Text: Psalm 100

1 ¶ A psalm. For giving thanks. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Three Stages of Ol Suit.

In Budapest, a man goes to his rabbi and complains, “Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?” The rabbi answers, “Take your goat into the room with you.” The man in incredulous, but the rabbi insists. “Do as I say and come back in a week.” A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before. “We cannot stand it,” he tells the rabbi. “The goat is filthy.” The rabbi then tells him, “Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week.” A radiant man returns to the rabbi a week later, exclaiming, “Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat—only the nine of us.” 

The Nature of The Psalm

A Joyful and Vibrant Song

Listen to the words, once again. They encourage us to:

“Shout for joy to the Lord!”

“Worship the LORD with gladness!”

“Come before Him with joyful Songs!”

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise!”

And, finally, “…give thanks to him and praise His name!”

There is nothing of dry, dead or stale religion here; Nothing of that sour-faced, pinched-soul stuff that so often is passed off as a relationship with God. Here is joy in abundance and praise like a flood sweeping everything else before it. “The GOAT is gone!”

A Psalm of Comfort and Assurance

The Psalmist reminds us of God’s power, provision and protection.

“Know that the LORD is God.”

“It is he who made us, and we are his…”

“…we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

“For the Lord is good and His love endures forever!”

“…His faithfulness continues through all generations!”

God is ultimate; everything else must bow to his will and purpose. And we belong to this majestic God! We are His exclusive possession and He cares for us as a shepherd cares for his gentle and defenseless sheep.

This is quite a different picture than many people have of God. Many see Him as a sullen killjoy or as one who sucks the life and joy out of human existence. But the Psalmist knows better. He has spent time in the presence of the Lord and knows the goodness and love of God firsthand! And, by his psalm of thanksgiving he wants us to come to know this good and loving God, too.

Thanksgiving is a State of Mind

A State of Mind Produced by Remembering God

All along, the Psalmist has exhorted us to keep God in mind; to remember that He is our Creator and Sustainer. And to make Him the focus of our thoughts.

A State of Mind Produced by Remembering God’s Goodness

We are likewise encouraged to recall that God is truly and completely good. By every purpose and plan He has devised for humans to pursue, by every indication He has given through His great acts on earth, He is revealed to be entirely good and merciful toward us. He is not what the devil and evil men would have us believe Him to be; Uncaring, unknowing, and unmoved by the circumstances of our lives.
      No. This God is a Good Shepherd gently tending us as His own personal flock of sheep.

The Good Shepherd

A State of Mind Produced by Remembering God’s Great Love

He made us. This is proof that He desires us and loves us. Everything we know about Him demonstrates that He not only loved us when He made us and loves us now, but that He will love us enduringly. Listen to how the Apostle Paul puts it in his letter to the Church at Rome, chapter 8:38 & 39 (NLT):
      “38  And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow––not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39  No power in the sky above or in the earth below––indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Thanksgiving is a State of Mind Produced by an Encounter with the True and Living God.

Emerson said if the stars came out only once a year, we would all want to stay up and see them.  But because we see the stars all the time we don’t take the time to look at them.

Maybe we need to confess that we have gotten used to God; that we have begun to take Him for granted. And maybe we need to come to church with a different attitude next Sunday…entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Perhaps we might even begin today, before we leave this place. Let us be thankful for one another, thankful for the blessings we have received and thankful for the health to enjoy what we have been given.

This year, may we all have an authentic Day of Thanksgiving!

Text:               Matthew 9:9-13; 18-26

9 ¶ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

—

18 ¶ While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. 20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment. 23 When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.

Theme:           Jesus and Social Outcasts

Date:               October 27, 2009 PM

Place:              Trinity Wesleyan Church

Three Stages of Ol Suit.

Jennifer Toth has written a fine – and yet disturbing – book entitled, ‘The Mole People’.[1] She speaks, of course, not of some half-human by-product of a mad-scientist’s genetic experimentation but of the broken people, twisted by sin, disease, and addiction, who fill – by the thousands – the subway tunnels and abandoned subterranean dwellings far below the streets of New York City. They are the ultimate outcasts of our day.

          Policemen fear to descend into the dark caverns they inhabit and with good reason; some of their “brothers in blue” have met an untimely death in that lawless underground frontier. Even social workers are reluctant to go down into the bowels of the earth there to search for the sick and the dying. It is said that “The Mole People” have no friends and recognize no allies. Everyone is assumed to be against them; everyone is their enemy.

          They are true outcasts. Until Ms. Toth published her book (complete with pictures and other evidence) the official position of the New York police was that there are no “mole people”. Until her book, there was no program to try to reach “the mole people” and their children. Even now the outreach is severely limited and there are only two social workers assigned to work with a population estimated to be as many as 10,000 people.

          You and I might hear of them and say to ourselves, “They have chosen to live the way they do and, therefore, deserve nothing in the way of help or aid.” And, with the exception of the large number of the mentally ill and the children of addicts and alcoholics, we would be right. Many are only getting what they deserve. In truth, they have chosen the life they live.

          But grace is about getting the life we do not deserve. It is about God giving us another chance…after we have squandered every chance He has already given us. And Jesus is all about grace.

          Do you see it in today’s text? Do you see Jesus disappointing the expectations of the religious in order to reach the outcasts of that day? By identifying with the outcast He, Himself, becomes an outcast of sorts.

          Jesus loves sinners and outcasts. Truly. Deeply. Completely.

EXAMPLE ONE – Matthew, a tax-collector

Tax-collectors were hated even more in that day than in our own. There are some accounts of beggars refusing charity from those known to be tax-gatherers for the hated Roman government!

Yet, as He passes by, Jesus invites this man in a publicly hated job to come and follow Him…to be a part of His team.

Incidentally, that Tax-Collector was the very same man who is now telling us this story – St. Matthew, himself.[2]

EXAMPLE TWO – THE BANQUET OF SINNERS

Jesus broke with tradition and the religious code of the Pharisees by going to Matthew’s house for dinner. All kinds of people were there. Matthew tells us that they were all outcasts…“tax collectors and other ‘sinners’.”

