The harsh overbearing parent, the nasty teacher, the critical boss, the bullying friend. We all have our own versions of, if you don’t eat your meat, you won’t get any pudding. We’ve all got those voices in our head that trigger negative and defensive reactions.

(0:59 – 1:28)

And even when the criticism’s intended constructively, it often feels wounding rather than restorative. At least it does to me. And our culture encourages us to be defensive.

It absolutely despises being corrected. Don’t tell me how to live. Validate my choices.

(1:30 – 2:40)

Don’t judge me. And although we may secretly admit our failures and weaknesses to ourselves, it’s quite a different gravy if someone else takes that position and points them out to us. But the wisdom literature of Proverbs knows very little of political correctness as we understand it.

Scripture, as it always does, and Proverbs is no exception here, although it’s a genre of its own, it has a way of cutting into uncomfortable territory like a razor. And Proverbs presents to us a radical remedial truth. To refuse correction is a mark of utter and absolute folly that will carry in your life catastrophic consequences.

(2:44 – 3:18)

So this evening we’re considering four Proverbs about what I’ve entitled remedial wisdom. Wisdom that provides correction and instruction. There are many more than four in Proverbs, but these four provide us with a framework for understanding how the others work, but also how our human hearts react to instruction and correction, and how our hearts are intended to react to instruction and correction.

(3:19 – 4:12)

So we’re going to look at these four Proverbs under three headings. One proverb in the first heading, two in the middle, one and one at the end. Let’s think in three areas.

A stark diagnosis we’ll look at first, then we’ll look at a sobering dichotomy with those two in the middle, and then a secure destiny to wrap up at the end. So let’s think firstly about the stark diagnosis. And I’ve called this knowledge versus ignorance.

We’ll find that in Proverbs 12 verse one. So let me ask you to turn in your Bible if you have one there, or switch on your Bible if you’re using a device to Proverbs chapter 12, and we’ll read verse one together. A stark diagnosis.

(4:13 – 4:59)

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof or correction is stupid. And the text is presented to us here with characteristic proverbial bluntness. If you hate reproof, you’re stupid.

The Hebrew word here though, that’s translated for us as stupid is an interesting one, because it actually refers to an animal. It refers to a brute, stubborn beast. A beast that just is not for budging at all.

(5:01 – 6:50)

But Solomon isn’t simply saying if you hate being corrected, you’re an idiot. He’s actually making a precise theological diagnosis here. Because you see, when a person hates reproof, what the text is saying is that that person descends from the dignity of being an image bearer of God, being human made in his image, to the level of a donkey.

Stubborn, rigid, unteachable. So why is it that we hate reproof so much? Why do the hackles rise? Why do we resist it? Pride. Pride.

We are the absolute centre of our own universe. And correction from anyone about anything, if we’re being honest, is an assault on our own self-esteem. In fact, if you were looking for some kind of pride-ometer, some measure of pride in your life, here’s a proxy measure.

The next time someone corrects you about something, see how you react. How you respond to correction is a reasonably good measure of our pride level. And in Proverbs, failing to respond to remedial wisdom is the single defining feature of a fool.

(6:51 – 7:55)

Someone who is aggressively opposed to God’s instruction and correction. Whereas the wise are presented in Proverbs as those who submit, even if it’s hard, submit to God’s instruction and correction. And of course, this is exactly the main difference between those who accept the gospel and don’t, isn’t it? Any religion or lifestyle based on human achievement must defend its own righteousness and its own self-effort at all costs.

If that’s your currency, that’s all you’ve got in life, you’re going to defend that. Think of the self-sufficient heart that says, as Colin reminded us this morning, and more, much more than this, I did it my way. Think of the difference between a self-sufficient heart like that and a vulnerable heart filled with the overflowing grace of the gospel that says, teach me your way, Lord.

(7:57 – 8:17)

Think of that as a comparison. I’ll submit to a wisdom outside of myself. And where do we find a wisdom outside of ourselves? Well, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1, the ultimate source of wisdom outside of ourselves.

(8:18 – 8:44)

He says in verse 23 of 1 Corinthians 1, we preach Christ crucified, the power of God and the wisdom of God. It’s God’s wisdom and God’s wisdom is found in the good news about Jesus Christ. And if you’ve grasped gospel wisdom and gospel correction, you know two things.

(8:46 – 9:42)

Firstly, you know that you are far more flawed, sinful, and foolish than you ever dare imagine, or that you’re ever willing to admit to another human. But you’ve also grasped that you are far more loved, far more accepted, and far more secure in Christ than you would ever hope to dare dream. And when the reality of these two things takes root in our lives, suddenly reproof and correction stop being a threat to your identity, do you see? If your identity is hidden with Christ and God, someone correcting you at a human level won’t destroy the essence of who you are, do you see? You’ve already confessed to God that you’re bent and broken and twisted by sin and you need straightened out.

(9:45 – 11:37)

And you need his correction and you need his healing and you need his transforming grace. So why do we find it so difficult when others point out the things that are wrong in our lives since God hasn’t finished with us yet? But isn’t it just such great news that God remains willing to correct sinners instead of writing them off? Isn’t that great news for all of us? And as we work through Proverbs, we will find an interesting thing emerges. It’s not God who gives up correcting the sinful in Proverbs.

The sinful give up accepting God’s correction. And part of that correction is God’s ongoing instruction and words of correction from preachers, from authors, from spouses, from friends, from work colleagues, from elders. So let me ask you, just as we get our heads into this, how do you respond to those ongoing corrections on a daily basis? Do you feel that bristling defensiveness driven by self-justification and ultimately pride? I confess, as I have to because my wife’s here, that I often do.

I often do. But I, like you, need to hear the warnings and heed the warnings about ignoring correction, which will inevitably lead to spiritual ruin. And that’s hard because becoming a lifelong learner requires humility.

(11:39 – 13:00)

You see, in order to learn something in any field, but certainly here, in order to learn something, we need firstly to acknowledge there’s something we don’t know, right? You’ll only learn something if you open your heart to acknowledge that you don’t know it. And to change something, we need to firstly acknowledge that there’s something we’ve been doing that’s suboptimal. That’s why change is so difficult.

We hear a lot about culture change in the NHS, culture change in the workplace. Why is it so hard to change cultures? Well, firstly, we have to acknowledge that there’s something that we’ve been doing that’s suboptimal, or wrong, that could be better. And that is not easy.

Change is emotionally expensive for human beings. And we sang words as a prayer in our hymn that talk about this. Let me ask you if you meant it when you sang it.

Ancient words ever true, changing me, changing you. We have come with open hearts. Oh, let the ancient words impart.

(13:02 – 14:14)

What does an open heart look like? An open heart is vulnerable before God and open to change, right? The father speaking to his children, those made in his image, wisdom’s calling out in the street. Listen, can you hear her? Open your heart. Open your ears.

Acknowledge you need to change. Yeah, you. Rather than identifying all the things that everyone else needs to change and sitting in judgement above all of that.

You need to change. I need to change. But we’ll never change if our heart remains hard.

Do you see? If you are still the same today as you were 30 years ago or 47 years ago today, since I came to this church, if I’m the same today as I was 47 years ago today, there’s something wrong. Something wrong with me. I’ve not been listening to God.

(14:14 – 14:42)

I’ve not been open to his word, changing my heart. I’ve not had an open heart. We’ll never change if our hearts remain hard.

And you can have a hard heart for 47 years or longer. So let me give you the warning of Hebrews 3.15. Today, today, if you hear his voice, hear the words of instruction today. If you hear his voice, don’t harden your heart.

(14:43 – 14:58)

If you came in with a hard heart, go out with a soft one. The way of wisdom you see demands a decision to change direction in a thousand different areas. If we are to grow, the way of folly demands nothing.

(15:01 – 15:14)

You go out the same way as you came in. That’s the way of folly. So that’s the start diagnosis.

(15:14 – 15:55)

Then we have a sobering dichotomy. Let’s look at the next chapter, Proverbs 13, verse 18, and then 15.5. So turn to 13.18 first. He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honoured.

And 15.5, a fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence. What I want you to notice here is the sobering spiritual alternatives within remedial wisdom that Solomon sets before us. There’s no middle ground here.

(15:56 – 16:22)

There’s no fence to sit on. You’re either moving towards wisdom and honour, or you’re adding to your folly with every decision that you make in your life, with every voice you listen to. And scripture’s intensely realistic about consequences.

(16:24 – 17:43)

So in Proverbs 13.18, we find that ignoring instruction leads to poverty and disgrace. Poverty and disgrace. Now, remember that Proverbs are not always absolute guarantees.

We were thinking a bit about this this morning. It takes a bit of work to get your head around the genre of Proverbs, because they’re Proverbs, not promises, right? And yet they have some predictive element within them. They give us general principles that describe God’s moral order.

So for example, train up a child in the way they should go. There’s not 100% guarantee that when they are old, they will not depart from it. Because we’ve all seen children who were brought up in the way that they should go, and then they have, let’s say, abandoned the faith, for example.

Because you see, the child has to embrace the wisdom that they were taught for themselves. But the principle is sound. Unless a child receives good instruction and understands boundaries, there may be trouble ahead.

(17:46 – 18:02)

But more than that, Proverbs requires wisdom in their application. This is really important. You see, Proverbs are there to teach us how to think, not what to think.

(18:04 – 18:16)

Let me explain. By way of illustration, this is a bit of a sidebar, but I think it’s important to understand how this works. Turn to Proverbs 26 for a second.

(18:22 – 19:03)

And we’re going to read two back-to-back verses in Proverbs 26, verse 4 and verse 5. Verse 4, do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Verse 5, answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. You see the problem here, right? Verse 4, do not answer a fool according to his folly.

Verse 5, answer a fool according to his folly. In the very next verse, make your mind up, Solomon, which is it? Which is it? It’s like Sophie’s Choice, isn’t it? I can’t choose. I can’t choose.

(19:04 – 19:40)

But remember, this is wisdom literature. It’s not law. It’s about being able to read a situation, not just being able to read a book.

Okay, let me say that again. Proverbs teaches us about reading situations wisely, not just reading a book. We don’t like the hard work involved in that because we’re lazy people.

(19:41 – 20:48)

We’re sluggards, going to meet those characters later in the book. But God wants us to be intellectually engaged, to be thinking all the time. We’re a bit lazy with this.

We want God to tell us what to do in every situation we face in life, don’t we? It would be a lot easier, we think, if that were the case. And we look for wisdom and guidance in Scripture, and we’re facing a situation, we can’t find it in Scripture. Why is that? Because God doesn’t hand you advice on a silver platter.

It’s not how it works. He’s not a helicopter parent God. He wants you to think it through for yourself.

Work it out from first principles, work it out from the principles of wisdom that he’s given you. And then apply that wisdom to the actual situation that you’re in. So in some cases, it may be entirely appropriate to answer a fool according to his folly and say, you’re talking like a clown.

(20:50 – 21:08)

But it may not be the wisest thing to do that if the person talking rubbish is the CEO of the company, and you’re sitting there in a one-to-one. Maybe it would be better to say nothing in that occasion and find another way to point out the problem. Do you see? Situational wisdom.

(21:10 – 22:12)

That’s what Proverbs is there to teach us. So back to 15.5. Because in 15.5, this is taught to the covenant community. A fool despises his father’s instruction.

And when I say it’s taught to the covenant community, that’s another important thing to learn. It’s not just one father talking to one son. It’s not just me talking to my son or Solomon talking to his son.

Remember, Proverbs is a compendium of wisdom from multiple sources, like a handbook for the whole Hebrew community. It was written primarily for adolescent boys in the Jewish community, preparing them to enter public life and to take on leadership roles where they would require wisdom to rule well. Adolescent boys.

What’s presented in Proverbs? Women. Lady wisdom. Lady folly.

(22:15 – 22:24)

Right, lads? Which one looks nicest to you? Which one’s the most attractive? Well, she may look attractive. She’d do a lot of harm. That one there.

(22:25 – 22:31)

Really beautiful. You’ll find her properly in chapter 31. Right at the end.

(22:33 – 24:30)

The wonderful wife. It’s not just a picture of a wife, you see. It’s a picture of lady wisdom in all her glory, presented to young adolescent Jewish boys to say, you want to go after that girl.

Do you see? Notice two things about this instruction. It’s the instruction of the father, reflecting the gentle, patient, truth-filled nature of God’s perfect fatherhood. There is no human father perfect in any sense.

It’s just a scale of how good or bad they are, but none of them are perfect. But here’s the instruction of God, God’s fatherhood, the gentle, patient, truth-filled nature of God’s perfect fatherhood. The father’s discipline.

The father’s instruction. But notice it’s instruction. The word here is discipline in the NIV and the ESV and various other versions.

The word used is instruction. I like instruction as a concept here, because it carries with it the idea… I mean, discipline’s fine, but it’s got a kind of petulant, hard-edged beat you over the back of the head with a stick thing on it, hasn’t it? That discipline thing going on. No, instruction’s better, I think, because it’s not petulant.

It’s not impatient. It’s not unrighteous outbursts born of anger and frustration that human dads are so prone to. I remember when my daughter was learning to play the violin.

It was quite a painful process for all of us, actually. Often the violin teacher would gently stop and take hold of her hand or her wrist and change the angle or show her how to hold her bow in a different way. Stop doing it that way and start doing it that way.

(24:31 – 26:57)

And it felt awkward, probably, at first. It’ll sound a lot better if you stop doing it that way and start doing it that way. Gentle instruction.

And surprisingly enough, it did. And that was a great mercy for all of us. It improved her playing and our listening immensely.

Benefits all round. But there are consequences if you ignore instruction, aren’t there? A worker who refuses feedback, they’re not going to last long, are they? They’re going to get fired or they’ll end up on a supported improvement plan of some kind. A husband who consistently ignores his wife’s advice and treats her with contempt will functionally destroy the marriage.

May not end the marriage, but it won’t function. A spiritual leader who thinks they know it all will fall into all kinds of difficulties, frequently including moral ruin, if they think their teaching only applies to them out there and not me in here. You see, in God’s economy, an unteachable spirit bankrupts a life.

Professionally, socially, relationally, and catastrophically, spiritually. The person becomes a fool. But what happens if you listen? Well, look at the second half of Proverbs 15, 5. Whoever heeds correction or instruction shows prudence.

When you take on board the correction that God brings into your life, you’ll build prudence into your character. Now, prudence isn’t a word that’s in common use in 21st century English in the West of Scotland. Unless you listen to the Beatles’ back catalogue, they have a song about prudence that was covered by Suzy and the Banshees in the 80s.

That’s just a sidebar, don’t pay any attention to any of that. But it’s not a common word. Prudence, what does it mean? Well, in Proverbs, prudence is one aspect of wisdom that has a number of functions that help us understand why wisdom’s so desirable.

(26:58 – 27:20)

Firstly, let’s pop over to chapter 22, verse 3, and we’ll do a little mini study on prudence. 22.3, a prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. Prudence has a protective function, let’s call it a radar function.

(27:22 – 27:56)

Taking instruction develops your spiritual antennae. It helps you sense the consequences of harmful choices, your spidey senses are alert to danger, spiritual danger, helping you to take evasive action before they hit you. So prudence has a radar function, it has a filter function, go back to chapter 12 and we’ll drop down a little bit in that chapter to verse 16.

(27:58 – 28:38)

A fool shows annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. Prudence has a filter function. Taking instruction helps you learn to evaluate things calmly rather than jump to an angry response, which might be unwise.

We saw last week that this is particularly true with words. My grandfather had a saying that I remember yet. Words like eggs should be handled with care, for words once spoken, like eggs once broken,

(28:39 – 28:59)

are not the easiest things to repair. And so adopting prudence or finding prudence as a filter to our speech and our reactions is a mark of wisdom. I wish I’d learned that a long time ago.

(29:01 – 29:24)

It has thirdly, a privacy function. Look at verse 23 in chapter 12. A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.

(29:26 – 29:46)

Taking instruction and becoming wise develops confidentiality and discretion. Do you see that? Gossips aren’t wise. People who treat sensitive information confidentially are wise and prudent.

(29:48 – 31:03)

And not everything needs to be shared widely and to everyone. That’s catastrophic, isn’t it? Especially if you’re not sure what you’re talking about and you don’t have all the background information and you’ve just got one side of the story and it goes all over the place. And this is particularly true of course on social media.

The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly. These are challenging lessons and they’re not lessons learned quickly because the rewards of prudence and honour don’t happen immediately. The book of Proverbs, as we go through it, you see Colin touched on this this morning, it’s a journey.

It’s never in a hurry. There’s a measured pace about it all because it always has an eye on the future. These are young men, remember? Remember who it was written to? Adolescent boys with a life ahead of them in the goodness of God.

(31:07 – 31:24)

So the wisdom writer is thinking in the long term in their lives and in what’s left of ours. And that takes us to our final point, a secure destiny. Let’s pop over to chapter 19 verse 20.

(31:32 – 31:47)

Listen to advice and accept instruction. The ESV says that you may gain wisdom in the future. Your version may say in the end you will be wise.

(31:49 – 33:03)

But you see that both of these translations are telling us the ongoing correction in our lives is presented here as an investment that will yield a dividend. But not today. It’s future wisdom.

And so often we struggle with this, don’t we? We want wisdom instant, pre-packed and painless. We want the spiritual maturity of a person who’s walked with God for 50 years, but we want it now by Tuesday afternoon and without any correction or hardship. I want it all and I want it now.

But God doesn’t work that way. The way of wisdom requires us to accept instruction over a lifelong process of being reshaped, pruned and corrected. So that we may end up at our desired destination.

(33:07 – 34:22)

This ending up at our desired destination is like the end result of constant small recalibrations on a regular basis. Let’s think of a Cunard ship leaving Southampton in order to get to New York. No stopping off point between.

It’s a transatlantic voyage. There is a route to follow. And the navigation officer on the bridge every so often will check where the ship is in relation to where it should be and will make a small adjustment to the course.

And then in about half an hour or less, maybe even, we’ll check again and make another small adjustment to keep the ship on course. Now, let’s just assume for a minute that this is a recalcitrant worker and he decides he or she are going to have an unscheduled nap for the afternoon. They just disappear to their cabin up there on the bridge and they fall asleep.

(34:24 – 36:49)

And they fall asleep for one hour and two hours and then suddenly waking up and rush back to the bridge in a panic because you and I know what’s happened. Where’s the ship now? Well, it’s not just a little bit off course, it’s probably 60 miles off course blown by wind or current or goodness knows what. And it won’t require a small recalibration to get it back on course now, will it? Now we’re into catastrophic territory.

Now we’re into massive changes. We’re into big stuff to get that ship back on course. Lots of fuel, lots of energy, lots of panic, lots of pain.

And in the time there was no one making the small adjustments, my goodness, the ship may even have run aground in the rocks. Do you see? In the same way, dear brothers and sisters, regular, small, daily corrections in the direction of your life will prevent the need for massive change later. I know what that looks like in my life to find yourself off course and having to make some pretty big changes to get back to where you should be.

I could have avoided all of that and set out to get there. No one does. No one ever sets out to be miles away from where they should be.

Small decisions not made at the right time, ignored, not listened to, drift, drift, drift. And that’s how spiritual shipwreck happens. Every single action and decision matters.

Friends, can I say this lovingly? There are no small decisions in life. That was the big message that jumped out to me during this last few days of preparation. Proverbs wants you to know that there are no small decisions in your life.

None. Even the ones no one sees. Maybe especially the ones no one sees.

(36:51 – 38:47)

Because over a lifetime, they are the decisions that make us what we are. They determine our destination, do you see? Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit.

Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny. And as we embrace wisdom, we saw in chapter three, verse 18, that she becomes a tree of life to those who take hold of her.

Let’s pop back to Proverbs three and verse 18. Colin didn’t get that far this morning. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her.

Those who lay hold of her will be blessed. Wisdom’s a tree of life. We’ve seen the tree of life before in the Bible, haven’t we? Where have we seen it? Genesis two.

We’re introduced there to the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve had access to the tree of life. Wisdom.

They had access to God’s wisdom freely. But they, and by extension we, lost access to it after the fall. Because God’s wisdom wasn’t enough.

In our fallenness we lost wisdom, do you see? We became fools. One writer describes the fool in Hebrew thinking as being marked by aggressive perversity. That’s a great phrase, isn’t it? Not an attractive one, but it’s powerful.

(38:48 – 40:24)

Aggressive perversity. Has there ever been a culture in human history, maybe apart from the Roman Empire in the first century, that has been marked by such aggressive perversity as we face in our culture? That’s the mark of a fool opposed to God. Aggressively so.

But as we embrace wisdom, as we embrace lady wisdom, we roll back the effects of the fall in our lives, do you see? We find again the tree of life. We embrace the tree of life again. But of course Genesis 2 isn’t the only place we find the tree of life, if you can be patient with me for a few more minutes.

We see it again in Revelation 22, at the end of the Bible, in the eternal city of God, where wisdom once again fills the new creation with healing and joy. You see, we were created to be wise, and we will be forever wise. And we’re called to grow in wisdom now, by embracing wisdom, by embracing the tree of life.

And where are we to find that wisdom? Well, in Proverbs it was presented to young Hebrew men in the feminine form as someone attractive, someone to be desired. And in the New Testament, we also have someone attractive and someone to be desired who is presented to us. And that picture is none other than Jesus himself.

(40:27 – 41:03)

In 1 Corinthians 1.30, Paul tells us, you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. He became to us wisdom from God. We talk about his righteousness, sanctification, and redemption being imputed to us.

(41:06 – 41:38)

Paul tells us his wisdom is imputed to us too. So this is the way we get wisdom. We listen to wisdom, we store up future wisdom by listening to him, by loving him, by obeying him.

And we do that knowing that one day we’ll be fully like him. We’ll be wise where our first parents were foolish. We’ll explore all that God has prepared for us within the boundaries of wisdom, acknowledging that he is God and we are not.

(41:41 – 42:05)

So that’s what future wisdom looks like for all who believe in Jesus. So the big question tonight is, where are you resisting correction and wisdom? Where are you choosing folly instead of wisdom? Turn away from your pride. You know the areas that are leading you to spiritual disaster.

(42:09 – 42:26)

Embrace wisdom, bow the knee, drop your defensive shields and say, Lord, teach me, instruct me, correct me where I’m wrong. My heart is open. I long to change and be more like Jesus.

(42:28 – 43:05)

That’s the beginning of wisdom now and the storing of a future wisdom that will last forever. Let’s then ask the Lord to grant us soft hearts, teachable spirits and the grace to love the discipline and instruction he sends to shape us into the image of his son. And let’s do that by praying the last verse of an old hymn by George Matheson.

Let’s pray. Make me a captive Lord and then I shall be free. Force me to render up my sword and I will conquer be.

(43:07 – 43:37)

My will is not my own till thou hast made it thine. If it would reach a monarch’s throne, it must its crown resign. It only stands unbent amid the clashing strife when on thy bosom it is lent and found in thee its life.

Lord, we submit now to your loving correction that we may win the wisdom that is Christ himself and that we may find our lives in him. Amen.

The post Remedial Wisdom – Proverbs appeared first on Greenview Church.

Bind them round your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your path straight.

(0:50 – 0:59)

Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

(1:00 – 2:06)

Honour the Lord with all your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops, then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke because the Lord disciplines those he loves as a father the son he delights in. Colin. Let’s join together in prayer. Father, as we open your words and as I open up my mouth, we pray that your voice will be heard in the power of your spirit.

Help us to embrace your perfect wisdom over our flawed understanding. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(2:09 – 2:24)

I’m going to list some things and you can decide if you want them. Number one, long life. Number two, a peaceful life.

(2:26 – 2:59)

Number three, a bulging bank balance that never ever depletes. Number four, perfect health from now till the day you die. Any takers? Anyone up for any of these outcomes? Well, if you are saying yes, and I’m certainly saying yes myself, then Proverbs seems to be offering us these things today.

(3:00 – 3:17)

Take a look at Proverbs 3 and what it appears to be promising. Long life, peace and prosperity, verse two. Verse four, a good reputation in the sight of God and people.

(3:18 – 3:31)

In verse six, your life can be straightforward. At least that’s what it seems to say. In verse eight, the promise of wealth, of health.

(3:32 – 4:00)

And in verse 10, the prospect of overflowing barns and vats brimming with wine, which I guess for the non-farmers translates into an overflowing bank balance. Now admittedly, there are some conditions to all this. So we need to keep some commands and trust in the Lord and honour the Lord with our wealth.

(4:00 – 4:25)

But if we do, life is going to be rosy rather than sad and grey and bleak. That all sounds incredibly appealing, except there’s a problem with this. In fact, maybe not just a little problem, but a really huge whopping problem.

(4:26 – 4:45)

Because as appealing as these outcomes are, we’re probably sitting thinking, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I know Christians who didn’t live a long life, but tragically died young.

(4:46 – 5:03)

Wait a minute. I know faithful Christians who have suffered terrible health, terrible treatment, or who have been terribly poor. I know them, or maybe that indeed is myself.

(5:04 – 5:33)

How does Proverbs three marry up with that? Is Proverbs over-promising the Christian pensioner who’s living on meagre resources and having to visit the hospital every week? Well, that is a very valid question. And it drives us to think about the genre of the book of Proverbs. You might say the type of literature it is.

(5:35 – 6:05)

Because Proverbs isn’t mainly doctrines or laws or even promises, although it sometimes may contain all of these things. But Proverbs is mainly wise advice and why you should follow it. And so before getting into our verses this morning, I want to establish two guardrails, two protective guardrails that will help us read Proverbs without falling into harm.

(6:07 – 6:36)

Two guardrails that will help us read this book helpfully. Number one, Proverbs are wise principles that are generally true, but they’re not the whole picture. So for instance, Proverbs three verse nine says, look at the passage, honour the Lord with your wealth, then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine.

(6:37 – 6:55)

That’s a wise principle that is generally true. When a person honours the Lord with their wealth, their life will usually go better financially. God often practically rewards that sensible investment in him.

(6:56 – 7:21)

And yet, that is not the whole picture. For Proverbs 15 verse 16 adds, better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. Wait a minute, I thought if I honoured the Lord with my wealth, I’d be financially sorted.

(7:22 – 7:32)

Well, that’s often true. But this proverb tells us that a believer can have very little. And still be faithful.

(7:33 – 7:56)

It is better to be that way than to be rich and live in the turmoil of not knowing God. Proverbs itself makes it clear that much of its wisdom is general advice. Or to put it a different way, for every proverb, there is often a counter proverb, something that balances it or gives us a very different perspective.

(7:57 – 8:12)

That says, yes, that’s true. But life doesn’t always work that way. In a world where God is sovereign and humans are sinful, wise living doesn’t always produce immediate results.

(8:13 – 8:22)

Like pressing a button on a coffee machine and it just comes out as you want it. So that’s the first guardrail. Proverbs are generally true.

(8:23 – 8:44)

But the second guardrail, it’s helpful to see that proverbs are very often ultimately true, even if not immediately true. They’re very often ultimately true, even if not immediately true. To put it another way, some proverbs will come true if you only wait long enough.

(8:46 – 9:05)

Because proverbs, a book about the now is not ignorant of eternity. Proverbs 12, verse 26 says, in the way of righteousness, there is life. Along that path is immortality.

(9:07 – 9:34)

The book of Proverbs is conscious of the life to come. And that’s an even stronger New Testament perspective, I think. You may not have immediate riches now, or immediate justice now, or perfect health now, but you will be given all these things in Christ and in the new creation.

(9:34 – 10:07)

The New Testament teaches that. And so while people often say rightly that proverbs are generally not promises, they are principles. Many of these principles become promises in the light of eternity, don’t they? And so when a proverb doesn’t match your present experience, you can often ask the question, will this be true one day for me? Then I should still trust the Lord as I await that prospect.

(10:09 – 10:23)

And it is that trust that is at the heart of our passage this morning. So we’re looking at Proverbs 3, verses one to 12. It’s a section that hangs together.

(10:24 – 10:35)

Notice it begins in verse one with my son. And then there’s a kind of bookend in verse 11 to 12, my son. So it seems like it’s a section.

(10:36 – 11:06)

And right at the heart of it, at the core and the centre, is the Father’s call in verses five and six to trust. Whoever we are this morning, in whatever circumstance we come here today, we are invited to trust in the Lord and not in our own understanding. We’re going to look at this trust in three dimensions today.

(11:07 – 11:30)

We’re going to look at trust from three angles or answer the question, in what way must we trust the Lord? So first, we trust in the Lord as we internalise His word. Now, remember where we are in Proverbs. This is the early part, chapters one to nine.

(11:31 – 11:53)

And we’re eavesdropping on a conversation between a father and a son. The father is telling the son to choose wisdom rather than choose a life of folly. And part of what choosing wisdom means is listening to the father’s commands and instruction,

(11:53 – 12:13)

verse two. For, if the son listens to the father, his life will be prolonged. Verse two is an echo of Exodus chapter 20. It’s a reverberation of one of the 10 commandments.

(12:15 – 12:41)

Honour your father and mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Life is likely to be long and successful if the son doesn’t forget the father’s teaching, but crucially takes it to heart. Notice that emphasis on the internal.

(12:42 – 12:58)

Verse one, keep my commands in your heart. And verse three, let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart.

(13:00 – 13:12)

People in those days kept their valuables close to their chest and often around their neck. I guess there wasn’t safes to put things in. Maybe the locks on the doors weren’t so good.

(13:12 – 13:35)

I mean, today people do this as well, don’t they? When you go on holiday, you keep the precious things in the money belt, the cash and the cards and the passport and so on. And the same idea is here, isn’t it? That the son is to take the father’s teaching and commands, that which is precious, and he’s to hold them close to his heart. He’s to value them.

(13:37 – 14:14)

Indeed, more than that, he’s actually to internalise them. To write the commands in his heart implies deep learning, meditation, memorisation, internalisation, so that the wise words of the father that comes in through the ears would begin to inform the son’s character, verse three, in outward love and faithfulness to others, which results, verse four, in winning favour with God and man.

(14:18 – 14:39)

And I guess in one sense, this is the very definition of being a Christian, actually. What does it mean to be a Christian? Peter says in his epistle, it’s the seed of the Word of God, that seed of life being planted in your hearts and bringing that new birth. You can’t be a Christian unless God’s Word’s been planted inside your life.

(14:41 – 15:09)

But this is also the ongoing difference between someone who is barely growing as a Christian and someone who is making consistent growth as a believer. In the life of a growing Christian, there is a commitment to inputting the Word of God deep into our hearts. It’s the opposite of the teenager who audibly hears the words of their parent, but they’re not listening.

(15:10 – 15:35)

It’s in one ear and it’s out the other. There is a discipleship version of that where our engagement with God’s Word is no better than doomscrolling through passages, doomscrolling through sermons. But none of it’s really going in because we’re not engaged.

(15:37 – 15:54)

We’re not stopping long enough to hide the Word of God deep in our hearts. I once had a youth leader, his name was David, and in my church in Kirkintilloch, he was a great guy. He was an awful lot of fun.

(15:54 – 16:02)

One of these youth leaders that just kind of made coming along fun. But he also had this really serious side to him. He was passionate about Jesus.

(16:03 – 16:34)

He was passionate about the Bible. And sometimes when the kind of atmosphere was getting out of hand, mainly due to me and others talking too much and joking too much, he would say, he’d get really serious and he would say, listen, what you put into this is what you’re going to get out of this. And it was a dagger to my solar plexus because I was a young Christian and I knew that he was right.

(16:36 – 17:13)

Am I not seeing much godly maturity in my life? Then the question is, what am I putting into my heart? Or maybe better said, am I putting God’s word deep into the recesses of my mind and my heart? This has to be done actively. It has to be done internally. Some of us need to slow down and do that thing that previous generations talked about, taking time with God.

(17:15 – 17:37)

And it takes great trust to do this because it doesn’t look like productivity. And the Bible is never demanding that you pick it up and you open it and read it, is it? But if we want abundant life and peace within, then we trust the Lord as we internalise his word. That’s the first dimension of trust.

(17:38 – 18:04)

But the second is equally important. Secondly, we trust in the Lord as we lean on his wisdom, not our own. And now we come to these famous verses, verses that Christians put on their phone wallpaper or a verse up in the wall in a frame or it’s a reading at their weddings.

(18:05 – 18:16)

And it’s these great verses. I mean, I understand why people do that. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

(18:17 – 18:52)

The wisdom of this verse is to trust in the Lord, to trust in the I am, not just to trust in any old God, but to trust in the God of the Bible, of Israel, of rescue and redemption and to trust in him with all of our heart, not half-heartedly or just some of the time. I had a great quote from someone this week who said, we’re not to trust in God like we trust in the bannister. You know, a bannister where you just lean on it now and again, just for a little bit of assistance.

(18:53 – 19:03)

Don’t treat God like a bannister. Trust in the Lord with the full weight of your life. Have full confidence in him.

(19:03 – 19:25)

That’s the idea. And if you are going to do that, then necessarily you must not lean on your own understanding. Now, that line does not mean that God does not want you to understand things or to think.

(19:25 – 19:41)

It does not mean that. This verse is not saying, stop using your brain and trust the Lord. To lean on your own understanding is the same thing as verse seven is saying, do not be wise in your own eyes.

(19:42 – 19:59)

To lean on your own understanding is to trust in yourself rather than in God. It’s to trust in your wisdom rather than in his wisdom. It’s the classic error of Adam and Eve.

(20:00 – 20:10)

Thinking they knew better than what God had said. Thinking that their way was better than God’s way. That’s leaning on your own understanding.

(20:13 – 20:23)

I did it my way. I mean, is it the most popular thing you hear at a funeral service today? Probably. It’s a fun song to sing.

(20:23 – 20:45)

The guy had an amazing voice, but it’s a terrible philosophy to live your life by, according to the Bible. Living it my way will lead you down a path that will go towards death. So when we properly understand verses five and six, it’s not saying to shut your brain off.

(20:47 – 21:01)

These are also not verses I don’t think about guidance primarily. It’s not about decision-making. No, these verses are about whether you will trust in yourself or whether you will trust in the Lord.

(21:02 – 21:33)

If you trust in the Lord with all your heart, he will make your paths straight. Now, from our perspective, it may not always look like our paths are being made straight or that they’re very clear. But I think if we could see life from the bird’s eye view, if we could see our life as God sees our life, we would see that God indeed makes our paths straight when we acknowledge him.

(21:33 – 21:51)

We may not live an easy life, but we will be going in the right direction. We will be, if we trust in the Lord, on the narrow road that leads to life. And we will reach that appointed destination.

(21:55 – 22:23)

Now, it’s rightly said, isn’t it, that it was only Jesus who trusted the Lord with all of his heart. It’s only true of Jesus, isn’t it, that he never once leaned on his own understanding. In fact, this is an amazing passage to apply to Christ, isn’t it? You could probably do all this work yourself pretty easily, see the links, but Jesus was the son, wasn’t he, who took his father’s commands to heart.

(22:24 – 22:44)

And he trusted in the Lord with all of his heart. And he did not lean on his own understanding, his own wisdom, when he chose to obey the father’s will, even when that choice seemed painful and impossible to him. Jesus didn’t live a long life.

(22:45 – 22:58)

His life was cut short. And yet he stayed on the straight path of fulfilling the Lord’s will. No one, no one trusted in the Lord like Jesus trusted in the Lord.

(22:59 – 23:19)

And the whole basis of my Christian life and yours rests upon the fact that Jesus trusted in the Lord perfectly. My confidence is not in my faith, but in his faith. This is why his death was effective, because his life was sinless.

(23:19 – 23:28)

His trust was perfect. And therefore his sacrifice was perfect. And it’s sufficient for your forgiveness and mine.

(23:29 – 23:59)

And yet the call to us is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Acts 16 verse 31, believe. And whether my belief is strong or weak, consistent or intermittent, I am saved because of the Lord my faith is placed in.

(24:00 – 24:26)

Not because of the strength of my faith, but because it rests on the Lord Jesus. It’s a common illustration, isn’t it? I’ve probably used this before, but two people can see an empty chair. I don’t know what it’s doing out in the street in the middle of Glasgow, but they could see this chair and one of them with full confidence could throw themselves into the chair, very confident it’s going to hold them up.

(24:26 – 24:44)

And it does. And then a few minutes later, another guy comes along and he’s asked to sit down and he’s very tentative, very nervous. And you managed to persuade him, why don’t you just give it a go? And he has just enough confidence to tentatively put his weight down on the chair.

(24:45 – 24:58)

And the chair holds him just the same. Because you’re not saved by the strength of your faith. You’re saved by the strength of the one your faith is placed in.

(24:59 – 25:22)

The Christian life begins when you rest your faith in Jesus Christ. But of course, God’s calling us to something even more and better than that, isn’t he? Because as you come to know him better and you see the sufficiency of who he is, your confidence in him should grow. Your doubts should be assuaged.

(25:23 – 25:49)

You should learn gradually perhaps, but you should learn that you can trust him with all of your heart and know that that confidence won’t be mistaken. And as our confidence builds, that trust in Jesus is something that we have over and against our own understanding in a whole host of areas. There’s a very practical outbox to this, to living this.

(25:51 – 26:20)

Because this is about trusting Jesus enough that you acknowledge him and submit to him rather than doing things your own way. So for instance, it’s choosing what the Bible says about being honest at work and having integrity in your dealings. Even though you think that you could be successful more quickly if you just cut a few corners.

(26:21 – 26:40)

That’s what trusting in the Lord might look like in that area. It’s trusting what Jesus says about relationships and sexual ethics. And it’s trusting in what he says and the goodness of what he says over what we might like to do in the moment.

(26:43 – 27:20)

It’s trusting what the Bible says about both the conception of life and the ending of life and seeing the preciousness of both those things over and against the popular zeitgeist of the day that tells us what is compassionate and acceptable. We say, I’m gonna trust the Lord’s word rather than my own fallible understanding. See, it’s in these sorts of areas where we’re tempted to see things differently from God’s perfect word, where we might think we are wiser in our own eyes than God is wise.

(27:23 – 27:45)

I think it was Tim Keller who once said that if your Bible always agrees with you, then you’re probably not reading it very seriously. Because it is God’s word, it will often say things that don’t fit with how you want to think or how you would like to act. Let the word of God correct you.

(27:45 – 27:57)

See, these verses, they’re still lovely verses. I don’t wanna say they’re not, but they’re not just lovely verses to put on fridge magnets. This is the battleground of our hearts.

(27:57 – 28:16)

This is the war for our souls that these verses are talking about. And we need the incentive of verse seven to know that the straight path will belong to those who trust in the Lord. That life to the full that Jesus spoke of is for those who trust in him.

(28:18 – 28:38)

It’s when we fear the Lord, verse eight, that nourishment will come to our bodies. That’s not just by the way about a good medical prognosis, it’s about true happiness and true health. And so we trust in the Lord and we internalise his words and we trust him as we lean on his wisdom, not our own.

(28:40 – 28:56)

Now, those are two quite challenging ways to trust the Lord, but I’m sorry to say that the final one is maybe even tougher, but it’s really important. So here’s the third and final dimension. We trust in the Lord as we perceive his loving discipline.

(28:57 – 29:14)

We trust in the Lord as we perceive his loving discipline. Now, if you’re just kind of walking through this passage, I think verses 11 and 12 kind of surprise you. They sort of ambush you because it’s all been very positive.

(29:14 – 29:21)

Do this, it’s going to be blessing. Do that, it’s going to be blessing. Verses eight, nine, and 10, you know, honour the Lord with the firstfruits of your wealth.

(29:22 – 29:39)

Give him the best, not the dregs. Your barns and your vats will overflow. And if you were reading it superficially, it could sound like the prosperity preacher on the God channel by this point until you hit verses 11 and 12.

(29:40 – 30:05)

At the very end of the passage, which is setting all these blessings before us, we suddenly hear about the Lord’s discipline. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke. This suggests, doesn’t it, that this son will experience times of hardship in life.

(30:07 – 30:38)

If he’s going to experience the Lord’s discipline, that must mean hardship rather than health, poverty rather than riches, persecution rather than praise, barrenness rather than blessing. If there’s not some outbox like that, then what does this even mean to say that you’re going to go through times of discipline? So there’s going to be difficult times in this young man’s life. And this could indicate that the son might stray from the path.

(30:38 – 30:49)

I mean, of course he will. He’s a sinner like the rest of us. And the Bible makes it clear, doesn’t it, that God does sometimes discipline us for the reason that we sin, because of our sin.

(30:51 – 30:58)

This son won’t always listen to instruction. He won’t always trust in the Lord. And the father knows this.

(30:58 – 31:17)

And the father says, when you turn away from the Lord, the Lord is going to discipline you to correct you and bring you back. But it’s interesting, when we read this passage in the book of Hebrews, because Hebrews actually picks up this text and gives us a little explanation of it. It does something quite different.

(31:18 – 31:37)

Hebrews 12 picks this up. And one of the big points it makes is that all hardships are to be considered as discipline. Whether we’re suffering for sin, which might happen some of the time, or whether we’re just suffering.

(31:38 – 31:54)

Because sometimes we just suffer under God’s sovereignty, like Job. And sometimes we suffer because God simply wants to mature us in some way. But the author says that in all moments of hardship, we should consider it as discipline.

(31:55 – 32:21)

The loving discipline of a father who is making us and moulding us into the children he wants us to be. Notice in verse 12, it’s not the human father in Proverbs who’s disciplining the son, but the human father is pointing to the heavenly father. Yes, for a period of time, our parents discipline us.

(32:22 – 32:30)

It’s an important training. It sets the right direction in life. But there’s a time where we outgrow that.

(32:31 – 32:47)

But the author here says that we never outgrow the discipline of our heavenly father. We’re going to be hearing more of that tonight through David. The role that correction needs to play in a life of growing wisdom.

(32:48 – 33:13)

But here we’re asked to trust in the Lord when we endure hard times of discipline. When God doesn’t seem to be delivering the good stuff of Proverbs 3, we are being asked to trust that our father is disciplining us in love. We really, really, really need faith to believe that.

(33:15 – 33:37)

Because it is not often evident to us that hardship in our life is a sign of God’s love. But usually when I’m going through hard times in my own life, I’m much more quick to think that God is indifferent, or even worse, that he just doesn’t love me and he maybe hates me. That he’s rejected me.

(33:39 – 33:53)

This passage says the reality is the opposite of that. I heard a story. It was told by a pastor, but he used to be a Christian, or used to be a teacher in London in a primary school.

(33:54 – 34:03)

And he said there was a boy in his class who had been brought up in a very wealthy home. His mom and dad were high flyers. They were never at home really.

(34:03 – 34:14)

And they paid a nanny to cook him his meals and do everything for him. And they said to the nanny, just give him whatever he wants. Cook for him whatever he wants.

(34:15 – 34:22)

Well, you can imagine the fruit of all that. And this boy became very chaotic. Chaotic with people.

(34:23 – 34:31)

His grades just took a huge dive. And eventually the teacher called in the father to have a chat with him. And the boy was also there.

(34:32 – 34:58)

And the father of the boy was a bit irritated. This was sort of cutting into his work time. And what was this really all about anyway? And he said at one point, the boy in floods of tears screamed at his dad, why don’t you love me enough to ground me? Love isn’t constantly feeding your children ice cream.

(34:59 – 35:24)

Real paternal love, both human and divine, has an element of discipline. And again, the wonder of this is when we think of Jesus, Jesus didn’t need to be corrected in this sense. And yet scripture says that Jesus learned obedience by what he suffered.

(35:27 – 35:56)

Jesus endured the judgement of a holy God. So that we would only know the blessing of God as our father and his loving discipline just for a time. Do you need to hear that this morning? Do you need your thinking to be recalibrated? To realise that your heavenly father loves you? And that’s why he sometimes allows troubles in your life.

(35:56 – 36:29)

At least it’s one of the main reasons he does. Will you trust him in that? I wonder if that’s a real battle for someone here this morning. Will you take to heart what we sang before I stood up here? Did you take in the lyrics as we sang them? When trials come, no longer fear, for in the pain our God draws near to fire of faith worth more than gold.

(36:30 – 36:41)

And there his faithfulness is told. Within the night I know your peace. The breath of God brings strength to me.

(36:42 – 36:54)

And new each morning mercy flows as treasures of the darkness grows. I turn to wisdom not my own. And I like to amend this line slightly.

(36:55 – 37:09)

For every battle Christ has known, my confidence will rest in you. Your love endures. Your ways are good.

(37:11 – 37:40)

Let’s just pray briefly together. Our father, we come to you this morning aware of the battle to trust in you. We come as those who often lean on our own understanding rather than resting on your wisdom.

(37:42 – 38:02)

We thank you that Christ has known the battle. And we thank you that Christ has overcome the temptation to trust in his own strength. Help us to put our confidence squarely and entirely in him.

(38:03 – 38:17)

And may we know that his love endures and all of his ways in our life, however crooked or bendy they might seem to us, are good. And it’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

The post Trust in the Lord – Proverbs 3v1–12 appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:20 – 0:34)

So chapters one to nine is the choice of wisdom. It’s an appeal to the son to decide to choose God’s wisdom. And then chapters 10 to 29 is the content of wisdom.

(0:34 – 0:54)

And it’s mostly hundreds and hundreds of little pithy Proverbs that are giving insight into the skill of living well. And there’s 19 chapters of these sayings. And then in chapters 30 and 31, yes, some more content, some more Proverbs.

(0:55 – 1:10)

But for a few reasons that we’ll get into when we come to those final chapters, I think chapters 30 and 31 are wrapping up the whole book. They are special chapters. They’re written by different authors and they’re summing up the main lessons of Proverbs.

(1:11 – 1:50)

So hopefully that’ll be just a little bit helpful just to orientate you to the book. But the question that I’ve been mulling over quite a lot is, how do we preach the middle chunk of Proverbs? How do we deal with the bulk of it, chapters 10 to 29? Are we gonna preach a sermon a week on a Proverb a week? That could take us 25 years. Well, in the morning series, we’re going to actually tackle two of those chapters, chapter 10 and chapter 16, and they might turn out to be the worst sermons you’ve ever heard.

(1:51 – 2:11)

I don’t know how those are gonna go, but we’re gonna give it a go on two Sunday mornings. But I guess the main thing we’re going to do in the evenings, we’re going to look at the content in themes. So we’re gonna group together different concepts, different themes, and we’re gonna just look at a number of Proverbs to make it a little simpler.

(2:12 – 2:34)

So tonight we’re looking at the theme of words. And this is going to be hugely practical, very challenging, but I hope in the end really encouraging. Because bear in mind that the book of Proverbs was written to help the simple become wise and help the wise add to their learning.

(2:35 – 2:57)

So the basis of this book, the premise it’s starting from is that each of us can grow in wisdom. We don’t need to come here defeatist as we look at these topics, but we can make steady growth even in the area of our words. And I’m sure that all of us will appreciate that our words is an area where we do need to keep growing in.

(2:58 – 3:17)

I came across a statistic this week. It’s one of these, how do they measure the statistics? But it said that the average person speaks 16,000 words a day. So even if you don’t get your 10,000 steps in, you probably get in your 16,000 words a day.

(3:18 – 3:42)

And some of those words, I’m sure many of them are helpful words, they’re needed words, they’re truthful words, they’re loving words. But if you’re anything like me, there are plenty of those words that you wish you could just catch and put back into your mouth. And so Solomon here addresses us as sons, daughters as well, who need to mature.

(3:43 – 3:54)

And he gives us a number of, I mean, many different Proverbs on words. And he scatters these throughout chapters 10 to 29. And I’ve just selected four of them.

(3:55 – 4:08)

These are just sort of representative of some of the things he says, but I hope this will be helpful. So the first Proverb is chapter 10, verse 19. Chapter 10, verse 19.

(4:09 – 4:31)

And I know many of you are looking at this in the NIV, which is okay, but I prefer the translation here of the ESV. I think it’s a better translation in this case. It says, when words are many, transgression is not absent, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

(4:32 – 4:48)

So the principle here is that wise people are restrained in their speech. Wise people do not talk too much. As we’ve said, as human beings, we inevitably speak a lot.

(4:49 – 5:27)

We need to communicate for all sorts of different reasons, both fundamental to remain alive and viable human beings, but also for social reasons, for loving reasons, for kindness reasons, we need to communicate. And yet the warning of Solomon here is don’t speak overly much, because if you speak too much, it becomes inevitable that sin will not be absent. Jesus once said, didn’t he, that it’s out of the heart that the mouth speaks.

(5:28 – 6:10)

And I don’t know what the condition of your heart is, but while we have plenty of sanctified thoughts in our hearts at times, and hopefully some godly ideas and good things that run around our brain, we also have plenty of wrong things in our heads, things we wouldn’t like others to know we’re thinking. And so it follows then that if we just keep on speaking long enough, if we just keep on upping the quantity of our words that we say out loud, more of what is unhelpful will seep out. This is what you call an antithetical proverb.

(6:11 – 6:24)

An antithetical proverb is a proverb with two halves, which are a contrast to each other. Notice the word but in the middle. So when words are many, transgression is not absent.

(6:24 – 6:49)

But here’s the contrast, whoever restrains their tongue is prudent. A prudent person is a cautious person in the best sense. A prudent person is wisely careful, wisely careful not to sin against the Lord and wisely careful not to harm those made in his image.

(6:50 – 7:09)

And that kind of wisely careful person restrains their tongue. You hear people say sometimes in a moment of provocation, I held it in, you know, I could have said something. I almost said something, but I didn’t say it.

(7:10 – 7:24)

And that’s probably for the best on most of those occasions. Controlling the quantity of your words is one way of living with wisdom. One commentator says, words are like sheep.

(7:25 – 7:42)

The more there are, the better chances that some will go astray. And of course, the world is not encouraging us in the Bible’s direction here at all. The advice tends to be in the opposite direction.

(7:44 – 8:00)

A few people are telling us to tone down the number of our words. Folk are saying, speak up, say more, be bold, get out there and let the world know what you think. And it’s not just in person that we have opportunity with this, but also online.

(8:00 – 8:22)

It’s electronic communication that means we can contact hundreds of people very easily and simply. And so many people are saying, just speak, just talk, just keep going with sentence after sentence. And yet wisdom is telling us, have your words on a short leash.

(8:24 – 8:39)

The quality of your words goes down in proportion to the quantity. Now, yes, sometimes people speak too little. Sometimes it’s actually unloving to say too little.

(8:39 – 8:55)

And sometimes things need to be said that are not said. And silence, as one writer says, is ambiguous. Someone’s silent, you don’t know whether they’re for you or against you, whether you think it’s good or it’s bad.

(8:55 – 9:06)

So it’s ambiguous. And that’s about unsettling. But it’s better than filling every moment with words that will eventually betray the thoughts that are within.

(9:07 – 9:34)

The Lord Jesus knew when to speak, but he also knew when to remain silent. So let me just give you just a few possible areas where this would apply. If you’re a parent, and of course you need to be instructing your children, know when the quantity of your words is leading you to say things that are less and less helpful.

(9:35 – 9:48)

Right, I mean, some of you know that in a disciplining situation. You’ve said the piece, you’ve said what needs to be said, but you just keep going. And the longer you go, the less helpful the things are that you say.

(9:50 – 10:25)

Think of it in conversation with friends and with people that you know, I don’t know if this is just me, maybe this is just my own weakness, but I don’t know if you can relate to this. But I find that the longer I have a conversation with somebody, the longer it goes on for on the phone or in a coffee shop, very often the quality of the conversation decreases the longer it goes. And so a one hour chat on the phone is likely to be more fruitful and godly and positive than if it’s a three hour chat on the phone.

(10:26 – 10:38)

Maybe that’s just me, but it seems to me that often the longer we talk, the less edifying things can sometimes become. It’s at least a possible danger. And so we need the wisdom of this proverb.

(10:39 – 10:55)

Why? Because of the second one, second proverb, Proverbs 12, verse 18. Proverbs 12, verse 18. The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

(10:57 – 11:07)

And so the second principle is that wise people know the impact of their words. They know the impact. Words are not flimsy things.

(11:08 – 11:23)

They’re not as wispy and inconsequential as the air that carries them. Words are more like a sharp blade. It’s like metal being thrust into someone’s side if they’re the wrong kind of words.

(11:23 – 11:43)

The image of this proverb is actually of multiple swords. It’s like having lots of swords in both hands and multiple stab wounds. What we’re being told here is that words, when they’re unhelpful and harmful, are incredibly painful things.

(11:43 – 11:59)

They pierce other people. I just think of this very kind of practically. Many families have a relative somewhere, auntie so-and-so, uncle so-and-so, and they’ve got a reputation for having a sharp tongue.

(12:01 – 12:20)

And it’s the reason why, you know, they’re sort of, they’re casting lots to see who needs to go and see aunt X this week because whoever goes needs to be walking in with the body armour on because many wounding things are gonna be said. What a sad situation that is. And that person’s probably feeling very lonely.

(12:20 – 12:34)

And why is no one coming to see me? And not realising the reckless swords that come out when they speak. And this is described here as recklessness. Notice that, recklessness.

(12:35 – 12:51)

This is the person who speaks impulsively, just says whatever’s on their mind without in any way filtering. Filtering, I hear people say sometimes, as I’m getting older, I’m losing my filter. Watch out for that.

(12:52 – 13:16)

The Bible calls that recklessness. It’s recklessness, be careful. I think the danger of this, though, is that we think of this as the caricature aunt or uncle, and we’ve probably all got some person or other in mind in our family or maybe someone in church or someone in work, and we think, oh, that’s the person, they’re the person that speaks hurtfully.

(13:17 – 13:39)

And yet we can overlook the fact that we at times, all of us, say things that are harmful to other people. And often it will be in moments of frustration or in moments of tiredness. And we just lack that self-control to hold the tongue back and the rash words come out.

(13:40 – 14:13)

I say this in a week, when we’ve been doing a lot of DIY around the house, a lot of painting and stuff in the evenings, and if you work during the day and you come back and you do three hours painting a ceiling, you don’t have a lot of patience over little things. And there’s been lots of unsanctified little words coming out, and I’m thinking, I’m preaching a sermon on this on Sunday night, and here I am, needing to find a different preacher. But it’s often in those moments, isn’t it? And yet it’s the real us coming out, isn’t it? It’s nobody else.

(14:13 – 14:31)

But when the pressure comes on, often that’s what emerges. Bear in mind as well that very often when we hurt people with our words, they will never come and tell us that they’ve been hurt by us. I mean, 90% of the people that say hurtful things to me, I don’t go to them and say that was hurtful.

(14:33 – 14:49)

And so we need to be aware of the fact that we need to have self-awareness. And we need to think, I wonder if what I just said to that person, or I wonder that conversation that seemed a bit tense, I wonder if I wounded that person. I wonder if I needed to apologise for what I just said.

(14:51 – 15:06)

So that’s the negative side of the equation. The positive side is that the wise person has a tongue that brings healing. And that’s a lovely thing, isn’t it? So whereas your tongue can be a sword, it can also be a tool for healing.

(15:07 – 15:28)

Just as words can harm, they can also heal. And it’s true, isn’t it, that there’s often nothing more healing than the aptly chosen words of another human being. Maybe even the apology the person gives you can be so healing, despite the fact they wounded you to begin with.

