Chapter 13a

vs 1 - 9

Just the other day I was having a discussion with a friend, an atheist. We were going over that well-worn territory “Either God is not all-powerful or He is not good”.

It’s a tired argument, but it doesn’t stop some people from trotting it out now and again. But here in Luke 13:1 – 9, Jesus makes a comment about just that.

Word has just reached Jesus and the Disciples about the latest atrocity committed by the Romans – Pilate has had a group of jews murdered as they sacrificed, their blood profaning the altar in as deep a way as can be imagined.

What is interesting here is that the disciples immediately seem to have begun speculating on what these people did to be so treated. And like my atheist friend, everything is seen in terms of God’s judgement. The attitude is similar to that seen in this cartoon:



The problem is that it assumes that everything that happens in this world must take place according to a program, a list of events that God has pre-ordained. That is what it means for God to be all-powerful, right?

Maybe. But then again, maybe not.

The paradox of predestination is that God’s ultimate aim was for people who would love Him. And for this to mean anything, those people need to have free will (after all, what good is love from something that is only following its program?).

But freedom is a risk, and what God is risking is that some people will abuse their freedom.

I can remember a youth group game which made this point quite graphically – half of a group of kids were handed rolled-up newspapers, and were told to form a circle around the other half, and they were given ten seconds to use their newspapers. Naturally, they used the newspapers to beat the living tar out of the other kids. Nobody told them to do that – they could have used the newspapers any way they liked! – but abuse was the natural reaction.

Humans do that. We’re selfish and violent, and it’s in our nature to ignore God and to hurt each other.

Jesus, typically, cuts through all the bull and keeps things very simple – Bad stuff happens. It’s not a judgement, it’s just stuff that’s part of living in a sinful world. And also typically Jesus, He sees through to the heart of the matter and points out that, just like all other bad things that happen, this should be seen by the people as a call to repentance.

He finishes with the parable of the tree – the tree has failed to bear fruit, and the owner wants it cut down – but the gardener says that he’ll give it one more year, and give it the absolute best treatment. Then if it still fails to bear fruit it will be cut down.

We are that tree, and we need to recognize that God’s patience will not last forever. We have a limited time to respond to Him.

Chapter 12e

vs 49 - 59

So we have this image of Jesus. I remember a song from Sunday School (actually, it’s sufficiently long ago that I can remember singing it but no more than the first line!) – “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild.”

Yeah, well, this “Gentle Jesus” is being so meek and mild that he describes what he has come to do as “to turn three against two, and two against three . . father against son, and son against father. . .”

Why is it someone who is so well known for being the good guy is saying something so seemingly harsh?

Well, it’s pretty simple. Jesus us making no bones about it; this world is completely and utterly broken, and He’s here to fix it. Not to fluff around. Sorry if that offends you but sometimes the truth does. Don’t like it? Get over it.

Let’s make it clear. It’s not like He delights in that sort of conflict. Far from it. In fact in some places in the Bible Jesus is in fact the influence who settles a conflict. But Jesus is above all else realistic, and if others might be fooled into thinking that everyone is going to hear Jesus’ message, slap their palm to their head and say “Of course! You’re right!”, Jesus is not. He knows that his message will be very unpopular in some quarters, and He’s telling His disciples to be ready.

This leads to one of those awkward questions – If we’re not facing opposition, could that mean we’re not doing anything useful for God?

Chapter 12d

vs 35 – 48

Many of my atheist friends find the concept of Jesus’ second coming one of the hardest parts of the Gospel to swallow – perhaps even harder than the concept of the very resurrection itself!

The idea that there is an end coming – within this age, perhaps even today! – is simply ridiculous to people who don’t understand Christ. Yet it is a keystone of the concept of the Gospel.

The idea that we don’t have forever, that one day Jesus will return (this time in Glory) is critical for several reasons.

1) It is a motivator. In the parable we read in Luke tonight, there are servants who are ready for the Master’s return. They continue to do his work and keep the house shipshape until he arrives. And when he gets back, the master does what is amazing within this culture – he waits on THEM and allows them to share the party!

In the same way, we can be motivated by knowledge of the Master’s return. We should be working to prepare, because we don’t know when He will be back. And we know that when He returns, we will share in our Master’s joy.

2) It is a comfort. Sometimes life gets hard, and keeping on with our work as Christians can get really burdensome. It’s good to know that this work doesn’t continue forever, and that there is an end.

