in Jesus then you are united to every other Christian, by God’s spirit. It’s profound! The many have been made one. And made one, that the world would see God’s love at work within our community, and say - Wow - God must exist!

You know, right after Jesus shared this supper with his disciples before he was arrested, he prayed, he prayed for his disciples and for everyone else who would follow Him in the future… us… and do you know what he prayed for… Unity!

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ~John 17:20-23 (NIV)

That’s why divisions in the church are a complete contradiction and undermining of the gospel, especially when gathering to share the Lord’s supper. That’s also why we’ve spent a whole term on relationships & conflict!

Well, if the Supper is a celebration of our unity through the Gospel and divisions ruin that celebration, how do we do the supper rightly! How do we move forward, doing more good than harm? Paul gives us the answer,

Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ~1Corinthians 11:28-29 (NIV)

How do I examine myself in regards to the body of Christ? In 2 big ways…

Firstly

• Am I in a right standing with Jesus? Am I part of the body?
• Do I have a personal relationship with Jesus that is expressed in my life?
• Have I genuinely accepted what he’s done for me on the cross and so am choosing to align my life with him in all that I do?
• Is he my first love and highest priority?
• Am I seeking to live a life that pleases him?

Don’t be fooled, if I say I’m a Christian yet don’t live as if that’s true, God is not fooled, he knows my heart.

Secondly

• Am I in right standing with others?
• Am I living a life of love, and being devoted to my brothers and sisters in the church?

Jesus himself said,

A new command I give you, love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you must love one another! ~John 13:34 (NIV)

When Covid hit the advice we were all getting and the most loving thing to do was that if you had any symptoms, stay away from everyone! Right? I think we’ve often got a Covid mindset when it comes to conflict and sin in the church.

When a conflict arises, or I’m struggling with some sin in my life - we “stay away” from everyone! We exclude ourselves from fellowship or we try to exclude the other person from us, we go to a different service, or turn up late and leave early, but that’s not the way of Christ. The way to examine ourselves rightly is to identify the sin or conflict that’s going on within and to call on God to help us fight it or approach it and to do all that we can to make it right, Just like Jesus did for us.

Let me tell you about a scenario I experienced in a previous church. Two girls in the Church had a falling out over something that went on in their friendship group. One girl offended the other by something she did. They’d been serving together on different teams and had a lot of ministry and friendships in common. One of the girls, to avoid dealing with the other one, and avoid forgiving her, moved to another service. Over time, the girl who had initially caused the breakdown sought forgiveness, apologised, tried to explain her side, pursued peace, but the other girl wasn’t willing. She withheld forgiveness, she continued ignoring her at Church things, she gathered a group of people around her who also began justifying her behaviour and affirming her hurts… “you’re right to feel this way”

See, that’s another aspect of what conflict brings… sides…

What happened was the girl who sought forgiveness and didn’t get it started hearing from other friends, “we’re on your side here” And some who saw lots siding with her said “you’ve got lots of support, we’re going to show the other girl love”… people were taking sides of one of the girls… but not taking the side of Jesus! Who says - go and be reconciled…

Conflicts that won’t reconcile don’t only affect the individuals… it has an effect on the whole community… loyalty to people can often mean sacrificing loyalty to Jesus… but loyalty to Jesus means calling others to reconcile. This other girl who wouldn’t forgive would come to church, sing the songs, praise God for his love and forgiveness, even serve and encourage others about God’s love… take the Lord’s supper being reminded of God’s grace! But then wouldn’t be willing to extend that forgiveness to the other girl.. quite hypocritical..

This went on for almost a year and what the other girl started to feel was that maybe she wasn’t even forgiven by God! If this girl wouldn’t forgive her maybe God hadn’t either and maybe this was Gods way of punishing her for what she initially did…

and that just wasn’t true! See our conflicts, which we often try to hide from, can have so many consequences and can cause God’s grace to be undermined in the whole community. It’s like an ingrown toenail - such a tiny injury… but it puts the whole body out of whack…

Praise God those 2 girls eventually did reconcile - the girl who was unwilling to forgive took the initiative and reached out but that whole episode took a toll on a lot of people…

I think evaluating ourselves rightly - is asking the question:

“if everyone in the church was like me… had my struggles, my sins, my laziness, my selfish tendencies, if everyone turned up to church as much as I do and loved others the way I do - how well would this community be doing?” Scary thought, hey?

The point is, how you’re treating the body of believers, is how you’re treating Jesus. You can’t claim to be in right standing with Jesus if you’re in bad standing with others by not pursuing peace

You can’t presume forgiveness from God if you’re withholding forgiveness from others, or actively sinning against someone… or in some other way… Paul says in v 29 to live like that and take the Lord’s supper is to eat and drink judgement on ourselves - to remind ourselves that we’re actually still under God’s judgement! Being in a conflict with God’s family, without pursuing peace, puts you in conflict with Jesus. God tells us:

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. ~1 John 4:19-21 (NIV)

So, Paul says, before you turn up and think you can just rush in for the meal, check your heart! How are you affecting the body?

Now it’s important to be reminded here that if we’re going to wait until we’re perfect to take the Supper, we’ll never eat it!

The supper itself is a reminder to us of the bloodshed and body broken for our forgiveness and reconciliation with God, and it comes through faith in Jesus’ perfect actions - not our perfect actions! The supper is actually a gift for us in that way.

To drive home into our hearts the reality of God’s love! It’s an active acceptance of Grace! for sinners like us! So sin, in general, isn’t what should stop us from taking the supper, but sin that we won’t repent of — should!

Question: Do you have a conflict you’ve decided to let the other person stay in?

Question: Is there a sinful habit you’ve decided that God should be ok with?

The word to you is to repent, seek forgiveness, seek reconciliation. Taking the supper or not doesn’t make you a Christian or not, but it is a strong reminder for us to take our walk with Jesus seriously.

Today might be a day you don’t celebrate the meal to remind yourself you’ve got some work to do. Or maybe the meal will be that strong reminder for you that if you’ve received God’s forgiveness and grace, to extend it out towards others. Or maybe today will be the first time you celebrate this meal, as you’ve realised today’s the day you want to start a relationship with Jesus, and you want to let this be your active expression of that.

Christian Community is a blessing from God for us to enjoy, and for us to demonstrate to the world how worthy our God is!

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! ~Psalm 133:1 (NIV)

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What gets in the way of resolving some conflict is when the church remains silent and fails to discipline.

My first minister used to be an electrician, he knew a builder who did work for a couple in his church. They failed to pay him for his work, they owed him $20,000. The minister asked the builder will you take them to court? And he said that the bible does not allow me to sue Christians. The builder absorbed the injury and forgave them. I love and don’t love that story. Why wasn’t this couple disciplined by their church? Every organisation has boundary markers and each one has a set of expectations, they define who is in and who is out and sometimes expelling members becomes necessary to guard the group.

So when a member of a club keeps breaking its rules they are asked to leave

a. To preserve the values of a group

Political groups expel their members when they fail to maintain the core ideals of its party.

b. Sometimes it’s to protect the other members.

A school will expel a violent child to protect the other students

c. Sometimes it's to punish the person for breaking the group’s rules.

As a society, we expel criminals to jail, in part to punish them for the crimes they have committed.

If expelling people from groups is important for the health of any group, it is no less important for the church. It’s just that we do it for different reasons. The church reformers in the 16th century said that one of the marks of a true church is church discipline. You cannot have a holy church if you are not prepared to discipline.

Let go to the feral church at Corinth.

What is the problem?

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife ~1 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV)

They have a reputation but it’s not a good one, the nature of the sexual sin is that a man is having sex with his step mum. The Father maybe dead because he is not mentioned, the woman herself must be a non-Christian because she is not disciplined.

What makes it worse is that ... you won’t even find it among the non-Christians

… and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife ~1 Corinthians 5:1b (NIV)

These Corinthians were worse than the world. Even the non-Christians were shocked by this sin, a man has his fathers wife and you are proud. They have confused their freedom from sin with the freedom to sin. Coming to Jesus was a free ticket to sleep with whoever you want.

The church is not just tolerating it but celebrating it. This church was out of control.

The Response

For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. ~1 Corinthians 5:3 (NIV)

So much for do not judge. Paul doesn't say wait till I get to Corinth and when I have gathered all the information, I will form a committee and we will write up a report and then make a recommendation.

NO

I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. Why? because God already has.

“Do not have sexual relations with your fathers wife; that would dishonour your father.” ~Leviticus 18:8 (NIV)

The proper response is grief, not boasting. Grieve like you would the death of a member of your family. Weep because those who don't repent place themselves back on the express lane to hell.

When Ravi Zararius was exposed, and it is so upsetting, the action to be taken is described in a range of ways, but it’s the same thing.

… put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? ~1 Corinthians 5:2 (NIV)

…hand this man over to Satan, ~1 Corinthians 5:5 (NIV)

… [do] not to associate with sexually immoral people ~1 Corinthians 5:9 (NIV)

… Do not even eat with such people. ~1 Corinthians 5:11 (NIV)

... Expel the wicked person from among you. ~1 Corinthians 5:13 (NIV)

In Matthew 18:15 Jesus makes it clear that expulsion is the last word and not the first.

Church discipline begins with a private rebuke. If that fails, then take two or three witnesses and if that fails, then and only then take it to the church. Treat them as an unbeliever.

Purpose

…hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. ~1 Corinthians 5:5 (NIV)

The goal is to save the man not punish him. We are not a bikie gang that breaks the legs of those who break the club’s rules.

There is a tribe on Lake Titicaca in Peru where they live on man-made grass islands. When the tribe has a fallout with a family they literally cut them off and let them float away. There is no going back! Church discipline is always done so that they can repent and be restored, that is why it is done with grief and tears and not joy. It is not out of revenge it’s about repentance and salvation.

I interviewed Hadyn, from Liberty ministry. He confessed Christ but kept engaging in one night stands with other guys. When I asked him what was most helpful? He said when his minister threatened to discipline him.

Church discipline is loving. I don’t know how many people have thanked me for loving them by speaking the hard word. Expulsion gives a taste of the final judgment and it’s loving.

To one man who was disciplined and repented Paul says in the second letter…

Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ~2 Corinthians 2:7 (NIV)

Once the man repents we are not to rub his nose in it. To discipline is to love the sinner. To not do it wounds the church.

The first reason is to save his soul and the second reason is to keep the church holy.

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ~1 Corinthians 5:6-7 (NIV)

Yeast is a living organism that will reproduce on its own, making bread rise. The yeast refers to sin and the dough points to the church. Paul doesn’t want the yeast of sin to spread and infect the rest of the church.

Remember this church like MBM was called to be holy.

… called to be holy, ~1 Corinthians 1:2 (NIV)

Church discipline not only loves the sinner but it protects the rest of the congregation.

Imagine we have wife swapping happening in church and said nothing about it, did nothing about it. No one would be protected. Every year we shepherds are watching the wolves and keeping them out to protect the sheep. This is the neglected grace of Church discipline that helps the church to be like Christ and not the world.

The yeast was taken out of bread during the 7 day Jewish feast of unleavened bread. At the heart of the feast was the annual Passover meal, it was the feast that remembered how Gods people escaped death in Egypt. The Jews escaped Egypt by killing a lamb and pouring its blood on the doorpost. When God’s angel came to judge, He passed over every home that placed the blood of the lamb on the doorpost. They were saved.

Now Christ is our Passover lamb. At the cross Gods judgment Passover over you by being poured on his Son 2000 years ago at the cross once for all. That is why you can’t make God angry, Jesus drank the cup of Gods anger in your place. He drank, so continue to celebrate the feast 24/7 by sincerity and truth.

Christ our Passover LambIf Christ died for sin then we die to sin.

• We say 'no' to idols and yes to God
• We say 'no' to anger and yes to gentleness
• We say 'no' to greed and yes to generosity
• We say 'no' to cheating and yes to obeying the government
• We say 'no' to sex outside of marriage and yes to sex inside of marriage
• We say 'no' to getting drunk or stoned and yes to being filled with the Spirit.

When we don’t take a stand, we don’t love Jesus, we don’t love the person who sinned and we don’t love the rest of the congregation.

This is as important as who to discipline.We are not to judge a person for their motives. That is for the Lord. We are not to judge the world that does not have the Spirit. It is only for those who carry the name ‘brother.’

But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. ~1 Corinthians 5:11 (NIV)

We constantly have non Christians coming to us who are greedy, who get drunk, lie and cheat, and sleep around. Hear me now, we won’t judge you, we love having you with us. But we judge those who call themselves a Christian and want to justify their sinful choices. That is what is unacceptable.

Put it this way, if you call yourself a Christian and want fellowship with us but justify your sinful behaviour then one of these will have to go, either stop calling yourself a Christian, stop fellowship with us, or our preference is – stop justifying your sin. If you don’t you are under God's wrath and we want you in heaven with us. This judgment is only for believers, we are not called to be the worlds spiritual cop

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ~1 Corinthians 5:12-13b (NIV)

It also critical that we don’t confuse Christians struggling with sin and those who justify their sin. If we expel those who battle with sin, what would happen? we would have expelled each other, no one would be left at church.

Church discipline is not for saints who sin but for those who are proud of being able to sin and claim the name, Christian.

This is not about the man who has slipped up one day but a man who has his father's wife.

This is a settled state of disobedience.

It is not about a man who has gotten drunk it is about a drunkard. It is not about a man who committed a sexual sin it is about a person who is sexually immoral. Otherwise, no one could turn up for church.

What does it look like? Most who fall into sin withdraw themselves. Few justify sin and then want to stick around at church.

We physically don’t pick up someone and kick them out of our Sunday services. We don’t act rudely to them when we see them at shops. We don’t ignore them on the side of the road if their car has a flat.

We speak and act with grace, we make it clear that we are not on the same page. We can’t have fellowship. You are not my brother or sister in the Lord. We will urge you to not take the Lord’s supper, you will not be able to serve at church, you cannot attend growth groups

We keep pleading for repentance and if there is repentance then we celebrate like mad.

Friends, this is God word, will you obey it? Will you be committed to the holiness of the church?

I remember the first time I had to do it, a man in growth group had left his wife and was living with another woman. He called himself a Christian and assumed nothing would change. I spoke with him. The week before a man gave his testimony, he shared how he had been attending church for 2 years but realised he had not repented. I used his example and said do you think you have repented. I thought the same thing. I said you need to stop sinning, or stop calling yourself a Christian or leave growth group. One of those 3 will have to go. He stopped calling himself a Christian, that was good, no pretending.

The two best days in life is the day you know you’re not a Christian and the day you become one. Months later he repented and left that relationship, he has been with us ever since, strong in the Lord.

Don’t neglect the surprising grace of church discipline.

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Imagine you lived in Australia in 1942 when Darwin was being bombed by the Japanese and 3 midget submarines came into Sydney Harbour sinking a ferry and killing 21 people. Inside your local church, you have young men hearing the call to defend the country and going off to war. Some returned home with limbs missing while others never returned at all. In your congregation some Christians refused conscription out of good conscience before God they could not fight. They believed that the bible forbids them to take up arms.

Can you imagine the tension and division it would have created inside local churches? What would be the pastor's role in that situation? I suggest one issue would be to help brothers and sisters think through the principles of living in a church where the saints held different views.

I think it's the same for us when it comes to living in a church where members hold different views on vaccination. The purpose of this paper is not to give direction on vaccination. I am not a doctor nor am I not a scientist, I am a pastor called to disciple the church of God. To that end, let me share how we can live in a church with different views on vaccination to God's glory.

Firstly, I recognize this is a very delicate and emotional issue. For a start, we are all feeling the impact of an extended lockdown. It messes with our heads and hearts. That pressure is felt by some more than others, especially if we are isolated with little support or if we suffer from acute depression or anxiety.

Importantly, some have lost loved ones here and overseas to COVID 19. One person at church lost six friends in South Africa another has lost ten people in India. COVID has profoundly and personally impacted some people at church.

Still, others have their own quota of health issues and are feeling physically vulnerable and acutely compromised concerned for either themselves or members of their family. All of which means we must speak on this issue with extra care and sensitivity.

Interestingly, last Monday we had a discussion at staff meeting and it became evident that we did not share the same views on vaccination. It was a good and gracious discussion with a number checking on each other to see if they spoke with grace. This made me realise we need to think hard about how we live together with different views on vaccination.

Here are a few principles to keep in mind and I'm sure you can think of others.

1. The two great commandments are to love God and love others.

Whatever you decide with the vaccination seek a conclusion that loves not just yourself, but your family, and the wider community. Remember it's not about you! We are to have the mind of Christ who considered others better than himself (Phil 2:5-11) and in particular those who are vulnerable. The God of the bible has his constant eye on the orphan, the poor and the widow. Paul warned us that without love we are nothing (1Cor13:1-2). Whatever your view on vaccines adopt an ‘other person-centred approach’ with a special eye to the powerless.

2. Turn your panic into prayer.

God is no less on his throne now than before or after COVID 19. Jesus told his disciples, that if we have a Father in heaven who knows our needs before we ask, and truly cares for us, then we need to trust him and not be like the pagans who panic about the basic needs of life. The repeated rebuke by Jesus to his disciples was ‘why are you so afraid?’ Before a watching world, including social media, we have a great opportunity to stand apart in refusing to live in fear because our God will never leave us or forsake us. While we can't stop feeling anxious, we are called to turn it into prayer (Phil 4:6) and let God's peace guard our troubled hearts. I assure you it will be more helpful for your troubled soul than constant exposure to a never-ending stream of COVID information.

3. Be informed and be thankful.

We are made in God's image to push back on the effects of the fall. This means we must thank God for the work of scientists who are doing what God calls imager bearers to do; to understand and rule over this virus. Nevertheless, use your God-given mind to assess the research available wisely. Be discerning who to trust and be open and non-defensive to hearing other people's views. Watch how much time you spend reading on this issue and becoming an expert compared to the time you spend reading God's word, and fellowshipping online with the saints. Ask yourself the question, “are you more excited about sharing your view on vaccines than about sharing Christ?”

4. Be humble and know that no one is infallible.

Even the best of research is not perfect. If you are suspicious about the ‘other’ position then learn to be a little suspicious about your own as well.

5. We can't avoid risk.

We live after the fall and outside the garden of Eden. We must never think that we can avoid risk in a broken world. We are all forced to assess what is calculated risk. However, there is no risk in following Christ who will raise our body from the dead as surely as our Lord was raised on the third day.

6. Don’t pressure other people toward your view.

Have the conversation if the other person gives you permission but don’t have it if they don’t want to. That includes members of your family. It’s exactly the same with evangelism which has to do with eternal issues. Ask permission to speak and share information, don’t dump it and definitely do not demand that people accept your view. If someone does send you material on vaccination, you are free to read it or ignore it, but you are not free to be rude about it. If we are called to speak with ‘gentleness and respect’ to false teachers (2 Tim 2:25), how much more should we be gracious with those who have different views on vaccination in person or on social media.

Be careful to not be cynical and sarcastic about people who hold different views. You don’t have to apologise for holding your view but never forget you share the same creator with fellow image-bearers you disagree with you. How much more, in the church where you share the same Father in heaven who sent his Son to die for both of you.

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ~ Romans 14:10 (NIV)

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. ~ Romans 14:19 (NIV)

7. Have a biblical view of government.

We each have different default attitudes to government. Some are more suspicious of authorities, and for good reason. Let us not forget that “The rulers of this age crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2:8). On three occasions, Roman magistrates had Paul beaten with rods (2 Cor 11:25; Acts 16:22). Our federal government-led us into unjust wars such as Vietnam and approved pro-abortion legislation in NSW. It's not in “Gladys we trust” but in “God we trust.”

Others have a more positive view of government. They know that the kind of freedom, order and wealth we have in Australia has never been matched at any other time in the history of the world. No doubt, each view is shaped by experiences in this country and our country of origin. As a result, some are more inclined to believe government-approved research on vaccines, while others are more sceptical.

Nevertheless, let us be very clear about what the Bible requires. We are explicitly called to honour (1Peter 2:17), pray (1 Timothy 2:1-2) and submit to all governing authorities (Romans 13:2-3). And all for one reason, and it's not because they are necessarily doing a great job. It's because “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Rom 13:1) If the apostle Paul can say that about the Roman Emperor who was vicious and brutal we have even less reason to reject God's teaching. Unless the government causes us to explicitly violate our loyalty to Christ, then we regularly pray, openly respect and ‘willingly’ submit to them even if we think they are inconsistent, ineffective or just plain wrong in their response to Covid19.

Suffice to say that any attempt to engage or promote civil disobedience, because we are inconvenienced, grieves the Spirit of God. This doesn’t mean we can't protest and communicate our convictions, as long as it is done lawfully and respectfully.

8. Strive to maintain the unity of the church

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace…” ~ Ephesians 4:3 (NIV)

Finally, take heed of the warning not to divide the church of Christ. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)

Let the world see how MBM is a profound mystery with men and women, young and old, from many cultures and classes with different views on politics and vaccines but who dearly love each other united by Christ's precious blood and sealed by his Holy Spirit.

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Once conflict is faced and peace begins, trust needs to be rebuilt and that takes time. What heals wounds? What builds trust? What creates safety? It is love.

The Corinthians church was known for their many conflicts. This church managed to divide on every possible issue, from Leadership to the Lord's supper to Litigation. It was a toxic and proud church, they saw themselves as so ‘spiritual’ but were so ‘immature’. Priding themselves on some gifts of the Spirit-tongues, ignoring the fruit of the Spirit such as love. To the least loving church comes the clearest outline of Love.

The question for us is what would Jesus say about you? What would Jesus say of MBM?

The first point is this gifts multiplied by no love = nothing

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. ~1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)

Oh, to speak in the language of angels but without love, I am as useful as a car crash. Oh, to grasp the mysteries of the universe and to believe with so much confidence that you could park Mt Kosciusko in your front yard, but if love is absent, you are nothing! Oh, to be so generous that you give not 10%, 50% but 100% of all your money to the poor or be so committed to Jesus that you would take the bullet for Jesus and yet live a life without love. You gain nothing!

It won't be the first biography on a famous missionary who did great things for the Lord but whose personal life was a tragic loveless mess. The formulae is simple heroic gifts without Love = is nothing, you gain nothing.

Let me take you back to Maths class. If you Multiply one number with another number you get a much bigger number

5 x 8 = 40

11x12 =132

If you multiply any number with 0 the answer is always 0

100 x 0 =

10,000 x 0 =

1,000,000,000 x 0 =

Any heroic act x zero love = 0

But wait a minute, I thought giving your money to the poor was an act of love? Well, isn’t it?

Well, let see the dos and don'ts of love. The first thing you notice is love is practical it not theoretical. It's not like a love song. All of me loves all of you.

But the bible gets down and dirty with love.

Love is patient … ~1 Corinthians 13:4a (NIV)

Love is Patient… it literally means “Love suffers long…” So straight out of the blocks, we are reminded that it's love in hard places, love with difficult people, love in conflict situations, when you’re tired and annoyed, love at 6am if you're not a morning person or 11pm if you are a morning person.

The best research on Marriage comes from the Gottman Institutes. John Gottman says, When couples repeatedly begin an argument with harsh words and tones -it is the great predictor of divorce.

But Love is long suffering, which is exactly what Gods love is like.

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ~Exodus 34:6 (NIV)

He is a long suffering God, it's why the bible is so big. It's 66 love letters. Those of us with short fuses take note, Love isn’t easily angered or provoked

Love is not easily angered… ~1 Corinthians 13:5b (NIV)

Many of us have not quite come to terms that God has placed sinful humans outside of the garden of Eden. We expect our plans to operate smoothly and watch out if anyone gets in our way. No matter how organised, life throws a curve ball, holidays can be rained in, babies cry all night, friends let you down.

Christians criticize, neglect, let down, disappoint, undermine, rebel, slander, gossip, litigate,

John Piper says

If I am to LOVE like this, something in me must die.
My strong craving for a trouble-free life must die.
My need for an uninterrupted schedule must die.
My demandingness that frustrations and interference get out of my way must die.

Love is patient it is not easily angered. There are 15 things love can and can't do, but whatever else, Love is patient.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ~1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

Love is Kind. Even the word “Kind” sounds insipid and weak but that is exactly how God treats his people who rebel against him. His loving kindness binds him to us and us to him. Have we not tasted of the kindness of the Lord.

Consider: Two men walking toward each other around a steep mountain cliff face. The path is too narrow to walk past each other or they will fall off.

Solution: One man lies down and the other walks over.

Kindness: A kind deed to help out someone who hurts you, a kind thought wanting the best, a kind word that builds up another person rather than taking them for granted. Kindness is as simple as a word of encouragement. The Corinthian Christians who received this encouraging and kind letter were impatient, self centred, rude and full of envy.

Love is described not just by what we do but what we don’t do. Love does not envy and we know envy perpetuates so much conflict.

There are sins of commission—what we should have not done. And there are sins of omission—what we should have done but didn't.

Envy feeds conflict and love starves the envy that feeds conflict. Love rejoices with the success of others. It's hard when someone else got the job you applied for when someone else got the lover you long for. The solution to envy is to thank God for the success of others and let the person know that you are happy for their success.

We rejoice with those who rejoice equally when one part suffers we all suffer, when one part rejoices we all rejoice. Love wants to encourage, envy wants to withhold encouragement. Find that one person you envy and today send them a text, email, letter or say something to encourage them.

Perhaps you feel as if your life is more like a water polo game, you can only lift yourself up by putting someone else down. That is not love

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ~1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)

Love also keeps no record of wrongs. Just like Jesus, love keeps no record of wrongs. It's not as if once we are reconciled there won't be any more hurts. Love doesn’t keep score on the mistakes of others. It is what kills marriages, churches and friends.

Conversations that begin with…"You always do that" or "Typical you" or "You will never change" or "You’re so hopeless". Jesus doesn’t keep score on your sins and he is perfect so why do we think we can keep score on other peoples sins.

I love the idea of love when it theoretical, I love this passage except when I have to think about real people in my life who hurt me. Love will be seen in what gives you pleasure.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ~1 Corinthians 13:6 (NIV)

Since God is love, then love does not take pleasure in evil, love is not rude but neither will it pretend, it doesn't call good evil and evil good. When faced with conflict love sides with God. It loves what God loves and it hates what God hates. Since God is love, love sides with the truth, no matter how unpopular.

We don't play that silly game of setting truth against love, you can't love people unless you love truth even if the truth hurts. Truth is a person and that person is Jesus. Love aims at being consistent, it's how we build trust.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ~1 Corinthians 13:7 (NIV)

It always protects … it always has your back.
It always trusts … refuses to be cynical … it won't slip into sarcasm.
It always hopes …keeps handing out second chances, it's optimistic without being naïve.
It always preservers…Loves hangs in when others give up.

Love doesn’t just play the big games well but every game.

You get the parent who works 3 jobs for the family, but day by day they are moody, grumpy and critical. That is the nothing person! Gifts without love = nothing

For now, every Christian has been gifted and every gift will pass away, they have a use by date.

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ~1 Corinthians 13:8-10 (NIV)

Everything you enjoy at church and in this age is both imperfect and temporary. Imperfect because we prophesy in part, we know in part. I will never preach the perfect sermon. Temporary because they will disappear; they will come to an end.

The truly wise person knows what to be impressed by:

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ~1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)

It's time to grow up…give a 5-year-old child a choice between a million-dollar diamond and a chocolate bar and they will choose the chocolate every time. It's time to grow up!

I love a person exercising their God-given gifts in the body of Christ but the older I get the more impressed I am by the fruit of the Spirit beginning with Love.

When we hear of relationships scared by conflict become healed by love, the cliché “It doesn’t get better than that!” is so misused. When I heard last week of two people whose journey began when they met a person at MBM who loved them and they could see God in them. ‘It doesn’t get better than that’

Learn what to get impressed by. Greatness is measured by one word: love…Those who love are God heroes.

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. ~1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (NIV)

As Karl Barth put it “When the sun rises the lights go out…”

When Jesus returns and perfection comes, we get to see God face to face the gifts go out.

People are not a means to an end they are the end. Do you know why this is so liberating? You may have missed out on a range of gifts, opportunities to serve that never came your way, but know this, you have not missed out on the greatest of all. I plead with you. Do not be the 'nothing' person. Hear the warning again: without love you’re nothing! And nothing will be your reward.

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One of the great struggles in resolving everyday conflict is to see our part in the story. This is especially true when the greater sin lies with the other person or you think it does, they started it, they said the cruel words, they bagged you out on social media.

As I said last week we can freely talk about our pain and the other person's sin, but we find it almost impossible to talk about our sin and the other person's pain

Today, Jesus is giving the master class on disciple training. The question for you is, who is shaping how you respond to conflict?

He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? ~Luke 6:39 (NIV)

Too often we let the wrong people set the agenda for how we respond to conflict and then we pay the price. What did you learn from your parents? Did they ignore or ignite conflict? When you tell your friends about a conflict; do they feed your sense of self-righteousness and justify your refusal to forgive or nurture an attitude of entitlement?

The challenge for us is will you let Jesus tell you what it means to be his disciple? Will you stop telling Jesus why you don’t have to love your enemy? That its always someone else’s fault and never yours? Lets face it Jesus knows a little about conflict,

He has reconciled the world to himself. Jesus has told his disciples how to think about those who hate you, reject you and insult you.

1. Do to others what you would have them do to you.

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ~Luke 6:27 (NIV)

The enemy is clear, it’s a person who curses you, mistreats you or takes advantage of you. It's any people who either keep you up at night or you want to get even with.

Which level of love do you live on?

a. Love your friend’s hate your enemies. “…Don’t get mad, get even”
b. Love your friends ignore your enemies…Keep your enemy at a polite distance.
c. Love your friends and love your enemies…Return good for evil

Notice how Jesus is not just calling his followers to tolerate or be polite, four ugly reactions of people meet four grace responses by Jesus people.

When hated - we love
When excluded - we do good
When insulted - we bless
When rejected - we pray for them

It's not just feel good toward them it's doing good toward them. When your enemies make it into your prayers and your prayers are to bless them and not curse you then you’re on your way to higher ground and to glorify God. That is radical. Jesus gets under our skin with his outrageous examples.

Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. ~Luke 6:31 (NIV)

That is ridiculous! You won't last one minute in this world, everyone will rip you off. Like going home from church finding thieves loading their boot with your stuff and you say “Hi guys -can you tell me when you’re finished, I will just go and grab a cup of coffee, don’t forget the $300 dollars in the jar under the bed.”

We know they are exaggerated examples to get you thinking… We know that because the Apostle Paul required only widows who are over 60 and proven themselves as faithful in good works to qualify for the church pension. No free handouts here.

Jesus words are dangerous

If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. ~Luke 6:29-31 (NIV)

He is almost inviting abuse. It sounds like you can't have boundaries. But we have an account of when Jesus was struck on the cheek. Jesus is being interrogated by the High Priest and the soldier hits him in the face. What does Jesus do? Feel free to hit me on the other cheek, this is what he does say.

“If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” ~John 18:24 (NIV)

That’s what it looks like, Jesus love was expressed in two ways, He confronts the soldier, holding him accountable but he doesn’t wipe him off the face of the earth. Love doesn’t mean we don’t confront, it doesn’t mean we let people walk all over us, it does mean that you approach the enemy wanting to do good to bless and to pray. When you do good, remember you’re like your Father in Heaven and not like the world

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ~Luke 6:32-34 (NIV)

Call me strange but I have absolutely no problem loving those who love me back. It's true, give me compliments, offer me a gift and I’ll be your best friend. And Jesus says Big Deal! even the sinners do that.