(15:29 – 15:46)

Now, just a caveat here. There is a truth to the statement that the truth often hurts. And we’re living in an age where if I feel a negative emotion because of what you’ve said, then therefore what you’ve said was wrong.

(15:47 – 16:05)

And we need to be very careful about that. Someone can be very lovingly measured in the way they speak. They can sometimes speak the truth in love, and we can still feel wounded because our pride has been wounded, or our sin is being challenged.

(16:06 – 16:22)

And the Proverbs actually calls that the wounds of a friend. There’s a good sort of wound that you can give to someone, but there’s also a bad sort of wound, and we need to know the difference. So this is not about avoiding ever hurting anyone else’s feelings for the right reason.

(16:23 – 16:50)

But if you’re the sort of person that seems to lead casualties all around you, whenever you leave the community group, or whenever you leave the coffee chat, or whenever you, you know, there’s someone going home and they’re just, you know, there’s a few scars, then this might be a proverb that you need to take more seriously, that I need to take more seriously. So this is very important. And if we’re gonna do that, then that brings us to Proverbs 15, and verse one.

(16:51 – 17:01)

Proverbs 15, verse one. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Here’s the third principle.

(17:02 – 17:10)

Wise people control the tone of how they speak. They control the tone. We’ve got another contrast.

(17:11 – 17:20)

All three of these have been contrasts. On the one hand, you have a gentle answer. That could be translated a soft answer.

(17:21 – 17:48)

And it is contrasted with a harsh word, or literally it’s the idea of a painful word, a word that causes negative emotional impact because it was unloving. And we’re told that when we choose the soft word, the gentle word, this will de-escalate tension and it will reduce anger. And there’s many examples of this in the Bible.

(17:49 – 18:03)

We don’t have time to look into this, but you could look this up later for a bit of kind of reflection on this. But in 1 Samuel 25, there’s a really brilliant story that’s all about this. You have David.

(18:04 – 18:15)

He’s this really fearsome warrior that you shouldn’t mess with. But there’s this guy called Nabal, and Nabal decides it is a good idea to say all sorts of nasty things about David. And it gets back to David.

(18:16 – 18:24)

And David’s gonna set about this guy. He’s in big trouble. But thankfully for Nabal, he has a wife that’s wiser than him.

(18:25 – 18:38)

And her name’s Abigail. And Abigail, she intervenes on her husband’s behalf and she speaks wisely to David. And she gives him a soft answer, a gentle answer.

(18:38 – 18:54)

And she calms down David’s wrath. And at least temporarily, Nabal doesn’t get his comeuppance athough later for a different reason he does. But it’s a wonderful illustration, isn’t it? And we all have our own versions of that probably.

(18:56 – 19:07)

Situations, I mean, both ways. Situations where maybe there was rising tension. And unfortunately, we said the thing that seemed to put the sparks in the fire.

(19:08 – 19:29)

And it became a full-blown explosion. But we also can think of other situations where with the help of the Holy Spirit, we somehow managed to take a breath and respond in a way that was true but was also gentle and loving. And what could have been a crisis calmed itself down.

(19:31 – 19:38)

And so what we’re reminding of is really something very simple. It’s not just what you say. It is about how you say it.

(19:40 – 19:48)

This is very important. Because sometimes people will say, I’ve done this as well very defensively. What was wrong with what I said? You know, and you repeat back the words.

(19:49 – 19:56)

Usually you repeat them back in a really nice tone. I said it like this. But actually that wasn’t the way you said it originally.

(19:57 – 20:07)

Two people can say even the exact same sentence of words. And one do it with love. The other do it with sarcasm, biting sarcasm.

(20:07 – 20:28)

Same words, different tone. This is often something that other people can pick up more easily than we can. I think we often have a responsibility to each other to occasionally say, it’s not so much what you said, but it’s the way you said it.

(20:30 – 20:49)

It’s just an observation from being in ministry over the years and seeing quite a few issues in churches as happens. And in my own relationships with people too. It’s amazing how few times the problems are actually about differences of opinion.

(20:50 – 20:59)

The problem is not that people have differences of opinion. I have people all the time that I have differences of opinion with and I get on really well with some people. Because it’s not about that.

(20:59 – 21:10)

The issue is always the manner in which the people with differing opinions speak to one another. That’s the issue. It’s the tone that’s the problem.

(21:11 – 21:23)

And one person said something in a very unhelpful way and the other person reacted in an equally unhelpful way. And the whole thing just builds up and up and up. And then you’re maybe called in to be the referee.

(21:23 – 21:38)

And that’s part of the role you play. And then sometimes you find yourself in this situation where actually your response even as a church leader was just a bit sharper than it should have been. And you were a bit frustrated and a bit tired and your tone wasn’t quite right.

(21:39 – 21:49)

And actually you’ve stirred up the fire yourself. I’ve been there with that too. So that’s another thing we need to be careful of here.

(21:49 – 21:55)

And actually, let me just say this. A lot of these proverbs are about avoiding the negative. Interesting that.

(21:55 – 22:05)

There’s few of the proverbs about words that are about here’s the positive, but there are some. And so let me just finish with one briefly. Proverbs 25 verse 11.

(22:06 – 22:21)

Proverbs 25 verse 11. Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken at the right time. Now the imagery here is a little bit uncertain.

(22:21 – 22:40)

And actually, let me just say as a side comment. One of the slightly tricky bits interpreting some proverbs is they’re so brief and they’re so underexplained that you sometimes do have ambiguous images or even just the proverb itself. You sit and think, what does that mean? So there are a few proverbs you really need to ponder quite hard.

(22:40 – 23:08)

This is one of them, at least the imagery is a little tricky. What seems to be being described here are carvings of fruit in gold, something kind of decorative that was then set within a silver backdrop. And whatever the exact thing is in mind here historically, the idea I think is clear, that this is something that just is the right thing in the right place.

(23:08 – 23:20)

It just looks right. It’s kind of like, maybe I’ve got decorating on my mind tonight. But it’s like when you decorate a wall in your house and you paint it a certain colour and then someone with an eye for things picks just the right picture.

(23:21 – 23:29)

That just blends with what’s behind it. And they put it up and you think, wow, that’s the right picture for that wall. It just fits right.

(23:30 – 23:43)

That’s the point of this proverb here. The point is that words, when they’re spoken at the right time, they just fit perfectly. They are apt for the situation.

(23:43 – 24:12)

The principle is this. Wise people say just what is needed. And Proverbs is saying then that we can grow in wisdom in our words and we can become, as we avoid some of the negatives we’ve talked about, but as we grow in wisdom and as we grow in Christlikeness, we can actually grow into the sorts of people who will start to say the right thing at the right time in the right sort of way.

(24:13 – 24:23)

I wish that was more the case with my words. I’m sure you wish it was more the case with yours. I know that it was always the case with Jesus’ words.

(24:25 – 24:47)

Luke 4, 22 says, all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. In Matthew 13, 54, coming to his hometown, he taught the people in their synagogue and they were astonished. Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers, they asked.

(24:48 – 25:01)

And in John 7, 46, never has anyone spoken like this man. Jesus’ words were always wise. His words were restrained when necessary.

(25:02 – 25:13)

He was silent when he needed to be silent. Remember, he was silent before the cross. Jesus’ words could be strong at times, but he only ever wounded the pride of the prideful.

(25:15 – 25:24)

His words didn’t bring unnecessary wounds. They brought healing to those in spiritual need. Jesus was the epitome of the gentle answer.

(25:24 – 25:45)

His tone was always the right tone because, well, God always speaks with the right tone. And he always said the absolutely perfect, fitting thing in every single scenario, including even when he was dying on a cross. We can never match the perfect words of Jesus.

(25:46 – 26:00)

James says, if any man can control his tongue, he is the perfect man. That’s Christ. And yet, the encouragement of Proverbs is we can grow in this.

(26:01 – 26:14)

We can. We can make slow progress. I was listening, again, when I was painting, to Graham Beynon the other day on Battling Sin.

(26:15 – 26:28)

Very worth listening through. He did five lectures at Keswick the other week on Battling Sin. And he had this great little line where he said, the battle never stops, but the battle line can move.

(26:29 – 26:40)

The battle never stops, but the battle line can move. What he was saying was, you know, as an immature Christian, maybe you just blurt out all the nonsense without a filter. The battle’s still there.

(26:40 – 27:06)

He said, but 15 years on, 20 years on, you might have stopped saying the nonsense, but you’re still thinking it. And it’s true, isn’t it? The battle’s always there, but can we make that little bit of progress, little by little, to grow in our words? Let’s briefly pray. Father, thank you for addressing us tonight.

(27:06 – 27:16)

Thank you for your wisdom on our words. Thank you for the perfect man who controlled this tongue. We pray for real progress in this area.

(27:17 – 27:28)

We pray that we will say what is helpful and healing, rather than what is reckless and wounding. And we ask this for the extension of your kingdom. Amen.

The post Words and Wisdom – Proverbs appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:26 – 0:40)

If they say, come along with us, let’s lie in wait for innocent blood. Let’s ambush some harmless soul. Let’s swallow them alive like the grave and whole like those who go down to the pit.

(0:41 – 0:53)

We will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder. Cast lots with us and we will all share the loot. My son, do not go along with them.

(0:55 – 1:08)

Do not set foot on their paths, for their feet rush into evil. They are swift to shed blood. How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it.

(1:10 – 1:20)

These men lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush only themselves. Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain.

(1:22 – 1:33)

It takes away the life of those who get it. Out in the open, wisdom calls aloud. She raises her voice in the public square.

(1:34 – 1:53)

On top of the wall, she cries out. At the city gate, she makes her speech. How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke.

(1:54 – 2:17)

Then I will pour out my thoughts to you. I will make known to you my teachings. But since you refuse to listen when I call, and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you.

(2:18 – 2:47)

I will mock when calamity overtakes you, when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelms you. Then they will call to me, but I will not answer. They will look for me, but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.

(2:48 – 3:17)

Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm.

(3:18 – 3:40)

This is God’s word. When you go for a walk in the forest or in a park, you will sometimes come to a fork in the path. So you know the kind of thing where you can’t just keep on going.

(3:41 – 3:54)

There’s a right and a left, perhaps maybe a yellow trail and a blue trail. And you, the walker, have to choose. You have to pick which path you’re going to take.

(3:55 – 4:04)

And if you’re a bit of a ditherer, it might take you five minutes. And if you’re more impulsive, it might take you five seconds. But you pick one.

(4:05 – 4:27)

And of course, you then commit to one. You tend to continue doggedly down that same path, whether it was a good idea or not. Well, in the book of Proverbs, which we’ve started to look at last Sunday, we’re learning lots of things about what it means to be wise.

(4:28 – 5:03)

But one of the big things we need to really grasp about wisdom is that the life of wisdom begins with a choice. In fact, it not only begins with wisdom, but it actually continues with a continual choice to be wise. And you see, if we don’t commit to this path, if we don’t keep committing to this path, then the default reality is that we’ve chosen another path, a path that’s leading to a very bad destination.

(5:05 – 5:30)

Well, this is what we’re going to think about this morning. We’re going to look at the final two thirds of Proverbs 1. And these two passages that we’re going to look at together are focussing on voices and choices. So it’s about the choices we make, but also about the voices that entice us to make either choice.

(5:31 – 5:45)

So let’s begin, if you’ve got your Bible open, with the first section. This is verses 8 to 19. And in this first passage, what we hear are voices that will entice you to death.

(5:46 – 6:06)

Voices that will entice you to death. Last week, we looked at the introduction to the book of Proverbs. In fact, we looked at the intro to the intro, which was verses 1 to 7 of chapter 1. Those verses explain the book’s purpose.

(6:07 – 6:25)

And they also showcased the appeal of wisdom. It was kind of presenting it as a very attractive thing. But now, having received that initial orientation, we progress to nine chapters of a father’s passionate appeal.

(6:26 – 6:59)

We now hear a series of speeches, of lectures, of calls. You could call this full section, the call to wisdom, chapters 1 to 9. And in these chapters, the father is saying to his son, choose wisdom, not folly. Because only if the son chooses wisdom, will he then apply himself to the Proverbs that follow in chapter 10 and afterwards.

(7:01 – 7:18)

And what we have in our passage today is the first speech from the father to the son. You see that in verse 8. Listen, my son, it begins. I guess we could think of this son perhaps as the son of Solomon himself.

(7:20 – 7:30)

And yet, as we saw last week, this book is addressing really all of the sons of Israel. It’s addressing all those who would seek God’s wisdom. All who want to grow in knowledge.

(7:32 – 7:51)

And what is this son to listen to? He is to listen to his father’s instruction. And he’s not to forsake his mother’s teaching. I was just thinking as I was reviewing this earlier this morning, that this must be the most uncool sermon point that you’ve ever heard.

(7:51 – 8:07)

That basically, you need to listen to your mum and dad. And the wisdom that they’ve already gained from the Lord. And he says there in verse 8, doesn’t he? In kind of strange imagery to us, the garland and the crown.

(8:08 – 8:24)

But basically he’s saying it will reward you. It will be a wonderful blessing for you if you stick with the teaching of your father and mother. The difficulty is that there is an alternative option.

(8:25 – 8:40)

There is another path this son can choose. And there are other voices that he can listen to. If you like, his mum and dad are already on the wisdom trail.

(8:40 – 8:59)

And they’re kind of calling the son to follow them, follow their instruction up that path. But at the fork in the road, there’s another group, a gang really, of what the passage calls sinful men. And they’re already on the path of folly.

(8:59 – 9:16)

And they are enticing the son to follow them, to come with them down their road. It’s like the sirens in the story of Odysseus really. They’re luring him with their tempting voices.

(9:16 – 9:25)

Look at verse 11. If they say, there’s the strategy, it’s their words. And they’re gonna say lots of things to this young man.

(9:25 – 9:41)

All the way from verse 11 down to verse 14, they’re saying things to him, trying to persuade him to follow them. Now, please notice with me how temptation works. Because that’s what we’re dealing with here.

(9:42 – 10:12)

These are the dynamics of temptation to sin. And whoever you are this morning, whether you are a follower of Jesus, or whether you are not, we all know what it is to be tempted to do the wrong thing. What are the dynamics of that? Well, what temptation does is it tells you what you will gain, and it hides from you what you will lose.

(10:13 – 10:24)

That’s what temptation always does. It tells you, here’s what you will gain by doing this. And it is silent about what you will lose.

(10:25 – 10:35)

So the gang say to the young man, yes, come with us. Yes, we’re gonna do this kind of hideous thing really. Even they know that, notice the language there.

(10:35 – 10:46)

They are going to kill an innocent man. They’re aware of that. This innocent guy walking down the street, he doesn’t deserve to be ambushed.

(10:47 – 10:58)

But think about the upside. Think about what you will gain if you do this with us. And there’s two things they dangle before this young man.

(10:59 – 11:20)

They dangle cash, and they dangle community. So on the one hand, cash. Verse 13, once we’ve killed this poor person, we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder.

(11:21 – 11:40)

This is basically a get-rich-quick scheme with a deadly dose of murder in the mix. And even if the act is hideous, don’t you feel attracted by the outcome that they’re presenting here? I mean, I do. Because what the outcome they’re offering is this.

(11:41 – 12:01)

They’re saying, you don’t need to endure the slow, hard grind of accumulating wealth that everyone has to go through. Those many decades of working and earning a wage Monday to Friday, and it’s slow and hard and a gradual increase in salary and so on. But you can avoid all of that.

(12:01 – 12:16)

And just in a matter of minutes, you can gain all of the security that money brings with no effort at all. That is a strong temptation. And that’s the main thing they dangle before the son.

(12:18 – 12:32)

But there’s also something more subtle that they’re holding out to him as well. Notice the implied promise of community. Verse 11, come along with us.

(12:33 – 12:47)

Verse 14, we will all share the loot. These men are not just offering money, they’re offering community. A kind of unholy church.

(12:48 – 13:30)

It’s very possible to sin alone and in isolation. I mean, we would sin if we were living stranded on a desert island, wouldn’t we? But very often, one thing that really leads us into much more trouble is the fact that we often are seeking a place within a friendship group or a workplace environment or some community that we want to just feel part of. And so it’s the child at school who joins in with the gossips and the bullies because they don’t want to be a target and they want to stay in the cool crowds.

(13:31 – 13:54)

It’s the student, isn’t it, who gives up their ethics on freshers week just because they want to fit in. And it’s the adult who morphs into a cutthroat person at work because that’s what you need to be to be a success in this kind of workplace. And this is what temptation always does.

(13:55 – 14:12)

It’s the reason why we often give in to temptation because it promises us things. It says, this is what you will gain. Money, community, instant pleasure, more power, greater control.

(14:13 – 14:26)

And we want these things. And so we seek these things. But what temptation fails to then tell us is this is what you will lose.

(14:28 – 14:53)

It tells you what you will gain in the short term, but it’s silent about the loss. And notice here, very significantly, it is the father from verse 15 who alone speaks up about the deadly consequences. Not a peep from the friends, but the father speaks up and says, my son, do not go along with them.

(14:53 – 15:03)

Do not set foot on their paths. And back in verse 10, do not give in. Do not go along.

(15:04 – 15:19)

Do not set foot. Do not give in. It’s pretty black and white advice, isn’t it? Don’t even put your big toe on the road these men are going.

(15:20 – 15:42)

Because this father knows what every wise person knows, that the first step is rarely the last step. If you don’t want to fall off the precipice, don’t take a step in that direction. That’s a crucial bit of advice in so many areas of life and temptation.

(15:43 – 16:05)

If we think we can dabble in things that we know are unhelpful, but don’t worry, we won’t go too far, then we’re just kidding ourselves. Because that’s not how the sinful human heart works. Don’t put your foot on the path.

(16:06 – 16:19)

And why not? This is a very good parent here. He doesn’t just say don’t or do. He says why? Because this path leads to death.

(16:20 – 16:34)

This is what the enticing voices have failed to mention, that if the son goes with them, he is walking into a trap. And the trap isn’t for the victim. It isn’t for the person who’s going to be harmed.

(16:34 – 16:46)

The son himself will be trapped and harmed and killed if he goes down this road. Look at that. It’s a shocking surprise, isn’t it, in verse 18.

(16:47 – 16:56)

You’re not expecting that punchline. These men lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush only themselves.

(16:57 – 17:13)

They think they’re killing the victim, but they’re actually signing their own death warrant. Because they won’t get away with what they do in the world of God’s justice. They will die.

(17:13 – 17:23)

They will be ambushed. And that outcome should be very obvious to them. I think that’s the point, the obviousness of it.

(17:23 – 17:50)

I think that’s the point of verse 17, which is a bit of an ambiguous verse about the net and the bird and so on. How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it. I suppose back in those days, I mean, I’ve never tried to catch a bird for food, but if you were trying to catch a bird because you needed to eat, then I suppose you wouldn’t lay the net out in the open, uncamouflaged for the bird just to see what you were doing.

(17:51 – 18:05)

And even a bird wouldn’t be dumb enough if you just put a big obvious net in the middle of a path. And the point the father is making is that the trap here is obvious. Yes, the money might be good.

(18:05 – 18:15)

Yes, the community might be fun for a while. But if you rob people and kill people, then eventually the net is going to embroil you and kill you. That should be obvious.

(18:18 – 18:40)

It should have been obvious to Judas. As we read in the New Testament, I was thinking about this, the many parallels between Proverbs 1 and what we see with one of Jesus’ disciples. Judas betrayed Jesus to death for a reasonable amount of money.

(18:41 – 19:03)

30 pieces of silver, according to one thing I read, is about four months wages in those days. So for four months of wages, not life-changing money, but a significant amount of money, he was willing to betray Jesus to die. And yet, within 24 hours of that decision, Judas himself was dead.

(19:05 – 19:27)

And within 42 hours of that, the one that he had put to death was raised again to life. Who made the wise decision? The great lesson is captured in verse 19, that such is the destiny of all who go after ill fortune. Ill-gotten gain.

(19:29 – 19:55)

You see, it’s not just the murderers and bank robbers and career criminals who need to learn the lesson here. The Father’s giving a very extreme example, but he’s saying this applies to any situation where we put gain over what is right. Any situation where we harm other people to get the things we want.

(19:55 – 20:14)

It applies to all situations in life when we cut corners and avoid the slow, steady progress of wisdom. In all such situations, there is a disastrous outcome. And so suddenly this passage feels a lot more relevant to all of us.

(20:15 – 20:41)

Because I don’t imagine that many of us are thinking of becoming career criminals, which is kind of what he’s describing here. But the point is, the same dynamic, the same dynamic of foolishness, of seeking instant gain by unethical choices, is something we’re all tempted to do. The folly of cutting corners morally to get ahead a bit quicker.

(20:43 – 20:58)

The folly of harming others because we selfishly need something or want something. And if we need to push them to the side, if it hurts them a little bit, well, that’s just tough. This is a warning to each one of us.

(20:59 – 21:14)

Not to go down the wrong road and follow the foolish path. And yet what follows is, as the father’s first speech develops, is a bit of a change of gears. And so we come to verses 20 to 33.

(21:16 – 21:30)

And now we have something slightly different. After the voices that will entice you to death, we now have a voice that can save you from disaster. A voice that can save you from disaster.

(21:31 – 21:46)

And what we now have, quite curiously, is a woman’s voice. Her name is Wisdom, verse 20. And notice where she is.

(21:47 – 21:56)

She’s in the streets of the city. And she’s also in the public square. And she’s also on the top of the wall.

(21:57 – 22:25)

And she’s also at the city gates. Now, all of these locations are public, the most public places in a city. So there’s a shift here from the domestic background of the previous verses, the home situation of eight to 19, where you can almost imagine the sinful men kind of enticing the young man to follow them into the streets, follow them into folly.

(22:26 – 22:45)

But now we’ve left that home perspective, and now we are in the city, we’re in the streets. And the picture here is that the young man or the young woman has now gone into the world, as it were. And Lady Wisdom is going out to them.

(22:46 – 22:57)

She’s not the father or the mother, but she’s very much in league with them. And she’s saying very similar things to them. She’s after the same goal.

(22:58 – 23:40)

In the book of Proverbs, Lady Wisdom is a repeated character who personifies godly wisdom. She isn’t God, but she acts and speaks in ways that God speaks and acts. And so she goes to the public places and she cries out at the top of her lungs, verse 22, how long will all of you simple people love your simple ways? Notice here that the assumption is that the people she’s crying out to have been choosing the foolish path for some time.

(23:41 – 23:57)

The simple, the naive have been loving their simple ways. There are people who delight in mockery. There are fools here who have hardened so much that they now hate knowledge.

(23:58 – 24:12)

Whereas the previous section was, what choice will you make? This section is much more, you’ve made the wrong choice. Now turn from it. Or to use the biblical word, repent.

(24:14 – 24:26)

Repent means turn around. It means do a U-turn. It means if you’re on the wrong trail, even if you’ve gone many miles down it and you know you’re going the wrong way, stop, turn around and go back to the junction.

(24:28 – 24:40)

Because if you do that, even now, it need not be too late. Look at verse 22. Then, positively, I will pour out my thoughts to you, says Lady Wisdom.

(24:40 – 25:04)

I will make known to you my teachings. There’s still opportunity for this person who’s out in the streets to come back and learn the thoughts, the teachings of Lady Wisdom. But Lady Wisdom is not confident that they will listen, which is why she speaks so strongly with a grave warning in the verses that follow.

(25:06 – 25:20)

But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, that stretching out the hand there is a hand of judgement. Lady Wisdom’s holding out a hand and saying, I’m going to bring judgement. But they’re disregarding that.

(25:20 – 25:40)

Since you disregard all my advice and don’t accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you. I will mock when calamity overcomes you. Lady Wisdom goes on to describe the calamity as like a sudden whirlwind.

(25:41 – 25:59)

That’s a perfect image, isn’t it? Of sudden disaster, you know, whirlwind just sweeps through. And destroys everything in its path. And when the whirlwind comes, there will be no chance to call on Lady Wisdom then to save you.

(26:02 – 26:22)

And this all sounds very grim and maybe harsh to some people’s ears. Lady Wisdom might sound a little bit mean, you might think, saying she will laugh when disaster comes on them. But notice that even here, this is Lady Wisdom’s attempt to wake these people up.

(26:23 – 26:39)

Even by saying that she’s going to mock them and laugh at them when disaster comes, it’s an attempt to spur them into action. Look at verse 32. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

(26:39 – 26:59)

You see, the big issue here is complacency. One of the great problems when we get trapped in a life of selfishness and sin and we ignore God is that things can seem to run smoothly for a while. They can go well in the short term.

(27:00 – 27:14)

It’s kind of like the person who has committed a serious crime, but they haven’t been caught yet. And they’re chilling at home every night and they’re eating ice cream. And life is good.

(27:14 – 27:40)

And they’re completely complacent. And then one morning at 5 a.m., the whirlwind and the door is bashed in and utter destruction comes. Yes, these are strong words, but they are designed by Lady Wisdom to jolt the complacent person out of their sleep and stupor.

(27:42 – 28:20)

Whereas verses 8 to 19 were aimed at the person starting out, don’t choose a life where you reject God’s wisdom. Verses 20 to 33 are saying, if you’ve long since chosen that life of foolishness and decided that your way is better, God lovingly warns you through Lady Wisdom that however happy life is in the short term, it will lead to disaster in the long term. And yet there is an offer, a call to the complacent, a call to the prodigal son or prodigal daughter.

(28:21 – 28:38)

God is saying you still yet can choose a different path. The whoever of verse 33 is singular, singular. It’s as if the masses won’t listen.

(28:40 – 29:03)

It’s as if most people won’t respond, but maybe there’s one, maybe there’s just one person here among that crowd going the wrong direction, a whoever who might say, I need to turn around. I need to stop listening to the wrong voices. I need to stop listening to the voice of atheism.

(29:04 – 29:34)

I need to stop listening to the voices of doubt and agnosticism. I need to stop listening to the voices of self-centred, short-term pleasure-based living, which is fun in the moment, but which is leading me to a disastrous life and eternity. Whoever listens to the voice of wisdom will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm.

(29:35 – 30:12)

And I guess that kind of has an application just in general everyday life, doesn’t it? If you choose a wise life and you steer clear of folly, then the consequences of your wrong behaviour in that sense won’t follow you. You’ll suffer for other reasons, but you won’t suffer because you’ve been a complete idiot. But I guess as Christians who understand the gospel and the fuller picture of the New Testament, this is not just about living a good life now, but it’s about that great hope of living forever in relationship with God through Christ.

(30:13 – 30:25)

Lady Wisdom is not Jesus, but she acts and speaks like Jesus. And she calls us to turn around. You know, Jesus is God’s final words to the world.

(30:26 – 30:54)

And Jesus, if you think about it, he came to the streets and the public places of our world, didn’t he? He went to where people were. He didn’t just hang out in the temple, but he went right to where people were and he called people to repent and he called people to seek God’s wisdom. And the really tragic thing is that the cry of Jesus, who is the epitome of wisdom, was largely rejected by the world.

(30:57 – 31:24)

They took Jesus and they nailed him to a cross. That’s what they thought of the wisdom of God. But in contrast to the foolish son who abandons his father’s instruction and murders and steals for ill-gotten gain, Jesus listened to his father’s instruction and he died as an innocent man at the hands of a gang.

(31:26 – 31:47)

It’s amazing to think, isn’t it, that Jesus died in the place of a murderer, Barabbas, and he died in between two robbers, two thieves. Because on the cross, Jesus was dying for people just like that. People like you and me who go after ill-gotten gain.

(31:49 – 32:17)

And he died in order that we might be forgiven and free. And so just a few, I hope, pointed but helpful applications as we finish. Maybe you’re here this morning and you are a younger person and you’re just at the point in life where you are making the big choice about what fundamental path you’re going to take in life.

(32:18 – 32:36)

The message of this passage is really simple. Choose the way of wisdom and realise, and this is something that as a younger person who grew up in church, I struggled to realise. Realise that there is no need to go down the wrong path to test whether it’s the wrong path.

(32:37 – 32:43)

Because the trap is so obvious. Death is so obvious. Others have been caught in the net.

(32:44 – 32:58)

You can see it for yourself, surely. And therefore, you don’t need to go down the roads to experience that destruction for yourself. So choose God’s way by putting your faith in Christ and by committing yourself to follow him.

(32:59 – 33:14)

I wonder if there’s someone here you kind of very consciously need to make that decision. And you’re maybe thinking, I can just keep sitting on the fence. But God’s word is saying today, there is no such thing as sitting on the fence.

(33:15 – 33:35)

So that’s the first kind of application of this. The second one is maybe to the person who already has chosen the wrong path. And maybe you’re sitting here this morning you might be in church, but you’re very, very far away from God in your heart.

(33:36 – 34:01)

Or it could be maybe more likely you’re maybe listening to this online because you don’t go to church anymore, but you just listen in every so often. And long ago, you left the influence of a Christian home. You left maybe what your parents taught you of the gospel or a Christian gran or the friend who introduced you to Jesus years ago.

(34:02 – 34:17)

And maybe you believed for a little while and then you rejected it, or maybe you just never believed. And there you are, you’re out there in the world as it were. And maybe it’s already bearing bad fruits.

(34:19 – 34:30)

And you’re realising that you maybe picked the wrong path. But there’s a lot of pride there. And it’s really difficult to humble yourself and say, I’ve got the whole thing wrong.

(34:31 – 34:45)

Maybe that’s you. Or maybe even worse, maybe life is actually going okay in the short term. You’ve not been struck by lightning yet.

(34:47 – 35:23)

But you need to realise, I lovingly say to you that complacency today leads to catastrophe one day. Even now hear the call to turn around. And thirdly, if you’ve chosen the path of wisdom and you’re basically committed to it, we continue to face the daily challenge of competing voices, don’t we? You know, none of us will wake up tomorrow, even if you’ve been a Christian for many years without facing all sorts of choices about how to live tomorrow.

(35:24 – 35:32)

The temptations still come. The voices still speak. The battle is very real.

(35:34 – 36:12)

And we need the encouragements and the warnings of this passage to help us. Maybe when your next battling temptation, and it will be tomorrow on a number of fronts, you could turn to Proverbs one as a place to help you in a moment of temptation and difficulty. Let the words of a wise father and his expose of what temptation is not telling you, let that strengthen you, strengthen your resolve to reject the enticing voices of quick sinful gain.

(36:13 – 36:41)

Because in the end, the voice of wisdom has something much better to offer us than the short term gain of folly. It offers us great reward in this life and in the next. Let’s take a moment to reflect on what we’ve heard.

(36:49 – 37:09)

Heavenly Father, we thank you that your son listened to your voice and in the end, it led him to life. It led him out of the pits to the highest place of honour and glory. We rejoice in the path he chose.

(37:11 – 37:37)

We rely not on ourselves, but in Jesus faithfulness to you. But in light of that, we pray that you will help us to choose wisdom, to choose Christ, to choose repentance, to choose your way. Lord, there’s so many situations here of how that might speak to individuals.

(37:39 – 37:52)

Please call us, each of us, in the way that individually we need to hear your call. And may we respond today with the help of your spirit. In Jesus’ name we ask, amen.

The post Voices – Proverbs 1v8-33 appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:13 – 0:38)

They call it things like life hacks, personal development, or self-help. But through books, podcasts, social media feeds, people want to skill up in every area of their life. They want to eat better, sleep better, parent better, feel better.

(0:38 – 1:03)

They want to be better communicators, be better at handling conflict. And in all these things, they listen to the experts, the people who seem to know, seem to have cracked it, and they look to them for the insight that they need. Humans are hardwired to want wisdom.

(1:04 – 1:27)

And this morning, we’re starting a new series in the Bible, a series in the Old Testament part of the Bible that offers us wisdom. The book of Proverbs is a book of profound wisdom. And not just any kind of wisdom, but God’s wisdom.

(1:28 – 1:50)

This book is the Creator’s wisdom for life in the Creator’s world. And so, we’re going to start to look at it this morning. We’re going to find our bearings in the opening seven verses of chapter one, and it would be good just to open your Bible once again to that passage.

(1:50 – 2:12)

Now, just to orientate you a little bit, chapters one to nine of Proverbs is a lengthy introduction to the whole book. It’s a huge introduction to the Proverbs proper from chapter 10. But the first seven verses of the book are an intro to the intro.

(2:13 – 2:37)

It’s kind of like the front door before you get into the porch. And in these verses, we get some important insights into why Proverbs was written and how we can benefit from it. So, let me suggest there are four things to learn about Proverbs and about wisdom this morning.

(2:38 – 2:55)

Firstly, wisdom has one source. Wisdom has one source. There is, if you like, one expert that we are going to be listening to in the book of Proverbs.

(2:55 – 3:11)

He’s identified in verse one as Solomon. And we’re going to hear Solomon’s wisdom through the means of Proverbs. Notice there, verse one, the Proverbs of Solomon.

(3:12 – 3:28)

Now, Proverbs are what the book of Proverbs is most famous for. And they’re mostly found from chapter 10 onwards. But what are Proverbs? Let’s give you just a very brief definition at the beginning of the series.

(3:29 – 3:48)

Proverbs are short sayings that give you greater insight in the skill of living. So, for example, here’s a short saying that will give you insight into the skill of living. This is from Proverbs 26, verse 15.

(3:49 – 4:05)

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish. He is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. Here is a man so lazy that his hand is stuck in the bowl of popcorn.

(4:06 – 4:27)

And it’s a funny, it’s a sad, it’s a pathetic picture, but it’s a wise little prompt to tell you don’t live your life like that. And Proverbs is full of these sorts of sayings. And the source of them is largely Solomon.

(4:28 – 4:51)

Now, that’s intriguing, isn’t it? That Solomon is named as the sole author. Because actually, when you read the book carefully, and some of you might have read the whole book through, you’ll know that there’s actually a few other authors who have cameo appearances. So there’s a little group of wise men in chapters 22 to 24.

(4:51 – 5:09)

They’re just called the wise. And then at the end of the book, near the end, you have a man named Ager in chapter 30 who gives you his wisdom. And then at the start of chapter 31, there’s King Lemuel and the wisdom that his mum taught him.

(5:10 – 5:27)

So it’s not all Solomon, but it’s mostly Solomon. Solomon’s wisdom fills chapters 10 to 22, and it returns in chapters 25 to 29. He is named as the sole author.

(5:28 – 5:44)

And I think that’s intentional. I think God wants us to see Solomon as this one great source of wisdom. Why is that so? Well, I think one of the reasons is that it ties Proverbs’ wisdom to God’s wisdom.

(5:46 – 6:00)

If you know the story of Solomon, he was an extraordinary individual who lived an extraordinary life. Very famously, God asked him for anything that he wanted. Just imagine God said, you can have anything on the menu.

(6:00 – 6:24)

And it struck me that Solomon must have been a pretty wise guy to begin with, because he had the wisdom to ask for wisdom. And God poured out unprecedented wisdom into Solomon’s mind and gave him an unprecedented amount of insight. Maybe he, perhaps he was the wisest man since Adam.

(6:25 – 6:44)

And he becomes this enormous fountain of wisdom. The book of Kings tells us that he wrote over 3,000 Proverbs, wisdom’s kind of flowing out of this man. And for a period of time, Israel flourished under this wise king.

(6:46 – 7:10)

Things would go awry eventually, when even great Solomon made foolish choices. But the point here is that the wisdom of Proverbs, because it is coming from Solomon, is therefore coming from God. The one source of wisdom is ultimately, through Solomon, God himself.

(7:12 – 7:37)

And that means that we can trust the wisdom of Proverbs. With all due respect, we can trust this wisdom far more than the wisdom of the best-selling life hack book in Waterstones. And also notice just something else here briefly, that Solomon is described as the son of David, king of Israel.

(7:38 – 7:44)

Just notice the kingly theme there. Notice that Solomon is the son of a king. He himself is a king.

(7:45 – 8:03)

And therefore, his son will also become a king. And one of the themes of this book is that Solomon is instructing his son in how to be a wise king. And I’m not gonna develop that much now, but just to note that, that this connects the book of Proverbs with kingship.

(8:05 – 8:25)

And there’s going to be lots in this book about how a king should rule wisely. And that’s important because it ties the book of Proverbs into the rest of the Bible. It ties Proverbs into the theme of a great story of humanity needing a great and wise king, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.

(8:26 – 8:43)

So it’s an intriguing start. Proverbs is presented as having one source of wisdom, but if it has one source, it also has many dimensions. Secondly, wisdom has many dimensions.

(8:43 – 9:04)

And here we start to wrestle with what wisdom is. Now, when I started researching this book, one of the things that everyone pointed out was the meaning of the word wisdom. And folk pointed out that the Hebrew word for wisdom, it actually means skill or skilful.

(9:05 – 9:23)

So for example, in the Old Testament, when the craftsmen were building the tabernacle, the temporary worship place for God, Exodus describes them as skilful craftsmen. But actually the word the Bible uses there is the word wisdom. They were wise craftsmen.

(9:23 – 9:36)

It’s the same word that’s here. The craftsmen had the wisdom, the skillfulness to know how to build that complex structure. So that’s a helpful starting definition.

(9:36 – 9:54)

Wisdom is skill and how to live. But in verses two to six of Proverbs 1, that’s filled out in a lot more detail. And the author gives us various words and shows us the many dimensions of wisdom.

(9:55 – 10:14)

Wisdom is more like a many-sided jewel than a simple 2D image. And so it includes things like understanding words of insight, verse two. And it’s about receiving instruction, verse three.

(10:15 – 10:28)

And about listening, verse five. And adding to our learning. And wisdom, verse six, is about understanding Proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

(10:30 – 10:59)

And just grouping some of those dimensions together into a bit of a ball, all of those ones I’ve just mentioned there are something to do with understanding, with content, intellectual knowledge content. Wisdom, at least in part, is information that you need to know. Or to put it another way, people are often unwise simply because they don’t know any better.

(11:00 – 11:11)

Like they actually don’t know any better. They don’t know enough. That’s why children need instruction from their parents, even though they hate it.

(11:11 – 11:31)

Because left to themselves, they won’t receive enough insight into life at a quick enough pace. They need information on how the world works. And so wisdom is the skill of living, and it’s partly to do with understanding things.

(11:32 – 11:48)

But notice it’s also acting on that knowledge. Verse two speaks of gaining wisdom and instruction. And the word instruction there in verse two, it probably has a corrective tone.

(11:48 – 12:08)

It could be translated discipline rather than instruction. So wisdom is the instruction of a disciplining parent. It’s telling the five-year-old to stop standing so close to the curb when they’re beside the road.

(12:08 – 12:25)

It’s instruction for behavioural change. Verse three talks of instruction in prudent behaviour. Verse five, about the discerning, getting guidance, knowing which path to choose.

(12:27 – 12:46)

And it’s about wise dealing in what is right and just and fair, verse three. Notice there’s something important about wisdom that sometimes we need wisdom to know what is right and just and fair. And we might think that’s strange.

(12:46 – 13:25)

Isn’t just right and wrong, just simple and clear? Sometimes in life, some things are very clear and straightforward and black and white. And the law of God says, you know, do not murder or do not steal. But we all know this, don’t we, that there are many situations in life in our workplace, in our relationships, and how we handle money, where we need great wisdom in knowing what is the right thing to do here? What does justice and fairness look like in this particular situation? And it’s not always immediately obvious.

(13:25 – 13:37)

We have to wrestle for the wisdom to know what the right thing is. And so that’s something of what wisdom is. It’s hard to kind of put it all in a bottle.

(13:38 – 13:51)

It’s skillfulness in living. It starts with insight, intellectual knowledge, and it leads to the best course of action. And we need this in our lives.

(13:52 – 14:25)

It’s not just Israelites in Solomon’s day who need wisdom. One of the reasons why I chose the passage last week from Philippians 1 was so that we would see that, that wisdom is still needed in the Christian life. What was Paul praying for last week in Philippians 1? He prayed that they would have knowledge and depth of insight in order that they would discern what is best and would live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ.

(14:27 – 14:44)

That is very proverbial. We continue to need this wisdom. But the question is, are we hungry for it? Do you and I want it? Because the next thing we see is that all of us need wisdom.

(14:45 – 15:10)

Our third point this morning is that wisdom has multiple audiences, and it includes us all. So did you notice in verses two to six that it also tells us who wisdom is for? Look at verse four. Forgiving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young.

(15:11 – 15:21)

Good news for you if you’re a young person. I don’t know who this morning would categorise themselves as young in the Bible. It’s under 30, usually, is how the Bible considers it.

(15:22 – 15:34)

But if you’re in that age range, the book of Proverbs is for you. You are a target audience of this book. And that’s reflected in the rest of the long intro.

(15:35 – 15:49)

We’re gonna see a father instructing his young son in how to live wisely. Our society idolises the young. And there are many brilliant things about being young.

(15:50 – 16:20)

If you’re 46 like me, you kind of wish you could go back to when you were 26 or 16. And yet, and yet, one of the difficult realities of being young, one of the few downsides is that you need to grow in wisdom. There is so much about life you don’t get yet, which is why, incidentally, many people do their most foolish things in life when they’re young teenagers or in their early 20s.

(16:20 – 16:28)

That’s just kind of how it is. No human being is born wise. You have to become wise.

(16:30 – 16:43)

And the designation of verse three adds also that this is for the simple. Now, the simple is a little bit different to the young. Simple is not just someone, by the way, who lacks intelligence or lacks the ability to learn.

(16:44 – 17:04)

The simple is someone who is naive about the world, someone who does not know how the world works yet. And therefore, it’s someone, the simple person is someone who is easily led by others because they don’t know any better. And so this book is for the young.

(17:04 – 17:16)

It’s for the simple, the naive. Those folk are invited to learn wisdom. And yet, it’s not just for the young and simple, is it? Have a look at verse five.

(17:16 – 17:33)

Let the wise learn and add to their learning. And let the discerning get guidance. And so in the school of wisdom, we never graduate from the course of wisdom.

(17:35 – 17:51)

You don’t get the PhD and just start dispensing the information. We’re all in school till the very end of our life, Proverbs says. And part of being a wise person is continuing to grow in your wisdom.

(17:52 – 18:17)

If you’ve had the privilege of being around people that you would consider wise, just picture in your mind, there’s someone probably coming to your mind right now, probably an older person or an older couple. You know the sort of people who just drip wisdom and you just wanna, they’re the folk you wanna hang out with at the coffee break. So if someone comes up to you afterwards and chats, maybe they think you’re wise, I don’t know, afterwards.

(18:17 – 18:41)

But that kind of person, you want to chat, you want to gain the nuggets. And there’s something about their life that you admire. Now, if you’ve had the privilege of getting up close and personal with people like that, say you’ve had the pleasure of staying with them for a few days in their house and you really see their life up close, one of the things you notice about the wise is that they are still learning.

(18:43 – 18:59)

They learn something in their Bible time in that morning. They ask questions of people. Yes, they’re the wisest person that you know, but they ask questions because they assume that they still don’t know things.

(19:00 – 19:19)

And they continue to benefit from sermons in church, even although they know as much as the preacher and they’ve heard a thousand sermons. But they still come away and say, I learned something today. And so wisdom is for the old as well as the young.

(19:20 – 19:34)

It’s for the wise as well as the simple. And we can therefore say that Proverbs is wisdom for everyone. Now, I’m labouring this point because we really need to nail this down with Proverbs.

(19:35 – 19:46)

Here’s why. This book sometimes gets a bad rap for being very narrow in its focus. And it’s true that this book will go on to address a male son, that is true.

(19:47 – 20:13)

And it’s also true that it will have many lessons for kings and rulers, and presumably none of us here or most of us here wouldn’t be in that sort of category. And yet the opening of the book, the first seven verses says nothing about just young sons or males or rulers at all, actually. This book in the opening makes clear that God wants the wisdom of Proverbs to be available to everyone.

(20:14 – 20:46)

Young and old, men and women, inexperienced, and those who are wise. So whoever you are, whatever age, whatever stage you are at, are you open to learning God’s wisdom? It’s possible, isn’t it? To get stuck in the simple stage. It’s possible, isn’t it? For various reasons, to just continue going through your life without that upward trajectory and you continue to be naive.

(20:47 – 21:17)

And then to wonder, why is my life such a mess all of the time? And it’s also possible, it’s also possible to have stopped at a plateau. You know a plateau, you’re climbing up a mountain and then you’re making good upward progress and then you come to the flat bit and you just get a bit tired. And you just lay down and start having a rest for minutes that become hours, that become days, that become months, that become years.

(21:18 – 21:44)

And all of a sudden, we’ve actually stopped thinking and learning and growing, both in what we know and in our application of God’s word. And it may be that the book of Proverbs is challenging that. And it may be that we haven’t started or that we’ve kind of got stuck along the way because we’re neglecting the fourth and final observation today.

(21:45 – 21:56)

Really, the final point is a key. It’s the great key to living wisely and it’s this. Wisdom has one starting point.

(21:57 – 22:11)

Wisdom has one starting point. Now we’re looking now at verse seven. And what we have in verse seven is a kind of foundational principle without which we cannot grow in wisdom.

(22:12 – 22:32)

It’s a nugget of wisdom in itself. Some people view verse seven as the first proverb in the book of Proverbs. We’re told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

(22:33 – 22:53)

Notice there that this is the first mention of another category of person who stands in contrast to the wise, the fool. And we learn here that fools despise wisdom. They hate it and they despise God’s correction.

(22:54 – 23:05)

Notice that it’s not that they’re unintelligent. It’s not that they lack mental capacity. Fools, in the Bible’s view, can be bright.

(23:05 – 23:22)

They can have PhDs, but the issue is their attitude to God’s wisdom and to God himself. They don’t buy into the whole life mindset of verse seven. They don’t fear the Lord.

(23:23 – 23:32)

Which is the beginning of knowledge. Let me just say as a side note there, don’t be thrown by the word knowledge. It’s the same thing as wisdom.

(23:32 – 23:49)

If you look at, there’s another repeat of this in chapter nine, verse 10, and the word wisdom is in place of knowledge there. So the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. It’s kind of like the gate that then leads to the path of wisdom.

(23:49 – 24:06)

You can’t get on the path of wisdom unless you go through this gate. It’s the beginning of wisdom. And it’s not that once you get through the door, you just sort of forget about fearing the Lord, because the way in is the way on.

(24:08 – 24:34)

And yet the entry point is the fear of the Lord. And you’ll notice that it’s not the fear of God in some sort of general terminology, but the fear of the Lord. All capital letters in our translations, because that’s translating God’s revealed name, his personal name, sometimes expressed as Yahweh.

(24:35 – 25:13)

In other words, this is not fearing any God or a God of our own construction. It is fearing the revealed God of the Bible, the God of Scripture, the God of Israel, the God who called Abraham, and the God who revealed himself to Moses, and the God who rescued a people from Egypt. It’s the God who made the amazing promise in the Garden of Eden that he would send a new human ruler, a wiser and better human ruler who would crush the head of the lying serpent.

(25:13 – 25:30)

It’s that Lord that we are particularly to fear. And there’s a lot of discussion about exactly what that means. I mean, what does it mean to fear the Lord? It’s a very rich concept, I think.

(25:30 – 25:43)

I think it’s hard to nail it down as one thing. But I think it does include the idea of the word that it uses. After all, it doesn’t speak of the love of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom.

(25:43 – 25:53)

It could have chosen that word. But it does choose the word, the fear of the Lord. And so it must include some element of reverence or respect.

(25:55 – 26:17)

Don Carson, commenting on this verse, says that God is no domesticated deity. He is not only a good God, says Carson, but a terrifying and awesome God. Even as we love God and have peace with God, we ever stand in awe of God.

(26:17 – 26:31)

He’s God. Sometimes a young toddler or a young child, I mean, it’s kind of humorous when you become a parent that this happens. But there’s this little window where they’re in awe of you.

(26:33 – 26:40)

Maybe it’s just because you’re so much bigger than them. And you can, maybe particularly as a dad, like you can do things, you can lift things. They can’t imagine lifting.

(26:41 – 27:13)

And at some point, that completely vanishes. But it strikes me that if a child can feel that way about a parent who is, after all, only a more developed human being, then how much more should we be in awe of the eternal, invisible God of creation? And so this isn’t less than reverence, I don’t think. But it is even more than that.

(27:14 – 27:35)

Because the fear of the Lord in the Bible is also tied up with relationship with God and with a right relationship with Him. And it’s sometimes described as actually a wonderful and enjoyable thing to experience the fear of the Lord. It’s something you would even want in Proverbs 19, 23, for instance.

(27:36 – 27:57)

We’re told that the fear of the Lord leads to life. Then, if you have the fear of the Lord, then one rests content and untouched by trouble. Isn’t that an amazing verse? If you know this deep, reverent relationship with God, you will be content and you will be deeply satisfied.

(27:58 – 28:29)

And so the fear of the Lord is essentially living your life in a right relationship with the revealed God, where you respect Him and trust Him and love Him. It’s living your life with the Lord at the centre of your life, not on the fringes, not as an afterthought, and not rejecting God altogether, because that would be foolish. It’s living gladly and gratefully in relationship with Him.

(28:30 – 28:53)

And this is the entry requirement to the course of wisdom. You know, some universities, they’ve got the, well, they’ve all got, haven’t they, entry requirements? And you need so many A’s or so many B’s. The entry requirement to God’s course of wisdom is a personal relationship with the Lord of the Bible.

(28:54 – 29:19)

There’s no point trying to cherry-pick the wisdom of Proverbs. There is no point trying to skill up in money management or relationships or whatever other area there may be if we haven’t gone through the gate of fearing the Lord. Maybe you’re here today and you know you haven’t done that yet.

(29:20 – 29:50)

You haven’t started that relationship with the Lord where you take God seriously. You’ve heard His words, but you’ve not taken them seriously. His serious words to repent of your sin, His serious words to believe in the good news about Jesus with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, to come under the submission of the Lord’s authority.

(29:51 – 30:27)

Let me say to you this morning that you start a life of wisdom by relying on the same Lord that you are called to fear. That personal Lord who came in the flesh, who from the beginning of His life, we should be so very relieved, the Lord Jesus Christ feared His heavenly Father. Did you know that Jesus feared the Lord? Hebrews 5 verse 7 says, Jesus’ prayers were heard because He prayed with reverence.

(30:29 – 30:48)

The Son of God perfectly feared the Lord. And He therefore grew up to be perfectly wise. And right till the end of His life, He lived with a perfect, wise obedience when He made that final choice of obeying the Father’s will and dying on the cross.

(30:50 – 31:00)

And that’s wonderfully freeing. Our attitude to fearing the Lord comes and goes. It’s right one minute and it’s not right the next.

(31:00 – 31:48)

But the good news this morning is that we rely on the perfect fear of the Lord that was consistent in the Lord Jesus. And we then depend on His sacrificial death for our sins and His resurrection which can give us that access into the presence of a holy, holy, holy God where the trembling fear of judgement is removed and there’s just a loving awe and reverence of Him. My question for you this morning is, have you relied on the Lord, the same Lord who calls you to fear Him? And if you are a Christian believer today, and I know many of you are, the way you start is the way you go on.

(31:50 – 32:10)

And it begins with our attitude to the Lord. We can listen to thousands of sermons and read hundreds of Christian books. We can sit through many Bible studies and yet not be changed because our heart posture to the Lord is not what it ought to be.

(32:11 – 32:53)

What is your heart posture to the Lord at the moment? Could you insert the word fear there in the sentence of your own heart? Or would there be another word that would have to take the place of that at this time? If we are taking God lightly these days, we cannot expect to flourish in a life of wisdom. It’s as we keep the Lord at the centre of our lives and choices that we will be able then to grow and keep growing in the rich wisdom that Proverbs has for us. Amen.

The post Wisdom Starts Here – Proverbs 1v1–7 appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:38 – 0:56)

That likely speaks of the first day that the gospel was grasped and received by the Philippian believers. On the first day, they immediately signed up to be gospel partners with Paul. They realised that the good news was too good to just keep it to themselves.

(0:58 – 1:31)

And so they supported Paul in his ministry. And I think I need to say something really important at this point that kind of flows out of this particular verse, verse five, that you cannot be a partner in the gospel until you have first received the gospel. It would be a tragic contradiction, wouldn’t it, to act like a gospel partner, yet not be a gospel recipient.

(1:32 – 2:06)

To be, for example, someone who is a leader in a holiday Bible club or in a church youth group or something like that, and you’re telling people about Jesus, but it’s a Jesus you don’t know yourself. That’s the reason, incidentally, in our particular church, we restrict all of the roles where there is word ministry to Christian believers who are members of the church, because you can’t give away what you haven’t, first of all, received. There needs to be that first day beginning.

(2:08 – 2:34)

And maybe that will be a memorable first day for some of us, a day marked in the calendar. Or maybe, like for many people, you won’t be able to remember the exact day, but you’ll know that there must have been a first day. I was thinking of an illustration of one of these massive house renovations, you know, the kind of thing where they completely change the house.

(2:34 – 3:03)

It might take a couple of years for them to absolutely change it. And I imagine if you’re the couple, maybe, that own the house, and it’s 18 months, 19 months in, you easily could forget the exact day and the exact date that it all started. But I’m guessing as you looked around the house and saw that everything was changed, you would know, wouldn’t you, that there must have been a first day when the work commenced.

(3:04 – 4:03)

And that’s the Christian life, isn’t it? There needs to be that first day that then leads to the many days of gospel joy and gospel partnership. And I really do hope that as a church, we will keep embracing this as a focus. As we support our mission partners consistently and enthusiastically, as we maybe perhaps come alongside some of the evangelistic work we’re doing, as we come alongside some of Lucy’s initiatives as our church outreach worker, and as we’re right alongside her in presence and in prayer, sometimes one, sometimes both, is that a way we’re expressing this? Or as we do the ordinary ministries of the church that, yes, sometimes is building up Christians, but always has that gospel endeavour right at the heart of it.

(4:04 – 4:24)

A church that keeps focused on gospel partnership will often remain united with a sense of joint mission. So that’s the first commonality, the gospel, gospel partnership. But the second commonality is closely connected.

(4:24 – 4:42)

From gospel, we come next to grace. And notice that this is Paul’s next thought in verse six. Paul’s been joyful and thankful in his prayers, but now in verse six, he’s confident in God’s gracious work.

(4:43 – 5:13)

Notice that he’s not confident in himself or confident in the Philippians. He’s not even confident in a kind of direct way in their partnership itself, but he’s confident that underneath that partnership, the grace of God is working. He’s saying really in verse six, the reason our partnership exists is because God has been working in you as he has been in me.

(5:15 – 5:36)

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. The Philippians gospel change and the Philippians gospel partnership that followed are a result of God’s creative work. Paul calls it God’s good work.

(5:37 – 5:52)

Perhaps a hint back to God’s creation activity, his good work. God is doing a new creation work in Philippi. And it was started by him, and it is continued by him.

(5:53 – 6:07)

And if you read about it in the book of Acts, you see the kind of power of God’s gracious work, don’t you, in Acts 16. And we get these little examples of conversion. And there’s Lydia, this woman who comes to faith.

(6:08 – 6:31)

And it’s interesting how the Bible describes her conversion. The text says, verse 16 of Acts 16, that the Lord opened her heart to receive Paul’s message. God had started a good work in this church, and God was carrying it on until the day of Christ.

