Servanthood

THE TRUE MEASURE OF GREATNESS

We all aspire to greatness in one form or another. You may want to be a great mom, a great dad, a great friend (to be called someone’s “best” friend), or a great athlete, or a great employee/employer. What is it we value in “greatness”? If we could just be great at something we might be respected, admired, or thought well of in certain circles.

            I want to give you two pictures of greatness: one small and one (dare I say it?) great. First the small one…

Think of the greatest preacher in your opinion in the world today. Every time this person speaks you are spiritually fed and brought into the presence of God. That was Charles Simeon 180 years ago.

            Simeon was considered the greatest preacher of his time in the UK. How great was he? Six years after his death they collected his sermons in 21 hardbound volumes and they are still in print today. He pastored the Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge for close to 55 years. He preached to thousands of people. Simeon is credited with bringing evangelical Christianity back into the Church of England. He was a tremendous preacher, a tremendous leader, a tremendous scholar…the greatest of the great in his day.

            At the height of his career he became quite ill. He couldn’t preach for eight months. During those eight months, his associate by the name of Thomason, was given the job of preaching. Nobody had ever heard him preach so they didn’t expect much. But the congregation was shocked to discover he could preach. He could preach just as good as Simeon; some said even better.

            How do you think the great Charles Simeon felt when he heard that? Angry, bitter, jealous? “Here’s your transfer papers”? No, Simeon rejoiced. He told a friend, “Now I know why God has laid me aside, and I bless him for it.”

            Today I want to share with you this truth about greatness: Your path to greatness in the kingdom of God is discovered only in the humble servanthood of Christ Jesus our Lord. Now for the big picture of greatness (Mk 10:35-45)

1. Our Desire for Greatness

James and John approach Jesus with high ambitions. They TELL Jesus that they each want to sit on his left or right when Jesus enters his glory (est. his kingdom).

            I remember when I was a pastor chairing a meeting and a friend told me to beware of the board member who sits to my right. That one wants to influence my leadership (wants to replace you). The one on the left feigns support (the “yes” man), but also wants to influence you. So I usually had my wife sit at my right.

            To sit at Jesus’ right or left in the kingdom was to sit in a very special seat. For James and John it may have involved the subsequent desire for three things:

Preeminence – the honor from being elevated to a throne.

Proximity – they wanted to be close to Jesus in the kingdom.

Power – they craved great authority.

            What made them ask this of Jesus? Two things might have contributed to their ambitious desire for greatness. One, they presumed upon their family relationship with Jesus. James and John were actually first cousins of Jesus. And like most politicians then and now, a little nepotism is expected. Two, Jesus did promise that the Twelve would sit on thrones in the coming kingdom (Matt. 19:28). They were simply asking for a seating assignment ahead of time.

            Perhaps this is why Jesus does not rebuke them. He did tell them they would rule with him. But James and John’s preoccupation with position and power was untimely, for that which the disciples were seeking would not come in this life, but in the next. It was really bad timing. Jesus had just finished telling them that he was going to Jerusalem to be handed over, condemned and put to death (10:33-34). Were they not listening?

2. The Cost of Choosing Greatness

Rarely do we consider the cost of the greatness we fantasize about. I’m not talking about the actual studying to be a doctor, the training to be a professional athlete, or the financial cost of pursuing your dream. I’m talking about after you have attained the title, the level or the position. What we fail to take into account is that being a great ____ involves suffering.

            Jesus tells James and John, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” (38).

            What does Jesus mean by the cup and the baptism? Sharing a cup with Jesus? Why not? It would be a privilege in any court to drink from the king’s cup. Baptism? A little water doesn’t hurt anything. But the cup to which Jesus refers is very likely the cup of suffering God gives to rebellious Jerusalem in Isaiah 51. Or it may simply be the cup of suffering that Jesus symbolically drinks in dying for sins. Baptism then is a synonym for the cup. Together, the cup and the baptism represent Christ’s experience. What he asks James and John then is this, “I am about to be immersed in an experience you cannot imagine. Are you willing to go through this experience too?”

            This calling is the same for anyone who would follow after Jesus. He told the crowds, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

            Today, Christians want the miracles, the experiences with God, the answered prayers and so on, but they do not want the suffering that comes from following Jesus. In the gospel of Mark, the disciples are told three times that Jesus would suffer and die – and each time they tried to change his mind, failed to understand, or, in our text, argued over who would sit next to him. Blindness! But that is our problem too. When I read the dumb-headedness of the disciples in Mark, I discovered that they are us.

Interlude: Who is the Greatest?

At this moment, Mark recorded that the other ten heard what James and John wanted and were upset with them. If you look at Luke 22 you will find that the reason they were upset was that James and John had beat them to the punch. You see, Luke recorded that the Twelve had been in a heated discussion as to who of them was the greatest disciple.