3) It is a warning. As for the servants in the parable who DIDN’T pay heed to the warning of the Master’s return, well, it didn’t go well with them! And in the same way, we should pay heed lest we find ourselves goofing off when the Master gets back.

Sermon: 1 Cor 13 - 16

Good evening all!

As I will be preaching at Sanctuary tomorrow, there will be a sermon here instead of the usual blog. If you're a Sanctuary member, be warned that here there be spoilers!

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1 Cor 13-16: Love – the Crucial ingredient

Houston, we’ve had a problem . . . with the roster. It’s a fairly minor problem, and it’s one I can actually fix today. The problem is that we’ve missed a sermon on 1 Corinthians somewhere, and so we’re actually 2 chapters behind. No problem, because today I’ll simply speak on 4 chapters instead of 2!

(pray)

Picture this: You are a flight controller looking after a mission to the moon. A few hours ago your measured, organized life suddenly went to pot. Something has exploded on the spaceship, and you’ve made a disturbing discovery . .

(cue DVD)

The * figure of 45 hours represents the amount of breathing oxygen in the tanks. Most of the crew thought that this was the main problem.

In the same way, over the last few weeks we have seen how the * Corinthian church thought that the main issue was the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and therefore took any opportunity, fair or foul, to exercise those.

But * John Aaron’s realization was that although breathing oxygen was important, power was * more important – * Every system in the space craft ran on electricity, and without it the astronauts couldn’t breathe, communicate, operate equipment. In short, electricity under girded everything that the spacecraft and its crew did – and without it, the bald fact was that they would die.

In the same way, although the Holy Spirit’s * gifts are important to Christians, the critical factor in a Christian’s life, and even more so in a church’s life is * LOVE – without it, we may as well shut up shop now and distribute the funds amongst ourselves. Without love, evangelism is pointless. Without love, Social concern is nothing more than being nice. Without love, Kid’s clubs, youth groups and beach missions are a pointless waste of time and effort. Love is the * crucial ingredient to the Christian life, and without it, we are nothing. Although the passages we are examining today go on to other topics, I have given this talk the title “Love, the crucial ingredient,” because it is the starting point without which everything else is worthless.

1 Cor 13 is one of the best known chapters in the Bible. I believe most of us have heard it being abused many times. Did I say “Abused”? Yes, I did! It is abused every time you hear it read in isolation, without understanding the passages around it. This includes, I am sorry to say, nearly every time it’s read at a Christian’s wedding. It includes a plaque we used to hang in the toilet at home. It even includes a well-known printing of the Good News Bible – “The Greatest is Love”.

When you hear this passage read on its own, it sounds pretty nice. It * isn’t. When you read it all together and place this passage in its context, it’s * not romantic poetry – it’s a desperate last ditch effort to save a church from complete self-destruction!

The previous chapter has been discussing the use of Spiritual gifts in Corinth, which was anything but spiritual. People were seeing their spiritual worth in terms of the gifts they have been given, for example treating a person with Prophecy as if he was worth more than a lowly administrator. Paul sees this as unacceptable, and in the last chapter he strongly states that this attitude has to go.

But he can’t stop here. Let’s try an experiment – I command you * not to think of pink elephants!

Who here thought of a pink elephant straight away? Probably most of you. A common trap we fall in to is to spend a lot of our time focusing on where we don’t want to go.

But Paul is smarter than that. He recognizes that it’s not enough to tell people what not to do, they need to know what TO do. And so we * have his response:

* DON’T make Spiritual gifts your main yardstick. They are gifts, not markers of your standing before God.

* DO focus on love. Love is paramount, and is behind everything the Christian does.

But Paul goes further, and these famous words make much more impact on us when we remember the situation he speaks to.

Some people in the Corinthian church (and indeed, in churches today) measure themselves by speaking in tongues – but Paul points out that “If I * speak in the tongues of men and angels, but * have not love, I achieve * nothing more than annoying people with the racket, like fingernails down a blackboard or a guitar with one string out of tune.” My own version, of course!

Other people set great store on prophecy, wisdom or faith – again, this is visible in many churches today – but Paul says that “If I have the * gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a * faith that can move mountains, but have * not love, I * am worthless.”

Still others were relying on their generosity and concern for those less fortunate than themselves, or on their commitment – ouch, I think that’s the one where Paul has ME in his sights! But Paul dismisses this too: “If I * give all I possess to the poor and * surrender my body to the flames but * have not love, I * get nowhere!”