(6:32 – 6:52)

That is the day of completion when Christ Jesus returns. God is not like the dodgy tradesman who comes and starts the job and then says, I’ve got a few other things I need to see to, and then you never see him again. God’s not like that.

(6:54 – 7:13)

Every genuine local church and every genuine believer will be a finished project. And this is at the heart of Paul’s relationship with the Philippians. In verses seven and eight, he returns to speaking of his love and affection for them.

(7:14 – 7:48)

He says, whether he’s in prison, which he is at this point, or whether he’s out and about, whether he’s defending and confirming the gospel, he says either way, in all situations, I have you in my heart. And yet the reason for this deep connection is found at the end of verse seven. What is it that really draws them together in relationship? He says, all of you share in God’s grace with me.

(7:49 – 8:14)

So God’s not just doing a good work in the Philippians’ lives he’s doing it in Paul’s life too. Paul’s a recipient of grace and the Philippians share that grace with him. Just by the way, grace is not some kind of substance that God sort of drops onto your life.

(8:15 – 8:25)

Grace is not a thing. Grace is not something separate from God that he gives to you. Grace is God’s disposition towards you.

(8:26 – 8:45)

Grace is God’s attitude of undeserved kindness towards sinful people. And Paul says, we share in God’s grace together. We together live our Christian lives under the smile of a gracious father.

(8:46 – 9:12)

And Paul doesn’t lose sight of this. Even after speaking about partnership in the gospel, even in a letter that is so focused on mission and giving and serving and the gospel task, Paul never reduces the church to a mere set of tasks. The Philippians aren’t mere business partners with Paul in ministry.

(9:13 – 9:42)

They are sharers in grace with him. A constant danger in Christian churches, particularly among believers who are A-type people, is to become so focused on the outputs of church and ministry that we stop resting in the grace of God that is among us. And it all becomes about the success and the output of our particular ministry.

(9:44 – 10:10)

But Paul saw that they weren’t just gospel partners. They were also sharers in grace. One of the reasons I love our times of communion is that it is a space in church life where we pause from the business of ministry, the hubbub of ministry, and we just sort of let out a breath together, a collective exhale.

(10:12 – 10:47)

And we simply rest together that we are sharers in the grace of God. And how we view one another, how we treat one another, how we serve alongside one another is so shaped by whether we have this perspective on each other or not. When a church doesn’t keep grace to the forefront, it quickly becomes a church that’s full of activity and ministry, but becomes characterised by pride, judgmentalism, and mere functionality.

(10:49 – 11:09)

Gospel partnership brings us together, keeps us together. The grace of God is something that begins our unity together, and it keeps us together. But thirdly, under Christ, we can add a third G. We share together thirdly, and finally, in growth.

(11:10 – 11:35)

We share together in growth. And this is seen in Paul’s prayer in verses 9 to 11, a wonderful prayer. Alec Mateer, whose commentary on Philippians I highly recommend, he points out that the imagery of growth, perhaps even the imagery of the garden or the field is subtly present in this prayer.

(11:36 – 11:48)

It’s the sort of underlying image that we should have in our minds. I mean, in verse nine, there’s the language of more and more, the language of abounding. It’s a kind of a growth language.

(11:49 – 12:13)

But it’s much more explicit in verse 11, because the end of it all is being filled with the fruit of righteousness, which appears to be the end of the growth process. And so this is all about growth. Last week, you might remember, we studied the prayer of Jabez, and it was another prayer.

(12:13 – 12:20)

It was a prayer born out of pain. This is a bit different. It’s a prayer characterised by joy.

(12:21 – 12:50)

But what is similar about this prayer and that prayer is that Jabez’s prayer was expansive. It was all about growth, in his case of territory and blessing. But I suggested last week that under the new covenant, prayers tend to go in the direction of spiritual growth, prayers for the expansion of the kingdom of Christ, and prayers for the church of Christ to grow in likeness to him.

(12:51 – 13:02)

And this is exactly the kind of prayer we have here. Paul prays for a Christian as if they are a growing tree or a growing plant. That’s what the church is like.

(13:03 – 13:14)

The gospel seed is planted. Life begins, all of grace. And as the seed grows, it grows up into love.

(13:15 – 13:36)

Pretty much the first thing that identifies a new believer is the presence of love, love for God and love for other people. Jesus says in John’s gospel that love is the characteristic of the Christian disciple. And yet this love is a growing thing.

(13:37 – 13:53)

It starts small in the beginning and it grows. And as it grows, it grows in knowledge and depth of insight. This is not love by itself, and it’s not love as we define it.

(13:53 – 14:09)

This love grows up, notice, with knowledge and depth of insight. Knowledge is the kind of content of what we know. It’s more the objective truths that we know about God and about the gospel.

(14:10 – 14:30)

It tends to be more intellectual, and that then marries with our experience. And then depth of insight, well, that’s more about kind of moral perception of God’s truth. It’s not just knowing lots of information, but it’s perceiving the goodness of things and the wickedness of things.

(14:32 – 14:52)

And so you put that package together, and what you’re starting to see is a young Christian who is growing into maturity. Their love is getting bigger. It’s growing more persistent, more gracious, more sacrificial, and their knowledge is expanding.

(14:53 – 15:16)

That’s a very important part of Christian maturity, that you know more of the Bible and more of God’s will. And as you’re growing in that, you’re also growing in moral perception. So that as you mature, you increasingly discern what’s best in your life, and you begin to make the best daily choices.

(15:17 – 15:48)

Paul speaks about choosing what is excellent, not just choosing the moral option, although it includes that, but actually choosing the best option, the most excellent way of living. It’s the wisdom that we’ll start to look at next week in the book of Proverbs. And as this kind of life of love and knowledge and discernment grows, it then leads to a purity on the inside and a blamelessness on the outside.

(15:49 – 16:12)

Purity and blamelessness is godliness inside and out. And all of this comes to its final culmination in verse 11, when one day we will be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. I think verse 11 is the end of the process.

(16:13 – 16:34)

When every branch of the tree is filled, the language is, it’s completely, there’s not a piece of fruit missing in terms of the righteousness of Christ. And this righteousness comes through Jesus Christ. Notice that Paul says it’s generated by him.

(16:34 – 16:46)

It’s all of grace. And therefore, it is for the glory of God. He gets all the praise for your Christian life growing to fruitfulness.

(16:48 – 17:10)

And so when we take verses nine to 11 together and we kind of reflect on this growth project that Paul is praying for, I think there’s kind of two sides to this. On the one hand, this is very encouraging. And this should encourage us to positively pray and pursue growth in our Christian lives.

(17:11 – 17:37)

We should be pursuing growth. We should be not content with the height that we’ve reached, if you like, in our stature of Christ. And we should be praying about that above all, praying for one another as well as ourselves, praying big prayers and not being defeatist about our lack of love, knowledge, and discernment.

(17:39 – 18:42)

And yet the very fact that it is growth, the very fact that it’s on the day of Christ and not before when the tree will be filled with the fruit of righteousness, that should temper us and it should make us patient, shouldn’t it? Patient with ourselves and patient with each other. I was chatting to someone a couple of months ago from a different church, and they asked me a question that I was kind of stumped by when they asked me. They said, if Jesus is at work in the church, then why is the church sometimes so disappointing? You know, if Jesus is working in us, why sometimes is there so little evidence of his presence? And I fumbled around trying to find an answer, but one of the, I mean, the thing that occurred to me at the time was, you know, sometimes the tree’s not even alive, right? That’s possible, isn’t it? Sometimes when you don’t see any fruit is because there’s no life there at all.

(18:43 – 19:12)

But the other point to make, and it never occurred to me until I was studying it this week, is that the New Testament itself says that Christian growth will be slow growth. Inevitable growth, wonderful growth, but slow growth. You cannot skip the growing to fruitfulness any more than a child can jump from one foot to six foot.

(19:13 – 19:42)

There must be a slow process. And so there’s a kind of healthy tension between patience and persistence, between waiting for growth to happen and praying hard that it will happen. And we’re all on the same journey, even though it’s true that some people might be a little further on in the process than others, but no one is there yet.

(19:43 – 20:10)

And that should bring a sense of cohesion and togetherness when we realise that. One of the things that unsettles unity in a local church is when people start to think that everyone else needs to grow except them. When we grasp that we’re all growing, it just kind of lets air into the room, doesn’t it? And we can admit when we get things wrong.

(20:11 – 20:23)

We can be less self-protective. And we can encourage other believers by saying, you know, I’m still growing in this too. See the thing you’re saying you’re struggling with? I’m struggling with it too.

(20:23 – 20:35)

And I need your prayers and you need mine. The church is not united by sports or music. It’s united by something much more profound.

(20:36 – 20:48)

We are united together in Christ. And because of him, we share in a gospel and a gospel partnership. We share in the grace of God.

(20:49 – 21:13)

And we share in a growth towards a final goal and it’s not just a hopeful aspiration, but it will become a reality that every piece of fruit will be present on that day. That’s what brings us together and that’s what will keep us together. Let’s pray.

(21:14 – 21:33)

Father God, thank you so much for the wonderful seed of life that you plant in our hearts through faith in Christ. We thank you for how that grows up into so many wonderful things. We thank you for the church that is born out of that gospel.

(21:33 – 21:49)

We thank you for the unity we share in gospel partnership. We thank you for the wonder of sharing in your amazing grace. And we thank you that together we are growing up into the righteousness of Christ.

(21:50 – 22:04)

Lord, may we grow more and more so that we look more like Jesus and so that we draw more people to hear the good news about him. And it’s in his name we pray, amen.

The post Gospel, Grace, Growth – Philippians 1v3–11 appeared first on Greenview Church.

And what we are not, make us. For our good and for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

(0:29 – 4:28)

On Sunday the 2nd of September 2012, a man dressed in a black suit walked into the Kelvin Grove Park just at the beginning of the West End. He stood by a bench that overlooks a children’s skate park area where a lot of children were playing at the time, cycling or playing on their skateboards or generally running about. He took a bottle of vodka from his bag which he proceeded to drink and after which he produced a can of petrol which he poured all over himself.

Then he set himself on fire and became a human fireball. No one knows why he done it but those who witnessed it said they could hear him crying out, I just want to die. I just can’t live with the pain any longer.

Well no one knows what was causing him so much pain. Was it the death of a loved one? Maybe a spouse or a child? Maybe the pain of watching a loved one that was at one time so full of life but now can’t do anything for themselves and life is slowly agonisingly ebbing away? Was it the break up of a marriage? Maybe due to adultery or being told I don’t love you anymore, I don’t want to be with you anymore? Was it the pain of living with a terminal illness or an addiction that he had failed on several occasions to overcome? Or maybe the excruciating pain of living with guilt and shame? But whatever it was, it was real, it was real pain. It’s a terrible story.

A terrible story of real anguish and real pain that many people face daily. Not just in this city but also all around the world. They just want to die because they can’t live with the pain any longer.

And friends we know that as Christians we are not immune from pain. Life is full of hardships, horrors and heartaches for the non-believer and the believer alike. But surely as Christians we are immune from the type of pain that would make us think and say, I can’t stand this pain any longer, I just want to die.

Well that wasn’t the case for the writer of our second hymn, William Cowper. He was born in 1731 and at the age of 21 in 1752 when he wasn’t a Christian at the time, he sank into his first paralysing depression. Many others would follow.

In 1763 after attempting suicide three different ways, he was committed to St. Albans Asylum. But it was here in this place of all places, six months into his stay, he became a Christian. The light of the gospel invaded the darkness of his life.

But ten years later in 1773 during another bout of depression, triggered by what he called the fatal dream. Now he didn’t say what the dream was, but only that a word was spoken that reduced him to spiritual despair. Something to the effect of, it’s all over with you, you are lost.

He had repeated attempts at suicide. In 1786 he entered his fourth deep depression and again he tried to take his own life. And the last days of his life brought no relief.

In March 1800 he said to a visiting friend, I feel unutterable despair. He died just one month later, the 25th of April in the year 1800. What a life, eh? A life that couldn’t stand the pain of living.

(4:29 – 7:06)

With goodness knows how many attempts to take his own life. And yet even a life like that produced hymns that we know, hymns that we love and sing to the praise of God and we encourage one another with. And it’s exactly the same with the Psalms.

I think this is why generations of God’s people love the book of Psalms so much. For in the Psalms the writers pour out their hearts before God and their outpourings contain frightening honesty, refreshing openness and a very large dose of realism about the life of faith. It’s no wonder then as we read, we often take great comfort and great assurance from the experience of the Psalm writers.

And if we’re honest, the honesty, openness and realism that we read in the Psalms, we don’t often hear too much from each other. Maybe because we’re scared to say anything about how we really feel or how we really think or how really broken we are. As everybody else in their family looks so happy, they look as if they’ve got it all together.

It’s as if we are scared that thinking or feeling this way is somehow unspiritual or shows a lack of faith. Well I am so glad that David didn’t just feel these things or think these things or say these things. No, he was inspired by God to commit these things to writing so that they would be part of scripture and in order that they would help and bring comfort and assurance amidst the anguish of life to generations of God’s people.

I’d like to take the Psalm under three headings. Firstly verse one and two, David’s pain of struggling with his feelings. Verse three and four, David’s prayer for the defeat of his foes.

And then thirdly and lastly verse five and six, David’s praise to the God of his faith. Well firstly then verse one and two, David’s pain of struggling with his feelings. Notice that this Psalm is written by David, the great warrior king of Israel.

He is the one who defeated Goliath the giant, the one who penned Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Well here in this Psalm there is definitely a want with David.

I think it’s fair to say he wasn’t having a good week. He certainly wasn’t having his best day. He is somewhat under the weather.

(7:07 – 7:47)

Four times in two verses in anguish he screams to God, how long Lord? How long is this going to go on for? Verse one and two, how long oh Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? These are the cries from the heart of a man who definitely can’t stand the pain any longer. These four how longs make up three complaints. Three complaints that centre on God, on himself and his enemies.

(7:48 – 8:34)

You could say his complaints are theological, psychological and sociological. Well firstly the theological, the complaint that centres on God, verse one, how long oh Lord will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? Of all David’s troubles, these troubles that he feels with God are surely amongst the most agonising. He feels deserted, deserted by God and that he is totally on his own.

He feels forgotten and forsaken. What a dark and distressing experience to feel that God has forsaken and forgotten you. Now these cries could only come from a heart that had previously known fellowship with God.

(8:34 – 9:09)

Someone who had never known fellowship with God would never say that this was the problem and atheists would never say that. But that’s what real faith does friends. Real faith comes to God with its doubts about God and that is what David is doing here.

In anguish he is screaming Lord I feel forgotten by you. You’re the God who remembered Noah, you remembered Rachel, you remembered Abraham. You told your people never to forget you, never to forget your character, never to forget all that you have done and never to forget your commandments.

(9:11 – 9:45)

But Lord I feel forgotten and forsaken by you. If David thought there was an end in sight or there was maybe light at the end of the tunnel he could have maybe hung on in there. But being forgotten by God he feels will last forever.

God’s face is also hidden from him. How long will you hide your face from me? David seems to be reflecting on the wonderful benediction that Aaron and his sons were to pronounce on the people. The Lord bless you and keep you.

(9:46 – 11:07)

The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace. But this is not what David is experiencing.

He is asking the Lord to give him the blessing that he has promised. The blessing of God’s presence. Now it’s common for us to say to friends or family members that we haven’t seen for a wee while you know I long to see your face.

Well I suppose it depends on the face. But we do long to see them but what is really meant by that expression is I long to be in your presence. I long to be with you.

David feels totally forgotten by God and that the Lord has removed his presence from him. Many of you will remember a couple of years ago my wife Charlene was really unwell. Our son Phillip was delivered 10 weeks premature by Caesarean section and Charlene spent the best part of four weeks on a ventilator.

My minister and I, Wally Phillip and I had a meeting with her consultant and the consultant said Charlene doesn’t look like a woman who has been on a ventilator for four weeks. She looks great. To which Wally Phillip replied aye that’s because she’s had four weeks away fae Terry.

(11:09 – 11:43)

Well she did spend four weeks on a ventilator and there were a few scary moments when things were touch and go. But do you know friends I have never experienced the presence and closeness of God like I did during those four weeks. I was in despair and anguish about what the days ahead might bring into my life.

But I knew that the Lord was with me. The Lord was at hand and with his presence in my life I would get through it. Come what may.

(11:44 – 13:47)

But friends that’s not the case here for David. His most severe suffering was that he felt God’s presence had been withdrawn. The circumstances he faced were one thing but being abandoned by God was worse than all of that.

Can God forget us? Well best to let God’s word answer for him. We read in Isaiah 49 but Zion said the Lord has forsaken me. My Lord has forgoten me.

That was Zion’s complaint and here is the Lord’s answer. Can a woman forget her nursing child? That she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget yet I will not forget you. Behold I have engraved you on the palm of my hands.

Well how do we square these two things up? Well I think it’s fair and true to say that pain and grief have a way of clouding our thinking, our feelings and our judgement. But I think too the Lord also allows for us to go through these times in order to refine us. Maybe to discipline us so that he will teach us the value of his presence.

Or maybe to show us the extent of our own weakness. Or maybe to remind us of his great salvation. To remind us what it was to be lost without Christ.

You may remember the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2 verse 12. Writing to the Ephesians and he says remember you were at that time separated from Christ. The Apostle Paul it seems never wants us to forget.

What a wonder it is that God has revealed his beautiful face to us. Removed the separation, stepped in, lifted the veil and made his face bright to us in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the gospel. David feels deserted by God.

(13:47 – 16:09)

His second complaint, the psychological as he feels depressed within himself. Verse 2. How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day long? He’s saying God you’re not listening. And I’m wrestling here with my thoughts over and over again.

He feels totally cut off and isolated and that there is no one who cares. He’s become turned in on himself and it’s like he’s going over the situations and the circumstances he’s in over and over again. All the while increasing the turmoil that he’s in.

And he’s talking to himself in ways that are totally unhelpful. Now there are times when speaking to ourselves is called for and can be really helpful like in Psalm 42 and 43. The psalmist speaks to himself in a helpful way.

Why are you downcast oh my soul? But here in Psalm 13 it’s unhelpful. He’s turned in on himself. Taking counsel in his own soul and his self help he finds out is no help at all.

He is as we would say stuck in his own head and it’s constant. There are no breaks from this depression. Sorrow in my heart all the day long.

Now sometimes throughout any given day we can go through different emotions. Our emotions may change. We may begin optimistic in the morning, discouraged in the afternoon and then optimistic again in the evening.

But no not here. There are no changes in his emotions. There is no relief for David.

Sorrow in my heart all the day long. David feels deserted by God, depressed within himself. And his third complaint, the sociological, well he feels defeated by his enemy verse 2. How long shall my enemy triumph be exalted over me? Well we’re not told who or what the enemy was which is helpful as we can fill in the blank ourselves.

But maybe as David is the king he is facing opposition against his service to God. And you don’t need to be King David to face this kind of opposition. His enemy is exalted over him.

(16:10 – 21:37)

There is nothing worse than the sound of laughter coming from an enemy. It’s horrible. It’s hard to take in isn’t it? An enemy rejoicing over your demise.

Maybe this fits perfectly with circumstances or situations that you face personally. And what we need to understand is this friends. Sometimes God allows this to happen to his people in order that we learn to trust him.

That we might be taken into a deeper relationship with him and learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Well you would maybe think that David is done for. He is a man who is drowning and he will definitely sink.

But all hope hasn’t gone. Why? Well because David is still talking to God. Faith hasn’t disappeared.

Friends faith is being exercised. Listen to this from Sinclair Ferguson. When we begin to speak to God about the fact that he has deserted us we are no longer at our lowest point.

The tide has turned and we are on the way up again. You see friends that’s the difference between unbelief and belief. Unbelief turns away from God in anger shaking its fist.

But faith turns to God in anguish lifting its hands in prayer. Firstly David’s praying of struggling with his feelings. Secondly verse 3 and 4 David’s prayer for the defeat of his foes.

David’s prayer for the defeat of his foes. Well what do you do when you’re facing personal pain? Part of which you feel is that God has forgotten and forsaken you. Well I don’t know about you but I would stay in bed and opt for the death by duvet approach.

But what does David do? Well David goes on praying. What else can he do? Where else can he go? Then back to the one whom he feels forsaken and deserted by. It may well be that when the world has plunged you in its deepest pit you find the saviour there the hymn writer writes.

For when you are deep down in the pit the evidence of true faith is revealed in you. So what is the believer to do when God gives us no answers? We go on praying. We persist in our petitions.

Look at verse 3. Consider and answer me O Lord my God. Or as the NIV puts it, look on me and answer me Lord my God. Remember he feels the Lord has hidden his face from him.

He is saying look on me. Turn your face to me. He hasn’t given up on the Lord.

He is hanging on to the Lord. Look on me O Lord my God. All the way throughout this psalm David uses the covenant name of God Yahweh.

Anytime you see the Lord in capital letters in your Bible it’s referring to the covenant name of God Yahweh. He is the promise making, promise keeping God. The God who has bound himself to his people in covenant love.

The God who has promised to save and redeem his people. And David is praying consider me. Look on me and answer me.

Turn and listen to me Yahweh. David is crying for God to listen to him. To look on him according to the character of God.

He is saying this is who you are. And this is what you are like. And listen also according to what you’ve already promised Lord.

This is what you’ve said. And friends we need to do this. We need to store up the promises of God in our hearts like a wee squirrel does with nuts getting ready for winter.

We need to store up God’s promises so that when nor if when the dark times and the hard times come we can stand in those promises by faith. That’s what the words from the hymn encourage us to do. Standing in God’s promises.

Words that can’t fail. When in the storms of doubt dark fears assail. My hope is anchored fast within the veil.

Sure in his living word I always prevail standing on God’s promises. Well what does David pray for? Well he prays for light verse 3. Light up my eyes. He will give three reasons for this request in verse 3 and 4. And they are all in connection with the defeat of his foes.

In the ESV each of these begins. Lest I sleep the sleep of death. Lest my enemies say I have prevailed over him.

Lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. David prays light up my eyes. This isn’t a phrase that we would usually use and it can seem a bit puzzling.

He’s saying Lord let me see clearly your hand in all of this. Illumine my understanding that I may see your plans and purposes in all of this. But also give me fresh strength, fresh energy and stamina to face all the battles that I am going through.

(21:38 – 25:26)

David doesn’t pray take these battles and difficulties away. No that’s not my greatest need. My greatest need is to see all that you’re doing through this and to have fresh energy strength and stamina to face it all.

And friends that was the case with the apostle Paul when he was in prison. Many of his friends were distressed and discouraged by this imprisonment. But Paul was able to comfort them and encourage them with all that God was doing.

And he wrote to the church in Philippi I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. So that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Being in prison brought great opportunities to Paul for sharing Christ and it’s the same for us. Some of the darkest and hardest times in our lives. Things that we would never volunteer for can often provide great opportunities for us to grow in faith and grace.

And opportunities for sharing the hope and trust that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel. Seeing these opportunities and all that God is doing doesn’t come easily to us. And just like David we need God to light up our eyes so that we can have a divine perspective on our situation and the strength and energy to endure it all.

Sometimes we won’t see for years if at all what God’s plans and purposes in the darkness have been. And that was certainly the case with Joseph as we read his story in Genesis. Thrown into a pit by his brothers, sold into slavery by them, falsely accused of rape and then thrown into prison for a great number of years.

I’m sure during all these years of darkness Joseph felt deserted by God and cried out many times, how long oh Lord will you forget me forever? But by the end of Genesis in chapter 50 verse 20 Joseph could say of that whole dark period in his life, as for you, you meant evil against me but God meant it for good to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. And that may be your experience too friends as individuals or collectively as a church. God’s plans and purposes in the darkness and the difficulties that we go through may only be understood by us years later if ever at all.

David prays, verse 3, light up my eyes, give me strength, stamina and energy to keep going amidst all these battles. And now he gives three reasons or three arguments in this request in verse 3 and 4 and they are all in connection with the defeat of his foes. As I said in the ESV they begin with the word lest but I’m going to read them another way.

David prays, light up my eyes so that I won’t sleep the sleep of death. Light up my eyes so that my enemy won’t get the better of me. Light up my eyes so that there will be no rejoicing from my foes because I am still standing.

I will not fall. David is praying, Lord don’t let me die. I don’t want that mob dancing at my funeral.

(25:27 – 28:46)

David is using arguments. He is presenting his case to Yahweh as to why he should answer his prayers. I wonder do you pray that way? Do you give the Lord reasons as to why he should answer your prayers? Can you make an argument for the prayers that you bring and why God should answer them? Again when Charlene was ill there were people praying for her all around the world from America to Australia and everywhere in between and there were a lot of non-Christians looking on.

A lot of them were friends and family members and I mind pouring my heart out to the Lord and saying to him, Lord please deliver Charlene. Please send her home to me. I mean Lord how can I look after four wee boys? I can hardly look after myself.

And Lord what about the ministry of Hope for Glasgow as it was at the time? What about the ministry of Hope for Glasgow to those with addictions up and down the country? If I have to stay home and look after four wee boys, Lord that ministry will fold. Lord there are huge implications for me if my wife doesn’t come home. But Lord there’s more at stake for you in all of this.

This will reflect badly on you. All those non-Christians looking on will think badly of you. If you don’t deliver they will say well all that praying was a complete waste of time.

They will say that you’re no real or that you couldn’t be bothered to listen. They will say either you were too weak to do anything about it or not that you’re weak but that you’re wicked because you don’t care. So deliver her Lord so that ultimately it will be for the honour of thy name Lord.

As much as David was concerned for his own needs, he was concerned even more with the glory of God. Tied up in the defeat of his foes is a concern for God’s glory, a concern for God’s honour. David is reasoning in his prayer.

He is making arguments in his prayer as to why God should answer him. If I die they will triumph and if I die it will be because you won’t deliver me. It will reflect on you Lord, your reputation and your name.

So vindicate your servant and make yourself known. David’s pain of struggling with his feelings, David’s prayer for the defeat of his foes and thirdly and lastly verse five and six, David’s praise to the God of his faith, David’s praise to the God of his faith. But I have trusted in your steadfast love.

My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. I read these verses and I think to myself, what’s going on here? Is this the same guy? I mean one minute he’s going how long, how long, how long, how long and now he is declaring I will trust, I will rejoice, I will sing.

(28:47 – 36:46)

What’s going on? Is this guy unwell? Does he have a kind of a spiritual by poor or something? I mean one minute he’s full of anguish but now he’s full of assurance. There is a total turnaround in the tone of these verses from that of verse one and two. In verse one and two he was overwhelmed with grief but now here in verse five and six he is overwhelmed with goodness.

He has changed from a man who was screaming how long and he is now really declaring as long as it takes. Well why? And why this change? What has happened between verse four and verse five? What has changed in his circumstances? Well if you look with me, can you see it there between verses four and five? You’ll have to look very, very carefully. Can you see it? No and neither can I because there’s nothing there to see.

There is nothing. Nothing has changed but he has changed. His prayer of verse one through four may not have changed his circumstances but they have changed him which is always a far better result.

He gets a hold of himself with God’s help and he says the hand I’ve been dealt is the hand I’ve been dealt and with God’s help I’m going to trust. With God’s help I’m going to rejoice and with God’s help I’m going to sing. The man who was wrestling is now trusting.

Why? Well because of the Lord’s ‘hesed’, his steadfast covenant unfailing love. Instead of sorrow in his heart all the day long, his heart is filled with rejoicing. Why? Because of the Lord’s salvation.

The man who was screaming to the Lord will now sing to the Lord. Why? Because the Lord is good and he has dealt bountifully. He has been good to me.

David is declaring here the same as he writes in Psalm 23, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And friends I want us just to note there has been no deliverance yet for David. No, that is still a long way down the road but it’s like it’s already taken place in his experience.

But what is the basis for this? Well it’s the character of God. David has remembered Yahweh and he is trusting him. It’s not about how much faith we have but the object of our faith, where our faith is placed, what our faith is resting on.

And David is declaring here in praise to Yahweh, I am leaning on your proved, tried and tested character. That’s the basis of my praise because that is the way you are. God’s character is the basis of his praise and God’s character is the basis of his assurance.

And friends that’s one of the greatest needs that we all have is to know what kind of God God really is. He is the God whose character has been proved, tried, tested and never once found wanting. Friends some of us may be going through real darkness, real difficulties just like David.

You may feel in your experience that God has forgotten and forsaken you. Well let us try and learn and take something from the experience of David of what got him through difficulties and the darkness. What brought him from pain through prayer to praise.

How did he overcome the inward struggle with his feelings, the outward struggle of his foes? Well he did so by the upward look to the God of his faith. David remembered and trusted himself to the character of God. When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. The circumstances that we are in or we face may not change but standing in God’s word, storing up his promises in our hearts, standing on them, remembering his unfailing love, remembering his unchanging grace, rejoicing in his wonderful salvation and singing to the Lord because we have been overwhelmed by his amazing goodness. These things will see us through.

But friends there, maybe some amongst us, real believers who feel unutterable despair just like William Cowper, it seems that there’s no release, no relenting. Well we have to keep praying, keep trusting, keep hanging on to God and his promises. There may not be relief here in this earth, in this time, but one day the end of this psalm will be the reality, a fully realised reality in all of our lives when he will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Death shall be no more, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain. On that day we will rejoice and be glad in it and we will sing like never before. But there are some here today friends that these truths won’t get you through the darkness.

The truths of this psalm won’t do you any good. The reason why? Because you’ve yet to taste and see that the Lord is good. You come to this service often.

You may come every week. You’re convinced by the truth of the gospel. It looks good, but you’ve never tasted.

Why don’t you taste the thing and experience the goodness of God? The goodness of God that was fully expressed in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He really was forsaken and forgotten by God on the cross so that we might be forgiven. God did really hide his face from him and he really did face the darkness of God’s wrath so that he might bestow on us the light of God’s love.

Today would be a good day to trust him. Why don’t you do that today? Let us pray together. Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

Father, we give you great thanks for your great goodness to us. We ask that you would help each of us to store the truth of this psalm deep into our hearts. We may not be experiencing the darkness of feeling forgotten and forsaken by you today, but one day we will.

Help us then to know that there is a hope that lifts our weary heads, that lifts our eyes beyond the beckoning grave, to see the matchless beauty of a day divine when we shall behold your face. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The post Anguish of Faith to the Assurance of Faith – Psalm 13 appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:14 – 0:39)

We know it’s important, but are we people who invest in time with God? Do you enjoy prayer? Do you love prayer? Do you love spending time with God? My colleague, Steve, is an evangelist based up in Perth, who was in a church recently, not dissimilar to this church, where a Christian of many years standing said, Steve, I don’t really pray. And Steve said, why? And he said, because I can’t understand prayer. So I don’t.

(0:39 – 0:57)

And you think, do you need to understand it? I mean, I don’t understand what consciousness is, but I don’t sleep 24-7. I have no idea how my laptop works, but the PowerPoint seems to be okay this morning. I’m not sure we need to fully understand every mystery around prayer to engage in it.

(0:57 – 1:40)

And certainly in our text today, the Lord Jesus Christ has given us two parables, which don’t give us unlocking deep mysteries around prayer, but do encourage us to get on with it, to engage in it, even when there are mysteries around it. The Lord focusses us this morning on the practise of prayer, even if it is difficult. Do you pray? Do you pray diligently, sporadically, passionately, coldly? Did you used to pray, but have got a little cold? The famous author, the late Timothy Keller, interviewed lots of pastors as they were dying, and he found that their two greatest regrets were that they didn’t spend enough time in prayer, one, and with their family, second.

(1:41 – 2:08)

Dying pastors at the end of lifetimes of ministry looking back say, the one thing I would have done differently, to spend more time with the Lord in prayer. And so in these two parables that we’ve had so nicely read for us this morning, Jesus isn’t calling us to prayer as some kind of horrible works, or some kind of irksome duty that we have to do. He’s actually talking about engaging our hearts with Him.

(2:09 – 2:37)

The privilege the gospel gives us is access to God. We often think about the exclusivity when Jesus says, no one comes to the Father except by me, but we don’t often enjoy the privilege of saying, in Christ I can come to the Father. There is an exclusiveness to that, but also what an extraordinary privilege there is too, that God saying, you can come to me.

(2:38 – 2:49)

Prayer is of course life giving. You know when the Apostle Paul says, everything is a surpassing loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. Everything else is a complete loss.

(2:49 – 3:03)

It’s a waste of time, it’s like manure, it’s dung. All my life achievements are a waste of time compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. Yeah, we know Him, we see Him through a glass darkly now, but we have a foretaste of what’s to come.

(3:04 – 3:30)

We get to speak with God, we get to be with God. This is the most unspeakable privilege, and God offers it to sinful human beings like you and I. In Christ we can come to the Father, and it’s where in fact we are most truly alive. This world is stacked full with many blessings and good things from God, but I don’t think any of us are any more truly living than when we are in the presence of God.

(3:31 – 3:52)

And a congregation, a church, a group of people in God’s presence can in fact become almost like a lightning rod conducting the blessings of God down to earth. History is silent about a revival that didn’t start in prayer, but yet a church in God’s presence can be a lightning rod for God’s blessing. Prayer is life-giving, it’s also extremely difficult.

(3:53 – 4:18)

I was intrigued recently, the Evangelical Alliance put out a survey last year. They did some detailed interviews with people who are new Christians, and it was called the Finding Jesus Report. They interviewed I think about 200 Christians, people who had come to faith in Christ as adults, and they asked all sorts of questions about where were you before you came to Christ, and what did you believe in, and how did you come, how did you first hear the gospel, and it was very interesting things.

(4:18 – 4:39)

They said, what was the most significant thing for you in your journey to putting your faith in Christ? The best two answers, the Bible and prayer. Later on, what are the two things you found most hardest as a Christian? Guess what? The Bible and prayer. So the two things we find most life-giving are also the most difficult.

(4:39 – 4:55)

They present a challenge for us this morning. So this morning I’m not going to try and explain prayer to you, or present a clever thesis that unwraps the mystery of prayer. What we’re going to seek to do, as I challenge you and challenge myself, is to obey what Jesus said about prayer.

(4:55 – 5:19)

We need Christian people today who really love God, who really pray, who really worship Him, who really experience His presence, who believe in His truth, and can intercede for this lost world. And that’s why we turn to these two parables that Jesus told in Matthew 11 and Matthew 18. Before we go into them, we have to sort of point out that these are parables, not allegories, if you know the difference.

(5:20 – 5:39)

Well, an allegory is one of those very clever stories when every part of the story represents some other truth, like the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. You know, every single part of that represents a different part of the truth. A parable, on the other hand, tends to communicate one spiritual truth, and the rest is the narrative that makes it work.

(5:39 – 5:54)

If you try and allegorise these parables, you are going to be in big trouble, because the unjust judge, he wants the woman to go away. He’s not welcoming her. Both stories, you have someone banging on the door persistently, who is our model for prayer, and someone on the other side of the door who just wants them to go away.

(5:54 – 6:07)

Now, Jesus wants us to know that we are supposed to bang on the door of prayer relentlessly. He’s not asking us to get a picture of God from these texts. Well, where’s God in this text? Well, that’s Jesus telling the story.

(6:08 – 6:18)

And what does it say? I tell you this story so that you will pray persistently and not give up. So Jesus is saying, I’m the Lord, I actually want you to come to me. I am not like the unjust judge.

(6:18 – 6:30)

Jesus is saying, I want you to come and keep coming to me consistently and persistently. Pray and not give up. So don’t try and allegorise the parable.

(6:30 – 6:37)

If you start reading God in as the unjust judge, you’re going to be all over the place. That is not our picture of God. So this is how I want to do it.

(6:38 – 6:54)

I want to draw back from the text to start with, and think about who God is. This God who says, I want you to pray to me persistently and consistently. And then we’ll dive into the text to see how we should respond to this God.

(6:55 – 7:06)

What kind of God do we find here in the text? Well, he’s not awful and mean like the unjust judge. He is quite the opposite. I love that phrase in one of the songs we had this morning about God being beautiful.

(7:07 – 7:15)

You just spot that in the hymn. The first time I heard the idea that God was beautiful was a Keith Green song in the 80s. And the first time I heard it, you know, oh Lord, you’re beautiful.

(7:15 – 7:30)

And I thought, oh, Americans, they’re so kind of gushy, aren’t they? We don’t go there, do we? Is God beautiful? I said that to one of my American friends, and they said, well, you think we’re emotionally incontinent. We think you’re emotionally constipated. Too gushy.

(7:30 – 7:42)

We don’t go there. And then, I think it was last year at the FIEC conference, they were preaching on the Good Shepherd. And they unpacked the language, and they said a good translation would also be that Jesus is the beautiful shepherd.

(7:43 – 7:55)

Beautiful. The Lord is incredibly attractive. You know, that the very best of the love that we have in this world, Christian marriage, is supposed to be, at its very finest, a glimpse of Christ in the church.

(7:56 – 8:03)

And yes, we deride some modern songs and say, oh yeah, those terrible Jesus is my boyfriend lyrics. Yuck. But we mustn’t also forget that he is our husband.

(8:03 – 8:18)

That we are the bride of Christ, and the love and marriage here is supposed to point to a deeply passionate relationship between God and his people. He’s won our hearts, not just our minds. We love him, and he is morally beautiful.

(8:19 – 8:31)

Glorious. Every piece of beauty that we find in this world is but a signpost to the true beauty of God. That’s why he’s littered this world with the Kulin Mountains, and the Cairngorms, and waterfalls, and the sea, and the cry of a newborn baby.

(8:32 – 8:42)

Littered this world with things of beauty, all pointing to the true beauty of God. That’s why prayer isn’t a dreadful duty. It’s the highest privilege of mankind.

(8:42 – 9:02)

That we can enter into the throne room of the living God, where his beauty dwells. How can you and I enter into the presence of a God like that? It’s quite extraordinary, and quite wonderful. And we meet this God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

(9:03 – 9:16)

One God in three persons. And we bow before him in his glory, and his majesty, and his perfection. God is love, and that perfect love that exists between those three persons.

(9:16 – 9:42)

Father, Son, and Spirit. And there’s that extraordinary promise in the New Testament that describes Christian people like you and I in Christ as partakers of the divine nature. Is that not the most extraordinary phrase in the New Testament? How can you and I be partakers of the divine nature? How can the living God say to people like you and I, come in? When we know we deserve to be thrown out.

(9:43 – 9:50)

But in Christ he says, come in. You can partake of the divine nature. That is an extraordinary phrase.

(9:50 – 10:01)

So let’s think just for a minute about God as our Father. Because immediately in these preceding verses before that parable, we have the Lord’s Prayer. When Jesus tells us to pray, our Father who is in heaven.

(10:02 – 10:11)

My wife and I did a parenting course a few years ago. We’ve got three kids, several of whom have been an interesting experience parenting. They’re great.

(10:12 – 10:20)

But parenting is a challenge, right? So we did a parenting course. And the most challenging thing on that parenting course was a diagram. We discussed it in couples.

(10:20 – 10:34)

And they put this diagram up and asked you to sort of explore your own parenting. What parenting style do you have? And you can see that the axes are warm to not warm, firm to not firm. And of course there are all sorts of different parenting styles.

(10:35 – 10:48)

Those who are not warm and not firm are absent parents, negligent parents. But God’s not that kind of Father. We don’t serve the God of the deists who set the world spinning into motion and cleared off.

(10:49 – 10:56)

That’s not our God. He’s here. He’s actively engaged in his world.

(10:57 – 11:03)

Other parents are warm and not firm. All cuddly, all present, spoiling their children. No boundaries, no discipline.

(11:04 – 11:19)

I once saw a kid on a plane running up and down the aisles and they couldn’t take the plane off. And the pilot, the captain came out and said, Will you get your child to sit down? And the parents were mystified about the idea of telling a child anything. It was all presents and toys and games but no discipline whatsoever.

(11:19 – 11:25)

But that’s not our God. I was reading Jeremiah yesterday. The God who judges the nations.

(11:27 – 11:37)

This is not our God. He’s not all just dispensing toys and things for us to enjoy. He’s the living God who we had better listen to because he has all glory.

(11:37 – 11:45)

The opposite extreme is the caricature of Victorian parenting. Firm and not warm. That is authoritarian parenting.

(11:46 – 11:51)

Cold, distant, savage, harsh. Always on your back. Always criticising you.

(11:52 – 12:05)

And equally, that is not a picture of God, our Father, who we approach this morning. Because God is also the one who, you know, when the prodigal comes down, the path comes running to him and throws his arms around him and says, Kill the fatted calf. We’re having a party.

(12:05 – 12:20)

My son has come home. This is our God who, though he has all glory, though he judges all nations, is also incredibly warm and engages us with his love. God, of course, is the authoritative parent.

(12:21 – 12:36)

Because he is both absolutely in control and full of glory and yet throws his arms around his children. This is our Father. Rejoice with trembling, Psalm 2 says.

(12:36 – 12:44)

Rejoice, why? Because his arms are open. Tremble, why? Because he is the living God. And anybody that doesn’t tremble before him is a fool.

(12:45 – 13:02)

Rejoice with trembling. Enter into the embrace of God in prayer. This is our God.

We pray to the Father. This is a picture of John F. Kennedy in the White House at the height of the Cold War. This was really the most powerful seat anywhere on Earth.

(13:02 – 13:08)

From there he could control the nuclear weapons. He could launch nuclear attacks. He controlled all the countries across NATO.

(13:08 – 13:19)

All the telephone lines in the world connected there. That’s the centre of power on this Earth at that stage in the early 1960s. I’ve covered up the bottom of the picture, but let’s reveal the bottom of the picture.

(13:20 – 13:44)

That’s his son crawling around under the desk. This is the kind of access we have to the throne room, not of this world, but of the whole cosmos. The living God says, you’re my children.

You can come. In fact, Jesus tells us to pray persistently. He says, I give you this parable so that you pray persistently and don’t give up.

(13:44 – 13:56)

Yes, he has all authority, but yes, he says, come to me. We are called to pray to the Father. Jesus says consistently, but we’re called to pray through the Son.

(13:57 – 14:28)

How can people like us approach the living God? How can you and I with our sins and our faults and our follies and our mistakes and our brokenness and all the things we’ve got wrong approach a holy God? How can it be that you and I can come and God will listen to people like you and I? The answer is because we come through the Son. We approach God the Father in Jesus Christ the Son who takes away our sin and gives us his righteousness. He shares the intimate relationship he has with the Father with us.

(14:29 – 14:35)

That’s why we can come to the Father. That’s why we can approach. That’s why prayer in the Bible is always to the Father and through the Son.

(14:36 – 14:47)

Because it’s the Son who gives us access to the Father. John Calvin wrote this most beautiful illustration of that. He said, imagine if you were standing before a crowd of thousands of people.

(14:48 – 15:13)

And of course this was in the days before amplification, he wrote this. And he said, and you try to sing to them all, but your voice is poor and thin and weedy and you can’t get projected and you can’t be heard and it can’t get out. But then you are suddenly joined on stage by the world’s greatest opera singer with this enormous voice who begins to sing the most amazing melodious tune and the tune fills the stadium and goes out into the streets outside.

(15:13 – 15:38)

And then he says to you, sing with me, sing with me. And you blend your little weedy voice in with this great opera singer and together your song travels out and fills the stadium. And it’s his picture of prayer.

He says, on your own, do you think your voice can reach the heavens? Of course not. But Jesus says, sing with me. And you and I can speak to God.

(15:39 – 15:53)

And our thin, weedy, puny voices that are not fit to be heard in heaven are carried heavenwards by the Son. This is the gospel in action. You see, the gospel is in action not just the moment you became a Christian, but when you kneel down to pray.

(15:53 – 16:03)

It’s that same gospel that gives you access to God the Father. He says, come, come and speak to me, to the Father, through the Son. But let’s complete the picture.

(16:04 – 16:18)

He also says in Scripture, we pray to the Father, through the Son, but in the Spirit. We pray in the Spirit. Something happens in us and to us when we come into the presence of God.

(16:19 – 16:25)

The Holy Spirit stirs our hearts. He pours petrol on the fire. He groans within us, in fact, sometimes.

(16:27 – 16:45)

I was deeply struck by what the great Martin Lloyd-Jones wrote about this in his commentaries and sermons on Ephesians. He describes in the passage on Ephesians about praying in the Spirit an experience he had of someone on whom the Holy Spirit came when he was in a prayer meeting. Let me just read you a few words from Lloyd-Jones.

(16:46 – 17:02)

He says, praying in the Spirit, anyone who knows anything of this experience will know exactly what it is, but how difficult it is to put into words. And if Lloyd-Jones can’t find the words, I don’t think anybody can. He says, I can look back by the grace of God and I thank him for it.

(17:03 – 17:15)

Two public prayer meetings in which I was present when this presence of the Spirit was experienced in an exceptional manner. I shall never forget them as long as I live. A prayer meeting started one night at 7.15 in a church in South Wales.

(17:15 – 17:31)

It was a hot summer’s evening on a Monday night. Two men had taken part in prayer. Then a man stood up whom we all knew so well, an unimportant man, not a gifted man by any means, a man whose prayers could be stilted and formal and dry and even discouraging.

(17:31 – 17:42)

He began to pray and suddenly something happened to him. The whole man was transformed. His voice deepened and he began to pour out one of the most eloquent prayers I’ve ever heard in the whole of my life.

(17:42 – 17:51)

And he lifted up the entire meeting, myself included. Every one of us was in the Spirit, in the realm of the Spirit. And on the meeting went, one after another praying.

(17:51 – 18:00)

Men and women who I’ve heard on other occasions praying were now praying as I’ve never heard them pray before. Language, thought, everything was perfect. And the warmth and freedom and liberty were remarkable.

(18:00 – 18:06)

On and on it went until 10 minutes to 10. We’d forgotten time. We were in the realm of the Spirit.

(18:06 – 18:09)

We were in eternity. Time did not matter. Nothing mattered.

(18:09 – 18:18)

This is what you get in revivals and we were given a taste of it. And this is the thing which the Apostle Paul is exhorting us to in Ephesians. Formal prayers are not sufficient.

(18:19 – 18:37)

The world and the church being as they are today, we need this praying in the Spirit. We need to lay hold of God to give Him no rest and to use those dramatic, expressive words of the prophet Isaiah, and you will never lay hold of Him unless you are in the Spirit. This is the kind of prayer that the Lord is inviting us to.

(18:37 – 18:51)

Pray to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit. We need to be hungry for this. Have you ever glimpsed that? We had a small glimpse of that, nothing like that, but a small glimpse of it in Perth in February.

(18:51 – 19:08)

Our pastor had called us to 21 days of prayer and fasting for the life of the church. And then at Solas, there was a girl who had contacted us because she had been going through our website and had all sorts of questions about the Gospel. So we sent her a Bible for her Christmas present and she began to read it and came back with all sorts of questions.

(19:09 – 19:20)

And then we arranged for her to go around and meet a Christian. This was in the north of England. And the night she was meeting that Christian, we had a prayer meeting in Perth and something happened and we were praying for her and we almost felt something shifting.

(19:20 – 19:26)

And we almost said, we think she’s home. We think something’s happened. There was a sense of the Spirit in the prayer meeting.

(19:26 – 19:35)

And then I phoned my boss Andy to say, I think something’s happened. He said, we had a similar experience in Swindon praying for the same girl. And then she emailed the next morning to say, I brought my boyfriend.

(19:35 – 19:42)

He thought he was a Christian until last night. And then he said, I’ve realised tonight I’m not a Christian. And they both put their faith in Christ that evening.

(19:43 – 19:51)

But we felt something happen in the prayer meeting. And I’ve no explanation for that. I’ve got no detailed theology.

(19:51 – 19:58)

But I know the Holy Spirit was at work. And it didn’t leave me with lots of answers. But it left me very, very hungry for more of that.

(19:58 – 20:15)

Now, that is not to dismiss or diminish the value of prayer meetings when it’s hard work. Because sometimes prayer is hard work. But are you not just hungry to pray to the Father, through the Son and in the Spirit? Like Lloyd-Jones describes in that text.

(20:15 – 20:27)

This is the God we pray to. So that’s pulling back. To say, who’s the God who invites us in? Now let’s draw down into the text and tell us how we should approach this God.

(20:28 – 20:34)

How we should approach Him. Well, the persistent widow we have here. We are told we should pray like her.

(20:34 – 20:46)

Because she banged and banged and banged on the door until she got what she needed. It says there. And Jesus is telling us that prayer could be prevailing, wrestling, perseverance, seeking God.

(20:46 – 20:52)

And prayer is personal. We live in an impersonal world. We’ve shifted our purchasing from the high street.

(20:52 – 21:00)

When you go in and you buy your stuff from someone you know over a counter. To clicking an anonymous machine on a screen. But prayer is not like that.

(21:01 – 21:10)

We don’t click our orders into God anonymously and then wait for the delivery. We need to engage with the Lord face to face. To seek His face.

(21:10 – 21:20)

It’s more like mining your own gold. And then in the other text did you see that with a midnight friend. He was told that he’s going to get what he needed.

(21:20 – 21:28)

The bread in this case. Because of his shameless audacity. Did you spot those words in the text? Shameless audacity.

(21:28 – 21:36)

I love those words. I tell you, even though He will not get up and give you the bread because of your friendship. Yet because of your shameless audacity.

(21:36 – 21:49)

He will surely give you as much as you need. So the Lord Jesus is commending us to come before the Father with shameless audacity. How should we pray? Cringing and scared? No.

(21:49 – 21:56)

Vague and nonchalant? No. Formal and ritualistic? No. With some vague woolly spirituality? No.

(21:57 – 22:05)

Undemanding and distant? No. We should come before the throne of God Himself with shameless audacity. Lord, help me to pray.

(22:06 – 22:10)

Lord, it’s a struggle this morning. Send your spirit and help me to pray. I need your help.

(22:11 – 22:18)

And keep going. Jesus encourages us to be a bit of shameless audacity. I wonder if we’re just sometimes a little bit too polite in the wrong way, if you know what I mean.

(22:19 – 22:25)

Holding God in massive respect obviously. But Jesus says, press in. Lord, send revival.

(22:25 – 22:31)

Lord, come back soon. Lord, save my friend. Pray and don’t give up.

(22:32 – 22:46)

And there’s that beautiful picture you have towards the end of the Bible. A prayer being pictured as incense drifting up from the people of God before His throne as a fragrant offering. Now, I know literal incense isn’t a very Greenview thing.

(22:46 – 23:09)

I’m not suggesting literal incense. What I’m talking about is that beautiful picture you have of those prayers rising up from God’s people into His very presence. God’s house must be a house of prayer in which we persistently and consistently press into God for what we need.

(23:10 – 23:19)

And of course, you know when Jesus went into the temple and it wasn’t a house of prayer, He tipped the tables over. He said, no, this is a house of prayer. Well, you and I, we should be part of a house of prayer.

(23:19 – 23:36)

Now, obviously in the old covenant, the one place where heaven touched earth was in the Holy of Holies, in the temple. And that’s all gone because the true temple is the Lord Jesus Christ where heaven touches earth, where deity meets humanity. The one meeting point when it all comes together is in Christ Himself.

(23:36 – 23:43)

And Christ dwells in our hearts by faith. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are supposed to be a house of prayer, my friends.

(23:44 – 24:03)

And I just wonder when I look at my own life, if Jesus wants to come in and tip over a few tables and say, priorities, Gavin. What are your priorities? Is spending time with me your priority? I think Jesus wants to turn over some tables in my heart. I wonder if that’s the same for you.

(24:04 – 24:38)

Maybe your church, and I have shamelessly audaciously nicked your church logo and put it on the screen there, just to ask you, is your church a house of prayer? Or does the Lord want to come in and turn over a few tables like He needs to do in my life as well? Jesus says, don’t hold back. It’s prayer before the living God, to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit that shakes the earth, that has ushered in every revival in the history of the church since Acts 2 to the present day. It’s prayer that makes demons tremble, that makes devils flee.

(24:38 – 24:54)

It’s prayer in which salvation breaks out and church grows, the kingdom comes. It’s prayer during which people will see the glory and indeed the beauty of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let me tell you about two people I know who model this wonderful, shameless audacity.

(24:55 – 25:08)

There was one man in the church where I grew up whose son was a bit of a prodigal and he’d gone astray. And this man, prayer meeting after prayer meeting, would start to pray for his son. And people would tut and roll their eyes and say, oh, there he goes again.

(25:08 – 25:21)

But do you know what? He was in tune with our text this morning. He was banging on the door saying, Lord, give me what I need, save my son. And he did not stop praying for his son for the whole of his life.

(25:21 – 25:26)

Shamelessly audacious, like our text. Persistent banging on the door, like our text. Wonderful.

(25:27 – 25:41)

And there’s a man in my church in Perth who lives in a village way outside Perth where there’s no gospel church. And you don’t need to prod him for more than about 10 seconds before he’s pleading for a gospel church in his town. And again, some people will tut and roll their eyes, but I love his shameless audacity.

(25:41 – 25:51)

Lord, bring a gospel church to my village. Lord, raise up a work in my village. Show the people in my village your church, your people, your truth, your gospel, your son.

(25:51 – 26:31)

And you can’t stop him when he wants to pray because the Lord has put this kind of thing on his heart. Because if we read that parable on its own, it sounds a bit like hard work. Which is why we drew back to say, have you seen the glory of God? Have you glimpsed him? Have you seen his majesty? Have you stood before the empty tomb where Christ walked out and conquered death itself? Do you know he’s coming back to put this rotten world right? Who would not want to be in the presence of a God like that? Who would not want to share his gospel with a broken world for which there is no other hope, no plan B, no second route? It’s Christ or nothing.

(26:31 – 26:35)

It’s Christ or loss. It’s heaven or hell. It’s glory or loss.

(26:35 – 26:52)

Would you not talk about a world like that? We need to bring this world before a God like that because he is the only hope for this city, this town, this country, this world. Christ alone is the hope for this world. Let’s approach him in his glory and his beauty and his majesty.

(26:53 – 27:21)

And how about a bit of that shameless audacity that we’ve been talking about? I want to maybe suggest four things that we can pray about this morning as we go forward in persistence and shameless audacity. The first is our country. And so as we cover the length and breadth of the country, it’s really interesting in the moment we are at at the moment with the loss of new atheism and people all over the place on a deep search for truth and meaning and hope.

(27:22 – 27:37)

And we know that they will try every false alley and Christ is the only answer. We need to be praying for our country at the moment. Somebody said that our country was drowning in new atheism and they’re all starting to come up for air.

(27:38 – 27:56)

Whose hands are out to lift them and show them Christ? Well, we need to be praying for our country at this particular moment. And I know that all the Quiet Revival stuff has had a big sort of big discussion about stats and data sets and all the rest of it. But as we travel up and down the country, we find people who are deeply ignorant of what the Bible says and deeply hungry for answers.

(27:56 – 28:11)

At a postgraduate seminar recently, our director, Andy Bannister, was chatting to some postgrad students. And one of them turned to him and said, you Christians read the Bible, don’t you? And he said, yes, we do. And he was starting to rehearse all his different apologetic answers for different objections to Scripture.