In 2002 they found a scrapbook that belonged to Karl Hocker, it had photos of Nazis at play loving each other, it was those who ran Jewish extermination camps in Auschwitz.

You could rewrite Jesus words and say “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even the ‘Nazis’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even the ‘Nazis’ do that.

All the time while hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were being gassed to death. To return evil for good is of the devil, to return good for good is being human, to return good for evil makes you just like your Father in heaven.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ~Luke 6:35-36 (NIV)

Never are we more like our Father in heaven than when we love and do good to our enemies. God will remember, record and reward every act of grace toward your enemy. And it will echo into eternity because it glorifies God.

Elsewhere Jesus says God lets the rainfall on those who love and hate him, God lets the sunshine on the just and unjust, every time you see that sucker rise in the east God is telling you to love your enemies because that is what I am doing every day. Never did that love reach an absolute pinnacle then when Christ died for us while we were his enemies…do to others what you would want them to do to you. Have we not all been an enemy of someone in our lives? Haven’t we all wanted them to show grace to us? It's not like this is optional for disciples wanting to follow Jesus. When we are hurt it's so easy to demonize the other person, we stop thinking the best.

1. What you do to others is what God will do to you.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. ~Luke 6:37 (NIV)

Don’t judge…50 years ago John 3:16 was the most well known Bible verse known by Christians, now it's "do not judge, and you will not be judged." We are letting the blind lead the blind. The world is creeping into the church, the world that stops God from speaking, the world which loves sin and hates the saints, the world that loves to call good evil and evil good. So what does Jesus mean by don’t judge? I think the next verse tells us exactly what it means. Don’t condemn:

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven ~Luke 6:37 (NIV)

Don’t be quick to play God, don’t be quick to say this backsliding Christian is in hell. I can warn a person that they are heading for hell if they don’t repent but I can't announce they are in hell. I don’t know what they did before they died.

We had one guy who joined us for a time, he thought he was sinless and it didn’t take him long before he was announcing that every person at MBM was not a Christian and for good reason. I was not a Christian because I yawned during prayer time. Do not judge

• It doesn't mean we can't teach what God has to say “Don’t judge” is in itself making a judgment.
• It doesn’t mean you can't call sin out, God has the right to define what is sin, even the world wants to condemn racists, sexists and abusers. Never has the world been more judgmental.
• Judgement is not all negative. It’s a word of Judgment when we say you’re forgiven
• We also know we can't judge because we don’t have all the information.

Imagine 2 people going to the toilets for the first time, one comes out and goes straight to the wash basin to wash their hands but the other person just goes out. Its easy for the person washing their hands to think how disgusting that the other person has not washed their hands, not knowing that the other toilet had its own washbasin Don’t judge, you don’t have all the information.

Stop trying to judge the motives of people. You’re not God, only he knows the heart, don’t be quick to think the worst, resist the urge to demonize, especially those who hurt you.

So how do we correct each other and not fall into this sin? Approach a person assuming the best and that the hurt was unintentional, that it was thoughtless, not malicious, speak to them as though you’re the greater sinner.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. ~Luke 6:41-42 (NIV)

The person who judges tends to overestimate the sins of others and underestimate their own sin. Wouldn’t we all get along with each other much better if we assumed we are the bigger sinner? It has to be this way! Because you live with you 24/7. You know what you think or say or do 24/7. You know the motives behind what you say and do, you see more of your sin than anyone else, it has to be that way. Whenever you speak to another always assume that you are the greater sinner.

So, it will always be a speck in their eye and plank in the other, as you face the person you’re in conflict with, remember the telegraph pole in your eye and eye lash in the other person. You may spend more time focusing on your sin and their pain, than focusing on your pain and their sin.

This will come out in how you apologise, you may be aware that you played a small part in the conflict.

• Even if its only 10% own 100% of that 10% that is on you, that will stop you from falling into excuses
• We all know that the “if” and “buts” ruin a good confession. Contrast the two apologies. “I’m sorry for shouting but I was so tired” this refuses to take the plank out of your eye. “Even though I was tired, I had no excuse for shouting” takes the plank out.
• Don’t be vague when you confess. What exactly are you sorry for? The sin was specific so the apology should be as well.
• If you’re owning the sin then acknowledge the pain it caused. “Sorry” is an invitation for the other person to tell you that they were hurt, let them speak about their hurt.
• Ask but Don’t demand forgiveness. Give a person the time and space to forgive because we want people to do it from the heart.

They may or may own their failure but you know your father in heaven sees what you have done and is pleased. We play to an audience of one! Your conscious is clear and God is glorified.

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In many conflicts, there is a power struggle, one person is committed to changing another person and the other is committed to not wanting to be changed. We get locked in, for me to win you must lose, and if you win, I lose. Our desires turn to demands, our hurts turn into rage or passive aggression.

When wounded, we turn in ourselves. We are quick to name our pain and the other person's sin. We are unable to name our sin and the other persons’ pain. Worst of all, we act like there are only two people in this conflict. Faced with conflict we react to what is in front of us, the bible will encourage us in the midst of conflict to go higher ground and to think God thoughts.

We can’t make wise decisions when we are in the heat of a battle. In the conflict of war Generals always went to the highest point to see the battle from with the widest lens. When they invented airships and planes they took to the sky. When they invented satellites, they took to space.

The best way to understand conflict is to stand back and go up; to think God thoughts. It's never just you and the other person. It's you, them and the Lord Jesus, He redefines every relationship for a Christian.

So what does it mean to go to higher ground? First, it means we understand that we are raised with Christ, so set your minds on the things above.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ~Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)

So why meditate on heaven when I live below on earth? Two reasons. The first is, that is where Christ is who is ruling the church! Set your heart and mind on the risen Lord Jesus. He is now seated at the right hand of God, from there he rules the universe, he rules the church. He is firstborn of the creation, firstborn of the dead so that in everything he might be first. And that includes being first in every conflict relationship you’re in. In other words, I win if Christ is first.

Second, we set our minds on the things above, that is where we are, we are caught up in Christ’s victory. Our life is hidden with Christ. We are expected to engage in conflict from a different point of view to the world.

Let's ponder the idea of union with Christ.

• We were chosen in Christ before time.
• We died with Christ
• We were buried with Christ
• Every Christian has already had their funeral
• Every Christian here has already gone through the day of judgment.
• The new 'you' was raised with Christ
• The new 'you' is seated with Christ in heaven now

We are alive in Christ and we are with Christ, we will appear with Christ in glory. The second coming is every Christian's coming out party. Once you get that you cant be the same. From that vantage point we put sin to death, we put away old me, we put off our earthly sinful nature. We may fall into sin but we don't walk in those sins.

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ~Colossians 3:8-10 (NIV)

Raised with Christ and set your minds on the things above, we will not engage with the old weapons, Anger, Malice, Slander or Swearing. Nor do we pretend and lie but speak the truth in love, all with gentleness and respect. The good news as we are being renewed and transformed is that we are not on you are own, God is at work in us

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ~2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

From the moment you said “I Do” to Jesus, God made a commitment to transform you into the likeness of his son, to shape you to be more like Jesus. That growth is described as an ever-increasing glory that happens as we live for Gods glory.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ~1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

Every moment of every day, amidst every relationship good or bad, we get the privilege to put a smile on the face of God. That includes how you engage with conflict.

I once ran a bible study for teenagers/young adults who were new Christians. There was one girl who was 15 maybe 16 at the time, she came from a broken and dysfunctional home. One day as the group was going home she said, “Ray I think I understand what life is all about.” What’s that Julie? She said,

“Its about Giving God the glory in everything.”

That insight changed everything, it shaped how she responded in her relationships, especially the ones that were dysfunctional. She instinctively went to higher ground, she has gone on to make an enormous impact in the lives of so many.

So how do I glorify God in the midst of my conflict? In short, you keep to two great commands front and centre, Love God and Love others. That is how you glorify God, to love God is to engage in conflict in such a way that brings honour to him.

What motivates you is that He sees your attempt to be at peace, He is honoured when you raise a difficult issue, He is pleased by your desire to forgive, He is lifted up when you love the one who wounded you, He is glorified that you’re satisfied with his approval. He smiles when you keep loving the person who is slandering you. This is higher ground, it's never just you and the other person. There is you, them and the Lord Jesus.

Have you not noticed that when God directs how we ought to live our relationship, whether to husbands, wives, parents, children, servant, masters or each other, the church. It's always in Christ and as to the Lord, in every relationship you have, whether Christian or not, work, home, study or church is redefined by your relationship with Christ. We serve and love others for Jesus sake.

It's as if Jesus is saying I “If you can't do it for their sake, I know you can do for my sake.” It's what breaks the hold of a power struggle. This truth saved my marriage.

Sandy and I fought a lot in the first 6 months of our marriage. From my end, I was counting who is doing more and I counted in my favour. Then one day I was reading:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. ~Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)

Jesus was telling me, Ray, get your eyes off Sandy and get your eyes on me and when you think you have gone as far as me on the cross then you draw a line in the sand but until then keep loving and keep laying down your life. Love for God extends to Love for the enemy. As Jesus said anyone can love those who love them back. If you do that Jesus says, big deal, even the pagans do that. We love the enemy.

There is a Scottish proverb that says ‘The worst thing in life is to die without enemies. The worst thing in life is to not love your enemies.’ In times of conflict, our loved ones can become our enemy.

The Bible is very realistic, God knows that you will be in a difficult relationship, we live outside the garden and after the fall. Do not be idealistic about the church, we are Saints who still Sin. The church is like a suitcase of porcupines, hence the command to forgive one another, and bear one another.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ~Romans 12:18 (NIV)

Love means we are committed to reconciliation, think of a difficult relationship you’re in right now. God, if possible, because it may not be that they died, or won’t talk or admit, as much as it depends on you, from your side. Strive for peace.

Your Lord knows that it takes one to forgive but two to make peace. You are responsible to do whatever it takes to make peace. You are not responsible for the other person behaviour.

Here is a lesson I learnt 36 years ago that has kept me sane and it's in the verse. In a nutshell, know what you have control over and what you don’t. Know what you are responsible for and what you are not.

Dr. Larry Crabb put it this way:

Goals are those things that you have control over and are responsible for.

Desire is something you would like to happen but don’t have control over.

You work toward your goals, you pray for your desires.

Wanting my friend to apologise; Goal or Desire?
Forgiving my friend; Goal or Desire?
Wanting my cousin to be saved; Goal or Desire?
Taking up opportunities to share my faith; Goal or Desire?

In this verse a desire is to be at peace with all people, you pray for it but you cant control the outcome. A goal is to make sure that everything that leaves my mouth is driven by the good of the other person.

You see this principle in the Serenity Prayer - Reinhard Neihbuhr, prayed in AA meetings

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

When I am stressed in a relationship, I ask myself the question what is my desire that I have no control over? I want to be heard, I want the person to own their sin against me, I want to hear an apology, I want to be loved, I want them to acknowledge the damage they have done, I want their approval and respect. None of which I can control.

What I can control, what I am responsible for, what God requires me to do is to speak a word of encouragement with gentleness and respect, to raise a hurt, to be patient, to listen to another person’s pain, to own my sin, to apologize, to forgive, to set boundaries. So, winning is not about being loved, it's about being like God and striving for peace as much as you can do.

My goal is to glorify God in all situations and not let Satan have a win. My goal is to go to higher ground and make Jesus look good. My goal is to be satisfied with my heavenly Father's approval. My goal is to think God thoughts. My goal is to speak in a way that seeks peace. My goal is to let the Spirit do his work in my life.

On my better days when I go to higher ground, I think of Jesus at the cross being nailed by the hands that he created, knowing he could invent billions of ways of making them suffer a slow death, but all you hear is Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

I spoke to a woman at church this week, her father left her mother and 8 children, abandoning them into poverty, their life was so hard. He never owned his sin. Many years later he tried to re-entry their lives, which they welcomed, only to find out it was only for money. Years after that she heard that her Dad was in the hospital, and she called him to see how he was. She asked for the opportunity to talk about matters and make peace. His response was clear “I don’t want to talk to you” and then he hung up. The next day he died.

I said to the woman, ‘You don’t come across embittered.’ She said two things, God's grace to her and knowing that while her father on earth abandoned her, her Father in heaven said

“Never will I leave you, never will forsake you.” She went to higher ground and it set her free.

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What is going to be MBM Parramatta’s biggest challenge? It will be each other? The hardest thing about being a human is other humans. We each have a natural difference, when fuelled by a spirit of demandingness it quickly leads to conflict. Which would ok except we either ignore it or ignite it, but we can do better.

This term we are going to look at resolving everyday conflict.

As the series title suggests: "Worth fighting for". Our Lord Jesus is the prince of peace and fought for that peace. At the cross, he waved the surrender flag and said I don’t want to fight anymore.

If you want to kill me then kill me and let's get it over with so that we can be friends. And He then gives us his Spirit and commands us “Be at peace with all people as much as it depends on you.” But there can be no peace unless we go for higher ground, there will be no peace unless we understand, unless we get that unforgiveness is not an option.

Deep down we each have a quota of pain, sinned against by someone in our family, in our church or in the world. It could have been a one-off event or ongoing. It could have been done thoughtlessly or maliciously, but however, it got there, it's there. At some point, we all have put a fence around our pain and have said to ourselves, to others and even to God “… this is so bad, what was done to me so wrong, the wounds so deep that not even God would ask me to ever consider forgiving the one who wounded me.”

Let me say up front

1. Forgiveness is rarely a one-off decision. It's an ongoing process.
2. You can forgive a person who you report to the police.
3. You can forgive a person you set boundaries around
4. You can forgive and not be reconciled because there is no repentance.
5. But what makes forgiveness is that you will eventually want to do them good from the heart.

The apostle Peter is aware that sin happens both inside and outside the church and so he ask Jesus a question...how often?

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” ~Matthew 18:21 (NIV)

Peter is trying to out-grace Jesus. Rabbis required people to forgive only 3 times, Peter offers the perfect number 7 times.

But I would have asked Jesus another question with it, not just how many times? But how bad does the sin have to get before? before I can say: "that's it".

Jesus answer haunts us in our pain even today.

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. ~Matthew 18:22 (NIV)

Or 70x 7, you can almost feel abandoned by God in your pain, the word is don't ever stop forgiving, there is to be no limit, don’t stop striving to be at peace with others. Jesus reverses the vengeful language of Lamech, reminding us, the opposite to revenge is forgiveness, the opposite to forgiveness is payback!

Forgiveness is choosing to absorb the sin and not retaliate.

We have twice interviewed Gladys Staines at MBM, her husband and 2 sons were burnt alive in India by radical Hindu extremists. They were Medics in India helping the poor and the Lepers. She said “I have no anger, I have no hatred.” I asked Gladys how she was able to forgive and so quickly. She said, “I think it was because I learnt to forgive the little things.” What wise words. We are either cancelling debts or holding on to them.

There are 2 reasons given by Jesus in his story, the first is tied to the amount of forgiveness we have received and the second is tied to the amount of judgment that will fall on us if we don’t.

We live in light of breathtaking forgiveness.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. ~Matthew 18:23-25 (NIV)

The man's debt to the king was enormous. Some say it's a national debt, about 15 billion, others say it was the wages of 60,000 working days. This was a time when you couldn’t file for bankruptcy, you (and your family) were personally responsible for your debt. Like this man you and I face a debt to God we could not pay; a punishment we cant bear. We were standing on the edge of hell, facing our own hopeless eternity; staring into the place of utter darkness. With the enormous debt before him the man cries out.

At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ~Matthew 18:26 (NIV)

He has no idea how much he owes, he thinks he can pay the king off, like so many who think they can buy God off with good works. And yet in a God like way the king had mercy on him.

The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go. ~Matthew 18:27 (NIV)

Can you feel the relief? This is a picture of God's forgiveness. The whole debt is gone. The king does not postpone the payment of the debt, the king does not ask for 10 cents in the dollar, the king wipes the slate clean. It's why Paul says love keeps no record of wrongs. To forgive is to release one from a debt.

I once read in the newspaper (Telegraph) “Australia forgave Egypt a 200 million dollar debt” (1991). Australia said to Egypt you don’t ever have to pay it back.

So why does Jesus put no limit on how many times we ought to forgive? I will tell you why: because God puts no limit on the amount of sins that he forgives us. Every day we grieve his Spirit and every day he forgives them.

By not forgiving, we show that we have absolutely no idea what it cost Jesus the innocent Son of God to enter the horror of the cross. That we have no idea how bad hell is that we have been delivered from. No idea how bad we all are and we have no idea that unforgiveness is not an option.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ~Matthew 18:28-30 (NIV)

This guy is often called the unmerciful servant, he also is the ungrateful servant, forgiven so much, now refusing to forgive so little. It was just loose change compared to what he had been forgiven.

Albert Tetzler won the lottery a while back in the US, the amount pocketed was 7 million dollars, a lot of money. Two years later he was sent to prison because he had failed to pay child support which totalled just $35,000, he got 7 million but couldn’t pay $35,000.

You reckon that is bad, try telling God why you don’t have to forgive when he has forgiven so much. He is the ungrateful servant and so are we when you allow our pain to swamp the grace of God. Freely you have received, freely forgiven.

This is not saying that you have not been sinned against and it was not wrong. This is not saying that the pain is not real or that God doesn’t care. This is not to say that church discipline should not be applied or in some cases, the cops should be called. This is not saying that comfort can't be found, knowing that God will punish those who refuse to repent. What it is saying is that when you set limits on forgiveness you deny the full extent of your own sin against God and the full extent of Gods kindness to you.

Too often revenge conquers us instead of us conquering revenge by the grace of God. We must stop playing God, who alone says “Vengeance is mine says the lord I will repay” The King acts when he finds out that the man he forgave, refused to forgive another so little, he is angry

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. ~Matthew 18:32-34 (NIV)

Do you understand what Jesus is saying? Unforgiveness is not an option for those who follow Christ. Think back to the Lord's Prayer..

"Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us"

Jesus has thrown us a curve ball, when we pray we are asking God to treat us in the way that we treat others, by not forgiving others you are inviting God to not forgive you. So both Grace and judgment demands forgiveness. Jesus ends the story with the stinging warning...

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” ~Matthew 18:35 (NIV)

Take the grace of God lightly and you will end up taking his judgment severely. If the grace of God won't move you to forgive then maybe the fear of God will. It's as clear as a bell, isn’t it? Don't wallow in the pain, now is the time to start to forgive, seize the moment and conquer the urge to punish, let the Spirit do its work in you right now.

Do you know why I think unforgiveness is not an option? It's because God loves us, He is saying: “I don’t want you to waste your life filled with bitterness; where you spend your days re-playing those stories over and over to feed your rage." Jesus says: "I don’t want you to let those who sinned against you to keep punishing you. I want you to know the freedom of forgiveness, but that won't happen unless you forgive from the heart." It is not a 'pretend' forgiveness when we play games and say 'I don’t care' or 'it doesn’t bother me' or just laughing it off. Living in denial is not forgiveness.

The journey may begin further back, you may need to pray, to want to pray, to even want to forgive. At some point, you have to get on that peace train, even if it's last carriage. Are you not tired? I know you are.

There was a year I held something against Sandy. I noticed I was sulking for longer periods of time. On one occasion I sulked for 5 long weeks but Sandy barely noticed. No eye contact, a slight shift in tone, for 5 weeks I was aloof. It went so long I forgot why I was sulking. Then I had to make myself remember, I was exhausted and ashamed. When I eventually did forgive, I was so relieved. My refusal to forgive caused me to have a growing bitter heart. Has it not weighed you down long enough.

One of the messages to Australia from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

"It's my choice to be a victim or a survivor. It's my choice to forgive or hate. It's my choice to look forward or back. So I have chosen to love the life I have. I have chosen to forgive those who hurt me, because I don't know who hurt them. My 'Message to Australia': I ask you to do the same. The action of hate fixes nothing."

I have been in awe of so many at MBM who have endured so much suffering and who eventually decide to forgive and enjoy the freedom it brings.

We start a new series and we will take our time and think hard about how we can be at peace with all people. It's risky, its not an option and it's worth it. We are reminded yet again that God’s way is the best way.

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“All of life is related to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" That is what one woman said at MBM; what a profound comment. At the heart of the bible is the gospel and at the heart of the gospel is the Lord Jesus. That must be the DNA of MBM, to know that Jesus is Lord of all. Which means he answers the big question of life.

The Hitch Hikers guide to the Galaxy was a funny book seeking to find the answer to the meaning of life. The answer was '42', when we all know it's 1. Wrong answer to the right question. So, let's see how Jesus is the right answer to the right question.

At the heart of a prayer of thanksgiving, we are presented with the Son in whose kingdom we dwell. He is the image of the invisible God

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ~Colossians 1:15 (NIV)

Christ makes the God who you cannot see, known. You don't have to guess what God is like, you meet God in his Son. He is not just a pale reflection of who God is. Jesus is God!

Later we read that all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form. That is why Jesus says to Philip ‘If you have seen me you have seen the father.’ So as Christ stands to God, He is the perfect image, but as he stands with the World Christ is its creator.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ~Colossians 1:15 (NIV)

First born is the language of supremacy; He is not part of Creation but supreme over creation. The firstborn gets the inheritance, He holds rank over all of it. If there is any doubt that Christ is not part of the creation verse 16 makes it plain.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him ~Colossians 1:16 (NIV)

Look at how comprehensive is the supremacy of Christ. There is nothing that Christ has not created. By that, he means things in heaven and earth. By that, he includes things visible and invisible. By that, he means thrones, powers, rulers and authorities. If Jesus didn't make it, it doesn't exist. Every corner of the universe is covered. That includes the angels and demons, Jesus made the devil, not as the devil but as an angel who later rebelled. Do not think there is a spiritual battle between good and evil and its neck and neck, Jesus created hell for the devil and his angels.

The Colossians were tempted to pray to and worship angels. If your view of Christ is not supreme then you will worship something else. If your Christian religion is Mary, and the saints. If you’re into non-Christian religious gods and gurus. If it's new-age, angel and crystals. If you’re into the dark arts it's demons, if you're an animist it will be spirits, if you're an atheist it will be your mind.

Once you see Jesus in all his glory then to whom will you go.

Jesus is not number 1, He is the only one. Jesus answers the big questions of life. Questions that people have been asking from the beginning of time, questions that children ask and

adults are afraid to ask or are too busy to ask or just forget to ask. Questions like Who made me? Why do I exist? What is my reason in life? The answer is given in such simple words you could almost trip over it.

All things were created by him and for him. ~Colossians 1:16 (NIV)

You exist for one reason, you were created to be in a personal friendship with Christ, on his terms and for his glory. God made the universe for his Son, this is the message we take to the world.

When I read this verse, I think of the classic love lines in songs and movies…

• "I can’t live if living is without you"
• "You are the reason I was born"
• "You complete me"
• "All of me loves all of you"

Words that capture the spirit of the age, and the idols of our heart. The songs remove Christ from his rightful place, that language should only and can only be applied to the Lord Christ.

It's not as if Christ created us and then left us to go on our merry way. The one who is before all things is Christ, the one who holds it all together.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together ~Colossians 1:17 (NIV)

We say of a person who is coping with a lot of pressure, ‘He is holding it all together.’ For Jesus literally holds the universe together.

(The Son is)...sustaining all things by the power of his word. ~Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)

If the job of science gives natural explanations for the natural World, the Bible gives the ultimate explanation for the natural and spiritual world. Christ sustains the universe and it is he who is bringing everything to its appointed end.

History is moving in one direction, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Christ is supreme in this age and in the age to come.

And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ~Colossians 1:18 (NIV)

Christ rules in creation and he rules over his people the church, Christ is the head of the church which is his body. There is an intimate connection between Christ and his body the church.

Jesus said: "When you do it unto the least of my brothers you do it unto me." The church belongs to Christ, He rules the church. Its right to say that MBM is Christ's church its even ok to say its our church, but it is never Ray Galea's church.

And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, ~Colossians 1:18 (NIV)

The church that he rules is the one he leads into the age of the resurrection. Jesus is firstborn from the dead, He is the first of the dead ones to rise, He spear heads a new people who will also rise from the dead and God raised his Son first

…so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ~Colossians 1:18 (NIV)

literally "so that in everything he might be first."

He ranks supreme in this age and in the age to come. He ranks number 1 in this creation and the next. He rules over all people and Gods people.

The one who is firstborn of creation is firstborn from the dead, so that in everything he might be first. John the Baptist was right, Jesus must increase and I must decrease. He is first because he is God

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him ~Colossians 1:19 (NIV)

The first Christmas day not only made us happy it first made God happy. God was pleased to become fully human, God permanently sided with us humans to bring peace.

Coming to earth was not the end of the story, God delights to put right the universe that has gone wrong

… and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. ~Colossians 1:20 (NIV)

To reconcile means is to bring together that which is apart, to make friends where there are enemies, to make peace where there is war and to put right that which is wrong. The Universe was made by Christ and for Christ but every corner of the universe has been stained by sin.

There is rebellion in the invisible world with Demons opposing God, there is rebellion in the visible world with humans as enemies of God. Christ came to bring peace through his blood with all things. In some way that means God made peace with the devil. That peace is not just a peace of friendship, all holding hands, smoking weed and singing “ all your need is love…” it has the idea of the pacification of the universe.

Pax Romana described 200 years of Roman peaceful rule. The peace of Rome- was 'not flowers in the hair' singing ‘We are the world’. The Peace of Rome involved the army who came to put down any rebellion.

So how did God made peace with the devil? by disarming and shaming the devil at the cross by taking from him his right to accuse us of sin. The Cross is as much about suppressing the enemies like Satan as it is about saving sinners. At the cross, the rift between God and man and God and the universe is reversed.

These are the facts, Christ is the reason that you exist, why you exist, why your sins cant condemn you and why Satan cant accuse you, why your death cant defeat you. Christ rules the world and he rules this church, He grants you the right to breathe and the right to enter heaven. At every point Christ is supreme.

There is not a corner of your life and there is not a square metre on this earth where Christ cannot say ‘This is mine and I own it and it belongs to me’.

So why isn't Jesus first in your life? What part of your life are you refusing to let Jesus be first? Perhaps you think you've gone too far!? Join the rest of us.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation ~Colossians 1:21-22 (NIV)

We were all enemies of God, the evidence is seen in what we did and what we thought. We have been funding a war with God, for some, it's open warfare with blatant defiance, for many it’s the cold war.. silence and sulking, but war it is. The peace was brokered over Christ’s physical body.

I heard of a couple who were separated and on their way to divorce. One day the husband decided to visit the grave of their dead son, as he stood there he heard someone coming from behind, coincidently, it was his wife. For a moment they were going to walk away from each other but standing over the grave of their dead son they held hands and peace came to their marriage.

God has made peace with you over the body of his Son, its time to take the hand of God and go home knowing you’re at peace with God. What does this peace with God look like?

On Judgment day there is no shaming, no condemnation, no accusation, no rejection. You will be Holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. You go home with our Lord and there will be no I told you so, no more criticism, no blame.

That is the power of the gospel.

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On our drive to our annual family holiday, my younger brother in-law and I were talking about sharks and sharks had been spotted at our holiday spot. We were both a bit scared but one of our “traditions” is to jetty jump and as soon as we hit the water I could feel these hands cling on to me, my brother-in-law needed something secure, and I don’t know why he turned to me, I would have been completely useless!

Where do you put your trust? It reminded me about how we all run and cling on to something or someone when our lives spiral out of control. When we lose our job, or you are not getting enough work for your business or you’re struggling to pay your bills.

You or someone close receives bad news from the doctor, a relationship is on the rocks or you’re feeling overwhelmed about the future, wondering, are you studying the right course, will you get a job once you’ve finished studying? Will you be stuck in this phase of life forever? We all turn to something or someone for help.

With the year that has just passed we’ve all felt what it’s like to feels out of control. The COVID virus seemed to come out of nowhere and our world has been changed forever. I know so many people who have lost their jobs. Businesses having to shut. Everything that has happened is a bit of a shake-up that reminds us of how little control we actually have over our lives.

When life turns upside down, as it has, where do you run to? Where do you place your trust?

Well, that’s the big question this Psalm wants us to think about today, “Where do you place your trust? This psalm is an invitation to look into the life of someone who has placed their trust in the God the Bible. It’s an invitation to consider, what it would look like if you placed your trust in the God of the Bible.

Where we’re going:

1. The person who places their trust in God.
2. The false securities we place our trust in.
3. The eternal security we should place our trust in.
4. David’s Confidence (& the Outcome)

Firstly, this psalm invites us to look into the life of someone who has placed their trust and their confidence, in the God of the Bible.

This Psalm begins with a cry out to God for protection. David, the author of this psalm, was human just like you and I. Just as we face the uncertainty of life, David had his fair share of things to worry about in his life time.

David struggled with the worries and the uncertainty of life, in a season in his life, he was on the run from people trying to kill him, people who spoke falsely of him and treated him unfairly. He had had some serious family issues! At one point his own son was trying to kill him – he had a dysfunctional family!

David was all too familiar with the uncertainty of life. He had a far from perfect life and was far from perfect himself. Verse 1 shows us the reality of this as he calls out to God. But then look at what David does in verse 2. David doesn’t only call out to God and then sits back and waits for something magical to happen. No, David is deliberate in his response to the uncertainty of life, he runs to God and he confesses,

You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” ~Psalm 16:2 (NIV)

We see this expanded in verse 5, where he says:

“You Lord are my portion and cup of blessing. You hold my future”. ~Psalm 16:5 (HOLMAN)

What David is saying here, is that from all the places, people or things he could run to he chooses to run to God.

In verse 5 the picture he is trying to paint, is that if you imagine a table full of different portions of food, a buffet of a variety of choices to choose from. David is saying that his portion, his choice, would be to choose God, out of everything else available.

Like David, we have so many different options to place our trust in. When life spins out of control what are some of the things you run to when life is out of control? What’s your safety net?

Is it a relationship? or the figure in your back account? or your own ability to work hard and be successful?

We have to ask the question, Why run to God?

When we look at the story of David’s life, as we read some of the other psalms he wrote, we see that David knew God’s character, and that’s why he chooses to place his trust in God. That’s what David is talking about in verse 6

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. ~Psalm 16:6 (NIV)

What David is talking about here, is that he remembers Israel’s history. How God chose this small nation, insignificant to the super powers around them at the time. No land, no military power and yet God led them to victory in their battles. He provided a land that they could settle into.

Personally, David knows how God has come through for him in impossible situations. Remember the story of David and Goliath? there was no way a shepherd boy could beat this giant, who was a seasoned warrior and yet David walked out of the battle victorious.

David reflects on the history of his people, he reflects on his own life, and sees that God is someone who is trustworthy. A God who is faithful. A God who provides for and protects His people. That’s why David runs to him. And this is why David could confidently say what he does in verse 8.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. ~Psalm 16:8

As far as we know, David’s circumstances haven’t changed, life is still probably uncertain for him. When he reflects on who God is and what He has done, that’s enough for David to confidently say, that despite whatever is happening in life at the moment, despite how out of control life might seem, he is unshakeable, because he knows God is on his side.

You see, the God of the Bible doesn’t call us to have blind faith, He calls us to trust Him, to have faith based on evidence. Often we have assumptions of who God is and what He’s like. But can I ask you, do you know this God? the God of the Bible, the God David runs to. I think a lot of us don’t run to God, don’t place our trust in Him because we don’t truly know Him.