            What a futile argument. Determining who is the “greatest” is a subjective enterprise. In 2004, a TV series explored who the greatest Canadians were in the last 150 years. Would you have picked Don Cherry as #7 overall?

            And choosing the greatest hockey player of all time? I would say Wayne Gretzky because of his points and records. But you might say Bobby Orr or Gordy Howe. It’s really quite subjective. Not everyone will agree.

            So who was the greatest disciple? Based on miracles performed? Based on proclaiming the gospel? Based on what? How can you compare yourself with another follower of Christ? How can you say that you don’t have the faith to do what they do? Only God can discern the depth of one’s faith.

3. Two Diverging Roads to Greatness

Jesus calls the disciples to himself and explains two views of greatness: how the world sees greatness, and how Jesus sees greatness.

a) The World – How does the world see greatness? Pretty much as a tool for selfish gain. Jesus said, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,” (42). Luke adds, “and those in authority over them are called benefactors,” (22:25b).

            Jesus points to the Gentile world and its rulers to paint a contrast. Those who rule in this world rise to the top by grabbing power and oppressing their opponents. The Gentile kings use their greatness; they let others know they have it; they flaunt it. Gentile kings do not simply lead; they dictate and dominate – they lord it over others.

            They justify their dominance by claiming to be “benefactors.” They think they are doers of good. In fact, however, they do their good deeds and then hold it over the people to justify their self-indulgence. “See,” they say, “I have built you a school.” What they mean is, “You owe me,” or “cut me some slack.”

b) The Way of the Cross – Jesus then reveals his path to greatness. Hint: it’s about others. He says emphatically, “BUT IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all,” (43-44).

            Jesus does not argue against greatness. He accepts that some men or women are great, even greater than others. The issue is not to downplay greatness, but to consider how greatness is used. Those who are truly great at what they do ought not to act like it, or to demand to be treated as great. They will not force others to serve them; they use their greatness as a platform to serve others.

            In short, Jesus taught his disciples that they should express greatness exactly the opposite way Gentiles do. They should live in an “upside-down” kingdom. What Jesus teaches the person who would follow him was nothing less than imitation of his own example. As the hymn in Philippians declares of Christ, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself be becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross,” (2:6-8).

            No one was or is greater than Jesus, the Son of God. Yet he used that greatness to serve, not to be served. He gave his life. That is true greatness wrapped in humility. That is not simply what he did; that is what he asks of us.

            When thinking about the servanthood of Jesus, the challenge to any believer is to follow his example. John Stott put it this way, “The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.”

You may say, “I’m not a leader. This does not apply to me.” True, you do not stand at a pulpit and speak, you do not manage a company, and you are the quiet one at meetings. But you do lead. Each of us leads in one way or another. Some lead by example; some by influence. You may be having an impact on someone in your family or social circle you know nothing about. By following Christ daily, you are salt and light, not by things you say or even do, but simply by being. You love Jesus and it radiates from your person.

There is a greatness in you that God has given you. Wrap it in humility and serve others with it.

If the world measures greatness by the ability to lead and to be served by others, Jesus taught us that what God really values is the heart of a servant. We have a hard time understanding this paradox. If the disciples argued about who deserved to sit in the best seat, we have done no better in the 21^st century as Christian leaders jockey for power and prominence in the church.

            And some TV preachers would have you think that greatness is believing in yourself and your potential. They say that you need to reach for your best life now. Jesus never said that. He did call on us to take up our cross and follow him. Where did he go? To serve humankind right to the point of death, a selfless sacrifice.

            How can we tell if we have the heart of a servant then? Jesus said, “You can tell what they are by what they do.”

- Real servants make themselves available to serve.

- Real servants pay attention to needs. John Wesley, an incredible servant of God, once said, "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the places you can, at all times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can." That is greatness. We can begin by looking for small tasks that no one else wants to do.
- Real servants do their best with what they have. You don’t have to be the best at anything before you can serve. It is better to serve with a fearful dependence on God than with so much self-confidence that you leave no room for the Holy Spirit to work.

- Real servants are dedicated to every task, big or small. The size of the task is not important; the only issue is, does it need to be done? Jesus was not so into himself that he avoided menial tasks. He washed feet, talked to children, fixed breakfast, and touched lepers. Nothing was beneath him. It was not in spite of his greatness that he did these things, but because of it.

- Real servants maintain a low profile. Servants do not wait for applause or recognition. We do not serve to impress people with our spirituality. We serve because Christ served us and gave his life as a ransom for our lives.

            Let us then endeavor to be like our Lord Jesus Christ and put on the apron of servanthood.

                                                                        AMEN

           

A Message to the Church

“NOW YOU ARE GOD’S PEOPLE…”

Where can you go to find the presence of God?

            In an average week of work and ritual, you perform your duties and go home. You face trials and difficult situations both at work and at home. On the one hand, you struggle through the politics and drama of work and co-workers. On the other hand, you come home and find more difficulty and more drama with your spouse or family. Or you find an empty apartment and the loneliness thereof. If this is you, you’re normal. But where is God in this daily grind?