Matthew also tells us that the religious folk had a royal fit when they saw Jesus (who claimed He was a teacher of the Law) eating and fellowshipping with that crowd.

But Jesus had an answer for them. He said: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (v. 12, 13)

EXAMPLE THREE – The Temple Ruler and hemorrhaging Woman

1. A man, said to be “a ruler”, (that is, he was “a ruler of the synagogue”[3] whose job it was to strictly enforce every part of the religious code), comes to Jesus with a hopeless request. His daughter has died and he knows that only Jesus can help her now. He asks whether Jesus would be willing to come to his home and give her new life? Yes. Jesus was willing.

But Jesus also had a lesson to teach this desperate Jewish ruler. (Jesus often teaches His most valuable lessons when pain or sorrow forces us to give Him our whole attention.)

Along the way to the house where the ruler’s dead daughter was lying, a woman, who had a constant hemorrhage and had been bleeding for twelve years, decided to break a very important social taboo and touch Jesus. She knew just one touch would heal her. But that same touch would also make Jesus unfit to enter the house of a temple ruler.

Now the synagogue ruler has a decision to make. He can stick with the rules of the synagogue and turn Jesus away from his house (and lose every hope for his daughter’s recovery). Or, he can choose to trust Jesus and take his place on Jesus’ side of the line the Pharisees have drawn.

Matthew makes it quite clear what the ruler chose to do. It may have cost him his job, we are not told. But whether or not he lost his job as synagogue manager one thing is certain…by the end of the visit with Jesus, he had his little girl back!

Now I need to pause here to make certain that you do not misunderstand: Jesus hates sin. You have only to look at the cross to see that. He hates sin because of what it does to people. He hates sin because of what it does to their relationships with one another and, most importantly, their relationship with God. But Jesus loves sinners. Again, you have only to look at the cross for proof of this.

I offer, (as evidence that Jesus hates sin but loves sinners), the testimony of St. Luke. In Luke’s account he describes Jesus sitting and dining with sinners and says that it was then that Jesus told the stories of the “Lost Sheep” and “The Prodigal Son”.[4] Both stories condemn sin but they also reveal God as One Who is seeking the lost.

We Are All Outcasts, Each and EVERYONE of US

When our story started out, the line between the “good” people and the “bad” was bold and clear. The “good” people were the religious folk. The “bad” people were the outcasts. But something has happened along the way, today. Did you see it?

By the end of the story, the outcasts are standing on Jesus’ side of the line…and the “good” folk of the temple are standing on the other side. By rejecting Jesus they thought they’d make Him into an outcast. But what really happened was that they had become the outcasts…outcasts from God.

Earlier in this Gospel we hear Jesus speaking to another group of people and what He has to say to them is deeply troubling. He said, (Matt. 7:21-23) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Let us be careful, brothers and sisters, to be on the right side of that line lest we should be outcasts at the last.

I read this week, a bit of poetry by a fellow who is angry with the church. I think maybe he has a right to be. Here’s what he wrote:

CROSS THE STREET 

He walks across
to the other side
where the sidewalk smells
where hookers stand
where junkies nod
where runaways beg
where the real world grinds
where the hearts explode
where marriages fail
where bank accounts dry up
where harsh words pierce
He is not locked up
in a seminary
in a church
on a TV set
in a separate world
He is not afraid
to touch us as we are
to pierce our darkness
to break our chains
to catch our tears
and hear our screams
He crosses the street
to where we live
He carries the weight
that drags us down
and does not run
when we rub against Him
with our pain and fear
sin and shame
death and decay
He crosses the street
He crosses the street [5]

          The Gospel is Good News. And the Good News is that God is with us in Jesus Christ. God is with ‘the Mole People’, the tax-collectors, the sick, the religious person whose religion has failed; God is with the outcasts.

The question facing us is: “Who are we with?”

——————————————————–

Another beautiful example of Jesus choosing to side with the outcast:

[2]  I concur with the early “church fathers” who believed in the existence of a real Matthew and his authorship of this Gospel. One of the earliest fathers to comment on this Gospel was “Papias, bishop of Hierapolis (Phrygia) [who wrote]: ‘Matthew gathered the sayings (of Jesus) in the Hebrew tongue, and each person translated them as he was able.’” (from Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History 3.39.16) These words of Papias were written in about A.D. 120…well within one generation from the days in which the Apostles wrote and preached.

[3]  See  Mark 5 and Luke 8 for cross-references on this account.

[4] See Luke 14 & 15

[5]  http://www.outcastpress.org/relkills/relkills.htm “Religion Kills”

 Text: Matthew 7:12 (NLT) “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

Theme: Relating to others as a Christian – The ‘Golden Rule’

Date: June 23, 2002

Three Stages of Ol Suit.

The story is told of an old man who found a magic lamp on the beach.  He picked it up, rubbed it clean and POW! – a genie appeared. 

“Because you have freed me,” the genie said, “I will grant you a wish.”  The man thought for a moment and then responded, “My brother and I had a fight 30 years ago and he hasn’t spoken to me since.   I wish that he’ll finally forgive me and come to love me as his brother, once again.”

There was a thunderclap, and the genie declared, “Your wish has been granted. You know,” he continued, “most men would have asked for wealth or fame. But you only wanted the love of your brother.  Is it because you are old and dying?”

“No!” the man cried.  “But my brother is….and he’s worth about $60 million!”

          Our text explores how we as Christians relate to one another. And the kind of life it describes is one of leadership and example, not pay-back or favors returned.

          Evil is a real presence in our world. And, if we wait until it is replaced with good before we begin to do good, we will never do a single good thing again!

          It was just the same in the days in which Jesus spoke these words. There was as much hatred, greed and bigotry then as now. People have always had the ability to treat you nice to your face and like dirt behind your back. But, according to the clear lesson in our text, we are not to allow the actions of others to determine how we will act or what we will do.

          This is the “Christian difference”. And it will expose us for what we really are as opposed to merely what we claim to be. Our motives can be seen by the things we do and say and Jesus is saying that we must operate from a godly – a loving – motivation if we are to be His followers.

What the “Therefore” is “There for”… The Example of our Heavenly Father

In verses 7–11 Jesus teaches His followers that the Heavenly Father longs to give us His good things.