Do you get the point? It’s tempting to see these passages as attacking Charismatic Christians, but it’s not discriminating; it gets all of us! It’s a bit of a paradox – if you’re comparing yourself with another Christian or church on anything except love, you’re wrong! And if you’re comparing on love, well, you’re not really being loving anyway, so you’re still wrong!
But * what is love? It was difficult enough to define in Paul’s day, and back then they at least had four different words, so you knew roughly what he meant. Today, the word love can refer to your feelings or your actions, and can be used in so many ways - for example, “I love Holdens” means something different to “I love my daughters,” and different again to “I love Char Siu Beef with fried rice”. So rather than produce a long dictionary definition, Paul * gives some examples of love in action. As I go through this list, replace the word “Love” with your name, and ask yourself if what follows is a truthful statement.

* Love is Patient – meaning that it puts up with the actions and attitudes of other people for extended periods of time.

* Love is Kind – meaning that it does good things for others no matter what.

* Love does not Envy – meaning that it cares more about people than it does about what they own.

* Love does not Boast – meaning that it doesn’t seek to make itself seem important to other people.

* Love is not proud – meaning that it recognizes that in God’s eyes, it is no more and no less important than everyone else.

* Love is not rude – meaning that it chooses not to be offensive.

* Love is not self-seeking – meaning that it does not do what is right for itself and forget about everyone else.

* Love is not easily angered – This one is pretty self-explanatory.

* Love keeps no record of wrongs – meaning that it doesn’t remember what people have done or said to use against them later.

* Love does not delight in evil – meaning that it doesn’t find it funny or satisfying when someone gets what they deserve.

* Love rejoices in the truth – meaning that the facts of the matter are more important than whether or not it’s a great story.

* Love always protects – meaning that it puts itself in harms way for the sake of those weaker than itself.

* Love always trusts – meaning that even when others would say “he’s proved himself untrustworthy,” it gives another chance.

* Love always hopes – meaning that when everyone else gives up, love is still in there encouraging.

* Love always perseveres – meaning that it’s in it for the long haul.

* And here’s the ultimate test of love – LOVE NEVER FAILS.

How many of those statements were true? Two? Three? THIS is how we need to be measuring ourselves. And notice that it doesn’t say “is more patient than others,” it says “is patient.” Paul isn’t after us comparing ourselves to each other, he wants to see us thinking in absolute terms. Not “am I more loving than Brendan?”, simply “Am I loving?”

I wonder what impact it may have on us if we were to go through a “love checklist” every day? So we’re going to have homework. Now, I’m not going to check this, it’s between you and God, but it could be good to discuss it with someone you trust – perhaps your husband, your wife, your best friend or your mentor.

Paul then puts the previous issue of Spiritual gifts – especially the outwardly visible gifts of tongues and prophecy – into the context of love, because once we understand what love is, and can honestly say we have applied it to our lives, then issues like these become a lot easier to manage.

Now, for those who don’t know what we mean when we talk about tongues or prophecy, I think that it is useful to take a moment to define these and understand exactly what they mean.

When we talk about * speaking in tongues, there are two extreme ideas about what it may mean:
1) * One idea is that speaking in tongues is talking to God in an unknown language. Some suggest that the first verse of Chapter 13 hints that these are the languages spoken by angels, but at any rate they are not understood by the speaker or by those around the speaker.
2) * The other idea is that speaking in tongues refers to the miracle that occurred in the beginning of Acts, where people from many different language groups heard the Disciples speaking fluently in their own languages, despite the fact that these uneducated men had never learned these languages.

Chapter 14 seems to imply the first idea, but it certainly does not automatically rule out the second. Either way, this issue is a hot potato in the Church, and has led to bitter debate for many years. Unfortunately, over history, this issue has divided us and split us again and again. Even within our own church it has split us. It is common to hear Charismatic Christians say that if you don’t speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit isn’t living in you. On the other hand, more conservative Christians will counter by saying that the speaking in tongues heard in Charismatic churches is fake, something people do to make themselves seem spiritual.

Do you know what the tragedy of this is? It’s simple. If we truly took chapter 13 seriously, then THIS ISSUE WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM. I will say again, THIS ISSUE WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM.