            If you are a follower of Christ, your quest to find God entails attending church on Sunday. At the very least, you hope to be reminded of God’s presence in your life. But you come to church and find that the song choices don’t speak to you, the message is biblical and true but it doesn’t grab you, and no one really asks – not really – how you are doing. In fact, you might spend a couple of hours in church and never really connect with anyone. Yes, you need to put yourself out there, serve someone else, think of others – but some Sundays you don’t feel like doing that. Then there’s the drama and politics of church; you are already sick of drama and politics from your week and then you get it at church.

And you go home wondering, “Was God there today?” If this is you, you’re not alone, you’re normal.

I want you to know that God is here. But he is not in this wood and plaster building. He is not in the preaching and the music per se. He is not in the political garbage that seems to dog us wherever we go. He is not in the programs. Where is he? God is in you!

You are living stones. Where can God be found today? You know that God does not live in brick and mortar temples, yet we gather in these places as if they hold the key to divine presence. But let me assure of this: The True Church is a people saved by faith in Christ for the purpose of proclaiming God’s goodness to others.

1. We are Living Stones

The early Christians were sometimes accused of being atheists by their pagan neighbors. Because early Christians did not have temples to worship in, or priests or sacrifices, people thought that Christians were godless. They did not have any visible iconography to represent their faith or anything that folks associate with religion, thus the accusation of atheism.

            For Jews and Gentiles (pagan converts to Christ), there is a good chance that each felt there was something missing in their new faith. The Jewish Christian no longer went to the Temple. Formerly the Temple was everything. The Jew would look at the Temple and be assured of God’s presence. That’s where God could be found and worshiped. Now, as Christians, the Temple was just an empty building.

            Peter addresses this loss and speaks a better word to the Jews and Gentile Christians: You are living stones. What does this mean?

            Peter begins with THE Living Stone. “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men…” (4a). The verb here is a present participle, meaning that it should read “as you are coming to him.” So it does not refer to conversion (“came”) but to a steady advancement towards Christ through worship and prayer. As we learn to place greater worth on our Lord Jesus we come closer to knowing him; it’s an ongoing journey.

            Peter continues: as you are coming to him, the living stone, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ,” (5).

            We learn two very important truths about the nature of the church in this verse. The first is this: The individual Christian is likened to a living stone, a brick in the true temple of the living God. The church is not found on Woodhaven and Giesbrecht; the church is a living edifice made up of spiritual bricks. A brick by itself is useless unless it is incorporated into a building. So it is with you; you become the dwelling place of God, the place where he is worshiped when you come together in a home, at the park, or wherever.

            The second truth is that we are a holy priesthood in this spiritual temple. The priest in the old Jewish Temple system had access to God that others did not have and so represented others to God. He would bring them before God. Through Jesus Christ, a way has been made to God and is the privilege of every believer. The Latin word for priest is “pontifex” which means “bridge builder.” As priests we are the bridge for others to come to God.

That’s what ought to be happening Sunday morning and throughout the week – we ought to be the bridge to God for our fellow priests and for the seeker of God. We cannot go to a physical location and expect to find God; we find the presence of God in the midst of people who love Jesus. We all have that God-shaped void in our hearts and long to be filled with the Spirit. But often we are disappointed by cheap substitutes. People, you are the place where God is found.

2. We become Living Stones by Faith

Let’s return to the Living Stone (you may have noticed I skipped over v. 4 slightly). Jesus Christ is the living stone. He “was rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious…” (4b).

            Peter now repeats this phrase “chosen and precious” and supports this endearment with OT prophecy. The LORD said to Isaiah, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame,” (6; Is. 28:16).

            The “living stone” precious in the sight of the Father, is the cornerstone of the spiritual house of which we become a part. This new Temple is built on a solid foundation, one which we can build our lives on. Everything we hold to be true and just and right and good rests on Jesus Christ.

            Now you know that a cornerstone is a foundation stone against which everything is measured. It has perfect 90 degree angles so that walls going in either direction will be straight. The congregation of people who forget the person and nature of Jesus Christ, who he is as Savior and Lord, who he was in coming to serve, not to be served, ultimately forget who they are and cannot possibly represent Jesus. They are a temple in disrepair.

            We become living stones in the dwelling of God when we believe in Jesus Christ. To believe in Christ we must let go of our own works as a method of gaining significance or standing or importance or even salvation. I must not trust in myself or my abilities or gifts. I must completely rely on who Christ is and on what he did for me on the cross.

            That may make you stumble. This is why the “men” of v. 4 rejected him. The world sees Jesus as worthless. They did not value him as God did. People see Jesus as weak, letting himself be killed on a cross, a pathetic figure. “Loving your enemies” and showing compassion and mercy is weak.