And He longs to do this even before we are worthy of being called “good – while we are still “evil”, ourselves.

Romans 5:8  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

So, when Jesus speaks to us about treating others well – perhaps, treating them even better than they are presently treating us – He points to the Heavenly Father and says, “Because He treats you better than you treat Him, and because He begins treating you better before you are better, you must also treat others in the same way.”

The “Christian Difference” … The Command & Motive of the Christian Lifestyle

There really is a “Christian lifestyle” and a difference between the way we Christians live and the way others live. At least, Jesus says so.

To us Jesus says, “…whatever you want others to do to you, you start doing that to them, right now. Don’t wait until you’re getting what you want from them…just begin to relate with them in the very same way you hope they will one day relate with you.”

Some teach something far less than this.

Some teach, “treat people the way you think they will treat you.”

Others teach, “treat people the way they have treated you.”

Still others teach, “you are being treated the way you have already treated someone in one of your many past lives.”

But to the Christian Jesus turns and says, “live toward others the way you always hope they will learn to live toward you…even if they never do.”

Why would Jesus make such a demand on us? Why would He expect us to take the lead in how we relate to others?

The answer is simple: He does it because that is exactly the way He has treated us. And that is the only way real love can work.

• 1 John 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us.

• God didn’t wait around for us to start loving Him. He loved us from before the creation of the world. And He still loves us better than we love Him!

The Effect of the ‘Christian Difference’

When you treat others right, when you relate to them with love and forgiveness, when you truly desire the best for them and work to see it come to pass, “…this is the Law and the Prophets.” (v. 12b)

1 John 4:10  This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.

Romans 13:10  If you love others, you will never do them wrong; to love, then, is to obey the whole Law.

John 13:35  If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.”

The so-called “Christian difference” is, therefore, nothing less than living by the same love toward others that we have already received from the Lord.

Well do we sing, “I love you with the love of the Lord!” Indeed, it is the only way we can live and love as Jesus did.

    It was 11 days before Christmas.  Peace and good will were far from the thoughts of 200,000 Union and Confederate soldiers facing each other across the broad, blood-spattered arena of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 14, 1862.  The past few days had been gruesome with more than 12,000 soldiers killed.  Nineteen-year-old Sergeant Richard Kirkland, Company E of Kershaw’s Second South Carolina Brigade, had seen enough.  Kirkland went to see Confederate General Joseph Kershaw.  “General,” he said, “I can’t stand this!”  He startled his commanding officer.  “All night and all day I hear those poor Federal people calling for water,” he said, “and I can’t stand it any longer.  I ask permission to go and give them water.”

Kershaw shook his head sympathetically.  “Sergeant,” he replied, “you’d get a bullet through your head the moment you stepped over the stone wall onto the plain.”  “Yes, sir,” answered Kirkland, “I know that, but if you let me, I’m willing to try it.”  The General responded, “The sentiment which prompts you is so noble that I will not refuse your request.  God protect you.  You may go.”

Quickly the South Carolinian hurdled the wall and immediately exposed himself to the fire of every Yankee sharpshooter in that sector.  Kirkland walked calmly toward the Union lines until he reached the nearest wounded soldier. Kneeling, he took off his canteen and gently lifted the enemy soldier’s head to give him a long, deep drink of refreshing cold water.  Then he placed a knapsack under the head of his enemy and moved on to the next.  Racing against the lengthening shadows of a short, somber December afternoon, he returned again and again to the lines where comrades handed him full canteens.  “Troops on both sides who had watched this unselfish act paid young Kirkland the supreme tribute–not a standing ovation, but respectful awed silence.” ^[1]

    Dennis E. Mannering wrote:

In a class I teach for adults, I gave the assignment to “go to someone you love, and tell them that you love them.”

At the beginning of the next class, one of the students began by saying, “I was angry with you last week when you gave us this assignment.  I didn’t feel I had anyone to say those words to.  But as I began driving home my conscience started talking.  Then I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you’ to.  Five years ago, my father and I had a vicious disagreement and never really resolved it.  We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at family gatherings.  We hardly spoke.  So by the time I got home, I had convinced myself I was going to tell my father I loved him.

“Just making that decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest.

“At 5:30, I was at my parents’ house ringing the doorbell, praying that Dad would answer the door.  I was afraid if Mom answered, I would chicken out and tell her instead.  But as luck would have it, Dad did answer the door.

“I didn’t waste any time – I took one step in the door and said, ‘Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.’

“It was as if a transformation came over my dad.  Before my eyes his face softened, the wrinkles seemed to disappear and he began to cry.  He reached out and hugged me and said, ‘I love you too, son, but I’ve never been able to say it.’

“But that’s not even my point.  Two days after that visit, my dad had a heart attack and is in the hospital.  I don’t even know if he’ll make it.

“So my message to all of you is this: Don’t wait to do the things you know need to be done.  What if I had waited to tell my dad?  Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now!” ^[2]

• “How should I live?” Just like Jesus lived! It pays eternal dividends!

1 John 2:6 (NLT) “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”

[2] By Dennis E. Mannering, from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul, Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor, Hansen & Patty Hansen

Text: Luke 10:38-42 NKJV

38 ¶ Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

42 “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Three Stages of Ol Suit.

Introduction: There’s an old joke about a Sunday School teacher who was teaching a lesson on being prepared and working faithfully. She wanted to use squirrels as an example of prepared workers. She started the lesson by saying, “I’m going to describe something, and I want you to raise your hand when you know what it is.”  The children were excited to show her what they knew and leaned forward eagerly.

“I’m thinking of something that lives in trees (pause) and eats nuts (pause)…” No hands went up. “It can be gray or brown (pause) and it has a long bushy tail (pause)…” The children looked around the room at each other, but still no one raised a hand. “It chatters (pause) and sometimes it flips its tail when it’s excited (pause)…”

Finally one little boy shyly raised his hand. The teacher breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Okay, Michael. What do you think it is?”

“Well,” said the boy, “it sure sounds like a squirrel, but I guess the answer’s supposed to be Jesus.”

The answer is always Jesus!