(28:12 – 28:36)

And then he waited for the question, you Christians read the Bible, what is it? A postgrad student, literally the question was, what is it? So we are currently painting on a canvas of almost total ignorance, but yet openness to discuss Jesus like we’ve never had before. Now is the time to intercede for our country. God could do remarkable things.

(28:36 – 28:53)

God can do remarkable things. And he needs people here who are going to step up with some persistence and some shameless audacity to intercede for our country because nobody else can. Why? Nobody comes to the Father except through me, Christ says.

(28:53 – 29:03)

That means the only people in our country who can intercede for it are those with unfettered access to the throne room of God. That’s the church. That’s the body of Christ.

(29:03 – 29:23)

Now is the moment to pray, I think, for our country. And what about our rulers? The king who is wanting to water down the covenants he made before God in his coronation this week to defend all faiths with some pernicious legislation coming down the road in the coming parliaments. Pray for rulers.

(29:24 – 29:31)

Pray for leaders. They are lost. And our country is like sheep without a shepherd with some very dangerous legislation being planned.

(29:32 – 29:48)

Only the church can stand in the gap and pray for our nation. I just finished reading Jeremiah last night where God judges not just his own people but all the different nations of the earth in the last five or six chapters there. I need to pray that God will have mercy on our nation.

(29:49 – 30:01)

God will respond to wickedness. And as you look even at the history of our country, it will either be in judgement or with a blessed revival when he turns vast numbers of people back to himself. We need to step into that moment.

(30:01 – 30:10)

And be people who pray for our country. I was at a wedding on Friday. And I saw two very typical things.

(30:10 – 30:17)

One was the groom, a new Christian. Very happy to talk about his faith in front of all his non-Christian friends. A young lad who has come to Christ in the last few years.

(30:18 – 30:30)

And then someone sitting next to my wife who has walked away from the Christian faith when she was in her twenties. And that’s very typical around the country. Many, many young people coming into the church.

(30:31 – 30:45)

But isn’t there a whole generation of prodigals out there? People who have heard something of the gospel but have walked away. People who know something of who God is and have rejected him. People who are in the far country, in the pigsty, whose lives are falling to bits.

(30:46 – 30:50)

They don’t know where they are. They don’t know where they’re going. They’re without God and without hope in the world.

(30:52 – 31:00)

And what’s Jesus’ attitude? Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the shepherds. How I long to gather you under my wings. But you weren’t willing.

(31:02 – 31:14)

Oh, isn’t it the moment for us to pray? Not just thanking God for the new Christians who are coming into our churches. In Perth, we don’t know where to put them. We haven’t moved them out of the room because there are so many young people coming to Christ and being baptised.

(31:15 – 31:29)

Glory to God! But what about the generation before? That prodigal generation, those many decades of church decline and growth. You know, loss of growth, church decline, people who have walked away. Will you step up this week? You have a prayer meeting this week.

(31:30 – 31:35)

I love the thing on your slide, by the way. It said, the gospel is the only answer. This week is our prayer meeting.

(31:36 – 31:48)

I mean, perfect. But will you pray for that lost generation? And then finally, what about your city? I hope you like that photo I got, which symbolised Glasgow. I thought that was magnificent.

(31:50 – 32:07)

And which Scotland has taken around the world in the last few weeks as well. The traffic going on their head. But what about the state of your city? And if your city is to be one back for Christ, it will happen as missionaries and evangelists and pastors go around and share the gospel.

(32:08 – 32:17)

But the sea change will happen here in the prayer meetings. You know, the Hebridean revival didn’t break out in Lewis when the evangelists went out. It broke out in the prayer meetings.

(32:18 – 32:38)

It broke out when people prayed relentlessly, month after year after year, until God came down. You know, oh, that you would render heavens and come down, Isaiah says. Shouldn’t that be our prayer, not just for our country, but also for your city as well? Persistence and shameless audacity.

(32:39 – 33:00)

My pastor in Perth is Brazilian, and he’s got a very interesting story. He was kind of converted in the major revivals that took place in Brazil, a lot of it amongst the Pentecostal churches, and he was converted out of folk Catholicism. And when he came to Scotland, one of the local ministers in one of the established churches said to him, our policy here is managed decline.

(33:01 – 33:12)

And his eyes nearly burst out of his head. He said, never heard anything so outrageous in all my life. The book of Acts, managed decline? Are you kidding me? No, we will call a prayer meeting.

(33:13 – 33:25)

We will pray and fast until we see normality restored. What’s normality? I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. That’s reality.

(33:26 – 33:29)

That’s the truth of Scripture. That’s what he’d experienced in Brazil. That’s what he’d read in the Scripture.

(33:29 – 33:40)

So he calls us to pray. And what happened? Well, it wasn’t revival, but ones and twos started to come to Christ. We saw a sea change in what was going on, because he called us to prayer like we’d never done before.

(33:42 – 33:47)

Let’s just backtrack one. Lack of prayer. That is the biggest delusion of adequacy.

(33:48 – 33:53)

If you don’t pray, you think you’re adequate. Well, forget that. You realise how out of your depth you are.

(33:53 – 34:06)

Just cast yourself on the mercy of God. And this is the God to whom we cast ourselves. God the Father, the living God, the God of all glory, who stands above it all, and will judge the living and the dead.

(34:06 – 34:18)

It’s the living God who allows us to come to him through Christ. Everything that we need provided for on the cross that we’re about to celebrate in communion. Christ shed his blood for us so that we could come to God.

(34:19 – 34:32)

All our sins removed, and the inexhaustible riches of Christ given to us. It’s all here in bread and wine, pictured for us. We come to God, the Father through the Son, and he’s here by his spirit amongst us.

(34:32 – 34:41)

He makes it real, he makes it live. Not just in our minds as good doctrine, but he sets our hearts on fire. He gives us that sense that he’s here with us.

(34:41 – 34:54)

His spirit testifies to our spirit that we are the sons of God, it says in Romans. You get that sense of God throwing his arms around us and saying, You’re my people. And what a privilege it is for us to come to God.

(34:54 – 35:02)

And we have access. Let’s not squander that access. But let’s be people of prayer.

(35:03 – 35:08)

Because no one else can. It really is up to the people of God. Amen.

The post Rekindling a Passion for Prayer – Luke 11&18 appeared first on Greenview Church.

It certainly includes the physical but also the spiritual, and it’s something we’ve been learning that we are to practise. It doesn’t necessarily come easy. It’s certainly not straightforward, so we’re to practise it, make it a habit.

(1:32 – 4:09)

It’s something that we’re all to be involved in and in a variety of ways. So finally today then we’re going to turn to Luke chapter 14. It’s another example of hospitality that Jesus is involved in, and in this particular chapter we’re going to see how hospitality is fundamentally to do with the kingdom of God, and we’re going to break our reading this whole chapter into three parts, but firstly Jesus contrasts a true versus false practise of hospitality, and in verse 1 to 14, so if you turn your pew bibles again to page 1047, and the words are on the screen as well, one sabbath when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent pharisee, he was being carefully watched.

There in front of him was a man suffering from an abnormal swelling of his body, and Jesus asked the pharisees and experts in the law, is it lawful to heal on the sabbath or not? But they remained silent, so taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. Then he asked them, If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on a sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out? And they had nothing to say. When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable.

When someone invites you to a wedding feast place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited, and if so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, give this person your seat. Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you’re invited, take the lowest place so that when your host comes, he will say to you, friend, move up to a better place.

Then you will be honoured in the presence of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Then Jesus said to his host, when you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives or your rich neighbours.

If you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

(4:10 – 5:12)

Jesus is at this meal. He’s invited by a Pharisee, one of the Jewish religious rulers, and a number of other people are present. But what they thought and understood and practised as hospitality is going to be challenged by Jesus.

In fact, what Jesus is doing is he’s reorienting their practise of hospitality as a kingdom of God matter. Jesus gives two examples to demonstrate this. Two examples that characterise the giving of true hospitality in contrast to false hospitality.

And in the first example, Jesus shows us that hospitality is more about merciful care and not rules. So an opportunity to give kingdom of God-like hospitality was given by way of the man at the meal who was in need of healing. And here Jesus is not simply performing a miracle.

(5:12 – 5:28)

He’s intentionally touching an untouchable who was at the feast. He’s restoring someone whom the religious leaders who were there would have viewed with a moral dislike. It was a Sabbath day.

(5:29 – 6:10)

Jesus simply asked them whether it’s lawful or within the rules to heal this man. And they didn’t answer. Is it because they didn’t know? Or did they know they were being challenged and so didn’t like to answer? Well, we’re not told why, just simply that they kept silent.

So Jesus presses in more. He says, imagine you have a child or an ox, a person or property that’s valuable to you, it’s fallen down a well. Would you not pull them out? But again, they’re silent.

(6:11 – 8:02)

The opportunity is for physical care to be given, for mercy to be shown. It’s this kind of action that characterises God’s kingdom. It’s the same kind of physical care of hospitality that was given, remember, by the Samaritan to the Jew on the road to Jericho.

But they couldn’t answer. And in that silence, Jesus is challenging their reliance on rules, their performance to a standard that made them look good on the outside, on keeping laws at this superficial level, when in fact they were breaking the more important, greater law to love your neighbour, to not do harm or evil towards another. You see, in God’s kingdom, failure to provide physical care is a harm.

To bring healing is a mercy. But they were more concerned about keeping the laws than showing mercy. God said the same to the people of God and the leaders of Israel many, many years before.

He warned them in Micah chapter six of three core principles that God requires of his people. He has shown you o mortal what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Zechariah says a similar words. He said, this is what the Lord Almighty said, administer true justice, show mercy and compassion one to another. But their silence is deafening.

So Jesus gives another example. He shows them that hospitality is an opportunity for humility. It’s not about gaining in social status.

(8:04 – 8:17)

And in verses seven to 14, he unpacks this with two issues that he lays bare. The first issue that he lays bare is their pursuit of honour in verse seven to 11. So they’re scrambling for seats.

(8:18 – 8:36)

Who can be closest to the host? Because these places bring greatest honour and greatest status. And Jesus turns this thinking upside down. His lesson ends with the statement, everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled.

(8:37 – 10:06)

But whoever humbles themselves will be exalted. You know Jesus is not giving out social advice. Instead he’s getting to the root of who they thought they were.

He’s focussing on their view of self. It wasn’t endearing. It’s not commendable.

This practise of hospitality was more about their own status in comparison to others around them. That’s issue number one. But there’s a second issue here.

And here Jesus speaks about patronage and favouritism. This is about how they viewed others. And this view leads to practising hospitality to get a leg up.

He’s calling out the problem of using hospitality as a strategic deal-making way where they invite others so that they in turn can be invited back. This was the custom of the day. To invite people who could return the favour and in turn bring them social and financial benefit.

And Jesus again is overturning that thinking. You see in God’s kingdom hospitality is not about gaining status or earning rewards. True blessing comes from God as you welcome those who cannot repay you or improve your standing.

(10:08 – 11:09)

And neither this nor the pursuit of honour is genuine hospitality. You see what these practises that they were doing reveals is a manipulation. It’s a heart of manipulation rather than a heart of love.

It’s the antithesis to the kingdom of God’s hospitality. They’re treating people as a means to gain honour, status and favour. But love seeks the good of others for no return.

Manipulation calculates. It gives out to get something back. But hospitality shaped by the values of God’s kingdom is given not to manipulate to get something in return.

Yes there is a reward in giving hospitality. But it’s fundamentally spiritual. Hospitality is a kingdom of God matter.

(11:10 – 11:33)

And Jesus teaches that life in God’s kingdom transforms even our hospitality. It works on us as much as it works on others. And we are to become more concerned with showing mercy and walking humbly before God and towards others which is expressed in that humility with others.

(11:34 – 12:30)

Instead we’re freed from finding security in status or possessions. So much so that we can give generously out of what we have. And we can give generously in a sacrificial way.

We can prioritise the vulnerable over personal comfort. And we trust God to reward what is done for the good of others and for God’s glory. So we come to the next part of our Bible reading.

Follow me then in chapter 14 again but starting from verse 15. When one of those at the table with him heard this he said to Jesus, blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God. Jesus replied, a certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.

(12:30 – 12:56)

At the same time of the at the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who’d been invited, come for everything now is ready. But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, I’ve just bought a field and I must go and see it.

Please excuse me. Another said, I’ve just bought five yoke of oxen and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.

(12:56 – 15:03)

Still another said, I just got married so I can’t come. The servant came back and reported this to his master and then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town, bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Sir, the servant said, what you’ve ordered has been done but there’s still room.

Then the master told the servant, go out to the roads and the country lanes and compel them to come in so that my house may be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet. So one of the guests at this meal, remember Jesus is at this meal, and one of the guests at this meal speaks out to Jesus and says, blessed is the man who will eat the feast in the kingdom of God.

Now we don’t know what relies behind this expression, this comment. Is it a genuine expression of truth? Is it religious showmanship or something else? We don’t know. The text does not tell us.

But what we get next is Jesus telling a story about a great banquet. With this story, Jesus has taken the opportunity to teach about God’s way of hospitality. So we’ve been hearing about the false way of hospitality.

Now Jesus is expressing what God’s way of hospitality is. And so he tells us that there’s this certain man, prepares a great banquet and as was the custom, sends out an initial invitation to the guests. And then a second call when everything is ready.

It’s like a save the date card goes out first and then come to the meal. So Jesus uses this to point out to a wider gospel story that God has already been sending out invitations to this kingdom feast. Save the date cards have already been mailed out to the world.

(15:05 – 15:36)

There’s this inner witness of conscience that we all have as God’s people. There’s a revelation of God in creation. And there’s the message of the prophets that has come down through history, down through the ages.

All of this forms part of the first invitation. But the second invitation is more specific and timely. And it lines up with what Jesus has been telling the people since he’s arrived on the scene.

(15:37 – 17:20)

When Jesus arrived on the scene he says to people, repent and believe for the kingdom of God is near or has now come. Jesus spoke of his own coming into this world as he came to seek and save the lost. He said elsewhere, I came to give my life as a ransom to many.

And what Jesus is doing is revealing again and again his greater purpose at this time here on earth where he would live and die and to bring a way of salvation and forgiveness for sin for all people. And again and again through what Jesus said in many parables and stories, many of his interactions and demonstrations of his power through miracles, that he pointed to the specific invitation to join in and be part of God’s kingdom now. People were to repent.

People were to believe. People were to listen and to follow Jesus’ teaching. And Jesus’ point that while there had been an invitation to come and know God through conscience, through creatorial revelation and through the prophets that spoke to the people down through history, Jesus is declaring now everything is ready.

Come and join the feast in the kingdom of God. But this story that Jesus tells, in the story that Jesus tells, the invited guests offer pretext. That is they give bogus excuses not to take up the invitation.

(17:21 – 17:47)

They offered other reasons in order to conceal their true motivation. It’s a deceptive tactic. It’s used to justify a behaviour while hiding actual purpose.

It’s like someone being at a party and they want to leave early and they tell everyone, I’ve got an emergency at work. I need to go. But the true reason was simply that they just wanted to go home.

(17:49 – 21:27)

The excuses given here, buying a field, testing some oxen, getting married, they may feel kind of distant to us, but they carried real weight in that culture. The first two relate to business and property and the third to relationships and together they reflect areas of life in the Near East and they still speak powerfully today. We too are shaped by the same concerns in business, for example our work, our careers, our education, the results, the effort that drives all that We too are concerned about property matters, what we own, what we’re saving up for, homes, cars, finances, everything associated with that.

We too care deeply about relationships, family, friends, work colleagues, leisure and all that sustains and is involved in keeping up relationships. These things are not wrong. These things are to be engaged in and pursued.

It’s good and a blessing to have a job, to contribute to society. It’s wise and prudent to save and to have savings and investments. It’s right and good to think that we should build up relationships because life can be lonely and hard, so we nurture connections and cultivate bonds and prioritise people.

But the point Jesus is making in this story is that these legitimate things of life, they are being used as excuses to reject the invitation to join in and be part of God’s kingdom. These good and lawful practises or activities are being turned into stumbling blocks. It’s stopping them taking up the invitation to the feast.

So Jesus continues in his stories and says the master that’s hosting the feast widens the invitation and so now urban poor are invited, those in the streets and the alleyways, those who are poor, crippled, blind and lame. And you might ask why were these people not, these outsiders not invited from the beginning? Well in Jesus’ story I think the first guests in a sense represent Israel, the ones whom graciously, God graciously chose. Not because they were greater than any others but because he’d rescued this people from Egypt.

He’d gave them their law. He’d provided a sacrifice for sin and spoke through the prophets yet they repeatedly rejected God’s ways. And rather than loving their neighbours they burdened each other with man-made rules and they excluded the poor and the blind and the lame and the marginalised.

But God’s hospitality reaches to those on the outside and so the master is sending his servant beyond the city, beyond the roads to the fields to say there’s still room at the feast. Those outside are urged to come because such grace seems too good to be true to these people. I wonder if you might feel that way.

(21:28 – 22:36)

Do you ever feel like you’re on the outside? Too distant from God for the invitation to really include you? Maybe past experience with Christians or church has left you feeling that you are not good enough. But the truth is we’re all in the same place before God, all in need of his grace. No one stands righteous on their own.

Yet God does not affirm our wrong and sinful behaviours. Instead he calls us to himself to forgive us and to transform us. There’s room for all of us.

That was Jesus’ way. He consistently reached out to those who are far from God. He met them.

He spoke with them. He ate with them. Yet he still called them to repent and believe.

And wherever he went he showed that compassion for both physical and spiritual needs. Yet not everyone responded. Yet the invitation was always extended.

(22:38 – 24:25)

He didn’t hold out so much for those who thought they were righteous though, who had other priorities. He particularly focused on those who knew they needed him. And so the invitation still stands.

Whatever our past or present may be, God calls us into his feast. We are invited and there is room. The question is whether we will come or perhaps do you find yourself offering reasons to decline, to stay away.

Perhaps these kind of thoughts sound familiar to you. Not now but later. When life is less busy.

When I finish school. I’m too young. When I’m done studying.

When I’m settled in a job. When I have more time. When I’m retired.

When I need God. I’m too old now. Later.

Not today. Reminds me of a story I heard when I was growing up, of a young boy who saw a bike in the shop window. The sign read, today you pay, tomorrow you get it for free.

All excited he returned home expecting the next day to get the bike at no cost. But the owner asked for a hundred pound. Confused the boy protested and points to the sign and the owner replied, read it again.

(24:26 – 24:35)

Today you pay, tomorrow it’s free. You see the boy had missed the point. Tomorrow never comes.

(24:37 – 28:07)

You see Jesus is giving a warning in this story. The invitation is only valid for so long. The warning is to all who are invited but who reject the invitation for whatever reason that may be.

He says quite quite bluntly in verse 24, I tell you not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet. The bogus excuses by those initially invited reminds us that there can be a real difficulty for those who are caught up with the things of life. The Bible speaks into this reality.

We can be so taken over by life, by living, by earning, by parenting, by relationships, eating, clothing, security and so on that we can simply miss out. Another challenge is that when we surround ourselves with life and with living that we’re satisfied with and we’re engaged in and we’re fulfilled by. So business and work and career, learning and education, property, finance, investments, friendships, family, they provide enough for us.

Friendships and family but we simply don’t believe we need anything from God. Our lives are busy and full of things that take us away from God. Not necessarily wrong in themselves but where the problem is when they become the most important and they replace God.

Yet the invitation to God’s kingdom is truly only seen by those whose eyes are open to their need. It’s often the case that when material things are taken away, you know, through loss, instability, disappointment, we begin to see how fragile and dissatisfying they really are. It’s often the case that as we lose our business or our work or if something rocks our financial stability or our relationships are affected in some way through breakdown or death even, that when that happens we realise we’ve built our lives on things that just don’t last.

But in their place God offers true hospitality, shelter, refuge, peace, purpose, belonging, forgiveness and lasting security. And only those who see that they really need these things and they cannot find it within themselves or the things that they surround themselves with, only the humble can receive this kind of invitation to know this kind of feast. You know, we don’t read of any excuses offered by those who are poor, lame, crippled, marginalised, outsiders, those who are in the fields.

Perhaps because their lives were so stripped back they were humble and ready to see the invitation for what it was. Perhaps they could really see what was being offered and there was nothing holding them back. You see the psalmist puts it this way, today if you hear God’s voice do not harden your hearts.

(28:08 – 36:34)

Paul the apostle says now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation. Which brings us to the last section, we’re to consider the cost. Look with me down at verse 25.

Large crowds were travelling with Jesus and turning to them he said if anyone comes to me and does not hate mother and father, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes even their own life, such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower, won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you’ve enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying this person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.

Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king, won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with 10,000 men to oppose the one coming against him with 20,000. If he is not able he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Salt is good but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, it’s thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear. In these final verses of this chapter Jesus is warning again and that whilst the invitation to receive God’s hospitality is free, there is a cost to consider.

Colin spoke about this in our first sermon of their series from Isaiah 55, that the price of entry to this banquet is free. That’s the unbeatable hospitality of the kingdom of God. That God has sent his servant Jesus who bears the sins of the people, pays the price that their sins deserve, dies in their place.

The servant lays down his life and the offer is made to you and me and it’s free at the point of receipt. Jesus has paid for it but there are costs to consider. There’s a personal investment required and Jesus expands that truth in these verses and he says to the disciples, if you’re going to be disciples you must hate your father, mother, spouse, children, even your own life.

This word hate used in this way in the original language really means to love less. Jesus isn’t commanding his followers to literal hatred, he’s simply saying we’re to love God first and if forced to choose then the disciples love for Jesus and his priorities, his purposes, his kingdom is to come first. Jesus said it elsewhere, he said love God and love others.

Our love for God would then influence our love for others. He said to his followers, seek first the kingdom of God and all these other things will be added to you. Jesus is saying we’re to carry our cross and follow him which means that followers of Jesus are on a one-way journey just like those being executed by way of crucifixion with the crowds around them jeering and criticising and hurling insults.

It’s accepting that following Jesus can lead to that kind of rejection and mocking from those around you, that’s a cost to consider. Also we’re to see this discipleship journey as a long-haul endeavour. It’s not a short-term commitment, it’s not a casual decision, it’s not simply for when you feel good and things are going well.

It’s through thick and thin, the ups and downs of living in a limited body and a weak body and even as a sinful person still in a hard and sinful world where bad things happen to us, it’s a spiritual commitment that must be committed to through to the end. Jesus also says it’s something we are to give everything up for. This discipleship involves distancing ourselves from materialistic attachments in the world for the sake of the kingdom of God.

You see following Jesus means counting the cost. It means recognising his authority over business matters, career and work and education and ambitions, that is a real cost. It means submitting our possessions to Jesus, our homes, our finances, talents, even our bodies, yes, to his rule, that is a real cost.

It means yielding our relationships to his lordship, allowing him to shape our choices and priorities in them, that too is a real cost. When it comes to discipleship, following Jesus and all that this means, then it impacts all of our life, our personal devotions and building relationships with God. It influences what we do with our time and our resources and how much we will invest in the kingdom of God here in a church family like Greenview or elsewhere, whether we simply turn up to church to consume or whether we engage and participate and actively serve one another.

It all points to a way of life that indicates we don’t give what’s left over to Jesus. We give it all as we go about business and work and careers and education and accumulate property and wealth and as we live life in and through our relationships. Jesus is not asking for what’s left over and that’s a cost.

The man who spoke out in verse 14, whether he really understood it or meant it, we don’t know, but he was right when he said, blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God. God has provided blessing after blessing after blessing. He has poured out the riches of his grace through the giving of his son, Jesus.

Belonging, acceptance, forgiveness, security, cleansing, healing, adoption, all these amazing, amazing gifts and blessings that are ours as we join the invitation to his kingdom. He’s generously lavished his love on us, ultimately in the laying down of Jesus’ life for us. In response, we take up this free invitation to come and follow our saviour Jesus.

Today we can enjoy the ongoing generous hospitality from the father by his spirit with our fellow guests, our church family. Today we can offer that same hospitality to each other to show mercy and care and spiritual encouragement. By that way, we and they, we and you are blessed.

Today we offer that same invitation we’ve accepted to you, to join in with us so that we and you together can be blessed today and eternally. Let’s pray. Father, we do thank you that you are an hospitable God who generously has poured out your love at the riches of your grace and mercy.

(36:35 – 37:14)

Thank you for this great invitation to the feast. Lord, as we receive this invitation, help us to consider the cost, but to take it up, to know that it’s worth it, that what we receive in blessing from you is far, far more than what can be had for a short term here in this time. Help us with these things, we pray.

Encourage us. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.

The post Re-orienting Hospitality – Luke 14 appeared first on Greenview Church.

Business owners pour hours and years into their lives building companies only to face the challenge at some point of handing over to someone else. Even church leaders who invest their lives in ministry eventually realise and have to accept that they will not be the ones to carry that forward forever and letting go is difficult. It’s difficult because we know our strengths and weaknesses and we make all sorts of allowances for all of that but we’re never quite as confident about those who come after us.

Will they preserve what we’ve built? Will they make wise decisions? Will they share the same convictions? Will they be faithful when we’ve gone? And those questions become even more pressing when the work involved is God’s work and as we come to 1 Chronicles 28 right at the end of this first part of the summary of Israel’s history written by the Chronicler, King David stands at one of the great transition points of his life. He has led Israel through battles, he’s established their kingdom, he’s longed in his heart to build a temple for the Lord yet God has told him he won’t be the one to complete that task. The responsibility for that piece of God’s ongoing work will belong to Solomon and so David must do something that many leaders struggle to do.

He must hand over what he has given his whole life for to the next generation. This chapter isn’t really only a chapter about succession planning. It’s actually a chapter that teaches us the principles of what happens when God’s servants exit stage left and what the writer of Chronicles wants us to see is that the purposes of God are never dependent on one individual no matter how gifted, no matter how godly, no matter how influential, no matter how charismatic, small c, they may be in any of these ways and we are to learn here from Chronicles vital lessons about leadership, faithfulness and confidence not so much in God’s workers but in the God whose work never ends and every generation of believers eventually faces the same question.

How can we intentionally prepare the next generation to advance God’s purposes? So 1 Chronicles 28 teaches us the principles of transition, teaches us what faithful transition looks like and we’re going to see three vital truths as we prepare the next generation to continue the work of God’s kingdom in their lifetime. Truths about God’s purpose, truths about God’s pattern and truths about God’s presence. So let’s look firstly then in verses 1 to 10 about God’s purpose.

The next generation must understand God’s purpose. In verse 1 David gathers together the great and the good of Israel. Did you notice? It’s like a three-line whip.

Tribal leaders, military officers, the housing minister, the agriculture minister and the whole army. And the first thing David does is to share what his plans had been. Notice verse 2. I had desired to build the temple.

Back in chapter 17 David had expressed his concern, we covered that a few weeks ago, that he lived in a palace in luxury while the ark of God was lying in a tent in some back lot somewhere. And his concerns and desires and his plans were fundamentally God-centred and that was commendable within itself. But here’s the point, David’s purpose for God didn’t match up with God’s purpose for David.

And when that happens in a life, as it may have done in yours, there’s only ever going to be one winner, right? And it’s not going to be you. In verse 3 God says no. David you will not build the temple because your hands are stained with blood.

Your work is over David. The kingdom’s been established. The days of war have gone.

The days of peace are coming. You’re not the right man for peaceful dates. The next phase of my purpose for my people doesn’t involve you in a leadership role.

Now, humanly speaking, how’s that landing with David? If that were you, put yourself in that position, how’s that landing with you? Well, there are a number of reactions that we could have to that, not all of them positive. But David’s response is remarkable. However he felt about being sidelined, he doesn’t become a grumpy old man.

Do you notice? There’s no bitterness, no resentment. Instead, in verse 4, he joyfully embraces God’s will. And notice the framework within which he’s able to do that.

It is the framework of God’s sovereignty. Do you notice that in verse 4? The Lord God of Israel chose me. Verse 4 again, he chose Judah.

Verse 4 again, he chose my family. Verse 4 again, he chose me. And then in verse 5, he chose Solomon.

(7:09 – 9:45)

Now, for listening to the text of the Chronicler, the Chronicle wants us to know something that’s going on here, right? He wants us to know that God’s choice matters. He repeats it five times in the text. God’s choice, God’s choice, God’s choice, God’s choice.

David has a strong grasp of God’s sovereignty. God is in control and he isn’t. David is acknowledging that the future of God’s kingdom and God’s work doesn’t depend on him.

It depends on God’s sovereign choice and God’s sovereign purposes, not on his human qualifications or even his godly desires or ambitions. It depends on God’s purpose. He understands that building the kingdom is God’s work, not his work.

And that’s one of the great lessons of the entire book of Chronicles. As the writer has summarised it to show the nation its own history, the Chronicler wants us to know that God’s purpose through future generations will continue just as they have been preserved through past generations. In verses 7 and 8, David reminds the people that it’s their obedience to his word and their relationship with him that will define their future.

Do you notice in those verses? So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord and in the hearing of our God, be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God. So then in verse 9, David turns to Solomon and he speaks directly to his own son. And you Solomon, my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind.

Now notice what David does not do with Solomon. He does not sit him down around the table and discuss strategic issues about the future of the kingdom. He doesn’t focus on leadership techniques.

He doesn’t even talk about things like organisational effectiveness. These things are all good in themselves. David’s focus in preparing his son to take on the work that lies ahead is a focus on God himself.

(9:45 – 10:54)

Do you notice? Acknowledge the God of your father. Because the greatest need of the next generation isn’t innovation. It’s not even relevance or popularity or influence or even church planting within itself or church governance models.

It’s none of these things. The greatest need of the next generation is a genuine knowledge of God. When David says know God to his son, he’s not talking about an academic knowledge.

In Hebrew thought, the Hebrew idea of knowing God is always relational. It’s always experiential. It’s never theoretical.

And David is effectively saying to Solomon, listen son, my relationship with God won’t be of any use to you. A secondhand relationship with God won’t be enough, son. You need to know God for yourself.

(10:58 – 13:03)

You see, I think there’s a great temptation for us to make the mistake that in passing on a spiritual heritage, that will automatically produce spiritual reality. Let me just say that again. There’s a great danger in us thinking that simply passing on a spiritual heritage will automatically produce spiritual reality.

We’ve lived in a nation which has passed on a spiritual heritage for centuries, but where’s the reality? It would be a massive mistake for us to think that and to live like that in our generation. Children do not become Christians and continue as Christians because their parents are believers. And then they take them to church on a Sunday.

I remember a guy once saying to me, because both of my children at that point and at this point in the goodness of God were going on as Christians, what’s the secret of your success to me? Well, clearly he didn’t know me for a start, either as a father or a person. Children do not become Christians and continue as Christians because their parents are believers. It’s important to teach them, of course, but it has to be a firsthand faith, born of God’s sovereign purpose.

New Christians don’t become spiritually mature and go on to persevere in their faith for a lifetime simply by coming to church and sitting here every week. We’ve seen that over our lifetimes, haven’t we? I’ve been 46 years here and if everyone who has come here over those years and sat where you’re sitting now were here tonight, we’d have to open the extension and maybe the car park and a few other places too. Do you see? You don’t go on to spiritual maturity just by sitting here week after week.

(13:04 – 21:02)

New generations must personally know God in an experiential and relational way if his purposes are continued to work through the next generation. So if you’re a Christian parent today or a mentor to a younger believer, remember this. Education’s vital, for sure.

Opportunities matter, absolutely. Encouragement is important, but nothing compares to helping them know God and the greatest inheritance or legacy we can leave the generation behind us isn’t financial security, it’s that spiritual relational reality. That is how God’s work advances.

When one generation intentionally introduces the next generation to the living God and helps them know him, and that’s what David’s doing with Solomon here. So the next generation must follow God’s purpose, but they must also follow God’s pattern. Do you notice that in those rather lengthy verses of great detail and description about what articles had to go in the temple? 11 to 19.

In verse 11, David gives Solomon the plans for the temple and at first glance, these seem like nothing more than an admin job. A list of architectural plans, design specs, and job descriptions for the temple. But behind all this, there’s a profound theology at work.

You see, first up, David is not handing Solomon his own ideas. Verse 19 is crucial here in our understanding of that great long list. All this I have in writing, says David, as the result of the Lord’s hand on me and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.

In other words, everything about the temple design and everything about the temple building is God’s design, not David’s design. In other words, God has provided a pattern for this building and Solomon, you need to follow that pattern if you’re going to achieve God’s purposes the way he intended them to be achieved. Now, where have we seen that before in scripture? Well, the construction of the temple echoes the construction of the tabernacle.

When Moses is up Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments in Exodus 25.9, we discover that God says this to him, make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. In other words, the design for worship on earth originates in heaven. The design for worship on earth originates in heaven.

And the same principle applies here. How we worship God and how we do God’s work doesn’t rest on Solomon’s ingenuity. It rests on the pattern that God has provided.

Now, that’s enormously encouraging for us. Enormously encouraging. No generation begins from scratch.

We don’t have to make this up on the back of a fag packet as we go along. We aren’t asked by God to reinvent the wheel. Every generation is building on the evidence of God’s faithfulness in the lives of those who have gone before.

So Solomon inherits all the resources he needs. And if he commits himself wholeheartedly to the Lord, he will find all the plans, all the resources, all the organisation, all the leadership structures, and all the covenant promises that David had received and passed on that these things will enable him as Solomon to do God’s work in his generation. Now, why was it so vital that the details for the building of the temple were passed on accurately and followed perfectly? Why was it so important that the weight was measured out? Did you notice that repeated emphasis on the weight of gold and the weight of gold and the weight of gold and the weight of silver and the weight of gold and the weight of silver? And on it goes.

It’s glorious, this building, right? Its worth is immense, almost incalculable. And that’s because every aspect of the temple, in every detail, like the tabernacle before it, was pointing to something beyond itself, to something greater than itself. It was always anticipating something greater, something glorious.

So if you went into that temple and you saw that glory that we’ll see in part two of our Chronicles series later when we get there in 2 Chronicles, when we see that glory and we see the cloud descend and we see that magnificent edifice shining in gold and silver, we are meant to be in awe not so much of the temple itself but the God who designed it and the one of whom it speaks. Because throughout the Old Testament, God’s presence dwelt among his people in symbols and shadows. And then even though a temple was glorious and shining in gold and silver, it was still a shadow .

Then, in the fullness of time, God sends his Son. John tells us in chapter 1:14 of his Gospel that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word literally means tabernacled among us, built a tabernacle among us, a tent to live in.

Jesus becomes the true temple. He’s the ultimate place where God lives on planet earth. He’s the ultimate place where God and humanity meet.

He’s the ultimate place of sacrifice. He’s the place where forgiveness is secured, not just for a year but forever. He’s the ultimate place where God’s glory is revealed.

So the temple Solomon would build ultimately points to Christ. So every detail mattered. Now many believers worry about the future of the church.

They fret. Church leaders worry about declining influence. Christian parents worry about their children.

Leaders worry about what’s going to happen to ministry when older people retire and others go home to heaven. But 1 Chronicles 28 reminds us that the future of the church doesn’t depend ultimately on human personalities. It depends on the next generation remaining faithful to the pattern God has provided.

And what does that pattern look like for us? Well, it’s not a pattern that tells us to build a temple. It’s a pattern that teaches us how to build the church. And in 2 Timothy 1.13, Paul tells Timothy what that pattern is.

(21:02 – 21:28)

What you heard from me, he said, keep as the pattern of sound teaching with faith and love in Christ Jesus. We don’t pass on to the next generation a pattern that will build a temple for God to dwell in, but we pass on to them the pattern that will build the church of Jesus Christ where God now dwells in on earth with his people. The pattern of sound teaching, Paul describes it as.

(21:28 – 23:01)

Luke calls it the apostles doctrine in chapter two of Acts. Paul calls it the good deposit in 2 Timothy 1. Peter describes it as everything we need for life and godliness in 2 Peter 1. We’re not at liberty in the church any more than David was to pass on stuff that we make up. We’re not at liberty to do that.

We pass on what Jude describes in verse three of his little letter where he describes gospel truth as the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. The faith that once for all was entrusted to God’s holy people. We pass on what we have received already from God himself.

And where do we find that? We find that in scripture. That pattern will build God’s house. That pattern will build God’s kingdom.

That pattern will build God’s church. Do you see? And then finally the next generation must rely on God’s presence because without God’s presence, the purpose and the pattern are of no significance whatsoever. And so in verse 20 and 21 we reach the climax of the chapter in David’s final words to Solomon when he says in verse 20 there, do you notice it? Be strong and courageous and do the work.

(23:04 – 24:01)

Now at times of transition, strength and courage are often needed, aren’t they? And we’ve seen this before in Israel’s history too. After Moses died, the words that David gives to his son Solomon echo the words that God gave to Joshua when he took over from Moses at another great transition period in Israel’s life when they moved from being wilderness wanderers to conquerors in the land. Listen to this from Joshua 1, 6 and 7 and look for the parallels here.

God to Joshua, be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you.

(24:03 – 25:04)

Now here in Chronicles, another transition is taking place and another generation must take responsibility and David knows what the scale of the task is that Solomon is facing. It’s daunting. David’s been through every detail of it already.

He knows the size of the project. It’s immense. The responsibility seems overwhelming.

So where does David direct his son? Well it’s not firstly to the plans themselves, although they’re going to be important as we’ve seen. It’s not just stick to the process, Solomon. Nor is it the gifted people around him.

That team of people who will support that great enterprise. Where does David direct his son? He directs him to God himself. Do you notice that in verse 20? Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed for the Lord God, even my God is with you.

(25:05 – 25:32)

That phrase changes everything because the presence of God is the ultimate source of courage in the life of his people. Throughout scripture, God’s purpose is advanced through his people, not because they are strong and courageous within themselves. In fact, quite the opposite.

They’re weak according to the manner of this world. They’re feeble. They’re failures.

(25:33 – 25:55)

God’s purpose is advanced through his people, not because of their strength, but because God himself is present with them in their strength, in their weakness. God was with Abraham through his wanderings. God was with Joseph in the prison, in Egypt, in the years of obscurity.

(25:56 – 27:13)

God was with Moses on the backside of the desert for 40 years when he was in training and in Egypt before he ever led the people out of the promised land. And he was with him all the way through that too. God was with Joshua as he entered the promised land only with Caleb as an ally really, because the rest of the generation that had left Egypt didn’t really believe that they could do the job.

But God was with Joshua as he entered the land and as he defeated Jericho and took possession there. Then God was with David as the kingdom was established and Jerusalem was built as the centre. He’s with him here, and now God will be with Solomon.

Do you see? The echo to every generation from God is, as I was with them, so I will be with you. And the Hebrew concept of God’s presence isn’t a passive thing. It’s not like he’s in the next room.

It’s dynamic. It’s living. It implies active intervention and active provision on behalf of that person.

(27:15 – 27:54)

And where is that promise of God’s presence with his people fully realised? Where is that promise realised for us? Well, it’s realised in Emmanuel, the name given to the Lord Jesus at his incarnation, which means God with us. We don’t ask, we don’t need to ask God to be with so and so. We sometimes hear that at prayer meetings, don’t we? Lord, be with so and so.

(27:54 – 30:57)

Think about that for a minute. What are the options that he’s not with them? Would that ever be an option? I know what people mean when we pray that. We really mean, may people have a conscious sense of God’s presence.

Because God is with us. Always. And that, friends, is a foretaste of heaven itself.

Because heaven is heaven. Because we will enjoy a conscious sense of God’s presence with us forever. And the whole of God’s story in history, the whole of Scripture is moving to that glorious reality that we read of in Revelation 21, 3. When we read, God himself will be with them.

And he will be their God. So the next generation doesn’t just need good advice. It needs a conscious awareness of the presence of God.

It needs a reminder that God is with them in their generation. And he will continue to be with them all through their lives, just as he has been with you all through your life. And just as he was with the generations who have gone before us through all of their lives.

And in fact, David’s words in verse 20 are actually echoed in the final commission of the Lord Jesus himself, aren’t they? As he commissions his disciples to continue his work and build his church among the nations and through all generations. What does he say there in Matthew 28, right at the end? All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

So the question this evening isn’t whether a transition to the next generation will come. Oh, it will come, all right, and faster than you think. The question is, are we preparing the next generation faithfully for that transition? Are we intentionally investing in younger believers? Remember the church is only one generation away from forgetting the gospel.

So are we teaching them the truth of the gospel? Are we preparing them to be courageous in our increasingly secular society? Don’t protect your children from the world out there. Teach them to stand. Teach them to be brave.

(30:59 – 32:26)

Teach them not to be cowardly. Teach them to be courageous. And then entrust them with the responsibility to carry that out, confident that the one who began a good work in them will be faithful to complete it, just as he has with you.

David has learned and understood something that every faithful believer eventually has to learn. God’s work will continue without us. We might find that humbling, but it’s vital to acknowledge.

And remember, as we’ve seen from this passage this evening, our confidence is not ultimately in the next generation itself, any more than David’s ultimate confidence was in Solomon himself, because we know that Solomon didn’t exactly make a good job of it all, did he? Teaser trailer for part two. Our confidence is in God himself. It’s his work.

It’s his kingdom. And because his purposes can’t fail, we work faithfully in our generation, and we pass the baton confidently to the next generation, and we entrust the future joyfully to him. So as we finish then, we’ve been enjoying looking at the value of the church in our other series over these weeks at Greenview.

(32:26 – 33:08)

And I thought it might be a good way to end this series in One Chronicles with the last verses of Psalm 48, which we’ve been thinking about in our Thursday evening home groups. As we tie our spring season together and go into the summer, here’s what the Psalm writer says in Psalm 48. And remember, when he’s talking about Zion, he’s talking about the place where God dwells, the holy city, Jerusalem in that day, the church in ours.

Here are these words. Go in faith as you hear them. Walk about Zion.

Have a look at what’s going on. Go around her. Count her towers.

(33:10 – 33:34)

Consider well her ramparts. View her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God forever and ever, and he will be our guide even to the end.

Amen.

The post The Next Generation – 1 Chronicles 28 appeared first on Greenview Church.

And the writer writes, guided by the spirit of God, keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who were ill-treated as if you yourselves were suffering.

So reads God’s word. Well, God in his great kindness has given every believer a gift. Paul writes to the church, the Romans, and he says we have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us.

(1:16 – 2:50)

And these gifts are distributed not for our blessing and benefit individually, but for the blessing of others. So if you’ve received a gift, it’s not for your benefit, it’s for the benefit and blessing of others. But it’s also given, of course, for the glory of God, the glory of God.

And Paul writes to the Corinthians, and he says now about the gifts of the spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. There are some folks who say that if you count the gifts that are listed in Scripture, you’ll count maybe 19. Others will say, well, actually there’s 23.

I tend to think there are a few more, because there is what’s known as the gift of helps, and I think that can cover a multitude of things. And one of the gifts, and the gifts we’re focussing on this morning, is the gift of hospitality. One wag said that hospitality is the art of making people feel at home, even if you wish they were.

Well, that’s not actually biblical hospitality. That’s a little bit tongue-in-cheek. But at its core, hospitality is the practise of making folks feel welcomed and cared for.

Making folks feel welcomed and cared for. And while we might not individually feel that we have a special gift of hospitality, the truth is that we are all called to be hospitable. We’re all called to be hospitable.

(2:51 – 4:24)

And Christian hospitality takes the ordinary and commits its resources to extraordinary use. Now we know that God wants to live with us, because he says to us in Leviticus 26, I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

So God made this world to share a home with us. And we know that Adam and Eve, our great-great-grandparents, who were the first stewards of this, our home, were deceived by Satan. And they disobeyed God.

And as a result, humankind has since that time experienced what we might call spiritual homelessness. And the gospel is wonderfully good news. It’s the news that God comes to us individually and touches our lives, deals with our sin, and then comes to live within us.

How wonderful is that? And if God is living within us, that means that our homes become outposts of God’s kingdom. You’ll have heard the expression, home is where the heart is. And if our heart is for God, well, then we shall have a real concern to engage with this hospitality.

(4:25 – 5:22)

You’ve also heard about, I’m sure, the Westminster Confession. And the first question in the Westminster Confession is, what is the chief end of man? And I’m sure if I asked you to raise your hands, you could all tell me what the chief end of man is, to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. But let me use that question as a piggyback and ask you very simply, what is the chief end of your home? What is the chief end of your home? Now, for folks who don’t know Jesus, our homes can become safe places where we can ask questions, places where we can express our doubts without getting jumped upon, places where we might hear the gospel shared with us gently and carefully.

(5:23 – 6:55)

Our homes can become spaces where God tugs hearts towards his glory. In thinking about this topic just the other morning in my chosen time, we call it chosen time rather than quiet time because we choose to have it or not to have it as the case may be, I was reading through Jeremiah and I came across this very interesting passage. And Jeremiah says, does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? That was really expensive home decoration.

Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and the needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me, declares the Lord.

As I was thinking about that, I was reminded that it seems to me that the writer is saying that, listen, it’s not about doing, it’s about being. It’s not about performing because we have to. It’s about being Christ’s.

So we look at the world as it were through his eyes. Let me explain what I mean by that. There is around us a general acceptance of religious pluralism which has made many of our Christian witness efforts a little bit less effective.

(6:56 – 8:39)

And Christians are now being judged not by our teaching, not by what we say. They’re being judged by how we live and our lives. Bertrand Russell, that very well-known philosopher, wrote a famous essay entitled Why I’m Not a Christian.

And in this he presented what he believed were irrefutable arguments rejecting Christianity. And what he did was primarily to focus on the lives of Christians he had known or heard of who lived far less than exemplary lives. He wrote, I think there are many good points upon which to deal with Christ, a great deal more than many professing Christians.

I do not know that I can go on, that I can go all the way with him, but I could go with him much further than most professing Christians. The fact that Russell chose only examples that supported his preconceived notions instead of focussing on the truth of God’s word is very sad and he missed out. But is it not true that people won’t care what we know until they know that we care? People won’t care what we know until they know that we care.

You see, people read our lives more than they will read the Bible. That means that you and I might be the only glimpse our neighbours ever get of Jesus. That’s a challenge, isn’t it? I wonder what they see when they look at us.

(8:42 – 9:51)

Maybe that’s why we read in Matthew 5 those lovely verses, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. So let’s just focus in on what the text says. Verse 1, keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.

Now why do you think the writer wrote those words? Could it be because the bonds of love had become just a little bit frayed and maybe folks had become a little weary of one another? Perhaps life for them was very busy and in their busyness maybe there was a little impatience and maybe folks rubbed one another just the wrong way. Brotherly love is the natural outflow of the Christian life. It can’t be generated or manufactured, but it can be nurtured, but equally it can be stifled.

(9:52 – 11:03)

Paul is very direct in Romans 12. He says, be devoted to one another in love, honour one another above yourselves. And why is that important? Well, Jesus said, a new commandment I give you, love one another as I have loved you.

So you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. So God has given those outside the church the right to evaluate us and evaluate the reality of our faith based on the way in which we relate to one another.

So if somebody outside the church comes along and begins to pull your chain and asks you, do you really love that awkward angular person who attends your church? Well, they have the right to do that. And it should bring us to our knees to say, God, would you help me to be all that you desire me to be? 1 John 3, we know that we have passed from death to life because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

(11:03 – 12:01)

I really like the verse that Zach quoted earlier on today, dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. In other words, let there be a real harmony between what we do and what we say. This is really exceedingly important.

Well, the text goes on to say, do not forget to show hospitality to strangers. And we might wonder, why is there teaching here about hospitality? It comes at the end of a very long section of doctrine, and this is practical, but why are they teaching about hospitality? Well, I guess in Jesus’ day, inns were not congenial or healthy places for Christians. One author writes, asking a friend if he could tell him which of the inns had the least fleas.

(12:02 – 13:00)

Now, I’m not sure I’d like to stay in any of them, but which of the inns had the fewest fleas? Added to that, the fact that Christians were persecuted and ostracised both by society at large and even by their own families. Hospitality was really significant and important, particularly in Jesus’ day. But it was also very important in Job’s day.

When Job is kind of giving a defence for his life and character and behaviour, in Job 31, he says something really interesting. He says, no stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the Isn’t that interesting that Job should raise that in his defence? How much of a challenge that is to us. Some of us have spare bedrooms.

(13:01 – 18:33)

It’s a really good thing to use them when we can. Love’s care is exhibited when we practise hospitality. We must note something that is both beautiful and convicting.

The word practise means to pursue or to chase, sometimes even meaning a strenuous pursuit. The idea is of a loving believer, not waiting for the stranger to show up on his doorstep, but going out and seeking someone to whom they can show hospitality. Hospitality to strangers reflects the undeserved mercy that we have received from God.

Matthew, Jesus says, freely you have received, freely give. And have we not received from God the most wonderful hospitality? You see, it’s not about doing. It’s about being.

That’s to be our default position. It’s about loving others because we have been loved. It’s an attitude.

We are surrounded by many people who don’t know Jesus. Have you heard of the expression friendship evangelism? It’s a very helpful and useful expression and it’s really powerful as a means of reaching out to people today. Because there are folks who live around us who view church as being something of a hostile environment.

And maybe they come and have one experience and they don’t like it. I can remember in ministry in Finley all those years ago, we came to the conclusion that when we said we’re going to stand and sing, we meant that the musicians were going to play an intro, and at the appropriate time we would sing. But the stranger coming into church hears the word stand and sing, so they stand up and become aware that they’re the only ones standing.

So they’re very ashamed. They go down again while everybody else is standing up. So we thought, well, let’s make it easier for folks.

So we won’t say stand and sing. We’ll just do this [signal by raising hands palm up] so that we can all get up at the same time. There are things that we can do, and perhaps ought to do, to make it easier for folks for whom church is a hostile and a strange environment.

Our homes can be used as a means of reaching folks who don’t go to church. Love expressed through hospitality can provide space for honest conversations. So the verse is challenging us to use our homes regularly.

I remember years ago in ministry, we had a lot of students come into the church, and we regularly used to invite them back to the manse after the evening service. I can remember one evening handing around nibbles, and I got to this guy, and I said, hi. I said, I don’t think I know you.

He said, I’m Richard, and I’m an atheist. I said, well, that’s okay, but it’s just nice to have you. And he came back a month or so later, and again, I was handing around the nibbles, and he said, I’m Richard, and I’m an agnostic.

I said, Richard, that’s real progress. Great to meet you. So glad to have you in our home.

And the next time he came to, he said, I’ve become a Christian. So it was wonderful because a lot of folks were involved in Richard’s life caring for him. He didn’t come to church.

It wasn’t an eloquent preacher that impacted him. It was the practical love of other people. And I look back, and I think of my own experience, because I was brought up in Southern Ireland.

Father was Irish, and mother was English. That makes me a mongrel, I guess. And my background was I was brought up as a Catholic, but when I was about eight, my father had Alzheimer’s.

And it was quite difficult, as you can imagine. We were packed off to boarding school at the age of eight, and we’d come home on holidays and used to look after my father, and that was very difficult. But I can remember one day, I was a bit of an angry young man.

I remember one day after I left school, one of my friends came and said, Mike, you need to become a Christian. And I said, well, I come from Ireland. It’s the island of saints and scholars.

We’re all Christians. I use a knife and fork to eat my peas. And he said, no, no, I mean a real Bible-believing Christian.

So he and his wife put me in their car, and they drove me up into the countryside, and they introduced me a lovely couple, and they said, tell Mike about becoming a Christian, and they left me there. So I was a captive audience. And these folks were very kind.

I knew nothing about them, but they loved me and cared for me, and they gave me a Bible. And they told me that in God’s eyes, I was a sinner. And I thought, who are they to tell me that I’m a sinner? They don’t even know me.

(18:34 – 18:42)

And I began to read the Bible to see if I could find something that would contradict what they were telling me. But it was like reading their telephone directory. I couldn’t understand it.

(18:43 – 19:52)

But they were so consistent in their love and care for me, I found it extraordinary. I used to turn up at their homes at meal times just to see if they would be so kind at inconvenient times as they were at other times. But they were.

And I have to confess to my shame that I even phoned them at midnight one night with a daft question. I wasn’t interested in the answer, but I was interested to see would they still be the same at midnight as they were at more civilised times of the day. I encourage folks, think back to the qualities in the hearts and lives of the people whom God used to touch your lives, and pray that those qualities might be replicated.

And that couple became like my spiritual mom and dad. It was maybe six or seven years before I came to faith after that first contact, but they were so consistent in their love not judgemental, but just caring. And I was so grateful to have spiritual parents like that.

(19:54 – 22:32)

The verse goes on and it says, Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. That’s rather interesting, isn’t it? Showing hospitality to angels without knowing it. I guess what it’s saying is that there are sometimes unexpected, unanticipated blessings that come from our acts of hospitality.

We never know how important and far-reaching a simple act of helpfulness may be. Perhaps that’s why Jesus said, Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose his reward. Isn’t it interesting that a simple act like that is so important to Jesus that he takes note of it? That little act of kindness.

40 something years ago, I had the privilege as a student of going to preach in Africa, in Nigeria. And when I was there, I had the opportunity of attending a conference for SAM missionaries in a place called Myango, which is not far from Joss. And the speaker that year was a man called Stuart Briscoe.

And I really enjoyed his ministry. It impacted me as the Lord spoke to me and told me there was something I needed to do. Fast forward a number of years, and my wife and I had just arrived into a pastorate church in Suffolk, East Anglia.

And we had some lovely friends who were in the FIEC, and we were invited to go to the FIEC conference in Cayster. So Anne and I, we were delighted to be able to go because we’re really busy. And a little break was called for.

And what was even better was that the main speaker at that conference is a guy called Stuart Briscoe. Now some of you will maybe know the name Stuart and Jill Briscoe. Well, we were in one of the sessions when Jill got up, walked up.

Her husband was in the pulpit, and he very graciously gave way. And she just said, look, I want to express that I have a burden in my heart for ministry wives. And I would be so grateful if you would meet me.

And she mentioned the time and mentioned the venue. So my wife said, well, I’m going to go. So I was given the task of looking after our kids, which was great.

(22:32 – 22:54)

And my wife went to hear Jill Briscoe share whatever she was going to share. Well, Jill Briscoe wanted to encourage ministry wives because many of them are really busy. And she told a story about her own ministry life when she was in America with her husband.

(22:56 – 23:53)

Stuart and Jill, having done ministry in Africa, knew a lot of Africans. Easter was coming, and Jill was saying, Lord, we have been so busy. Just give me four days over Easter, please, Lord.

Just no visitors, nothing, just so we can have quality time together. Not long afterwards, they got a letter from an African pastor whose daughter was studying in the States. And the African pastor said that my daughter has nowhere to go at Easter, so I’ve told her to come to you.

And Jill said, oh, no, Lord. Because she knew well enough that it wouldn’t just be one African girl turning up, but it would be several African girls turning up. Anyway, when the doorbell rang, all that Jill could do was to pray, Lord, please don’t let them know that they’re not wanted.

(23:56 – 24:12)

Fast forward a number of years. Judy, Jill’s daughter, had grown up. And Judy and Jill were going to write a book together about what it was like to grow up in a ministry home.

(24:14 – 24:33)

And Jill said to Judy, you write your bit, and I’ll write my bit, and then we’ll exchange, and we’ll make sure there’s no duplication, and we’ll work out where to go from there. And so that’s what happened. And Jill received from Judy the bit that she had written.