            Peter quotes the OT again in this matter of unbelief: “…but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,’” (Ps. 118:22; Is. 8:14).

            C.S. Lewis in “Mere Christianity” said of Jesus, “He is the Sovereign Lord of the Universe. We either believe Him and make Him the foundation of our lives, or we reject Him and spend the rest of our lives falling over Him. There is no other alternative.”

            That’s the choice. To the common person, Jesus is weak and died in weakness. But to the person of faith, the weakness of Jesus is our salvation; it is the most amazing demonstration of power and love the world has ever witnessed. The cross and the resurrection bring these living stones together and hold us in a communion of fellowship unlike anything else humans can experience. That is the church of Jesus Christ.

3. Let these rocks cry out!!!

We are living stones; we are the temple of God; we are the place where people find the presence of God.

            Here’s why God built us into a spiritual house: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession…” (9a). It is interesting to note that Peter uses Jewish terminology to speak of the church. These are Israelite labels (“a chosen race” Is. 43:19-21) (read Ex. 19:5-7).

            Peter’s words show us a continuity between the OT and the NT. The privileged position of NT saints is spoken of in the same terms as in the OT. So the church of Christ is described in terms that are applied to Israel. Our calling then is by his grace and mercy. We have been brought into a relationship with him so that we may worship him and praise him.

            We are meant to grasp the grace in this chosenness, that we are what the Jews could have been if they had accepted the Messiah. But they failed to be what we are in Christ. What once applied to Israel applies to us.

            As Jesus was rejected, we feel along with him and he with us. At Home Depot, building supplies are carefully checked. A 2x4 that is warped is removed and thrown into a discard pile or room. Any imperfection or flaw makes a building product unsellable. We are warped 2x4s, and yet God chose us in Christ to build his dwelling place. To do what?

            “…that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy,” (9b-10).

            Here is the function of the Church:

To proclaim the excellencies of God

To BE the people of God

To represent the mercy of God

            Let’s focus on one aspect for now. That focus is being God’s possession. It is inherent in the Israelite applications: being a chosen race, being a “royal” priesthood (note the belonging of “royal”), a holy nation (Peter challenged his readers to be holy because God is holy, separate unto him alone), and a people for God’s own possession.

            Christians are a people for God to especially possess. It is a unique and wonderful privilege to belong to God. You know that the value of a thing lies in the fact that someone important has possessed it. Sharon and I visited the Buffalo Bill Cody Center of the West this May and viewed some common items. We saw a moth-eaten jacket, a few weathered household items, a piece of furniture – all of which would have been rejected by MCC Thrift Store had they been donated as is. BUT they belonged to Buffalo Bill, so they were worth something.

            This is how it is with us. The Christian may be a very ordinary person, but she requires a new value because she belongs to God. A young man may be rejected by others as of no account, not worth knowing, not worth dating. But if he belongs to God, his value soars – he is God’s possession.

            In that light, once we grasp how chosen and precious we are in the sight of God, we fulfill the other two functions of the church. We proclaim the excellencies of God and bear witness to the mercy of God in choosing us in the first place.

How does this sit with you?

Do you think that the presence of God has been found here this morning?

In the summer of 1805, a number of Indian chiefs and warriors met in council at Buffalo Creek, NY, to hear a presentation of the Christian message by Mr. Cram from the Boston Missionary Society. After the sermon, a response was given by Red Jacket, one of the leading chiefs. Among other things, the chief said, “Brother, we are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We are acquainted with them. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, make them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again of what you have said.” That seems reasonable.

The difference ought to be evident.

 A while ago I had a conversation with a couple who were just a few years younger than myself. They don’t worship at any fellowship hall or “church” if you will. They were tired of the attitudes of believers. They were tired of the politics in church. I could see the pain in their eyes, could hear it in their voice. They felt disappointed by the institutional church. But they loved Jesus and that was evident.

What was I to say? I was honest. I said, “A few years ago I would have argued with you to find a fellowship and stick with it…now I just want to encourage you to find others who love Jesus and build each other up.” I stunned him, but he thanked me.

I am not saying we should give up Sunday morning worship times. I know what it is to be hurt by the organized church as well, and I know what it is to be disappointed. I know the frustration of discontent in the church, and I am fed up with it.

 What I am saying is this: We are God’s people. And we ought to be mindful of that 24/7 and in every place we find ourselves. The church of Christ is more than buildings and policies and doctrines; the church is made up of living stones – people who love Jesus – and the world needs to find God in the midst of those people. Let us be that place where God dwells.

                                                AMEN

1Peter 1:13-23

Father's Day Message

THE PRODIGAL FATHER

We have all heard many sermons on this classic parable. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most well-known along with the Good Samaritan. Jesus’ purpose in telling this story was to teach the self-righteous Pharisees to show mercy to sinners who repent.

            What I would like to do this morning is to take this parable and focus primarily on the father. In conjunction with Father’s Day, I want to both honor and encourage fathers to love your children like the father in the parable.