In a nutshell, that’s the answer to Martha’s dilemma. It’s not that her work is unimportant or that it wouldn’t ordinarily be a blessing. It’s just that the focus is always supposed to be Jesus. He’s supposed to be the main thing of every thing we do. But, the truth is, like Martha, we forget that and, when we do, we get angry and fretful and complain about one another.

What is it that has made us so fretful? It’s almost as if someone has discovered a new Bible . . . one that has a single command: “Get busy!” Notice, there’s no guidance in that command. It doesn’t say what we ought to do or why. Just that we ought to “get busy!”

I remember reading a t-shirt some years ago that said, “Jesus is coming! (Look busy!)” Somehow, we’ve taken those words to heart.

So we do stuff and we have things. Have you ever thought about how much stuff we do that isn’t commanded in the Bible and wasn’t done by Jesus or His disciples? And when one of these things we’ve gotten busy doing is missing, we get upset and angry and complain. But the answer is . . .  Jesus!

What if Martha had decided to sit down and listen to Jesus’ teaching? So what if they had to wait on dinner a few extra minutes? Wasn’t it most important to pay attention to Jesus?

Part of the problem is that Martha “wanted what she wanted, when she wanted it, the way she wanted it.” In her mind, it was Jesus’ fault that her schedule had been interrupted.

Did you ever sit and think about all the things Jesus messed up when He was here? He wrecked a meal by letting a sinful woman anoint Him with precious ointment. He trashed the Temple courtyard by overturning the moneychanger’s tables and letting the animals go free. He ruined a synagogue service in His hometown of Nazareth by preaching what they didn’t want to hear. He for sure messed up the Pharisee’s plans on a lot of occasions. And He never seemed to do what people wanted or expected when they wanted or expected. He couldn’t have made it in politics. And I reckon he’d last about 3 months as pastor of most any church today.

Just think how upset we get when people don’t “get busy” doing what we want them to do.

Martha comes to Jesus and says: “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

Now, what has Martha just said?

First, she feels like Jesus ought to do whatever she wants.

Second, she thinks the problem is with Jesus and her sister.

Third, she thinks she knows what’s best to fix this situation.

Jesus replies: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

What has Jesus just said?

First, that Martha came to this new worry already worried!

Second, that the problem is hers, not her sister’s.

Third, that life doesn’t have to be complex – unless we insist on making it that way. Only one thing is necessary. Jesus is the answer!

How about we try something? Let’s spend our time asking ourselves this question: “How does this _____________ (whatever) look from Heaven’s perspective?” If it is focused on Jesus, let’s thank God for it and push on!

Prayer:

Lord, teach us to do whatever we do . . . for You and Your glory.

Help us to be as Mary and sit at Your feet.

Then, with our hearts full of Your Word, let us go out into Your World to do the works that make You known to others.

These things we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

[From a month-long series on the subject of Joy as dealt with in the Book of Philippians.]

The Behavior of Joy:
“If You’re Happy and You Know it…!” 

Three Stages of Ol Suit.

 We remember that this is a letter written by the great preacher of the early church, Paul the Apostle. As he writes, heavy chains hang from his wrists and bind him to his cell. The relationship between him and the Philippians is intimate and loving. They are the best of friends and close spiritual supporters.

          But Philippians, like every church, has its problems. There are two women, women by the names of Euodia (“fragrant”) and Syntyche (“fortunate”), who are at war with one another over some unknown issue. Paul will eventually get around to addressing them in chapter 4, verse 2, but first he must lay a proper foundation. That foundation consists of one over-riding principle: holiness and happiness are both essential for the Christian life. If you wish to be happy, you must follow holiness. If you wish to be holy, you must find your happiness in God and His plan for your life.

There is no such thing as a sour holiness.

I. Salvation is both Believing and Behaving. (2:12-13)

A. “Therefore” – The example Jesus motivates us. (2:1-11)

B. “you have always obeyed” – They were consistently obedient.  (2:12)

C. “not as in my presence only” (2:12)

1. Their church-life was godly and proper. They were faithful women and men of God.

2. But they were as righteous and devoted to Christ in their private lives and in their public lives. These were real Christians!

E. “Work out your own salvation.” (2:12)

1. He is not telling them to work for their salvation.

2. He is telling them to be certain that grace drenches and saturates every area and dimension of their lives. There should be no part of us that remains untouched or unaffected by God’s grace and Word!

a. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

F. “with fear and trembling.” (2:12)

1. The fear and trembling is not the fear an abused child has for its abusive parent. It is not the fear we have for the terror of a mindless beast.

2. Our fear is a godly fear – a healthy respect.

3.  ILLUSTRATED IN: Electricity. Treated with respect and living by the good advice of the electrical code, it is a great friend and helper.

Treat it carelessly and the result may well be our injury or death.

So it is with God. He is not to be trifled with, but neither is He looking for an excuse to do us harm. He loves us and will do us all the good we are ready to receive!

G. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (2:13)

1. The power within us working to save us is the very power of God.

2.  We cannot save ourselves. We must have a Savior who saves us.

II. Live Like God’s Kid Ought To Live (2:14-16)

Good Manners for God’s Kids

A. “Do all things without complaining” (2:14)

1. Live without bellyaching.

2. Some folk have a hard time with this one. They have to have their say about everything and everyone. BUT YOU, CHILD OF GOD, ARE NOT TO BE THAT WAY!

B. “Do all things without…disputing” (2:14)

1. We are to live without wrangling and fussing.

C. “That you may become blameless and harmless” (2:15)

1. Not the cause of any evil.

2. Not the source of any harm.

E. “[That YOU may become] Children of God without fault” (2:15)

1. People of impeccable, spotless character.

F. “In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.” (2:15)

1. Listen, this Gospel, this Salvation, this Grace, this Power of God is able to make and keep us holy in the midst of an unholy world!

2.  In fact, we are of absolutely no use to god is we are not willing to let Him make us a force for right and good and love in this evil world.

3. SHINE!!! Shine as lights in this world!

G. “Among whom you shine as lights in the world.” (2:15)

1. Do you still remember the song we learned in childhood that says: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine”?

H. “Holding fast the word of life.” (2:16)

1. The Word which we preach and teach and by which we live, is a Word that gives light and life to the dark, dead places of the world.