(24:34 – 24:49)

And as she sat and read it, she burst into tears. And Judy said, oh, mum, what have I done? What have I said? How have I upset you? I’m so sorry. But it wasn’t that she’d said something that upset her.

(24:50 – 25:20)

She was looking back to the visit of those three, four African young girls. You see, at that particular time, Judy had written that she was wandering away from faith, and beginning to make decisions and choices which would have had very negative impact on her life. But those African girls got alongside her and ministered to her, so her direction in life was changed and brought back to where it should have been.

(25:22 – 25:54)

And here, all those years later, her mother discovered that without being aware of it, maybe, just maybe, they’d entertain some angels unawares. The truth is that we don’t know what God can do with our service for him. We don’t know what God can do with our service for him.

(25:54 – 26:44)

Exercising hospitality is, in truth, a wonderful way of worshipping God. We do it for him, and if we do it for him, it becomes an act of worship, because anything we do for him is, in truth, an act of worship. Do you remember the teaching in Matthew chapter 25 about a coming judgement when Jesus talks about the sheep and the goats? Do you remember that? Do you remember what Jesus says? He says, Come, you who are blessed by my Father.

Take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you, since the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink.

(26:46 – 28:19)

I was a stranger, and you invited me in. I needed clothes, and you clothed me. I was ill, and you looked after me.

I was in prison, and you came to visit me. Do you remember how the disciples, the crowd, responded, Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat? When did we give you something to drink? When we were stranger, how come we invited you in? We don’t remember this, God. When did we clothe you? When were you ill that we looked after you? And when were you in prison, and we came to visit you? Remember how Jesus responded? He said, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

Now I’m fairly sure looking around that you all don’t live in 50-room apartments, but you all live somewhere. And I think God is just gently asking us to do what we can and not what we can’t. And it might be a remarkable thing when we get to glory, to discover the splendid thing that God chose to do through an act of kindness.

(28:20 – 28:54)

I have this kind of dream in my mind of what it might be like to be in glory. I don’t, not suggesting it’s accurate, but I know that I’m going to get a new body, and I’m delighted about that because I’m going to be a bit taller. And I don’t know if this new body will have elbows, but the truth is that there we shall be standing in front of the Bema, the judgement seat of Christ, and we shall look and we shall see Jesus and we shall be like him.

(28:56 – 29:39)

And we’ll be so utterly captivated by what we see that our focus will just be on him. When maybe all of a sudden, if we have ribs and if we have elbows, you’ll feel an elbow in your ribs and you will tear your eyes away and there’ll be someone standing beside you. And they’ll say, I’ve just come to thank you.

Why? Because you showed me hospitality and shared Jesus with me. And I just want to introduce you to all the folks I brought with me. Is that a possibility? I think so.

(29:40 – 30:06)

What we do for the least of these, we do for him. Let’s pray together. Father, we bless you and praise you that in very simple, very practical ways, we can worship you by expressing care and love to those around about us.

(30:07 – 30:41)

And we ask, Father, just very gently that in this week that is to come, you would give us each one an opportunity of perhaps having a coffee with somebody or going for a walk with somebody or having somebody in our home for a meal. And we do pray, Father, that your spirit would work using us and our acts of hospitality for the great glory of your marvellous name in which we pray. Amen.

The post An act of Faith – Hebrews 13v1–3 appeared first on Greenview Church.

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.

But Joab replied, may the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My Lord the King, are they not all my Lord’s subjects? Why does my Lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel? The King’s word however overruled Joab. So Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem.

Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who could handle a sword including 470,000 in Judah. But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering because the King’s command was repulsive to him.

This command was also evil in the sight of God. So he punished Israel. Then David said to God, I have sinned greatly by doing this.

(1:44 – 1:57)

Now I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing. The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, go and tell David, this is what the Lord says.

(1:58 – 6:01)

I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you. So Gad went to David and said to him, this is what the Lord says.

Take your choice. Three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies with their swords overtaking you or three days of the sword of the Lord, days of plague in the land with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel. Now then decide how I should answer the one who sent me.

David said to Gad, I’m in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into human hands. So the Lord sent a plague on Israel and 70,000 men of Israel fell dead and God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem.

But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, enough, withdraw your hand. The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth with a drawn sword in his hand, extending over Jerusalem.

Then David and the elders clothed in sackcloth fell facedown. David said to God, was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I the shepherd have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep.

What have they done? Lord, my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people. Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord.

While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel. His four sons who were with him hid themselves. Then David approached and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.

David said to him, let me have the site of your threshing floor so that I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price. Araunah said to David, take it.

Let my Lord the King do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.

But King David replied to Araunah, no, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing. So David paid Araunah 600 shekels of gold for the site.

David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. Then the Lord spoke to the angel and he put his sword back into its sheath.

At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there. The tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon. But David could not go before it to enquire of God because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

(6:02 – 7:47)

Then David said, the house of the Lord God is to be here and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel. This is God’s word. Something we’re going to see lots of in the now underway World Cup is video action replay or as it’s sometimes called VAR.

Many football fans dislike it, but the idea when it’s working at its best is to give the referee a different angle on the action. So from his angle, the referee hasn’t spotted a foul. And then they call him over to the monitor and they show him another point of view.

And from the other point of view, he sees a shirt being pulled. It’s the same game, the same incidents, but a more complete picture is given when you see things from a different angle. And I think that might be a helpful way to think of First Chronicles.

First Chronicles is largely a replay of the book of Second Samuel. But while First Chronicles replays many of the same events and many of the same people, it comes from a very different angle. For example, the census in First Chronicles 21, this one we’ve just read is also recorded in Second Samuel 24.

(7:48 – 9:43)

And yet the angle is totally different. In Samuel, it says that the anger of the Lord burned against Israel and he, that’s the Lord, incited David to take the census. But in First Chronicles, speaking of the same incident, we’re told that Satan rose up against Israel and Satan incited David to take a census.

A casual reader could look at these two accounts and imagine that they are totally contradictory. But in truth, they are complementary. They are different angles on the same thing happening, observing the involvements of different individuals, different players, if you like.

So on the one hand, Israel had sinned and the Lord responded to that sin by bringing judgement. And in Samuel’s emphasis, it is God who permits the events of Satan’s tempting so that David will then do a foolish thing. And on the other hand, seeing it from another angle, the more immediate cause of David’s temptation was Satan himself.

And so one commentator writes, the sinful designs of Satan and David were used by the Lord as agents of his wrath. David was responsible, Satan was active, but God was sovereign. But in Chronicles, we are being shown the Satan angle.

(9:44 – 11:37)

And it’s all the more impactful when you realise that David at this moment in chapter 21, he has just subdued his earthly enemies. In chapters 18 to 20, in one battle after another, David and his army have defeated every other foe. From the Philistines to the Ammonites, all comers have been put to the sword.

Yet without a physical enemy now in the horizon, a spiritual enemy is hatching a devilish scheme. In a way that isn’t fully explained, Satan prompts David with the alluring suggestion of taking up a census. And contrary to the caricatured idea of having a devil on your shoulder, and it’s really obvious when you receive a devilish thought, actually Satan is much more subtle than that.

I doubt that David thought that Satan was prompting him with this idea. I was reminded of one of the darkest characters in the Lord of the Rings books, Sauroman. And I’m almost sure when I read Sauroman in that series of books, that Tolkien is basing Sauroman on the character of Satan.

One of the characteristics of Sauroman is the persuasive way he speaks. Tolkien says this in one place, suddenly another voice spoke low and melodious. It’s very sound an enchantment.

(11:38 – 13:37)

All that it said seemed wise and reasonable. Brothers and sisters, that is normally the way that Satan tempts us. It’s not that the room goes dark and suddenly it’s as if we’re in a horror movie.

It’s often more like a reassuring friend putting their arm around your shoulder and saying, I think that kind of behaviour, I think that decision you’re making is actually reasonable and justifiable. In fact, it might even be a good thing for you to make that choice. Satan is the master of suggesting that our sins are reasonable.

That’s what happens here when David is incited to take the census. But you might be asking, well, what was so wrong with this census? Why was it a bad thing to count people? Isn’t this what governments do sometimes? And isn’t it the case actually that in the Jewish law, there was provision for counting people in censuses as long as you followed certain stipulations. Sometimes censuses were allowed.

It is clear from Joab’s response and from God’s statement in verse seven that this census was evil. The difficulty is that the Bible doesn’t tell us why it was evil, neither here or in Samuel. We do know that this particular census was counting up military men, probably counting up all the possible conscripts, fit and able men that could have fought.

(13:38 – 15:06)

And so it could be the case that David’s sin had something to do with relying on his military power. Because if you think about it, it’s a strange thing to do at this point. David has just swept away all of his immediate circle of enemies.

And yet at this very point, David wants to assess the maximum strength of his army as if the strength of his army is the reason that he’s so victorious. Well, whether it was for that reason, his kind of pride in his own resources, or whether for some other reason, David’s right-hand man, Joab, warns him that this is foolish. If David insists on carrying this out, guilt will fall on the nation.

But David doubles down and Joab reluctantly obeys. And Joab travels up and down the land and he counts up the number. It must have taken him quite a long time.

And yet Joab is so repulsed at what he is doing that he doesn’t even fully complete the job. But when the results came in, David must have been ecstatic. His potential forces were huge.

(15:07 – 16:41)

It seemed that he had a sizable earthly army to fight any foe. I wonder if we sometimes fall into the same mistake of putting too much confidence in what is visible and tangible, and what seems to be part of our own strength. In our personal lives, for example, do we feel secure because of maybe the amount of money in our bank account, or maybe because of the resume we have? If something happens to our job, we’ll get something else because we’re very capable, very employable.

Or in church, do we feel a sense of security because of reasonably good numbers on a Sunday morning? Or maybe numbers in the church’s bank account? Or perhaps we look around and we see the gifts and abilities of people in the church. Or maybe it’s ourselves. Maybe we look at our own experience.

We’ve got a lot of experience as a Christian. Maybe a lot of experience in ministry. We’re going to do okay because we’ve got experience.

Maybe because of the number of books that we’ve read, the amount of theology that we know. And we can easily fall into the trap of relying on those things rather than relying on God. And so we’re relying upon our resources, not relying upon prayer.

(16:43 – 17:59)

We’re depending on the host of our armies rather than on the Lord of hosts. Well, David was at the height of his power trip, and he’s about to come down with a bang. A prophet named Gad appears.

He brings this terrifying message from the Lord. The king is given three options, three possible punishments. And in each of these three punishments, there’s a three involved.

So it will either be three years of famine, three months of military defeat, or three days of plague. There is no option not to be punished, but there is an option for David to decide. David, he doesn’t want to fall into the hands of human enemies.

But beyond that, he leaves the ultimate decision to the Lord. And so verse 14, a plague is chosen, and it’s an Exodus-like plague. In fact, if you’ve read the story of Exodus, particularly chapter 12 of that book, you’ll see so many echoes here.

(17:59 – 19:00)

On that night long ago, when an angel of the Lord went through Egypt, bringing a plague of death on the Egyptians. This time, an angel of the Lord carries out the same judgement, but this time among his own people. And 70,000 men, perhaps reflecting the fact David had counted the men, fall to a biological plague.

It’s a kind of interesting dynamic we’ve got to note here. There’s a kind of a physical, biological reality. People are dying of a plague.

That’s the physical reality. But behind that, as you draw the curtain back, it’s an angel of the Lord who, if you like, is swinging the sword and taking life here. Now, I think it’s probably important to pause for a moment and acknowledge as we read this, that lots of people read this and they struggle.

(19:02 – 19:57)

Isn’t this an over-the-top response or maybe an unfair response in terms of who is punished? Because David was the king, he ordered the census, the people sort of needed to go along with it, and yet 70,000 of them died for David’s choice. A couple of points that might be helpful here. The first one is that even in the text, David voices this difficulty.

David feels this tension. Look at verse 17. He knows that his decision has brought judgement on the whole nation, and he pleads with God to redirect the punishment from the people to him, the shepherd.

(19:58 – 20:30)

That doesn’t resolve the tension, but it does tell us that David felt it too. But the other point to make, which I find really helpful, is that this is not the only angle on the story. Again, we need to go to the monitor and have a look over in 2 Samuel, and when we check the monitor, what Samuel gives us is some additional information not mentioned in Chronicles, and David may not have been aware of this information.

(20:32 – 20:59)

What Samuel says is that the Lord was punishing Israel for her sin. In other words, there were already patterns of national guilt, which had already happened before Joab turns up with the clipboard. And so it is not as simple as saying that these people were innocent, as it appears to David.

(20:59 – 21:14)

They’re not innocent. The reason, in fact, this is happening is because God is punishing past sin. Well, David is aware of his part, and he takes responsibility immediately.

(21:16 – 21:59)

David is not a model of righteousness in this passage, but he is a model of repentance. He shows us how to confess our sin immediately, honestly, and hopefully. So he confesses immediately.

He holds his hands up straightaway, verse 8, and he confesses honestly. Unlike so many people who fail today, he isn’t defensive, and he doesn’t play down what he’s done. He says, I have sinned greatly by doing this.

(22:00 – 24:18)

I have done a very foolish thing. I was chatting to a woman this week from another church, and we ended up talking about blind spots in the church in the UK, and it’s always interesting to hear someone else’s perspective. And this woman said to me, she said, I think one of the biggest blind spots in the UK church is a lack of consciousness about sin, or at least the admission of it, particularly among middle-class Christian people.

I couldn’t really disagree with her. I see it too often in my own life. As elders, as ministry leaders, as husbands, wives, as parents, as colleagues at work, are we quick and honest in holding up our hands when we get things wrong and we sin? Do people around us get the impression that we just don’t think we ever sin? Because we never seem to take responsibility for anything.

We never seem to say so, pray so, act so. The irony of it is that as believers in God’s mercy, we don’t need to be afraid of confessing our faults, do we? That’s the third aspect, isn’t it? We can confess hopefully with the hope of David in verse 13, let me fall into the hands of the Lord for his mercy is very great. Even as judgement is falling on the nation in this kind of horrible way, David still believes that the mercy of God is very great.

And the first glimpse of this comes in verse 15. The Lord sends an angel to destroy Jerusalem, the capital city, the city of God. And as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning that disaster.

(24:19 – 25:21)

Notice, it was not David’s confession of sin that caused the Lord to relent. It was the Lord’s compassion that caused him to relent. The Lord saw.

And when he saw the judgement unfolded, God said to the angel, enough, withdraw your hand, that hand of death. And really interestingly, we are told exactly where this happened. Now, it’s not obvious why we’re being told this immediately, but we are given the precise location where the Lord said to the angel, enough.

Verse 15, it was said at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Now, who were the Jebusites? The Jebusites were the people who David conquered in order to take control of Jerusalem. They were the original inhabitants of Jerusalem.

(25:21 – 26:16)

So, David conquers the Jebusites, but after he takes the city, some of the Jebusites are still living in Jerusalem, like Araunah. And not only that, but this man, Araunah, he actually owns a prime piece of land near by Jerusalem. The land was located on the top of the hill where Jerusalem was built.

Most people reckon that Jerusalem was initially built on the lower part of the slope of Mount Zion, because that was nearer to the water source at the bottom of the hill. But at the very top of the hill, probably just a stone’s throw away from the city wall, was a piece of land owned by Arunah. And this piece of land contained a threshing floor.

(26:17 – 26:54)

Threshing floors were large pieces of, or were flat pieces of land that farmers used, and they were always built on the top of a hill so that the wind would blow away the chaff, and it was used for winnowing wheat. And the angel of the Lord has reached this threshing floor. 2 Samuel makes it clear that the angel had been travelling through the land.

So, the angel’s been going through the land, and people have been dying. And now, the angel finally arrives at Jerusalem itself, at Araunah’s threshing floor. Now, Araunah’s threshing floor is not a target itself.

(26:56 – 28:19)

It’s a bit like the angel’s staging ground as it prepares to attack Jerusalem. So, the angel’s at the top of the hill, at the threshing floor, about to attack the city. And Araunah’s poor little sons are there, and they see this mighty angel of the Lord, and they run for cover.

But at this very moment, verse 16, David approaches from the city. And along with him, some elders, some of the leaders of the Jewish people, and they’re all wearing sackcloth, which is the clothing of mourners. And David then leads the confession of sin, with his face bowed down to the dirt.

David is the shepherd who has sinned. The people are the sheep who have followed in his folly. But David says, Lord, wouldn’t you let your hand of judgement fall on me and my family, and not on these people? There’s something Jesus-like about that, isn’t there? Yes, Jesus was not a sinful shepherd like David, but there’s a similarity in this selfless desire to take the punishment upon himself alone.

(28:21 – 31:13)

On the cross of Calvary, Jesus takes the punishment that his wayward sheep deserve. But actually, what David proposes doesn’t come to reality. David suggests he should die, but the Lord says, I have another idea.

And he commands him through the prophet to go up to the threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord. But in order to do this, David needs to buy this private land. So he negotiates with Araunah, who makes things incredibly easy for him.

And this is how you can tell that David was not a Scotsman, because when Araunah offers him the land as a freebie, David refuses it. And he replies in what is a now famous statement, shall I sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing? The cost of our salvation is not cheap. The cost of giving our lives to God as living sacrifices is not cheap.

It costs us something. It’s meant to cost us. The worship that we bring to God, not just on a Sunday, but in our lives, is meant to cost us in terms of effort and obedience.

If it doesn’t, is it really worth anything? So David buys the land at a huge price, and then he hurries to build an altar, and then he sacrifices burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. These were offerings to atone for sin and to bring the people back into fellowship with God. One of the striking things about this and Chronicles is that David is acting in ways that are very priestly.

David’s a king. He’s not a priest. And if you know anything about the Old Testament law, you will realise that kingship and priesthood are normally divided areas.

The king’s not a priest, and the priest’s not a king. And if you’re a priest or a king, you have to stay in your own lane. And yet again and again in Chronicles, in this final book in the Jewish Bible, just on the verge of Matthew’s gospel, if you’re reading it in the Jewish Bible, in this final book, the king is doing increasingly priestly things.

(31:15 – 31:32)

In chapter 15, David brings the ark to Jerusalem. In the same chapter, he wears priest wear, fine linen, and a golden ephod. In chapter 16, he makes sacrifices for the people.

(31:33 – 33:02)

In the same chapter, he organises the Levites and the temple servants as if he’s running the temple. In the same chapter, he leads the people in prayer to which the people say, amen, and praise the Lord. And in chapter 17, it is David who is concerned.

He’s a king, but he’s concerned that the temple is rebuilt. As we near the final curtain of the Old Testament, the roles of priest and king are converging into one person. And of course, when we get to the New Testament, it’s a very short step to Jesus who is both priest and king, which is one of the big arguments of the book of Hebrews.

David, in a preview of Jesus, is the king who makes sacrifices of atonement successfully. Notice that after the sacrifices have been made, it is only then that the angel who has withdrawn the sword, I think the withdrawing is a pausing of judgement, now finally puts the sword back into his sheath, which means there will be no more, no future judgement. Because only a sacrifice of atonement can deal with the judgement on sin.

(33:02 – 34:08)

The Lord answered David there on the threshing floor of Araunah. And I love how this story works because even by this point, right, and we’re almost all the way through, we’re still not quite sure what the punchline of this story is. I mean, is this story just here to teach us about a bad incident and the importance of confessing sin? No, the punchline of the story comes at the very end.

Verse 29 explains that at that time, the tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of burnt offering were both at the high place in Gibeon. So the ark, remember the sacred box, the most sacred object in the tabernacle, it was in Jerusalem, David had brought it there, but the tabernacle, the portable tent, the temple, if you like, and the altar of sacrifice for that tabernacle, they weren’t in Jerusalem. They were at this time located in a place called Gibeon.

(34:09 – 37:37)

Why are we being told this? What this is telling us is that God’s meeting place had not yet been rehoused in Jerusalem. The ark was there, but the tabernacle wasn’t, the altar wasn’t. And why has it not been moved there yet? Because there wasn’t a place to put the house of the Lord.

And so verse 30, massive downside of this, David could not go before the tabernacle to enquire things of the Lord because there wasn’t a fully functioning meeting place with a properly functioning sacrificial system. And now the punchline finally comes. Chapter 22 verse 1, David says, the house of the Lord is to be here and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.

You can only assume that David has been looking and praying for an appropriate site for the tabernacle, a place where they could make their sacrifices and bring the altar and bring the tent. But through this incident, the Lord has made it clear that this was the right place. What better place could there be than the former threshing floor of Arunah? What better place than the highest point of Jerusalem, the place where sacrifice and prayer had brought God’s judgement to a standstill.

See, this is not just the story of a plague. It’s not just the story of David’s confession. It’s not just giving us some useful tips about how to repent, although it includes those, but this is showing us how they decided where the temple should be.

God decided it at the place where God said enough, at the place where the sacrifice prevailed. That was where the temple had to be. And this points gloriously to Jesus, doesn’t it? The one who is the tabernacle of God and the priest of God.

The one who is the shepherd who gives his life for the sheep. And the one who through the cross leads God to say enough. Withdraw the hand of judgement.

We can have even more confidence than David and the people had as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice. Because the price of this offering, this one great act of Jesus’ worship, this offering of atonement on the cross is one of infinite value. His blood is infinitely priceless and therefore no more payment is required.

And so we can live and confess honestly and hopefully. Even when we succumb to the voice that tells us that our sins are reasonable, even in those moments we can turn to the Lord and we can say the Lord’s mercy is very great.

The post The House will be Here – 1 Chronicles 21–22v1 appeared first on Greenview Church.

And we’re going to read from verse 1 down to verse 15. So we’re just going to look at the first half of this chapter this evening. let’s hear God’s words. First Chronicles 17 verse 1. After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”

Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.”

But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying: Go and tell my servant David, this is what the Lord says.

You are not the one to build a house to dwell in, to build me a house to dwell in. I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another.

Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to shepherd my people, why have you not built me a house of cedar? Now then, tell my servant David, this is what the Lord Almighty says. I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I’ve been with you wherever you have gone, and I’ve cut off all your enemies from before you.

Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth, and I will provide a place for my people Israel, and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.

I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you. When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.

I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever.

(3:00 – 3:14)

His throne will be established forever. Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. May God bless to us this reading of his precious and inspired words.

(3:20 – 8:21)

The wonderful thing about the Bible is that it comes to us and it meets us at a whole range of levels. It’s firstly, of course, the grand narrative, the great explanation of everything, why we exist, why we struggle, why we die, but also why we can nonetheless have hope, the story of creation, fall, and redemption. Of course, within that great story are many sub-stories that echo the great story.

In those smaller stories are real men and women experiencing life in the great story, the lived reality of joy, sorrow, sin, death, temptation, pilgrimage, waiting, trusting, and so on. First Chronicles as a book within scripture is no different. It’s part of the great story of God working to recover paradise lost, but it’s also the sub-story of Israel.

Within that great story, the rise and the falls of the nation of Israel, and within Israel are individuals, Moses, Ruth, Saul, David, and God working in them individually. Throughout the Bible, God is working at every level to fill the big hole that we thought of that runs through the world, through the nations, and through every human heart. As we move into chapter 17 this evening, we’re going to see all those layers starting with David himself.

David, of course, as we have observed, is the model king, the greatest of all the kings in Israel’s Old Testament history. He’s the gold standard and the template for all other kings, supremely, of course, in his devotion to God, but he’s also a real human being. David was a man of flesh and blood, made of the same stuff as you and me.

He was a man of like passions. Some of those are vividly highlighted back in 1 and 2 Samuel. Even though in Chronicles, the focus is on the greatness and the best of David, Chronicles isn’t putting all its hopes in David, but rather who David represents and who David points us to.

And so when we come to the start of chapter 17, we see David, who after a very long and turbulent process of conflict and ups and downs, has established his rule in Israel. He’s united the nation under him. He subdued Israel’s enemies, and last week we saw how he brought the ark, symbolising the presence of God, back to the centre of the nation there in that new capital, Jerusalem.

And at the end of chapter 16, verse 43, it kind of sums up where we are after all that activity. It says, then all the people left, each for their own home, and David returned home to bless his family. It’s a wonderful little kind of encapsulation of the feel, the state of the nation at this point.

Everybody’s able to go home, but like Christmas, it’s a picture of peace and rest and blessedness. It’s almost a little mini-fulfilment of those words in Micah 4, where the prophecy is, the promise is, that everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid. And at the start of chapter 17, David is settled in his palace.

But there’s something on his heart, and he wants to share it with Nathan, the prophet. And what’s on his heart is a nagging doubt, I guess, that here he is sitting in his palace of cedar, cedar representing wealth and comfort and luxury. All the while, the ark, which symbolises the presence of God, is down the road in a tent, just doesn’t feel right.

It’s a bit like I’ve booked myself into the Ritz, and my parents are in the travel lodge across the road. So although it’s not spelled out in verses 1 and 2, David’s thinking clearly is, as we’ll see, I should build a permanent, suitably grand building for the ark, for God’s dwelling place. To which Nathan, in verse 2, perhaps somewhat glibly replies, sounds good, you should definitely go ahead and do that.

(8:21 – 10:01)

It’s a good thought, good desire, good plan, what’s not to like? But that night, God speaks in verse 3, go and tell David, you are not the one to do that, verse 4. Now we’ll see as we go on how God will turn this initial rebuff into something much more glorious, but let’s just pause for a moment on God saying no to a good desire, because this was a good desire, it was a noble desire. There’s no real criticism, I think, of David in this passage that he felt that way, would wanted to have done something like that. But what do we make of those situations in life where good desires are met, it seems, with a no from God, especially when, unlike David, we don’t have Nathan the prophet on hand to give us an immediate explanation of why not, or indeed the knowledge that something far better is on the way.

Well, I guess if nothing else, this passage tells us that not getting something doesn’t automatically mean it’s not a good thing for you to desire. Prayers for relationships, for family, for ministry, for health, for work are not bad desires. So don’t think that such longings or ambitions, particularly if God doesn’t seem to be granting them, must in some way be suspect or perhaps a bit selfish.

(10:03 – 10:27)

I’ve been very helped and reassured in this area recently reading a book, A Praying Life by Paul Miller. I never gave you my PowerPoint, did I? After all that, there you go. So it won’t be on the screen, but there’s a book called A Praying Life by Paul Miller, which by way of just a little application I would recommend you might want to get, if that would be of interest to you.

(10:27 – 10:43)

I found it very readable, very helpful. And in that book, Paul Miller notes four things right at the start, always to remember in our lives and in our prayer life. Firstly, God is sovereign.

(10:44 – 10:52)

God is sovereign. He is in control over every detail of my life. Never doubt that’s the case.

(10:53 – 11:03)

Secondly, God is loving. His concern, his heart is always for your good. Never doubt that.

(11:04 – 11:29)

Thirdly, God is wise. So he’s not going to do everything the way we would do it, because he knows better. And fourthly, God is patient.

He’s going to take exactly the right amount of time needed to get it right for us. He’s not going to be rushed. God is sovereign.

(11:30 – 16:41)

God is loving. God is wise. And God is patient.

Obvious points, nothing that we don’t know there, but points that we need to hold together in our prayer lives. It’s like the thought exercise, isn’t it? I’ve done this before, but you think of a time in your life, you look back to a time where you really, really wanted something so desperately, and you prayed and you prayed for it and you didn’t get it. And now years and years later, perhaps decades later, you look back and you say, thank you, Lord, that you didn’t grant that prayer.

I can see how that might not have been the best way forward for me. And looking back at your faithfulness since where I am now, I’m actually glad you didn’t answer that prayer. And then we might think ahead to the future and we think like, if there was a time in the future where I wanted something really desperately, but it wasn’t the best thing for me, it wasn’t going to keep me close to the Lord, would I want God to say no? And I think most Christians, all Christians presumably would say, please say no in that situation if that was going to be the case.

You see, we can cope with the past and the future Nos. It’s the ones now that hurt, but never forget that God is sovereign, God is loving, God is wise, and God is patient. But in his no to David, God wants to bring David into a deeper understanding of his relationship to God.

Now, it’s obvious, I think, from the accounts of David’s life that David, the man, was a man of action. He was brave. He fought lions with his bare hands.

He was skilful, great musician and songwriter. He was charismatic. He drew people to him who were hugely loyal and admired him.

He was visionary. He built Jerusalem. He was a doer.

And as someone devoted to God, he wanted to do things for God. That would have been his nature. So Lord, I’ll build you a house.

Well, you can almost kind of sense the divine smile, can’t you? Thank you, David, but I don’t actually need a house. Verse five, all the years going all the way back to Egypt, it’s not been a problem. If I had wanted such a house, I could have asked for it at any time, verse six.

And again, it’s just a reminder here that there is no neediness with God. He always has been, always will be, always is self-sufficient in himself. We can never add to him or enhance him or heaven forbid, flatter him.

God is just as glorious, just as powerful, just as loving, just as faithful in a tent as in a temple. What matters is his presence, not the wrapper. I can appreciate going to a cathedral on holiday as much as the next person.

You go in and you’re full of admiration for the architecture and the grandeur. We all had that little tingle down our back as we’ve looked up into a vast ornate vaulted roof. But the tingle isn’t God.

He’s not more present in a basilica than he is in a brethren hall. We need the eye of faith to see God, whether in a tent or in a carpenter. As Solomon will later say when he dedicates the later temple building, even the highest heavens can’t contain God.

And of course, as Jesus will later tell the woman at the well, the day was coming when all temples would be redundant. That’s not to say that the subsequent temple that would be built by Solomon was wrong or unimportant. Many ways it made good practical sense to do that, just as a nomadic people needed a portable temple one they could take down and move and set up again later.

So a people established and settled in their own land would be better served by having a permanent building. But the key is that the temple isn’t God’s need, it’s the people’s. So God’s got no neediness, doesn’t need somebody to build him a temple.

But secondly, the word comes to David, it’s nice, David. It’s great that you want to look after me in this way. But of course, David, the reality is I’m the one who looks after you.

(16:42 – 23:03)

Verse seven, who’s always looked after you. From the start, verse seven, when you were just a farmhand, I appointed you. I was the one who sent Samuel to pick out the youngest boy from that family of farmers.

All the battles, all the successes, your fame, the security of my people, verses eight to ten. It’s all my work, David. Remember many years ago, being the home of a relative, they had a very nice large house and somebody in that gathering said to the relative, you’re very lucky to have a house like this.

And they got quite indignant. I’ve worked every day of my life since I was 16. I’ve earned every penny I’ve ever had.

The implication being there’s no luck about this. This house is mine. I earned it.

Now of course, had they been lazy and irresponsible, chances are they probably wouldn’t have had a big house. But of course, there are so many variables in life that people have no control over. The natural abilities they’re born with, their health as life develops, all those random encounters and meetings and opportunities, the economy.

See it wasn’t that David wasn’t godly and brave and skilful, but ultimately that wasn’t a guarantee of a success. There were doubtless other brave godly and skilful men and women who perished in those years. Just a reminder to David and to us that whatever we have, whatever our abilities, whatever our circumstances, be humble.

Very tempting when success comes to let it go to our heads. By that I don’t mean that if you’ve worked hard and been rewarded that there’s not a satisfaction you can take in that. But resist in those situations starting to feel a little bit superior to other people.

Or if it’s Christian success, ministry success, your particular activity, your thing takes off and goes well, to resist that temptation that maybe I’m just a little bit special, a bit extra favoured by God rather than just being humbled and grateful as David will be in his prayer of response. Robert Murray McShane, famous for his ministry in Dundee and the revival there. An interesting story if you read his biography.

He initially, after being kind of ordained down in Annan, went and served for three years in St Peter’s in Dundee. And by all accounts it was a good, solid, albeit fairly standard, unremarkable ministry. And then in 1839 because of poor health, remember this was a man who died ultimately quite young, but because of ill health he was sent on a trip or given the opportunity to go on a trip to Palestine to go and visit some mission outposts there.

But also they thought it would help him to recover with the warmer Mediterranean air. And when he was away, revival broke out in St Peter’s under the pulpit supply of W.C. Burns and few people remember William Burns today. Now when McShane came back, that movement of God continued and because of his writings, his famous Bible reading plan of course, and particularly the biography that was written about him by Andrew Boner, we remember him.

He is still one of these massive church figures today. But I always thought that must have been a difficult moment for Robert Murray McShane. You know you minister away for three years in a church, you go off sick and then revival breaks out under the temp.

But I guess God was maybe making a point. It wasn’t that McShane wasn’t godly, he clearly was. But however godly Robert Murray McShane was, God was not dependent on him to do his work.

Revival hadn’t broken out because McShane had some special powers or William Burns for that matter, but rather God’s work is always God’s work. As the Apostle Paul put it, who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? Be humble, be grateful. It’s God who’s looking after us.

Everything in our lives is a gift enabled and given by God. So David, don’t forget these things. But these are reminders rather than rebukes, because God now wants David to see the next stage of God’s provision for him.

And not just for David, but for the nation. Verse 10, David you want to build me a house, but actually I’m going to build you a house. And just to note if it’s not obvious that the word house has a range of meanings.

It’s true both in Hebrew and in English. So sometimes house can mean a physical building, a dwelling place. But other times it can refer to a family or a dynasty, the house of Windsor or the house of Soud.

And it’s in that latter sense that God is speaking about. God is going to build David a royal line of succession. And that takes us on to the next level, to the story of Israel.

God’s promise to David and his provision for Israel is that David’s descendants, verse 11, are going to reign and continue to reign over the nation. The Davidic throne, verse 14, will be established forever. And that’s great news for Israel.

(23:03 – 24:15)

Never again need there be a bloody power struggle as there had been with the house of Saul or civil war. No more switching between rival claimants, stability and permanence, peace and security. And I mean you can’t get a better guarantee than forever.

This is God’s promise, his covenant to David and to the nation. And of course its immediate fulfilment would come with Solomon, David’s immediate successor. Solomon who would take Israel to the very apex of its power and kind of territorial expansion.

Solomon who would build a physical temple for the Ark in Jerusalem. But how quickly after Solomon that forever dynasty starts to lose its shine. It’s assaulted from all sides.

Solomon’s son sees the breakup of the kingdom. The ten tribes in the north break away. So the Davidic throne at this point is just sitting over Judah and little Benjamin.

(24:16 – 25:12)

At other times in that history of Judah, that southern kingdom, the Davidic dynasty seems to hang by a thread. One point the last survivor, the last link in the chain at that point has to be hidden in a storeroom to prevent the line being wiped out. Eventually Jehoiachin, the last king to sit publicly on David’s throne is carted off to Babylon and the dynasty just disappears out of sight.

Not exactly what David and Israel probably imagined when Nathan spoke these words to David on that occasion. I mean you can imagine the awkwardness, can’t you, in the third century BC when the Baal’s witnesses knock on your door. They get out their Bible and they say, now it says in your Bible that David’s throne was going to be established forever.

(25:12 – 25:35)

Don’t we have some Egyptian guy ruling us just now? Well of course one mistake was to think that because I can’t see it, it can’t be. But the other mistake was actually to have too small a view of that promise. Because of course like many biblical promises, that promise has layers within it.

(25:36 – 26:34)

Often, and we know this, there is an immediate fulfilment to biblical promise or prophecy and there’s also a longer term ultimate fulfilment to a promise or prophecy. So Isaiah can prophesy about the destruction of Babylon, the literal city empire of Babylon, which happens of course in the centuries after Isaiah. But the New Testament picks up that prophecy and sees it as referring to the final destruction and overthrow of all worldly godliness, of all the systems that oppose the people of God and want themselves against the Almighty.

So look again at these promises in verses 11 and 13. One of your offspring, I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for me.

(26:34 – 27:27)

I will be his father and he will be my son. Who could this be? Well yes of course in the immediate sense, Solomon. But by the time of 1 Chronicles, never mind today, he’s long gone along with all the others who followed him.

Because of course there is only one descendant of David who could ever really, truly, fully, ultimately, lastingly fulfil this prophecy. Who after that royal line had weaved its way through all the ups and downs of Israel’s history and then it disappeared underground for 400 years. The one who in the time had fully come 28 generations later.

(27:28 – 29:08)

Matthew could sit down and write, this is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David. One of your offspring, Romans chapter 1, the son who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David. I will establish his kingdom.

Revelation 11, and there were loud voices in heaven which said the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah and he will reign forever and ever. He will build a house for me. Hebrews 3, Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house and we are his house if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

I will be his father and he will be my son. Matthew 17, while he was still speaking a bright cloud covered them and a voice from the cloud said this is my son whom I love with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.

This is David’s hope. This was Israel’s hope. This is the world’s hope.

This is our hope. A king who will reign in righteousness forever. And because Jesus is that king, God’s covenant with David in 1 Chronicles 17 gives us hope.

(29:11 – 30:54)

Important to think of that, that this idea of Jesus as king is incredibly hopeful. If Jesus was only saviour, and I use the word only advisedly, but if he was only saviour, it would reduce the gospel to really just being a kind of personal thing. It would save me from the consequences of my sins.

It would rescue me from judgement and praise God for that. But if he’s also Lord, if he’s also king, the king whose kingdom will one day fill the earth, that it’s not just my personal rescue, but I can look forward to the end of all evil, all injustice, and all sorrow. To a time when peace and righteousness and justice will cover the earth even as the waters cover the sea.

Look forward to a renewed world. No more crime, no more rotten diseases, no more pain, no more death. Psalm 72, and we’ll finish with these words.

Great prophetic Psalm looking forward to the king of kings. Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy. May he crush the oppressor.

(30:55 – 31:18)

May he endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon through all generations. May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May God bless these thoughts from his word.

The post Hope’s Covenant – 1 Chronicles 17v1–15 appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:29 – 0:36)

Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love.

(0:38 – 0:54)

Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

(0:55 – 1:07)

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practise hospitality. This is God’s word.

(1:11 – 1:33)

Hospitality is not just a Christian practise, it’s a human practise. In all parts of the world, in many ways, and in many forms, hospitality is a thing. That’s true today, and it was also true in the world in which the New Testament was written.

(1:33 – 2:00)

Outside of the church, when Paul was penning Romans and saying practise hospitality, there was a version of it outside the church. So, for example, there’s a philosopher named Cicero, and Cicero tells a story of two friends. They go to visit a town somewhere, and they both pay their money, and they have an overnight in a hotel.

(2:01 – 2:25)

And the next morning, this is not a nice story, by the way, the next morning, one of the friends wakes up to discover that his friend has been murdered. And then he discovers it’s the innkeeper, the guy running the establishment, has killed him. And that story, I think, reflects the common view of hospitality at that time in terms of hotels.

(2:26 – 2:50)

They were seen as expensive, they were dangerous, and they were immoral places. And so the upshot of that was that most civilised people avoided hotels. If you’ve read the letters of Paul, the Apostle Paul, he sometimes speaks of this thing called letters of recommendation.

(2:50 – 3:15)

If you’ve read Paul, you may remember that. He talks about letters of recommendation. Well, that actually, that wasn’t just a Christian thing, right? Letters of recommendation was a common cultural thing, because what happened was when you travel to another city, and you wanted to avoid one of these awful seedy hotels, you would take a letter from a reputable person, maybe someone like Cicero.

(3:16 – 3:41)

And Cicero would write the letter, he was a well-known man, and he would say, I’m vouching for this person. I’m recommending this stranger to you as a good and proper person. And so letters of recommendation were essentially a safety measure for both the traveller and the host who was welcoming this weird stranger into their home.

(3:42 – 4:13)

Now, as well as this, as well as hospitality being a measure of safety and preservation, of course, people in the ancient world also offered hospitality to people they knew. People, just like today, would invite their friends and family, their neighbours, their work colleagues over for a guest party, dinner parties. But this was governed by snobbery and status.

(4:14 – 4:26)

Let me tell you another little bit of literature from the time. There’s a man named Juvenal. And Juvenal, he writes in the second century a satirical poem about this.

(4:27 – 4:42)

And Juvenal, he speaks in this poem about a wealthy Roman, a wealthy Roman by the name of Vero. And Vero is throwing this big dinner party for all of his fancy friends. And then someone pulls out last minute.

(4:44 – 5:18)

And so Vero’s desperate to fill this place at the table. And so he goes out into the street and he brings in this poor man who’s not got a penny to his name, and he gets the last seat at the table. But rather than treating this poor man like everyone else at the table, Vero gives him mouldy bread, water rather than wine, and eventually he has the man beaten up and thrown out of the party because he reached for some of the finer food.

(5:20 – 5:42)

And so we have other sources that corroborate this. In the ancient world, yes, people did hospitality, but it was often done as a social flex. It was often done in a way where I invited someone of my status over so that we can both revel in how high and wonderful and wealthy we are.

(5:45 – 6:16)

Now, when you think about those examples, you realise that hospitality is not a uniquely Christian thing, and yet there is something distinctive, something different about the way God calls his people to be hospitable. We’re going to see this morning there’s a higher standard that we are being called to, that we are to pursue hospitality out of goodness and love. This is what Paul is saying in Romans chapter 12.

(6:17 – 6:27)

It would be helpful probably just to reopen to there. So two points this morning. Paul is saying, number one, pursue hospitality.

(6:28 – 6:42)

Go after hospitality. The context is, of course, the letter of Romans. It’s a letter that, generally speaking, moves from gospel to godliness.

(6:43 – 7:08)

Chapters 1 to 11, Paul lays out his gospel, what he preaches everywhere. And then from chapter 12 to 16, the section we’re in, he’s speaking of the appropriate response to the gospel, the godly life that God’s people are to live. And you’ll notice in verse 1 of chapter 12, Paul summarises the whole gospel in two words, God’s mercy.

(7:09 – 7:51)

What is the gospel? It is God’s mercy to people who don’t deserve it. And then he goes on to say that in view of God’s mercy, with our eyes fixed upon his mercy, we are then to present our lives, our whole lives, Paul uses the phrase our bodies, but really he’s meaning the totality of who we are, as living sacrifices. He then goes on in verses 3 to 8 to put this in the context of the church because we don’t simply present our lives in an individual way, but we do it as part of the one body of Christ.

(7:52 – 8:26)

And so in light of all this, we then come to verses 9 to 21. And verses 9 to 21, when you first read it, it just looks like a bag full of random independent commands in no particular order. But I think on closer inspection, all that happens in this section is an outflow of verse 9, where believers are told to love sincerely and to cling to what is good.

(8:26 – 8:47)

Everything that follows it is an expression of love and moral goodness. And part of that love and goodness is verse 13. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need and practise hospitality.

(8:48 – 9:11)

So a major response to gospel mercy, an expression of love and goodness as part of the church is to practise hospitality. Now, just for a second, I want to talk about translations here. We read this morning out of the New International Version.

(9:12 – 9:41)

It says, end of verse 13, practise hospitality. If you’re using the English Standard Version, the ESV, it goes for show hospitality. I think my preferred version is actually neither of those, but the Christian Standard Bible, the CSB, it translates it, pursue hospitality.

(9:42 – 9:54)

That’s actually the most literal of the translations. The others adapt it. I think the reason they adapt it is because in English, we don’t tend to speak about pursuing hospitality.

(9:54 – 9:58)

That’s not a phrase we would use. So they go for show it, practise it. These are good translations.

(9:59 – 10:26)

But the word Paul uses means to pursue something. It means to hunt something down. This very same word is used in Philippians 3, where Paul speaks of his old life where he persecuted, it’s translated that way in the NIV, but it’s the same word, where he pursued, he hunted the church of Jesus Christ to throw them into prison.

(10:26 – 10:44)

Well, now Paul says, pursue hospitality. And I think that means that hospitality contains at least two characteristics. It means, number one, that it is arduous and it is active.

(10:45 – 11:12)

There’s a kind of double A to this. So on the one hand, if you are pursuing something, that is an arduous thing, isn’t it? We are to go after hospitality in a way that is inconvenient, tiring, and depleting. If you ever think that hospitality is hard work, then you are correct, because it is.

(11:13 – 11:34)

Now, thankfully, it is also more than that. It brings tremendous amounts of joy and positive outcomes, and it’s a wonderful thing to be the giver of, but it is arduous. And at the same time, if it is pursued, it is also active.

(11:35 – 11:59)

When you pursue something, it does not come to you, you go after it. Some of those examples I shared earlier about hospitality in the Roman world showed that it was often foistered upon people. They did it because they had to, because of safety reasons or maybe shame, because some well-known person was sending a letter and saying, you better put this guy up.

(12:00 – 12:19)

This is something different. The church is called to consider actively how it might reach out to people, seek people out that we might show hospitality to. And all of us are in this.

(12:21 – 12:33)

That’s why I gave you the context. Paul, as we’ve seen, verses three to eight, is writing to the whole church, the body. Hospitality isn’t just for people who have the gift for it.

(12:35 – 12:56)

Hospitality isn’t just something for church leaders, although, just as a little side note, it is a requirement of church leaders. As Paul says in 1 Timothy 3, elders must be setting an example in hospitality. But the active pursuit is a call for all of us.

(12:59 – 13:11)

How you are hospitable is flexible. That you are hospitable is not. Okay, so let’s go do it.

(13:11 – 13:28)

Amen. It would be a shorter sermon than normal, but I think it could be lacking in a little bit of practicality. Out of the six sermons, this is the one of them that is meant to be the most practical.

(13:28 – 13:48)

But rather than me standing up here and just suggesting what I think would be good examples of pursuing hospitality, I thought it’d be better for the Bible to set the agenda. So what we’re going to do in the second point is think about pursuing hospitality in practise. And this is a question I’m wanting to answer.

(13:48 – 14:09)

How did the New Testament church pursue hospitality? Because Paul doesn’t give us examples here, but we can see from the rest of the New Testament how they perceived the response of this to be. So four ways. Firstly, they used their buildings to bless the church.

(14:10 – 14:28)

They used their buildings to bless the church. Back in the first century, churches did not have separate buildings like this. The gatherings of the church, and remember the church is the people, it’s not a building, it’s not a location.

(14:29 – 14:49)

The members of the church would gather in the homes of members. From what we can tell, it was members who had bigger homes and therefore could accommodate a slightly bigger number of people. Here’s a list of some of the people who hosted churches in the New Testament.

(14:51 – 15:07)

Mary, the mother of John. Mary opened her home in Jerusalem for the prayer meeting. Do you remember the one in Acts where they prayed for the release of Peter in prison? And then Peter comes and knocks on the door and says, your prayer’s been answered.

(15:08 – 15:19)

That was Mary, the mother of John. She hosted the prayer meeting. Priscilla and Aquila, a husband and wife, they also had a church in their home.

(15:20 – 15:34)

I love this one. In Colossians 4, there’s a woman named Nympha. This is not absolutely sure, but because her husband isn’t mentioned, most scholars think she was probably a widow.

(15:34 – 15:46)

Almost certainly she was a single widow, her husband’s not named. And so this widow is opening her home for a church. Philemon had a church in his home.

(15:48 – 16:15)

And a man named Gaius, he was the host of the church in Corinth. For the Church of Christ to grow and flourish in the first century, the homes of the church members were essential. Now, of course, in our day, most churches either rent a building or they own a building like this, and that can be a great blessing.

(16:16 – 16:51)

Historians reckon that the bigger homes of the ancient world only could have hosted between 20 and 40 people, so the church couldn’t really grow that big. In a sense, a church building becomes a kind of neutral home that the whole of the church membership own together, that we all share, and which expands our capacity for hospitality and for outreach. And yet even when churches have a separate building, the homes of church members are still important.

(16:52 – 17:04)

In Greenview, for instance, people use their homes for personal hospitality. They’re used to host our small groups. Our youth fellowship often meets in homes.

(17:05 – 17:47)

Our young adults always meets in homes because they want the food. And so we’ve got all these things that depend upon the homes of the church family, as well as this large home that we’re so blessed to have here that we can use to bless so many others in this church and beyond. So whether it’s here in this building or in the properties that God has stewarded us, we can constantly be asking, how can I use this building, like John Mark’s mother, like Nympha, like Priscilla and Aquila, for the blessing of the church? First area.

(17:48 – 18:06)

Second way. They pursued hospitality by prioritising the vulnerable, prioritising the most vulnerable. Basically, they did the opposite of Vero in the story earlier, where he shamefully treated that vulnerable man.

(18:11 – 18:27)

Christians are to avoid a kind of tit-for-tat, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours sort of mentality. That was how it was done in the first century. You invite me into your home and I’ll invite you into mine, and it will be a good arrangement for both of us.

(18:29 – 19:02)

In Scottish culture, we have our own version of this, where your invite needs to be met with my invite or I’m going to be embarrassed. And where I cannot come into your home without bringing a gift with me. Nikki and I were going to someone’s home a few weeks ago and we were in the car and we already had some flowers and then we had a five-minute chat about whether this was enough, you know, should we stop and buy something else? So I’m guilty of this as much as anyone else.

(19:04 – 19:32)

But we need to be careful here, don’t we? Because that can come from a really good and generous motive. It’s a good thing, isn’t it, to bless one another? But not if it’s a kind of contract we have, not if it’s driven really by selfish motivations of shame and so on, rather than from love. Christians of all people should be able simply to receive a blessing without feeling we always need to contribute something.

(19:33 – 19:49)

So maybe we could actually get in a habit of not taking stuff to one another and simply just blessing one another in that way. Just a thought. In the New Testament, Christians were to show hospitality to the most vulnerable.

(19:50 – 20:17)

In James 2, when the poor man comes into the, remember it was a house church, James says, you are to give him the best seat, the best seat in the home. That was completely counter-cultural in the day that James was writing it. Similarly, in the New Testament, we see hospitality being prioritised among orphans and widows.

(20:18 – 20:40)

You might remember there was a big hoo-ha in Acts 6, a big argument kind of broke out. That was because the church in that day was basically taking food provision to widows who were in need and it wasn’t being fairly distributed. And so there are long-term vulnerabilities that the church has to prioritise.

(20:41 – 21:07)

And also, there can be short-term vulnerabilities that we need to become aware of. I was fascinated this week to note the incident in Acts 16 where Paul and Silas have been in prison. And you remember there’s that miraculous escape, the earthquake and so on, and the Philippian jailer is converted on the spot.

(21:08 – 21:20)

And it’s amazing, that story. The first thing that this newly converted man does is offer hospitality to Paul and Silas. It’s the middle of the night.

(21:21 – 21:43)

They’ve got nowhere to stay, so he invites them into his home. And the text actually says that before the jailer was baptised, right before it, he dealt with Paul and Silas’ wounds and then he got baptised. And Paul and Silas were not, in a typical sense, vulnerable people.

(21:44 – 22:02)

But in that particular circumstance, they were vulnerable people who needed that immediate support. And so there can be situations where people, through a circumstance, become the walking wounded that need the extra care of God’s people. So, questions to think about.

(22:03 – 22:25)

Who are some of the most vulnerable people today? Who could you think of blessing with hospitality that might be a little more of a priority because of their situation? It could be widows or widowers. It could be single people. It could be family living far away from wider family in a different country.

(22:26 – 22:39)

It could be people with additional needs, physically or mentally. And, of course, in our culture, people generally don’t move towards folk like that. It’s just seen as too much hard work.

(22:40 – 22:57)

Are we going to be distinctive in prioritising the care of those people? It could just be someone who’s going through a particularly rough time at the moment. And you think, it would just be really helpful to take them out for a meal or a cup of coffee. New Testament Christians did that.

(22:57 – 23:24)

Thirdly, the early Christians pursued a guest room ministry that advanced the gospel. Because of the dangers of hotels and the like, travelling gospel preachers relied on the hospitality of Christian strangers, people that they’d never met before. Near the end of Romans, Paul gives an example where he’s coming to Rome.

(23:24 – 23:38)

He’s wanting to head on to Spain, actually. And he says in a very kind of nice way, he doesn’t outright say, give me a room, but he says, I want to enjoy a visit with you. And I want you to assist me, please, on my way to Spain.

(23:39 – 24:06)

It’s a polite way of asking for hospitality. But when Paul writes to Philemon, he’s actually much more direct. And he says, Philemon, you will prepare a guest room for me, won’t you? These are just some examples of how the New Testament church, they opened up their guest rooms to enable mission work, church planting, and discipleship.

(24:07 – 24:22)

And the reverse of that was also true. Christians were not to aid and abet false teachers preaching a false gospel. We read of that sort of thing in the letter of 2 John.

(24:23 – 24:38)

Let me just quote from 2 John. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, that’s the truth about Jesus, do not take them into your home and welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

(24:39 – 25:02)

So yes, Christians have to be hospitable, but they have also to be discerning about who they are hospitable to. Most importantly, they must not aid and abet false teachers. This is an important note to sound in a series where we are just widely and rightly encouraging hospitality.

(25:04 – 25:17)

I mean, there’s other places we could also go, like the book of Proverbs that gives us some warning here. God is asking you to be generous. He’s not asking you to be naive in the way you open your home and life to others.

(25:17 – 25:32)

There are also wise considerations within that. We’ve already mentioned the New Testament letters of recommendation. And Paul is saying, or John is saying, there’s a category of people you should never put up.

(25:34 – 26:03)

How does that play out today? Well, do you have a guest room? Not everyone does, but do you? How can you use your guest room for the kingdom of God? In modern day, of course, hotels are nicer, and some people have the means to book an Airbnb. Some prefer to do that. Sometimes we have guest preachers, we offer them to stay up, they say, no, we’ll stay in a hotel.

(26:05 – 26:22)

But a lot of gospel work is made a lot easier because of the blessing of a guest room. Whether that’s putting up a missionary in your home for a short period, for refreshment. Whether it’s taking in a student, or maybe something like a ministry trainee.

(26:24 – 26:40)

Whether it’s assisting someone who is vulnerable for a short period of time, going through some kind of unexpected difficulty. And I know some of you do that. You’re just taking people into your house kind of in an instant because they’ve been kicked out of their own house temporarily.

(26:43 – 27:05)

Advancing the kingdom of God often happens when you give up a guest room. So using our buildings, prioritising the vulnerable, using a guest room to advance the gospel. And then fourthly and finally, using hospitality to reach unbelievers.

(27:05 – 27:20)

Using hospitality to reach unbelievers. Jesus famously ate with tax collectors and sinners. He did hospitality with dirty, rotten scoundrels.

(27:20 – 27:33)

People like us. And there have always been those in the church who think that that’s a bad idea. And that avoiding unbelievers is a kind of virtuous thing.

(27:34 – 27:42)

Just this week I was reading a biography of a guy called Chrysostom. He was a preacher in the fourth century. Amazing preacher.

(27:43 – 28:02)

But in his early Christian life, he had this sort of idea that to please God, he needed to move away from the world. And so he started by giving up his job and he moved into this kind of little monastery house on the edge of town. And he didn’t really go out much.

(28:02 – 28:08)

He just started to live this monastic life. He did that for a few years. And then he decided that wasn’t enough.

(28:09 – 28:24)

So he then moved out of the house in the town and he went into the mountains and into the caves where the really super spiritual Christians were. And he did some good stuff there. He memorised most of the Bible by heart.

(28:24 – 28:39)

So there were some good things that served him well. But after a while, he just realised this is not the call that the Bible is putting on my life. And he moved back into the city and he became a preacher of the gospel and a pastor.