Running to someone you trust, just like a kid running to their parent even though someone else was standing right there, they run to their mum. Why? Because they know their parents are trustworthy, they feed them, stay up with them at night when they can’t sleep, protect them from danger, comfort them.

Because kids know their parents, they run to their parents.

So often I think we don’t run to God, because we don’t truly know His character, all we know about Him, is what we’ve heard from other people, from different sources, from the media. Maybe we have this picture of a God who is just about rules, a God who doesn’t care, a God who is distant.

Let me ask you, can you honestly say that you’ve taken the time to look into the claims of the Bible for yourself? Or is all you know about Him from what other people have said about Him? You see the Bible is how God has chosen to speak to us.

If you truly want to know what the God of the Bible is like, what David saw in Him then let me encourage you to investigate what the Bible has to say about God. Ask questions, do your research, spend quality time reading the bible for yourself, before you just write Him off.

The reason David put his confidence in God, when life was uncertain was because he knew God’s true character. Let me encourage you, look to the Bible and see for yourself what David knew about God.

1. False Confidence

Secondly, this psalm moves us to see how we can falsely place our confidence in things that eventually always let us down.

In David’s culture, these things took the form of idols, as you can see in verse 4. In ancient cultures (and even some today),

they believed that there were gods for different things. A god of love, war, fertility, wealth, wine and parties. They put their trust in these idols to fulfil their lives.

Now today we don’t believe these gods exist, but the principle behind why these ancient cultures worshipped idols remains the same for us. We still run after these things, love, power, sex, wealth, placing our trust in these things and expecting them to completely satisfy us. Expecting them to make us unshakeable.

We say if I had this career, looked this way, had just a little bit more money, if this person loved me or I was in this relationship, then life would be good, then I would be completely satisfied, then no matter what happens, I will be unshakeable. But look at what this psalm says.

Those that run after other gods, will suffer more and more. ~Psalm 16:4 (NIV)

See when you run after something, whether it be money, love or power, what it shows about us is that we believe we can’t live without those things. If we base our satisfaction, our security in life, in wealth, relationships, in being in control, as time goes on, you will be shaken. Why? Because even if you are in the lucky minority who gets the things you’re running after, eventually, they’ll start slipping away because nothing in this world lasts. Life is uncertain

One example is if you look back over history when, Stock markets crashed in the US in the 1920’s and the 1980’s, and there was an increased rate in suicides. People had invested all their trust into their stocks and so when share prices fell, they were shaken. What they put their trust in had failed them.

As good as relationships are, people change, they move away, they die. No matter how healthy you are, no one is exempt from falling sick and getting old. No matter how influential, or powerful or wealthy you become your life has an expiry date on it just like every other human being. Everything you chased after in this life will be taken away from you. You’ll leave it all behind.

Nothing is certain, if we run after these things, if we base our security on these things, one day it will be gone and we’ll be left shattered, without a secure foundation.

The past year has been a wake up call, of just how uncertain life is, of how things can change and be taken away so suddenly. How sure are you, that whatever you’re placing your trust in will satisfy you, will keep you secure forever?

1. Eternal Confidence

Well in the last verses of this psalm, we’re given a picture of the future, of those that place their trust in God. An eternal confidence.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. ~Psalm 16:9-11

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

In these last verses we see, if God looks after those who trust Him in the uncertainty of this life then surely, He won’t let death come between them. Surely, He won’t let death strip His goodness away. And friends what we celebrated on Easter Sunday a few weeks ago, proves exactly that.

Through Jesus’ resurrection, God is saying, for all those who put our trust in Him, you don’t have to fear death, Jesus has taken care of that on cross.

Through the resurrection God is saying, "I will not let death separate you from my love". "I will not let death come between us!"

What David only knew partially we now know in full. And the early church saw the connection between this psalm and Jesus’ resurrection.

David said about him [Jesus]:
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ ~Acts 2:25-28 (NIV)

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, is a signpost across history, that the God of the Bible is trustworthy and loves you, that He is not distant and removed from your life.

If the resurrection of Jesus, isn’t enough for you to trust God, then nothing ever will be.

You’ve got to ask yourself the question, what other evidence will you need today to believe that Jesus is raised from the dead?

See, even at the time of Jesus, people back then had strong reasons to be sceptical that Jesus would rise again from the dead. If you look at the gospel accounts, you’ll see that no one was expecting Jesus to be alive, His disciples, His closest friends were in hiding, even though Jesus had told them He would rise again on the third day. They didn’t believe Him! On the third day as the woman that was headed to the tomb of Jesus, to mourn Him, expecting His body to be there. Something drastic had to happen for thousands of people, who weren’t expecting a resurrection, to start believing that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

A.N. Wilson, who is a British author and public figure, who once laughed at Christianity, until he was convinced of the evidence, says this about the resurrection:

“We can easily dismiss the events of Easter as a fairy tale if we hid from ourselves the uncomfortable fact that the eye witnesses of the resurrection were willing to be tortured and die horribly, rather than deny the risen Christ. It’s hard to believe that these people didn’t see Jesus resurrected.”

We see the impact of the resurrection impacting people’s lives today. Testimonies of lives transformed through Jesus to the glory of God. The resurrection of Jesus changes everything.

Even if you don’t believe in the historical evidence of the resurrection, just try and imagine if you did know it was true, that it was a fact, as if you knew this was going to be your future. Can you imagine how that would change your approach to the uncertainties of this life? Can you imagine how it would change the next time you went to a funeral, the next time you wept, the next time you worried about your job or anxious about anything in this life. It would completely change your outlook on life. It would free you from the fear of the uncertainty of this life.

For those of us who do believe the resurrection, imagine if we were 5times or 10times more sure of it. It would change us too.

The resurrection is evidence, that God is not done with this world, that God is not going to leave this world as it is. Jesus’s resurrection is the beginning of this reality. It shows us that God is going to restore and renew this world. A world without viruses, without sickness, without pain, without death. Everything that is sad, everything that is uncertain, will become untrue.

We think heaven is in the clouds – boring! The Bible says that God is going to renew and restore this material world and it’s going to be better than you and I can ever imagine! Look at the words this psalm uses to describe this future, abundant joy! Eternal pleasure!

That’s good news of the resurrection. That’s the future Jesus has secured for those who put their trust in Him.

I pray that this psalm gives you assurance through the uncertainties of life, that there is a God who cares for you and loves you. He’s proven that in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Run to Him! Get excited about the future! Know that no matter how uncertain life might seem, when our trust is placed in Jesus, He will not let you be shaken.

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Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again! Coming off Easter where we’ve just remembered Great Friday. An Easter where we’ve just celebrated: Christ is risen. It seems only fitting to ask: what’s next? Answer: We’re waiting for Jesus to return.

A survey was done amongst some American Christians a few years back. And of those Christians, 28% said Jesus probably won’t return and 14% said “they don’t know. That means 42% of Christians have no certainty that Jesus is may coming back! Wow!

Today is about correcting that, about ensuring that 100% of us here today, whether you’re inside or outside the circle of faith. That just as certain that Jesus died on that cross and just as definite that Jesus walked out of that tomb. Today, we can order our lives with the same certainty, that Jesus is coming back again. That’s where the timeline of our world is heading. No ifs. No buts.

Now if you’re looking for an exact date on the when Christ will return and if you’re like me, and you live life based on your diary. You know, if it’s not in the diary, it’s not happening. Well then I’ve got bad news, the Bible refuses to give us a date.

As a pastor, it’s my responsibility to guard you from error and false teaching. So, anyone who claims to know exactly when, the time or day, when Jesus is coming back, anyone who says they’ve had a personal revelation when Jesus is coming back, then don’t believe a word of it!

That Christ will return, that’s a certainty. The exact date, that remains a mystery. Take a look at Acts 1, Jesus has just got out of the grave. He’s hanging around, eating with the apostles. Telling them they’re about to receive the Holy Spirit. They question Jesus - now that you’ve died and risen again. Is it time for the kingdom of Israel to be restored?

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ~Acts 1:7 (NIV)

The apostles, and by extension us, are well and truly put in our place. Jesus says: “you’re on a need-to-know basis. And you don’t need to know” Not even Jesus himself, when he was here on earth knew. When asked when he would come back…

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ~Matthew 24:36 (NIV)

But what the Father without a doubt does want us to know, what he has told us is the following:

1. That first Jesus will return. It’ll be one unmissable event. Everyone will know Jesus has come back to earth.
2. Everyone will be resurrected
3. After that the living and the dead will be judged (Acts 10:42, 2 Tim 4:1, 1 Peter 4:5).
4. Christ will take his own to be with him forever. 1 Thessalonians tells us they Jesus will meet them in the clouds and they will be with him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
5. while the old order passes away a new heaven and a new earth will be ushered in. (2 Peter 3:11-13)

Now, it’s worth emphasising that the same Jesus who went up into heaven, he’s the same Jesus who’s coming back. Back in Acts 1, after Jesus has ascended to heaven the crowd’s still standing there, they have probably got sore necks from all their sky-gazing, then two angels appear saying this.

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” ~Acts 1:11 (NIV)

Back before corona, back when you could hop on a plane and travel overseas, Teresa and I went to Vietnam for a holiday. As you wander through the shops and markets, everyone’s selling the same stuff, it’s all fake brands and labels. So instead of Puma, it’s Ruma, Snoopy becomes Spoony, Dolce and Gabbana becomes Dolce and Banana. But all the shopkeepers, have this line you hear time and time again: “Same, same but Different”. It’s such a common phrase, I’ve seen a t-shirt with that same line across the front.

Well here in Acts 1:11, to borrow that Vietnamese phrase: When it comes to Jesus’ return, it’s “Same, same but different”.

The same Jesus who went into the tomb is the same Jesus who three days later, popped out again. That Jesus? He’s the same Jesus who’s coming back.

From other parts of the Bible, we know that, when Jesus returns it’ll be

• personal and physical (Acts 1:11, Matthew 24:44, Colossians 3:4, 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 9:28)
• visible and triumphant.(Mark 8:38, 2 Thessalonians 1:10, Revelation 1:7).
• happen any time, like a thief in the night, unexpected. (2 Peter 3:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:1, Matthew 24:44)

When it comes to Jesus returning. It’s not a matter of IF, but when. Which then leads to our next question: why will Jesus return? Plenty of things will happen when Jesus returns but the one stand out thing we come across again and again in the Bible is this, when Jesus comes back, he will judge the living and the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus we celebrated last Sunday achieved many things. Death has been defeated, God comes good on his promise, hope has been restored, heaven is assured, eternity is on offer. Oh…and one other thing.

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him [that is, Jesus] from the dead.” ~Acts 17:31 (NIV)

The resurrection was God’s rubber stamp, God’s way of saying that Jesus is God’s hand-picked judge.

Now I get that in our day and age, you may be thinking this today, this idea of judgment, is a tough pill to swallow. Siding with Jesus on this one doesn’t exactly make you the most popular person in the room. When I’m sharing Jesus with others, it’s so easy to sidestep judgment, to leave this heavy word out, I know I have before.

Whereas up until a decade or so ago, the most popular Bible verse was John 3.16. now it’s become Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

Judgement has become a dirty word and I suspect, a big part of it is as that Matthew verse is picking up. We have this feeling, that when it comes to judgment we think ‘what gives you the right to stand in judgment over me?’ Well, that’s why we need to hear the heavy word directly from Jesus. Hear Jesus directly, for yourself, from our Bible reading Jesus says

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ~John 5:22 (NIV)

And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. ~John 5:27 (NIV)

It’s pretty clear isn’t it that underneath Jesus’ name is his job-title and it reads “Judge”. Not even God the Father has that next to his name He gives it to his Son.

From John 5 we can also discover a couple of other things about the nature of Jesus’s judgment. First, being in the grave, being cremated doesn’t excuse you from judgment.

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. ~John 5:28-29 (NIV)

When Jesus returns, every single person will face judgment. If Jesus is powerful enough to move people from death to life spiritually now you can be sure he’s powerful enough to make the physically dead alive again for final judgment. Judgment awaits both the living and the dead.

Second, this is a judgment for both believer and unbeliever, no one is off limits. That’s what verse 29 is referring to by those who do good and those who do evil, Jesus is not saying that if you’ve done at least 51% of good things in your life, that you’ll scrape through and survive. No! God’s pass mark is 100% and it’s a pass mark that you and I time and time again fall short of.

That’s essentially what sin is. Sin isn’t just murdering someone or swearing, it’s to miss the mark.

Now if you’ve been listening carefully, you would have heard Jesus say in verse 29 that those who have done good will rise to live. So, doing good deeds gets you into heaven after all!

Well, in the context of John, the whole reason why John writes John, is to drive us to the one and only good thing we can do.

Believe that Jesus is really is who he says he is, that he really is the way, the truth, and the life. That he and he alone is God’s way to God. Believe he is the good shepherd, the one who has laid down his life for the sake of his sheep. That he is the bread of life, that Jesus is the one who will truly satisfy. That we will never thirst or hunger in our souls thanks to his life-giving message.

Third thing we learn from John 5, is that Jesus’ judgment is perfectly just.

By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. ~John 5:30 (NIV)

There’s no hint of unfairness whatsoever here! And that’s because there’s no power trips, no egos, He judges justly in order to put a smile on his Father’s face, the Son does exactly what he’s told.

Whereas the best our judges can do is deliver a verdict “Beyond Reasonable Doubt”. With Jesus as judge, it’ll be with complete and utter justice, he’ll give each and everyone of us what we deserve, there’ll be no missing evidence, no dodgy decisions, no split juries, no hung juries. Jesus himself will be judge, jury and executioner.

I remember hearing the story of a Christian being shown a house by a real estate agent and during the conversation, the agent said that line we’ve all heard. You know, that there’s only two things that are certain in life, death and taxes. Well, the Christian, quick as a flash, replies ‘There’s three, Death, Taxes. and accountability.’ When Jesus returns, accountability will fully and finally be carried out.

Now you ask any person, and they’ll all agree that accountability is a good thing. It’s why, as painful and shocking as they are, we need to have Royal Commissions, to shine the light on wrongs that have been horribly committed, on injustices and to make amends. It’s one of the roles of the media, to bring dodgy, corrupt dealings to the attention of the public.

We want to see accountability, at the end of the day, it’s a good thing. Deep down, it’s what we all want because we still live in a world where criminals might get let out of jail early. Older siblings get away with stuff behind their parents back [Can you tell I’m a younger sibling?] That person who cheated you at work might get away with it. But with God, on that judgment day, nothing escapes his gaze. He’s the one who’s in control, he is fair. What a good God, for him to judge is the loving thing to do.

Can you imagine life without a judgment day? That we all went through life, you’re born, you live, you die, that’s it. Whether you love or hate, whether you stole or gave, it makes no difference whatsoever, it’d all be meaningless. Trying imagining how our society would function without any accountability. We’d be in complete and utter chaos wouldn’t we! See I for one am glad there IS a judgment day because it reflects God’s very own character. He holds people accountable! Everyone is answerable to how they’ve treated the God who knit them together in their mother’s womb.

Now there’s one more thing that we discover in this John passage. Jesus hasn’t just been given authority to judge, He’s also been given authority to give the gift of eternal life.

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. ~John 5:24 (NIV)

I celebrated my birthday yesterday and you get to my age and the presents begin to dry up, but that’s OK. Gifts aren’t a big love language of mine. I mean, sure I’ll happily take them but I’m more of an acts of service kind a guy. Having said that, plenty of awesome gifts have come my way over my lifetime. One of my favourites was a plastic cricket set I got for Christmas when I was about 8. Man - my brother and I used that pretty much everyday for the next few summers. But let’s face it, nothing, even if you put all past, present and future gifts, birthday, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Anniversaries, put all of them together and they still won’t get anywhere close to the gift Jesus gives.

It doesn’t matter what country you’re from, whether you finished school. No matter what your past is, no matter how good OR bad it is, Jesus gives you and I the gift of eternal life. The great news is we are spared from getting what we deserve on judgment day, the pressure’s off, we don’t have to clean ourselves up first, to make ourselves good enough and acceptable to God first. As far as God’s concerned, it’s come as you are.

I remember asking a man, “what makes you think you’ll be OK when you meet Jesus” And his answer was “I haven’t done anything to offend the big fella. I think I’ve treated him the way he wants to be treated” See this man had failed to grasp how it’s not about what he’s done. No - it’s about what Jesus has done for us. If you could save yourself, have a think about it, why would God let his own Son die the most brutal of deaths? Why?

Now the big question I want to tackle last is the big 'so what' question. Jesus is returning... so what?

You may have heard of the book, 7 habits, habit 2 is, begin with the end in mind.

Martin Luther, the great Reformer expresses it better. He says: “Live as if Christ died yesterday. Rose this morning. And is coming back tomorrow”

That’s not a bad place to start because AS you and I know, we live in an uncertain world. The past year and a bit has taught us that things can change very, very, quickly. Cancellations, Snap lockdowns, Borders closing, Delays.

Questions like: Will I still have a job? Will I get a diagnosis I don’t want to hear? Will my baby make it to full term? The anxiety, the uncertainty can be at times too much! But it is worth asking, if you knew Jesus was coming back at 8:54 tonight, what would change?

Whenever someone gets a serious medical diagnosis with a short timeframe to live, the doctors will always use the language of “get your affairs in order” So, let me ask you, are your affairs in order for when the Lord Jesus returns? Because he could well return at 8:54 tonight, it could happen before or it could happen after.

Now it’s worth saying, the one thing you must get right before Jesus returns. Ideally ASAP. Is to make sure you know where you stand with Jesus. Remember that Acts 17 verse from the start? Where I said Jesus’ resurrection is God’s rubber stamp for Jesus to be the judge of all the world. Well, the sentence before that one says this:

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. ~Acts 17:30 (NIV)

Hear the command from God. A command for your good. Repent, come clean and stop turning your back on God. Instead, it’s time to take the hand of Jesus and let him call the shots in your life.

Repentance is a conscious, deliberate commitment to stop living your way and start living God’s way. That invitation of repentance won’t hang around forever. It’s got a use-by date. The only reason why Jesus hasn’t already returned is so you could take the hand of Jesus.

I repented in December 1997 and boy, am I glad that God was patient and Jesus didn’t return in November 1997.

Friends, the two best days in your life are the day you know you’re not a Christian and the day you become one. I’d encourage you to try and merge those two days into one!

Now if you’re someone who has done that big R - repentance. How does Jesus’ return impact you tomorrow? Well, on the one hand, we wait.

We’re waiting for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. ~Titus 2:13 (NIV)

Waiting is such a central part of life isn’t it. We wait for:

• Fish to bite
• Online orders to arrive
• Traffic lights to turn green
• Medical results
• Exam results
• Queues to move

I suck at waiting, but the waiting that is God-glorifying. The waiting that is God-honouring, is expecting and is shaping our lives, in readiness for Jesus to return.

Those of you who’ve been in my small group will know that my regular prayer point revolves around screen time discipline. Where one scroll turns into 20 minutes of my life I won’t get back. Where the Youtube vortex sucks you in so that next minute you know, it’s midnight. I don’t know about you, but I feel the weight of what John Piper says:

John Piper — 'One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.'

Instead of screen-time regret and guilt, I want to redeem that time by pursuing what Paul says “is better by far”. That is, craving to be with Jesus.

On Monday just gone, a number of us celebrated the wedding of Lydia and Daniel. It was my very first Assyrian wedding and it was fantastic. 10 years I’ve been at MBM and I finally got to see an Assyrian reception and man, it was loud. Like ringing in your ears loud!

It made me think about Teresa and I leading up to our wedding. Both of us, independent of each other, remember thinking to ourselves “Jesus, please don’t come back yet because I want to get married first!” It sounds stupid I know, but really, that was a litmus test for us. We were shaped more by the pleasures of this world than the pleasures of the world to come. We were looking forward to the union between Dan and Teresa more than the union between Christ and his church.

I’ve got plenty of things on my bucket list and I suspect you do too. The question is, deep down, is that what we spend our time daydreaming about. Is that what we’re saving our money for? Is that what we find satisfaction in? Getting as many of those things ticked off the bucket list?

So what does waiting well look like? Well, it’s not my place to prescribe what that looks like in your life. I’ve shared some of my struggles. My encouragement would be to chat with those who know you. Maybe ask a trusted friend to ask: what do they observe in your life? What are the sort of things that come off your lips?

But one thing I can tell you is what waiting well doesn’t look like. It doesn’t look like sitting back kicking the feet up waiting for heaven to roll around, spending these last days - with little or no interest in living a life worthy of the Lord.

In the Christian life, sure it’s come as you are but it’s not stay as you are. So pursue growth, get to know the God who loves you, who died for a better you.

The fact you can call the judge of all the earth your dad means you’ve been set free to serve him. Not from a place of guilt or from trying to win him over, you can begin a flurry of good works out of thankfulness for what he’s done.

Those of you who’ve been along to our Belonging, you will have heard of us talk about how as a church, we see ourselves like the lifeboat. The coastguard rather than the ocean cruise liner where you plonk down your $1,000 bucks and pig out on all you can eat buffets. No - for us waiting well means that by 2025, by God’s grace, we’d love to see 1,500 here at Rooty Hill growing in faithfulness and fruitfulness.

Under God, our big prayer is to see 1,000 new disciples won for Jesus from among the nations of Sydney’s West. So far, we’re sitting on just over 400. And God willing, with MBM Parramatta kicking off in May, we’re hoping to see a new bunch move from death to life.

But for the majority of you who’ll still be churching here in Rooty Hill, this is an opportunity for you too. To step into so far 50 or so gaps that will be created by Parramatta. And that’s not including the additional 50 opportunities that are already there.

And the third goal is to bless other churches and their leaders and what an encouragement it was to hear - back on our 30th anniversary - about the way Sandy’s kid’s ministry has been such a blessing to other churches - both here and abroad.

Now Jesus may well return between now and 2025. That’s fine.

At the end of the day, we’re simply expressing God-desired outcomes. It’s only by God’s grace we’ll see these things happen. But one things for sure we’re not going to sit around on our hands. We’re not going to die wondering, we’re not going to have regrets. Instead - we’ll wait for our blessed hope. Because we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. All thanks to a most-blessed God and Savior, Lord Jesus.

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Happy Good Friday just doesn’t work. I want to start an ad campaign to change the name, like Coon cheese is now Cheer Cheese. I would like to start my own Ad campaign to change the name from Good Friday. Christianity is the only faith that celebrates the death of its founder—That is weird! It's like saying it was a good execution!

It's been called Good Friday since the 13th century, that day when Jesus life was cut short at only 33 yrs. Mohammed the father of Islam lived to 63 years, Confucius lived to 72 years, Budda lived to 80 years and Moses lived to 120 years. These are good innings but Jesus barely made his mid-thirties, he was cut short in the prime of his life. When others were paying the mortgage and having kids Jesus is snuffed out as a 30 something.

So who is going to back me? Let's change the name of Good Friday, there seems nothing good about Good Friday. Jesus had already said that no one is good except God alone. This first good Friday proves the point why we humans are not so good. Humans first inclination when he met God face to face was to kill him.

There are 3 explicit motives for why people wanted to kill Jesus and none were good. Judas out of greed handed Jesus over to the Priests for loose change (Matt 26:14-16). The Priests out of envy handed Jesus over to Pilate, the Roman Governor (Matt 27:18). Pilate out of fear handed Jesus over to the soldiers who then crucified him (Matt 27:26). Greed, Fear and Envy. Not a great moment in humanity.

“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self interest (envy) that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. ~Mark 15:9-10 (NIV)

When given a choice between setting a terrorist or Jesus free they choose the Terrorist Barabbas, out of Envy, that pain is caused by the success of others. From the beginning the religious leaders try to kill Jesus. They couldn’t stand Jesus success. As one person put it, “Whenever a friend of mine succeeds a little part of me dies inside”

Even when Jesus was hung on a cross they couldn’t help themselves but put the boot in:

In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! ~Mark 15:31 (NIV)

If Jesus success caused them pain, now Jesus crucifixion will cause them much pleasure. The German word for envy is Schadenfreude, malicious joy. You see it at funniest home videos or when Soldiers are shaming new recruits. Nothing compared to what the soldiers did to Jesus

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. ~Mark 15:16-20 (NIV)

The greater the shame the greater the pain the greater the joy.

If the internet was around it would have been an instant YouTube hit, add to that pain the way one of 12 betrayed him, one of 12 denied him and the rest abandoned him. And all Jesus did was go around doing good.

Friends there is a good case for calling it Black Friday, the thorns and nails, the spitting and scorn, the beltings and the bashing, the whips with leather straps tipped with pieces of bone which would claw into the back of Jesus and then rip of his flesh. Then the spear that GUTS Jesus like a fish.

U2 wrote a song, 'Sunday bloody Sunday', about the violence in the Irish war of independence so why not call it at least 'Friday Bloody Friday'?

So why has the church so stubbornly called it Good Day? For 3 good reason

1. First the Darkness

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon ~Mark 15:33 (NIV)

The average eclipse lasts for 7.5 minutes, here for 3 long hours, from noon to 3pm, as Jesus hung on that cross, total darkness covered the land, just as God said it would happen.

The Prophet Amos predicted it 750 years before.

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight…I will make that time like mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day. ~Amos 8:9,10b (NIV)

This darkness was just one of the 300 prophecies being fulfilled in Jesus life, death and resurrection. As someone put it, God switched the light off because he could not bear to see what we

humans did to his one and only Son whom he loved. God was mourning his only son and yet Darkness is also code for God's judgment.

Jesus often described Hell as the place of utter darkness, not a party in sight. I remember visiting the Kelly Caves in Kangaroo

Island and when the guide switched the light off in the cave it was so dark that I could not see my hands let alone anybody else. Even though my family were right next to me, they could have been billion miles away. So alone…

This is what Jesus said Hell is like, lost in total darkness, Christ at the cross tasting the horror of hell for us. It was Good Friday because, get this, judgment for our sins is now falling on Jesus instead. Like a lightning rod Gods anger was deflected away

from us and onto him. So maybe good Friday isn't such a bad name after all.

1. What Jesus said at the cross

And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). ~Mark 15:34 (NIV)

Are these doubts? Did Jesus have 2nd thoughts? No! Jesus is quoting a prophecy by King David in Psalm 22 - written1000 years before. A prophecy predicting crucifixion before crucifixion was invented. The opening of that psalm is, My God, My God why have you forsaken me. So we ask: did he?

Why did God the Father abandon God the Son. Jesus was not imaging it. The only relationship that never had a beginning now comes to an abrupt halt.

God the Father who said at Jesus baptism “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased” Is now saying nothing, now doing nothing. So why doesn’t God step in? Why doesn’t Jesus leap off the cross? He could have at any time, the answer is found earlier in Mark

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ~Mark 10:45 (NIV)

Jesus gave his life to pay a price to set us free. Many of us are carrying a debt, some mortgages, some credit cards and some mobile phones. Human sin incurs a debt to God, we owed a debt that we would take eternity to pay off, in that place that Jesus calls utter darkness. Here, Jesus is paying our debt in full. My sentence in hell, your sentence of hell is paid in full by

Jesus as he hangs in my place. That is why its good Friday and if we were going to change the name, it should be Great Friday.

In fact some Church traditions call it great Friday. If the question is ‘My God My God why have you abandoned me’

The answer is for you…God abandoned his Son so that he wont have to abandon you. Jesus choose to be forsaken so that you don’t have to be. This is as personal as it gets…

Vicky Hutchinson was a single parent with 2 young boys and a member of our church. She developed a tumor in her uterus about the size of a tennis ball. For two years she had a barrage of operations and endured a lot of pain, she once said to my wife Sandy ‘Of all the prayers I've prayed during the last 2 years I'm so glad there is one prayer I will never have to pray

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’ She knew that someone had to pay for her sin and that someone was Jesus.

Vicky trusted that Jesus had tasted hell at the cross in her place, she knew, she had confidence, as she faced her death.

That is why when we buried her it was a sad day but a good funeral. She trusted in Jesus who died on Good Friday.

1. Finally there was the torn curtain

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ~Mark 15:37-38 (NIV)

The curtain in the temple that had separated God from his people, this curtain that reminded God's people that we all were unfit to stand in His presence. Notice it was torn from top to bottom, God did it. At the exact time that Jesus dies and sins are paid for God says now and only now can you come to me. Now and only now are your sins paid for. Now and only now through my Son is your debt paid. Heavens gates are open wide to receive any who would come. Come one and come all but you must come through Jesus alone.

I go on to Facebook about 2 times a year, I discover I have a list who wanted to be my friends and I realise that you can reject someone in two ways, you can say NO, get lost or you can just ignore the invite.

Jesus is God's son who died in your place and he is calling for you, to let him serve you, to let him die for you, to let him rule over you, to let him set you free. That is faith, trust him that he tasted hell for you so that you need never have to say ‘God why have you forsaken me’ Rather you will hear ‘Welcome home’.

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Have you noticed that God seems to choose the wrong people to advance his kingdom, the worst being Jacob. Now the questions is, which of Jacobs 12 sons will provide the seed of Abraham, who will destroy the devil and bless the world.

It can’t be Rueben, Jacobs first born because he slept with his fathers wife, so he is out. The 2nd and 3rd sons were engaged in mass slaughter, so they are out. The next in line, son no 4, Judah, well he seems another unlikely candidate, he has already sold his own brother Joseph into slavery.

In fact, if you were putting a bet on who would carry the line for the saviour of the world it has to be Joseph, the only decent one in the family, but Joseph’s story is interrupted by todays tragic passage. Don’t get confused, Jacob is the father of Judah

At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah ~Genesis 38:1 (NIV)

While Joseph was forced to leave his family, Judah chooses to leave his family. He then adds to his sin by marrying a Canaanite woman. The Canaanites worshipped other gods, and encouraged child sacrifices. Judah is given 3 sons with 3 great names. The first is my favourite, "you will call him 'Er'", the second Onan, the third Shelah (he must have thought he was having an Aussie daughter.)

Then Judah finds Canaanite women for his sons

Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death. ~Genesis 38:6-7 (NIV)

We are not told what Er's did but it was serious enough for God to put him to death. It was expected that the nearest relative would marry their dead brother's wife. Who is glad they live in the new covenant?

This would allow the name of the dead brother to pass on. So, the 2nd brother Onan reluctantly marries Tamar. He has sex with Tamar and then withdraws before he could make her pregnant. Rather than me explain - lets read it

Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfil your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. ~Genesis 38:8-9 (NIV)

Its called Coitus interruptus, he got the sex without the responsibility. He failed to fulfil his duty to his dead brother.

So there was no doubt that he was sinning

What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also. ~Genesis 38:10 (NIV)

With two dead brothers who were both married to Tamar, Judah was afraid to give his 3rd Son for fear that he too would die. Did he fear that this woman was cursed? Did he not realise the husbands were the problem?

Elisabeth Elliott, a famous missionary, outlived her first two husbands and married to number 3, she joked that it was a dangerous thing to be married to her.

Judah withholds his son from Tamar and so abandoned her

Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household. ~Genesis 38:11 (NIV)

Judah's fear stopped him from doing the right thing. Again fear fed by not trusting God promises.

• He failed to take care of Tamar

• He lied to Tamar, promising his 3rd son in marriage

• He shames her by sending her back to her family

• He abandons her by REFUSING to give his last son

Our focus is now on Tamar. She is forced to takes things into her own hands, so she disguises herself as a prostitute to get her father-in-law to provide her with a child. Desperate people do desperate things,

there is a difference between a poor person stealing and a rich person stealing, its why courts have extenuating circumstances.