2. Everyone of our ancient ancestors lived in heathen darkness until the glorious light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ reached them.

3. HOLD FAST to this WORD of LIFE!!

I. “So that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.” (2:16)

1. Every Bible teacher and preacher feels this same emotion. We might earn many awards and receive earthly honors and recognition. But it all doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if you . . . YOU . . . don’t believe and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. How could we be happy with great buildings and large congregations or high status . . . if we knew that you were lost? If we knew that you were walking the searing pavements of hell?

3. No! A thousand times no! A Christian minister takes joy in knowing that their children in the faith are faithfully following Jesus. That we have not run in vain or labored in vain!

III. Counting the Cost (2:17-18)

A. “Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith.” (2:17)

1. A drink offering was a goblet of wine that was poured out over an animal that was being sacrificed to God.

a. It was an act that added the finishing touches to that sacrifice.

b. Paul’s life was being completely poured out for the benefit of God and the Philippian church.

c. But there was no sadness. Wine, the symbol he uses, is a symbol of JOY!!!!

d. If we could unscrew your soul today and just pour it out here over the altar and congregation of First Wesleyan Church, what would come out of you? Bitterness? Greed? Anger? Selfishness? A Religious Spirit? Gossip? Disappointment with God? Unforgiveness?  Or would the sweet aroma of joy waft over us . . . as the spirit within you, was poured out here before us all?

B. “If I am being poured out…I am glad and rejoice with you all.” (2:17)

1. Paul wouldn’t have made it in St. Louis, Memphis or New Orleans. He just COULDN’T sing the Blues! J

C. “For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.”

1. “Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.” (Did you ever hear that before?) It simply means that what applies to one applies to all.

2. The preacher (Paul) is rejoicing and will rejoice. But, as God’s children, we ALL are commanded to rise above our circumstances and let your life be permeated with joy. Let joy be among the first things people think of when they think of you.

a. Yes, even though his life was being poured out he was still full of joy. And Paul insists that all of God’s children are to be filled with the Spirit of joy. . .and live above the pressures of the present moment.

CONCLUSION

A. Let us apply these principles to our daily lives.

1. Let the grace that saves you work all the way through your life.

2. Let is express itself in a joyous trust in an Almighty God who cannot fail!

John Wesley’s Small Group Questions:

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?

2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?

3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?

4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?

5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

6. Did the Bible live in me today?

7. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?

8. Am I enjoying prayer?

9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?

10. Do I pray about the money I spend?

11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?

12. Do I disobey God in anything?

13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?

15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?

16. How do I spend my spare time?

17. Am I proud?

18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?

19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?

20. Do I grumble and complain constantly?

21. Is Christ real to me?

[The following is the basis of a paper later developed into a project in one of my courses of study. In the form before you it is a brief overview of the life and experiences of the woman who would become the wife of David, King of Israel and his Queen.]

BATHSHEBA

            The story of Bathsheba is recorded in 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 12:1-24, 28-31; 1 Kings 1:21; 2:13-25 and I Chronicles 3:5 (where she is called “Bathshua”).  Her life may be divided into the following three sections:

I. Before David: As the wife of Uriah the Hittite

II. With David: As the object of David’s lust and, later, love.

III. After David: As “the Queen Mum” with her son, King Solomon

            Throughout the long history of the people of God Bathsheba’s story has, alternately, suffered or shone as various generations have viewed her through the lens of their own prejudices and experiences. At times she has been portrayed as the conniving schemer, a seductress and a gold-digger who trades in her high-mileage, low-value husband for a new, sleek, more desirable model – the king. At other times, she is held to be an innocent woman who justly concluded that, since her warrior-husband and all his fellow-soldiers had gone off to war, the king must have gone with them. No matter then that his palace stood towering over her humble home; she was safe from prying eyes because, like all good kings, he was off fighting for the security of home and hearth.

I. Before David: As the wife of Uriah the Hittite

            When first we meet her Bathsheba is said to be the granddaughter of David’s most trusted advisor and is married to a man named “Uriah.” He was a Hittite – a half-Mongol, half-Semitic race of people living mainly in the region of modern-day Syria. As a member of one of the nationalities which frequently caused trouble for Israel it is, perhaps, surprising to learn that when David’s “mighty men” are listed in 1 Chronicles 11, Uriah is listed among them. Uriah was a valiant warrior and faithful soldier for his king and country. He was thought to have been rewarded for his diligence with land and a house situated near the royal palace. All we know of Uriah tells us that he was a good and faithful man whose king betrayed his trust, defiled his wife and, eventually, took his life.

II. With David: As the object of David’s lust and, later, love.

            According to chapter eleven of Second Samuel, the second chapter of Bathsheba’s story begins during the spring of the year – the time of year when kings “go forth to war” and, apparently, maidens go forth to bathe. Unfortunately, this time, Bathsheba’s king had not “gone forth to war” and was at home to spy on her when she went out to bathe.

David & Bathsheba

            It was evening time when the “very beautiful” Bathsheba was bathing. King David, who had been in his bed, got up and went out on the roof of his palace to look around and, perhaps, stand in the invigorating Spring air. As he was looking around he spied her in mid-bath and began to inquire about who this lovely woman might be. The reply was not long in coming: “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” She was somebody’s daughter and somebody’s wife.

            But none of that mattered to David. He was somebody, too.

            After his initial inquiry, he hastened to send messengers to get her. Note that nothing was said about the motive or reason for the king’s summons; he simply had requested her attendance at the palace. Bathsheba, having no hint of what was about to transpire, complied.

            We do not know if David had already made up his mind to bed the wife of Uriah when he first summoned her to the palace. But soon such questions were no longer relevant as the king takes for himself the beautiful woman whose husband was, far, far away fighting the king’s battles. As quickly as the dirty deed as done, David sends Bathsheba away. Was it guilt that prompted him to get her out of sight? Or was it nothing more complex than the fact that he had had his fun and no longer had use for her in the palace? Again, we are left to speculate as the text does not tell us.