            I am honestly impressed by the young fathers I see these days. Many of them dote on their toddlers, are involved in feeding and caring for them, and take an active role in parenting. It puts to me to shame.

            However, it is when the toddlers grow up that they begin to challenge that love and care. After you have done everything to provide a loving, nurturing, faith-based home that teaches the life of Jesus, some children still rebel. Maybe not in dramatic ways; maybe in poor decision-making; maybe by rejecting our faith. These are the moments that challenge our love for our children.

            Fathers and mothers, how are we to respond toward children who rebel? We know the human tendency is to shut them out. Our world believes in swift justice and allowing individuals to suffer the consequences of their actions. [On our holidays a few weeks ago, Sharon and I saw a young mother threaten to kill her ten-year-old son in the parking lot of a restaurant for ruining her birthday supper. He seemed to suffer from ADHD.] But is this how God loves us?

            We see a different reaction in this parable. Fathers, we can learn how to love our rebellious children from the example of the father in Jesus’ parable. This father teaches us how to demonstrate God’s love and forgiveness to our children.

            What does the parable teach us about loving fathers?

1. A loving father does not nurse the pain

You know the story of the prodigal son, but let’s look at the father’s perspective.

            The man in the parable had two sons. The younger one has had enough of the household rules and being bossed by his father and brother. He wants to be free. So he says to his father, “Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.”

            Jesus’ listeners would already be in shock at this point. A son does not ask for his inheritance when the father is still alive. The premise of this story in the Middle East is one of honor and shame. What the son does is shameful. It is also painful for the father in many ways.

            First, there is the pain of personal rejection. With the son asking for his inheritance he is basically saying to his father, “I wish you were dead.”

            The son also rejects his heritage. Inheritance is usually family land passed down from generation to generation; it’s supposed to stay in the family. When the son sells the land for cash he cuts ties with this ancestral home and heritage of faith. But not only does he cause his father pain, the community that makes up the estate also feel this pain. For the network of families that are part of this community feels the dishonor of the son’s actions.

            The father’s pain is further felt in the rejection of his values. We see this in the reckless manner in which the son spends his money. He cares nothing for the hard work that went into his fortune.

            The father feels the pain of humiliation because the event does not happen in secret. When the son sells the property, everyone knows about it. While the son is partying, the father has to bear the passive aggressive comments of the community who question his parenting skills. If only he had been more strict. He should have sent the son packing without any money or goods and told him to never return.

            But have you noticed how our heavenly Father operates? He gives good gifts to all his children, even those who don’t acknowledge him. It’s amazing. Matthew 5:45b says, “For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” Bill Gates probably thinks that he earned his billions, but God gave him the gift of innovation and the gift of wealth. Some have the gift of power and authority, but have no idea that God gifted these to them. Some have the gift of engineering but do not acknowledge the Engineer of the universe. No matter. God gives good gifts to his children. God is gracious to all.

            Our Heavenly Father does not hold a grudge like we do. He even blesses the rebel. So too does the father in the parable; he blesses his son even though he has every right to nurse his pain and reject the son.

2. A loving father is a merciful father

After a time of reckless living, the son is broke and starving. He devises a plan of action. He will go home to his father and say “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants,” (18-19).

            Please note that this is not repentance. In his hunger he realizes that the shame he has brought on his father is immense. Maybe, he thinks, I can pay my debt by working as a servant.

            Now note the father’s reaction:

            First, his father “saw him.” We get the sense that the father was on the balcony or rooftop of his house every day looking down the road to see if his son is coming. On the one hand, he knows that his son will fail. That’s guaranteed. On the other hand, he expects his son to show up one day.

            It is actually critical that he sees his son before the community does because they will not be merciful. There is a ceremony of cutting off called the kezazah in ancient Israel. When a boy shames his family the community holds a kezazah. If the boy returns without the money he took from his father, the community might kill him. So the father watches the road.

            So secondly, when the father saw him he “felt compassion.” Not wrath or malice, but mercy and tenderness. He sees his boy in rags, his bloodied feet, and dirty appearance and feels nothing but deep care for his son. The father didn’t harden his heart; he could have to protect himself. He could have said, “I could care less,” but instead said, “I couldn’t care more.” The father does not even take a whiff of the “piggy” smell and say, “Go clean yourself up before coming to me.”

            No, the third thing we note is that the father “ran.” The father takes his long robes in his hand and runs down the crowded street to welcome his pig-herder son. As he does so, he humiliates himself – gentlemen of a certain age and station do not run – he assumes the role of a servant and runs. The father runs knowing that in doing so he will deflect the attention of the community away from his son. He bares his legs, also inappropriate, and draws their focus.

            Finally, the father “embraced him and kissed him.” The son hasn’t said anything yet. He doesn’t even know if the boy is repentant. The father is simply overjoyed to see his son. Can you imagine doing that? Just delighting in your children even when they are not repentant? This father gushes out over his son, kisses his dirty neck (give your skin a lick and then add pig poop and travel dirt), and wraps him in his arms.