Her plan had to assume that Judah had a custom of going to prostitutes and Judah does not realise that he has had sex with his daughter in law whom he abandoned. He didn’t want to give his 3rd Son to Tamar but he now ends up giving his semen and makes her pregnant. Judah didn’t have a goat to pay her for the sex so he gives his chord, seal and staff as a pledge. These are like his ID and credit cards. Tamar does not want the goat she wants JUSTICE and 3 months later, Judah finds out that Tamar, his daughter in law is pregnant.

About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.” Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!” ~Genesis 38:24 (NIV)

In a wave of self righteousness he orders that she put to death.

Its hard to know what is worse, that he wants her dead or the hypocrisy behind it. Bring her out and have her burned to death for doing the very thing he had just done. This is the ultimate version of take the log out of your own eye. Now Tamar doesn’t publicly shame her father in law, she returns his staff, cord and seal and she privately makes it clear to Judah that he is the father

As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.” ~Genesis 38:25 (NIV)

The seal, cord, and staff function like DNA testing, proving he is the DAD. At this point Judah could have still used his place of power to deny it. Notice his response!

Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again. ~Genesis 38:26 (NIV)

Notice that its an immediate confession and its public confession, “She is more righteous than I, it’s a complete confession. It literally read “She is righteous rather than I”

It is a true repentance because we read that he did not sleep with her again.

We must never forget, whenever hypocrites and the sexual immoral humble themselves and repent they will receive mercy from God. The apostle Paul himself was the self confessed worst of sinners and he was an example to all of God patience.

I get cancel culture in its desire to face the injustice. It is so right to not make heroes out of villains. But what is missing is a lack of grace—no apology is good enough. And justice without mercy drives sin underground. Everyone is too afraid to own up to past failures and we end up with a new brand of secular Phariseeism—where everyone is giving the right answers from the wrong heart. Driven by fear not by love and service.

Training people to trust in their own righteousness and looking down on everybody else.

At this point you can’t but not think of sinless Jesus, when a woman caught in adultery was brought to him, she was about to be stoned, notice the man is not brought before Jesus. Jesus said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

And we are told that every male beginning with the older men left. Its hard for sinners to throws stones at other sinners. And yet adultery is a serious matter, and so Jesus is clear with her

“Go and sin no more.” God is the original feminist

Its worth saying that this passage doesn't teach on either contraception or masturbation, it doesn't teach that I should marry my sister-in-law if my brother dies but this story does anticipate a number of issues, it serves as a warning.

It anticipates how the tribe of Judah will follow the sin of Judah and flirt with Canaanite culture and how Israel will neglect the powerless.

Your rulers are rebels, ….They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them. ~Isaiah 1:22-23 (NIV)

It also anticipates how God will judge the ones who go to prostitutes more severely than the prostitutes themselves

“I will not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes—a people without understanding will come to ruin! ~Hosea 4:14 (NIV)

We know that sex workers have higher rates of sexual abuse and higher rates of drug use to numb the pain. Never forget that most prostitutes are victims of male sin.

When I started MBM, I was on my way back from bible study when I turned down a street and nearly killed a drugged prostitute who was coming out of a car. I told my mum I nearly killed a prostitute. She said, “Ray you should have taken her in the car and told her about Jesus.” I said “Mum probably not a good look for a minister to be found with a prostitute in the car” But I loved my mums heart, it was Jesus heart.

So when you see prostitutes either male or female, pray for them and remember they are only there because of those who pay for their service. There was a time we had some of women at MBM in a ministry to sex workers in the 14 brothels at St. Marys. That was a good ministry, but again we are reminded that God's purposes through Abraham’s line will reign supreme whether God is working with the obedience of Joseph or the disobedience of a Judah

But by the grace of God, we do see the beginnings of a transformed life in Judah. Judah will end up protecting his father from further grief by protecting his youngest brother Benjamin, he will do that in a Christ like way by offering to take blame and the place of his younger brother and paying whatever price is necessary.

We might have expected the line of promise to follow righteous Joseph but in God's kingdom the first will be last and last first.

Toward the end of Genesis Jacob makes this extraordinary prophecy over his 4th son - Judah

Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. ~Genesis 49:9b-10 (NIV)

From the tribe of Judah will come the lion of Judah, the one who will come will receive the obedience of the nations, so the one who will defeat Satan will be the son of Eve – human. The son of Abraham - one nation – Jew. The son of Judah - one tribe. The son of Perez - King David. God is narrowing down our options as to who is the coming one.

Fast forward 2000years and this explains why Matthew's gospel begins the way it does. At first it seems like a boring way to start a brilliant gospel but lets look again

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, ~Matthew 1:1-3 (NIV)

Jesus doesn’t turn up in a vacuum He is in the line of promise, but its not just Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and Perez who are mentioned, Tamar is honoured in Jesus line. She is one of four women mentioned in Jesus ancestry, the surprising thing is that Sarah or Rachel or Rebekah are not.

The four women mentioned are tainted in some way:

• Rahab and Tamar are connected with prostitution
• Bathsheba with adultery
• Ruth a foreigner

While the Saviour had to come from the Jews, He is the saviour for the world. This Jesus has come to invite Jew and non-Jew,

Male and Female, Sinner and Saint.

’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” ~Matthew 9:13 (NIV)

Judah may have abandoned Tamar, the Lion of Judah, Jesus, abandons no man and no woman, no sinner and no foreigner, who come to him.

Years ago a woman came up to me after the Youth Convention talks at Katoomba. She was in my friend's bible study and she was a former drug user and prostitute. She had gotten pregnant 8 times and 8 times she had aborted her children. But I knew I was talking to a daughter of Abraham and a child of God, a woman that Jesus came to save, just like me, a woman who needed no more grace than I did, a woman forgiven in Christ with as much assurance.

That is why the gospel of our Lord Jesus is truly good news. And that is why we call it Good Friday, take the opportunity to invite friends to our Easter services so that they too may hear of this saviour. Take hold of this good news yourself.

God always chooses the wrong people to advance his kingdom then makes us right with Him by trusting in the promises of God.

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Have you ever felt like you’re a victim of your circumstances? Like things around you seem to be happening to you and God seems to be so distant from your experience?

Around the time Sally and I started dating she got hit with a lifelong fatigue illness called narcolepsy and everything was stripped away from her. She had to quit uni, she had to quit her job, she couldn’t serve at Church, she could hardly spend time with friends, or even her boyfriend. Narcolepsy affects your protein breakdown so your body doesn’t produce energy like a normal person and they describe it as irresistible sleepiness!

Her body would just go into shut down mode! Heavy eyes and lead body, at the time we didn’t know what it was and it was 3 years until she got a diagnosis.

In just a few months, everything was taken away! everything became a struggle! While she laid in bed most of the day for months on end the both of us were constantly wondering what life would look like and questioning God asking: Why? What are you doing? Why has this happened to Sal? To us?

God do you know what you’re doing? We want to serve you with our whole lives... “How is this going to help”?

I imagine you’ve asked those question before too… God why… Why is this happening? What are you doing? Do you know what you’re doing? Those are the questions hovering over the next 10 chapters of Genesis as we follow the life story and struggles of Joseph.

Joseph’s story is so different to his Father, Jacob’s. Jacob was a scum bag, deceiving people and paying the price for his dodgy actions, Joseph on the other hand doesn’t seem to do anything to deserve what he gets!

What Joseph’s story helps us see is that when life is turned upside down God is still in control and he’s still good. So, let’s meet Joseph. In Chapter 37 we meet a 17-year-old Joseph, he’s 1 of 12 brothers. He’s the great grandson of Abraham. He’s his Father’s favourite, born to his father’s favourite wife Rachel.

His brothers are jealous of him for being daddy’s favourite and they hate him! And even more so after he tells them he’s had a couple of dreams about them bowing down to him some time in the future. So the brothers sell him off to foreigners and he finds himself sold as a slave in Egypt to a guy named Potiphar who was the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. Then in Chapter 39 we see that even though Joseph’s far from his family, God’s not far from him. In verse 2 we read that the Lord was with Joseph and He blesses everything he does!

When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned…with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. ~Genesis 37:3-4 & 5b (NIV)

Now having that kind of power and status usually results in people making bad moral decisions, right. Abusing their role and stomping all over others. Power messes with people’s morals, but not Joseph…

In verse 6b -12 His boss’ wife notices that Joseph is quite the handsome man and day after day she’s calling him to come to bed with her! Temptation is not only knocking at his door it’s tugging at his robe. But Joseph won’t do it! He stays faithful to God.

But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” ~Genesis 39:8-9 (NIV)

Someone else may have used that same argument to justify doing it, but he refuses! And this is such a great example of not letting our circumstances become excuses for us to justify sin or excuse it as if it was OK because of our situation! If anyone had an excuse it was poor Joseph! But no way! He recognises that sin is always sin no matter how rough the situation! and he cops the consequences for being faithful!

In verses13-20 she falsely accuses him of assaulting her and he gets thrown in prison by Potiphar. Not Fair!! Faithfulness has consequences and it can leave us feeling very alone & rejected. But Joseph’s not alone

…But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. ~Genesis 39:20-22 (NIV)

Then, in Chapter 40, while he’s in jail, God helps him interpret 2 other prisoners dreams and things happen just as he said, one rises back up into his former position as Pharaoh’s cupbearer, but sadly, the other one got impaled… yowch!

Joseph asks the cupbearer ‘when you get back out there, remember me and get me out of here! because I’m in here unfairly!’ And you start to think that things might look up for Joseph… wrong!!

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. ~Genesis 40:23 (NIV)

Then the next verse tells us how long for…

When two full years had passed ~Genesis 41:1a (NIV)

2 whole years - 2 years later!!!! he finally remembers Joseph!!

What happens is, in Chapter 41, Pharaoh has a dream and can’t find anyone to interpret it, the cupbearer, feeling very guilty, finally remembers Joseph. So Pharaoh calls Joseph out and asks him about his dream and Joseph says to Pharaoh the same thing he said to the others.

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” ~Genesis 41:16 (NIV)

Such a great recognition of God’s power to witness isn’t it! We declare the praises of God and the gospel but to God be the glory!

The interpretation is that there’s going to be 7 years of plenty and then 7 years of severe famine! In verse 31 He says the famine will be so bad that no one will even remember the years of plenty!!

Then Joseph gives Pharaoh some advice about it… Find a wise person to put in charge of the land, set leaders over the people to collect food while we’re in the time of plenty so that you can store it away for the years of famine. Pharaoh loves the idea! Turns to his guys and says where can we find someone like Joseph, who is wise and has the spirit of the living God? Oh, hang on - Joseph! You’re the guy!

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” ~Genesis 41:39-40 (NIV)

He sets him up as ruler over the whole land of Egypt! Talk about going from the bottom to the top!

I once represented NSW at a national athletics carnival! I felt quite important! My picture made the papers, I came dead last! There was no one else in the picture because they were so far in front of me! I let NSW down - sorry!

Becoming Pharaoh’s top man was massive!! Rameses II is known in the history books as the greatest Pharaoh, the wealthiest and the most powerful. Nine other Pharaoh’s after him named themselves Rameses. He had over 100 children of his own. For Joseph to become the ruler of all the land under him was to have more power than any king, queen, president or prime-minister you or I have ever known! It was ridiculous! And if you want to know you’ve made it in life - this is how you know.

He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” ~Genesis 41:43 (NIV)

So during the time of plenty, Joseph stored food, so much so it was uncountable! And when it all ran out in the famine, people came crying to Pharaoh who said: “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you…"

It’s been a journey of rejection, injustice, betrayal, suffering, now risen to the top. Then in Chapter 42 Joseph’s dreams come true! The famine is so bad, that it’s spread to where Joseph’s family are, and Jacob tells his sons, Joseph’s brothers, to go to Egypt for food. When they arrive there, Joseph’s dreams literally come true! They all bow down to Joseph! As The Lord of the land, but they don’t know it’s him…

Joseph recognises them, but they don’t recognise him! This is now 22 years later! After they sold him…

So, while He has them right in his hands… Oh the temptation for revenge… I mean - What would you want to do with them…

Of all the things he could do to them… with his power… he takes the opportunity to test them to see if they’ve repented for how they treated him. What he really wants to know is have they learned to value their family, more than their ego or their money. And so he puts them through a number of tests over the next few chapters… And through those tests, he gets to see that they actually have changed…

You see through all this seemingly random stuff, God has been working in all of them…The brothers changed from wanting to kill Joseph out of envy , to now being willing to offer their own life in place of one of their brothers’.

And Joseph has also grown - Here’s this little dibber dobber, younger sibling, father’s favourite being given responsibility time and time again, over masses of people to learn what it is to be responsible for the good of others! God has been actively working in all of their lives! Through all that evil and hardship.

All this brings Joseph to tears and he finally reveals himself to them! And after Joseph tells them who he is, of all the things he could have said to them. Look what he does say! As he reflects on the bigger picture of what God has been doing in all their lives.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. ~Genesis 45:4-5 (NIV)

“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. ~ Genesis 45:8 (NIV)

Later on after his father Jacob dies, his brothers think Joseph might take the opportunity to repay them… he says to his brothers:

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ~Genesis 50:19-20 (NIV)

Joseph recognised the hand of God in all that happened… that he was never far away… never out of control… it was all according to plan.

Get this, Joseph’s whole journey happened to ensure God’s people were preserved so that His promise would continue.

And Especially the life of Judah, who as we see in chapter 50, is the one through whom the promised saviour would come - the Lord Jesus…

Jesus would himself leave his father’s home in heaven to go through his own journey of suffering. He too would be rejected and plotted against by his fellow Israelites, them wanting to kill him out of jealousy. He too would be given over by them into the hands of foreigners to be unjustly trialed, falsely accused and horrifically crucified. And all the way through, in any moment, he could have stopped, he could have rejected God’s plan for him, he could have turned away. But just as Joseph remained faithful under trial - he too kept his heart set on God - as he prayed in the garden - father, not my will but yours be done!

And just like when our lives are turned upside-down we can feel like God doesn’t know what he’s doing… when Jesus was put up on that cross - the son of God - the one they called Lord and Messiah - as he hung there - it looked like God had failed! The disciples would have been crying out in their hearts - God why have you let this happen… what are you doing?? Do you know what you’re doing…?

But through that great event - At the hands of evil men - God was bringing about the ultimate good! The salvation of the world! Praise be to our God!!

What seemed like an absolute catastrophe, was God’s great wisdom and power displayed, that you and I would have the opportunity to be forgiven and come to God for eternal life, eternal blessing! Forgiveness and hope for a future. Jesus fulfilled God’s unbreakable promise by breaking the power of death. They meant it for evil, but God meant it for Good, to bring about what is now being accomplished, the saving of many lives!

And friends it’s that great event we continually look back to, to make sense of things when our lives are in turmoil. When life’s upside-down and we feel like we’re hitting rock-bottom, it’s the cross that enables us to see that God knows exactly what he’s doing! And he hasn’t forgotten us.

In Romans 8:28 God tells us!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. ~Romans 8:28-29 (NIV)

He’s working all things so that we would become more and more like the Lord Jesus. More like God himself! And only God knows exactly what that takes! Is there any better thing to happen to us? Now WE may not have chosen the same path he chooses, but would you want to miss out on that outcome? No way!

God knows what it takes and he doesn’t make mistakes!

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once put it this way.

“Remember this, had any other condition been better for you, than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there.”

In every single moment God is working on and in your life! Right now!!!! And in every other moment! He’s not waiting until you get that promotion or until your kids grow up or until you’re “ready” he’s not waiting for your marriage to get better, or your struggle or suffering to disappear! He is working on you at every moment through your journey of life! How comforting is that!

The tricky thing is that in the moment when we don’t know exactly what he’s doing in a particular situation it can be very hard to trust him and stay faithful… Am I right?

What’s your usual response in suffering? In the midst of it I think for most of us our first response is - God is punishing me!

He doesn’t care… He’s left me… He’s against me… does He know what he’s doing..? How could he do this to me / Let this happen to me…?

We think God’s against us so we turn against him because we fail to see the bigger picture…that God is working behind the scenes to bring about good, to preserve our lives, to grow us in some way, to cause us to be a blessing to someone else in his good timing…

In the darkest moments of Joseph’s life Genesis tells us that God was with him! And friends in our darkest moments God is never far away, but very present!

In the moment though, it can feel the opposite and part of that is because we don’t know exactly what he IS doing! That’s because He doesn’t explicitly tell us! So, in the moment, it’s almost impossible to know or understand what God might be doing through any particular circumstance…

It’s impossible… you can guess, you can ask others.. but we often just can’t know.. Until later! That’s where the blessing of hindsight comes in. It’s only in hindsight… where we can look back on a situation and reflect on what God was doing that we can say with any clarity - that’s what God was doing… This is what God has done…

He was working something up I could never have imagined!

I may never have done it that way or asked him to do it that way, but the way He did it was the best way it could have happened to get me to where I am today! God knows best!! Even when it doesn’t feel that way… Amen?

So the question is - in the moment - how do we stay faithful!

1. Trust God's character.

Remember The Cross. Remember that God works through wickedness, darkness and suffering to bring about ultimate Good! Remember Joseph’s story. Remember Romans 8:28.

Remember who God is and how he works.

1. Pray

God hasn’t turned away from us, but is actively present with us

1 Peter 5:7 - cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (NIV)

1. Call on others to help you through practically/ physically/ mentally.

God has given you a big family here, utilise them.

1. Look forward in hope to what God is going to do in you!

Think of the most beautiful painting, or sculpture or scenery you’ve ever seen… God, the master crafter is working to make you more beautiful than that!

Sally and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary this week. 9 years ago we had no idea what God was working on in us when narcolepsy came knocking on her door. There were times we were crying out to God why’s and what for’s… and ways we didn’t respond very well to what God was doing. But now as we look back we can see some of the beauty of what he was creating in us. Stripping away our pride. Forcing us to empathise with weakness. Showing us who’s God. Reminding us in such a real and ongoing way - You are not Jesus - you need Jesus! And we thank God each day for that reminder.

Narcolepsy doesn’t go away, it’s with Sally for life. But she’s come to the profound point of saying - I praise God for giving me narcolepsy.

Now I’m sure each and every one of you have your own struggles you’re working through, but friends let me encourage you not to make conclusions too early about what God is doing in you in the moment and let the master crafter do his work - he’s creating in you something far greater than you could ever make by fighting against His work!

Trust him! He’s never left you and he knows exactly what He’s doing.

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If the Australian classification board was issuing ratings on Genesis then today's passage is clearly an 'R' rated passage. This is a story of rape and revenge and as the last two weeks has shown, that is nothing new. Repeated allegations of rape in Parliament and largescale sexual abuse in Private schools. The bible is a window into our broken world.

This awful story begins with a young girl Dinah, daughter of Jacob, who goes out to visit the women of the land. Dinah, probably 15 years old, would tragically pay a heavy price for her innocent curiosity.

Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her. ~Genesis 34:1-2 (NIV)

The name of the rapist is Shechem, he is a prince from one of those nations. He sees vulnerable Dinah and takes advantage of his power, literally it reads

..the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. ~Genesis 34:2 (NASB)

This shameful and degrading rape is viewed as evil. We are told that such a thing should not be done, I know for a number of you this is a painful reminder of how you have been grossly sinned against. Our heart goes out to you and please take up the offer to call Kim or someone you can trust.

If you follow Jesus, any consensual sex outside of marriage violates God purposes, any attempt to arouse another, by touching, sexting, foreplay, oral or anal sex is off limits.

But how much worse when sexual advances are not consensual. No is No whether outside of marriage or inside of marriage. Remember, a drunk or drugged person is not able to give consent and the law will show no mercy.

Dinah was no ordinary women, a daughter of Jacob whom God promised to protect. The promise is that God will curse those who curse his people. But the strange twist is that Shechem falls in love with the woman he rapes

His heart was drawn to Dinah, daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. ~Genesis 34:3 (NIV)

This cruel man forces himself on this young woman and then tries to speak tenderly to her. It rings of the cycle of abuse which swings from rape to romance. Shechem is used to getting what he wants as the favoured son of the ruler, he is constantly indulged. We don’t love our kids if we don’t say No to them, everyone pays the price for bad parenting.

To be fair there is a law given later to Israel, (Deuteronomy 22:28-29) that if a man rapes a woman, he is to marry her. It sounds horrendous but the purpose was for men to assume full responsibility for their sexual sin, to take care of the women they have abused and to protect her from the shame he caused her.

Isn't it good we live in the New Testament.

Some think Shechem is trying to right a wrong but he is a spoilt brat, he doesn’t confess his sin and he still treats Dinah like she is an object

And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.” ~Genesis 34:4

Shechem does not know the God of Abraham, he has no sense that every person (male and female) is made in God's image.

But we do friends, the world unloads tons of porn and it objectifies humans, especially women, reducing them to objects.

If you drink from these stagnant pools long enough it feeds a spirit of demandingness. Pressure is put on loved one to engage in unwanted sexual experiences. When they refuse there are threats to withhold affection, they are manipulated by sulking until you get what you want and they even engage in spiritual abuse.

Disgraced evangelist Ravi Zacharius told his victims they should have sex with him because it’s a reward for him doing God's work.

Don’t let your sex life in marriage be driven by porn. We now run porn groups for men and women and it has helped so many be set free. Here is one lady’s story: "This small group of women allowed me to feel safe, and completely open on where I was and how I was struggling. I was no longer alone, and God had graciously provided me with a safe community to finally break down the root of my sins. For the first time in my life, I felt fully liberated to really embrace the beauty I was called for. To lean into the mercy found in Christ, and rid myself of all the guilt and shame the devil had deceived me to believe. Leading me into a more intimate relationship with the only person that should have had a throne in my heart, God."

Shechem's Dad asks Jacob and his Sons for his son to marry Dinah with not a hint of apology for raping Jacob’s daughter, just manipulative promises of land, trade, intermarriage and wealth.

With the promise that they could be ONE, WIN - WIN

Little did they know that God has repeatedly promised that Jacobs family will inherit the land and provide descendants and blessing without the help of one nations in that land. Then Shechem, who has no sense of self control raises the stakes.

Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.” ~Genesis 34:12 (NIV)

He can't even mention her name. Everyone is going to have to pay the price for his sin and greed. His lack of self control is driving this whole story. How often does it happen that one person's manipulation holds a whole community to ransom? If you feel taken advantage of by anyone at church, let us know.

I want to look at the response of Dinah's Father and then Dinah’s brothers. Dinah's father, Jacob, failed to act, his silence is deafening and he does nothing. I wonder, was it in part that Dinah was the daughter of the unloved wife, was Jacob prone to the ugly sin of favouritism.

His sons were furious because Jacob shows no emotion, why is he not angry? Remember: Dinah is held hostage by Shechem.

Jacob’s silence was certainly due to fear, he does not act like a man who has God on his side. First, he exposed his daughter to danger and now he is doing nothing to defend his daughter. I think Jacob was prepared to go ahead with the deal to give his daughter in marriage to her rapist.

Beware of old men who Pursue Peace without Justice. Right now Parliament has been exposed as having a culture that is complicit in sexual abuse. In response the government has come out guarding a very important principle “Innocent until proven guilty” but friends, it’s not the only principle. Power is given to leaders for them to make a way for the powerless to speak up for those who can't speak up for themselves. I'm not saying it’s always easy to know where to land but it must begin by giving a voice to the victims of sexual abuse.

Jacob’s backroom deals seek to cover up the rape of his daughter. Justice demands a response, with no Government to appeal to in the land of Canaan, Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, went to battle to protect his nephew Lot. Jacob does nothing because he was afraid, don’t let fear stop you from doing what is right. Make sure you speak up.

Jacob has created a vacuum of leadership for his sons to overreact to this sin. Remember: these are young men whose ages are 16-22 years. As someone put it like a cast from Hunger Games, Jacob’s sons take up where he failed to lead. The first reaction from the brothers was exactly right, both shock and anger.

Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done ~Genesis 34:7 (NIV)

With all the sins that are listed in Genesis and there have been many, it stands out as particularly evil. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel as the brothers say to their Dad "he treated our sister like a prostitute".

Sometimes we are just not angry enough! Whether its abortion or racism.

But there is an offer on the table, tf the marriage goes ahead then these 2 clans can live together, trade, and intermarry. The sons of Jacob raise one objection, all the men of Shechem must be circumcised, the same organ that was used to rape Dinah will be cut back.

But his sons have another agenda, the real reason for circumcision is to revenge a rape, but Shechem and his Father don’t know that, they are just thrilled that they brokered a deal. But how do you persuade every man in your clan to go through the pain of circumcision?

We can’t get every Australian taking the COVID vaccine, so how do you persuade a whole town of men to get circumcised. Very simple greed, like any good politician, sweeten the deal, they make them an offer they can’t refuse. This marriage will bring wealth and women, proving that stupidity knows no limits.

And the plan seems to work, while the men of Shechem are in pain from the snip in the days before pain killers.

Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. ~Genesis 34:25 (NIV)

Apparently, the pain after circumcision is at its worst after 3 days.

It was then that Dinah's two blood brothers kill every male including the rapist and his father, they loot the City, they seize the flocks and herds, they carry off the women and children and they take back their sister, Dinah.

This was not justice, this was revenge, that is why the rule of law is so important. The sons of Jacob have way, way, way, over reacted. This is mass slaughter for one rape. I heard on the news how a woman's dog was killed by a burglar. Her response was “Life for Life” did she really want the burglar to die for killing her dog? No sense of proportion.

Robert Zimmerman once wrote It took a stranger to teach me to look into justice beautiful face and to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Proportional justice, an eye for an eye to stop matters from escalating.

I was talking to a single parent who just heard that her son was badly bullied that day at school. She said “if I get hold of that kid who did it I will kill him.” Its so easy to over react to injustice, I warned her to not over react or something worse will happen.

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?” ~Genesis 34:30-31 (NIV)

Jacobs whole life was lived in fear and his fear fed his lies. He was terrified of his brother Esau for 20 years, his fear stopped him from protecting his daughter and now he lives in fear of pay back from other nations. Fear driven by a failure to trust in Gods promises

I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse ~Genesis 12:3 (NIV)

The people of Shechem found that out, you mess with God's people and you mess with God. This is not to justify what the brothers did and later Jacob issues a curse on his two sons.

“Simeon and Levi are brothers— their swords are weapons of violence.…Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! ~Genesis 49:7 (NIV)

These brothers turned an injustice as an excuse for wicked revenge and they became worse than the man who raped their sister.

I have come to understand that “My anger is worse than the thing I'm angry at.” I remember a counsellor asking me the question

‘What would happen if you said goodbye to angry Ray?’ I then shared that to a guy at church and he said ‘If I say goodbye to angry me (sinful anger) who will protect me in the face of injustice?’

We both knew the answer: The Lord Jesus Christ

• He offers hope for both victims and villains
• Jesus shows mercy to those who repent
• He shows justice to those who will not

One of those promises we trust is that “Vengeance is mine says the Lord I will repay”

It frees us up to not be afraid at home, at work, with friends or at school

• To give a voice to the powerless.
• To pursue justice without violence
• To be angry but not sin
• To offer forgiveness to those who repent

In this passage the voice of God and of Dinah are silenced. When we stop listening to God’s word we will stop listening to the cries of those who can’t speak for themselves. Don't be part of the silent majority, act like God is on your side.

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Growing up I had a very unique childhood. Unique not in the sense of growing up in the jungle, one of 12 kids, Mum was Beyonce, unique in the sense that at 3 years old, MBM was born and as I grew up so to did this church. We both went through various stages, growth spurts, awkward teen years, getting older, independence, it was a unique but precious upbringing I have had. Precious in seeing lives changed and transformed, story after story, people meeting Jesus and never being the same afterwards.

On this 30th anniversary of MBM we hear another transformation story, not from MBM but one of the first-ever. Jacob’s story and it’s a long story, Genesis 28-35. By the time we get through them all, we will be at the 31st anniversary.

God might be at work in transforming you, no matter where you are at.

1. Transformed by Grace

Quick bio: Jacob is the grandson of Abraham and Jacob is a man who you never feel you can trust. Jacob means deceiver and that is exactly what he does. He deceived his brother and Father by using his father’s disability against him and his brother's ego and love of food against him. He knows peoples weakness and preys on it.

After all this trickery and deception, hurt and pain and anger Jacob runs, he flees his family and heads into the wilderness.

He has nothing and exhausted he sleeps.

When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ~Genesis 28:11-15 (NIV)

Now was Jacob searching for God? Running to him? Nope. Jacob was fleeing, from the consequences of his sin not seeking and yet God was seeking him.

I don’t know why you are here either onsite or online, this is not a chance encounter, it is not random, God is seeking you. The people that God is seeking are not those whose lives are together (Look at Jacob) but those who encounter him and know his undeserved love.

Did Jacob deserve this dream, was it part of God's promises? No! That’s called grace, undeserved kindness and love, the very thing God has shown you too.

There is no accident of the timing of this dream, in the wilderness where there is nothing, it's not a holiday location. Jacob physically had nothing. He grabs a rock for a pillow to sleep. Now I like a hard pillow, but there are limits. Jacob had hit Rock bottom. (Pun intended). Everything is taken away, and its Jacobs fault that he has nothing and then God gives him everything he needs, More!

Jacob could not say “Of course God loves me” when Jacob wakes up he asks why me? That’s Grace. It's no coincidence that people become Christians after they have hit rock bottom. When physically you have nothing to offer God and spiritually you have nothing to offer God.

John Gerstner said “If you want to become a Christian all you need is need. All you need is nothing and very few people have that.”

A young boy, who was handsome, strong and skilled at fighting. During a fierce battle the boy became frightened and hid in a cave. He was brought before Alexander The Great for judgement. Alexander asked, "Son, what is your name?" "Alexander" was his quiet reply. Alexander picked up a sword, raised it over the boys head and said, “Change your ways, or change your name!”

That is the way we expect people to change, just do it, fix yourself up and do better. Jesus comes to you if you are fleeing, running, in the cave, absolute worst, guilt and shame. Change your ways, but he knows you can’t, he raises the sword of judgment but turns the sword on himself. On that cross, Jesus condemned himself so that you free, the unlovable know they are loved and the sinners are forgiven.

God's love for you is not based on your performance, but on Gods character. Until you realise you are in need and have nothing to offer and accept the Grace given by God then your transformation will not begin, not last and will only be superficial at best.

Jacob gets it and is gobsmacked by it. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

But the road to transformation for Jacob had only just begun, the transformation of the Christian is slow and gradual and happens in ways we do not expect.

2. Transformed by others

God places people in your life to transform you and change you.

Enter Laban, it seemed like Jacob was stumbling along the dessert and just out to the blue, came along Laban. God was orchestrating it all for Jacob to meet his match. A deceiver for a deceiver, Jacob could trick everyone but not Laban. Laban wants Jacob to be paid for the work he was doing, enter his daughter, Rachel. It was love at first fight, meet round the old school water cooler (well). Jacob says ‘I will work for 7 years… and it felt like 7 days…”

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her.” ~Genesis 29:21 (NIV)

You will notice Jacob does not say the word “Rachel.” But "wife". Laban uses this to his own advantage, he had an older daughter Leah, not beautiful and with a physical deformity, but he wanted her married off.