            What must Bathsheba have faced as she stumbled home that night? Her husband, he who might have protected her against any and all who might seek to molest or harm her, was far from home. The king, to whom she could have taken any other rapist and demanded justice is, instead, the very man guilty of raping her. And the bath to which she might have gone, (like so many other rape-victims) in the desperate attempt to wash away the stain and pain of that night, was now no longer a refuge, but a trap. . . a haunting reminder of that horrific night had begun. How did she pass that night alone in her home? Like a wild thing, trapped and hemmed in against her will? Or was she even then aware that she was, in fact, not alone? That a child was even then beginning to take shape within her womb? Again, silence.

            When next we hear from Bathsheba it is second-hand. A message has been sent to the palace. It has but three words: “I am pregnant!” David, with all of his many wives, has no need to ask who sent the note but, instead, calls for her husband – faithful, loyal, courageous Uriah – to be brought home. The plan was reasonable. Surely any red-blooded soldier boy worth his salt would want to share his wife’s bed when he was home on leave. But not Uriah. He may have not been a Jew but he was thoroughly loyal to his comrades and would enjoy no pleasure himself that was not also available to them. Instead of sleeping with his wife, he lies down at the door of the palace –  a posture that says, I am ready to defend my king even if it costs me my life.

            What does David do? Does he call for Bathsheba and say, “I’m going to confess my guilt and my crime against your honorable husband and you”? No. David now compounds his crime by adding to his growing list of sins. To sloth, lust, and rape he now adds one more sin…M-U-R-D-E-R! He sends Uriah back to his commander with a secret message. The message says simply: “Next time you guys are in the thick of the battle and the arrows are flying like hailstones, I want you to give a secret signal and let everyone else retreat except Uriah. Leave Uriah behind to be killed.”

            In short order Bathsheba was a widow and David had a new wife.

            But what did Bathsheba feel in her heart of hearts? How could she love this man who had turned her world upside down? I can only conjecture but I think it went something like this…

            On the day that David sat on his throne thinking that he had pulled a fast one and gotten away with everything, the day when the prophet Nathan came by with a story about a rich farmer who had hundreds – maybe thousands – of sheep and yet stole and killed the one small pet lamb of his poor neighbors… On that day when Nathan explained to the outraged David (who had just sworn that he would severely punish that rich farmer if only Nathan would give him the man’s name)… On that day, as Nathan unblinkingly faced his king and thundered the words, “You are that man!” for the awful sins David had piled up trying to cover up his rape of Bathsheba…David took the first step toward being the kind of man that Bathsheba could forgive or even come to admire; he confessed his guilty sin and took sole responsibility. Unlike Saul before him, he did not blame others for his predicament but accepted complete responsibility for his perverse actions.

            Was it then that Bathsheba began to see a different side of the king? When he did not blame or accuse her nor simply have the prophet and herself killed and their bodies left somewhere in the wilderness? Or was it when she saw David pleading with God to spare their young child’s life…lying unbathed and anguished in the presence of the Lord? Or, perhaps, was her heart touched when she heard him say of their now-dead baby, “he cannot come to me; I must go to him”? Again, this is an answer we are not given. All we know for certain is that Bathsheba became David’s lifelong companion, friend and trusted confidant and he loved her.

            Later on their love would conspire to bring forth another son, a boy named Solomon, who would become the wisest man who ever lived. In time, Solomon would inherit the throne his father, David, had held for so long.

III. After David: As “the Queen Mum” with her son, King Solomon

            The day came when David died and Solomon ruled in his place. Small glimpses of Bathsheba still shine out of the biblical narrative to reveal her to be a woman of influence and power. Even when she seems to be on the wrong side of things (such as when, at the request of Adonijah, she agrees to ask Solomon to allow him to marry David’s former concubine –  a move that would threaten Solomon’s hold on the throne and the nation’s power structure) we are forced to consider whether she agreed to do it knowing that this would give her son the right to deal with his untrustworthy brother, once and for all. This part of her story (told best in the second chapter of First Kings) reveals her to be a shrewd and politically astute person, as well.

            The Bible is silent about the death of this great woman of the Bible. But, surely, her life demonstrates that, with God’s help, we are able to overcome the greatest adversities and fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. And, too, we should recall that Bathsheba and David, even with all of the tragedy and turmoil of their lives, are both ancestors of our Lord Jesus Christ. Bathsheba is a powerful example of grace amidst harsh circumstances and a vivid witness to God’s infinite ability to turn bad things into good.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bromiley, Geoffrey W. Editor. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Vol. 1. 1979.

Richards, Sue Poorman and Lawrence O. Richards. Women of the Bible: The Life and Times of Every Woman in the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thos. Nelson, Inc. 2003.

Danby, Herbert. The Mishnah. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1987.

Date: February 11, 2001 AM

Text: Genesis 24:1-67 [Read, as this account forms the basis of our study.]

Theme: Love / Family 

Three Stages of Ol Suit.

Marriage is desirable.

But, remember this: A good marriage is the fountain of a thousand joys, a bad one, is the fetid cesspool of ten thousand heartaches!

STATISTICS

Across all ages and races, Americans who live alone die at a much higher rate even when taking all other factors into account.  For example, single men in the under 65 age group have considerably higher mortality rates for a number of diseases than their married counterparts.  Their death rate is twice as high for lung cancer and strokes, three times as high for diseases related to hypertension, and seven times higher for cirrhosis of the liver.

 BUT… a bad marriage can depress the body’s immune system. Unhappily married women have subnormal levels of white blood cells (which destroy infections) and increased virus activity.  Other immune system depressants:  Stress and loneliness. [1] So this is an important subject for our study.

 In our lesson today, we will discover several helps for choosing the right mate for life. These few criteria will, if studied and followed, provide some guidance for those who are or will be contemplating marriage…guidance that may spare many a heartache down the road.

 Isaac and Rebekah are good examples of how God can bless a marriage that is based upon right principles. One form of the Marriage Ceremony recognizes their example and marital happiness with these words of prayer:

‘O Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all mankind, Giver of all spiritual grace, the Author of everlasting life, send Thy blessing upon these Thy servants, this man and this woman, whom we bless now in Thy name; that as Isaac and Rebekah lived faithfully together, so these persons may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant made between them this hour and may ever remain in love and peace together, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.’