The ENTIRE ISSUE is to be handled with love, BOTH WAYS. Say Harry speaks in tongues – fine. He is responsible for loving Sally, who does not. Equally, she is responsible for loving Harry! Of course, they may never come to complete agreement, but if they practice a humble, loving attitude, they won’t be comparing themselves with each other, and that means that this issue WILL NOT DIVIDE THEM. It is time we in the church, on both sides of this issue stopped being arrogant, proud and self seeking. BY THIS SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES – IF YOU HAVE LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHER. Red letters!

One thing is important to note – Paul accepts the value of tongues, and is quite clear that some find this gift of benefit. Verse 4 of chapter 14 tells us that speaking in tongues builds up the speaker. But whilst he does not devalue this gift, he points out that another gift, * Prophecy, is of value to everyone present.

When most people hear the word prophecy, they generally think of the * future. God has knowledge of the future, and if the situation demands it, he sometimes reveals it. But there is * more to prophecy than foretelling – much more.

Prophecy is * telling others what God has spoken to you. Again, there are different ideas of what this may mean. To some, it may * involve interpreting God’s word in the Bible and applying it to a certain situation. Other Christians say that it is * God directly giving a person a word of knowledge. Which is right? I believe both. I believe that at least once, God has spoken directly to my mind. But for me, he speaks more often through His revealed word, the Bible.

There is a subtle but important difference between the gift of teaching, and the gift of prophecy. Teaching gives people general principles that can always be applied; prophecy is about specific situations in which God speaks.

It’s also worth mentioning the difference between Prophecy and wisdom. Both are gifts listed in the Bible, and both are important. Wisdom uses human skill and intellect to process ideas through to a logical conclusion. Prophecy takes information from God, and uses that to get His perspective on a situation. Put another way, Wisdom answers the question “Will this work?” Prophecy answers the question “Is this what God wants?”. Which is more important? Like the wings of an aircraft – the one which isn’t there!

The Principle is simple. Paul says we are to eagerly desire God’s gifts, and when we ask God – remember, if we demand them, they’re not a gift – we should concentrate more on the gifts which benefit a greater number of people.

We are running out of time for this talk, so I won’t go into too much detail on chapter 15, which is about the resurrection. I will content myself with a simple, but profound statement.

Paul says that *the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was REAL, and it was PHYSICAL. If it is not, Paul says that Christianity itself is completely invalid! So don’t let anyone pull a snow job on you and say that the resurrection is “a story”, “a metaphor” or “a hoax”. Does it matter? You bet it does. Either it is true or it is false. If it is false, don’t bother being a Christian. But IT IS TRUE, and that means we have to respond to the greatest demonstration that God could give that He is who He says He is.

Chapter 16 is interesting and relevant to each of us as we try to get inside the mind of Paul, but we are now out of time, and I want to ensure that we focus on the main points of today. I encourage you to take the time to read this yourself.

As the band come up for the last song, I want us to finish by checking over today’s progression of ideas:

1) We should not compare Spiritual gifts (or anything else!) with other Christians.

2) Love is everything. Without love, we are useless.

3) In this context, Spiritual gifts (including tongues and prophecy) should be used to benefit the church.

4) The resurrection is real and non-negotiable.

Remember your homework – the Greatest is Love!

Chapter 12c

vs 22 – 34

Yesterday we looked at a passage which can (and should) give us all the willies. But there’s a different way to look at the issue of wealth and the Christian, and it’s found right here, in the next few verses.

After warning us that the time spent seeking after wealth will ultimately wind up pointless and futile, Jesus then changes tack. Instead, he demonstrates that seeking such things is also UNNECESSARY.

Worrying and fussing is futile. This we know. We learn that lesson time and time again as part of our lives. And yet, so easily do we fall back into such patterns!

Jesus says here, so clearly – the very flowers of the field are ‘clothed in splendour’, without their ever worrying or caring. We can’t out-give God!

Does this mean that we’re not to work for a living? Of course not. It’s all about where our attention is meant to be.

Growing up, the song “Seek ye first” was popular among Christians. In that song we learned verse 31 by heart. But there’s a catch – we also lost much of its impact. As the language drifted, the phrase “Seek ye first the kingdom of God/ And His righteousness/ And all these things shall be added unto you” became less and less understandable.

That’s why I appreciate the message version – “Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”

It’s all about where our attention is.