(28:41 – 28:58)

And so we must steer clear of anything of that kind of mentality. Yes, we are not of the world, but we are in the world. And the New Testament church speaks of Christians spending social time with people who are not.

(28:59 – 29:17)

And this happens in two directions. So in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul speaks of an unbeliever coming into the church, which remember in those days was a house church. So the unbeliever is welcomed into the hospitality of the home.

(29:17 – 29:46)

And in that context, as the thing progressed, there would then be a church service and they would witness it. And Paul says that he prays that the unbeliever will when they see the love of the Christian community and when they hear the gospel, that they will say God is really among you. That it will be a conversion experience taking place in the home of these Christians.

(29:47 – 30:06)

And then there’s the flip side to that. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul speaks of believers being invited into the home of an unbeliever. And he says, if an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat anything set before you without raising questions of conscience.

(30:06 – 30:19)

So he says you’re free to go into a non-Christian’s home. But if you do, be a low maintenance guest. And Paul says that for the very same reason.

(30:20 – 31:02)

So that God will be glorified and so that those outside the faith will be reached with mercy. So whether we invite people into our lives or whether they invite us into theirs, whether we invite them into our homes or whether they invite us into theirs, whether we invite people onto our turf or whether we’re invited onto their turf and their comfort zone, hospitality is an opportunity to witness to people without Christian faith. Zach told a story a couple of weeks ago about a woman named Rosaria Butterfield.

(31:03 – 31:15)

She was strongly anti-Christian. She was a leading academic of queer theory. And she was researching basically how horrible Christians were.

(31:15 – 31:30)

She was gonna write up a whole bit of research about it. And she got an email from a Christian pastor, Mr. Smith. And Mr. Smith and his wife said, why don’t you come to our home for a meal and we can chat about all of this.

(31:31 – 31:52)

And she speaks about how she was sitting in the car and her heart was racing and she really didn’t want to go in. But she thought, well, if I’m gonna research these awful people, I’m gonna have to meet with some of them. And she says this, I walked through the unusually thick July humidity to the front door and I knocked.

(31:53 – 32:07)

The threshold of their life was like none other. The threshold to their life brought me to the foot of the cross. Nothing about that night happened in the way I expected.

(32:08 – 32:42)

Not that night or the years after or the hundreds of meals or the long nights of Psalm singing and prayer as other believers from the church and university walked through the door of the house as if no door was there. Nothing prepared me for this openness and truth. Nothing prepared me for the unstoppable gospel and for the love of Jesus made manifest by the daily practises of hospitality undertaken in this one simple Christian home.

(32:43 – 33:08)

Long before I ever walked through the doors of the church, the Smith home was the place where I wrestled with the Bible, with the reality that Jesus is who he says he is. May our homes, may our lives be places where the welcome of Jesus can be seen and heard.

The post Pursue Hospitality – Romans 12v9–13 appeared first on Greenview Church.

Let’s hear God’s word, chapter 15, verse 25. So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went up to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with rejoicing, because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.

Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod. So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams horns and trumpets and of cymbals and the playing of lyres and harps.

As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the city of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, watched down from a window. When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart. They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.

After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. Then he gave them a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman. He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel.” This is the word of God.

(2:27 – 4:18)

Well, last week we were looking in chapter 11 of 1 Chronicles, and we thought a bit about King David and his mighty warriors. We thought of David as God’s appointed and devoted king, reigning with his people, extending God’s kingdom. And we thought about its application to the first readers sometime before the beginning of the New Testament period, guessing say about third century BC, but thereabouts, the application to them, but also to ourselves all these centuries, a millennia later.

And we thought by way of application about the big king-shaped hole that it pointed to. Israel at this point in its history, when 1 Chronicles would have been written and read, was without a God appointed and devoted king. And we thought today that so many in our society today also lack such a figure, such a leader in their lives.

Because although we think of kingship as maybe a bit anachronistic in some ways, okay, we do have a king in the UK, but not a king with a lot of power. The idea of kingship is that leader, that one that we would follow, that we would get behind, that we would give ourselves to. And we thought about in the third century BC and in the 21st century AD, so many people lack that person.

No one worthy, it seems, to get behind, to follow and to give yourself to. No one to shepherd and to care. No one trustworthy with authority in a world that is out of control, where people can’t even govern their own hearts.

(4:19 – 6:46)

No great cause, no future hope, no kingdom worth building. No one who can unite and heal a fractured and divided world. And as we move into further into David’s reign, so remember this is recording the events of David’s reign and of Israel, which would have been, you know, a few hundred years before the time when Chronicles was written.

So this is a kind of retrospective, a looking back even at the time when first Chronicles was written. But as the chronicler takes the people of the third century BC through David’s reign, we come to another potential hole in the nation, to another potential missing piece of that jigsaw. And perhaps we could say in so many people’s lives today.

Whereas last week we thought of the hole being king-shaped, in chapters 13, 15 and 16, the chronicler turns his attention to another feature of Israel’s former glory days, which is also now absent, the Ark of the Covenant. Because there is also, if you’ll excuse us, the ark-shaped hole in the nation. So just to be clear, I’m sure we’re all kind of familiar with this, but just in case, the Ark of the Covenant was a sacred object.

I think there’ll be a picture of what it probably looked like from the description we have in the Bible and also a bit of its contents, which we will come back to. But this was a sacred object, part of the temple or tabernacle furniture. And the tabernacle was just the kind of pre-temple in that when they were in the wilderness, the temple building was a tent because it had to be mobile, had to be able to be taken down, moved and put up again as they journeyed to the promised land.

And then later, of course, in the promised land, a physical or a brick temple was built to house the ark and these other parts of the temple furniture. But the ark was essentially a wooden box overlaid with gold. It had two golden cherubims on its lid and in the ark were placed a number of items.

(6:46 – 7:32)

There were the two tablets that had written on them the Ten Commandments. There was a pot containing some of the manna that had miraculously fallen from heaven to sustain the Israelites in their wilderness journey. And Aaron’s rod was also placed there.

And again, we’ll come back to those. And crucially, the ark sat in the most holy and the innermost part of the tabernacle or the temple. And in doing so, it became the place, in a sense, it became the GPS coordinates where the God of the universe would dwell among his people in an extraordinary way.

(7:32 – 14:54)

The God of heaven making a home among sinful men and women. Quite an amazing thought. And in that sense, the ark became synonymous with God’s presence among his people.

The ark sat in the centre of the tabernacle and the tabernacle or the temple sat at the centre of the people. So in the Exodus journey, as they moved through the wilderness, all the 12 tribes camped round, covering the four points of the compass, round the outside of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was in the middle and they camped in groups of kind of three on each side, according to the points of the compass.

It was the ark that went ahead of them as they crossed the Jordan into the promised land. The Levites had to carry it into the water. The waters dried up and everybody passed by the ark into the promised land.

These were all signs of God being in the midst of his people. Hence, of course, the reason why David at this point wants to get it to Jerusalem, which is the capital, the capital city of God’s people. And such was the connection of the ark and God that speaking of the ark in many ways became a shorthand for speaking about God.

So if you’ve got your Bible there, look back to chapter 13 and verse 3. This is where David initially makes a decision that they should bring the ark up into Jerusalem, into the new capital city of the nation. And he says, let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not enquire of it during the reign of Saul. Now, I don’t think David, when he talks about enquiring of the ark, was imagining talking to, you know, a kind of talking box.

I think he meant of the ark, enquiring of the Lord. It’s like saying, have you asked, in our culture today, somebody might say, a journalist, have you asked 10 Downing Street? Of course, he’s not meaning have you asked a building, he’s meaning have you asked the prime minister. Nevertheless, if you want to find the prime minister, then you go to 10 Downing Street.

But more than that, the ark, the presence of God, symbolising the presence of God among his people in the nation, was also a blood splattered presence. Because that was the object which on the annual day of atonement, the most sacred, I think we can say, day in Israel’s calendar, the one day when even the high priest was allowed to approach the ark and look upon it, on that day he would sprinkle on the ark’s cover blood from sacrificed animals. So as Leviticus puts it, it will be on the screen, in this way he, that’s the high priest, will make atonement for the most holy place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been.

Peace secured in the dwelling place of God through the shedding of blood. But like the king by the third century BC, there was no ark in Israel. Just as the Babylonian invasion and exile had removed the monarchy, so it had plundered the temple.

Its sacred objects had been looted. Nobody knows what happened to the ark, whether people tried to hide it in advance of the Babylonians coming or whether it was stolen. But either way, by the time the exiles returned and built the temple, by the time we get to First Chronicles, it had gone.

It was lost. There was literally an empty space now at the heart of the nation. But what a contrast to go back to First Chronicles chapter 15, to that day when Jerusalem and the nation had rejoiced in the presence of the ark.

Verse 25, where we began our reading this evening. The city heaving with crowds, the procession, the horns, the cymbals, and the shouts. Verse 28, the ark carried by those Levites, weaving its way through the city towards the tabernacle to find its place there.

Chapter 16 and verse 1. Now, of course, if you had read back a little bit in First Chronicles or you know the story, you’ll know that that journey to the tabernacle to Jerusalem hadn’t all been plain sailing. Back in chapter 13, there had been something of a hiccup at the first attempt to move it to the tabernacle. On that occasion, in chapter 13, the ark had been moved on a cart.

And as it trundled along, with some cattle pulling the cart, the cattle stumbled. One of the bystanders, Uzzah, put out his hand to steady the ark, only to be struck down and killed. And of course, the reason for that was, if we didn’t know it by now, the ark was not any old object.

It symbolised the very presence of God, a presence of God that could not be touched by sinful human hands. It was a sacred thing. At the top of the tree of holiness in Israel, it was at the pinnacle in terms of those temple items.

And it wasn’t that this was a terrible kind of act of capriciousness by God. He had given clear instructions about how it could be moved and who could touch it precisely because it was so holy, because of what it did represent. Instructions that on that occasion clearly had been ignored.

Which is a sobering reminder that God’s clear instructions aren’t optional. And to reject God’s ways will sooner or later have consequences. And regarding that episode, that episode with Uzzah being struck down, I think it tells us two things about David.

Firstly, even in 1 Chronicles, remember last week I said in 1 Chronicles we get the very best of David portrayed to us. Even in 1 Chronicles, David is not infallible. He’s a great king, but he’s not a perfect king.

(14:55 – 16:49)

But secondly, and more positively, he is a humble and teachable king. Again, the type of characteristics that made him such a good king. You see that in chapter 15, if you just go back to verse 13, David has learned the lesson.

He says, It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not enquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way. So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel.

And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord. David had learned the lesson. No more carts this time.

We’ll do it in God’s way. And again, just a very practical application. How do we respond to failures and indeed discipline in our own lives? Because the question for us this side of heaven is not, will you fail? And it’s not, might you be stung as a result of that failure? But when you do, when those things happen to you, how are you going to respond? David initially in chapter 13, I think it is so authentic, so human back in chapter 13 verses 11 and 12, he initially was angry, furious that his party had been spoiled in this way, that God had pulled the rug out from him.

(16:49 – 18:02)

It would have seemed and kind of humiliated him. And then verse 12, how human is this? He was afraid, but crucially he didn’t go off on a lifetime huff or even worse have a rant against the cart maker. But he clearly reflected.

He was open to better guidance. He recognised the error he changed. He had a teachable and humble heart.

And that folks is the prerequisite of wisdom. It was a difference between David and Saul. Pride and stubbornness is the mark, the Bible says of the fool.

We see so much of that in our society today. We see it in politics writ large as we look around the world, don’t we? Can’t admit a mistake, can’t say sorry, won’t change. But it’s not just in politics, it’s so often in relationships, even sadly in church life.

(18:07 – 19:29)

But Peter, that close companion of Jesus himself comes to us and simply says, God opposes the proud, but he shows favour to the humble. And who knows, maybe even tonight someone here or somebody who will be listening to this is digging in, is doubling down on their error, their failure, their sin. They’re aware they’ve got it wrong, but they keep pushing back against God and his words.

And perhaps they’re feeling the weight of that because that’s never a comfortable place. It’s never a happy place. And they’re feeling angry and afraid.

But listen to the word of God. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

But back to our passage. There are lots of details in these verses that we could expand upon. There’s Michal in verse 29, turning up her nose at David’s exuberance as the ark comes in and David is rejoicing and dancing.

(19:31 – 20:02)

It’s an interesting contrast, isn’t it? It’s quite a chilling contrast, her attitude set against all the celebration and the reality of all the good things that are happening. It says the old Puritans used to say the same sun that melts the ice hardens the clay. Even in a day of joy, even in the presence of the king and the ark, some hearts stay cold.

(20:06 – 20:31)

I wonder if we ever feel like that. I wonder if we ever come to church and it just doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel happy.

And we’re tempted to get a bit cynical and to turn up our noses at others. And if you do ever feel like that and it troubles you that you do, then the answer to that is simply to pray. To confess those feelings to God.

(20:33 – 20:43)

It’s not like he doesn’t know. So don’t pretend. Ask God to forgive you for those times when your heart is cold and stony.

(20:45 – 20:59)

Tell him that, you know, you shouldn’t feel like that and you’re sorry that you do. And ask God in his mercy to soften and warm your heart. And here’s the thing, he might just answer that prayer.

(21:03 – 24:27)

And then there is David’s chapter 16 verses 2 to 3, blessing and giving gifts to the people. It’s a wonderful picture that even as we worship, we receive. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is not one of those Old Testament monstrosities like Baal or Molech, whose worship took everything from the worshippers, even their children, and gave them nothing.

But as we give ourselves to our God, as we worship our God, he enriches us, he blesses us, he sustains us. Because as we spend time, as we’ve sung those hymns tonight, as we’ve heard those prayers, as we look at God’s words, we are moulded and shaped in Christ-likeness. We are spending time considering those things, as the Apostle Paul puts it, that are lovely and pure and praiseworthy and honourable and good for our souls.

Things that are helped, of course, by the organisation of the Levites to minister in the tabernacle, verses 4 to 6, and then at the very end of chapter 16. Qualified people, skilled people, you see that in verse 22 of chapter 15. Kenaniah, the head Levite, was in charge of the singing.

That was his responsibility because he was skilful at it. Isn’t it good that we have skilful, able, servant-hearted musicians and singers to help us in our worship? Again, it’s just a reminder that biblical worship is not a chaotic, confused, free-for-all. But as Paul again instructs in 1 Corinthians 14, it is something which is decent and ordered, comprehensible and beneficial.

Lots of things we could pick up on in these verses. But back to the ark itself. Because, of course, one of the dangers in Israel’s history when it came to the ark, indeed to any number of sacred objects, was that the ark’s centrality, and indeed its mystique, caused people at times to become quite superstitious about it, treating it as a kind of lucky charm.

Previous generations had made that mistake back at the start of 1 Samuel. At one point, the Israelites got it out and carried it into battle, superstitiously believing that it would guarantee them success, only for them to be thoroughly routed and humiliated. Because God wasn’t confined to the ark.

He wasn’t like a genie in a bottle. Rather, the important thing about the ark was the spiritual truth that it represented. Firstly, God’s desire and commitment to make a home and to dwell among his people.

(24:28 – 24:54)

But following on from that, and this is where we come back to some of the ark’s contents, that the God who dwelt among them was also the God who instructed them. The Ten Commandments there, the ways of life, the protection from sin and evil and destructive patterns of behaviour. The God who dwelt with them, instructed them, but he also was the God who sustained them.

(24:55 – 27:43)

The manna, the provision for their lives, every good gift, everything we have received comes from the hand of God. And he was also the God who shepherded them, Aaron’s rod. So when David commissions Asaph in chapter 16 verse 7 to write a commemorative psalm to mark this great occasion, guess what? Asaph doesn’t write a psalm about the ark, but he writes a psalm praising God.

God’s instructions, God’s provisions, God’s leadership, because to use the title of our sermon tonight, that is the heart of worship. So with those reflections, God’s dwelling, God’s instruction, God’s sustaining, God’s shepherding, let’s read the psalm together. Chapter 16 and verse 8. Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name.

Make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him, tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name.

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength, seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles and the judgments he pronounced.

You his servants, the descendants of Israel, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob, he is the Lord our God. His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant. To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit. When they were but few in number, few indeed and strangers in it, they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

He allowed no one to oppress them. For their sake he rebuked kings. Do not touch my anointed ones.

Do my prophets no harm. Sing to the Lord all the earth. Proclaim his salvation day after day.

(27:44 – 27:56)

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. He is to be feared above all gods.

(27:57 – 28:09)

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendour and majesty are before him. Strength and joy are in his dwelling place.

(28:10 – 29:35)

Ascribe to the Lord all you families of nations. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name.

Bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness. Tremble before him all the earth.

The world is established, it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice. Let the earth be glad.

Let them say among the nations, the Lord reigns. Let the sea resound and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant and everything in them.

Let the trees of the forest sing. Let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

His love endures forever. Cry out, save us God our saviour. Gather us and deliver us from the nations that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

Praise be to the Lord the God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said amen and praise the Lord. See the call of the psalm is not to seek after a box but the Lord himself.

(29:36 – 32:47)

Verse 11, look to the Lord and his strength. Seek his face always. The joy is not about a piece of furniture but the wonders that God has done.

Verse 12, it was God who shepherded them when they, verse 19, were few indeed. It was God who watched over them as they wandered. Verse 20, God who protected them, verses 21 to 22.

But don’t think that God is just some kind of localised deity. No, the God of Israel is to be declared among the nations, verse 24. He is the maker of the heavens to be feared above all, verse 25 and 26.

So ascribe glory and strength to him, verse 28. Worship him, verse 29. Tremble before him.

Let all creation, let every last twig and blade of grass sing for joy for Israel’s God, verse 33, will judge the earth. These are the realities that the ark was a visible reminder of. God with his people, among his people, instructing, providing, and leading.

And for people in the third century BC and for us today, we need that spiritual presence because without it, like them, we’re incomplete. We’re left with an ark-shaped hole in our lives. Now, I’m conscious on week two that the thing-shaped hole metaphor could get a bit confusing and you’ll end up not careful with an image of yourself with multiple cookie-cutter shapes missing from your chest.

So it’s important not to see the missing king and the missing ark as completely different things, but really they’re just different metaphors describing different aspects of the one big thing, which is the rule and presence of God in our lives. Because of course all these Old Testament pictures, the king, the priest, the offerings, the ark, and the list goes on, converge and will find their supreme fulfilment in the New Testament, in Jesus himself. As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians chapter 1, for no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ.

They’re all fulfilled in him. It’s that perennial question, is Jesus the lamb or is he the high priest? Is he the door? What is he? Yes, he’s all of those things. As Jesus himself explained in beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.

(32:48 – 33:16)

All of which means, of course, that Jesus is the reality that the ark was only ever a shadow of. He is the presence of God among us. Emmanuel, God with us.

He is the presence that instructs us. My words are spirit and life. Those who build on my life are those wise people building on a rock.

(33:17 – 33:42)

He is the presence that sustains. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness but they’re dead.

But here is the bread that comes down from heaven which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.

(33:42 – 35:26)

He is the presence who shepherds and who laid down his life for the sheep. Jesus, our blood spattered presence. But the blood, of course, is his own.

Our peace secured by his sacrifice. Everything the ark represented is ours in Christ by faith. Many years ago when our children were very little, one of them was off school and Jessica had to go out.

So I said I would work from home at that time. And Jessica went out shutting the door behind her. And there was this terrible wail from the living room.

Mum! Mum! Because they thought she had just gone out and abandoned them, forgotten about them for the day. And I shouted through from the other room, it’s okay I’m here. They didn’t realise I was in the house.

And there was instant relief. The panic was over. Now Christians, we have the same comfort and reassurance wherever we are.

Lo, I’m always with you to the very end of the age. Wherever we have to go this week, whatever we face, whatever guidance or sustenance or shepherding we need, whatever protection, the presence of God are all there, are all ours, are all present in Jesus, a better ark by far. And may God bless these thoughts from his word.

The post The Heart of Worship – 1 Chronicles 15v25–16v43 appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:22 – 0:35)

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.

(0:36 – 1:03)

He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus, come down immediately.

(1:03 – 1:19)

I must stay at your house today. So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, he has gone to be the guest of a sinner.

(1:21 – 1:48)

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, look Lord, here and now, I give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount. Jesus said to him, today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a son of Abraham.

(1:49 – 2:12)

For the son of man came to seek and to save the lost. The bell has rung for lunchtime. The young people shuffle in, they arrive in little clusters into the high school cafeteria.

(2:13 – 2:43)

And you wouldn’t notice it if you were there one day, but if you were there on multiple days, you would observe that they sit at the same tables or at least they sit in the same groups. There is an unwritten seating chart in the high school cafeteria. And as well as the little groups and the little cliques, you may also notice that there is a child sitting all alone.

(2:45 – 2:53)

No one ever wants to sit with them. No one ever wants to eat with them. No one ever wants to associate with them.

(2:56 – 3:21)

Now, what I am describing, I imagine is something we all can relate to. It may be some of our experiences if we’re that age, but it certainly was some of our experiences back in the day. And yet the reality is actually that as we even enter adulthood, not a lot changes in some of these social dynamics.

(3:22 – 3:53)

If you go into any large group of people, you will discover that there are subgroups. And in the dynamics of those groups, there are those who are included and those who are excluded. Now, as we continue our series in hospitality with the help of Luke chapter 19, we’re going to see that Jesus is about to socialise with a man who was pretty much excluded by everyone.

(3:55 – 4:34)

Yet Jesus came into this man’s home, sat down at his table and entered this man’s life. And as Jesus does this, we learn something not only about the nature of salvation itself, but we also secondarily, I think, learn something about how hospitality works and the fact that grace needs to sit at the very heart of a hospitable culture. So if you have a Bible before you, keep it open there at Luke 19.

(4:34 – 4:46)

We’re going to go through the story in three parts this morning. And we’re going to start in verses one to four. The story begins with an unpopular wee man.

(4:48 – 5:02)

I’ve always wanted to include the phrase wee man in a sermon, and I finally achieved it. An unpopular wee man. Glasgow, as you will know, is full of wee men, wee men doing this and that.

(5:03 – 5:14)

And in Jericho, there was a wee man. Now, it’s unusual in the Bible actually for Scripture to point out someone’s physical appearance. It only ever does it if there’s a significance to it.

(5:15 – 5:40)

And it’s going to play a key part in this story. But before we get to the height of this man, we need to, first of all, think about the lowness of his character, the lowness of his personality, because he was an unpopular wee man for very good reason. He was, verse two, a chief tax collector, and he was wealthy.

(5:42 – 5:57)

Tax collectors in the first century were a hated group of people. They were Jews by birth, but they were traitors by profession. They collected taxes for the Roman occupiers.

(5:58 – 6:19)

And so they were seen not only as collaborators with the Romans, but they were also known as cheats into the bargain. They were notorious for overcharging people as they took their taxes. So Zacchaeus is one of them, but even worse, he is the chief of them.

(6:21 – 6:37)

Zacchaeus is the godfather kingpin of Jericho’s tax industry. And it was clearly a lucrative business. I’ll not get into the strategic location of Jericho, but it was a strategic location, a very wealthy place.

(6:38 – 6:50)

But Zacchaeus, because of this, was wealthy. He was hated, yes, but he was loaded. And yet something draws this man to the Lord Jesus.

(6:52 – 6:59)

I’m reading a book at the moment. The title of the book is called Something-ism. Something-ism.

(7:00 – 7:36)

It’s all about a kind of well-known sociological trend that’s been written about and studied. It’s a trend that basically observes that many people, not only people who are religious, but just all sorts of people, including atheists and agnostics as well, many people, even who give religion a hard time, have a lurking, persistent sense that there is something more, something more to the universe, something more than this. Something-ism is what the sociologists have called it.

(7:38 – 8:13)

The author speaks in the book of a friend of his who’s an atheist, and the friend who’s the atheist admitted to him that he lies in bed every night looking up at the ceiling and asking the question, is this it? Here is a man who has lots of material possessions, but something is drawing him. Something is nagging at him. Jesus was passing through Jericho and he wanted to see who Jesus was.

(8:14 – 8:45)

Now, it doesn’t say that he was expecting to have his soul saved that day, just that he was curious for whatever reason to see Jesus. Salvation often begins with curiosity. As you’re searching for something more, you get curious about a Christian friend of yours whose life seems to be dramatically different and more deeply contented.

(8:46 – 9:00)

You get curious about a church that’s local to you and something just draws you in one day. Or you get curious enough perhaps to pick up a Bible and just start reading it. That’s where it starts for this man.

(9:01 – 9:15)

But his problem initially is practical. As he seeks Jesus, he was a wee man. He suffered from vertical limitations and a thronging crowd of people who were blocking his view.

(9:16 – 9:47)

He will not be able to see unless he finds a way, I was gonna say around this, but as it turns out, over this. And so he spots in the distance a sycamore tree, which was a fairly low, the branches were fairly low in this tree and fairly wide, and it was an ideal climbing spot. He runs to the tree, he climbs the tree, which in this culture completely lacked decorum for an adult man.

(9:48 – 10:06)

An adult man would not run and he certainly wouldn’t climb a tree. But there’s an eagerness to this. There’s a, I don’t care what anyone else thinks to this, such is his desire to see Jesus that all of the, what people think, all of the shame becomes irrelevant.

(10:09 – 10:24)

I have an acquaintance down in Liverpool who is a Liverpool fan. And when they won the league last season, he went to the victory parade, the bus parade. You know, hundreds of thousands of people, this bus snaking through Liverpool.

(10:24 – 10:35)

And he showed me pictures on his phone of the parade. And he said, see if you can spot me in this picture. Well, I’m looking at this picture.

(10:35 – 10:44)

There’s hundreds of people in the shot. I couldn’t see him. And then he says, look at the person hanging from the top of that traffic light.

(10:46 – 11:01)

And here’s this 40-something-year-old pastor in a church who’s hanging from the top of the traffic light to get the optimal view of the Liverpool team bus. I said, you’re in your 40s. He said, I wanted the best view.

(11:02 – 11:13)

Well, that was Zacchaeus. And so everything is set for the drama that now unfolds. The unpopular wee man is perched on his branch.

(11:14 – 11:35)

And from the unpopular wee man, we secondly come to an unlikely stop and stay, an unlikely stop and stay, verses five to seven. So Zacchaeus has coordinated things so that Jesus will pass His way. His expectation, I’m assuming, is that Jesus will simply pass by.

(11:36 – 11:59)

Because if you look at verse one, you will see that Jesus was passing through Jericho. It doesn’t seem as if He’s gonna stop anywhere. If Jesus were going to stop in Jericho, it surely would have been at the home of the great or the good, right? Like the mayor of the town or maybe at the house of some religious Pharisee.

(12:00 – 12:31)

But as Jesus reaches this sycamore tree, He stops and He looks up. And I’m sure to the surprise of the man who was perched there, Jesus says, Zacchaeus, we were just singing together, weren’t we? He’s calling us all by name, Zacchaeus. I imagine Zacchaeus was surprised when Jesus knew His name and called Him by name.

(12:33 – 12:46)

Do you know, incidentally, the irony of Zacchaeus’ name? I didn’t. His name, His Hebrew name means righteous or pure. Righteous or pure, that’s what Zacchaeus means.

(12:47 – 13:06)

So when His mum and dad, when they took Him up to name Him at the temple, they said, He’s going to be named little Righteous. He’s going to be named little Purity. May He grow up to be a pure and righteous man.

(13:06 – 13:18)

Well, he had fallen short of his name, hadn’t he? And yet Jesus knows His name. And He calls him by name. And He calls him down.

(13:20 – 13:55)

And then Jesus invites Himself on the spot to Zacchaeus’ house. How forward, I mean, we’re talking about hospitality this series, this is breaking all the decorum, isn’t it? Even today, nevermind in that culture. Jesus doesn’t say, can I come to your house today? Or might I have a meal at your home today? He says, I must stay at your house today.

(13:56 – 14:16)

There’s a divine necessity to this. God has made an appointment with Zacchaeus. One of the dynamics in this story that we mustn’t miss is that not only is Zacchaeus seeking Jesus, but Jesus is seeking Zacchaeus.

(14:18 – 14:37)

It’s an interesting question to ponder, isn’t it? Who is seeking who in this story? Who is seeking who? We might be tempted to say, well, Zacchaeus is seeking Jesus. He’s the one clambering up the tree to see Jesus. But it’s Jesus who then slows and stops.

(14:38 – 14:47)

And it’s Jesus who then calls him down. And it’s then Jesus who invites Himself in. Well, Zacchaeus was looking for Jesus.

(14:47 – 15:13)

He then discovered that Jesus was looking for Zacchaeus. It’s a remarkable realisation, isn’t it? That a seeker of Jesus can come to when they awaken to the fact, maybe slowly or maybe suddenly, that the Jesus they are looking for is already on the hunt for them. Jesus stopped and Jesus said, I’m coming to stay.

(15:15 – 15:27)

To my knowledge, this is the only occasion in the Gospels where Jesus invites Himself to anyone’s home. The only occasion. People invited Him.

(15:27 – 15:50)

This is the only occasion He says, I’m coming to your home. And of all the people to do it to, this unpopular, wee collaborator and cheater. I mean, the reaction of verse seven, when all the people saw this, they began to mutter, He’s gone to be the guest of a sinner.

(15:51 – 16:13)

It’s not all that surprising, is it? This is how people normally react to folk who are perceived to be the lowest of the low. How timely some things are. Over the course of this week, as I’ve had my Bible, if you like, in the one hand, I’ve also had the news app in the other.

(16:14 – 16:47)

And I’m reading, like the rest of you, the news of an ex-party chief who is embezzled over 400,000 pounds. Now, even if I hadn’t read that story, I would have known about it because about seven different people during the week brought it up in conversation. Usually starting with the words, isn’t it terrible that? As collectively, every single person expressed their outrage at this sort of unrighteous behaviour.

(16:49 – 17:13)

I’ve not met a single person who has anything good to say about that particular man that we’ve been hearing of in the news. And yet, as I reflected on it, what I realised was that that guy in the news is this guy in the Bible. Zacchaeus is exactly that guy when you think about it.

(17:14 – 17:35)

A known cheat, universally condemned, utterly written off. And out of all the decent folk in Jericho, Jesus goes for lunch to that guy’s house. You can imagine Jesus’ disciples whispering in his ear, you know, the PR team.

(17:36 – 17:47)

Jesus, this might not be so good for your public image. There’s a scandal to this, you see. There’s an unlikeliness to this stop and stay.

(17:48 – 18:05)

The forgiveness that God extends goes beyond what we think is reasonable. See, here’s the reality. Many of us think that forgiveness is good and well so long as the person receiving forgiveness isn’t too bad.

(18:07 – 18:15)

A little bad is fine. We’re all a little bad. But there’s a line when it comes to some things.

(18:16 – 18:34)

And some people cross over the line and they never deserve to be welcomed back across the line. Yet while all the people were muttering, Jesus went. When all the crowd were angry, Zacchaeus was joyful.

(18:35 – 18:51)

And he welcomed Jesus gladly. And so we go with Jesus and Zacchaeus into the home of Zacchaeus, which is where we’re going to end the incident. And in this home, we’re gonna see a third and final thing.

(18:51 – 19:13)

Really two things together. We’re gonna see an unmistakable change on Zacchaeus’ part and also an unmistakable mission, a mission that Jesus is on. Now, the change is undeniable, isn’t it? The change is signalled in the words of Zacchaeus.

(19:15 – 19:32)

Jesus is now the guest in this sinful man’s home. And we’re actually really not told much about what happened. Were they sitting around a meal? I mean, he must have been sitting or maybe lying at this point, because the text says, verse eight, that at some point, Zacchaeus stood up.

(19:32 – 19:49)

He stands up to make a little speech. And the essence of this little speech Zacchaeus makes is spiritual and personal. How important it is that we notice this.

(19:50 – 20:03)

You know, we’re currently doing this series on hospitality. And we’ve seen so far that God is hospitable. We’ve seen so far that we as his people are given the instruction to be hospitable.

(20:04 – 20:20)

And we’ve seen, haven’t we, that in a sense, hospitality is a good thing in itself. It is a reflection of the hospitable provision of God. This was a good and nice occasion for Zacchaeus to be hosting Jesus.

(20:20 – 20:47)

But what we must learn from this incident is that there are more important matters at play than what did they have for the first course, right? None of that’s mentioned here, even though presumably they had a full day of meals and whatever else they had. None of the hospitality details are mentioned. What is mentioned is the spiritual conversation that took place.

(20:49 – 21:12)

Having presumably been further impressed by Jesus, Zacchaeus stands up and acknowledges Jesus as his Lord. The man who was in charge of the Jericho tax cartel now has a new boss. Zacchaeus is under new management.

(21:13 – 21:39)

And this is demonstrated both inwardly and outwardly. And you say, well, how can you identify an inward change? Well, you can see it, can’t you, in his attitude here, his willingness of heart when he says, I will give away half of my possessions to the poor. Half of his possessions to the poor.

(21:40 – 21:59)

Half of your house, half of whatever’s in your bank account to the poor. There’s a change of heart, a change from greed to generosity. And in addition, the cheating man now puts things right.

(22:01 – 22:27)

All the folk that Zacchaeus had defrauded will be paid back four times the amount. In Jewish law, if you defrauded somebody, depending what kind of stealing it was, you either had to pay back the amount plus a fifth or double the amount or an absolute maximum. Only in one particular case, you had to pay back four times the amount.

(22:28 – 22:41)

Zacchaeus chooses the maximum repayment plan under the Jewish law. So wait a minute, do the numbers here. He’s already giving away half of his money.

(22:42 – 23:02)

And now in addition to that, he is repaying the people he’s defrauded four times over. Now, I don’t know how rich he was, but you wonder how much he had left once he’d given all of this away. But such was the change that God had worked in his heart.

(23:04 – 23:16)

We need to understand what’s happening here. Zacchaeus is not paying for his own forgiveness. He is not buying his way back into God’s good graces.

(23:17 – 23:35)

And the reason we know that is because of verse nine. Jesus doesn’t say, today, Zacchaeus has managed to set up a payment plan. And, you know, in a few months time, he’ll have paid off all the debt and then salvation might come his way.

(23:36 – 23:57)

He says, no, today. Today, before Zacchaeus has actually actioned any of this, salvation has come right now to this house. And verse 10, where Jesus’ unmistakable mission is revealed for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.

(23:58 – 24:19)

You see, this is the core of the, this is why he saved. Jesus has sought him and Jesus has saved him because that’s what Jesus does. Jesus seeks sinners, he saves sinners, and then he shapes them and he sanctifies them into new kinds of people.

(24:21 – 24:29)

Zacchaeus turns from greedy to generous. He turns from deceitful to honest. And all because Jesus has brought salvation to his door.

(24:29 – 24:41)

And look at the other changes as well. Verse nine, Zacchaeus moves from being an outsider to an insider. Jesus says, this man too is a son of Abraham.

(24:42 – 24:51)

That was the way of speaking of someone who was a Jew. A Jew was a son of Abraham. Newsflash, nobody thought Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham.

(24:52 – 25:17)

Even though he was born Jewish, they thought that by his behaviour he had made himself an outcast. He needs to forever sit at the wee table in the corner and wallow in how excluded he is. Yet Jesus says, by virtue of encountering me, you can now sit at the table of the children of Abraham.

(25:19 – 25:29)

This is what Jesus does. And this is the pattern of how Jesus operates. Do you see there, that’s what verse 10 is doing.

(25:29 – 26:09)

Verse 10 is going from the particular case of Zacchaeus and it’s saying, this is part of a general concept. The reason salvation has come to Zacchaeus’ house is because the son of man, Jesus, is operating in this way and doing this sort of stuff. You know, if you look up Jesus’ public figure Facebook page or if there was a LinkedIn in his day, that people have always got a thing that they do, there’s a summary of kind of who they are and the job of Jesus, the skill of Jesus, his thing is seeker and saviour of the lost.

(26:10 – 26:22)

That’s Jesus’ thing. If we don’t understand that about Jesus, we’ve not understood Jesus. He is seeking and finding countless lost people.

(26:23 – 26:33)

And of course, we’re all lost without Jesus. We’re all lost. And yet that lostness can look very different depending on who we are.

(26:34 – 26:48)

There’s religious people who are lost and there’s people with no faith who are lost. And there’s people who have nothing who are lost, humanly speaking, and there’s people who have everything. And yet they’re lost.

(26:50 – 27:11)

There’s a film out just now in the cinema about the pop idol, Michael Jackson. And there seems to be a resurgence of documentaries about him. I happened to see a clip of one of his bodyguards towards the end of his life who saw him from the inside.

(27:12 – 27:32)

And he spoke of how in the last years of his life, he lived entirely alone. He said even his own father and brothers had to make an appointment to see him and he didn’t really want to see anybody. The bodyguard said he was one of the most rich and famous people in the world and yet he was lonely and lost.

(27:35 – 27:51)

Being lost is not just the guy down and out on the street or living in prison, going to the Bible study. Being lost can be the person in the nicest house in Newton, Mearns. And yet they know that something is wrong and badly missing.

(27:52 – 28:08)

God sent his son to take our wrongs, our sins upon his shoulders. Jesus traded places with us to endure the consequences that we deserve from a perfectly righteous God. Because here’s the thing about God.

(28:08 – 28:14)

God lives up to his name. God is righteous and good. God does bring his justice.

(28:14 – 28:47)

He will bring his justice one day to a world full of sin. But because Jesus paid it all on the cross, if you acknowledge Jesus as your Lord, if you trust in Jesus as your Saviour, then he will come into your life and he will save you if you welcome him in. It used to be said, maybe somewhat simplistically, you become a Christian by inviting Jesus into your heart.

(28:47 – 29:03)

That was how my cousin said it to me when I was five. Said, how do you become a Christian? Invite Jesus into your heart. We’ve seen this morning, haven’t we, that it is also true that Jesus invites himself into our lives, actually.

(29:05 – 29:44)

But it is also true that Zacchaeus must joyfully welcome Jesus into his life. The most important act of hospitality is opening your heart to Christ so that what Paul later can say becomes true of you, that Christ dwells in your heart through faith. Your curiosity may have brought you here, but Jesus now stops, as it were, by your seat or wherever you are, and he says, I must come into your life.

(29:45 – 30:05)

Have you welcomed him? Have you joyfully brought him behind the front door of who you are? He sorts out your sins. He shapes your behaviours going forward. And then he sets an example, doesn’t he, for his church to follow.

(30:06 – 30:21)

And so just something briefly for the church as we finish. Here’s the problem for us. If by grace you’re sitting at the table already, too often the church has the same attitude as the muttering crowd.

(30:22 – 30:43)

Too often the church grumbles in the same way as the crowd do in verse seven. Too often when everyone else is piling in and damning people to hell, we’re right there with them. Back to that story I mentioned earlier.

(30:43 – 30:57)

I use it because I think it is particularly pointed about that chief of that particular party. Everyone is rightly angry about that. There is a rightful anger about sin, isn’t there? People should be held accountable.

(30:59 – 31:23)

But I wonder if it occurred to us as we were having those chats with people that while sharing a rightful sense of the wrong that we as Christians could bring another angle to that story. We could have said in that conversation, yes, it was awful and corrupt. And it reminded me of a story in the Bible where there was a guy just like that.

(31:25 – 31:48)

And everyone thought he was beyond the pale except Jesus. And yes, he did need to repent and he did need to be shaped to change, but he wasn’t saved by how he changed, but he was saved by Jesus and then he started changing. The one note that the world is often playing in these scenarios is one of judgement.

(31:49 – 32:20)

But we can also strike another note of grace. Christians always have another angle to bring to the story of the lost. And the question is, are we bringing that attitude to people and in our conversations about people? Christians should sound a bit different, shouldn’t we? As those who’ve experienced the grace of God.

(32:22 – 32:34)

We should be full of grace and truth. And that should affect then our assumptions about people. I was chatting, I asked Lucy if I could use this.

(32:35 – 33:03)

I was asking for her help to sort out the mess of my sermon this week. And she was explaining that when she worked with Christian students, they would give out leaflets on campus. And one of the temptations for the Christian students was to avoid certain people, avoid giving the leaflets to certain people because it looked like they wouldn’t be interested because they had piercings and tattoos or maybe they were wearing a certain kind of religious clothing.

(33:04 – 33:22)

And so the students were self-selecting who they thought might receive the leaflet. And they encouraged them not to do that because here’s the thing, the appearances were often very deceptive. And often it was the person with the tattoos and the piercings or the whatever it was who actually was very glad to have a conversation.

(33:25 – 34:19)

This is actually a phenomenally challenging series because it’s not just about the depth of your fridge, it’s about the depth of your love and the extent of your grace and my grace. I guess I’ve barely mentioned this morning really how this works out in practicality, but I think it’s almost self-evident, isn’t it? Because if this is where it starts in our hearts and our attitudes, then it actually starts to play out in practical ways somehow, somewhere. It will surely play out in who we actually spend time with, who we might ask out for a cup of coffee, whose invitation into their home we might accept, not make an excuse to get out of, and who we might invite into our home.

(34:23 – 34:44)

Gospel transformation often comes out of an act of gospel hospitality. If we really get the grace of Jesus, it will start changing the tables we sit at and the people we will invite and say, come and sit down. Let’s pray.

(34:47 – 35:33)

Father, thank you for your Son’s astonishing mercy, His almost scandalous grace that He should stop at the tree of the worst guy in the whole town and say, I’m coming for lunch. Father, help us to have hearts that reflect His, draw us to Him, draw us to fellowship with Him, to faith in Him, if that’s not been our experience yet. And if it has, Lord, then may we reflect Him more and more in our attitudes and in the ways that we live.

(35:34 – 35:36)

And we ask it in Jesus’ name, amen.

The post Table of Disruptive Grace – Luke 19v1–10 appeared first on Greenview Church.

Let’s hear God’s words. All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.

(0:37 – 1:03)

And the Lord your God said to you, You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler. When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel. David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus.

(1:03 – 1:19)

The Jebusites who lived there said to David, You will not get in here. Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, which is the city of David. David had said, Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander-in-chief.

(1:20 – 1:38)

Joab, son of Zeuriah, went up first, and so he received the command. David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the city of David. He built up the city around it, from the terraces to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.

(1:39 – 1:57)

And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord Almighty was with him. These were the chiefs of David’s mighty warriors. They, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend over the whole land, as the Lord has promised.

(1:57 – 2:10)

This is a list of David’s mighty warriors. Jehoshabim, the Hachmanite, was chief of the officers. He raised his spear against 300 men whom he killed in one encounter.

(2:11 – 2:32)

Next to him was Eleazar, son of Dodai, the Ahohite, one of three mighty warriors. He was with David at Pasdamon, when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines, but they took their stand in the middle of the field.

(2:33 – 2:55)

They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory. Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephium. At that time, David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.

(2:56 – 3:28)

David longed for water, and said, O that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem. So the three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gates of Bethlehem, and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it.

Instead, he poured it out to the Lord. God forbid that I should do this, he said. Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives? Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it.

(3:29 – 3:43)

Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors. Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the three. He raised his spear against three hundred men whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the three.

(3:44 – 4:01)

He was doubly honoured above the three, and became their commander, even though he was not included among them. Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzil, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors.

(4:02 – 4:16)

He went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits tall. Though the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club.

(4:16 – 4:28)

He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. Such were the exploits of Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. He too was as famous as the three mighty warriors.

(4:29 – 4:46)

He was held in greater honour than any of the thirty, but he was not included among the three, and David put him in charge of his bodyguard. This is the word of God. Let me start with a question.

(4:47 – 5:15)

Is there something missing in your life? Is there a void, a nagging gap, an empty space leaving you feeling a bit incomplete? It’s a big searching question, and of course it’s not just one that preachers ask. It’s a staple point in books and movies, the restless soul. In rom-coms, the missing thing is usually finding Mr. or Mrs. Right.

(5:16 – 5:47)

If you’re old enough, you might remember the 1990s film City Slickers. Billy Crystal plays a man who, on the face of it, has a very successful and full life. He’s got a loving family, a good job, he’s got friends, but he feels dissatisfied, so he goes off on a kind of wild west adventure to find, as one of the characters puts it, that one thing, the missing piece of the jigsaw in his life.

(5:48 – 6:21)

Well, coming back to the context of 1st and 2nd Chronicles, for 3rd century B.C. Israelites or thereabouts, roughly about the time where this book was probably written, people living in very humbled circumstances, they might well have asked themselves that same question. What’s missing? The glory days when Israel stood tall were very much a distant memory at this point. This is a people who’d been thoroughly routed and humiliated by foreign powers.

(6:22 – 6:42)

The survivors, many years before, shipped off to Babylon, then after a few decades, that little trickle of refugees made their way back to the land. But Israel now, at this point, was very much a provincial backwater, a spent force. Surely there must be more than this.

(6:43 – 7:21)

And as Colin introduced us to the book last week, under God’s hand, a writer, a chronicler, is sitting down and bringing together lots of bits of Israel’s history in order to help answer that question. And we’re going to see, as he reminds them of their history, that among other things, the big hole in their lives, in the nation, in their hopes, was king-shaped. There was a big king-shaped hole in the nation.

(7:22 – 7:47)

And I say that because the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, remember, originally this is just one book. It’s been divided in our English Bible into two, but originally in the Hebrew, this would just be one book. So the 65 chapters in our English Bibles that make up 1 and 2 Chronicles, of those 65 chapters, 28 of them are going to be centred on David and Solomon.

(7:48 – 8:06)

Because they were, of course, the two kings, above all the kings of Judah and Israel, who stood at the very apex of their history. Israel was never greater. It was never more blessed, never more united, never more glorious than when David and Solomon ruled.

(8:07 – 8:29)

And never mind the slow decline after David and Solomon where it all started to fall apart and you had all those ropey kings that led to disaster. Now they didn’t even have any king to put their name to. No, they just had provincial governors and foreign viceroys.

(8:29 – 9:01)

Oh, to have a king again like David, someone anointed by God, devoted to God, to rule the people. Last week as we came into these chapters, we looked at Israel’s first king, Saul, and a king who proved himself to be unfaithful to the Lord. That was the great kind of judgement on Saul that we read at the end of chapter 10, verse 13.

(9:01 – 9:22)

Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance. As Matthew Henry very chillingly puts it, a man who even went as far as knocking on the door of hell for guidance rather than being faithful to God.

(9:22 – 9:55)

And, of course, the result of that was a nation that was defeated, that was disunited, and that was torn apart. But God in his mercy had a better king to take Saul’s place, a king, a man even after his own heart. And in chapter 11 and over the next 18 chapters, although we’re not going to cover them all in detail, the chronicler wants to take us back and to take his first readers back to David.

(9:56 – 10:13)

And what we’re going to see is what made David a great king. That’s also going to be true when we get to Solomon. We’re going to see the blessings that a king devoted to God brings to his people.

(10:14 – 10:26)

And so let me just be very clear. You’ll know this if you’ve read ahead in the book. This account of David and Solomon is not a warts and all account of those two kings.

(10:26 – 10:52)

You need to go back to 1 and 2 Samuel for that. In fact, so positive will chronicles be about David and Solomon that you might be tempted to think as you read it, isn’t this a bit of a whitewash? Isn’t this the spin doctor’s version of their history? Well, I think there are two answers to that. Firstly, David’s sins are very well documented in scripture.

(10:53 – 11:28)

If anything, the author of Samuel kind of goes to town in the amount of time that he gives to David’s failures and his shortcomings and the consequences of that, his adultery, his disobedient census taking, his weak parenting. So there’s no cover up going on in the Bible. But secondly, what we have to appreciate about chronicles is that chronicles wants to show us the best of David because the best of David is a model of kingship at its best.

(11:29 – 12:00)

Key to that being that David, unlike Saul, was a man whose heart and disposition was fundamentally orientated towards God. So that his life, when you take it as a whole, was a life that was rooted in God and for God. And that’s just a reminder by way of application that lives are usually best measured in the rounds over years, indeed over a lifetime.

(12:01 – 12:24)

We’ve been advertising, you might have seen the slide when you came in, a pastoral seminar in Edinburgh next week, the author and speaker, Kelly Cappock. And in his book, that’s going to be, I think, the theme of that day, ‘You’re Only Human’, he touches on this danger of judging life’s too hastily. One of the quotes from the book will be on the screen.

(12:24 – 12:58)

He says this, might one of our great challenges be that when we judge how we’re doing, we try to assess the whole by only looking at a part. What I mean is this, we imagine what a faithful and rich life looks like and then any given morning, we dislike the person we see staring back at us from the mirror. His point is that we often rush to judge life by their immediate circumstances.

(12:58 – 13:38)

I think we have a particular tendency to do this about ourselves, don’t we? I mean, never mind all the decades that you have lived, never mind your family life, education, work, Christian service, we feel useless and rubbish and we write ourselves off because this particular bit that I’m in at the moment isn’t going well. Well, thank God that he sees the bigger picture and not even just of this life, but he sees what we will be in eternity to come. It wasn’t that David’s failures didn’t matter, but they weren’t the whole story.

(13:39 – 13:58)

He was, by God’s grace, when all was said and done, still a good king. And that’s an important point. You’re still a good mother, you’re still a good friend, you’re still a good servant despite the mess that you might be in at this point in your life.

(13:59 – 14:35)

If, like David, your hearts and your hopes are anchored fundamentally in Jesus. But back to chapter 11. It begins with two words, ‘all Israel’, verse 1. That’s a phrase which is going to be repeated a lot by the chronicler in future chapters, this idea of Israel being united and together, because remember, though it’s not recorded in the Chronicles, between the end of chapter 10 and the beginning of chapter 11, there had been a civil war in Israel.

(14:36 – 15:12)

But David is the king who unites God’s people. A shepherd and a ruler, verse 2. Somebody who’s been promised and appointed by God, verse 3. Recognised by God’s people, a king and his people binding themselves together in covenant, verse 3. We’ll see much more about covenant in future weeks, particularly God’s covenant with the people through his king, David. Then united, we read on under the king, the city of the king, the city of David, verse 5, is established.

(15:13 – 15:51)

Jerusalem becomes the capital, it’s restored and built up there in verse 8. This is a king who is growing in strength, his kingdom extending over the whole land, verse 10, and crucially, verse 9, because the Lord Almighty was with him. And again, let’s just note here a very important lesson about the unity of God’s people. This once divided people are united, not because they have the same views on taxation or farming policy, not even because they’re all best friends.

(15:51 – 16:04)

There’s just been a civil war, for goodness sake. But they are united by the king. They’re united by giving the king their allegiance and their loyalty.

(16:05 – 16:16)

And that’s true for Christians today. That’s true for us who are part of Christ’s family. We’re not united because we agree about everything.

(16:17 – 16:27)

We’re not united because we’re all best buddies. Rather, we are bound together by our allegiance to the king. To King Jesus.

(16:30 – 16:52)

John Calvin, the church theologian, put it like this, he said, the only true bond of church unity is Christ the Lord. It’s Christ the king. And that means, of course, that even when we disagree, even at those times where we don’t get on brilliantly with each other, we still recognise each other as brothers and sisters.

(16:53 – 17:38)

We still strive to love and to forgive and to support and to hold on to each other because that is what the king has commanded. And not to do that isn’t to break with fellow Christians, it’s to break from the king. Well, all this, these reminders of David, of David unifying the people, of David extending the borders of Israel, of David restoring the glory of that tattered nation, for those Israelites in the third century living in the ruins of Jerusalem being bossed about by pagans, was just a big reminder that there was a big king-shaped hole in their midst.

(17:39 – 18:46)

No one now to unite them, no one to shepherd them, no one to rule them, no one to build God’s kingdom. And that question, “What’s missing in your life?”, is still one that begs an answer today, isn’t it? As we look around society, what’s missing? Could it be that in the 21st century the basic needs of people aren’t so very different from those intertestamental Jews? Could it be that the restlessness, the purposelessness, the division that so many feel is because they don’t have someone in their lives who is worthy for them to give themselves to, to get behind, to follow? Because there’s no one to shepherd and to care for them? Because there’s no one with authority and they can’t even govern themselves? Because there’s no great cause, there’s no great hope, there’s no great future, there’s no kingdom worth building. There’s no one who can unite and heal them from all their divisions.

(18:47 – 19:24)

Could it be that there is still a massive king-shaped hole in the lives of people today? But the chronicler goes on, because this is a king who builds his kingdom through his people. Verse 10, the mighty warriors who gave David’s kingdom his kingship’s strong support. And then we’re given this roll of honour of those who served the king wholeheartedly, bravely, skilfully.

(19:24 – 19:39)

We have Jehoshabim, verse 11 there, defeating 300 men single-handedly with his spear. Eleazar standing his ground while others fled from the battlefield. Verses 12-13.

(19:40 – 19:55)

And then the three in some kind of like special forces operation breaking into Bethlehem in order to get David a glass of water. Verses 15-19. Abishai, armed with a spear, striking down another 300.

(19:56 – 20:12)

And then Benaiah, who, as one of our members, Nicky Mackison, so memorably put it, took a club to a spear fight and won. A man who wrestled lions in the snow. Verses 22-25.

(20:13 – 20:21)

Not to count all the others that we didn’t read there. Verse 27, down to the end of the chapter. The people who served the king.

(20:23 – 20:38)

Now, of course, David couldn’t single-handedly have built his kingdom on his own. But he could have tried to take all the glory for it, I guess. That wouldn’t have been unusual in the ancient world.

(20:39 – 21:13)

Think back to Nebuchadnezzar there in Daniel chapter 4. It will be on the screen. As the king, Nebuchadnezzar, was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty? And yet the graciousness, one of the glories of God’s king, is that he honours his servants. He honours those who build the kingdom with him.

(21:14 – 21:21)

John chapter 12. My father will honour the one who serves me. John 17.

(21:21 – 21:34)

Jesus says, I have given them the glory that you gave me that they may be one as we are one. This is our king’s desire. This is why David is such a great model of kingship.

(21:34 – 21:53)

That’s why he points us in these ways to the great King Jesus. The one whose desire, whose heart is to share glory with his people. Who honours their endeavours and their sacrifices and their exploits for the kingdom.

(21:54 – 22:11)

Now, of course, as we look at a list like this, we just need to remind ourselves, if it’s not obvious, that our battles in God’s kingdom are not against flesh and blood. Our weapons are not clubs and spears. They’re not of this world.

(22:11 – 22:23)

But there are still spiritual battles to be fought. There are still spiritual strongholds to capture. The call of the king is still to join the fight.

(22:24 – 22:43)

To stand firm like Eleazar when others are scarpering off, when the opposition is coming at you like a flood. To, like the three, take some risks for the honour of the king. To use our skills and abilities like Benaiah to defend and advance the kingdom.

(22:44 – 23:09)

2 Corinthians chapter 10, we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Because the life of faith, life in the kingdom, should have a quality of an adventure to it.

(23:09 – 23:15)

It is a battle. It is a call to be involved and to make a difference. To get stuck in.

(23:16 – 23:32)

To do something for God. Not just to play it safe. Along with some of my FIEC colleagues recently, we were looking at those famous verses at the start of Ecclesiastes chapter 11.

(23:32 – 23:40)

Put them on the screen there. We know them well. Modern versions, maybe more accurately, say, ship your grain across the sea.