I. The Place to Start.

A. The Wisdom of your Parents.

1. You need to know that Christian parents really do have your best interests at heart. Listen to them!

a. There is a time in nearly every one of our lives when we begin to test the authority of our parents.

i. Some of this is due to the change in chemistry that young bodies go through. This change may manifest itself in restlessness, or feelings of resentment. There may also be feelings and thoughts of romance and/or of a sexual nature… and a strong need to be appreciated and accepted by one’s peers.

ii. These feelings are natural… a normal part of growing up and developing our own personality. Every one of your elders has experienced the same emotions.

iii. The important thing to remember is that our Heavenly Father wants us to enjoy every good thing life has to offer… in its proper time. Therefore, self-discipline should become a part of our life as we mature.

(a). This is what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22 “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (NIV)

(b). “Flee the evil, pursue the good!”

b. Isaac respected his father’s advice.

i. This is an illustration of what it means to “Honor your father and your mother…”

ii. Isaac could have rebelled. But if he had, his life would have changed forever. Think of this:

(a). Rebellion would have put a strain in the relationship between his father and himself.

(b). He would not have had the assurance that God sanctioned his marriage through his parent’s blessing.

(c ). And, he would have suffered economic hardship.

(d). Together, these would have had some considerable effect upon his relationship with his wife, Rebekah.

c. Your parents are God’s representatives to help guide you past life’s pitfalls. They are the friends and not the enemies of your happiness.

II. What to Look for in a mate.

A. Good Manners

1. Rebekah was considerate of the needs of others. (vs. 18)

B. Industrious Spirit

1. Rebekah not only gave Abraham’s servant a drink of water, but also watered the camels, as well. (vs. 19)

a. This is no small feat. Ten camels can drink a total of 200 gallons of water between them! (Think of it! 40 trips w/ 5 gallons of water each trip!) This leads us to the next feature that is desirable in a mate:

C. Good Health / Physical Fitness

1. For the reasons already mentioned, we may assume that Rebekah was not an invalid.

D. A Sense of Personal Responsibility

1. Rebekah was drawing water for her household, (doing her chores), when she met Abraham’s servant. (vs. 15)

E. Moral Purity

1. Rebekah was a virgin. (vs. 16)

a. This may seem to be an old fashioned concept, but God’s Word and Man’s experience show us that it bears directly upon the trust and success of a marriage.

F. A Good Relationship with their parents and family.

1. This was demonstrated by both Rebekah and Isaac.

a. Rebekah was obedient to the will of her family.

b. Isaac was submissive to his father.

2. Often, when a person cannot get along with their family members, the same problems will arise in their marriage…with tragic results.

3. P.S. This applies to those of us who marry in our riper years, too!

G. Financial Security

1. The servant brought tokens of Isaac’s ability to take care of his wife. (vs. 22, 47, 53)

2. Don’t underestimate this! Family counselors and Psychologists suggest that many of the stresses of married life, have their roots in money problems.

H. True Spirituality

1. Isaac demonstrated a deep faith and thoughtfulness. (vs. 63)

a. This is especially important where the man is concerned. As priest of his home, if he is not in close contact with God, the home and family cannot help but suffer.

b. Someone has said, “Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.” [2] In spiritual matters, this is of enormous importance.

c. The Word of God still commands us “not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers” and if you think that commandment has expired or lost its urgency, you’re just kidding yourself!

I. Modesty of Dress and Behavior

1. Rebekah was conforming to the highest standards of modesty in her society and time when she, seeing Isaac approach, covered herself with a veil. (vs. 65b)

a. Modesty says two things about a person: First, that they are morally pure; and, Second, that they are faithful to their mate or their betrothed.

b. It is of such a woman, the “virtuous woman” that Proverbs 31:11 speaks saying, “Her husband has full confidence in her.”

J. Physical Appeal – “Don’t marry an ugly person!”

1. Rebekah was “beautiful to behold.” (vs. 16)

a. Yes. This, too, is important!! Nobody wants to marry an ugly person! Granted, one man’s (or woman’s) thoughts on what is physically attractive is different from another, but the old saying is true that “on their wedding day, there are no ugly brides!”

  Maybe you heard about the guy who fell in love with an opera singer.  He hardly knew her, since his only view of the singer was through binoculars – from the third balcony.  But he was convinced he could live “happily ever after” married to a voice like that.  He scarcely noticed she was considerably older than himself.  Nor did he care that she walked with a limp.  Her mezzo-soprano voice would take them through whatever dark nights might come.  After a whirlwind romance and a hurry-up ceremony, they were off for their honeymoon together.

   She began to prepare for their first night together.  As he watched, his chin dropped to his chest.  She plucked out her glass eye and plopped it into a container on the nightstand.  She pulled off her wig, removed fourteen layers of paint and make-up, ripped off her false eyelashes, yanked out her dentures, unstrapped her artificial leg, and smiled a gummy grin at him as she slipped off the glasses that hid her hearing aids.  Stunned and horrified, he gasped, “For goodness sake….sing, baby, SING!”  [3]

III. The Final Important Details.

A. Make this a constant subject of prayer!

1. Over and over we see prayers being offered for God’s guidance in the search for a suitable mate for both Isaac and Rebekah. If ever there is a time to be sure that you know what God wants for your life, it is at the time when you choose your life partner!

2. For, in truth, you are choosing happiness or sorrow; life or death.

B. Obtain the blessing of both families.

1. Abraham gave his blessing to Isaac in sending his servant, under God’s direction, to find a wife for his son.

2. Rebekah obtained her family’s blessing (in vs. 60) before she left to meet Isaac.

a. As a pastor who endeavors to follow the teachings of the Bible in ministry as in life, (and, in addition to three months of pre-marital counseling), I require a statement of blessing from both the bride’s and the groom’s family before I perform a wedding. And this is not something that I ask only of the young, but those of all ages. If the families are not supportive of the marriage, there is little chance for it to succeed. When differences arise, the unsupportive members generally do not act to strengthen the marriage, but rather weaken it. Every marriage deserves a good foundation built upon the mutual good wishes of the extended family.