The irony of all this is that the topic on which I find it easiest to worry is my work for God! So this is something I really have to keep focused on. If I am to steep myself in God-reality, doing God’s work, surely I should be able to have faith in God’s ability and willingness to supply my needs!

Chapter 12b

vs 13 – 21

There are some stories you read in the Bible that are truly frightening. Sometimes it’s because there’s something horrendous happening. Other times – like this one – the fear is understated; but it’s definitely there.

In this story I fear because of something that lurks in the back of every human’s consciousness – the realization that some day, sooner or later, life as we understand it comes to an end.

Our hero is rich. There’s no hint that his wealth is in any way ill-gotten; we have no reason to believe he achieved wealth by any other means than hard work and diligence. Let’s be clear here – the fact that he is wealthy isn’t condemned.

But this man HAS spent his entire life working for the goods he’s accumulated. He is now at the point where if he builds larger barns, he can relax to some extent.

Then like all of us, he faces death.

We are forced to look at the question of whom will receive his money and goods now that he is dead.

And you know, we’re really looking at ourselves.

The horrible thing about death is that we can’t really imagine it. We can’t imagine what it is like to not be here. Mostly we try to avoid thinking about it; but we’re fooling nobody but ourselves.

Today Steve Jobs died. He’d amassed an incredible fortune; yet who has it now?

The reality is that we all must face this and come to terms with it. This is how it will be if we gather up things for ourselves but are not rich with God.

Chapter 12a

vs 1 – 12

If Jesus had been a mythical character, created by a particular group for their purposes, the Bible would show him being nice to his own people. And as I have written here before, the people he’d be most nice to would have been the Pharisees – all his teaching was in line with their ideas. In fact, Jesus was an extreme Pharisee – he taught that one should go over and above the rules that the Pharisees set.

So in some respects it’s remarkable that Jesus saves most of his snarkiest comments for those who are most like Him in their theology and attitudes!

And boy, doesn’t He ever let rip here!

The metaphor of yeast is particularly stinging to the Pharisees – Jesus is comparing them to something which, during the great festival of Passover, must be eliminated from the cooking! Something that is, in a sense, unclean. Incidentally, this is not the only time Jesus kicks the Pharisees right where it hurts; but it is a very strong rebuke to them.

At the end of Chapter 11 we saw a group of Pharisees muttering together how they could trick Jesus into saying something incriminating. At this stage, at least as far as Luke is concerned, they’re not yet discussing how they could kill Jesus. But He knows it’s not far away. To be blunt, He doesn’t need divine powers to figure this out; any person would be able to see that it’s only a matter of time. Outlining what is going to happen is Jesus’ way of saying that He aims to misbehave, and He won’t be stopping because the Pharisees are offended. Bluntly, it’s a declaration of war, aimed at those whose views are as close as possible to His own.

Jesus ensures His disciples know that they are loved and valued – the famous comparison with sparrows. “You are worth more than many sparrows,” He says.

But often that passage is taken out of context. Although it gets used this way, it’s not just a vague and general statement of the worth of humanity (though God certainly DOES value us!); Rather, it’s something Jesus reminds His people of just before He tells them of the bad situations they will face.

And those situations are indeed bad. He makes it very clear that there will be moments when they will have to stand up for Him, and it will be difficult (this is one test which we know the outcome of – Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, will fail this test; yet he won’t be rejected). Jesus also warns that when they are called upon to show themselves to be His, they MUST hold firm.

He finishes off with an encouraging word – His promise that the Holy Spirit will help them to know what to say during these times. This is a big thing for the disciples – remember, in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit comes on a person only for a brief period, and even then only particular people (like the King or the High Priest). What Jesus is promising is that they – ordinary folks that that they are – will be controlled by the Holy Spirit!

So, in wrapping up, what difference does this passage make?

We all hope it won’t happen – but face it, some Christians DO get called upon to make that big call of declaring themselves on pain of death. Usually this is in other countries, but there was the infamous incident at Columbine High School; When the two boys carrying guns walked into the school, shooting many, they selectively sought Christians and demanded that they declare themselves (and if they did, they’d often shoot them anyway).]

Would we have faced death?

I like to think that I’d be okay in that situation, but who knows?

We need to read this and understand that we too could be the ones in that situation. And just like his declaration of war on the Pharisees, so too Jesus today calls us to be at war with the world.

I’ll finish with a quote I once read:
“If being a Christian were a crime, would there be sufficient evidence for a conviction?”