(23:40 – 23:52)

You might remember that more as cast your bread upon the water. But it goes on to say, after many days, you may receive a return. Invest in seven ventures, yes, and eight.

(23:52 – 24:04)

You do not know what disaster might come upon the land. In other words, this is biblical wisdom and it’s kind of saying to us, have a go. Yes, there’s a degree of uncertainty in these things.

(24:04 – 24:16)

It might not work. But probably the bigger failure, the bigger rebuke, would be to have just done nothing. To have buried your talents.

(24:17 – 24:48)

That’s the surefire way to guarantee that you’ll have nothing to show at the end of it all. I think as we get older, or those of us who are getting older, maybe speak for myself, I think we often can start to lose a bit of that sense of adventure, can’t we? I don’t mean by that that we all have to kind of sell up and move to Africa or to the East End, although clearly don’t rule that out. But just being ready to get involved in a new thing.

(24:49 – 25:05)

To push out again, to embrace a challenge, a bit of discomfort. To push forward rather than kind of give up and retire. Last year, I was preaching on Jonah here on Sunday mornings in Greenview.

(25:06 – 25:41)

And I spoke on chapter 3 that famous chapter where Jonah hears God’s call come to him a second time to go back to Nineveh. And I noted that while none of us are likely to have an experience as dramatic as Jonah, we might in a lesser way identify a little bit with that sense of God calling us back to service a second time. Maybe a bad experience or we just got jaded or life pulled us away and we’ve kind of gone off the ministry saddle a little bit.

(25:43 – 26:07)

And perhaps there’s a sense that God is calling us back to re-engage with ministry, to go again, to have a go again. And I mentioned we could take heart from Jonah that it’s never too late to get back in the saddle and to start afresh. And by way of application at that point I said the Café needs helpers.

(26:08 – 26:27)

And somebody laughed because that was a kind of muffled guffaw. And I kind of understood why at the time because it sounded like such a lame comparison. I mean, making tea is hardly in the same league as taking God’s word to a pagan city.

(26:29 – 26:41)

But here’s the thing. Here’s the thing. Do you know what most people who have gone to be missionaries in pagan lands are doing? They’re making tea.

(26:42 – 27:03)

They’re running kids clubs and sewing classes and Christianity explored courses and manning bookshops. The gospel adventure isn’t primarily that you are serving God in Pakistan rather than Pollock Shaws or that you’re speaking Eritrean rather than English. It’s that you’re on the pitch.

(27:04 – 27:08)

You’re involved. You’re serving the king. You’re giving it a go.

(27:12 – 27:33)

And so as we read this list that seems very distant and very strange to us, let it inspire us. Let these mighty warriors inspire us to serve our greater king. For some of us that might just be to offer up our five loaves and our two fish.

(27:33 – 27:45)

Or our widow’s mite. The Bible and church history are full of great stories of small deeds leading to amazing outcomes. Maybe it will be something more dramatic, more adventurous.

(27:47 – 28:02)

But what makes any of it special is that we’re doing it for the king. Giving his kingship strong support. The king who unites us,

(28:03 – 28:09)

who shepherds us, who rules us. The king who is with us throughout our whole life.

(28:09 – 28:24)

The ups and downs. The king who includes us in building the kingdom and honours us as we step forward to do so. The king who fills that big king-shaped hole that we all have in our lives.

(28:25 – 28:27)

May God bless these thoughts from his word.

The post The Chosen King – 1 Chronicles Ch11 appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:22 – 0:44)

But there’s another word that we also may not associate with this word hospitality, and that is the word stranger. And this week we want to think about who receives our hospitality and why. In the New Testament, there’s a Greek word that’s used for hospitality, philoxenia.

(0:45 – 0:59)

It literally means love of stranger. It’s the opposite of xenophobia, which is the fear of strangers. And here’s the issue.

(1:01 – 1:35)

We might feel okay with a certain kind of hospitality that’s maybe comfortable to us, with those we like, or with those who are like us, but the Bible shows us a different way. To see how deep this idea goes, then flick back to Leviticus, and that book that we looked at, the chapter 19 that we read, and those verses, verse 33 and 34. I’ll read it again.

(1:36 – 1:48)

When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you are foreigners in Egypt.

(1:49 – 2:06)

I am the Lord your God. I think it’s helpful to set these verses in their context, in the context of Israel’s story. Remember, God brought the people of Israel into relationship with himself, not because they were great or amazing, but he set his love upon them.

(2:07 – 2:28)

And God had promised that through Abraham’s descendants, blessings would reach every corner of the world, every nation, and every people group. The welcome Israel received would be open to all peoples everywhere else. Everyone else could belong to God, be his people, and enjoy a home with him forever.

(2:30 – 2:55)

But as the story unfolds in scripture, we come to see that Abraham’s descendants became slaves in Egypt. Yet God rescued them from plagues, the Red Sea, the wilderness, eventually bringing them into the land he promised to be their home. And having saved them, God brought them to the Mount Sinai, and he gave them various instructions or laws.

(2:56 – 3:19)

And there were laws on how to live in ways that would help them flourish, help them prosper, know peace, be blessed, and in turn, be a blessing upon all the others around them. And Leviticus is one of the key books that contains these instructions. And in this chapter 19, the people of Israel they’re addressed as a holy congregation.

(3:20 – 3:39)

And they’re called to imitate the holy character of God. Be holy because I am holy, God said. And holiness meant that God’s people were to live with certain characteristics and attributes, certain behaviours, honesty, integrity, righteousness.

(3:39 – 3:58)

They were to show justice, have mercy, show love for the good of the whole community. It included family, like loving and honouring your parents, but it also included a wider circle. Felow citizens are mentioned, and neighbours are mentioned.

(3:59 – 4:12)

And they were instructed to not to steal, not to lie, not to defraud each other. They weren’t to show favouritism to each other either. They were to ensure wages were paid on time.

(4:13 – 4:26)

They weren’t to show favouritism, but treat each other fairly. They were to respect elderly among them. In fact, they were told, don’t hate your neighbour in your heart.

(4:27 – 4:41)

Don’t harbour grudges. But it goes further. It focusses on the vulnerable and the marginalised because for God’s purposes, holiness meant generosity.

(4:42 – 5:03)

So they were to leave parts of their harvest untouched so that those who didn’t have land could come and glean at the edges and so not starve. It meant protection too for those who were unable to defend themselves. It talks about being good and wise to those who are blind and those who are deaf.

(5:04 – 5:16)

And in summary, God puts over it all. He says, love your neighbour as yourself. Why? Because their God is the Lord who had a covenant love with them.

(5:17 – 5:40)

But it doesn’t stop there either for another group is spoken of. The verses we read in the NIV that we read, it says the Hebrew word is translated as foreigner who resides. If you picked up another translation, maybe the ESV or some others, it speaks of the stranger who sojourns.

(5:42 – 6:04)

What these terms speak of though is the non-native born staying in Israel who had obtained legal right and status to live there and to work there and to prosper. They were given right to glean the fields so they too would not be poor or starving. They had right to equal pay.

(6:05 – 6:16)

They would be given the same legal justice. They would be able to participate in the religious life of Israel. They received much.

(6:17 – 6:43)

And apart from some specific exceptions, God intended for any foreigner or stranger who’s residing or sojourning in Israel to follow God’s laws just like the rest of Israel. If they were going to live in Israel, they had to abide by the same laws as an Israelite. They weren’t allowed to come and set up different cultures or have and practise different religions.

(6:45 – 6:59)

And the instructions to the native born Israelites was this, and it was very clear. They were to love them like their neighbour. Love the foreigner, love the stranger as yourself.

(7:01 – 7:24)

But why were God’s people to be like this? Well, the end of verse 34 tells us. For once you were strangers, once you were foreigners in Egypt, I am the Lord your God. And what God is doing is He’s using a memory of vulnerability that He is their God and He loves them with a covenant love.

(7:24 – 7:53)

And He’s using that to motivate them to treat everyone else with honour, justice, mercy, and love. Though these Israelites were now insiders who belong to God, they’re not to weaponise it, not withhold privilege or have some power over, but instead wield it for the stranger’s good. And all of this is part of Israel’s holiness practise.

(7:54 – 8:21)

Israel’s holiness was to be measured by how they view and treat those who were around them. Yes, parents, elderly, fellow citizens, neighbours, the poor, the marginalised, the vulnerable, but also the others, the strangers, the foreigners, the outsiders. Well, that’s all good and well for the people of Israel back then.

(8:22 – 8:45)

What does this have to do with us and hospitality today? Well, we need to take another direction to help us. Let’s flick over into the Luke chapter 10 that Chris read too, into the story of Jesus. It’s a passage where Jesus spoke of God’s laws given to Israel and He applies them in a very provocative way.

(8:46 – 9:05)

So from the previous chapters, we didn’t read them, but we know Jesus is on a journey. He’s a sojourner and He’s travelling with His disciples to Jerusalem. In fact, chapter nine, verse 51 says, when the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, He set His face to go towards Jerusalem.

(9:06 – 9:31)

And Jesus is using this journey with His disciples to teach them about kingdom hospitality. So when a Samaritan village rejects Jesus and His disciples, James and John, two of the disciples, they wanted to call fire down from heaven on them. But Jesus said, no, that’s not how you treat.

(9:33 – 9:50)

He then warned potential disciples, potential followers of Jesus, because there were many hanging around Him. He talks to them about the cost of following Jesus, the cost of discipleship. And He also sent out 72 of them to go ahead.

(9:51 – 10:07)

And He said, you’re gonna be like lambs among wolves. That’s in verse three of chapter 10. And what Jesus was telling them is that as they went out into these various villages, they were to be dependent upon God and the hospitality of the strangers to them.

(10:08 – 10:21)

They were to travel lightly, receive food and shelter, and they were to be grateful. They were to announce the kingdom of God has come near to you. That’s in verse nine of chapter 10.

(10:21 – 10:50)

And it’s in this context, this journey, this kingdom hospitality that Jesus is teaching, that Jesus tells this parable of the good Samaritan. And it’s of special interest, I think, because the disciples were fresh from these experiences of either hostility or welcome that they journeyed, as they journeyed through Samaria and Galilee. Because they knew themselves what it was like to be outsiders.

(10:52 – 11:13)

Just like the Jews actually viewed Samaritans. And when this Jewish lawyer comes to Jesus asking about receiving eternal life, Jesus answers that, yes, you’re to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And you’re to love your neighbour as yourself.

(11:13 – 11:30)

The lawyer gets a big lesson. He knew that loving his neighbour meant more than the man next door. But the question was, well, how wide does this really go? Surely it didn’t go beyond the people of Israel.

(11:33 – 11:54)

But Jesus defines the neighbour way more widely through this story. And he gives a surprising twist. Because Jesus chose a Samaritan, an outsider to these Jews, to illustrate what it looks like to show mercy and love and justice to even an enemy.

(11:56 – 12:13)

It was the Samaritan who showed compassion for his fellow human being. He disinfected and bandaged the wounds of the stranger. He was the one who took him to the inn, paid for care to be given to the wounded man, to nurse him back to health.

(12:14 – 12:32)

It was literally hospitality, philoxenia, love of stranger. Not xenophobia, fear of stranger. If the Jews were making up this story, they might identify the neighbour in need as the Samaritan.

(12:34 – 12:51)

Instead, it’s the Samaritan as the one who sees the half-dead stranger as the person worthy of compassion and care and mercy and love. But this all sets a scene for another lesson on hospitality. Dinner at Martha’s.

(12:53 – 13:03)

It’s quite a famous story in the New Testament too. There are many books written about Martha and Mary. They’re the sisters of Lazarus, the man who Jesus raised from the dead.

(13:05 – 13:44)

And at the beginning of this incident, verse 38, as Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he comes to a village and a woman named Martha opened her home to him. It’s reasonable to assume that they hadn’t known each other, but they’d likely heard of him and his message. Maybe they’d heard him say earlier, which we read in chapter nine, that the foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man, that’s Jesus himself, has nowhere to lay his head.

(13:46 – 14:07)

But whatever, Martha opens the door to this stranger, offers Jesus hospitality to this sojourner Jesus. The text, verse 39, tells us Jesus was teaching and Mary is listening. It’s like there are many more people in this home than just Mary and Martha, who are named.

(14:08 – 14:20)

Because it tells us Martha was distracted with much serving. There’s a whole lot of cooking going on. There’s a whole lot of preparations going on.

(14:21 – 14:49)

You could imagine how frenzied, perhaps, things were for her, wanting everything to be just right because this important teacher was in their home. And Mary just wanted to sit and listen to Jesus talk, even though we understand at this time that rabbis, of which Jesus was, he was a teacher, they didn’t usually teach women. But we see that Jesus welcomed Mary.

(14:50 – 15:05)

And Mary was so caught up in what Jesus is saying, she didn’t really notice Martha bustling about. But Martha notices Mary, and Martha is frustrated, and annoyed, with Mary.

(15:06 – 15:29)

So it’s with a sense of indignation that she says to Jesus, Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all this work by myself? Tell her to help me. But Jesus speaks into this. He gently tells Martha that actually the most important thing was Jesus and his words of truth and life.

(15:30 – 15:43)

And we might think that’s somewhat arrogant of Jesus. To make himself centre of attention like this. We might think Martha was quite bold to speak to Jesus in this way.

(15:44 – 16:04)

How long had she known him? She seems confident that Jesus would side with her in her busy service, because perhaps that was the culture and norm of the day. But he didn’t. He acknowledges her cares and concerns, but he says, one thing’s necessary.

(16:04 – 16:22)

Mary’s chosen a good portion, which is not to be taken from her. It’s as if Jesus is saying to Martha, your company means more to me than your cooking or your tidy home. You’re more important to me than you can do for me.

(16:22 – 16:34)

He’s saying, your soul means more to me. Your trust and your dependence on me is more important than a good meal in a comfortable home. And the point Jesus is making is this.

(16:36 – 16:52)

Spiritual is most important when it comes to hospitality. Jesus makes this point again and again through his sojourn, his journey to the cross. We saw this clearly in our studies in John’s Gospel over the last months.

(16:52 – 17:13)

He calls us to be born again. We’re to be most concerned with what’s going on in the inside, for it’s our souls that last forever. And the good news of the Gospel is that our souls can be saved from just punishment of sin, because Jesus quite rightly points out to us that our sin is our greatest problem.

(17:14 – 17:29)

Not hunger, not clothing, not shelter, not friendships, not care. There’s always a bigger spiritual purpose. Yet we are embodied souls.

(17:30 – 17:55)

We do have material needs. And the Good Samaritan story reminds us that loving our neighbour is practical, because we live in physical bodies and we live in a physical material world with physical material needs. But the dinner at Martha’s reminds us that people are not given eternal life by running a soup kitchen.

(17:55 – 18:17)

But by listening to the words of Jesus and trusting and following Him. Salvation is not by works, not even hospitable works of justice and mercy and care. Yet it’s often the means by which the words of Jesus are heard and taken aboard.

(18:21 – 18:30)

Also, you know, this hospitality was not a once-only offer. It was something that was built on. A relationship started here and it grew.

(18:32 – 18:52)

In John’s Gospel, we read that Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus. Jesus has spoken of often coming to and from Bethany, and it’s likely he visited with these siblings many, many times. A real love and care was built up over many times.

(18:53 – 19:14)

And it may be that our giving of hospitality is a once-only event, and there’s good in that. But there are also opportunities for giving hospitality again and again and again. Building a deepening relationship of love and care just like Martha and Mary and Lazarus.

(19:16 – 19:36)

You know, if you belong to God’s family in Christ, we are to welcome fellow strangers, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Did you know the church is referred to as that? We sung about it in our second hymn. We sung about it in our third song.

(19:38 – 19:54)

The church is often referred to as foreigners, strangers, outsiders, too. 1 Peter 2 says this, and I paraphrase. Talking to the people of God in this particular church, he says, once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.

(19:55 – 20:15)

Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. I urge you then as foreigners and exiles, strangers and sojourners, to abstain from sinful desires which wage against your soul. It is a physical and spiritual work, this hospitality.

(20:16 – 20:46)

We can be helped and encouraged as we receive physical sustenance, shelter, comfort, but as we do, we don’t forget or ignore the priority of providing spiritual nourishment, too. And that’s so that as believers in Christ, we stand firm and endure and persevere. We minister to one another what is most important.

(20:48 – 21:08)

We live and do ministry alongside each other so that we welcome and accept and honour and are concerned with the spiritual lives of each other that we share with. The people of God are to have a particular focus and attention on Jesus. Although Jesus is not with us, by his spirit he is.

(21:10 – 21:52)

He’s the unseen guest at every meal, when others are in our homes, when we provide that hospitality. But Peter goes on, he says, I urge you as foreigners and exiles, as strangers and sojourners, live such good lives among pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see good deeds and glorify God. You see, welcoming the stranger fits the gospel message, which calls people from every tribe, every nation, every language, every background, to come and worship the one true God, the hospitality God.

(21:53 – 22:04)

And it includes those who don’t yet belong to Jesus, too. We do this because we were once strangers to God. We, too, receive mercy.

(22:06 – 22:29)

I wonder if we view ourselves like this. Do we realise that we are outsiders who have been brought in? Strangers made friends, foreigners who belong to a new family, the family of God. And we are sojourning, too, on our way to our final home.

(22:31 – 22:51)

This is not what it’s all about, here and now. and we’re to invite others to join us along the way. I reckon if we don’t see ourselves this way, we will struggle to be generous with others who sojourn with us and with those who are still on the outside needing to be welcomed like we were.

(22:54 – 23:17)

Well, what does it look like? Our eldest son was home recently with a couple of his flatmates. And over a meal we were having, we were asking them about a recent holiday they’d had in Lisbon together. One of the friends said they had bumped into one of her work colleagues, a younger guy, he was in need of company.

(23:18 – 23:29)

So the friend invited him to join them for a meal. He agreed, and at the end of the night, the flatmates paid for the meal. He was flabbergasted.

(23:30 – 23:43)

Nobody had ever paid for a meal for him. He went back and told the people in his office back home in Scotland. So amazed that this group of people would do this for him.

(23:45 – 24:09)

Yet as the friends told the story around the table, it was really quite normal and ordinary. Why wouldn’t they? For him, it was so counter-cultural, and it had a significant impression on him. And I tell that story because the girl who shared the story followed it up by saying this, “Who knows where that might lead to in terms of future gospel conversation”.

(24:13 – 24:24)

The second example, in one sense, is more extraordinary. Yet in another sense, it’s something we can be encouraged in and step into. And it comes from a book on hospitality by a woman called Rosaria Butterfield.

(24:25 – 24:34)

It might be one of the books that we recommend in this subject to you. But it’s called, The Gospel Comes with a House Key. And in there, she tells her story.

(24:35 – 24:58)

Butterfield was a professor of literature at a university in the US. Her speciality was post-modern critical theory. She was writing a book, and along the way, wrote various articles about how, in particular, Bible-believing Christians are the worst and the source of all patriarchy and a range of other things.

(24:59 – 25:16)

And she wrote a particular scathing piece against Christian men, and a local pastor, Christian pastor, read it, reached out, and emailed. He wrote, I read your article. Thank you so much for your thoughts.

(25:17 – 25:32)

We’d love to have you around for dinner. Well, Rosaria knew that in order to write her book, she would actually have to do some proper research. And that actually meant she would have to spend time with these hate-filled Christians that she wrote against.

(25:32 – 25:49)

And so she said, yes. And she began to go to this house on a regular basis. Because over time, she found that their life and family and Christian faith was way more compelling

(25:49 – 26:08)

than anything she had ever experienced. And over time, through that process of hospitality and spiritual engagement, with the words of Jesus central, she became a follower of Jesus. Yes, amen.

(26:10 – 26:19)

You can read about it in our book. And I tell that story because that pastor and his wife loved this stranger. The outsider.

(26:21 – 26:38)

To some might even say an enemy. Who was against them. But in and through giving that hospitality, through sharing life, through sharing the words of Jesus, well, God is a God of hospitality.

(26:39 – 26:50)

And he causes people to do the same. And as Colin said last week, it’s way deeper, broader, harder than we might think. So here’s the challenge.

(26:52 – 27:24)

Widen your circle. Are we a believer and follower of Jesus? Well, have a look at our own practise and assess it. Can we ask ourselves, how might we widen our circle just a little bit further to bless others? Can we identify any barriers or constraints that we face and consider what the next step might be? And if you’re not a believer or follower of Jesus yet, maybe you are on the outsiders.

(27:26 – 27:35)

And someone invites you in. You know, it might just be the route by which you meet Jesus. The greatest outsider who ever lived.

(27:36 – 27:52)

Who gave his life to bring you in. Because Jesus was that stranger and sojourner who experienced rejection. Yes, he was on the outside and yet he met with outsiders every day.

(27:53 – 28:23)

And he ate with them, not to be entertained or fed, but to show them true satisfaction found in him. To point them to salvation in him as the living bread and the living water. And we too can enjoy that same hospitality from Jesus and we can join in and offer the same hospitality to others as we seek to follow Jesus as strangers and sojourners in this world on our way home.

The post Welcome the Stranger – Leviticus 19v33–34 appeared first on Greenview Church.

These people had begun to research the history of the UK, and some of them had then been led to Christianity and explored deeper questions about Jesus. And when I heard that story I thought, wow, history can really be so powerful, history can be pretty life-changing. Last Sunday we started a new series in First Chronicles.

And this book is a number of things, but one of the things it is, it is a book of history. A guy named Jerome, who lived in the 300s or so, he was the first person to call it a chronicle of sacred history. That’s where the word chronicles comes from.

He didn’t say it was a chronicle of boring history. He said it was a chronicle of sacred history, a history of what God had done in the past. And as we go through the book, we see that this is especially a history of the reigns of King David and King Solomon, and then a few other kings at the end.

Now, just a little fact about chronicles, it’s really important, I think, to realise that the Book of Chronicles was written 500 years after the events it records, or most of the events, David and Solomon’s reign. Most of the events in chronicles happen around about 1000 BC, but the Book of Chronicles is being written somewhere in the 500s BC, probably. So this would be like someone today writing about the Reformation, someone in 2026 writing about the 1500s, right? The chronicler is digging up ancient history, and he is using that history to build faith and build hope in the present people of God.

(2:45 – 3:29)

You see, a small group of Jews had returned to the land. They’ve come back to Jerusalem, but there is no king on the throne. They’ve rebuilt the temple, but the temple is a pale shadow of its former glory.

And the danger for the returnees in their present is that they would lose heart, lose hope, and lose a vital sense of their identity as God’s people, that they would just end up blending in with everyone else. And so the Book of Chronicles is written to arrest that possible decline. The book begins with a message of reminder.

(3:29 – 3:51)

It begins with the names of tribes and historical Israelites to say, this is who you are, and this is where you come from. The book started with hope for the world in the kingly tribe of Judah. And you remember that it very clearly emphasised the importance of the temple.

(3:51 – 4:04)

Devote yourself to the temple because there you devote yourself to the Lord. So that’s how Chronicles began. And the story now continues in chapter 10.

(4:05 – 9:08)

Let’s open our Bibles to 1 Chronicles 10. And if you’re using the Red Bible, it’s page 413. And now we start the narrative section of Chronicles.

Genealogies are history too, but this is a kind of a story form of history. And remember last time I said that chapter nine gives us the genealogy of the tribe of Benjamin. It then gives the line of King Saul.

And all of that’s leading to this first story, which is about Saul. Let’s read it together. Now the Philistines fought against Israel.

The Israelites fled before them and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. The fighting grew fierce around Saul.

And when the archers overtook him, they wounded him. Saul said to his armour bearer, draw your sword and run me through or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me. But his armour bearer was terrified and would not do it.

So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armour bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. So Saul and his three sons died and all his house died together.

When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them. The next day when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

They stripped him and took his head and his armour and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people. They put his armour in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon. When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh.

Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh and they fasted for seven days. Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance and did not enquire of the Lord.

So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David, son of Jesse. This is the word of God and you might be thinking what a grim way to start the narrative of Chronicles. We start with King Saul on the day of his death and in this all sorts of previous background is skipped over.

As we fade into the first story of Chronicles, we’re just here on the killing fields where Saul and his sons die. I think this raises an issue that’s really worth us pausing to think about. I said last week that the book of Chronicles is often neglected.

I think there’s two main reasons for that. The first one is because of the genealogies at the beginning, but I think the second reason is that many people see Chronicles as repetitive. People point out that Chronicles covers much of the same history as the books of Samuel and Kings.

And so if you’ve trudged through Samuel and Kings in your Bible reading plan and you then get to Chronicles, you might be tempted to think this is just more of the same. It can be seen as a sort of redundant history that we don’t really need to read. But I want you just to think about this for a moment.

How many accounts of the life of Jesus do we possess? We possess four accounts of the life of Jesus and these Gospels cover many of the same incidents, but we don’t see any of these Gospels as unneeded or as redundant. They’re telling the same core story, but from a different angle and with different emphases and for different reasons. And so it’s wonderful we’ve got four of them.

(9:09 – 10:10)

Well, if you can have four Gospels of the life of Jesus, then why can’t you have two goes at this vital period of the history of Israel, the high point of the Kings, David and Solomon. Chronicles is telling the same story, but from a very different angle as we’re going to see in weeks to come. And so therefore we notice here that the chronicler, even at the very beginning, he just skips over a whole bunch of things that Samuel and Kings talk about.

Think of some of the things the chronicler ignores. He says nothing about the rise of King Saul. He says nothing about the details of the reign of Saul.

He skips over the anointing of David, David’s defeat of Goliath. He avoids the tussles between David and Saul, just ignores all of it. And he presses the skip button straight to the day of King Saul’s death.

(10:11 – 10:31)

This shows us that the chronicler isn’t very interested in King Saul. He only appears briefly as a foil for someone else. And so the narrative fades in and we’re shown a battlefield scene.

(10:33 – 11:09)

Two armies are fighting, the Israelites and the Philistines. The Philistines, we’ve seen this kind of thing many times before. They’re the perennial enemy of Israel.

I guess in the theology of the Bible, we would say that they’re the latest manifestation of the seed of the serpent, the latest group of people who are attacking the line of promise. And Saul, as he’d done many times before, he’s leading out his army to defend Israelite territory. But this time, not so good.

(11:11 – 11:31)

Twice over, in verses one and seven, we’re told that the Israelites fled from the Philistines. And many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa. This is incidentally up towards the north of the country in a flat plane called the Valley of Jezreel.

(11:33 – 12:18)

And not only that, but notice that as the camera zooms in, it focusses in on Saul and his sons in particular. It’s very common in these battles for kings and their sons to fight, to go to war. And it was also common for the enemy to target the enemy king and the sons of the king.

Their archers would aim for the other sets of leaders. And this time it goes very tragically when three of Saul’s sons are killed. Jonathan, the loyal friend of David, Abinadab, and Malik Shua, all dead.

(12:19 – 14:08)

And Saul’s demise is next. The fighting grows fierce around him. Enemy archers wound him, but he’s hanging on to life.

And seeing what is coming, Saul commands his armour bearer to take his sword and to run him through, because he doesn’t want these carnal Philistines doing horrible things to him. The armour bearer is too afraid to kill the Lord’s anointed. He has a fear of God and he won’t do it.

And so Saul himself decides to take his own life. And then the armour bearer follows suit. It’s a horrible scene and it provokes all sorts of questions.

And indeed, when I was first reading it, I thought, I wonder what on earth am I meant to comment on this very sensitive, few verses? But then it dawned on me that verse six is very helpful. Verse six helps us to keep the right focus here, because we could go off in various directions about the rights and wrongs of whether, you know, should the armour bearer have killed Saul or not? Or should Saul have taken his own life or not? We could go down all of that route, but that’s not where the focus of the chronicler is.

Look where his focus is, verse six. So Saul and his three sons died and all his sons died together. The big point of emphasis is that King Saul and his house are all dead.

(14:10 – 15:31)

Now, sometimes people point out that it is not strictly true, if we were being pedantic, that all of Saul’s descendants were dead. And we know this because in the book of Samuel, we learned that there’s actually a grandson, one of Jonathan’s sons that survives. His name is Mephibosheth.

He’s unable to walk and David treats him very kindly. It’s a beautiful example of David’s grace. But the point the chronicler is making is that the house of Saul, the house of Saul as a dynasty was now effectively over.

Saul and all his possible successors are now dead. That’s the point. And repercussions follow, verse seven.

All the Israelites in the valley, this great valley with lots of Israelite towns, all of them now are abandoned, because the Philistines are coming next to your town and there’s no army to protect you, so they have to leave the area. And so at the end of Saul’s reign, Israel loses lots of territory. And we’re going to see as we move on that in Chronicles that David wins it all back.

(15:33 – 19:59)

But if this is not bad enough, something even worse follows for Saul, even though he’s dead. It was common in those days when you defeated an enemy to humiliate the body of the conquered king. And so they come the next day, they find Saul’s body, they strip his body, verse nine, and apologies if you’re squeamish, his head is severed.

I want you to notice the religious element to this. The Philistines send messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people. See, in the minds of the Philistines, in their heads, this is not just a military victory.

In their head, their god, gods have defeated Israel’s God. And to prove this, Saul’s proud armour is displayed in their temple as like a trophy. Like when you kill an animal and people put it up on the wall, the head or something, his armours put up there.

And then maybe on the other wall, the head of Saul is hung in the temple of Dagon, one of the Philistine gods. Now the precise details here are very interesting. If you know some of the rest of the Bible, because earlier when David struck down Goliath, you remember when he beat the great Philistine champion, what did he do? He cut off Goliath’s head.

But now it is the head of Saul that’s removed, the Israelite king. And there’s another incident in 2 Samuel chapter 5, where the Ark of the Covenant of God is captured by the Philistines. And they take the… It’s the same kind of idea.

They take the Ark of the Covenant and in order to humiliate it, they put it in the temple of their god, as if to say, our god owns your God. And if you remember the story, the statue of Dagon topples down and falls on its face before the Ark of the Lord. And so the guys come in and they say, this isn’t good.

And so they lift the thing up, put it back up where it belonged. And then overnight it falls off again. And this time it shatters to bits.

And they think we better get this thing out of here. On that occasion, God humiliated Dagon. But on this occasion, the head of the Israelite king is hung up in their temple.

The only reason God would have allowed that to happen is if God allowed that to happen. Now, to put it another way, this desecration of the body of Saul shows God’s verdict on Saul. He belonged in a temple of idols.

That was a good place for him to finish, actually, if you understood his life the way that God understood it. And yes, verse 11, some Israelites try to restore some honour. The inhabitants of a town called Jabesh-Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.

And so they send their brave men to sneak into the now captured territory of the Philistines and they retrieve the remains of Saul’s body and the remains of his sons. And there’s actually an interesting reason why the men of Jabesh do this. Because earlier in history, Saul had rescued the town of Jabesh when they were under attack from enemies.

It was just before he became king and the town never forgot it. And so it was the men of Jabesh who came and brought the bodies back. And they mourn the death for seven days and then they bury the remains under the great tree of Jabesh.

(20:01 – 20:49)

The human verdict of this town, at least, was that Saul should be honoured in his death. But the verdict of the Lord is seen not only in Saul’s humiliation in the temple of Dagon, but now in the verdict that follows, verses 13 and 14, which makes God’s opinion explicit. And again, let me just say this again, differences between Chronicles and these other books, these two verses, verses 13 and 14, do not appear in Samuel or in Kings.

This is unique to Chronicles. It is not just a repeat. This is God’s definitive explanation for why Saul died.

(20:51 – 21:46)

Think about this. If you were at the funeral and you were chatting to one of the rough guys of Jabesh and you said, why do you think Saul died? What do you think they would have said? I think it would have been something along the lines of, well, he was really unfortunate. You know, he fought bravely.

You know, we all can be unlucky with a stray arrow sometimes. Maybe some might have said maybe the strategy was wrong, but I doubt any of them would have given the verdict of verses 13 and 14. Saul died at the Lord’s hand.

Look at verse 14. The Lord, not the Philistines, the Lord put him to death. Why would the Lord put his own King to death? Ask that question of yourself.

(21:47 – 22:17)

The answer is given in these verses. God does not want a King like this. Here’s the reasons.

The top one is he was unfaithful to the Lord. Just chatting about this with Douglas, a kind of very interesting thing we were noticing as we were reading through Chronicles that Saul, you know, he’s not outwardly an idolater. It’s not like some of the Kings he’s actually worshipping at shrines of other gods.

(22:18 – 23:14)

And yet, inwardly, in his heart, he is an unfaithful man. He’s unfaithful in his heart to the Lord. We thought about this maybe a little this morning.

You know, when God is addressing the exiles, as he does in that passage in Isaiah 55, it’s unlikely that too many of them are actually walking into the Babylonian temples and worshipping there. It’s much more likely that what God is really challenging there is the drifting away of their hearts from the Lord to worship other things besides God. How do you know if that is happening in your life? How do you know if heart idolatry is a reality? One of the biggest evidences is your attitude towards the word of the Lord.

(23:16 – 24:34)

What evidence is when you flat out don’t care about what God’s word says? And there’s several big examples of this in Saul’s life, that he didn’t keep the word of the Lord. In 1 Samuel 13, there was an occasion when he was told to wait for the prophet Samuel. He was about to fight against the Philistines in an earlier battle, and someone said, you need to wait for Samuel.

Samuel’s going to come. He’s going to make a sacrifice to the Lord, and then that will guarantee that the Lord will be with us. And Saul was impatient, and he decided to make the sacrifice himself.

And when Samuel arrives, he says to Saul that his house, the house of Saul, will not endure because he did not obey the word of the Lord. 1 Samuel 15 is another example. Again, Saul flat out ignores something God tells him to do, and it’s in that passage in chapter 15 that Samuel famously says to obey is better than sacrifice.

(24:34 – 26:04)

Because again, Saul was doing all the outward religious Israelite stuff. He was making the sacrifices. But Samuel says that’s no good if actually you are an idolatrous heart and a disobedient man.

And this is picked up in letters like 1 John and also in letters like James. There’s a very strong evidence, strong connection rather between obedience and the evidence of you having a genuine spiritual life. Of course, we’re not saved because of our obedience, but there is a kind of persistent, uncaring, completely unbothered disobedience to God that is actually an evidence of not belonging to him at all, which is very different from I want to do the right thing, and I sometimes do the wrong thing, and I deeply regret it when I do the wrong thing.

This here is complete indifference to the word of the Lord. And that also becomes clear in what follows. The kind of third aspect of this is the sort of idolatry of his heart.

There’s the ignoring of God’s word. But then relating to that, there’s the other sources that Saul then consults. And we’re told here that he even consulted a medium for guidance.

(26:06 – 26:22)

This was something forbidden in God’s law. It was actually said that if the Israelites consulted mediums, it would be one of the main reasons God would expel them. They’d be sent into exile for listening to this sort of dark source.

(26:24 – 26:58)

And so you have this really twisted situation. A man and a king who pretended on the outside to be God’s king, but in secret, he’s listening to the devil’s wisdom rather than God’s truth. Scary, isn’t it? It’s a real challenge, isn’t it, to think on that? Not to be kidding ourselves, not to be living with that kind of hypocrisy that’s one thing on the outside, even to others in church, when in the inside, we’re really something else.

(27:01 – 27:41)

In some ways, this dovetails with this morning, doesn’t it? That fundamental choice, are we going to feast at the Lord’s table, or are we going to invest in the marketplace of Babylon? Will we listen to the devil’s voice or God’s voice? Will we truly seek the Lord, or will we just pretend to do so? At one level, King Saul is an image of what all of us are like, of course, without God’s grace. We’re unfaithful to God, aren’t we? We’re frequently indifferent to his word. We often go to the wrong sources for wisdom.

(27:43 – 28:03)

And like Saul, we deserve death at the hands of the Lord. We deserve the humiliation of Dagon’s temple rather than the honour of Jabesh’s tree. And we would die surrounded by our idols if it weren’t for an obedient king.

(28:05 – 28:33)

As we come to the Lord’s table shortly, let’s remember that Jesus was utterly faithful, that he kept the word of the Lord even unto death. He defied the devil’s advice, and he followed his father’s wisdom. Yet in the gracious wonder of God’s plan, the Lord put him to death and

(28:33 – 28:58)

caused him to suffer in order that we might live in honour and dignity. And it’s this greater king that the end of the passage previews, isn’t it? Notice the very end as we finish. So the Lord put him to death and turned his kingdom over to David, son of Jesse.

(28:59 – 29:26)

God didn’t just remove Saul, he turned his kingdom over to David, the king he wants. And for the rest of 1 Chronicles, the king that God wants, David, will be doing the things that God wants to be done. David, at least in 1 Chronicles, is presented incredibly positively.

(29:27 – 29:43)

He is a picture of the king that God desires. In the context of the book, Saul is just the set up man or the set up king. He’s a foil, he’s a contrast, he’s what we don’t want the king to look like.

(29:43 – 29:55)

But here is a king who is going to be so different. And what will that look like? Well, we’ll need to come back on next Sundays to find out more.

The post The King God Rejected – 1 Chronicles ch10 appeared first on Greenview Church.

Kitchens, aprons, things like that. Connected to that, if you Google the word hospitality, what first of all pops up of course is the hospitality industry. Say hospitality to most people and they’ll think you’re talking of folk working in restaurants or hotels providing food, accommodation, entertainment.

(0:53 – 1:31)

Maybe that’s what you thought of when you heard the word hospitality. Receiving a service that you pay for. Or maybe some of you actually had a different idea in your mind, maybe something more personal.

Hospitality for you is being invited into someone’s home, having someone cook you a meal, which is quite nice, and then having some conversation. And depending on whether you like conversation, that thought either fills you with fear or with a thrill. The idea of having to sit for a few hours and make up some chat.

(1:33 – 4:07)

Well, this morning we are starting a new series on the topic of hospitality and we’re looking at what the Bible teaches on this subject. And you might be thinking from the title that over the next six weeks, it’s basically going to be a very narrow study about the importance of food. Basically that the outbox of the series is going to be entirely that you need to be in the kitchen a bit more and invite a few more people over for tea.

That might be one of the outboxes of this series. I’d be surprised if this doesn’t encourage that. But as we study the Bible’s teaching about hospitality, it’s going to cause us to think more deeply and broadly about what hospitality really is.

We’re going to see that it’s more than something about plates of food and what you rustle up in the kitchen. If you want to visually illustrate that, often what we view of as hospitality is correct, but it’s like a small circle inside an even bigger circle of what hospitality truly is. When we dig into scripture, we find that hospitality is even bigger than we think, even deeper than we think, and even more central than we think.

So in this series, we’re hopefully going to be expanding our idea of hospitality and seeing that it is utterly central to the gospel. So let me just give you one instance of how our hospitality view might be a bit limited. When I did that word association thing at the beginning and I said hospitality, how many of us immediately thought God is hospitable? I don’t know how you would visualise that in the images because God’s invisible, but I wonder how many of you, when you heard hospitality, you thought, ah, God is a hospitable God.

We tend to think of hospitality as a human convention, but actually God practises it. And that’s what we’re going to see in Isaiah chapter 55. So reopen your Bible if you’ve closed it to Isaiah 55.

(4:08 – 4:30)

And as we get started, just before we come to the actual verses, we need to get a little bit of background in place. Isaiah 55 is obviously part of Isaiah’s prophecy, but it’s also part of a section of Isaiah. So Isaiah, this big book of 66 chapters, it actually has three sections.

(4:31 – 5:25)

And chapters 40 to 55 is section number two. It’s the middle chunk of Isaiah. And this second section of which chapter 55 is the last chapter is a section of messages or sermons spoken to the exiles in Babylon.

So it’s basically messages preached to the Jewish exile community. And these people, the people that are being spoken to here, they’re living in the land of Babylon. What kind of land is Babylon? It’s a land that is comfortable.

It’s a very wealthy affluent place. In many ways, it was actually an easier place to live from a kind of economic perspective than where they had been taken from. But the trouble was this was not their land.

(5:26 – 6:40)

And even more to the point, it was an idolatrous land. It was a land full of false worship and false gods. Very soon, these exiles would have a choice to make about whether they would return to their homeland or stay in the comfort and the temptation of Babylon.

That is the key context to understanding chapter 55. In the final chapter of messages to exiles 55, this is kind of like an altar call, a kind of last great appeal to the exiles before they return home. The Lord is calling them back.

He is calling them home and he is calling them to himself. So you see that in verse six, seek the Lord while he may be found. That’s a kind of central appeal here.

And the way that God frames this invitation is in terms of hospitality. God uses hospitality imagery here. So let’s now work our way through the passage.

(6:41 – 7:54)

This begins with an unbeatable offer of hospitality. The unbeatable offer of hospitality in verses one and two. And if you look at these verses, the first couple, they are full of repeated invitation.

Notice the repetition of the word come, come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters. You have no money, come buy and eat, come buy wine and milk. Over and over, God is inviting.

He is saying, come to me. But what is God inviting the people to? It’s a kind of important question here. God is inviting them to his hospitality.

If this people will come to him, they will be given what they need and all that they could ever want. I don’t know if you’ve ever had that debate about, what’s the difference between needs and wants? Always causes a good argument, that discussion. Sometimes it’s hard to untangle, isn’t it? What you need and what you want.

(7:55 – 8:37)

But at the table of God’s provision, both of those are covered. Notice here, the mention of basic necessities like water, grain and milk, verse one. These are the basics of life and the staples of growth.

And yet God isn’t just offering the basics, he goes beyond that into what we might deem as, or what the people at the time might have deemed as luxuries. So verse one, there’s wine. And in verse two, the richest of foods.

(8:38 – 10:06)

So God isn’t just inviting Israel to a soup kitchen, although he does provide the basic necessities of life. He does provide the soup kitchen, but he’s also inviting them to the five-star restaurant. God’s offering life essentials and life abundance.

Now, if God was just speaking here of physical food and physical provision, I am sure his people would have come running to this offer. I mean, if you go down Argyll Street today and set up a stall with free food and drink, there’ll be a queue that will form pretty quickly for such a thing. But it becomes clear as we move through the passage, that God is not offering bottled water or a juicy piece of steak.

While God does look after our physical needs, what God is addressing in this appeal is our spiritual consumption. When God asked the questions of verse two, why spend money on what is not bread and your labour on what does not satisfy, God isn’t questioning what they have in their fridge. He’s not saying, you know, you earn your money, you go down to Tesco and you buy a bunch of literal junk food.

(10:07 – 11:07)

To these Jews living in Babylon, God is questioning their spiritual investments, their spiritual purposes, and their investment in the spiritual market of Babylon and its gods. God is saying, at great cost to yourself, you are investing in a nourishment that is not even real food. It’s the equivalent of spiritual junk food.

You’re investing your energies in the world’s nourishment, and it leaves you unsatisfied. When I was reading this this week, it reminded me of Augustine, the famous Christian from the fourth century. He was the one who famously said, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.

(11:08 – 11:26)

And Augustine himself experienced that in his life before he was a Christian. He became a Christian when he was 31 years of age. He had lived the life of sleeping around and relationships.

He tried everything. He tried alcohol. He tried the whole gambit, career, all of that.

(11:27 – 12:51)

And at the end of it all, he discovered that these beliefs and pursuits that the world offers is actually just junk food. He was unsatisfied until the moment he came to believe in Christ. God says, come to me.

I have a different kind of fare. Come and buy food and drink from me. But here’s the wonderful thing.

The price is free, even, verse one, without money and without cost. This is why I’ve called this point an unbeatable offer. Because what’s truly free nowadays, even the free app has in-app purchases.

I just think that’s outrageous, that it’s listed under free apps when you’re going to be expecting some payment pretty soon. But God says, my hospitality is free. You can, notice the language here, you can invest in it.

You can buy it. I think that’s showing us that there needs to be a personal investment, a personal stake buy-in that we make individually. And yet it is free at the point of purchase.

(12:53 – 13:21)

A few years ago, Nikki and I went out to a restaurant for a meal, probably above the level of restaurant we would typically go to. And it was a lovely meal. The food was a little bit expensive for my taste, but it was great.

And then at the end, they gave us the bill and we went up to pay. And the most wonderful thing happened because the meal was free. They gave us the meal for nothing.

(13:23 – 13:46)

Actually, someone had paid for the meal and they’d given us very kindly a voucher that covered the cost in the restaurant, but we didn’t pay a thing. And that’s how the unbeatable offer of the gospel works. A price is paid by someone else and you get the banquet for free.

(13:48 – 16:19)

It’s just wonderful. I’d never seen this. In the sequence of chapters, chapter 55 comes after 53 and 54.

What happens in 53 and 54? God sends a servant who bears the sins of the people, pays the price that their sins deserve and dies in their place. This is what the cross achieves, right? The servant lays down his life, 53, 54, and then 55, the offer is made to you and it is free at the point of receipt but Jesus paid for it. And we’re given all that we need.

We’re given that, you know, Jesus describes himself later, doesn’t he, in John’s gospel as the bread of life. He’s the essential that you need for eternal life. But it’s even more than that.

God invites you to a five-star spiritual banquet that has things like wine, which is a symbol of joy. The Christian life’s not just kind of saving you from hell. It is doing that, but it’s also bringing you into an abundance.

I could imagine some of Isaiah’s hearers saying, “This is amazing, but it all sounds a bit too good to be true. I mean, here we are, exiles in Babylon, and it kind of looks like we’re being abandoned. It looks like we’re a poor, impoverished people.

How can we ever believe that this feast is really for us?” Well, God now addresses that concern. And God says, the reason you can be sure of this is because I’ve promised it to you. You can trust in the offer because of the promise that underpins it.

This is verses three to five. Listen, God says. Notice how often in the passage, God says over and over, listen.

The people were being tempted not to listen to God’s promise. They were being tempted to listen to other voices who were saying, don’t believe all that nonsense about the promises that Yahweh has made to you as a people. God says, no, no, no, don’t listen to them.

Listen to me, ears here, because verse three, here’s the deal. I will make a covenant with you. There’s the emphasis with you that will last forever.

(16:19 – 17:25)

I will give you my faithful love, the same love I promised to David. King David was Israel’s most important king, significant king, because it was to David that God made a very special promise that he would give David an eternal kingdom, that one of his sons would reign over the whole world forever and ever. But God is now saying to these exiles, as I made a pledge to David, I am now making a pledge to you with the same strength and the same faithfulness.

You can get in on the promises I made to David. You can receive the same faithful love that even King David received. In David’s day, verse four, he was a ruler among the nations, not just over Israel, he had a kind of international influence, and he was a witness to the nations.

(17:25 – 17:44)

David was a witness of who God was and what he was like. But look at verse five. In the same way, God says, you’re going to have power and influence, and you’re going to be a witness to the nations.

(17:45 – 19:18)

I know you think you’re an insignificant people in exile, barely noticeable on the map. But if you come to feast at my table, you’re going to be an influencer of the nations, a magnet that attracts them, a people, notice the phraseology there, that the nations come running to. It’s essentially an Old Testament picture of evangelism, fruitful evangelism.

That’s what’s being described here in a Jewish sense, as the nations are flocking to Israel and saying, what is this that you’ve got? It looks amazing. The church of every age needs to hang on to the promises of God. And we need to understand that the promises made to Abram and the promises made to the likes of David are not defunct promises.

They continue to be promises that we can get in on today. The church may look fairly insignificant in the context of a largely secular nation, but the promises of God are still true. If we will believe them, if we will keep going on in the mission God has given us and the promise he has made that we, not that we might be the light of the world, but that we are the light of the world and that that light will draw many others from the darkness.

(19:20 – 19:43)

We will only be that witness if we make the prior choice to feast at the Lord’s table, continuing to choose his bounty over the spiritual junk food that’s on offer. All their trust needed to be in the promise of the Lord. Verse five, this is what I will do.

(19:44 – 20:29)

I am the Lord, your God. I am the holy one of Israel. I have honoured you.

I’m promising this. I will do this says God. I find that really encouraging.

And I also find it encouraging that the people that God addresses in the Bible are just kind of like me. You know, in our fallibility, in our struggle to believe these promises, God says, I can satisfy your soul if you stop seeking the world’s junk food. And I say, Lord, are you really going to do that in my life? Because I’m a big sinner and I’m a bit of a nobody.

(20:30 – 22:32)

And this all sounds like something for the super spiritual people, people like David. And God says, no, it’s for you too. I’m going to set my love on you like I set my love on David himself and corporately as well.

I’m going to promise little, little churches, little insignificant churches like Greenview, little outposts of the kingdom. I’m going to promise that those sorts of places can be places of invitation and attraction where people actually come and say, what is this you’ve got? God speaks right to our level and into our doubts. And so having brought that assurance that the offer is based on the promise, God in verses six to nine finishes by coming back to the offer.

He comes back to the offer. But now we see finally, notice here, the urgency of the offer and the mind-blowing result if we receive it. So notice in verse six how the appeals return, but now with an increasing urgency, Seek the Lord while he may be found.

Call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. These people are being wicked and unrighteous in their choices and they need to forsake those ways.

It’s a repeat of the earlier invitation, but now all the hospitality imagery is stripped away and it’s just plain speech. Seek the Lord. Call on him.

That’s the bottom line. That is, devote yourself to God entirely and depend on the Lord only. And do this ASAP.

(22:34 – 23:24)

See, there’s kind of a balance here, isn’t there? Like on the one hand, this is kind of a great opportunity. The Lord is near. He’s nearby.

He’s near enough for you to call on him. But on the other hand, the opportunity is time-limited. Seek the Lord while he may be found.

He won’t always be findable. He won’t always be callable. Sometimes we need a time limit to help us, don’t we? How many of us only do things when it’s at the last possible moment? One of the most basic and important spiritual principles is that tomorrow is never the right time to do business with God.

(23:25 – 24:39)

Never the right time to do business with God. Today is always the moment you should do it, whatever that thing is. Scripture is utterly consistent on this.

If we have never sought the Lord for salvation, the Bible says today is the day to do it. If we’ve been eating at the world’s table, today is the day to abandon those plates of nothingness and those foods that will never satisfy our soul. The unbeatable offer is an urgent offer.

And the result, if we will come to God, is utterly mind-blowing. Now, why do I use that word mind-blowing? I use it kind of quite deliberately. I use it not only because of the end of verse 7, where it says that if the people do this and call on the Lord and turn from their wickedness and so on, God will have mercy on them.

Not he might, but he will. And he will freely pardon. So that’s kind of, in my mind, pretty mind-blowing in itself.

(24:41 – 26:45)

But it’s interesting, isn’t it, that that immediately leads on to verses 8 and 9. Verses 8 and 9 are very likely linked to the forgiveness that comes just before 8 and 9. Yes, it’s true that in many different ways, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. You know, his ways are not our ways. In lots of respects, that’s true.

But in the context of what comes before, the end of verse 7, where God pardons without cost and shows mercy to the undeserving, I think what this is saying is this is a mind-blowing truth that we as human beings will forever struggle to get our heads around. But God can get his head around it. His ways of forgiveness are far above our ways.

We would never forgive sinners like this. God lets people who have dabbled in other spiritual delicacies, he lets those spiritual adulterous people have a seat at his bountiful table. And that is really the story of the whole Bible.

Next week, Zach’s going to take us back a little bit into Israel’s roots and some of what God taught the Israelites about showing hospitality. But actually, we could go back even further than that if we like. We could go all the way back to the very beginning of things.

Because from the very beginning, God’s been showing mind-blowing hospitality, putting human beings into a garden, giving them every provision imaginable, spiritual and physical. And those humans turned away from God’s provision. And the very first sin was an act of eating from the wrong source of nourishment, not from what God provided, from another source.

(26:47 – 29:44)

And through that wrong choice, feasting on the wrong thing, death entered the world. And yet God continued to show hospitality. Even as Adam and Eve leave the garden, God clothes them in a wonderful act of hospitality.

And even east of Eden, in a world that was often then marked by scarcity and hunger, God provided for his people, bringing them out of slavery, sustaining them through a wilderness, bringing them into a land of plenty, and even sustaining them through an exile. And here we are, almost at the end of the Old Testament, and God’s still offering provision for his people. And all of that is pointing forward, isn’t it, to ultimately the time when Jesus himself comes.

And summing up all of that imagery and promise of the Old Testament, Jesus says, I am the bread of life. And I am the living water. Jesus is God’s finest fare.

He offers himself as our spiritual nourishment. And then, of course, as we shoot forward to the very end of the Bible, all of this climaxes, doesn’t it, in another invitation of hospitality. Revelation 22, the spirit and the bride say, come, there’s that word again, and let the one who is thirsty come.

And let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. From cover to cover, the God of the Bible is hospitable, which means, and this is a really, really important principle that we need to keep with us through the whole series. It means this, we are guests before we are hosts.

We are guests before we are hosts, before we set the table for anyone else, God sets the table for us. And that changes the way even we do something like showing care and provision to other people and why we do it. Some of us might be at the point where, for the first time, we recognise that the ideas and pursuits we’ve indulged in, in this world, just aren’t delivering what they promise.

Why not seek? Why not call? Why not come today to the God who will never disappoint you? He never has. He never can. And if you’re already present at God’s table, let me remind you that there is no better offer, there is no better table, and there is no greater offer of hospitality than at the table of the Lord.

(29:47 – 30:13)

Father, help us, would you please open up our eyes, however long we’ve heard the gospel, to see the wonder of the feast that you’ve offered to us. Bread without cost, wine, the finest fare, and we don’t pay a stitch. Lord, may we be amazed at your grace.

(30:15 – 30:34)

Forgive us for the times when we go back to the world’s table and we think that the latest idea or philosophy can somehow satisfy and satiate our soul. Bring us to Christ this morning. May we feed upon him by faith in him today.

(30:36 – 30:51)

And may we be those then that reflect something of that witness that Israel were to display. May others see in us something of the feast that we’re enjoying. We want to pray this in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

The post Free Food and Drink – Isaiah 55v1–9 appeared first on Greenview Church.

It wasn’t the most encouraging comment, but I guess pretty accurate. Many a Bible reader has run aground on the book of First Chronicles. I say book of Chronicles, you might say, isn’t there two books? Originally Chronicles was a single book and then at a certain point in history, they thought it was quite long and so they divided it up into one and two Chronicles.

But it’s viewed, Chronicles, as a very hard read. And one of the reasons, quite frankly, is because of how it starts. Chronicles famously opens with nine detailed chapters of genealogies.

(1:09 – 1:38)

Not a chapter of genealogies, not 18 verses of genealogies, as we have in Matthew 1, but nine straight chapters of nothing but Jewish names and tribal lines. It’s an extremely gutsy opening from the author of Chronicles. In our time and in our culture, we wonder how this ever was an engaging read for anybody.

(1:39 – 3:50)

And it’s tempting to either just skip these chapters or even to give up on Chronicles completely. And I wonder if you sometimes, like me, come to Chronicles chapter one and then just on the leap to the narrative in chapter 10. Well, if we do that, we do really miss an awful lot.

And I want to help you see this evening with a little bit of study of these chapters that actually these chapters, far from being dull and boring, they’re actually like a key that help you unlock the meaning of the whole book. Because all the big themes of Chronicles begin to emerge here in these historical lists. And to the first readers, I want to suggest to you, this opening would have been life-giving, identity-affirming, and hope-restoring.