            Can you say “overwhelmed by grace”? The son is shocked by this outpouring of love.

3. A loving father is a prodigal father

Do you know what the term “prodigal” means? I once assumed it meant “lost” or “rebellious.” To be prodigal means to spend money or resources freely, recklessly, extravagantly, or even wastefully. It can mean “to give lavishly.”

            And not only is the son prodigal, we see that the father is prodigal in relation to his son. Note that the father does not demonstrate costly love in response to his son’s confession. Rather, his offer of grace is a prelude to the son’s remarks.

But the boy is overcome and he does not recite his whole speech. He only squeaks out the first part, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son,” (21). The father does not cut him off; the son realizes that his father has gone beyond expectation and that he really is unworthy to be called his son. Now he repents of his plan to save himself and lets the father find him.

This prodigal father goes on to display extravagant love to his son in two ways: One, he restores the wayward son by clothing him in the best robe. This visible symbol expresses the father’s restoration of his son to the community. The son wears his dad’s colors and everyone can see his status as son. He is also given a ring, the authority of the father, almost like a credit card or key to certain circles. And he gives his son shoes for his feet. From top to bottom the son is restored to sonship in a costly display of extravagant love.

Two, the father celebrates the return of his son with a feast of the fattened calf. This is a recurring theme in the three parables of chapter 15. When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he calls his friends and neighbors to rejoice with him (6). When the woman finds her lost coin, she calls together her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her (9). So too with the father, he calls for a feast that involves the whole community to celebrate.

Then he utters a very interesting summary: “For this, my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found,” (24). The tone of these words speaks to resurrection. The son was dead in his sin and, in reality, could not come back to the father on his own merit. He was dead – and dead people can’t save themselves. The son was lost, just like the sheep was lost and the coin was lost. So the prodigal father did more than clothe his son, he gave him his life back. And the son responded to that love by letting the father love him.

That is the kind of father (parent) we want to be to our children. We want to be prodigal fathers, don’t we? We want our children to know that they can always come home again no matter what decisions they make. Yes, there is a place for discipline and corrective behavior (i.e. discipleship), but we’re talking about a father’s love today.

And who is the father in Jesus’ story? Anyone take a guess? (It’s Jesus – He is the shepherd; He is the woman searching for the coin; He is the father looking for his son. The context proves this in the beginning when the Pharisees say, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” And Jesus explains why with these three stories). Let us love our children, dear fathers, like Jesus loves us.

I want to close with a story of extravagant fatherly love:

The late Joe Bayly was a gentle, godly Christian leader. He once told how one of his sons rebelled back in the days of the hippie movement, back in the 60s or 70s. He grew his hair long and moved into a communal flophouse. Late one night, Bayly received a call informing him that his son was being held at one of the Chicago police stations. He got out of bed, got dressed and went down to the station, but they had no record of his son being there. He made the rounds to several police stations before he realized that the call had been a prank.

Even though it was about 2 a.m., before he went home Bayly went to the flophouse where his son was living. He went in (the door was always unlocked), stepped over several sleeping bodies strewn on the floor, and found his son asleep on his bed. He gently bent over and kissed his son on the cheek before he went home to bed.

When Bayly told the story, he said that his son was now a pastor. Years later, the young man told his father, “Dad, do you know what turned me around?” Bayly said, “No, son.” His son said, “It was that night you came into my room and kissed me. You thought that I was asleep, but I wasn’t. I thought, ‘If my dad loves me that much, I had better get my life right with God.’”

Even if your children have hurt you through their rebellion, you are to show them God’s abundant love and mercy. Through your love, your children should be able to see that God “is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (Psalm 103:8).

Happy Father’s Day

                                    AMEN

Braeside EMC - April 1 Easter Sunday

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

A man named Jesus walked all over Palestine preaching about the coming kingdom, healing the sick, and claiming to be God’s Son. He walked into Jerusalem, angered the authorities, and within a week was killed on a Roman execution device. Three days later, this dead man walked out of His borrowed tomb very much alive.

            Do you believe this?

Do you believe then that by putting your faith and trust in this man, Jesus, God has forgiven you of your sins?

Do you believe that the resurrection of Jesus is a historical and physical fact? That his resurrection signals the potential for your own resurrection after you die? That He is the firstborn of the dead?

            Then what more do you need to know?

            Nothing…and everything. This profession, that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins and rose again to eternal life, is only the first step in your journey of faith. It is enough to be saved from judgment. But the journey of faith is an ever expanding experience as we follow Jesus to the ultimate conclusion.