Now weddings are different then to how they are now, on the wedding night, no walking down the aisle, marriage happened at consummation. Jacob woke up shocked the next morning because when he awoke there was Leah!

What does Jacob say:

…So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” ~Genesis 29:25 (NIV)

Notice what Jacob does not say “Oh this is what it's like to be deceived, how horrible” How could I do this very thing to my Dad and brother. Jacob drank deeply of his own medicine and could not handle it.

Do you think that Jacob realises the hypocrisy? We often don’t.

God puts people into our lives, a mirror of ourselves. This is what life is like on the other side of you. Hurt and damage because of the sin you have caused. It's to expose our sin. An act of Grace to graciously show us, here is someone to show you, what you are like, eg People who are rude or arrogant or Gossipers who whinge about you. God put them in your life show you, you.

God is graciously putting mirrors in your life to show you the pain of your sin. Why? To prompt change, can you see it? can you feel it? It's okay for a week or two but you know Jacob dealt with Laban for 20 years. Jacob had 20 years to change his character.

But sometimes God places people in your life for even longer, enter Rachel and Leah, two sisters from birth.

Rachel who has everything going her way. She is hot, has a great figure: “Oh I am so annoyed, I lost 3 kgs” and Jacob loves her.

Leah has struggled all her life, guys looked at her but in disgust,

she struggles with weight and body image but Jacob puts up with her. Imagine how she felt on the 1st day of marriage.

But God placed them into one another’s lives, God placed Jacob in their life to expose who they truly worshipped. Where there is envy, bitterness, fighting and discontent, if you look underneath, they worship something other than God. They find their meaning, purpose, identity and longings in something other than God.

It's messy, they have babies to get the approval of their husband so that they can get the validation of their sister and be better. The law prohibits this

“Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living” ~Leviticus 18:18 (NIV)

God does not want them to stay like this. Transform his people but exposing our idols. God does it in different ways

Rachel had everything going for her, except she could not get pregnant. God withholds from her the very thing she wanted, and what she believes she was entitled to.

“Give me children, or I’ll die!” ~Genesis 30:1 (NIV)

Why? Rachel needed to be emptied of her pride and privilege before she would ever be filled. Gods decision that this is not her purpose, this is not her all and she is not in control. Was she listening? For Rachel when God stopped withholding and Naphtali her 2nd son was born

Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” ~Genesis 30:8 (NIV)

Do you think she really had won? Was she happy or satisfied?

Are you worshipping something that takes its toll, and the demands are great, are you sleepless, envious, annoyed, worried, empty, depressed. When you worship anyone other than God you never win.

God gives Leah a child, many in fact and the name of each of her children tells the journey she goes on, tells of her transformation.

...Reuben, for she said “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” ~Genesis 29:32 (NIV)

“Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. ~Genesis 29:33 (NIV)

“Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. ~Genesis 29:34 (NIV)

Just because God gives you something you want or answers prayers doesn’t always = good thing. God kept giving Leah son after son so this will make Jacob love me, appreciate me, notice me! This never fulfilled her deep longings.

Every idol, good things, relationships, children or approval of friends leaves you always wanting more. But you notice a change because God was working in her.

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. ~Genesis 29:35 (NIV)

Change, even if my husband has not noticed me God has noticed me and that’s all that matters. Maybe not loved by him but loved by God, not seeking the praise of my husband but Praise the Lord. Satisfaction in God.

It was no accident that the son that changed her, Judah, it was from this son that would come the son of God and truly fill her.

The only one who will satisfy the longing that you have, like Leah, the son of Judah. Jesus Christ. The only one who never leaves, never forgets, never overlooks, always loves, always protects and always notices.

God is putting people in your life, FOR YOUR GOOD. GIVING AND WITHHOLDING….

Expose your own sins to yourself.

Expose the false idols we still cling on to.

Drawback to what you need and long for satisfaction, the never-ending, quenching love of Jesus Christ.

But God is not done with Jacob.

3. Transformed by Trials

20 years sees Jacob with Rachel and Leah, 12 boys, all livestock, head home, heading back to meet Esau. Expect a fighting match happens, but the fight we expect to happen between Jacob and Esau doesn’t happen, it happens with Jacob and God.

It’s the oddest and most unique moment in the Bible.

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” ~Genesis 32:24-30 (NIV)

What is the point of this strange incident? Why did God deal with Jacob in that rough-and-tumble way? Wrestle? This was a trial, a physical trial, a test by God and with God. For his own good, to expose his faith.

Jacob had to learn an important lesson, he had always been fighting people, his Dad, his brother, Laban, causing fights between wives and his default was to trick and deceive his way to the top and behind him was a trail of broken relationships.

Gods goal in transforming Jacob was so that he knew that his ultimate struggle was NOT against others but against God. God was breaking down his strength, changing his character, exposing his need so that all that Jacob could do was cling to God.

Notice one thing, Jacob wanted to be left alone, but in this encounter, Jacob was seeking God. Jacob sought after God.

Old Jacob, 20 years before:

• Walked straight into situation with Esau.
• I can trick my way out.
• I can lie and deceive through this…

New Jacob

• I cannot trick my way into a blessing, God gives it.
• Run away from problems, and run to God.
• I am not in control, God is.
• Fear not Esau, but God.

God had been working in his life and now it’s a different Jacob. Jacob is so different that we hardly recognise him. Trial exposes his faith and God had been radically working in this life. Jacob was given a completely new name (not a slight change like Abram to Abraham) but a complete transformation to Israel.

Now chances are you are not going to have this fight with God in this way, but trials will come for you to wrestle with God, and go on for a long time. These trials will push you to the limits, but God puts them in your life to show the change. It shows that you ARE BEING TRANSFORMED, your faith is stronger, you are more Christlike. The old you, reacted differently, the old you ran away, the old you relied on yourself. But that’s not you anymore.

Often, we don’t see the change in our spiritual life. This is not where I want to be, but by God's grace I am not what I use to be. God is in the business of transformation.

This is Jacobs story, what’s yours? I guarantee that the events in your story will be very different, I presume no dreams, no multiple wives and no wrestling matches with God. But that moments of transformation will be similar. God puts trials to expose your faith. The Holy Spirit is at work and you’re not who you use to be.

For 30 years, this church’s heartbeat has been on about Gods heartbeat, ‘To see lives transformed through Jesus to the glory of God.’ Story after story of men and women, young and old, born here or overseas, different nations, cultures and tribes, dysfunctional and messy lives, organised and lovely, meeting Jesus Christ, and never being the same afterwards.

By Gods grace, many more stories like Jacobs and yours transformed through Jesus to the glory of God.

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There are two groups of people in this world, there are firstborns and there are later borns. That’s me, I’m a later born.

My brother is 6 years older than me and it certainly had its benefits when we were growing up. For instance, I had my very own Uber driver, only I didn’t have to pay. And back in the day when he bought the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega-Drive with his hard-earned cash, guess who got to play it for free? Mind you, he also got his pound of flesh from me, I didn’t stand a chance when it came to rumbling. He’d make me answer the phone (remember when there was just one landline home phone?) I’d be the one who’d have to go fetch the ball that went under the trees or climb under the bed, where it was all dusty. And of course, being the shorter one, he’d make me wipe the skirting boards when it came to the chores.

You know, there’s been a whole heap of studies done relating to birth order, with the common belief that birth order affects everything from IQ (sorry later borns, firstborns are higher) to personality to behaviour. So firstborns tend to be high achievers, perfectionists, rule keepers and responsible. Middle children are peacemakers, free spirits, competitive and flexible.

The youngest children are charmers, risk-takers, they challenge authority and are outgoing with a greater sense of independence.

Well, today we’re going to meet a family for whom birth order definitely mattered. In fact, there was a heck of a lot more at stake than personality. Romans 4:13 says that Abraham and his offspring after him received a promise to be - and I quote - “heir of the world” Whoa! The stakes don’t get any higher than that! And so it’s no surprise that there’ll be deceit, dysfunction and disobedience. We’re about to meet one messy family!

That’s one of the things I love about the Bible. If you’ve not read much of it then I invite you to take another look. It’s not full of squeaky-clean characters, who get it right all the time. No, it’s honest, it’s raw and it recognises that just like us, these guys stuffed up. Their world is our world, we’re all searching for hope and for forgiveness.

But first, before we see who’s going to claim the throne “heir of the world”, there needs to be a child and ideally at least two children. Abraham has died at the ripe old age of 175. Come Genesis 25:19, just as one chapter closes another one begins. Enter Isaac and his wife Rebekah, upfront we’re told, that just like Abraham and Sarah, this couple is also infertile.

If God’s going to come through on his promise that Abraham will have as many descendants as the stars in the sky then God himself will step in. This isn’t going to happen by sheer human guts and determination. And after Isaac prays, 20 years later, the Lord answers with twin boys! Hooray!

Now I’m sure the mums out there will all agree that any pregnancy is tough. It just dawned on me as I was writing this sermon that my wife, Teresa has spent 9 months x 4 kids. That’s 36 months, that’s 3 years of her life, carrying another life inside her body! And that’s not to mention the sleepless nights, sicknesses and stress that’s come with it! That’s at least another 3 years!

Rebekah’s pregnancy we’re told is particularly rough. Science tells us that twins in the womb start interacting from the age of 14 weeks. Let’s listen in to the sort of interaction Rebekah’s twins were having.

The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” ~Genesis 25:22 (NIV)

The original is more in-your-face, literally, it’s “the children smashed themselves inside her”. There’s a war going on in the womb to the point of Rebekah questioning why she’s even alive. God, you put these twins in my tummy what the heck’s going on? God answers

The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” ~Genesis 25:23 (NIV)

What Rebekah’s feeling is that it’s all God’s fault, you can’t blame bad genes from the parents, instead, God’s the one to blame.

God’s plan is this, both boys will make it out alive and they’ll grow up to be the fathers of nations. Which is true, Jacob was the father of Israel and from Esau came the Edomites. And what’s true in the womb, will continue out of the womb, division, disagreements and deception. The younger one will call the shots.

And sure enough, their entry into the world, even their names reflect this. Esau pops out first and he is one hairy dude. Usually, you see baby pictures and everyone says “Oh look, a full head of hair”. That was Esau, only the hair kept going!! hair all over his body.

No way was this kid Chinese! I could never grow a beard and I’m glad I don’t have to deal with back hair! This kid was definitely Middle Eastern. Then hot on his heels, literally, is Jacob, he pops out with a hand grasping Esau’s heel. His name means deceiver!

Each of my kids, more than once, have asked me, usually in a moment of weakness like when I’m about to doze off or when I’m distracted in the kitchen or driving along the M4. “Daddy am I your favourite child?” Any other parent here been asked that?

So far I’ve managed to cotton on to their ploy and my answer is always very diplomatic. To my only boy, I say: “You’re my favourite SON” and to the youngest girl, I say: “Absolutely, you’re my favourite 7-year-old in the whole wide world”

Well, there’s no diplomacy when it comes to Isaac and Rebekah, what you see is what you get.

The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. ~Genesis 25:27-28 (NIV)

Esau is daddy’s boy and Jacob is mummy’s boy.

The stage is set for one dysfunctional family. Here’s the gunpowder and there’s the matches. The fireworks are about to go off! Over a tussle between birthrights and blessing.

Now along the way, I’m going to point out two small lessons, but that’s nothing compared to the really big lesson which we’ll come to at the end.

Lesson 1: Satisfying your senses is not your highest priority.

Sure enough what was true IN the womb. The niggling, the jostling and the grabbing ends up being true OUTSIDE the womb too. Only with Jacob and Esau - this sibling rivalry is taken to a whole new level!

Take the things that my kids fight over, things like, why does one child get to have a sleepover? Why does my sister get more screentime? Why does he get a more expensive bubble tea?

Jacob has got bigger ambitions, he’s got his sights set on Esau’s birthright.

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” ~Genesis 25:29-31 (NIV)

Now in the ancient world, if you were the first male out of the womb, and that meant special privileges: a larger inheritance, a bigger blessing, family leadership and an honoured place at mealtimes, this was your birthright. As you can imagine, it’d be PRETTY hard for someone to steal your birthright, either you popped out first or you didn’t. Well, that didn’t stop Jacob from trying!

And so here you’ve got Esau, not only is he the eldest but he’s the eldest in a family and hand-picked by God himself! No other person on the face of the earth could make this claim! Yet how does he treat this privilege? Two words: like rubbish. Esau’s more interested in having a full belly instead of treasuring the very thing that made him unique. Guaranteed the next day, he would have woken up hungry again!

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left… ~Genesis 25:34 (NIV)

Notice how matter of fact it’s described to us. Esau ate. Esau drank. Esau got up and left. Bang. Bang. Bang. The writer is deliberately trying to convey how flippant Esau was, how blasé he was about the whole thing, he couldn’t care less. Esau’s highest priority is feeling good right now.

Esau not only rejected his birthright.

...So Esau despised his birthright. ~Genesis 25:34 (NIV)

Esau had never heard of something called delayed gratification. He’d only heard of instant gratification. Right here. Right now. I want it now. I must have it now. Mind you, we can’t just point the finger at Esau, can we?

Look, there are times where I get it, we don’t deliberately do it, but we can so easily get fixated on the here and now because stuff and life just happens. Bills need to be paid, repairs need to get done, work deadlines pop up, relationships get messy or we get sick. And then when we’ve got a spare moment or two, we resort to temporary pleasures that kind of help us to escape all the mundane.

For me, I’ve realised that one of my weak spots is Facebook Marketplace. What often begins by just looking for one thing, like a kids bike escalates to, oh, gee - I’d like that home gym or how cool would it be to buy a motorhome! Facebook’s algorithm is so good at just luring me towards other things, other stuff I don’t need, other stuff I didn’t go looking for, but stuff that makes me think, oh yeah, it’d be cool to have that.

Or ‘Teresa, I think we really do need an Xbox, look it’ll even play DVDs!’

Lesson 2: Let God be God

Fast forward to Genesis 27, Isaac’s nearing the end, his eyesight’s starting to go and the time has now come to pass on God’s blessing to his son. Now Isaac’s known all along, right from the get-go, from when they were in the womb, that God had chosen Jacob instead of his preferred hairy, macho, game-hunting Esau. Jacob was already handpicked by God, announced while they were in the womb, to be next in line for God’s special blessing. But that didn’t stop his dad from having a crack.

Isaac goes against God’s plan. He wants to go his way rather than God’s way. Well, we know how that’s going to end... not a chance! And so what plays out in Chapter 27 is not so much twin versus twin but husband versus wife, mum versus dad with the kids caught in the middle.

It begins when Isaac pulls Esau aside.

Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” ~Genesis 27:4 (NIV)

What is it with Isaac and Esau? all they can do is think with their stomachs, like father, like son! Isaac is so desperate that his entire soul wants to pass his blessing onto Esau. But Rebekah catches wind of her husband’s plan.

Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ ~Genesis 27:6-7 (NIV)

Rebekah puts her favourite son, Jacob, to work. Fetch me some goats from out back and I’ll whip them up the way my hubby likes it. Rebekah’s smart, she knows the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. It certainly is for me! I’ve always said forget words of affirmation, forget gifts; food is my love language.

But probably the most cunning thing Rebekah does is still to come but the plan hits a snag.

Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” ~Genesis 27:11-12 (NIV)

Take a listen to what mum says next.

His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” ~Genesis 27:13 (NIV)

Hang on - what did she say? We’ve already heard how Isaac - how with every fibre of his being - how he wanted to give Esau his blessing with his entire soul. That’s now matched by Rebekah. She’s willing to cop her son’s curse, to let it fall on her! Husband and wife are definitely not on the same page here! As they use their children as pawns in a chess game.

Rebekah will even go to the lengths of giving Esau’s clothes, his best clothes! to Jacob, not only will Jacob look like Esau but he’ll smell like him too! But the costume design still isn’t complete, to solve the smooth skin problem, Rebekah has saved some of the goatskin which she whacks on Jacob’s neck. She shoves a plate of stew in his hands and sends him off to feed his dad. Rebekah’s plan is nearly complete, there’s just one more hurdle. Actually selling it to her husband! For that to happen, Jacob has to lie, not once, not twice but three times.

To Isaac’s question, “Is it you Esau”, Jacob answers

…“I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” ~Genesis 27:19 (NIV)

To Isaac’s question, how did you get this food so quickly? Jacob’s response

“The LORD your God gave me success,” ~Genesis 27:20 (NIV)

Errrrrr…… Flat out lie. Jacob brings God into this when this was Rebekah’s conniving plan all along. Isaac asks one more time, the voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are hairy like Esau’s.

“Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied. ~Genesis 27:24 (NIV)

And with that, Isaac is fooled into thinking he’s talking to Esau and poetically and passionately he hands over his blessing.

…“Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. ~Genesis 27:27 (NIV)

And then thinking he’s managed to out-do God by overturning the earlier prophecy to Rebekah while the twins are in the womb. Isaac passionately blurts out:

May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. ~Genesis 27:29 (NIV)

Jacob has successfully managed to pull, not the wool, but the goatskin over his father's eyes! This sad episode of events points to one thing and one thing only. A failure to let God be God.

First, there’s the failure to let God work things out in His timing.

Jacob knows he’ll eventually receive God’s blessing but he just wants it on his terms.

Second, Rebekah just can’t help herself, she jumps in to do the work of the Holy Spirit!

Third, Rebekah somehow justifies that because she’s nudging God’s will along. Bringing it to fruition as if that somehow excuses her dodgy behaviour. And Isaac, he’s got the guts to take God on and try to reverse which son will get his blessing.

Main lesson: God will come good on his promises.

Sure he may not do it when WE want him to but he WILL do it.

No ifs, no buts. He’s not going to let poor eyesight or a love of venison or one chaotic family get in the way.

Is this not a rebuke for all the times we’ve tried to take matters into our own hands? Or when we’ve tried to force God’s hand to achieve an outcome instead of letting God be God.

Let me share with you two areas where I’m trying to let God be God. First with the launch of MBM Parramatta, as we’re making decisions, as we’re day-dreaming about what church might and could look like. As a launch team, we’ve got our hopes and dreams and it’s exciting! But in amongst that, I need to rest on the promise that Jesus is building his church not Dan Lee. He’s committed to building it more than I am!

And second, I need to let God be God when it comes to parenting! Oh man, as a parent, I can so identify with Rebekah. Rebekah was the first helicopter parent and she won’t be the last. She so hovers over one son, whilst totally neglecting the other. When it comes to my kids, I so often find myself protecting them and shielding them. Yes, it’s a natural thing to want what’s best for your kids but there’s a line you can cross in wanting it too much.

Dan - resist the urge to step in and play God to my kids! Where I think as long as they go to the right school, that I give them the best opportunities. Sport. Music. That I try to make sure they hang around the right kids. I’m facing it now as a parent of a high-schooler, she’s navigating her own new world of independence, catching the train to school, having a phone and making decisions for herself.

If you’re like me, prone to try to control everything, to micro-manage the inputs so that the right outputs come about then the word for you and I is this.

Trust God.

Trust that God’s got it sorted.

That he doesn’t need our help to bump things along. He’s come through on all his other promises.

I’m pretty sure, he’s capable of coming through on the remaining ones. It’s as clichéd as that. But it’s as difficult as that!

Well, there’s been plenty of incidental lessons we’ve picked up along the way as we’ve traced Isaac’s family but none of those things are the main point of the story. So what is the main point? It’s this, God commits to messy people to show that his purposes WILL not and CAN not be thwarted.

Is Isaac’s family not one messed up family?! Lies. Deceit. Stealing. Cheating. Rivalry. Jealousy. Favouritism. These are everyday norms in this household. And yet, despite all that messiness. All that ugliness. God’s still committed to NOT breaking his promise.

Whereas we might be tempted to give up and to stay away from a family like this. God’s got other plans, He doesn’t give up on the line of Abraham just because there’s some disobedience. Some deceit. Some dysfunctional characters. It’s messy. Our God loves to work in and through the mess. It doesn’t take him by surprise. In fact, he uses the mess. The messiness of one hand-picked family, to bring about his promises.

Take Isaac, not exactly the pin-up boy celebrity, that you’re going to ask for his autograph when you meet him in heaven.

Unlike a good red wine, it seems as if he gets worse with age and I don’t mean physically. His commitment to God’s promises seems to fade over time. Let that be a warning to us, we want our best days as Christians to be ahead of us, not behind us.

Take Rebekah, we love her proactiveness but she’s not exactly the model of trusting God wholeheartedly is she? There are no shortcuts when it comes to godliness.

Take Jacob, we wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him!

'Deceiver' isn’t his middle name it’s his first name and boy does he live up to it.

Take Esau, he shoves his God-given birthright down the toilet.

Gee, you put each person side by side, next to each other and it’s a wonder God even chose them in the first place.

Chatting with Teresa, she’s a firstborn, I asked her how she felt about Esau missing out. She said “typical, younger kids always get away with it. Jacob doesn’t get punished at all. He totally went about it the wrong way.

It got me thinking, we often sing of God’s amazing grace but very rarely do we speak of God’s offensive grace. God’s scandalous grace, which this story of Jacob and Esau is all about.

God chooses who he chooses. He has mercy on who he has mercy. Listen carefully to how Romans 9 quotes Genesis 25.23

Yet, before the twins (that’s Esau and Jacob) were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” ~Romans 9:11-12 (NIV)

Does that not affirm that God has the right to call the shots or what? While they were in the womb, before Jacob deceived and Esau was off hunting deer. God chose.

Look, every Christian believes that they choose God and God chooses them. It’s just that some people think that God chose them because He knew I was already going to choose him. It’s back to front because that makes God sound passive. Well, this verse knocks that on the head, God is entirely on the front foot, He makes the decision. And I for one, am so thankful that it’s not on the basis of what I’ve done outside the womb! Because if God only accepted me on the basis of what I’ve done outside of the womb than man I’d be in big trouble! And I suspect you would be too.

No - God only accepts you and I on the basis of what another, what someone else, in our place has done outside the womb, the Lord Jesus.

In the Lord Jesus, we have one who is like us, who breathes the same air as us, who faces the same issues as us. Without the mess, without the stuff-ups. And yet he willingly dies in our place to pay for every stupid and selfish action of Isaac. Every conniving and deceitful scheme of Jacob. Every manipulative move of Rebekah. Along with all the other messed up things you and I bring to the table.

So, come, firstborns, later borns. Come middle children. Come youngest children. Come all you perfectionists. Come all you competitive. Come all you free spirits. Come all you rebellious spirits. God wants you to be part of his forever family. A family that has been purchased by the blood of his one and only Son.

A family that out of love, was hand-picked before the creation of the world.

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Does God ask the impossible? Has he put you in a situation that you can't be expected to obey? Is it true he won't let you be tempted beyond what you can bear? If anyone could make that claim it was Abraham.

Today's passage is the climax of the faith journey of Abraham, it began with promises made to 75-year-old Abraham. At age 100, Abraham saw the fulfilment of one of those promises, the birth of Isaac to Sarai.

It was a great way to end a story 25 years in making. But apart from the laughter by Sarah and the circumcision of Isaac, it’s a touch of an anticlimax. The real high point comes in Genesis 22, this is the single greatest expression of faith in the Old Testament. We might say of Abraham what Jesus said of the Centurion “Nowhere in the whole Old Testament have we seen faith like this”. Like us he is on a journey learning to trust in the promises of God.

Abraham had good reason to trust, with the miraculous birth of a son, he is assured of a nation, with the treaty with Abimelech he is assured of his place in the land, with the removal of Ishmael the line of Isaac is secure. No one could see what God had in mind for Abraham.

1. The Lord tests his friend Abraham

Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” ~Genesis 22:1-2 (NIV)

We have questioned the ethics of Abraham, Lot and Sodom and now we are tempted to question the ethics of God himself. It's tempting to take out the scissors and cut this out of the bible, but once you understand how it fits in the bible you want to bring the magnifying glass over this passage. Remember: Testing is not Tempting. The purpose of a Test is for us to grow our faith and deepen our dependence on God. The purpose of a Temptation is for our faith to fail, for us to give up and turn away from God. God tests and Satan tempts.

When my daughter Maddy was young, we would play French cricket, she said: “Dad when you hit the ball you want me to catch it when I hit the ball I want you to miss it.” That is right Maddy! That is why I'm like God and you’re like Satan” God wants to test our faith and grow it and Satan wants to tempt our faith and fail.

The shock of this test may not have been as great for Abraham. Abraham came from a world where people sacrificed humans. They did it in Ur and in the land of Canaan where he lives. In fact, human sacrifice has occurred in nearly every continent for anyone likely to be unhinged. Be assured, God will never ask anyone to do what Abraham was asked to do. There are 100 verses in the Bible against human sacrifice. All of which was written after Abraham.

They built high places …to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin. ~Jeremiah 32:35 (NIV)

God never intended Abraham to go ahead with the sacrifice, He says human sacrifice is detestable, it never even entered his mind. But at this stage, Abraham does not know that and what is so heart wrenching is that the one about to be sacrificed is, your son, your only son, whom you love. It was not just a quick break of the neck, it was a whole burnt offering. Abraham’s first response is his willingness to listen, Here I am Lord. What is surprising is the lack of emotion, Abraham was distressed when Ishmael was sent away but there is no mention of distress in this passage.

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” ~Genesis 22:3-5 (NIV)

Abraham doesn’t procrastinate, he is up early the next morning He is distracted, he saddles the donkey which is work normally for a servant. He is confused, the donkeys are loaded before the wood is cut. It’s a 3-day journey to the place of sacrifice, 3 long days to carry this burden, 3 long days to change his mind.

What is going on in Abraham mind?

Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. ~Hebrews 11:19 (NIV)

Abraham approaches this test knowing 2 things, God promised to bless the world through his son Isaac and God commanded him to sacrifice his son Isaac. The only way Abraham resolved the problem is by understanding that God would raise Isaac back to life. We know that because

…We (Isaac and I) will worship and then we will come back to you.” ~Genesis 22:5 (NIV)

The Isaac he goes up the mountain to sacrifice will be the Isaac who will come back down the mountain. It is no less an extraordinary act of faith. So Abraham obeys God but the tension is excruciating.

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. ~Genesis 22:6-8 (NIV)

2. Its the Lord who Provides

Isaac, now a teenager is strong enough to carry the wood, the tender language increases the tension “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. As Abraham carries a knife in one hand ready to plunge it into his son, and he carries fire in the other hand to burn up his son's body, Isaac is unaware of what is going down, just trusting his beloved Father. When Isaac asked the obvious he is told “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” He never dreamed it would be him.

Then the hour comes, they arrive at the God-appointed place. The altar is built. The wood arranged. Isaac is bound up and laid on the altar.

Then he [Abraham] reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ~Genesis 22:10 (NIV)

Stop! He really was going to do it!!!! Abraham would not withhold even his son, his only son, from God. Abraham was saying to God “Everything I have and everything I am is yours Lord” At which point God steps in.

But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” ~Genesis 22:11-12 (NIV)

Imagine for a moment if God did not step in, what a different God we would worship. What a different world this would be. God would be no better than Satan himself.

This was a unique test and Abraham passed the test, he was found faithful. He was already justified by faith alone, but that faith that was justified is a true faith, marked out with a radical obedience. He withheld nothing from God. God knows that Abraham truly fears him. Abraham was right

So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” ~Genesis 22:14 (NIV)

Notice the future tense, On the mountain of the 'Lord will provide'. God's people waited 2000 years to see how God will provide. Until John the Baptist pointed to Jesus saying:

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ~John 1:29 (NIV)

This passage has all the co-ordinate to understand the cross of Christ

a) The God-appointed place

Mount Moriah is the same place where Solomon built the temple (2 Chronicles 3), 1000 years later. It's same place where Christ will be sacrificed, once for all at the cross 2000yrs later.

b) The God-appointed person

Isaac was Abraham's one and only son whom he loved. Ultimately it would be God himself who would offer his one and only Son,…whom the Father loves.

Can't help but think of John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

c) The God-appointed sacrifice

He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ~Genesis 22:13 (NIV)

The Ram was offered “instead of his son” God's one and only Son would be offered instead of us.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ~Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

In the movie - the Doctor, a skilled surgeon is about to go into life-threatening surgery as a patient and he is scared. As he is laying on the table a fellow doctor comes alongside and says “Bill, do you want me to go with you” Bill says “I don't want you to go with me, I want you to go instead of me.” Isaac rejoiced to see the Ram take his place and we rejoice to see Christ take our place at the cross.

One Jewish Rabbah Midrash commentary on this passage says Isaac carried the “wood on his back like a condemned man carrying the cross.” This has Jesus fingerprints all over it. The big difference here though is Isaac was both ignorant and passive in his silent acceptance while Jesus fully understood and was actively obedient in his silent acceptance.

With Christ, we have the first consenting sacrifice in the bible. The cross is no act of child abuse. “I lay down my life and I take it up again”

3. The Lord who makes an oath

It’s the only time God makes an oath by himself.

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” ~Genesis 22:15-18 (NIV)

The promises of God are expanded again, descendants as like sand of the sea not just stars of the sky, blessings include victory over enemy cities, blessings which were grounded in promises of God are also grounded through the obedience of Abraham.

So now we see that

• Those promises to bless the world now turn on a God who makes an oath by himself to keep his word, locked in

• Promises turn on God the Father who will provide by not withholding his one and only son

• Promises turn on the willing sacrifice who is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

• There will be no blessing without the seed of Abraham bound on that wooden cross.

In view of those many mercies, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God.

Here is the big idea: God will never ask of you what only He can do–Offer his one and only Son. But he calls you to offer your body as a living sacrifice and yes that means your faith will be tested. Not as a trip hazard to catch you out but as a Father shaping his children to become more like Christ.

I was talking to some friends about this passage, the wife shared how she didn’t like the idea of God testing us, as if God were some insecure lover trying to catch us out. Then she talked about how seriously unwell she has been for the last 6 weeks. She said “I have never felt more loved by my husband” Her husband's love was tested through the suffering and it exposed a deeper love for her. Testing is a good thing, friends.

If Augustine is right then sin is in part disordered loves. We love the wrong things or we love the right things the wrong order: we love our dog or car or sport more than people of God; we love our jobs more than our family; we love our family more than we love God; we love somethings too much and other things too little.

Times of testing clarify. Do I truly fear God more than others? Do I love him more than anything or anyone? If Comfort is your god, you will resent God testing you. I’m tempted to say: "I want a quiet life. Lord, leave me alone." If pleasure is your idol you will medicate or blame others through Gods sometimes painful providence.

For us to mature, God places us in situations like a broken heart, a lost dream, a failed project or a tragic loss, they challenge us to re-arrange priorities, to re-order our loves so we can say “Lord everything I have and everything I am is yours.” Can you pray to God, “Lord if anything bad happens to my kids and grandkids…may I never stop trusting that you are Good.”

There is nothing in your life off limits to God, He can ask you to change or remove or re-align an area of your life, but God moves at the pace we can manage. He did not ask Abraham to sacrifice his son at Genesis 12 that came 40 years later.

How is God using COVID to re-order your loves? Are you leaning into God or lounging back from him? Has COVID caused you to push toward God or to push God and his people away? Make these COVID days your best days as a Christian, but you can't face any test unless you know this promise.

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ~Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)

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I must warn you that this passage covers graphic sins. God chose Abraham so that he and we will as Genesis 18:19 says:

…keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just… ~Genesis 18:19 (NIV)

The challenge is to know what is right and just in every aspect of life, from indigenous injustice, marital conflict, courtroom verdicts or work disputes. Of course, there is no justice if there is no judge or if the judge of all the earth does not do right.