And we’ll see how that is as we go through. Now, for blatantly obvious reasons, this is going to be an overview, a bit like a helicopter tour of chapters one to nine. So we’re going to see some of the main features, just kind of glance down, see the main structures of the passage of the chapters, and we’ll make the odd landing here and there.

And then at the end, I want to draw a few applications to start applying this book to us. Now, the best way I think to come at this is actually to start at the end. So turn with me to chapter nine of 1 Chronicles, almost at the end of the genealogies.

Here we learn something of how these chapters were written and when these chapters were written. So chapter nine, verse one, all Israel was listed in the genealogies in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Let’s stop there for a second.

(3:51 – 6:38)

What was the book of the kings of Israel and Judah? I have absolutely no idea. It’s some lost historical source. But the point here is that the author of Chronicles, we’ll call him the chronicler, is a historian.

And he’s using this now lost book to us as a historical source for the genealogical records. He’s got it out of this source. That’s something of how he’s putting the book together.

But look at how verse one continues. They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. Now, the first to resettle on their own property in their towns were some Israelites, etc.

Now, what does this tell us? It tells us that Chronicles must have been written after the exile and after the Israelites had resettled in the land. The Chronicles speaks of the exile and resettlement in past tense. So God’s people have been taken away into captivity, but now some of them have returned.

And again, back to that verse, they’ve been led firstly by some Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants. Now, do take note of that, that little bit of information. We’ll come onto this later, that the temple is a huge theme in Chronicles, 1 and 2 Chronicles.

Who are the very first people to return to the land? Mostly servants of the temple, priests, Levites, temple servants. And as well as them, verse three, people from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. If you count those tribes plus the Levites in the verse before, there are only five tribes who are said to have returned to the land.

That’s a little less than half, five out of 12. We’ve got six community groups in our church. If we were taken off by a foreign power into exile and less than half of us returned, there’d be two community groups would come back and the other four would be somewhere else.

It’s a depleted and diminished number. And that is the key context to understanding the book of Chronicles. Chronicles is written to a people who have returned home, but they appear to be half a people.

(6:39 – 8:57)

They are a shadow of their former selves. And if you were living among them, just imagine some of the questions you might be asking. Questions like, who are we now? What is our identity? Are the best days of our nation behind us? Do we have any hope for the future? Are the promises still true? This genealogy is written to begin to answer those sorts of questions.

What the genealogies do among other things is they root Israel into their history and they remind them of their identity. Now let’s go back to chapter one, chapter one, verse one. So let’s now go, let’s now go back from the present where the exiles are, the returning exiles are, and let’s go back in time.

Let’s go and find their roots. But chapter one, verse one, look how far back we go. Not just to David, not just to Abraham, but all the way back to the very beginning.

Super cool fact about Chronicles. Are you ready for this? In the Jewish Bible, they have a different order of books, right? We’ve got our own kind of Western version, but they have a different order. And in the Jewish Bible, Chronicles comes as the last book in the whole of the Old Testament, right? So in the Jewish Bible, Genesis is the first book, Chronicles is the last book.

How does Genesis begin? Genesis begins with creation and with the story of Adam. And now we come to the far end of the Jewish Testament. And how does it end? We go back again to Adam.

And what chapter one basically gives us is the lineage of Adam all the way down to Abraham. Yes, the returning exiles were part of Israel’s story. We’re going to see some of that in a minute, that they could trace their history back to Abraham.

(8:58 – 10:03)

But Israel itself was part of an even bigger story. It’s been popular in recent years for people to speak of the better story that Christians have. Having a more beautiful, a more rational, a more aesthetically pleasing story than all the other stories and ideologies.

And that’s true. But the story we have isn’t just better, it’s also bigger. To these Israelites feeling pathetic and somewhat rootless, Chronicles are saying, your roots are in the biggest story of all.

You’re part of the restoration story that God has been working out since the downfall of Adam. And Israel are at the heart of this, however small they may seem. Because out of Israel and the tribe of Judah in particular, hope will come for humanity.

(10:04 – 10:49)

And so we now look at Judah and that section in chapters 2 to 4. Now, I should just point out something at this point. The Chronicler isn’t following the birth order of the sons of Jacob and the tribes of Israel. You remember you get Abram, his son Isaac, you have Jacob or Israel, and then Jacob has 12 sons and these become eventually the 12 tribes.

And obviously in history they come in a certain birth order. Chronicles isn’t following that order. Judah was the fourth born son and yet Judah comes first in these lists of genealogies.

(10:51 – 13:04)

The placement of these tribes is telling us something. After a chapter from Adam to Abraham, humanity’s hope is now linked to the tribe of Judah. Judah is given the first place and the primary position.

And not only that, it’s not just that it’s first, but notice how much space Judah is given in the text. Later on we’re going to find that some tribes don’t get much space at all. Poor little tribe of Naphtali gets a single verse of text.

How much text does Judah get? Three whole chapters. One third of all of the genealogies. Judah is massively significant because Judah is the tribe of the king.

And here’s the irony of that. When the exiles returned to land they were allowed an awful lot of freedoms, but they weren’t allowed a king. At least not their own king.

The Israelites were governed by a foreign power and yet three chapters are given to Judah and the royal line of David is traced out in detail. In chapter three we get the whole line of David’s sons all the way down through the period of the exile and even all the way down after the exile to the day the chronicler is writing. The throne is vacant, but the line of David lives.

I think this is saying something extraordinary. That even without a king on the throne, Israel’s future hopes are bound up in a king, a great son of David. It would be around 400 years till that king arrived, but they were to put all their eggs in the basket of that coming king.

(13:06 – 16:30)

So Judah is the first tribe, the primary hope of the people. But if Judah is first then I want you to notice who is central. If you turn to chapter six, chapter six, you will see that at the heart of the genealogies is the tribe of Levi.

Most scholars today think that Levi is structurally central to these chapters. It’s kind of like the heartbeat of the genealogies. And this tribe, the tribe of Levi, was all to do with the temple.

We’ve already noticed that the priests and the Levites and those sorts of folk were among the first to return in chapter nine. And now we see that they are central to God’s promises, not only in position in the structure of chapters one to nine, but again in the amount of text that they’re given. Not quite as long as Judah, but much longer than many others.

We have 81 verses about the tribe of Levi. The chronicler is slowing down and saying, this tribe is important and what it does is important. What does this tribe do? Well, I look at verse 31.

Some Levites are put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord. And then down in verse 48, some other Levites were assigned some other duties in the tabernacle, the house of God. And at chapter nine, if you were to flick over, you would see this as well.

About half of chapter nine, in the returnee section, about half of the chapter is all about the duties of Levites. People doing different jobs, priests, gatekeepers, custodians, musicians, all to do with the temple. There’s an extraordinary focus on this tribe because it is devoted to the temple, which of course is not about being devoted to just a building or rituals.

Being devoted to the temple means being devoted to Yahweh. It means being devoted to God. And for these returning exiles, that really matters.

In a time when they are discouraged by what is going on in the nation and internationally, they are to devote themselves to the Lord and to express that in the worship at his temple. You see, Israel’s identity and Israel’s future is bound up with a king and bound up with a temple, a priesthood. So in this flyover, we’ve seen, I think, probably the two main features, Judah at the front and then Levi at the centre.

Now more briefly, let’s fill in some of the other bits. Flanking Levi on either side, we have a number of other tribes. Just before Levi in chapter five, we have what are sometimes called the Transjordan tribes.

(16:31 – 18:03)

That is the ones for which you had to cross the river Jordan to get to on the east side. So this is Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. And then in the other side of Levi in chapter seven, you have the tribes on the west side of the Jordan, mostly in the north.

So these are tribes like Issachar, Naphtali, Ephraim, and Asher. Now just a little aside here, some people have noticed that two of the 12 tribes are actually missing from these lists altogether. Zebulun and Dan are missing entirely from chapters one to nine.

And this would have been the place to put them among the kind of northern tribes. Now it could simply be that there were no genealogical records for these particular tribes. Remember, this guy’s a historian.

He’s using records. Perhaps for some reason, the records were lost. Maybe the book of the kings of Israel and Judah didn’t have them listed.

Whatever the reason is that they’re missing, the final exclusion of Dan in particular is telling. Because in the book of Revelation, some of you will know this, Dan is an omitted tribe. There’s also a list of tribes in the book of Revelation, and Dan’s not there.

(18:04 – 18:34)

Why is that? The tribe of Dan was an example of abandonment of the Lord and of complete apostasy. Basically, it wasn’t just like syncretism where they were half for the Lord and half for, they completely abandoned the Lord in utter idolatry. And Dan is forever a warning not to choose to exclude ourselves from the saving promises of God and the saving people of God.

(18:34 – 22:13)

It’s a warning even today. But despite these omissions, most of the tribes are listed. Even despite the fact that only five tribes had returned to the land, even still, all the tribes of Israel are invited to put their hope in Judah and to devote themselves to the worship of the Lord.

One of the most common phrases found in Chronicles is, all Israel. When you study through one and two Chronicles, just look for that phrase and highlight it, mark it. All Israel did this, all Israel did that.

Why? Because after the exile, God is healing old differences and he is reuniting a fractured people, bringing them back together. One of the things you’ll notice as you read through the tribal lists, this happens quite a number of times, you’ll notice that wherever possible, the chronicler makes a positive comment about a tribe. You see this over and over.

Let me give you one example. Reuben in chapter five, after listing Reuben’s descendants, we’re told in verse 10 that during Saul’s reign, they waged war against the Hagrites who were defeated at their hands. So this tribe, basically, they trusted the Lord on a particular occasion and they pummeled the enemies of God.

And as he’s listing things out, he just notes this wonderful high point in their history. I’m sure some negative things could have been said about the tribe of Reuben, but the author makes a side comment about a moment when they trusted the Lord. And you’ll find that it’s like that about all the tribes.

It’s kind of pointing out their faith and their devotion to the Lord, which the present generation are to emulate. So we’ve got Judah in the prime place, Levi in the centre place, a number of tribes flanking Levi, and we’ve got a couple more to fill in. Now, you’ll notice, you’ll see that in the same box as Judah, I’ve also added the tribe of Simeon.

I suppose that Simeon could also go with the tribes east of the Jordan. Part of the reason I’ve not done that is they’re not east of the Jordan, right? They’re west of the Jordan in a different location. But also because it seems to me that Simeon is being given a very prominent position, so immediately after Judah.

And if you look at the other end of the genealogies, you will see that a similar emphasis is given to the tribe of Benjamin. So Benjamin’s included among the northern tribes in chapter seven, very briefly. But then there’s an entire chapter, chapter eight, a huge big chapter where the author traces the line of Benjamin all the way down to King Saul.

What’s going on here? People sometimes wonder, why is such prominence being given to Simeon? And then why at the end is it being given to Benjamin? Unfortunately, because of our Wi-Fi issue, the map that I added last minute isn’t here. But if you, what I would suggest is for you to Google it, not now, but later. But if you look, if you look this up on a map, look at the 12 tribes, it really helps you understand something of what’s happening here.

(22:14 – 25:05)

Because the tribe of Simeon was actually a tribe within the boundaries of Judah. It was kind of like a little subsection, you know, like you get in some of these big countries where you get these tiny little islands that are countries. It was, it was that kind of set up.

So it was immediately adjacent to Judah. And then similarly, Benjamin, Benjamin was just a stone’s throw away from Judah. In fact, Jerusalem, I don’t know if you know this, Jerusalem is in a disputed territory on the border between Judah and Benjamin.

That’s how close they are. And historically, Simeon and Benjamin, these tribes tended to be supporters of the monarchy in Israel. I mean, obviously Benjamin were the tribe from which the first king came, right? So these guys were monarchists.

They really believed in the king and the kingdom. And later, although Saul and David had, of course, that initial spat, as the history develops, you see that Benjamin is actually incredibly loyal to Judah. In the period of division, they side with Judah and the king in the line of David.

If you look at chapter four, verse 41, you’ll see that something similar is said of Simeon, chapter four, verse 41, that they had come to the support of the king of Judah in the reign of King Hezekiah. And so there’s something here being said, I think, about these tribes, not only because they’re geographically close to Judah, but because they’ve allied themselves with Judah. Again, we’re coming back to this theme of the king, I think.

This is going to be an important message in the book of Chronicles. Align yourself with this house and this king. So I hope you’re still just about with me.

That’s the overview complete, you’ll be glad to know. There’s a lot more I could say, but hopefully that gives you a little bit of a sense of what’s going on. And this is not dull and uninteresting, is it, when you actually start to dig into it.

This would have been, these chapters, life-giving, identity-affirming, and hope-restoring to a people who felt a bit lifeless, a bit hopeless, and a little bit rootless without a sense of who they were. As we come to finish, what might this be saying to us, though? Let me give you three applications. One application is that our story is part of the biggest story.

(25:06 – 26:09)

Our story is part of the biggest story. That’s a good thing to be reminded of on a week such as this. On a week where elections have possibly reminded us how relatively powerless and insignificant we seem to be as the church of Christ.

Other stories, other ideologies, they seem to be very powerful. But this passage reminds us that our story is no small story. We may not be Jewish, we may not come from a particular tribe, but our names, the New Testament says, are written in heaven.

And we have been grafted into the vine of Israel through faith in Christ. Our story is part of Israel’s story, and that in turn is part of the world’s restoration story. Abraham is our father in the faith when we believe like him.

(26:10 – 26:34)

And we are a chosen people, a holy nation with a spiritual inheritance. Our society is searching for identity in their roots. It’s clawing to find roots, whether it’s in nationalism or in gender identity or in a whole number of other common causes.

(26:35 – 29:46)

But our identity is rooted in God and in the gospel of God. And that is true on a personal level too. Maybe there are things in your background that you feel colour who you are and define who you are.

Part of what we learn from these genealogies is that even the messy bits of your heritage cannot unravel the plans of God. However messy or complicated your background has been, God can still work in that and through that as he did in these complicated tribes. I think it was referenced this morning in what Michael said that sometimes actually we just kind of feel it’s not even so much that, it’s just that we feel pretty insignificant and pretty ordinary and that we’re not just achieving very much in life.

I guess most of us feel like that, don’t we? We’re just an ordinary person in an ordinary family doing an ordinary job. But our significance doesn’t lie in our own personal greatness. Our story is caught up in the biggest story.

Second lesson, second thing is that the kingdom of God is radically inclusive. The kingdom of God is radically inclusive. Now I don’t mean that in some sense that there is no idea of judgement.

I’m not suggesting that the Dan and Zebulun bit is not relevant. But what I am saying is that very often people have a view of God where they see God as narrow and they see his people as narrow minded as well. We have a narrow God and we ourselves are a narrow minded people.

That is often the accusation, isn’t it? And often when people think about things like identity and heritage, the thinking does very quickly become quite exclusive, doesn’t it? There are those who have the heritage and there are those who haven’t. But part of what these genealogies show is that there are many different tribes and all sorts of variety within the kingdom of God. All coming together under the one hope of the one king.

All coming together at the one temple. One of the greatest glories of the gospel is that it somehow takes the word tribe and puts it in the context of unity. Isn’t that extraordinary? You know every other time people speak of tribes and tribal, it’s always meaning disunity and fragmentation.

It is only in the gospel that the word tribal can actually be caught up in a unity of oneness. I don’t know how that applies to you. As I’m getting older I know it certainly applies to me in lots of ways.

(29:47 – 30:00)

And I’m trying to become in the best sense less tribal. Now we need to come together of course around common beliefs in the non-negotiable gospel. That’s just an absolute given.

(30:01 – 32:23)

But we also need to see, and I’ve fallen foul of this in many ways over my life, that the only tribe is not the brethren where I grew up, or the baptists where I went to for a while, or FIEC or independency or whatever other label we happen to think might be a good thing. These are good things to be part of. But Chronicles recognises not only tribes but the importance of unity between these tribes.

I think there’s a message in this for us as we move forward. Because at the end of the day we share a common hope. And the hope we have is still centred on a king and on a priesthood.

In the Hebrew Bible as I’ve said the Old Testament ends not with Malachi but with Chronicles. Chronicles is the setup book for the coming of Jesus. How does the New Testament begin? Again you might think it’s not exactly the most exciting opening but it is.

It opens with a genealogy. Out of all the things God could have chosen to do this is what he chose. It’s a shorter genealogy but it leaps across the pages of history.

It takes us from Abram to David through the exile and all the way down the line to King Jesus the Messiah. The same Jesus who will later say that his body is the temple of God. Who will act in the manner of a priest and who will give his life as a lamb who was slain.

You see the prominence of the king the kingdom and the priesthood isn’t just something stuck in Chronicles. It’s what flowers and blooms in the New Testament in the gospel. Chronicles is telling you albeit in a shadowy way that Jesus is prominent and that the hope you and I have is ultimately found in a king and in a priest.

Let’s now celebrate that as we come to the Lord’s table.

The post Hope’s Heritage – 1 Chronicles ch1–9 appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:21 – 0:43)

Well, it’s good to be back. It’s a slightly odd feeling, but it’s a privilege nonetheless to be here amongst you. One thing that I must warn you of before I go any further is that I’ve been told when it comes to doing something like this, speaking, being up the front, that in terms of voice, posture, mannerisms, the whole lot, I am the spitting image of my father.

(0:45 – 2:42)

I’ll leave you to decide whether or not that’s a good thing or a bad thing, a blessing or a curse. I’m not sure there’s anything I can do about it, even if I wanted to. Whilst we’re on the topic of my father and things that I’ve not been able to move past, when we were younger as a family, there was a year in which my parents bought a Historic Scotland membership.

Historic Scotland is like the National Trust. They manage a whole bunch of historical tourist attractions, castles, country houses, that sort of thing. You have the membership, you get free access to the year.

You get to skip the usual fees and parking charges and whatnot. And so my dad being my dad was absolutely determined to get his money’s worth out of this membership, and we really, really milked that membership. We were pleasantly surprised I think at the end of 12 months to find Historic Scotland still financially viable.

We spent many Saturdays visiting increasingly obscure castles, many day trips to country houses and gardens, probably a lot of complaining about the price of sandwiches in the cafes. As you can imagine, over those 12 months, some of those attractions were more interesting than others. Some of them were really good.

They were good days out. There’s a lot there. There’s a lot to see, very much worth going to, even if you’re paying the fee.

Some not so great. Some that are probably better to skip. One particular low light was Kilwinning Abbey.

I don’t know if anyone here has ever had the pleasure of visiting Kilwinning Abbey. We made what, at the time, for a young family felt like a fairly long drive. We arrived at some pretty modest ruins, a little graveyard, and after looking about very briefly, discovered that rather than some sort of local tourist hotspot, this was in fact a local drinking hotspot.

After about 90 seconds, we were back in the car and we were heading home to Glasgow. I’m sure you’ve got a few similar stories, probably some more exciting stories than that one. We’ve all travelled somewhere only to be incredibly underwhelmed when we arrived.

(2:42 – 5:25)

Maybe you’d built up some excitement, you’d heard some good things, you’d remembered this place being quite good when you were younger, and after that long car journey or hike or bus journey, you arrive and are sorely, sorely disappointed with what you find. I assume you’ve all had that feeling of looking around, of increasing concern and hoping that this isn’t it. Thinking maybe we made a wrong turn back there somewhere, or perhaps if we walk on a little bit further, we’ll find the actual good bit, the actual attraction that we’re supposed to be at.

We all know that sinking feeling when you ask yourself, is this it? Is this actually all there is to it? Is there nothing else here? And tourist attractions aside, I wonder if you’ve ever felt that way about the Christian life. I wonder if you’ve ever had seasons, or if you’re having a season right now, where you just can’t shift the feeling of being underwhelmed. When there’s a nagging question at the back of your mind, is this it? Is this all there is to being a Christian? Is this really the Christian life? It might occur in difficult seasons of life when you face challenges and trials of various kinds, and you’re left feeling like this wasn’t really what you’d signed up for.

You can’t shake that feeling of thinking, I thought it would be a bit nicer than this. I’d hoped that the Christian life might be a bit more joyous than this, a little bit more victorious. Or it could just be in the ordinary seasons of life, when things are normal, they’re plain, when everything’s okay.

You’re not experiencing any great lows, but you’re not really experiencing any great highs either. When church is fine, it’s okay. When your walk with God maybe feels a little flat, a little bit same old, same old, and you’re left feeling a little weak, a little underwhelmed, is this it? Am I doing it properly? Is there something else that I’ve missed? Should I be feeling something more than this? Well, as we turn to the letter to the Ephesians this morning, the believers in Ephesus have every reason to have the same sort of nagging questions in the back of their mind.

Things haven’t been all trumpet sound and shouts of hallelujah for the Ephesians. We know from reading around in the New Testament that they face various significant opponents in the city of Ephesus, the Jews and the cult of Artemis in particular. What’s more, Paul had previously warned the Ephesian elders in a farewell meeting in Acts 20 that false teachers were going to arise, rear their heads, and lead people astray, and worse still, that some of these false teachers would arise from within their own number, their own leadership.

(5:26 – 15:20)

And one more significant burden on the minds of the Ephesians is introduced by Paul just before today’s passage. Have a look down to chapter 3 and verse 1. I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, their founding father, if you like, the apostle to the Gentiles, the mighty Paul who came to Ephesus teaching powerfully, establishing the church, performing extraordinary miracles in Acts 19, well, he’s not here anymore. He’s in chains.

Enemies without, enemies within, the mighty Paul in prison. And surely the question would be there in the minds of the Ephesians, is this it? Is this what it was supposed to be? Where’s all the power and the glory of the gospel? This doesn’t feel very exciting. This doesn’t feel very triumphant.

Is this really all there is to it? Perhaps like that moment when you look out of the train window and for a minute you think, I’m not sure I recognise this. They might have asked themselves, are we on the right track? Did we maybe make a wrong turn somewhere along the way? Is there something else we’re supposed to be doing instead? And I think these sorts of question marks, these sorts of doubts and discouragements are on Paul’s mind as we turn to today’s verses. Just before the verses we’re reading today, Paul’s been speaking about his imprisonment for the gospel.

And in chapter three, verse 13, he writes, I ask you therefore not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. How would Paul pray for the Ephesians in light of all this? How might you pray for yourself, for others, for your church, in those inevitable seasons of the Christian life, when you feel a little bit weak, a little bit weary, a little bit underwhelmed, when you’re asking yourself, is this it? Well, I think Ephesians 3, 14 to 21 provides some glorious prayer points for us. And so firstly, we’ll see in today’s passage a prayer for the power of the Spirit, a prayer for the power of the Spirit.

In our verses today, Paul is continuing in much the same way that he started the letter to the Ephesians, with language that is rich in praise and worship. Have a look down at verse 14. For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you of power through his spirit in your inner being. It’s two wonderful truths captured about God in those first verses. This is the sovereign God of the universe, the one over all things in heaven and on earth, and yet he is the father of us all.

We are his family on earth, the ones who bear his name. And if you’re about to pray the prayer that Paul is about to pray, you could not ask for a better sort of God to pray it to. In fact, there is no other sort of God that you could pray this prayer to.

And the first part of it is this, I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. In light of their circumstances, in light of how they must have been feeling, Paul prays that the church would have strength, that they would have power. And power comes up again and again in the letter of Ephesians and three times in our passage today, verse 16, verse 18, verse 20.

So it’s important to understand what this power is. When we think of power, there’s probably a few things we would tend to think of, perhaps physical strength and endurance, a weightlifter is powerful, maybe wealth and resources, a big company can be powerful, maybe position and influence, a political leader might wield great power. But this is not a prayer for any of those things.

Maybe that’s obvious to the spiritually minded among us. Of course, this isn’t going to be a prayer for core strength, for cash or kudos. But when we consider what it would be like for us to experience the power of God more in our lives than in our churches, I think there’s still a very real risk that we go off in the wrong sort of directions.

For the deflated, weak, and world-weary Ephesian Christians, it’s not hard to imagine, though I’m speculating a little bit, that when they thought about being strengthened with power, they might well have yearned for the extraordinary miracles that God did through Paul in their presence. The glory days of Acts 19, when we read that the sick were cured by touching Paul’s handkerchief, when many came to faith, when Jews and Gentiles alike recognised and feared the power of Jesus, when even evil spirits knew the name of Paul. Surely, they might have reminisced, surely that was a bit more like it.

Surely that’s what the Christian life is supposed to feel a bit more like. Surely that’s the power and the glory of the gospel at work. What about us today? What sort of power would we like to see more of? What sort of power do we think we’re maybe missing out on at times? I think often if we’re feeling underwhelmed with the Christian life, the power we hope to experience looks like more impressive ministries, impressive people doing impressive acts of faith in the church, bigger numbers coming through the doors for high-octane church services, more excitement, more buzz around the place.

Isn’t that what we’d like a bit more of? But Paul here doesn’t return for, pray for a return rather, to the glory days of outward power to reassure the believers that they’re on the right track. He prays for an inner power that comes through the Holy Spirit, verse 16. What does this inner power look like though? What does it achieve? It’s all well and good to say, let’s pray for some sort of inner power.

To what end? I think verse 17 gives us the answer. This power from the Holy Spirit is so that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith. I don’t think that’s a separate prayer point from Paul.

I don’t think he’s tacking another prayer point onto the end of this. That’s precisely what any sort of inner strengthening as Christians is going to look like. Christ’s presence in our lives.

And this is the important message to those believers asking themselves, is this it? Have we got it all wrong? Should we be looking elsewhere? The true glorious riches of the Christian life do not ultimately lie in some sort of outwardly impressive experiences or accomplishments, but rather in the wonderful gospel truth that the Son of God lives in your heart. But still, what is Paul’s prayer point exactly? How does this actually help us? After all, isn’t that already true if we’re Christians? And yes, wonderfully, if you are a Christian here today, that is true of you. Christ absolutely does dwell in your heart.

So I think one element of Paul’s prayer is that we would realise this, that the powerful work of the Spirit would help us to realise and to know that. So much of the letter of Ephesians is about pulling back the curtain, reminding us of glorious, often unseen realities, that the God of the universe is powerfully working out his purposes in his church through his people. In chapter one, as Colin read earlier, Paul prays in words which are quite parallel to this passage.

You can flick over the page and look at chapter one, verse 17. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

We need the power of the Spirit to help us know, to know better, the powerful work that God is doing for us. And there aren’t many more stunning things to be reminded of, to know, than the truth that Christ lives in your heart. And that idea, that phrase, Christ lives in your heart, let’s be clear, that’s not some sort of woolly sentimentality fit for the end of a Disney film.

It is a real and rich blessing of the gospel, that through believing in Christ, through his death on the cross for you, you are united to him in a new and transformed life. Galatians 2.20 says, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

We regularly experience the difficulties and demands of everyday life, work, the world, even church and ministry, and that can fill our hearts and our minds and lead us to feel wearied, dissatisfied. Is this all there is to it? We regularly face the disappointments and despairs of sins and sufferings, and they can cause us to feel frustrated. Is this really the Christian life? So we need a power that does not come from us to draw our eyes back to God, to Jesus, to the powerful work happening within his people, happening within you.

(15:22 – 16:16)

And perhaps a second dimension to this prayer is that Christ would increasingly occupy our hearts so that what is already true of us would be increasingly true of us. At its core, you could say that this prayer for power is a prayer for Christian maturity. If you’re going to be strengthened by the indwelling of Christ, it means having him rule over our hearts and our minds instead of all the other things that can preoccupy us.

It means having him shape our thoughts and our outlooks and our desires instead of our sinful and self-serving impulses. It looks like him powerfully working to make us more Christ-centred, shaping us to be more like him. There is powerful work being done in you as individuals and as his church, despite all of the ordinariness, the feebleness, the frustrations.

(16:17 – 16:32)

And so pray that God would continue to do it and that we would realise it all the more. So there’s a prayer here for the power of the Spirit. And secondly, we’ll see a prayer for the love of Christ, a prayer for the love of Christ.

(16:33 – 17:05)

Paul continues in the second half of verse 17, and I pray that you being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the Lord’s holy people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Well, one thing to notice here briefly is that this is a corporate prayer, one that should be prayed, verse 18, together with all the Lord’s holy people.

(17:06 – 17:31)

All this stuff about inner power, Christ dwelling in our hearts, it can feel very individualistic, seems to be all about me and God. And there’s of course a personal dimension to this, but it is bigger than that. This is a prayer for the church together.

This is a prayer that collectively you would know these things. And so it’s a prayer that we should pray together. It’s a prayer that we should pray for one another and strive after together.

(17:33 – 18:57)

And a second thing to notice in those verses that we’ve just read is love, love, which just like power appears again and again in the letter of Ephesians and three times in these verses. And the two are evidently linked, intertwined here. What does it look like for God to work powerfully within his people? Well, you could say it looks like love.

If Christ is dwelling in our hearts, then inwardly and outwardly we will be rooted and established in love as his church, verse 17. But notice that the central thrust of this prayer as we look to verse 18 is that this inner power comes from the Spirit will help us to grasp the width, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ for us. That’s a wonderful, though maybe I think a little bit surprising prayer, isn’t it? I think it’s surprising firstly because when we are feeling a little low, when our faith feels a bit flat, I think it’s much more natural for us to think maybe we need to love God more.

Maybe if we just had the sort of power, the inner strength to love him more, do a bit more for him, then maybe we’d experience a Christian life in a slightly better way than this, a slightly higher way. Or we wonder if maybe we just need him to love us more. Perhaps that’s why we don’t feel like we’re experiencing lots of blessing.

(18:58 – 21:24)

And if we had some sort of power to be a better Christian and then he loved us more as a result, well then maybe we’d experience something more than this. But not so here. This is a far greater and I think far more comforting prayer that you would know the unchanging, unfailing love that Christ has for you.

I think it’s a surprising prayer secondly because when we look at it, the prayer says that we need the power of God through the Holy Spirit, as we’ve seen in verse 16 and 17, to help us grasp the love of Christ. Verse 18, so great is this love and so meagre are we that we need some sort of divine power to help us get our heads around it. What sort of love is this? Well look at how it’s described, how wide and long and high and deep.

I’ve sometimes seen people do a thing where they say, you know, that the length is how long he’s loved us for, the depth is how deep his love goes for us. I’m not sure we need to do that. I think get for now that there are no suitable measurements for the love of Christ for us.

There is no limit that can be placed on it. There’s no boundary markers that mark its end point. We will never plumb its depths, we’ll never reach its heights, we’ll never run its length.

This is love in which you were chosen before the foundation of the world to be his sons and daughters, as we see in chapter one. This is love for which Jesus left behind his heavenly throne and was born into this world as a child, lived as a suffering servant. This is love which led him to bear your sin on the cross and die in your place.

This is love which led him to take upon himself the wrath of God that you deserved. This is love that means that though we were lost, wretched sinners, we can live eternally with God in perfect relationship. And that is a love which surpasses all knowledge.

That’s why you need to pray for divine power just to be able to grasp some more of it. And as we’ve already touched upon a little bit, there are so many things in life which can draw our eyes away from Christ and away from his love. We might look at our own lives and see repeated failures, sins, lack of progress, weakness, and think that we’re maybe just not very loved or we’re just not very lovable at all.

(21:25 – 22:22)

We get that he loves us on paper but we don’t seem to see a huge amount of evidence for that. Is there something I’m missing? We might look around and see a lack of obvious growth or fruit or excitement in our churches and think maybe his blessing isn’t there. Maybe his love just isn’t really there.

Did we go wrong somewhere along the way? And we don’t overcome those sorts of doubts and discouragements on our own. So we all need to pray for power to understand his love for us all the more, to recognise his love at work, to build our lives upon his love. So is this it? Is there more to the Christian life than this? Well there is more of him to know.

There’s always more of his love to understand, to dwell upon, to dive deeper into. There’s always more of his love which upholds us and sustains us and keeps us to the end. And we will never grasp it all in this life.

(22:22 – 23:46)

We’ll never stop grasping more of it in the next. So pray that he would grant us his power to keep growing in the knowledge of his love. And if as you sit here today you do not know this love, you’re not really sure what I’m talking about, or maybe you’ve heard about it many times but you’ve never experienced this love for yourself, well then know that the wonderful message of the Christian gospel is that you can.

By coming to Jesus, by bringing your sins before him, by trusting in his sacrifice for you, you can experience this love which surpasses all knowledge. And surely that’s too big a claim just to ignore and walk away from. Surely that’s too divine a prospect not just to pursue a little bit further.

So come to Jesus today, come and see and know the love that he has for you. Well we see the final outcome if you like of this prayer at the end of verse 19. That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

That’s also quite a prayer. Matthew Henry describes it as a prayer that we would not dare pray if Paul hadn’t prayed it here first. I don’t think it’s easy to precisely define and put a nice pithy phrase on the fullness of God.

(23:47 – 27:24)

I’m not sure we need to put too fine a definition on it for now. But in essence see that in this context at least to be filled with the fullness of God involves being filled with Christ and filled with his love. And what better prayer could there be for the disappointed and the dissatisfied among us, for the weak and the weary, the discouraged and the doubtful, than to be filled with the fullness of God.

To know the indwelling of Christ and to know the unfathomable love that Christ has for us. Maybe that all just feels a little bit far-fetched for you today. Maybe that feels just too big a prayer to be practical and worth praying.

Well thirdly and very very briefly we’ll see that this is a prayer for the glory of God. A prayer for the glory of God. Why should we have confidence in this prayer? Well let me again very briefly suggest two reasons from verses 20 and 21.

Firstly because it’s a prayer for God to be glorified through his church. Verse 21. This is not ultimately a prayer for you to experience some sort of fuzzy feelings.

This is not simply a prayer that you would have a warm glow when you read your Bible in the morning. This is a prayer that God would work powerfully in his church for his glory. That he would continue the work that he is already doing within us.

Verse 20. Forming us into the people that he has saved us to be. Making us more like Christ.

Filling us with his fullness so that his name would be glorified in his church. This is not some prayer that God is reluctant to answer. It’s a work that he’s already doing for you for his glory.

And secondly we can have confidence in this prayer because he is a glorious God. Whose verse 20 tells us can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. And we could rightly spend a whole lot of time just on that phrase.

It’s a great phrase. But get for now that this prayer is just not too big. It’s not too lofty for our glorious God.

So in those inevitable seasons of life when you look at yourself, when you look at others, when you look at your church and you think is this it? We’ll come before our glorious God in confidence and pray that Christ would fill our hearts and that we would know all the more the love of Christ for us. Let’s pray. Father thank you for your love Lord and thank you for the love that Christ has for us as individuals and as his church.

And Lord we pray that in all seasons of the Christian life at all points along our walk that we would be constantly growing in the love and the knowledge of the love of Christ for us. And that that love would work itself out in our lives and in our churches that we would be rooted and established in love, that we would be marked by love, that we would mirror the love of Christ. And father we pray that in those moments when we are feeling underwhelmed and dissatisfied and disappointed that we would turn our eyes away from the world and turn our eyes towards you, towards your son.

Father we pray that we would pray this prayer collectively as your church here on earth and that Lord that you would continue to do the powerful work that you are doing within us. Amen.

The post Knowing the Love of Christ – Ephesians 3V14–21 appeared first on Greenview Church.

(0:26 – 0:41)

Jesus said, feed my lambs. Again, Jesus said, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He answered, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said, take care of my sheep.

(0:43 – 1:11)

The third time he said to him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me? He said, Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted.

(1:12 – 1:29)

But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, follow me.

(1:30 – 2:03)

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. This was the one who would lean back against Jesus at the supper and had said, Lord, who is going to betray you? When Peter saw him, he asked, Lord, what about him? Jesus answered, if I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me. Because of this, the rumour spread among the believers that this disciple would not die.

(2:04 – 2:22)

But Jesus did not say that he would not die. He only said, if I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

(2:24 – 2:39)

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. This is God’s word.

(2:43 – 2:59)

I don’t know if any of you watch Race Around the World. It’s a, well, it’s just what it sounds like. So it’s a race where pairs of people travel around countries and continents in a dash towards a finish line.

(3:00 – 3:16)

And usually the finish line is something quite dramatic and spectacular. It might be something like a hillside with a really spectacular view. They always make the ending a high point to finish on.

(3:17 – 3:26)

Well, here we are in John’s gospel. We’ve come to the end. I don’t think we’ve been racing through it.

(3:26 – 3:40)

I would say we’ve been going fairly slowly over these 16 months. But we’ve certainly been travelling through these 21 chapters of John. And we’ve come an awfully long way in this time.

(3:41 – 3:58)

We started with a magnificent opening, a disclosure of who Jesus is. And John, he’s been our travel companion. John has then guided us through many miracles and teaching and all sorts of incidents.

(3:59 – 4:21)

He’s even guided us past a cruel cross and an empty tomb. And now finally, we come to the finish line of John. And where does it finish? How does it finish? It finishes on a beach with a breakfast.

(4:23 – 4:49)

It finishes with a few disciples then walking up the beach with Jesus. It doesn’t look like a spectacular ending, does it? Not to a gospel that started with a cosmic opening. And yet, if we take the time to examine it more closely, we will see that it’s the absolutely perfect ending to this gospel.

(4:50 – 5:17)

It sums up the message of John and it shows us where things should go from here. And it’s full of deep challenge and it’s full of enormous encouragement. Whether you are a longtime follower of Jesus, whether you’ve been stumbling along and you feel as if you’ve been failing and like Peter, you’ve been messing it up.

(5:18 – 5:41)

Or whether you’re someone who’s just started the journey or even considering starting it, there’s something here this morning for you. So from this passage, there’s going to be three facts about Jesus that can encourage us. And incidentally, this is a bad sermon insofar as it’s going to have a huge first point.

(5:42 – 5:56)

It’s going to have a pretty small second point, and it’s going to have a tiny third point, but it’s just the way I want to do it. So number one, Jesus is gracious. He restores the failure.

(5:58 – 6:08)

We’re beside the Sea of Galilee. It’s a matter of weeks since Jesus has risen from the dead. Jesus has appeared on the shore.

(6:09 – 6:28)

The disciples had been fishing, and a miraculous catch has then been followed by a breakfast. A breakfast cooked and served by Jesus. And all of this is happening, verse 9, beside a fire of burning coals.

(6:29 – 7:00)

In other translations, you might have it rendering it a charcoal fire. And that detail is almost certainly significant, because there’s only one other place in John’s gospel, one other place where a charcoal fire is mentioned, and that is in chapter 18, when Peter was standing beside a charcoal fire. Jesus was on trial, you remember, in the house.

(7:01 – 7:06)

He’s on trial for his life. Peter is standing outside. He’s warming his hands at a fire.

(7:07 – 7:29)

And it was there that for the third time, he denied that he knew Jesus. Peter disassociated himself from Jesus beside a fire. It’s impossible not to think that this would have entered Peter’s mind as he sits and eats his fish with Jesus across the fire.

(7:30 – 7:41)

And it’s certainly on Jesus’ mind. Jesus is going to have this awkward conversation with Peter. And he’s going to have it publicly.

(7:43 – 8:17)

The they of verse 15, when they had finished eating, is a plural they, which implies that the six other disciples, remember there’s seven of them, are still hanging around when Jesus begins this conversation. Back in chapter 13, Peter had boasted publicly before these disciples that he would die for Jesus. The Peter who had publicly boasted is now publicly confronted.

(8:20 – 8:46)

And it sounds a little ominous to begin with, when Jesus singles him out and calls him Simon, son of John. You might remember that Jesus had renamed Simon, son of John as Peter, which means rock. And so he was often called Peter or in the gospel sometimes Simon Peter.

(8:48 – 9:08)

But here, Peter is dropped because Peter hasn’t been acting very rock-like. And this raises the question whether Simon, son of John will be restored again. And so what follows is a series of questions.

(9:09 – 9:24)

These questions from Jesus are simple, but they are probing. Notice that Jesus doesn’t ask Peter whether he’s committed. He doesn’t ask him whether he feels sorry.

(9:25 – 9:37)

He doesn’t ask him how much truth or theology he knows. No doubt these would have been perfectly good questions. But Jesus pinpoints the cause of Peter’s failure.

(9:38 – 10:03)

It’s the same root cause of every human failure. We might say that it’s all just a simple matter of either obedience or disobedience. But the underlying cause of our disobedience is that we do not love the Lord our God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength.

(10:04 – 10:22)

And that we also love other things more than we love God. Why had Peter denied Jesus? Because he loved his life more than he loved Jesus in that moment. He chooses his life over Jesus.

(10:25 – 10:52)

But notice that Jesus puts a particular point on this. He doesn’t just ask him whether he loves him, but do you love me more than these? I take it that Jesus is referring to the other disciples here. Do you love me more than these guys? And that makes sense if you know the rest of the gospel, because this is exactly what Peter had thought.

(10:52 – 11:35)

It wasn’t just that he thought that he would love Jesus to death, but that his love would surpass that of the other disciples who wouldn’t be willing to love him to that degree. It’s a silly sort of arrogance that we can easily fall into. When we ever think that there is something about us, something in our thinking or in our practise as a Christian, and usually we tend to focus on our strengths and ignore our weaknesses with this, but we somehow think there’s something about us that just puts us a few notches above your average ordinary Christian.

(11:35 – 11:52)

We’re a little bit above that for some reason. Peter thought he loved Jesus more, and that pride led to Peter’s fall. But notice that Peter answers humbly.

(11:53 – 12:14)

He begins, Lord, and then he answers, yes, yes, I love you. But he doesn’t say, yes, I love you more than these other fellows. He’s no longer stupid enough to say, I love you more than these.

(12:18 – 12:44)

Just a very quick aside, people sometimes use John chapter 21 as one of the passages of scripture to elevate Peter above all the other apostles and all of other Christians in history, the kind of primacy of Peter stuff. When in actual fact, the passage does the very opposite. Yes, we’ll see in a minute, Peter is given a very important role of shepherding.

(12:45 – 13:02)

But Peter comes to recognise he is not above the other disciples. That’s the whole point here of this conversation. Failure is a painful thing for each of us.

(13:03 – 13:22)

But when it leads, or if it leads to humility, it’s a good thing for us. So Peter kind of answers half the question. Do you love me more than these? Lord, you know that I love you.

(13:23 – 13:58)

And Jesus then responds, feed my lambs, which is the first hint that the failing Peter is going to become the shepherd Peter. I take it here that lambs are a picture of believers, converts, disciples, who like baby lambs need to be fed by their shepherd in order to survive. So John’s gospel, if you like the whole of John’s gospel sort of catching or bringing sheep into the fold, but if you’ve got sheep in the fold, you’ve got to feed them.

(13:59 – 14:13)

Peter’s got to take on that task of feeding them. So that sounds a little more encouraging, doesn’t it? Sounds like Jesus is on the way to restoring him. But then to Peter’s dismay, Jesus asks another question.

(14:14 – 14:42)

And it’s exactly the same question as before. Verse 16, Simon, son of John, do you love me? And Peter replies in exactly the same way. And Jesus then replies in a similar way, except this time he says, take care of my sheep, which suggests a broader set of responsibilities beyond the core task of feeding.

(14:43 – 15:28)

Feeding is going to be the main thing the shepherd does, but actually there’s other responsibilities of being a shepherd. And then verse 17, the third time Jesus said to him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? And we’re told that Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me? Now, I need to say something about a common way of reading this passage and a common way that we often hear it preached. And the interpretation says that what is really significant here is the words that Jesus uses for love.

(15:29 – 15:45)

This is hidden to us in English, you’re maybe looking down and saying, well, it’s just love, love, love, love. But in the original language that’s written in Greek, there’s actually different words for love. And there are different words, two words actually, that Peter and Jesus are using as they go back and forth here.

(15:46 – 16:00)

So one word is agape. Agape means something like selfless, sacrificial, loyal love. It’s a choosing to sacrificially love someone.

(16:02 – 16:13)

People sometimes say that it’s a divine love, or it’s a love that only God has. But actually this word is used much more broadly in the New Testament. It’s used also negatively.

(16:13 – 16:28)

For example, it said that Demas loved, and the word there is agape. He agape’d this world in such a way that he chose it as his new loyalty. And he sacrificially loved it.

(16:29 – 16:42)

So there’s that word here. And then there’s a second word that’s used, and it’s the word philio. And philio means something like brotherly love, or the love of a friend.

(16:42 – 16:49)

You know, Philadelphia, you know, the city of brotherly love. It carries over even today. And this is a crucial point.

(16:49 – 17:00)

Sometimes people will say that agape is a higher form of love. So it’s up here. And then philio, brotherly love, is a kind of lower earthly sort of love.

(17:03 – 17:22)

And so if you follow that logic, the conversation goes like this. The first time around, Jesus says to Peter, do you agape me? Do you love me with a loyal love? And Peter can’t reply that he loves Jesus with a loyal love. And so he says, Lord, I philio you.

(17:23 – 17:34)

I love you like a brother. And then the second time, Jesus says, Peter, do you agape me? And again, Peter says, not quite, Lord. I philio you.

(17:34 – 17:59)

I love you as a brother. And then the third time, something different happens in the Greek text. Jesus asked Peter, Peter, do you philio me? Do you love me with a brotherly love? It’s almost like he graciously comes down to Peter’s level and says, well, if you can’t love me this much, then maybe you’ll love me this much.

(18:03 – 18:14)

It’s really curious that the word does change here. It’s appealing. It’s very preachable, but I must say I’m a little cautious about it.

(18:16 – 18:27)

It’s not that I think that there aren’t slightly different meanings to agape and philio. They do mean slightly different things. But I don’t think it’s the case that agape is up here and philio is way down here.

(18:29 – 19:19)

In John’s gospel, God the Father is said to love the Son both with an agape love, John 3, and with a philio love, John 5. In John 5, it says the Father loves, he philios the Son with a brotherly love, and he shows him all that he does. We wouldn’t say, would we, that God the Father has a higher love for Jesus and a lesser love for Jesus, right? But he loves him in both ways. Similarly, you know the phrase we meet in John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the disciple whom Jesus loved? Sometimes the text says the disciple he loved with agape love, and other times it says the disciple Jesus loved with brotherly love, philio love.

(19:20 – 19:30)

Jesus loved him with both sorts of love. He was sacrificial in his loyalty to John. He had brotherly affection for him.

(19:31 – 19:56)

And so I don’t think the big point of this passage is that Jesus is graciously lowering the standard of the love he’s asking of Peter. Notice in the text that Peter is not comforted by Jesus’ third question. Peter doesn’t kind of have a big sigh of relief and go, oh, thank goodness, Lord, finally, you’ve used the word philio.

(19:57 – 20:14)

That’s great, I can meet the standard of brotherly love. What is emphasised is not the terms, but the times. Verse 17, Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time.

(20:16 – 20:38)

This surely is a painful reminder that Peter had failed to love Jesus three times over. And it gives us a universal principle that we all need to recognise. That for Jesus to graciously restore us, he needs to, first of all, make us face up to our sin.

(20:40 – 20:48)

I mean, Jesus knows all about it anyway. Jesus knows everything, as Peter himself says. Jesus, you know my heart.

(20:48 – 21:05)

You know what love is there and what love isn’t there. Peter’s the one that needs to see how lacking his love for Jesus has been. Yes, Peter loves Jesus, but it’s a faltering and failing love.

(21:06 – 21:28)

And yet Jesus responds again, feed my sheep. I think by this point, it is clear that Jesus has forgiven Peter, not only because he stops asking him, there’s not a fourth question, but because he gives Peter an important role. And this is all done publicly before the other disciples.

(21:29 – 22:00)

See, we might think at first that Jesus doing this publicly is to shame Peter, and I’m sure he did feel ashamed, but it also had the effect of publicly restoring him so that no one could question the fact that Jesus and Peter were on good terms again. How gracious Jesus was and how gracious Jesus is. And because he is that gracious, we can therefore trust him and we can follow him, which brings us to the next section.

(22:00 – 22:11)

Jesus is calling. Secondly, Jesus is calling, he determines our path. You see at the end of verse 18, Jesus says to Peter, follow me.

(22:13 – 22:32)

I suppose that could be a simple invitation to kind of follow him up the beach, because evidently that’s what happens. They go for a walk, as we see in the context. But in the context of what surrounds it, I think there has to be a deeper meaning in the passage and in the whole of John.

(22:33 – 22:46)

It’s interesting that in chapter one of John, we don’t have time to look at this this morning, but two things are emphasised in John one. Jesus is gracious. Three times we’re told that Jesus is full of grace in John one.

(22:47 – 22:57)

And there’s a call of discipleship. John one ends with Jesus calling disciples to follow him. So there’s Jesus is gracious, disciples are called.

(22:57 – 23:17)

And it’s the same two things when we get to the end of John’s gospel. Now, right at the end, Peter, whose name has returned in the text, is commanded to follow again. He’s to follow Jesus and to express his loyal love and his brotherly affection for Christ.

(23:17 – 23:39)

And how is he to do this? Not only by shepherding the sheep, but supremely, verse 18, by dying for Jesus. When he gets older and weaker, he will be dressed by others. He will be led somewhere he won’t want to go, and his hands will be stretched out.

(23:41 – 23:59)

It’s a bit of a foggy prediction of the future, but thankfully, John clears it up for us. Jesus was predicting the kind of death that Peter would die. And it sounds like crucifixion, doesn’t it? Stretching out of the hands.

(24:02 – 24:21)

The Peter who had denied Jesus would one day die for him in loyalty and brotherly love. This is the path determined for Peter, and it is the path by which he will glorify God. He will glorify God by his death.

(24:22 – 24:38)

And just something worth noting, as we pray for the persecuted church, and as we think about Christian martyrs, it is not a tragedy when a Christian dies for Christ. It is a horrible thing. It is an unjust thing.

(24:38 – 24:58)

It is something to be sorrowed, but it is also a glorification of God that draws people to Christ in many circumstances. What a bombshell this must have been. And Peter’s response is very relatable.

(24:59 – 25:16)

He swivels his head and he notices that the disciple whom Jesus loved is walking behind them. They’ve evidently left the fire. Peter and Jesus are walking down the beach, and John, I don’t know what he’s doing exactly, but he’s kind of a few steps behind.

(25:17 – 25:50)

And Peter asks, what about him? I assume he’s asking, will he die in the same way as me? And Jesus says, essentially, that’s none of your business. If I want him to remain alive until I return, then what’s that to you? You must follow me regardless. Jesus wasn’t saying that John would never die.

(25:51 – 26:07)

Some people apparently later took it that way. He was only saying that if he wanted him to remain alive until he returned, then he was sovereign over that decision, not John, not Peter. Obviously, these are unique individuals.

(26:09 – 26:27)

Peter and John have unique roles in the history of the church. Yet I don’t think it’s wrong to see that the essence of this remains true. The Christians follow the same Jesus, but Jesus determines the particular path for each of us.

(26:29 – 26:49)

John’s path was not the same as Peter’s. Peter grew older, and then he died on a cross. John grew very old, and he grew old enough to write a very mature gospel and to glorify God in what he wrote down.

(26:49 – 27:17)

He had a relative peace which allowed him to glorify God in this way. We follow the same Jesus, but we walk the path that his providence lays down to us. That’s why we always need to catch ourselves when we spend our Christian lives looking sideways at the lanes of other Christians, the paths of other Christians.

(27:18 – 27:30)

That is nothing but a recipe for arrogance or envy. God puts you where he wants to put you. God gives you what he wants to give you.

(27:31 – 28:00)

Jesus does through you what he wants to do through you, and it doesn’t matter how it compares to brother A or sister B. I mean, these were both perfectly good paths, and Jesus chose them for them. Peter accepted his assignment, and so did John. In verse 24, I think John is telling us that he’s made the most of the path Jesus had given him.

(28:00 – 28:21)

He couldn’t glorify God as a martyr, but he has glorified God by writing this gospel. This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. I think here John finally emerges from the shadows, and he’s saying, I’m the guy.

(28:21 – 28:30)

I’m the guy who wrote this gospel. The disciple whom Jesus loved is the guy who is the author. This is my testimony.

(28:31 – 28:46)

This is my written account. And then he adds, curiously, he adds, we know that his testimony is true. It’s a shift from my to we.

(28:47 – 29:01)

Some people think it’s a kind of royal we, but more likely, there’s probably some kind of circle around John at this point. Maybe he’s speculating a little bit. Maybe his fellow elders at Ephesus or something like that.

(29:02 – 29:22)

And it seems that there are others who are now picking up the pen at the very end of his gospel saying, yes, this guy, John, he’s the real deal. What he is testifying, we agree, is true. And with that, it looks like the gospel’s done.

(29:23 – 29:42)

The loose ends have been tied up, and yet it would be a wrong note to finish on. It is always the wrong note to finish on the servants, not the master. It is always the wrong note to finish on the disciples, not the teacher.

(29:43 – 29:55)

And so in very brief fashion, John ends by heralding that Jesus is great. He started his gospel by saying that Jesus is great. He did it at length.

(29:56 – 30:26)

And now in a single sentence, he ends the same way. He says, Jesus is so great that he cannot be contained in what is written about him. That’s quite a thing to say at the end of your gospel, isn’t it? John, I mean, I’m assuming John has spent a lifetime preparing to write this weighty account, his personal account of Jesus’ life and death.

(30:28 – 30:46)

This gospel is in some people’s estimation the finest account of the life of Jesus. It is a divinely inspired and authoritative account. And yet, even so, John says, this isn’t even the half of it.

(30:48 – 30:59)

It isn’t even the half. Jesus did many other things as well. What I’ve told you is only part of a much bigger picture.

(31:02 – 31:17)

Many other books could be written about him. I suppose John muses that if everything about Jesus were written down, then all the libraries in the world wouldn’t have enough books to contain him. I walked past Pollock Shaw’s library this morning.

(31:17 – 31:30)

I was just thinking about it. I go in there sometimes and it’s got all these sections. You know, it’s mostly crime, graphic, comics for teenagers, stuff like that.

(31:32 – 32:17)

You would have, think about this, you would have to clear out all the sections of the entire library and fill every single section with books about Jesus. And John says, there still wouldn’t be enough room for all the books that you’d need to write. Because how do you possibly contain the giver of life in books? How do you fully capture the word became flesh? How do you sum up the fulfilment of every promise and every shadow of the Old Testament? Jesus is the bread of life, the all satisfying water, the new temple, the Passover lamb who was slain.

(32:18 – 32:37)

He is the risen conquering Christ, and yet he is forever the gracious one who invites sinners like you and me to breakfast. Incomprehensibly great, but so very gracious.

(32:41 – 33:17)

Do you believe in him? Have you gracious been restored to him? Do you know your sin? Do you know your sins have been forgiven? Some of us have been walking the road for a while, like Peter. And we think we’ve put ourselves in a place that we’re beyond his redemption. We are wrong.

(33:18 – 33:39)

If we think that, we have not understood the heart of Christ. Are you following him? We are called this morning to follow him afresh. As he calls us to glorify him, down the paths that he himself has determined.

(33:41 – 33:45)

What a wonderful thing. What a wonderful Jesus. What a wonderful call.

(33:47 – 33:52)

Let’s respond to it. Let’s respond to him. Let’s pray.

(34:02 – 34:29)

Father, we thank you for the incomprehensibly great Jesus. We thank you for the one who is God, who is truth, and yet he came full of grace and truth. We thank you that this gospel ends with the biggest failure in the gospel, being restored to life and service.

(34:31 – 34:49)

So give us hope today. Show us the gentle heart of Christ, and draw us afresh to faith, to love, and to following him. And it’s in his name we pray, amen.

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