            Last week, Chris Loewen spoke to you about our future resurrection and how it hinges on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. This morning I want to follow up that truth with the daily benefits of Christ’s resurrection, how our day-to-day journey in this life has been empowered with spiritual gifts because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

            When Paul heard about the faith of the Christians in Ephesus, he wrote to them and explained to them the riches of being in Christ. Then he prayed for them in Ephesians 1:15-23 that they would know more fully, more deeply what this all meant. This is a pastoral prayer for a church that believes in the risen Jesus and how that changes everything in terms of our faith and life.

1. Praise God for your faith

Believing is as simple as confessing what you know in your heart. What we believe, our faith in Christ, on the other hand, is no simple thing. To believe in God means believing that He had an elaborate plan to gather a people to Himself before the world even began.

            Consider Paul’s language earlier in chapter one: “…he chose us in him before the creation of the world…” (4); “he predestined us to be adopted…” (5); “In him we have redemption through his blood…” (7); “…he made known to us the mystery of his will…” (9); “…you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth…” (13). God’s forethought of you and I is amazing to behold.

            Considering God’s plan of salvation, considering that you are no accident but are included in God’s purposes, considering at what great cost God sent His Son to accomplish this, our belief may be simple but what we believe is complex.

            This is why Paul prays for the believers in Ephesus. He prays that they may grow in this faith. But first, Paul praises God that they have faith. “…ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus…”

            Paul’s words are carefully chosen. When Paul writes about Jesus, usually he writes “Christ Jesus” or “Lord Jesus.” He deliberately addresses Jesus as Messiah or as King. This is a reflection of the post-resurrection reality of who the Lord Jesus is in the hearts of believers. So when Paul states that he has heard about their faith in the Lord Jesus, there is a direct reference not only to the humanity and historicity of a person named Jesus, but to their confession that Jesus died and rose again.

            The evidence for Paul that this faith is genuine manifests itself in the love these people have for others who believe in the Lord Jesus. “…ever since I heard about…your love for all the saints” Jesus expressed His will for the church, the gathered people of God, that the world would recognize them by the love that they had for each other (John 13:34-35). This love was a hallmark that assured Paul that their faith had roots in the teaching of Christ. Unfortunately, in a few short decades, the church would lose this initial love (Rev. 2:4).

            Take a local church, any local church, and think about what brings these people together. They have different interests, disagree on politics and ethical issues…the church is a gathering of people that should just not get along. Yet they have one common unifier: faith in Jesus Christ. And because of this faith in the Lord Jesus, they love each other.

            I thank God for your faith, Braeside. I thank God for people who love the Lord as I do and who understand my worldview for the most part as it pertains to Jesus. I thank God that I am not alone but have the church to stand with.

2. Praying that you might know

Paul had praised the Ephesians for their faith in the Lord Jesus, the crucified, risen Lord of glory. They had proved their faith through the love and faithfulness they had shown. Now Paul prays for them that they would be able to grasp the deep truths of the faith they profess. Some of these amazing truths are hard to comprehend, for them and for us.

            Though we may not grasp all the depths of this gospel, we need to know that we are complete in Jesus, that we have everything we need to be Christ-followers. At the same time, we want to understand all that we have been given in Christ. Thus the prayer…that we might know:

a) That you might know the mystery of God – What we need to know cannot be taught in a class or read from a book. It is only through the Spirit that we can grasp the mystery of God.

            Paul prayed, “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 might know him better” (17). What is a spirit of wisdom and revelation? What Paul wants the believers to have is a complete understanding of their position in Christ and of what they possess in Christ. The revelation of who Jesus Christ is, that He is the Son of God who reveals the Father to us, can only be seen with spiritual eyes. The world cannot know Him. The world cannot fathom a man dying on a cross and rising from the dead.

            Around Easter time every year, skeptics begin a relentless campaign. In 2016, McLean’s top article was about a new research that uses memory analysis to disprove that Jesus even existed. A so-called NT scholar was quoted as the originator of this theory that the early believers’ memory was faulty and that as time passed they made up stories about Jesus. This scholar, it turned out, was an agnostic skeptic. For some reason, cynics like to drag everyone down into their unbelief.

            Paul’s prayer then is crucial for the believers – that we might comprehend the mystery of God, that a man claiming to be God’s Son, dying on a cross and rising from the dead, saves us.

            Paul’s prayer continues in this theme: “I pray also 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 the saints” (18).

We sometimes talk of visualizing something with our mind’s eye. Did you know that your heart has eyes? The heart is the seat of our understanding, thinking, and feeling (not just feeling). It is a combination of what we feel and think. We sing, “Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you…” and rightly so. We want to be able to see the Jesus of the gospels. We want to know the hope that knowing Him brings us. We want to know that because of the cross we are acceptable to God and nothing can separate us from His love. We know this through the enlightening of our hearts.