Certainly, the God of Abraham keeps his promises.

1. Promise to bless

Three angels come in human form to Abraham, they let him know that Sarai will be with child within a year. Nothing new, its a promise repeated many times over 25 years, this time we have a timetable – 365 sleeps. It’s the difference between knowing Jesus is coming back and knowing Jesus is coming back in January 2022.

90-year-old Sarah burst out in doubt-filled laughter and when confronted about this, Sarah lied, reminding us that God does not need our faith to do miracles. In response the angel of the Lord said:

Is anything too hard for the Lord? ~Genesis 18:14 (NIV)

If that is hard then try promising a baby to a young virgin. Nothing is impossible for God, He can turn guilty sinners into forgiven saints, He can raise the dead and give life.

2. The Angel of the Lord also brings the promise of judgment.

God tells his friend Abraham of his plans to judge

Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. ~Genesis 18:20-22 (NIV)

God comes in response to the great cry of distress about the great sin of Sodom. But God is just and will not punish cities without all the facts, 2 of the 3 angels welcomed by Abraham now go to Sodom to find out firsthand the reports. One of the 3 - the angel of the Lord - remains with Abraham. God opens the door for his friend to plead for the city and Abraham takes up the opportunity. This is the first case of intercession, Abraham begins with a question

Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” ~Genesis 18:23 (NIV)

Will innocent victims get caught in the crossfire of God's Judgment? Can God be just and allow collateral damage? But as is often the case, our problem with Gods justice is tied to a person. We may have a problem with Hell, we may feel like punishment is greater than the crime, but what makes us feel the problem is because we loved people who don’t love Jesus and are facing a Christless eternity.

For Abraham his nephew Lot is in Sodom about to get nuked, if Sodom goes so will Lot. As important as Lot is, God's justice is even more important, Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing —to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” ~Genesis 18:24-25 (NIV)

I’m not sure whether Abraham is telling God he shouldn’t or asking God not to or declaring that he won't or a bit of all three.

Everything hangs on that the judge of all the earth does right, if he doesn’t then there is no hope for the rest of us. God allows Abraham to ask, question and probe because Abraham is pleading the case for the righteous

The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” ~Genesis 18:26 (NIV)

How many righteous people will it take before God will spare the city? 50, 45, 30, 20,10

What is clear is that God is just and merciful, God will not let the righteous be punished with the wicked and God will let the wicked be saved for the sake of the righteous.

What a day Abraham had: promised a son, meeting 3 angels and intercedes for a city. All in a day's work, being God's friend gives you access to his plans and with it comes responsibility. You know Jesus is coming to judge the earth - That at the name of Jesus every knee will bow.

Prayer is such a neglected privilege for Gods people. Abraham pleaded for Sodom for the sake of 10 righteous people, we plead to God for others because of the one righteous one who was obedient all the way to death on a cross.

I beg you to pray for your love ones, plead to God that you would be bold enough to invite them to Explaining Christianity this Tuesday. Pray to God that they would say 'Yes', ask God to open their hearts. Who knows how history could have been re-written if there were not Christians interceding in cities and nations around the world.

Oh, the privilege of intercession, I think of a family whose mother died, leaving behind 3 teenagers and the father who is not a believer but 5 years later all 3 teenagers came to Christ through MBM, only to find that their neighbour has been praying for each of those 3 kids.

I remember one testimony of a woman who along with her friend both came to Christ after leaving school. They contacted their old Maths teacher who they knew was a Christian who had witnessed to them. He told them he had a floor plan of the class with each student and would pray for them each day that they may be saved. Friends don’t neglect the privilege of intercession.

3. Judgment begins

The 2 angels meet Lot at the town gates of Sodom and Lot pleads with them to stay under his roof and not in the town square. We don’t know how big the city is but we know how bad it is. We are told that every male in every part of the city, both young and old demand to rape Lot's guests.

Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” ~Genesis 19:4-5 (NIV)

So much for the good old days, this is not some invite to a consensual gay orgy, this is gang rape and they will not take “No” for an answer, no substitutes will do

Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.” ~Genesis 19:6-8 (NIV)

At this point we have just one question, why on earth did Lot offer his daughters, why didn’t Lot offer himself, unless they have already raped him. The bible does not justify Lot's act just as it did not approve of Abraham abandoning Sarah in Egypt. The bigger issue is that such wickedness has been going on for a very long time in this city, 20 years earlier we are told that the men of Sodom were sinning greatly against the LORD. God himself would not let Lots daughters pay the price, He will not let the righteous pay the penalty for the unrighteous. So the rapists were struck down with blindness and restrained. Notice the responses to the loving warning of judgment

a. Sons-in-law laugh in the face of warnings

Lot pleaded with the men of Sodom to not rape his guests and now he pleads with his sons-in-law to hurry and escape

But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. ~Genesis 19:14b (NIV)

The idea of a 2nd coming and the existence of hell is viewed as ridiculous. Our world lives in the moment and for the moment and warning people to escape hell is seen as manipulative but isn't that what every shark sign on beaches is doing.

Listen to what Jesus said:

But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. ~Luke 12:5 (NIV)

The advantage of getting people to read the bible is that Jesus gets to say it.

b. Lot himself lingers

As the angels drag Lot into the house, now they drag Lot out of the city

With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.” When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. ~Genesis 19:15-16 (NIV)

Do you know the Urgent-Important matrix? This would be both important and urgent. The angels have one word, Hurry. My mum would tell me that when the sirens went on during the war in Malta you didn’t finish your cup of tea, once those bombs fell that was it.

The angels tell Lot to head for the hills and he, unbelievably, negotiates where to go

But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.” ~Genesis 19:19a-20 (NIV)

What a fool, you would think the angels would know where was the safe place to go.

I remember a well-known doctor being asked on TV, what will it be like when he meets God? He said “I guess there will be a bit of negotiation taking place” That man died and has met the God who does not negotiate.

The sons-in-law laugh, Lot himself lingers and Lots wife longingly looks back.

c. Lots wife longingly looks back

They are explicitly told not to look back on the city of Sodom, but Lots wife looks back and places herself under the same judgment.

But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. ~Genesis 19:26 (NIV)

Her heart was still in the city of Sin and now her body was destroyed in the judgment of that city. She had become like the rest of Sodom and Gomorrah, don’t look back, don’t go back, don’t love the world, it is passing away and so will you if you love it.

d. Judgment day has come—this is a taste of hell itself.

… he [God] condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ~2 Peter 2:6 (NIV)

This judgment is just, it is personally handed out from the Lord. This judgment is permanent. They rebuilt Hiroshima after WWII but they never rebuilt Sodom, the Judgment serves as an example to all, friends God don’t make promises he don’t keep. God commands all people everywhere to repent or else.

Just when you think it could not get worse for Lot he finally runs to the Mountains to live in a cave with his daughters. Lot's daughters realise there are no men to have children with and they panic and get their Dad drunk and have sex with him. We now move from gang rape to incest.

They clearly learnt from Sodom and not the judgment on Sodom. Lot has reaped what he had sown, he led his daughters into Sodom, he offered to hand them over to rapists and now he is himself raped by his own daughters. Each daughter gave birth to a son and each son fathered a nation, the Moabites and the Ammonites. It was the Moabites who lured Israel to idolatry and sexual immorality and the story goes on.

You sow a wind - you reap a whirlwind
Sin of one generation - passed on to the next

Flee from sexual immorality 1 Corinthians 6:18. Run don’t walk, for your sake, for the sake of your family/church and for the sake of the next generation. Brothers and sister its not just about you. If your hand causes you to sin, don’t get a manicure, cut it off.

Sexual sin thrives in the dark and dies in the light, come clean with others, let's be a community that does not pretend, we know grace enough to confess our sin to one another.

There is a sin greater than the sin of Sodom, Jesus said to a town of Capernaum who saw his miracles.

… you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you [Capernaum] had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” ~Matthew 11:23-24 (NIV)

Capernaum is guilty of a greater sin and a greater judgment than Sodom. What? Because rejecting Jesus is even more serious than gang rape. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But let me leave you there, Lot is such a flawed person, on the one hand he is atrocious, he exposes his family to sin, he abandons his daughters. On the other hand, he is described as a righteous man who pleads with others to be saved, he grieves over the sin of Sodom and he heeds the call to run. He is like you and me, by nature Gods enemy and by grace Gods friend.

Christians are at the same time both righteous and sinners. In verse 29, Lot is saved because God remembered his gracious promises to Abraham and we are saved because God remembers his gracious promises in Christ.

The good news, from Moab, birthed in incest eventually came a godly woman called Ruth who marries a son of Abraham from whom will come King David from whom came the greater David, the Lord Jesus.

We are saved not because of 10 righteous persons or 5 or 2. It will take one truly righteous person for God to spare the guilty

…through the obedience of the one man, the many will be made righteous. ~Romans 5:19c (NIV)

Have you ever wondered how can God be right and make us right when we are so wrong? Because of God so willingly experiencing the full wrath of God for just judgment for our sins at the cross, that is how the judge of all the earth does right?

As Lot took the hand of the angel, we take the hand of Jesus that was stretched out on the cross seeking to do what is right and just.

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What are you to God? – Irrelevant?
How does God view you? - a bit of a disappointment?
Or are you the apple of his eye, the focus of his blessing and the object of His goodness?

The first thing you notice in the Bible is that God's first inclination is to do good and to bless. God saw all that he made it is good, good, very good, He is forever blessing. Genesis 1-2, He’s blessing the animals, humans, and the sabbath 1:22, He blesses Adam and Noah and Abram, all to increase and be fruitful.

If you were to ask me "What was the one thing you learnt in 4 years at Bible College” I would say. “That God is Good! He is for us!”.

In this talk we are going to fly at 20,000 metres as we cover 3 big chapters so, get comfortable as we take off, moving from Ur to Haran to Canaan to Egypt.

In Genesis 12 God is beginning again. Here is a new word to an old man, Abram’s personal world reflects the mess of the broken world we need saving from.

• His father worshipped other gods
• His brother was dead
• His wife was infertile
• He was married to his half sister.

God 's plan to bless the world will be through this man. So God tells Abram where to "Go."

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ~Genesis 12:1 (NIV)

Abram is told to leave behind this world that is in ruins. Leave behind the sin of Adam the curse of Cain, leave the city of Babel that wanted to make a name for themselves. God is saying to Abram leave the safety of your land, your people and family and TRUST ME. Every relationship with God begins and ends here but God never commands without a promise.

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” ~Genesis 12:2-3 (NIV)

God goes public and launches his mission to bless the world.

These specific promises to Abram will shape the rest of the Bible story. We must learn that “God don't make promises that he don’t keep.” Faith is trusting in the promises that come from God, they must have sounded so IMPOSSIBLE to Abram, to an old man who had no land and no kids.

God is emphatic, I will give you, Abram, the blessings of a nation, fame, protection, and he will be an agent of world blessing. At times we will see Abraham exhibit extraordinary faith

Abram left as the Lord had told him. ~Genesis 12:4 (NIV)

Stunning and Courageous - Notice that true faith always leads to obedience.

I remember taking year 8 kids abseiling, I would explain the principles of abseiling. "Do you believe me?" "Yes, Ray, let's go."

I would show them the equipment. "Do you believe it will hold you?" "Yes, Ray, let's go. But I knew when they believed, it was when they swung their bodies out over the cliff face. Abraham trusted in God and he went.

From North to South the land was in the hand of the Canaanites. Their time had not yet come. Then God adds to the promises and reassures Abraham

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. ~Genesis 12:7 (NIV)

God now adds the promise of land with the promise of nation, fame, protection and world blessing. It’s a great start for Abram.

Faith leads to Obedience and obedience leads to Worship, but as we will see the promises of God are rock solid but Abraham’s faith was not. Like us, all Abram was on a journey of learning to trust.

Soon after there is a famine in this promised land, reminding Abraham to look to a better country - New creation and new earth. His first response to the famine is not faith but to leave the land God promised him. Now in Egypt Abram throws his wife under the bus to save himself.

“Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” ~Genesis 12:13 (NIV)

This is both a half-truth and a lie at the same time, Abraham is no instant hero of faith, he abandons his wife to protect himself, and it won't be the last time. Worse, he financially benefits by his sin, this story ultimately rides on the back of God's promises. That is clear because it's God who protects Sarah and not Abraham.

Remember the promise to Abram:

“… and whoever curses you I will curse;” ~Genesis 12:3 (NIV)

When Pharaoh takes Sarai in his harem as a wife its God who inflicts him with sores, Pharaoh has his own personal pandemic. Abraham still needed to learn God don’t make promises he don’t keep.

We are now flying over Genesis 13, I hope you’re enjoying your flight. Remember the promise:

“Whoever blesses you will be blessed” ~Genesis 12:3 (NIV)

The promised blessing to Abram overflows to his nephew Lot:

Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. ~Genesis 13:5-6 (NIV)

Abram is so confident in God’s goodness that he offers his nephew Lot the freedom to take the best Land. “Whatever you want you can have.” You get first pick! It is not an easy thing to let go of so much...

The thing about knowing the promised blessings of God’s goodness is that it unleashed a generous heart.

Do you know when I am the most generous?

When I am at an "All You Can Eat" restaurant. You want food off my plate, sure no probs, take it all, I can always go back for more. If you don’t get that God is good and is for you then you will be left to grab, or panic. If you trust God, who is good and full of blessing, you will give generously and show grace. Blessed people bless others.

Lot has more cunning than faith, he saw with his eyes not the eyes of faith. He notices the "whole plain of Jordan were like the garden of Eden" and so he took it. He didn’t get, you cant enter paradise without trusting the promises of God. Lot is a man of this world, he moved away from Abram, on the edge of the promised land near the godless city of Sodom. Lot thinks that the secret of his success is himself instead of the promises of God tied to Abram.

Matt Olliffe has written an excellent Bible study on Genesis, he writes, “Lot's decision would leave him widowed, penniless, homeless, living in a cave with his traumatized daughters…”

All because he did not cleave to Abraham, the agent of blessing.

Abram knows the secret of his success, he returns to Bethel, where he received the promise and built an altar, he worships God

There Abram called on the name of the LORD. ~Genesis 13:4 (NIV)

Seek first his kingdom and all these things will be given to you.

Got your priorities right? then why are you who are healthy and not sick, still at home and refusing to fellowship with all of God's people at MBM?

At the very point that Lot takes advantage of Abrams generosity. God reissues the promises to Abraham for the 3rd time.

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” ~Genesis 13:14-17 (NIV)

The promises are not just repeated they are expanded.

1. Abraham was promised a nation but now it’s a nation no one can count. As many as the dust in your Dyson - that’s us
2. Abramham was promised land for his descendants, now it will be with his descendent forever. These promises keep getting expanded and reshaped so that by the time we get to the New Testament.

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you ~Genesis 12:3b (NIV)

The apostle Paul tells us that the blessing to world means the nations are justified by faith, with the gift of the Spirit and adopted as children of Abraham.

Faith is trusting in the promises that come from God's mouth. Careful friends, by not trusting the promises you put in God's mouth. Don’t be like the guy who drove a Mercedes with the number plate “blessing” thinking this is what is meant by Abrahamic promises.

Grasp the promises of God and you will be liberated from

grabbing for blessings, knowing our sins are forgiven, that God is Father and Heaven is home. We can let go of the politics of sin, the Christian can refuse to see co-workers as threats to your next promotion. It frees us to rejoice in the success of others instead of bitching about the job you should have got.

If you believe your name is written in that lambs’ book of life, then be free to be generous with your time, talents, and treasures.

Abram was called to leave behind the world of sin, but sin has not left him behind. As we fly over Genesis 14 please put on your seat belts because we have entered a war zone. Five kings from the EAST make war on four kings of the West. Lot and all he has are taken captive, he has paid the price of moving away from Abram and near to godless Sodom. In fact, Lot is now living in Sodom, Lot who had it all now loses it all in one battle.

Calvin put it well

"Lot when fancied he was living in paradise, was nearly plunged into the depths of Hell (Calvin 1:373)

Remember God promised that Abram would be a channel of blessing, without Abraham, Lot loses it all in the twinkle of an eye. With God on his side, Abraham’s small private army is able to defeat the armies of four kings. If God is for us who can be against us?

He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. ~Genesis 14:16 (NIV)

Abram is victorious in battle and his success is given by God.

Why? God promised to curse those who curse him, Abraham is learning that God don’t make promises he don’t keep! But will God get the glory?

On the way from the war, Abraham comes across two very different Kings. Melchizedek, a Priest-King of Salem and the Godless King of Sodom. The first response of Melchizedek is to GIVE to Abram, bread and wine, the banquet for kings. The first response of the king of Sodom is to make a demand “Give me the people” Melchizedek blesses God for Abram’s success. The king of Sodom sees himself as blessing Abram by letting him keep the spoils

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was Priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. ~Genesis 14:18-20 (NIV)

Those who know the blessing of God, bless God and bless others. Abraham first response to Melchizedek was to give 10% of his spoils, so the principle of TITHING begins, not from law but from a blessed heart who has tasted that God is good.

Abraham first response to King Sodom is to refuse his offer to keep the spoils of war. He won't benefit from an unrighteous king, he won't have a bar of it, God alone will get the glory for my blessing. Blessed people bless God and bless others.

Let's land this plane!

Jesus is called a priest in the order or pattern of Melchizedek.

And as a risen Priest-King every moment of every day in the face of every sin Jesus stands to intercede between us and God. If Lot needed to stay close to Abraham then we need to stay close to Jesus our Priest. God is good and he is for us.

One brother at church had for the last 15 years been growing in his faith, consumed by his business, battled in his marriage. He felt like God was either angry or disappointed with him then one night he had a dream. Jesus walked with him and talked with him, he wasn’t angry and he wasn’t disappointed. It set him free.

Don’t wait for a dream to cleave to Jesus. The dream did what the Bible is saying, God is good and is for you in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, you have been blessed in heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. Go and make disciples of all nations.

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The God of the bible is a marrying kind of God. He is not interested in just dating his people until a better offer comes his way, or turning up when it suits Him, or being a friend with benefits. Like every marriage, God first makes promises to his people in chapter 12. He then turns those promises into a formal Covenant chapter 15. This is followed by the sign chapter 17.

God made promises to Abraham when he 75 and Sarai 65 and infertile, God promised Abram he will be a father of a great nation, the nation would be given land and the nation would be blessed and a blessing to the world.

These Promises are repeated and expanded and they steer the plan of God in the bible. Years pass and still no child. Its only natural for fears and doubts to come to Abram but God’s love assures people

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” ~Genesis 15:1 (NIV)

Do not be afraid, I have your back, God will never stop saying those words to his people.

One fear was that Abram’s servant and not his son would be the heir to his inheritance. Abraham is not pretending with God, doubts need to be expressed to God and we must be open to letting the Word speak to your fears.

To reassure Abram God takes Abram outside to look at the stars of the sky and tells him, count them because that is as many descendants as you will have. Some over 70 Billion Trillion stars.

First, it was the dust of the earth and now it's the stars in the sky.

These promises were made to be trusted.

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. ~Genesis 15:6 (NIV)

That is one of the most important sentences in the bible, it tells us how we get right with God. God reckoned unrighteous Abraham as righteousness. Why? Because he took God at his word, God gave to Abraham a righteousness that was not his and he will do the same for you. Being right with God is a gift to be received not a wage to be earned.

Faith is an attitude of Trust, for us, we trust that Christ was handed over for our sins and raised for our forgiveness. This is how God's people are always put right with God. Whether you lived 2000 years before Jesus like Abraham or you live 2000 years after Jesus like us, if you’re not clear then book for the Explaining Christianity course on February 16 and this will become very clear. But remember friends its not the size of your faith that saves but who you trust in.

Two people get on a plane to Johannesburg, one is full of fear and the other is full of confidence. Which one ends up in Johannesburg? Both do. The difference is that one enjoyed the trip a whole lot more. There is no reason to doubt or live in fear. Christ has paid the price for the ticket to heaven, there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

God not only wants to save people he wants them to know they are saved. So God turns those promises into a formal covenant. This is like going from dating to marriage, this was how the covenant was made. Abraham was told to split into two 5 sacrificial animals and lay them on the ground, as the sunset Abraham falls into a deep sleep. This was going to be a one-sided contract, God in the form of a blazing fire passes between the dead animals. In effect, God is saying “If I don’t keep my promises to you then may I become like one of these animals” “If you Abraham break this covenant I will take your place and pay for your sin.”

The point is clear, God's salvation rides on the shoulders of the seed of Abram, who was cursed so that we could be blessed.

God wants Abram to know for certain that God don’t make promises that he don’t keep. Then God reissues and extends the promises

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, ~Genesis 15:18 (NIV)

By making a covenant, God was GIVING HIS ALL to his people.

I remember a woman who became a Christian at an Explaining Christianity course. She had been in a de facto relationship for 30 years, I wasn’t sure why she was so resistant to getting married and she finally admitted on the day of their wedding “Ray, I was holding back a part of me from my man by not marrying him.”

God is holding nothing back, He has fully committed himself to his promises to bless, you can trust him! and we have 2000 years of bible history to prove it.

But God is not in a hurry. Time marches on. The promises are getting bigger. Abraham and Sarai are getting older but still no kid. The tension is excruciating. Abram first gets the promise at 75, he is now 85 years old only to be told

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. ~Genesis 16:1 (NIV)

There is the normal painful grief of not having children, the cultural shame of not being able to have children, but here God raised their expectation by promising them a whole nation and they couldn’t even have just one baby, so Sarai take things into her own hands.

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ~Genesis 16:1-2 (NIV)

Sarai has subtlety blamed God. God is not acting and so I must. I will build a family through the young slave girl, Hagar.

Sarai’s longing overruled her loyalty to God, these were good longings but they failed to trust God’s goodness. Abram offers no resistance and no godly leadership

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ~Gen 16:2c (NIV)

What a good husband Abrahams is! OK, babe, if you want me to marry and sleep with Hagar I'll do it , but I'm doing it because you told me. If Sarai was like Eve in taking control then Abraham was like Adam, silently passive. We men either don’t listen to our wives when we should or we do listen when it suites us. Being led rather than leading. Abram and Sarai needed to learn that God needs no help, God will build this family not Sarai.

When she [Hagar] knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.” ~Genesis 16:4-5 (NIV)

The second wife resents the first wife, the first wife resents the husband for doing what she told him to do. First Sarai blames God and then appeals to God. The husband fails to lead, the husband is blamed then the husband abandons his second wife. One sin compounded by another, it's everyone else's fault but mine. Again it does sound a little like Adam and Eve, the one exception is that Abraham is a man of faith, like you and me, ungodly Ab is justified by faith in the promises from God.

See what happens went we don’t trust God, we treat people like they are objects. Abraham uses Hagar, Hagar despises Sarai, Sarai abuses Hagar, Abraham abandons Hagar.

“Your servant is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. ~Genesis 16:6 (NIV)

Abraham might abandon Hagar but God will not, Sarai may mistreat Hagar but God's eye remains on Hagar as she flees to the desert. This is the only time someone gives God a name, she has seen God who has seen her in her misery.

My nephew flew reconnaissance planes in Iraq, one of the high powered camera lenses picked up Isis rebels decapitating the heads of children in front of their father before they killed him. He saw everything from a height of 10,000 metres but he could do nothing.

God saw this young powerless foreign slave woman and God protected her, the God who promised to save his people from slavery in Egypt is now saving an Egyptian slave from his people. We all need saving, God does what he does best, makes promises and blesses people.

The child born to Hagar is Ishmael, he too is a son of Abraham, not a child of the promise but a son nevertheless and he too will share in the blessing.

Now 86 Abraham is a Father, but not a Father through Sarai, so he waits as the years click past. Age 87,88, 89, 90 no child 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 and still no child, nearly 25 years of waiting and nothing. Now Abram is nearly 100 years old and Sarai is 90 years old, God has made so many promises, repeats them, formalises them and expands those promises.

So that now where will Kings and Nations come from, it will be an everlasting covenant, but No land, No children, No Nothing and to make matters worse, God gives Abram a new name.

If he hasn’t looked like an idiot before, he went from Abram (which means Father) to Abraham which means (Father of many). From daddy to big daddy, you could only imagine the kind of questions Abraham was asked over 25 years.

Imagine, Abram meets up with Enoch at a well. “Hi, my name is Enoch what's yours?” “My name is Abram.” “Abram, 'Father', with a name like that God must have blessed you with many children, how many 3, 4, 5?” “Actually none.” “Oh sorry about that.” 25 years later they met again at the same well. Enoch says “Abram my friend it's been so long how are you?” Abraham says “actually Enoch I’ve changed my name” Enoch says “Wise decision since you had no children, it was awkward.” “Yes, it's now Abraham.” “Abraham, father of many, so God has blessed you my friend with many children, how many has Sarah given birth Big Daddy, Abraham 5,10,15?” “No, still none, but I am holding onto the promise of a child from whom will come a great nations and kings and land.”

Abraham was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what God said. God wants his promises to be remembered, so God gives the sign of circumcision. It’s a costly sign, Abraham was circumcised at age 99 at God’s command. Those who trust in God walk before him and are blameless, it was not like a rite of passage into manhood. It would be a sign for the whole of life for the whole of God's people. As a sign, it pointed to God’s promises to bless the world. A sign to re-assure his people that

God is for them and he can be trusted.

Circumcision grafted these promises onto the body and unlike my wedding rings which I keep losing in the ocean, circumcision is a permanent sign, you can remove a tattoo but you cant undo a circumcision. God's people were to never forget Gods commitment to bless the world. Circumcision would mark out God's people among the nations, they alone were birthed by the gracious promises of God. Salvation comes from the seed of Abraham.

But why circumcision? Why not a nose ring? Less painful. At the point where Abraham tried to make it happen by having sex with Hagar, that is the point where he is cut back. Each circumcision was a reminder to trust God and not force God's hand.

Warning is here!

• Don’t take things into our own hands - learn to wait
• Don't cut corners to advantage ourselves
• Don't let your longings override our loyalty
• Don't marry an unbeliever
• Trust God and be patient.

It’s a sign that a person is justified by faith in God’s promises.

Tragically circumcision became just another good work to buy God's approval, forgetting that Abraham was justified by faith at least 15 years before he was ever circumcised. Was this all too good to be true? Abram thought so, he was found laughing at the thought that God would fulfill his promise of a child at age 100-year-old man through a wife of 90 to bear a child.

Friends, Obstetricians don’t get called out to nursing homes to deliver babies, except with God. Dead people don’t come back to life except with Christ.

What a crazy, crazy, awesome, wonderful, gracious God, too good to be true.

Like knowing that in Christ Jesus

• There is nothing he can’t forgive.
• He adopts us into Ab family
• Pours out his Spirit - gives us a new heart
• Raises our dead bodies to life

So, walk before God and be blameless. give him your best for that is what he gave you.

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I’m 60 and I still love presents. This is one of the best gifts I ever received; you have seen it before, my friend Archie gave it to me, half man-half pig.

For many people in the history of the world, this could qualify for a god you worship. The advantage of Idols is it allows you to visualise your god, but if you read the bible you quickly work out that God hates the worship of images and idols. The main reason is that it disrespects him, He is a living speaking, loving, God and He does not want a lifeless image to represent him. You can`t have a relationship with a lifeless image. That is why pigeons know exactly what to what do with statues.

The God of the Bible is the living and speaking God. In contrast nothing in all creation is hidden from God`s eyes, His ears are not deaf to the cry of his people, from his mouth come the live-giving words and His hands are long enough to save his people.

But God is Spirit, He doesn’t have an ear, eye or hand. No man sees God’s face and lives. Well not until that first Christmas day

when God personally came to earth. That is the greatest gift of all. God became one of us when God became one with us. To be specific, Jesus is one person with two natures. He is truly God and truly human. God became human not on Christmas day but 9 nine months earlier.

It's the Chinese who measure age from your conception, not from birth. Like all humans, Jesus was conceived 9 months before birth. Sure, it was different to your conception, you were conceived when your parents were intimate and out you popped 40 weeks later. When the angel informed a virgin that she was pregnant no one was more surprised than Mary.

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ~Luke 1:34-35 (NIV)

This will be the first of many miracles that point to Jesus as the eternal Son of God.

From the first moment of conception, Jesus grew as every other human baby in the womb. He had 23 chromosomes and 50,000 odd genes and we are not talking levis. At 5 weeks he would be 1.5 cm long and by this stage, Jesus' heart was beating steadily. At 2 months his ears, noses, lips and tongue are clearly formed and he looks more human than alien. At 4.5 months Jesus' brain began to mature. He is able to give his mum a few strong kicks. At 6 months he was pulling faces in the womb but with no ultrasound, only his Father in heaven could enjoy it. At 7 months 4/5 senses are working: hearing, sight taste and touch. Jesus could hear his mother reciting the word of God. At 9 months baby Jesus goes public.

He [Joseph] went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. ~Luke 2:5-7 (NIV)

It was a unique conception and it was an unusual birth. I don’t know who turned out for your birth but Jesus was welcomed by thousands of angels and a crew of excited shepherds praising God. I don’t know if your name came from a baby name book, but Jesus name came from God the Father via the angel. You shall name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sin.

But in other ways it was a normal birth with no epidural insight, it came with its quota of pain. Its not any easier giving birth to the son of God than any other child. Jesus who is truly God became a human baby, toddler and teenager. The Son of God became fully human in every way except sin. Jesus had eyes, ears, mouth, hands. He had a real and frail body.

As a baby, He would feel hunger and cry for his mother milk. He would have had a pooey nappy, just like the one I saw in the car park. He would have learnt to be toilet trained. My job when the kids were babies was to clean nappies. No disposables then, I would think Joseph did the same thing. As we know: Real men change nappies!

Jesus was born not just as a human but as a male and a Jewish male. He was circumcised on 8th day marking him out as a child of Abraham. Salvation comes from the Jews.

And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. ~Luke 2:40 (NIV)

As a baby, Jesus was carried, breastfed, burped and vomited. In that order.

He grew physically strong, He learnt to talk and walk as you did. He crawled, stumbled and fell before he walked. He grew in weight, climbed in height and built up in muscle tone. He experienced both physical and emotional pain. He would have wept when his father died, that is why, when it comes to suffering Jesus knows what you’re going through.

It’s been a crazy year, we are second-guessing everything as if the earth is shaking and we can’t get a foothold. If you know Christ, he knows you, he gets you, he has got you in his hand. God knows what it’s like to be one of us. He tasted suffering first hand in this broken world. You were never meant to do life on your own. Let his arms carry you.

His parents cared as much for his spiritual growth as for his physical health. They took Jesus to Jewish church each week and each year the family went to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. On one trip when Jesus was 12 His parents accidentally left Jesus behind in Jerusalem when they went back home to Nazareth. Even worse was they didn’t notice it for a whole day.

I remember a week after James, my firstborn son was born, we were having dinner with friends. We put James to sleep upstairs in my friend’s bedroom. We had a great time and then left at about 10.30pm. We went back to our home and realized we are missing something. Keys, wallet, oh yes sweet baby James.

It took Joseph and Mary 3 days of searching Jerusalem before they found Jesus. That is a long time, they needed to file a missing person report. They eventually found him in the temple the teachers were astonished at this 12-year-olds questions and answers. His parents were astonished that he was in the temple for so long and I`m astonished that his mum didn’t kill him. Dad says nothing and Mum is upset

…Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” ~Luke 2:48 (NIV)

Imagine your son is missing for 3 days and this is your response. Self-control, that is such an unMaltese way of handling things. Though fully God, Jesus was fully human learning the things of God. He was asking questions as well as giving answers in the temple.

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ~Luke 2:46-47 (NIV)

If you’re in school, you don’t have to be a grown-up to learn about God. Parents, your children have questions that schools can’t answer. Questions about Life after death, being forgiven by God, the meaning and purpose of life. I want to say, at MBM our children`s and youth ministry is first-rate. In January we will explore some of these big questions. Parents, you’re here with your kids because you want the very best for them. The research is consistent, those who attend church regularly have better mental health. Don’t hold yourself and your children back from learning about God and finding peace with him. Jesus was learning his bible and yet he clearly knew who he was. He says to his mum.

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. ~Luke 2:49-50 (NIV)

The temple was God`s house and he was God's eternal Son.

Why is it so important that Jesus is truly God and human?

Jesus had to be human, for only a human can take the place of another human at the cross. He had to be God, for only God could endure the punishment for our sins. He had to be sinless otherwise he would die for his own sins.

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. ~Luke 2:51-52 (NIV)

Here is Jesus submitting to parents whom he created, Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, He would live the life we should have all lived and then he would die the death we all deserve to die. He will come back to judge the living and the dead.

His eyes saw that his people were harassed and helpless, His heart was filled with compassion, His ears heard the cries of so many for help. ‘Jesus save me’ His hands reached out and healed every person who came to him. As Spurgeon said “Those little arms in the manger will one day grapple with the monster “Death” and destroy it.”

With his mouth, Jesus spoke the truth you need to hear

• No one is good except God alone
• My son your sins are forgiven
• No one comes to the Father except through me
• Come to me all of you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Use those ears God gave you to hear that there is nothing Jesus can’t forgive, use that mouth God gave you to say YES to Jesus! Use those lips to confess that Jesus is alive!

Otherwise, we are no better than those DEAD images. Without Jesus we are dead to God and he to us, facing a Christless eternity. I think there is no better day to be born again than on the day Jesus was born.

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Persecution speeds up evangelism. So far, the story of Acts has focused on Jerusalem and what is interesting is that mission to the nations is not the result of endless praying meetings, or strategic planning sessions, or setting smart goals, its good old fashion persecution. The pressure has been building and it now comes to boiling point where the lid has come off.

And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. ~Acts 8:1-3 (NIV)

The bold preaching has escalated the conflict and the apostles are first arrested, threatened and released. Then arrested again, imprisoned and escaped. Then arrested beaten and released.

In Chapter 7, Stephen is stoned to death with the approval of Saul. We have the first man to be killed for Jesus and the first man to kill Christians. Now its ratchetted up, the attack led by Saul is vicious and violent and the goal is clear: to destroy the church. This time it’s not just apostles but just ordinary men and women, mums and dads are dragged out of their homes and

thrown into jail. The result is that Jewish Christians are dispersed into other nations. Yet again, we see God using evil for good. Persecution becomes the gateway to evangelism.

Tertullian in the 3rd century speaking about the persecution of

Christians wrote “…as often as you mow us down, the more we grow in number. The blood of the Christians is the seed [of the church].” (Apology 50)

Instead of killing off Christianity persecution grows the gospel and builds the church.

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralysed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. ~Acts 8:4-8 (NIV)

The apostles are now trying to catch up to what God is doing. The message is outrunning the apostles, one of the 7 chosen to wait on tables is Philip and like Stephen, he was full of the Holy Spirit and like Stephen, he was a Greek-speaking Jew. Persecution has taken Philip to a city in Samaria and this is the next stage in the plan of God. Remember what Jesus said

… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~Acts 1:8b (NIV)

Jerusalem, done. Judea, done. Samaria, now in progress.

When the Communists kicked out the missionaries from China in 1949 everyone feared that it would be the end of Christianity in China but it gave birth to the house church movement, the number of Christians tripled over the next 30 years. In the last 30 years 80 million Chinese became Christians.

Philip is now breaking new ground for Jesus. Samaritans were the hated feral cousins of Jews and they were ethnically impure. They were the result of 10 tribes intermarrying with their Assyrian victors. The venom between a Samaritan and a Jew is like the venom between an Arab and a Jew. The worst thing the Jews could call Jesus

“… you are a Samaritan and demon possessed” ~John 8:48 (NIV)

They were spiritually impure, they opposed the building of the temple and they only held to the first 5 books of the bible. The real clue they were spiritually bankrupt was when they let Simon the sorcerer became so popular.

Now for some time a man named Simon had practised sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery ~Acts 8:9-11 (NIV)

He claimed to be great, he acted like he was great and they believed he was great. He was persuasive and all levels of society followed him. He practised in the dark arts, from sorcery to magic spells.

We had a former white witch come to Christ, she was into wicker, casting spells. I asked about her experiences and she said ‘I had a sense of peace when I did the chants, but the moment it was over the peace would leave me’. Coming to Christ gave her a permanent sense of peace.

God did not leave Samaria in the dark, He had a future for these people

… I will restore the fortunes … of Samaria and her daughters, ~Ezekiel 16:53 (NIV)

They had given up on the true God but God had not given up on them, He sent Philip to preach the good news that Jesus is the Messiah and with it came real signs and wonders, not your mickey mouse counterfeits.

But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women ~Acts 8:12 (NIV)

What Philip offered was not the works of men but works of God, not the words of men but the word of God, believing that Jesus is alive and Lord and King. The Samaritans went from “Simon says” to “Jesus says”. Simon himself repents and believes and is baptised. Simon who amazed others is himself now amazed

Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. ~Acts 8:13 (NIV)

Simon, this self-appointed great one bows before the greatest one - the Lord Jesus. But things are not quite right with his heart.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. ~Acts 8:14-17 (NIV)

Can you see the problem? I hope you can! We have a surprising delay between faith in Jesus and the baptism of Spirit. It did occur again in Acts 10 and 19. Why here and why now? For the first time the gospel has gone to the Samaritans. New barriers were broken down. Could Samaritans become Christian? Would they be equal with Jewish Christians?

In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Samaritan. For that reason, the Spirit is withheld until the Apostles lay hands and pray for them and only then does the Spirit come on them. It was absolutely crucial that the apostles could verify. The delay was not setting a pattern for all Christians. Be careful in turning a description into a prescription and confusing what is and what should be. The delay was to confirm once for all that Samaritans were in the kingdom. What happened to Jewish Christians in Jerusalem now happened to Samaritan Christians in Samaria. To prove it the section ends with Apostles preaching through the cities of Samaria.

This passage has been seriously misread and the real question is this: when and how does a person receive the Spirit of God?

1. Roman Catholics/Orthodox and some Anglicans say that you are not baptised in Spirit until your Confirmation by a bishop. That is why the hats of a bishop are shaped like flames of fire – Pentecost
2. Pentecostals say that there is a 2 step process in the Christian life. Step 1 Repent and Believe in Jesus and Step 2 Baptised by the Spirit, confirmed by speaking in tongues.

Only then will you have victory over sin and Satan, and the only proof of that is speaking in tongues.

Can you see why it's appealing? Which Christians don’t want more power, more joy and more victory in their life? But the bible is clear, speaking in tongues is a gift given to some not all and there is no mention of tongues in this passage. For others, it’s an attempt to find words to describe wonderful experiences that are given by the Spirit.

So, it’s a real experience but the wrong language, God`s Spirit does many works and it may be tied to gifting or godliness or grasping Christ love, but the language of Baptism of Spirit is not the right language. The Bible language is filled with the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit and fruit of the Spirit. Lifelong work of the Spirit in the Christian life.

Traditional Pentecostals see two classes of Christians, those Christians who are baptised with the Spirit and those who are not. Its ironic that the reason why God delays in giving the Spirit to the Samaritan is to affirm that there are no 2 classes of

Christians. Peter already said it on the day of Pentecost ‘Repent and you receive forgiveness and the gift of the Spirit’

Paul is also clear

For we were all baptized by one Spirit …—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ~1 Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)

No Christian has missed out, which is not to say that every person who claims to believe are genuine believers. Time sifts out those who are real and those who are not.

Simon the Sorcerer was one who believed and was baptised but there is something wrong with his faith.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ~Acts 8:18-19 (NIV)

Simon saw the Spirit come when the Apostles laid hands on them and he thought it was a kind of magic. Simon wanted to have access to that power and be great again. You could say that he wanted a good thing, to give the Spirit to others but Peter is not so kind.

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” ~Acts 8:20-23 (NIV)

Peter calls on Simon to repent and for Simon to pray for himself. He does not say, you have an evil spirit which needs to be delivered, he wants Simon himself to pray for mercy. Why is Peter so tough? Simon claimed to be on the inside as a believer in Jesus, if unchecked, Simon would do more damage than Persecution.

Simon wanted to buy his way into ministry in a way that Schumacher bought his way into Formula 1. We already saw the clues, he was overly impressed by signs and wonders and he came from a world of power, and self-glory. It still ran deep in his soul that was full of bitterness because the apostles were the focus and not him.

Peter knows what it’s like to be on the end of a stiff rebuke, remember when Jesus rebuked Peter “God behind me Satan you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men”

How do you receive a rebuke? It will determine how your Christian life will go, so many get one small negative comment or correction and they leave church. Don’t judge me!!! not every correction is right and not every right rebuke is done well but its how we grow brothers and sisters.

Simon needed to learn that you can`t buy your blessings from God. If a second baptism of the Spirit is a serious error then those who moved into Prosperity doctrine have reached a new low.

Is it not evil when we are told we can buy blessings from God, you can`t manipulate God to bless because He doesn’t need your money and He knows your heart.

If you have pledged thinking God owes you then take your pledge back or Repent. Give because you’re thankful or don’t give at all, give for God`s glory or don’t give at all, give because you want the lost saved or don’t give it at all.

Today we saw the Samaritans believe, and they were baptised, next time we resume Acts we will see the first Africans come to faith.

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“Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow!” Those were the last words of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple before he died at the age of 56. This was from a man who described death as “very likely the single best invention of life”. Whereas most of us fear death and do anything to avoid thinking about it or talking about it, Steve wanted to capture the beauty of death.

Today, we’re going to look at the last words from another man named Steve, these were words that cost him his very own life.
And yet that didn’t stop him at all, he didn’t back down and he didn’t shy away from the truth.

Now before we look at the speech, let’s just remind ourselves of where we’ve been in Acts. Jesus has died. He’s risen. He’s ascended back to heaven. But one of Jesus’ last words which frames the whole of the book

But you [the apostles] will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~Acts 1:8 (NIV)

OK, so come to Chapter 6 and let’s do the status check. The Holy Spirit has well and truly been poured out. Last week we left things at Acts 6:7.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. ~Acts 6:7 (NIV)

There’s plenty of witnessing going on in Jerusalem. Priests are turning to Jesus.

Judea? Not yet.
Samaria? Not yet.
Ends of the earth?

The mission’s got a long way to go, there’s work to be done and Stephen takes it upon himself to get the ball rolling.

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. ~Acts 6:8-9 (NIV)

We saw last week that Stephen was 1 of only 7 deacons who were chosen to serve food to the widows, but that’s not the reason why he’s copping some opposition in verse 9. You don’t offend anyone by doing good deeds or performing miracles, do you?

Christianity’s not called NICE-ianity. No - it’s called CHRIST-ianity because the main game is Jesus. It’s all about him!
And Stephen can’t stop talking about Jesus.

See, being a Christian, and if you’re here today and you wouldn’t call yourself a Christian, we are so glad you’re with us.
In fact, let me speak to you for a moment: to call yourself a Christian is more than being nice and friendly. Sure, that might be one of the things that’s attracted you to check out Christianity in the first place! Maybe you’ve had a friend or a family member, who just seems different, they don’t gossip, they don’t badmouth and they seem secure.

Christianity is that but it’s way more than that. Because to be a Christian it’s to look at the world in a totally different way. The things we chase after, how you spend your time, your money, your attitude to relationships, sex, work and sometimes (often) that kind of counter-cultural thinking results in butting heads. Because deep down what’s happened is there’s been a massive switch, a swap, a change of allegiance. No longer are you living for yourself. Instead, you’re living for the one who rescued you, Jesus, God’s one and only way out of the mess we’ve brought upon ourselves. This is more than doing good. This is good news! It’s this message coming out of Stephen’s mouth, that was landing him in hot water!

That’s why I thank God for those of you who’ve stuck your neck out for Jesus. Those who’ve opened your mouths for Jesus. Even if that’s meant opposition. I think of the grandparent who faithfully, sensitively, drops Jesus into the conversation even though her daughter and son-in-law doesn’t want a bar of Jesus. I think of the uni-student who gently disagrees when her classmate pays out on Jesus and then later has a personal conversation to hear how she came up with that view, because chances are there’s some previous hurt. I think of the guy who at a mate’s bucks party, calls it a night when everyone else is heading to the strip club.

You can see that following Jesus comes with a cost, it does today and it did back then. For Stephen in Acts 6, that opposition came in three stages. This was an all-out smear campaign against Stephen, what began with arguing quickly escalates to spreading lies.

Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” ~Acts 6:11 (NIV)

That then moves to stage 3: seizing Stephen and dragging him before the authorities and for good measure, let’s throw in some false witnesses as well. Come verse 13 we hear the accusation being levelled at Stephen is this.

“This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” ~Acts 6:13-14 (NIV)

You have to understand that for a Jew there’s nothing more sacred, nothing more precious, than the temple and their law. These were prized possessions in Jewish culture. The temple was where God had promised to ‘put his name’. It was the place where he would meet his people. The physical building represented security and God’s protection. The law, otherwise known as the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible. These were the precious words given by God to Moses. It constituted, it defined Israel as God’s chosen people, it was their history and how they were to related to their God.

The law and the temple, these were cultural icons. It’s what made you Jewish. They were like, say the Aboriginal flag to Australians or the Statue of Liberty to Americans or what Nelson Mandela is to South Africa. Well Stephen, by attacking these Jewish fixtures, it’d almost be like him burning the national flag. That’s how serious it was.

Now before we dive into Stephen’s response it’s worth noting this verse:

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. ~Acts 6:15 (NIV)

Let’s just pause for a sec there. Can you imagine being there in the audience? Stephen’s in the dock and all eyes are on this prisoner, only you have to do a double-take, hang on a sec there’s a different Stephen and he looks like an angel!

This is a throwback to what happened to Moses as he walked down from Mount Sinai. That just as God caused the people back in that day to see that Moses had God’s tick of approval, so too He does the same with Stephen now. Stephen’s not an apostle, one of God’s appointed eyewitnesses. But he sure seems like he’s the total package, he’s full of God’s grace and power, he’s got Spirit-given wisdom and now he has the shining face to go with it. Stephen is without a doubt God’s anointed and appointed for what’s about to happen. God wants those listening to what Stephen’s about to say, to know that these words come with the authority of God himself.

Come Chapter 7. We now get Stephen’s speech! Its the longest speech recorded for us in the book of Acts. Some people joke it’s so long because that was Stephen’s way of buying time, so he could live longer! But more than self-defence in the face of death, more than being an outstanding summary of the entire Old Testament, which it is. More than Stephen just talking through the family tree, more than this being simply a history lesson, Acts 7 is a rousing wake up call!!!

Get with the Program. If you had to sum up what Stephen’s said then that’s what I’d say: get with the program; listen up! Don’t follow in the footsteps and don’t make the same mistakes your ancestors did. God has come good on the promises he’s made all along to our ancestors and Jesus is better! The old has gone and the new is here.

Now you break down the details of Stephen’s speech, and he really takes those two accusations that have been levelled at him, the temple and the law, and what he masterfully does is give the back story of what God intended with those two cultural icons.

So first the temple. Stephen’s point here is - you can’t box God in! The God of glory can’t be contained to one building or in one city. Stephen says to look at Abraham! God appeared to him in Mesopotamia, in modern-day Iraq and God blessed Joseph where? In Egypt! Second half of Verse 9:

....But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. ~Acts 7:9-10 (NIV)

God’s always been a God on the move. Next stop, Midian in Saudi Arabia as Moses leads his people out of slavery.

In fact, you guys are here today living in the Promised Land but Abraham, Joseph and Moses didn’t even make it in alive! Their dead skeletons had to be carried in! and yet God was just as much with them, present with them, speaking to them, God spoke to Moses from a burning bush and He was no less committed to blessing them, temple or no temple.

In fact, the physical temple building itself that didn’t even turn up on the scene till WAY down the track, after David because it was Solomon who built it. Stephen says ‘you Jews, you’ve known this is the way God’s been working all along. In fact, don’t you remember Isaiah, one of our very own saying these words:

“However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?’ ~Acts 7:48-50 (NIV)

God can go wherever he pleases, He’s not tied down to one location! God is on the move and on the march, accompanying, directing, guiding, calling his people from here, there and everywhere!

And now, thanks to Jesus, the temple’s been upgraded to a person. We meet God in the person of Jesus, He’s the new temple. You and I, we don’t make pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Why? Because we can meet God right here, here in the Scriptures. That’s why we, as a church, have been on about 1 thing and 1 thing only since the very beginning, introducing people to Jesus, from the Scriptures and in the context of loving relationships.

So in response to charge Number 1: That Jesus will destroy the temple. The verdict is in and Stephen is guilty as charged.

What about Charge number 2: Changing the customs of Moses. Well here the tables have turned, the accused becomes the accuser. Stephen points the finger at Israel’s track record of treating Moses. For me, verse 35 pretty much captures it, in the second half we read that:

…he (Moses) was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself’ ~Acts 7:35c (NIV)

But in the first half, Stephen says this:

“This is the same Moses they had rejected... ~Acts 7:35a (NIV)

And how did they reject Moses? by saying:

…‘Who made you ruler and judge?’… ~Acts 7:35b (NIV)

In verse 39 Stephen mentions again how Moses was treated:

“But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. ~Acts 7:39 (NIV)

Stephen says: You want to accuse me of getting Moses wrong? Well look yourselves in the eye, look at what our ancestors have done. When God sent Moses for our good, to make himself known, what did we do? We rejected him, we refused him, we would much rather worship a golden calf, some dead, worthless, pretend god who was puny and powerless. The history of the Jews again and again and again, it’s God moving towards his people and them pushing HIM away.

Essentially Stephen is saying, the problem isn’t God, it’s you! You’re the ones that are missing what’s there right in front of your eyeballs! you’re too busy being caught up in your traditions and customs. In a word, the problem is this: Idolatry. They turned good things, good, God-given things, like the temple. like the law of Moses and they turned those good things into God things.

What’s going on here is a refusal to let go, a refusal to see the bigger picture because all along the Jews have been fixated on pursuing their agenda rather than God’s, of keeping their customs and preserving their way of life instead of getting with God’s program.

Today, in church life, it’s no different. Rob helpfully alluded to some of these things last week. I was in one of those churches where it felt like we spent an excessive amount of time deciding what chairs we were going to buy. At another church, we were forever doing the delicate dance of being mindful of existing customs and traditions and not offending the original people who started the church and were still alive. Changes needed to be made for the sake of the gospel and there were cultural sensitivities involved. Both things were valid, but both, in my opinion, distracted us from getting on with the mission of Jesus.

Come verse 51. Stephen after putting the temple and the law in their proper context now gets stuck right into his audience. And I mean stuck in.

“You stiff-necked people… ~Acts 7:51 (NIV)

I remember a few years ago I woke up with a locked neck, I couldn’t turn and I couldn’t drive because I couldn’t check the blindspots. It carries that idea - you’re stuck in your ways, you’re stubborn, you won’t budge.

Stephen’s not done yet, he moves further down the body.

… with uncircumcised hearts and ears… ~Acts 7:51 (NIV)

Essentially Stephen’s saying this: The problem isn’t God, it’s you! Sure, you might be circumcised to mark you out as a Jew, but in terms of being circumcised where it matters, in your hearts and in your ears, the foreskin’s still on! It’s a graphic as that!!

Stephen’s not done yet, he’s still turning the screws.

…you are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him ~Acts 7:51-52 (NIV)

Instead of like father, like son, here it’s like ancestor, like you. Time and time again, they’ve failed to get with the program. The one thing Israel’s leaders have been good at is this, Rejecting God’s messengers, dragging them over the coals and they’ve even put some of them to death!

If you’re someone here today and you’re not yet a follower of Jesus, let me ask you, What’s stopping you? The thing about saying No to Jesus, again and again, is that you get very good at it. Perhaps the take-home for you today is what Peter was driving home: Get with the program.

Maybe you’ve been hanging around church for a while and you’re not happy with the way things are done, you want church to fit in around you. You know - why hasn’t church given me a best friend? Why hasn’t anyone from church reached while I’m doing it tough? Why is my kid not following Jesus? Well, the take-home for you is exactly the same: Get with the program.

See the bigger picture of what God has done, is doing and will do. He’s in the business of putting all things under the rule and authority of Jesus and that includes us!

Over the course of this week, I’ve developed a litmus test for myself. A self-check to see how on board with the program I really am. I’ve found myself asking again and again: Do I have that same fire in the belly as Stephen? What things do I get upset about? What things do make me want to speak up? To not back down. What things make my blood boil? What I’ve realised is this that for me, there’s been plenty of times when it’s been things other than the gospel.

Maybe like me, you need to ask God to put that burden on your heart, to make the mission of Jesus the forefront of your mind, your ambitions and your heart. To let that be at the centre and let everything else fall into place around that.

I want to be upset at the fact I spend more time pursuing small, tiny, limited dreams, things that revolve around me. Or limited to just this lifetime when God has given me a much bigger, a much better, a much bolder vision of the future. I want to feel the weight and the burden of the people around me, failing to treat Jesus rightly, the way he deserves.

That was the weight that Stephen felt. That’s what compelled him to do what he does in verse 54 when the heat is being turned up. When things are about to come to a head, Stephen looks up to heaven and what does he see?

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ~Acts 7:55-56 (NIV)

The layers of heaven are peeled back as much for Stephen as it is for the Sandhedrin.

For the Sanhedrin it’s a sign, your authority is being stripped away, the Son of Man, God himself is calling the shots now. The Jesus you’ve rejected, that you’ve killed, He is the one standing in all authority. He will judge and deliver his verdict because he carries the authority of God himself. Your rejection of Jesus, that’s rejecting God.

For Stephen, it provides great comfort and great confidence. That what he’s been saying all along has got God’s tick of approval. He has well and truly got with God’s program. Whereas at the start of his speech, he had the face of an angel now he is able to set his gaze directly at the glory of God. He’s able to see God in all his splendour and majesty. You can understand how Stephen, having laid eyes on the glory of God, how he can face what happens next.

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. ~Acts 7:57-58 (NIV)

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. ~Acts 7:59-60 (NIV)

Notice here two very different responses, one use their position to kill, to silence and to engage in violence. The other uses their power to forgive.

For Stephen what a way to die! He’s seen the glory of God, he’s seen the bigger picture, there’s no fear in death at all for him. He can echo the words of the Lord Jesus himself who cried out to his Father on that cross: “Receive my spirit” and he can pray like Jesus too! Pray an other-person centred prayer, for his enemies, that they would be forgiven for the very thing they’re doing as they’re getting stuck into Stephen. Murdering another one of God’s messengers, just like their ancestors did. Following in the footsteps of their family.

Right to his dying breath Stephen is other person centred! Stephen speaks as one who knows what it’s like to not have his sin held against him.

I said at the start Steve Jobs’ last words were: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow." Well, I want to say about Stephen: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow."

Stephen is the first martyr but he’s definitely not the last. In fact, Stephen is part of our story today because it’s the death of Stephen that blows things up. It’s this event that kickstarts the global expansion of Christianity. The disciples become scattered as we’ll see next week and God’s word will continue to spread. Things won’t be the same after today, what was once a localised affair, will go gangbusters, reaching all the way to you and I, here 2,000 years later.

Thanks to the boldness of Stephen, he is part of our story, he played a part in you and I being able to hear this wonderful news of Jesus. The challenge is this, who’s story are you seeking to be part of? Is that something that’s on your mind?
Is that something you’re asking God for?

For me, this past week, the person who God’s put me in regular contact is a lady who stands outside my house every weekday morning and every weekday afternoon, she’s the “School Crossing Supervisor”. It’s still very early days and I don’t even know her name but we’ve had a couple of conversations over the past few weeks. This week I got to say that I work at church and next week, the last week of school, I’m praying for an opportunity to invite her to Christmas.

Now what happens God only knows but we have a tremendous opportunity coming up to Christmas to be part of someone’s story don’t we. It’s why we’re committed to sending a launch team to Parramatta next year, so that they too can be part of someone’s story. A story that may involve them saying Yes to Jesus.

Let me ask you, the challenge is this, who’s story are you going to be part of?

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In the history of the church, there have been some massive controversies that have split the church.

The divinity of Jesus. How is a person saved, by faith or by works. Baptism to the Lord’s supper. From Scripture to the Holy Spirit, there have been some serious church splits over these issues. And some were needed!

But there have also been some big fights over things that aren’t anywhere near as important... Some of these things still cause some of the biggest divisions in church today!

Here’s a few:

• The colour of the carpet or when it’s time for replacing.
• The choice of the chairs, pews or single chairs? Which way should they face and what colour should they be.
• Music choice, hymns or modern songs, more heartfelt, more truth. In a church I visited in Africa, there were 3 separate choirs because they couldn’t agree on what songs they wanted to sing, so the service went for 20 minutes longer for each choir to do their round of songs.
• The air-conditioning temperature! It’s always too warm for Ray but I’d have it on freezing summer and winter if I could because I’m such a sweater!
• Dress code, especially on stage, shoes off? I heard of a church petitioning for all their pastors to be clean-shaven, therefore I’m out!
• People have left churches over decisions about what coffee beans to use in their coffee ministry.
• One of the biggest troubles I had in a previous church was over how we set up the Church Facebook groups.
• In COVID times, to sing or not to sing...

Well we see here in this passage one of the first church quarrels, up until now the heat’s been coming from the outside but now it’s getting heated on the inside and rather than being about trivial things, it’s a serious issue, let’s check it out. Presenting Issue:

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ~Acts 6:1 (NIV)

So, we have a problem! It’s important to note that it’s a good problem! The number of disciples was increasing, Praise God! after being heavily persecuted. But with more people comes more complexity and these widows are missing out on support.

Now, remember, back in chapter 4 people were sharing their stuff, selling fields, and bringing money to the Apostles to distribute to whoever was in need.

Up to this point, the Apostles have been overseeing everything, the teaching and the organising of the church and also the social needs of people in their community, that’s 12 guys for thousands of people! Seems like, they’ve got their hands full, they’ve got a load of work to do and something’s falling off the table. We’ve all been there before, too much to do and something’s got to fall, what or who will it be? How do we make the decision?

Something important to note here is that this ministry to the widows was a service to those inside the church. These widows are Christian and possibly relatives of other Christians who were a part of the new community of believers. This daily distribution is a ministry to those in need within the Christian community. It’s not an example of the early Church’s endeavour to relieve Jerusalem of poverty and hunger. These weren’t just hungry widows needing food. This isn’t your downtown food shelter where anyone can roll up and grab a warm meal. This ministry is not a wider social justice endeavour.

Now that’s not to say that that kind of thing isn’t important, needed, good and right. It has its place in the Christian life and the witness of the Church, it’s just not what was going on here. What’s going on here is a demonstration of the body of Christians, the community of Jesus believers serving and caring for one another in the church. It’s a continuation of the beautiful picture at the end of chapter 4. That is, doing the Christian life together well. But at this point, they weren’t doing it so well. So, what do they do?

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. ~Acts 6:2 (NIV)

What could they not let fall off the table? The ministry of the word! Why? Because the Church’s mission is accomplished through the ministry of the word. The Gospel is a message and if it stops going out, the Church ceases to exist. The Church is not merely a social club, it is a spirit-filled community, brought into existence by people putting their faith in the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The church exists, grows and continues, by the ministry of the Word of God! And these Apostles have been specifically entrusted with that ministry by Jesus himself! If they let that slip then they’ve failed.

But, there’s a whole lot more that needs to happen within the community, and a commitment to the word doesn’t make everything else unimportant! The word must go out, but the church also needs to function. People need to be loved.

I think we can often create this unhelpful priority to the two things, and make them opposed to one another so that serving one another’s needs and organising church can be seen as an enemy of the word ministry. But that’s not the way the bible speaks about them. The bible holds them together much more tightly. This passage is saying, and this is the point here... Both things are extremely important but both accomplish different things.

The poor and struggling won’t be fed or cared for if no one helps feed and care for them. It doesn’t happen if we don’t do it. Likewise, the lost will not be saved, if no one preaches the gospel to them. Food won’t save someone from sin to eternal life. In the same way, the gospel doesn’t magically make clothes and food appear on a kitchen table. Both need to happen but both aren’t the same thing.

Let’s have a think about each of them. Jesus said the Church will be known by the way we love and care for one another. In the Old Testament law, God was always concerned for his people to be looking out for those in need. I’ve been reading Jeremiah and it’s striking how when God judges his people, it’s often because of their lack of care for widows, for orphans, for the poor and needy among them. They overlooked them.

The New Testament’s also flooded with calls to care for the weak, support the poor and practice hospitality, to share with one another. Use the things we have to ensure others are getting on ok to live sacrificial lives of love for one another in the church, that’s what Jesus calls us to do.

We are a body, and we function well together as we all care equally for one another, it's like trying to walk when you’ve got a sore toe. But God also says the Church is built on the foundation of the Scriptures; the prophets and Apostles. And the way it grows and functions well is by being fed with God’s word. So, we’re called to teach the word, guard the word, obey the word and be transformed by the word.

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. ~Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

A well-functioning Church makes sure both things are happening. So, what was their solution to keep both going?

Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” ~Acts 6:3 (NIV)

Now notice here what kind of people were raised up, not just people with the right skills but the right convictions and character. These men are well known among the community, tested and approved and they’re full of 2 things, The Spirit & Wisdom.

Now being full of the Holy Spirit means firstly that they’re believers! United but also they’re following the Spirit’s lead in all areas of life. To have the Spirit and not be filled by Him is to be at war with him as he seeks to work in you. These men are working to align their whole life with his will. They’re also full of wisdom and wisdom according to the bible is usually in regards to having a right view of God and being able to make good decisions about things in life because of that. These men are mature Christians, they listen to the word and do what it says.

There’s a challenge there for each of us, would you have been chosen as one of these people to take up this ministry? If not then why? What things in your Christian life are lacking or getting in the way of you giving yourself to God’s work in this way? This particular role of theirs is later described as being a Deacon a word you might have heard before, especially as we’ve been talking about pledging at this time of year.

In 1 Timothy 3 Paul describes the differing roles of Elders or pastors (overseers), and deacons. The word Deacon literally means a servant, it’s the Greek word that we get the word ministry from. It’s the act of doing a service of taking one thing and passing it on. This passage contrasts 2 ministries, serving/distributing food for the widows and serving/distributing the word. So, the Apostles call on the church here to gather a group of people to take up and oversee this ministry of serving the widows, so the word ministry doesn’t have to stop.

Our deacons here at MBM essentially do the same service for us pastors. They work at a higher level, overseeing things like the finances, building and property things, a lot of the behind the scenes managing. They do those things so that the pastors don’t get completely bogged down with those important things and then can’t continue to commit ourselves to teaching and praying, pastoring. And we thank God for them! and so should you.