            This hope is made more astounding as we see that we are “his glorious inheritance.” Earlier, Paul said that the Holy Spirit is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (13-14). Here we see that we are Christ’s inheritance. He looks forward to having us! He wants us! That’s why He went to the cross with such determination. Jesus went to cross “for the joy set before him” (Heb 12:2). We are that joy for Him. He is our hope and joy.

b) That you might know God’s power – Next Paul prays that we might know the mighty power of God at work in our lives. This request is so important that Paul used four different words to describe the “incomparably great power for us who believe.” These terms are only noticeable in Greek.

            The first word “power” or “dunamis” is where we get the English “dynamo.” This kind of power is inherent or potential power that resides in something or someone by virtue of its nature. Paul heaps on an adjective to emphasize that it is “exceedingly great” power.

            The second word is “working” or “energia” from which we get the English word “energy.” This is different than dunamis in that it is operative power, power at work. We get energy from the Holy Spirit to live for Jesus day by day. He is at work within us to give us power to live as Christians.

            The third word is “mighty” or “ischus.” It speaks of ability or strength. The power of God within us gives us supernatural spiritual ability to do what would otherwise be impossible. It is the same word Paul uses when he says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).

            And the fourth word is “strength” or “kratos.” This term refers to an act of power, like a mighty deed. We have been given dominion over our lives and that which God gives us. We have the power over this life to live for God.

            What I find amazing about this power is the illustration that Paul uses to describe it. He says, “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead…” (19-20). We understand the dynamics of planting, growing, creating, and nurturing. We can make a plant spring to life; we can even create artificial life through robotics. But if something dies we are powerless to bring it back. When a plant dies, it’s done. Humankind fantasized about making dead things live in the fictional story of Frankenstein, but that’s all it is – fiction.

            But God can make the dead come to life. Jesus was dead and buried. Three days he was in the tomb, decomposing. He was dead – crucified – speared in the side – dead. And with the breath of His mouth, God raised Jesus to life. That’s a power that humankind cannot replicate. That is pure power.

            Now Paul says that this is the power at work within you and me. Paul prayed that we would know this power, experience this power, to believe that God can do amazing things in us and through us. This power is in you!

c) That you might know Christ’s majesty – Paul’s third request for the believers is to know the Lord Jesus glorified. Jesus Christ finished the course; He did the work; Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours be done,” and went to the cross. He completed the work the Father had given Him to do. So when God raised Him up, He really raised Him up – He seated Jesus at His own right hand (20), giving Him a position of power and authority, as Paul said “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given…” (21). Jesus rules!

            Those who know me know that I like to quote the first part of the hymn in Philippians 2, how I underline that Jesus left the riches of heaven, His station with God, to become a servant and a slave to death, even death on a cross. Now is the time to quote the rest of this hymn. Because Jesus died on the cross at the will of God “…God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).

            God gave the crucified Lord Jesus the crown, making His Son the King of the Universe, not just over spiritual things but over all things, seen and unseen, living and dead, with a title that supersedes all titles (president, prime minister, queen) for ever and ever.

            And when you call Jesus “Lord” you are acknowledging that He is the King, that He is the Lord of all things and the Lord of your life. You are His subject and you acknowledge that His way, His will, His word is your way, your will, and your word, to the glory of the Father.

            “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (22-23).

Do you believe what I have been saying?

Those who understand, even a little bit, of what I am saying have experienced the victory of Christ that we celebrate on this day, this Resurrection Sunday. You grasp the truth of what we have in Christ. You live and speak and act on what you know to be true. It is a simple thing. You “get it.”

            Paul prayed that the believers in Ephesus would “get it.” And I want to “get it” too. I want to know more about this Lord Jesus and all that is mine in Christ through the cross. Do you want that too?

            My hope and prayer is that we will know the spiritual blessings that we already have in Christ. That incredibly great power that is at work within us, that overwhelming claim that Christ has upon our lives.

            The incredibly wealthy William Randolph Hearst was a great collector of paintings. One day he read about a particular painting and became determined to own it, regardless of the cost. He sent his people out all over the world to find it. When they reported back to Hearst, they told him the painting had been found – he already owned it. The painting had been stored in one of his warehouses for years. He already owned it.

            We already have so much in Christ, more than we know or understand. I pray that we would know with the eyes of our hearts, with our experiences, and that we will live like people who know that these things are true – because in Christ, they are true.

                                                            AMEN

Our heavenly Father, thank you for Resurrection Sunday, for this day that we celebrate the Risen Lord! Thank you, that even though we are centuries removed from this incredible event, we have the Spirit of revelation to show us that Jesus lives and that He is now King.

            We have many facts and words written down for us, and we are the recipients of great knowledge. But we know that when we bend our knees, open our hearts, and invite the Spirit of God to show us these truths in the Word of God, this knowledge becomes living and attractive and compelling. Lord Jesus, help us to know you better, that the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened, and our faith will be empowered.

            We confess that we are sinners, because we know that only those who admit their sin can know this grace and receive this Lord Jesus. Now live in us and through us so that others may know this grace and truth.

            In Jesus name we pray…Amen!