I just want to publicly honour them now actually. If you didn’t know, our deacons are: Steve Pieri, Jono Anderson, Ed Johnson, Aron Calfas, you have to know that most of these guys have been growth group leaders or done other various word ministries in the past, some are still heavily involved in word stuff. I asked one of them this week what he loves about being a deacon at MBM: He said “The deacons meeting is honestly the one meeting I’ve never dreaded going to, it’s such a joy to work with some amazingly skilled guys to take care of a range of things so our pastors can focus on the main game - people and Jesus” and he said “it’s also good being able to be behind the scenes and not have to be upfront.”

I also need to mention Bruce Winters and Leanne Shepherd who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make so much ministry happen and function! There’s plenty more along with them!

It was beautiful to see on Monday, while we were having our staff meeting and had just spent time praying, to look outside and see our brother Warren Kuschert spraying weeds and fixing up the gardens and Frank Spiteri and his team working on the maintenance around the place.

It’s not only the official Deacons who are involved in organising and overseeing things to ensure the word isn’t neglected. Everyone who helps out in any way around the place to free-others up, who have been equipped for word ministries, (kids ministry and youth, and Growth Group leaders), you are ensuring that the ministry of the word continues! You’re ensuring Christian growth can happen, ensuring lives are saved, ensuring the mission of Lord Jesus doesn’t come to a screeching halt in our generation, in our Church. So thank you!
Keep praying for those who teach, that we’d stay faithful in our devotion to it.

OK, So how does the church respond?

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. ~Acts 6:5-6 (NIV)

If you know anything about the origin of names, you’ll notice the men they chose have Greek names. They choose Greek men to care for their own Greek widows, those who had the issue have become solutions to the issue. As you know those who know their culture serve their culture best.

And if you know anything about the next few chapters in Acts... 2 of these guys end up out there preaching the word in massive ways. Next week we’ll meet Stephen, who gives a powerful speech to the Sanhedrin and ends up stoned for testifying about Jesus, he’s the first Christian Martyr. Then Philip goes out evangelising a bunch of villages along with the Ethiopian Eunuch! It’s not about doing one or the other.

in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord, always be ready to give a reason for the hope you have. ~1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Whether you make coffee or set up seats, serve morning tea or help people into the car park, if you’re a Christian, we all play our part in the ministry of the word and the growth of the Church! Amen?

Honestly, those Christians who say talking about Jesus just isn’t my thing, I just stick to helping people, I know it feels safer but as someone once said: “How much do you have to hate someone to have the life-saving message of Jesus and not try to share it with them, knowing they’re on their way to hell” Love does both right, it helps them in their need and holds out the gospel.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. ~Acts 6:7 (NIV)

A transformed community transforms communities! Remember in the chapter before this, the priests were the ones persecuting the Apostles and now with the Apostles freed up to focus on prayer and the word, they’re turning to Jesus.

Let me say a few things in reflection on MBM and this passage. At MBM we’re committed to the word and prayer that’s why we open the bible and preach every week. It's why we run kids church and youth group and why we have prayer meetings. Its why we pray together in our staff meetings all through the week. It’s why we’re also committed to seeing all our members gathering around the word in smaller communities in our growth groups, which is also where a lot of prayer happens.

We’re also committed to training leaders to handle the word better, so we can all grow. If you’re keen to grow in the word come and chat with us, we need Leaders. It’s also why we don’t load our church calendar with a bunch of really fun social events, but we do make sure we guard our church gatherings, our small groups meetings and our explaining Christianity courses. We’re committed to people hearing the word and we’re also committed to caring for one another. We see that happening mainly in those small groups through the week, where you can be known and know others so you can know better how to care for them.

But that’s not the only place care happens. I was so encouraged when COVID first hit to see people so willing to offer assistance to anyone in need. So, we set up our care@mbm.org.au email address for anyone needing assistance. If that is you at the moment, please don’t do what these Greek Jews did and just grumble, get in touch so we can help you. We’re also committed to seeing every member doing their part so we can all function better together. You have gifts that God has given to only you and what a blessing we can be to each other and the gospel as we put those gifts into practice.

If you haven’t found your place in a serving team or role yet, please come and speak to us. But mainly we want to keep asking the honest question about what we might be doing that’s getting in the way of the word continuing to go out. And I ask you all to keep helping us clear those blockages so we can see a western Sydney who know and love the Lord Jesus, who have a secure place in heaven, and who’s lives now are being transformed by His Spirit.

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If you’re thinking about becoming a Christian, think again!

Jesus was very clear “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.”

In the 1960s we Christians were viewed as irrelevant, by the 1970s we were a joke and by the 1980s we were viewed as narrow-minded and stupid. In the last 5 years Christianity is viewed as dangerous and the bible as hate speech. Covid has taken some of the heat out the debate but it’s coming back and it will never stop! So friends, be prepared.

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ~2 Timothy 3:12 (NIV)

Today's passage is round 2 of persecution in the early church. God's message won't be stopped, God is behind the mission of the Lord Jesus. The apostles asked for signs and wonders and they got it

Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. ~Acts 5:16 (NIV)

All who came were healed, God was confirming that Jesus is the living Lord, by the sheer number of miracles, the extradentary nature of the miracles and now drawing from people outside Jerusalem. God is truly at work. They were giving the Jewish leaders every reason to repent.

Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. ~Acts 5:17-21 (NIV)

The Sadducees taught that there was no life after death and the apostles taught that Jesus is risen. You can see why people were shifting loyalties. If your worldview can't answer the problem of death then it’s time to change your worldview. Its everyone's felt need, there is lots of false hope.

You can now send a hologram of someone who has died to speak a message to a loved one from the grave. Kanye West did one for Kim Kardashian of her dead father. False hope!

My brother in law Greg was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer a week ago. It was his trust in the living Lord Jesus that made him face life threatening surgery with confidence.

If the Christians are filled with the Spirit then these Sadducees are now filled with jealousy. Out of jealousy they arrest the apostles for the 2nd time and put them in jail overnight. But when you oppose God it will come to nothing, so God sends an angel, which by the way the Sadducees don’t believe in. The angel opens the prison doors and directs the apostles to preach at the temple.

The next day the council convenes and everyone has turned up except the apostles and they are nowhere to be found. Then the leaders hear that the jail doors were locked tight, the prisons guards did not leave their post and the jail is as empty as Jesus tomb. And they are bemused, they go from jealousy to puzzled, people say “I will believe if I can see” well the evidence is mounting but they cannot see.

I remember asking an Atheist Relative “if Jesus were to appear today would you believe.?” “No!” it was never about the evidence. All the leaders can see is that their orders to be silent have been disobeyed, so they arrested the 12 now for the 3rd time.

“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” ~Acts 5:28 (NIV)

They are upset at getting blamed for Jesus death, this is so ironic.

All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” ~Matthew 27:25 (NIV)

They got exactly what they asked for and yet the message of the cross is that their guilt does not have to fall on them. Their guilt, your guilt can fall on Christ in our place. The apostles were not about to apologise for pointing people to the risen Jesus.

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! ~Acts 5:29 (NIV)

We are forever faced with this choice, God or human. Its not often obey God v obey humans, Jesus said the reason why people do not go public with their faith

for they loved human praise more than praise from God. ~John 12:43 (NIV)

I was talking to someone last week, a self-confessed people pleaser, they decided to draw different stick figures with the name of every significant person in their life. They then systematically crossed over each person, they were trying to live for the applause of one.

Notice the 12 apostles are so bold for Jesus, but Boldness is just Bravado when it’s not based on truth

The apostles make the same case as before:

1. They crucified Jesus
2. God they both claimed to worship
3. He raised him from the dead and placed at his right hand as Prince and saviour
4. Both the apostles and the Spirit himself testify to this truth, if that is all that was said you can see why they are furious.
5. But listen to what is said.

God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. ~Acts 5:31 (NIV)

There is a way out - with repentance comes the promise of forgiveness. This was their chance to lead God's people into repentance. I often wonder, what stops them and us from taking up the call to repent.

Is it pride?

• That I have to admit to my sins;
• That I have to concede that: Jesus is right and I am wrong

Is it shame?

• Owning publicly they murdered the Messiah
• Can't come to Christ without confession on their lips

Is it fear?

• Fear of upsetting people whose love and respect you
• Fear of being an outcast in a tight community
• Fear of being accused of cultural disloyal

It has never been cool to come to Christ. Is it too good to be true? Sometimes people never get passed the bad news and
so miss out on the good news. Or is it the cost of commitment, for if Jesus is Prince then they would need to obey him. If Jesus is saviour then they would need to trust him. It means that I have to get out of the drivers seat and let Jesus take control.

So, which is holding you back and is it worth it? Fear, Shame, Pride, or Cost of commitment. That is why the Spirit has to witness to your Spirit that Jesus is Lord. But who is interrogating who? It may look like the apostles are on trial but it's the ruling council who are on trial

When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. ~Acts 5:33 (NIV)

Watch the emotional words in this passage. Jealousy becomes Fear and Fear leads to Rage. Every instinct in me wants to say to the apostles tread lightly boys and don’t cause trouble. That is what I feel like saying to our Prime Minister when he talks tough on China on the inquiry into COVID. I'm thinking ScoMo tread lightly you’re going to ruin our trade and our farmers are going to pay a heavy price. Sometimes you say the right thing regardless of the cost.

There is a real place for being winsome, it’s never right to be rude and cruel but sometimes the truth needs to be said loud and clear.

They can’t be forgiven unless they repent, they can’t repent unless they confess their sin and they won’t confess their sin unless they confess Jesus to be their Lord and Saviour. In the face of death threats God provides an unlikely rescue.

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ~Acts 5:34-35 (NIV)

Gamaliel cites two cases to make his point. Two men, Theudas and Judas of Galilee, both led a rebellion and both were killed and their followers were scattered and both movements came to nothing.

Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” ~Acts 5:38-39 (NIV)

Leave them alone and let them go, don’t kill them and he gives 2 reasons. If its just another human ideology then it won’t last.
That is why when I see Christians push another human ideology learnt at the university of Facebook or Google I think, friends remember the words of Jesus “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away.” Only Jesus words stand the test of time and nothing else.

At one level success is not the only criteria if something is from God otherwise Macdonald's and Islam are from God. I put it this way “Not all success is from God but if it is God-given it will succeed”

Part of the reason why I believe in Jesus is that what Jesus promised in Acts 1:8 has taken place. The Good news as spread from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria to the ends of the world. “Christianity is believed by people from over 2000 different language groups in the world. More people pray and worship in more languages than in any other religion in the world.”

Its why we have a God-given optimism toward growth and that is why we seek to plant 5 congregations in 10 years and ask God for a 1000 new disciples and that is why I don’t apologise in calling for every person who makes MBM home to financially partner in Gods work.

But more than that you stand against the cause of Christ, you stand against God himself and that is not just Wrong its Dumb. Its why the Jewish leaders are so frustrated, you can’t take on God and win and it’s why some of you are so exhausted, you’re warring against God. The word is to surrender and let Jesus set you free! If God is for us who can be against us. If God is against you then heaven help you, because there is no hope.

But this is no Disneyland Christianity.

His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ~Acts 5:40 (NIV)

The God who raised Jesus from dead, who sent an angel to set the apostles free, the God who provided Gamaliel to protect the apostles from death. Still allowed them be flogged, 39 lashes to be exact on the back of each of the 12. So brutal it has caused some to bleed to death.

There is no force field protecting Christians, in fact, when the angel who set them free sent them back into the firing lines they asked for boldness that would get them into more trouble. Their boldness is escalating the conflict and its bringing further suffering on them. Eventually, the 12 apostles will be killed for their witness to risen Jesus.

Peter himself will be crucified in Rome upside down and none of it makes sense if they lied about seeing Jesus alive.

I love their response to the flogging.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. ~Acts 5:41 (NIV)

They saw the 39 lashes on their backs opening up their skin as a privilege. To walk in the footsteps of Jesus who for the joy set before him endured the shame of the cross-honour. The honour of suffering shame for his glorious Name, the only name by which we can be saved. A joy that refused to be silenced.

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah ~Acts 5:41 (NIV)

I've put on the top of my list of impossible prayer points, "Lord give me spiritual courage to speak boldly about the good news of the Lord Jesus". I invite you to do likewise.

At bible study this week we talked of what persecution looks like for them: accused of believing in fairy tales, of being left out and sidelined. One young man, who works on building sites, mentioned he was a Christian at work, the site manager made sure every person could hear him say “I have more hope in believing in werewolves and zombies” The rumour spread around the building site, opening up for more ridicule. I asked him what did he do “I prayed: Father forgive them for they know not what they do” Then I asked how did you feel? I wished he could have spoken better but so glad I could speak, the bible verse on his app that day was:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. ~Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)

Don’t be rude but don’t be ashamed or intimidated brother and sister. We are the only ones who have the answer to death. We have a living faith because we have a living Lord who has made us alive.

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So far it's been a great ride in the book of Acts. These new Spirit filled Christians are so grateful for being forgiven. There is bold preaching in the face of opposition.

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. ~Acts 4:33 (NIV)

The church keeps growing from 12-120 from 3,000-5000. How encouraging?!

Sometimes in life everything falls into place, there are moments in life where everything is just right. It's true in Church where everything is humming:

• Season of fruitfulness, where the word is preached and lots of people are saved.
• Season of faithfulness, where people are servant-hearted and generous and love is the norm.

In Acts 4 we have a second picture of a beautifully transformed community

1. Radical unity

All the believers were one in heart and mind. ~Acts 4:32 (NIV)

When there is a deep unity to Christ there is a deep unity to each other. As John Piper said “When you become united to Jesus by faith, you become united to people by love.”

2. Radical view to their own possessions

Faith in Christ creates a love for people.

No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ~Acts 4:32b (NIV)

A love for God cuts us loose from a love for things. They still had private ownership, they meet in their homes but no one claimed their possession as their own:

• My house is yours to use
• My food is your food to eat
• My time is your time to enjoy

God has been so generous to us it is only right that we are generous to each other. If you sit tight with Jesus you will sit loose with your possessions.

3. Sacrificial generosity

It wasn’t just you can borrow my car and sleep in the spare room.

For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. ~Acts 4:34b-35 (NIV)

Remember this is on top of their normal giving, that is what makes it sacrificial. Some sold property and gave the money to the apostles to distribute it to the poor. It was sporadic, from time to time. It didn’t happen every day and not everyone owns land to sell. The land I am standing on is the result of one Mr. Lamb who gave it to the parish of Rooty Hill 130 years ago, its the gift that keeps giving.

The land on which Oakhurst Anglican and Richard Johnson is built on was given by a former member of this church. In fact, people leaving properties in wills has resulted in lots of churches being built.

As a rule, everything we have belongs to God and is to be used to bless others. Whatever your source of income we are called to give our first portion to God purposes, if you earn a wage or if you make a profit from a land sale or gain an inheritance. Don’t just keep it all for yourself and family, give the first portion for God`s work and the needs of others, there is no greater need than to be saved from sins. At present 40% has been pledged to cover our next budget. I call on you play your part and partner with us, fill out a pledge card and drop it in today.

4. Grace driven Generosity

And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. ~Acts 4:33-34a (NIV)

Inspired not by the law of God but the grace of God, it was not forced but joyfully given from the heart. It was willing not under compulsion. The Lord loves a cheerful giver.

5. Distributed according to need

There were checks and balances in Old Testament law-making, sure, widows and orphans were taken care of. The goal was for there to be no poor person.

However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, ~Deuteronomy 15:4 (NIV)

Now that dream is realised in this Spirit-filled community.

In 1987 the then prime minister Bob Hawke said "By 1990, no Australian child will be living in poverty," He did admit to regret that promise.

And yet we have much to be thankful for in Australia, we may not appreciate the early church but we have an economy that is a delicate blend of free enterprise and a welfare state. We got here because of Christian introduced biblical principles into parliament. We have a free-market economy with a welfare net, free Education, and Medicare, Pensions and Benefits for pensioners, the sick, the unemployed and the disabled. We have Financial assistance for those in need. Most recently the job keeper and job starter allowance represents 36% of government expenditure. Not perfect but a lot to be thankful for.

Unlike the Australian welfare system, the early church did not feed its poor by taxes imposed by apostles. Unlike Communism
there was no bloody revolution in Jerusalem to make it happen.

Unlike legalistic religion, there were no guilt trips. Just the grace of God moving in the hearts of thankful, forgiven sinners.
The Spirit loosens our relationship to things and tightens our
relationship to people.

One case study was the man Barnabas.

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”),sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. ~Acts 4:36-37 (NIV)

Barnabas is mentioned because he will play a big role in the book of Acts, he is the full package, generous with his money, he preaches Jesus, he loves God`s people, he is reaching the lost and he is a man to imitate.

We know him by his nickname, Barnabas means son of encouragement. What is your nickname? Growing up mine was Pitt Galea, I was a bottomless pit and I could eat anything and everything.

Barnabas, son of Encouragement was not attached to things which freed him to love people.

After 30 years I have so many stories to tell of acts of generosity, I remember one family giving me an envelope to pass on to a single parent who was doing it tough, it had a thousand dollars in it.

When you’re free from the love of things you will be free to love people. When I read this Im both inspired to be more generous and Im convicted by how much more I need to grow. One thing I know! Barnabas is not regretting selling that property. For all eternity he is enjoying the glory he gave God in this single act of generosity

In chapter 5 we read of a couple, Ananias and Sapphira, doing exactly what Barnabas did, they sold their property and they both gave the sale of the property to the Apostles.

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” ~Acts 5:1-4 (NIV)

The problem was not that Barnabas gave all of the money and Ananias and Saphira gave part of it. Peter is so clear, the land and the money was theirs to do with what they liked, no one had a gun to their head making them sell it. The problem was the lie and the hypocrisy, they claimed to have given it all when in fact they only gave part of it.

At that point it became a form of theft, they wanted the applause from the leaders not from God, they wanted to feed the ego not the poor and they wanted a reputation for being sacrificial without the cost.

Why is this recorded?

1. Bible is committed to truth. It will not pretend about the failures of the church. It's written because it happened as much when as when a miraculous sign happens.
2. It reminds us that the early church is not a perfect church, for those of us wanting to use the early church to judge the present church. Remember it too had its quota of sins and struggles.

Notice how the sin is understood by Peter.

Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit ~Acts 5:3 (NIV)

Not just lies and hypocrisy. A spirit was at work in Ananias but it was not the holy Spirit. It is viewed as an assault by Satan, lying to the church was nothing less than a lie to the Holy Spirit. It is a form of testing God.

Notice that the Spirit of God is not just a power but a person “He” not “it.” You can't lie to a power but you can lie to a person. The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person of the Godhead, the long-awaited blessing of the new covenant.

And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. ~Ezekiel 36:27 (NIV)

To lie to church is to lie to the Spirit who dwells among and within each of us. I thank God for how people not only pledge but keep their pledges. We don’t bind people`s consciences, if circumstances change, we understand that giving is impacted.
The problem here is that they claimed to give all when they didn’t.

As you read this story you’re not expecting what happens next

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. ~Acts 5:5-6 (NIV)

Judgment was both swift and severe. It's not as if there was no time to repent, when Sapphira comes to the house 3 hrs later Peter gives her the chance to tell the truth. She maintains the lie and falls down dead. We all long to see more miracles of healing and not miracles of judgment. We want to see the power to heal, and to amaze but not the power of judgment to create fear. Twice we are told:

And great fear seized all who heard what had happened… Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. ~Acts 5:5,11 (NIV)

Fear took place inside the church of God and fear took place outside the church of God.

Friends: God will not be mocked! It is a warning to all! How is your conscience friends?

• Greed held back what they promised to give
• Ego fuelled their lies
• Pride made them refuse to admit their sin.

How is your conscience?

I knew a man who paid back years of giving. He knew he benefitted from a ministry at MBM that he never supported. I said “I didn’t think he needed to”- start fresh but his conscience would not let it go.

How is your conscience?

What do we make of this judgment? It served as a warning to every generation of Christians, it was the ultimate form of church discipline. It’s rare but it’s also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 11, where some have fallen sick and died due to unrepentant sin but this is not the norm. We see godly Christians dying and ungodly believers living long.

But I did hear of one young pastor who served in the outback. The church was riddled with sin from the top down and there was no point of church discipline because you would have had to expel everyone. After 18 months of opposition in the church
He said “God I can`t do it. You have to do it.” In the next 12 months, 18 people in that church died for various unconnected reasons and then 1 year later 200 people were baptised, the Lord cleaned out that church.

At MBM we do believe in church discipline, after a lengthy process we say to those who carry the name Christian, and want fellowship but who justify their sin ‘One of those will have to go, either stop calling yourself a Christian, stop attending our growth group or stop justifying your sin.’ We do it for the sake of the person's salvation and the holiness of the church.

But I`m also reminded of the grace shown to the rest of us, no conscience is perfectly clean, we each have uttered some lie and we say one thing and do another.

I`m aware of the grace shown to us and I wonder what will you do with this grace? Trample over his mercy and patience?

Remember Friends: God is no fool, God has shot a warning blow, so don’t presume on God`s kindness calling for us to take heed.

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Christians have a high view of government, not because the government is always good but because it's given by God. Submitting to government is how we submit to God, that is, we don’t sing at church and are socially distanced. But sometimes and very rarely you have to make a choice between God and Government. Today's passage is one of those examples.

We saw last week a beggar who was lame for 40 years, he was instantly, completely, and permanently healed by the apostles in the power of Jesus name. The healed man proved that Jesus is very much Alive and Lord. Peter then called on them all to repent and their sins would be wiped out and over 5000 believed.

As Peter is preaching to large crowds in the temple area the Jewish leaders are upset and come to arrest him. They didn't like what was happening because the power base was shifting,

This Jewish council was the Sanhedrin. They came from rich high priestly families and they belonged to a group called the Sadducees. They sentenced Jesus to death and they were known for not believing in the resurrection. Peter is now preaching that the same Jesus is alive and the resurrection of the dead had begun. Peter and John are stopped in their tracks.

They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” ~Acts 4:7 (NIV)

That was a gift question, it’s up there with “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” With that question, they go straight to Jesus

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ~Acts 4:10b (NIV)

Peter has come a long way in 2 months, he is no longer denying Jesus and he is now filled with the Holy Spirit and he gives bold witness to his Saviour, he does not hold back. The same Jesus you crucified, God raised to life and this mans healing is proof.

Its one thing confronting the crowd with courage but now Peter is confronting the leaders themselves. He quotes a psalm they would say as they went to Jerusalem.

The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; ~Psalm 118:22 (NIV)

The stone they discarded on the cross, He became the most precious - who holds together all of Gods purposes and promises.

I once bought a second-hand surfboard at a garage sale in Mt Druitt for $20, it stayed in my garage for 8 years until I got rid of it by giving it to my nephew. He then sold it on eBay for $800.

The rock that was discarded proved to be most precious. So precious is Jesus that salvation is only found in him.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. ~Acts 4:12 (NIV)

That is a verse worth memorizing. The name of Jesus healed this man and saves our souls:

1. Why the name of Jesus and not Jesus, because he is not physically with us, the name represents the person.
2. This is an exclusive statement. Two negatives make a positive, salvation found, no one else, no other name given
3. It's exclusive because Jesus is unique, Jesus alone bore our sins in his body on the cross. He alone rose from the dead, Jesus alone offers full forgiveness, He alone is coming back to restore the universe.
4. It's the only name given by God. You can't come up with your own name, well you can but it won't do you any good. No other name, not the name of Allah, Buddha, or Krishna, not the name of God or even Jehovah anymore but only the name of Jesus.

I knew a man who came to Christ at MBM, he use to be a Taoist (Ying/Yang). He used the name of Tao as his secret password to access his bank account and after becoming a Christian he replaced that name with Jesus. Of all the possible names there was only one name that could access his account. Of all the possible names there is only one name, Jesus, that gives us access to God's salvation.

1. You complain "why is there only one way" or you can be thankful that there is a way
2. Which means you can relax, your search for salvation has ended.
3. That is why Christianity is the first world religion that was committed to persuading others. If you believe Jesus is the only way and you love people then the logic tells you to share the good news. Such boldness surprised the authorities.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ~Acts 4:13-14 (NIV)

Shocked: not by the miracles but by the boldness of Peter and John. They were amazed that these guys were ordinary and untrained. But they were trained, these men had been with Jesus.

I am Ray Galea BTH, I would prefer Simon Peter BwJ (Been With Jesus). In Jesus, they saw it perfectly taught and then perfectly lived out. The leaders that once terrified Peter are now intimidated by him.

So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” ~Acts 4:15-17 (NIV)

If you not committed to truth, you suppress the evidence or explain it away, the healed man was irrefutable proof that Jesus is alive and Lord. The rulers lived in fear that this thing we call Christianity would spread faster than the COVID virus, so they issued orders to shut up about Jesus.

Now it came to just one question - Who do you obey? God or Government

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” ~Acts 4:18-20 (NIV)

Too many Christians use any excuse to justify civil disobedience. Like the church I heard in our area which kept meeting through the lockdown and with no social distancing, they believed the government was trying to suppress Christianity with COVID.

That makes sense… Governments around the world have trashed their own economies to destroy Christians who only make 5% of Australia's population. That is a false choice between government and God.

But here is a real choice, when given a choice to obey God or man they chose to obey God. They could have been silent, they could deny Jesus and get out of trouble but Peter knew what that was like. We all know what that is like, we have all seen God open doors that we have closed. We did it by our silence.

What an enormous change has come upon these fear-ridden men. Listen again. “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

It was only 7 weeks ago when Peter denied he knew Jesus three times “I don’t know him…” now he’s confronting Israel’s leadership. Notice how these Christians operate under pressure? Their first instinct to is pray, oh that we would learn to pray under pressure.

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. ~Acts 4:24 (NIV)

It begins with Sovereign Lord - If God is not in total control then I should panic because God is useless and so is prayer.

The ones who are making the threats are just creatures created by God. They say if you’re nervous giving a speech then imagine everyone naked. I would suggest imagining that each person is created by God, just like you and you will be less intimidated. God controls the universe and He controls the future.

Peter then quotes Psalm 2 that predicts the cross, in this psalm God laughs at the stupidity of rulers of the world who think they can take on his Messiah. It’s like standing in front of a semi-trailer barreling down the highway at 120 km per hour thinking the truck is going to come off second best.

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. ~Acts 4:27 (NIV)

Everyone shares the guilt, the Jews and the Gentiles, the governors and the King. Together they planned out Jesus execution.

They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. ~Acts 4:28 (NIV)

From one vantage point the cross is humans at their worst, that when we had the chance to meet God in the flesh, we killed him.

From another vantage point the cross is God at his best, bringing about the salvation of the world. They did what Gods will decided beforehand should happen.

Learn this lesson, humans are responsible and God is sovereign, like twin train tracks running through the bible. If you get this you are more likely to pray about anything and less likely to be frightened about everything. That is what Peter does.

Now, Lord, consider their threats ~Acts 4:29a (NIV)

They don't tell God what to do! We leave it in your hands, God. There is plenty of stuff in your life you need to leave in Gods hands. Then they prayed for boldness.

…and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. ~Acts 4:29b (NIV)

The apostles are more worried about wimping out then being wiped out, the persecution is going to escalate. What was worse than being arrested, beaten, imprisoned and killed for Jesus, it's denying him, Peter does not want to go back there.
The apostles prayed for boldness which would cause more trouble.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. ~Acts 4:31 (NIV)

God answered their prayers and he will answer yours as well. It’s not a boldness that comes by believing in yourself or feeding your mind with positive thoughts. It’s a boldness empowered by two things, first the Spirit of God. You don’t need another miracle to give you that confidence, you don’t need another sign to speak up for Jesus, but you do need the power of the Holy Spirit.

Seriously, have you ever prayed for spiritual courage? This courage is supernatural, its not limited to extraverts. Let the God-given evidence speak to your doubts.

I was given a box for a belated 60th birthday gift, it's an urn - awkward, I have a box that will one day hold my ashes and it’s a touch unnerving because it made my own death that much more real. So I asked myself is this the end of me?

No! Why not? And then I recalled the evidence.

• The eye witness report of the apostles
• God appointed eye witness to Jesus
• They testified to the many miraculous signs of Jesus
• They pointed to the many Old Testament prophecies that predicted Jesus life, death and resurrection
• They were there to see the empty tomb of Jesus.
• They saw the risen Jesus appear many times after he died over 40 days
• They saw him, touched him and ate with him
• The apostles then saw Jesus ascend into heaven with the promise he is coming back.
• 10 days later as promised Jesus poured out the Spirit enabling them to speak in languages of other people.

And now this lame beggar is completely and instantly healed in the name of Jesus which no one can refute. What proves they are telling the truth? These witnesses just 2 months before had denied Christ, so convinced that what they saw is true they will defy authorities and be willing to be arrested, imprisoned and die, proving that Jesus is alive and Lord and that salvation is
found in only him.

No, this urn won't carry me or you, for Jesus is alive and the resurrection from among the dead has begun. So pray for courage to speak in the name of the Living Lord, Jesus.

Partner with us at MBM. Today is Commitment Sunday and the last day for pledges, if you believe Jesus is alive and there is no other name for salvation, then prove it. Put your money where your mouth is, so that others may know that Jesus is alive and salvation is found in only him.

Pray for boldness, pledge generously and ponder the evidence.

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Gill Evans went to out to Tanzania to serve God’s people. She came back due to a tragic set of circumstances surrounding her twin sister which then led her to become a counsellor.

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online

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Gill Evans went to out to Tanzania to serve God’s people. She came back due to a tragic set of circumstances surrounding her twin sister which then led her to become a counsellor.

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online

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There’s no such thing as retirement for a Christian. That’s the view of David and Pat Jackson who, as a recently retired couple, are making the most of every opportunity to make Jesus known.

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online

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David and Pat Jackson had opposite upbringings, grew up in opposite parts of the world but God brought them together in Philadelphia, USA. From there, a deep love for teaching Jesus to the next generation was born and has continued for decades.

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online

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In Part 2, Ivan shares the heart behind two other areas he’s sought to reflecting the heart of Jesus - namely High School Scripture Teaching and fostering a child.

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online

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Ivan Harris shares his insights into what God is doing amongst youth who are in a Youth Justice centre where he serves as a chaplain.

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online

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John recently wrote a song based on Psalm 91 which so many from MBM have found helpful. In this episode he shares the heart behind it.

Watch the music video of My God - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2YHMcANKf8

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online

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"Would you like to read the Bible with me?" In the middle of post-natal psychosis isn’t the first place where you’d ask someone this question. But Maxine shares about how God gave her an opportunity to ask this question at the end of a very difficult pregnancy filled with anxiety.

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online

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“As Christians, we’re committed to relieving suffering in this world and even more so in the world to come”. That’s what Dave Ingram, CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and Billy Graham Association is committed to. He shares not only some of the projects they’re involved in but shares his heart behind it.

Find out more about Samaritan's Purse: https://samaritanspurse.org.au

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online

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As wonderful as it is to serve Jesus in a paid, full-time capacity, there can be some painful lessons to learn along the way. Both Lydia and Josie peel back the curtain to share the immense joy and privilege of being a ministry apprentice and how those painful lessons have been beneficial in their onward and upward journey. We even get to hear their reflections on not just dating, but cross-cultural dating

Find out more about our Ministry Apprentices: mbm.org.au/mts

Get in touch: podcast@mbm.org.au Keen to find out more about Jesus and who we are? Visit mbm.org.au Watch our online service: mbm.org.au/online