C. The man must “leave” his mother and father and cleave to (entwine himself or mould his life around) his wife.

1. This is the command of God in Genesis 2:24, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

a. Notice that Isaac took Rebekah into his mother’s tent. (vs. 67) This is symbolic of the fact that his affection and care for Rebekah would supercede that which he had had for his mother.

D. Where’s the romance?????

1. I don’t want anyone of you to go away and say that old preacher Stanley doesn’t believe in romance or love. That’s simply not true. However, the love that endures is one that is patterned after the pure, eternal, unconditional love of God.

2. BUT, it is significant that the word “love” is not mentioned until the end of our story. The love, which Isaac had for Rebekah, was grounded in an appreciation of all of the qualities that had led to their union. Theirs was a love borne out of a pattern of right choices and enlightened guidance. It is this kind of union that God can fully bless.

3. Peter Marshall, former chaplain of the U.S. Senate said, “We are souls living in bodies.  Therefore when we really fall in love, it isn’t just physical attraction.  If it is just that, it won’t last.  Ideally, it’s also spiritual attraction.  God has opened our eyes and let us see into someone’s soul.  We have fallen in love with the inner person, the person who is going to live forever.  That’s why God is the greatest asset to romance. He thought it up in the first place.  Include him in every part of your marriage, and he will lift it above the level of the mundane to something rare and beautiful and lasting.”

[2] (Antoine De Saint-Exupery)

[3] (Charles Swindoll, “Strike the Original Match”)

Theme: Witness

Text: Matthew 9:35-38

Date: August 12, 2007 PM

 35 ¶ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

36  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

37  Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

38  “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Three Stages of Ol Suit.

How important is prayer? Is there anything that can substitute for it? Will more activity or better planning, good and necessary as they are, make up for prayers that were never prayed? Now, I know that you are not an ignorant person and that you know that nothing can make up for the lack of prayer. But would I be too far wrong in guessing that, although we know it’s value, we do not practice this holy exercise as we ought?

I read, recently, of some missionaries who were attempting to obtain a “multiple-entry visa” for their work in The Republic of Taiwan, China. In fact, allow me to read their email message now:

“We called the Taiwan consulate, just to ask some questions concerning the type of visa that we would be requesting (a multiple-entry visa). Because we go in and out of Taiwan so regularly, to get a multiple entry visa makes travel much more convenient. The woman on the other end of the phone responded with finality, ‘We don’t give multiple entry visas.’ This came as a surprise to us, in that we have heard of others receiving one. John [my missionary friend] asked several questions, all met with the same clear response, ‘We don’t give multiple entry visas.’

“With John’s language ability and history in Taiwan, we felt that we might have more success in dealing with the consulate face to face, rather than over the phone. So John made a trip down to Houston.

“He approached the counter to apply for our visas and inquired about the multiple entry visa. He was met by the staunch reply of a woman who had ‘ruled’ that office for 16 years. She again reported that they do not give multiple entry visas. John turned on all his third culture charm and asked question after question, and made many attempts to try to change her mind. With each of John’s attempts, the woman became more and more resolute, demanding new requirements one after another. He realized that his situation was only getting worse, and now he was faced with a list of documents that he had to provide in order for us to even get a single entry visa – documents that he did not have. He decided to retreat and try to at least gather the papers that she had requested and come in the next morning to try again.

          “Back in Oklahoma at this time, Jamie [John’s wife] was working on the computer, sending some email, when a message came up on her screen that one of our missionaries down in Mexico was online and wanted to visit. They wrote messages back and forth to each other over the Internet for a few minutes, checking in and asking how each other was doing. Jamie informed her that John was in the Taiwan consulate trying to get the visas and that there was a possibility that he was having some trouble. Mary asked, ‘Is it too late to pray?’ to which Jamie said, ‘No,’ and asked for prayer. Mary wrote back that she was praying right then that God would give us our multiple entry visa into Taiwan.

          “As John left the office, he waited in the corridor for the elevator to take him down to the street level. Two Chinese men came out of the office dressed in suits and joined John in the elevator. John asked them in Chinese if they were getting off work. Startled and surprised to hear a white man speaking Chinese, they responded with excitement. They struck up a conversation in Chinese that lasted for just a few minutes. By the end of the ride, one of the men said, ‘Hey I want to have lunch with you tomorrow. I know a great Chinese restaurant. I’ll introduce you to it.’ He handed John his card and told him to just come to the front office at 11:30 and show the woman his card and they would go to lunch together. Never able to turn down a great Chinese meal, John agreed. He looked down at the card in his hand and saw that it belonged to the Director General of the Taiwan Consulate!

          “The next morning, John entered the office and approached the same belligerent woman at the front desk. She greeted him, expecting to have to deal with his visa applications. Instead, John showed her the business card and told her that the Director General was waiting for him. Her eyes widened with confusion and surprise. Then she ducked her head and summoned the Director General.

          “After a wonderful Chinese meal, John returned to the consulate literally arm in arm with the Director. As they walked down the corridor, heads peeked out of the office doors to watch this white man who was being led to the ‘holy of holies,’ the Director’s personal office… [The Director] assured John that his visa needs would be taken care of right away.

          “When John finally went out to the front desk to receive his visas, the woman who had just the day before been nearly hostile about giving him a visa at all quietly bowed and handed over multiple entry visas for our whole family!

          “The next day, when John and Jamie compared notes, they discovered that as John had been standing waiting for the elevator, Mary was praying, clear down in Mexico, that God would give us our multiple entry visas! That is how important your prayers are for us!”

           Here we have an excellent illustration of the vital importance of prayer to the success of our missionof witness to the world. Our Lord, Himself, knew its value for, in Scripture before us, He exhorts us to “pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest”.

          With this in mind let us turn our attention to the study of God’s Word.

Background

The Ministry of Christ

In verse 35 we have a summary of the work and ministry that Jesus had been doing. Notice:

…the Scope of His ministry – “all the cities and villages”

• places both great and small; metropolitan areas and places where  a few households from the same family were huddled together.

…the Method of His ministry – “teaching”, “preaching”, and “healing”

• teaching – privately laying down His Father’s message of grace in an orderly, systematic way.

• preaching – proclaiming the message of grace publicly much as a herald or town-crier might announce an urgent message.

• healing — yerapeuw therapeuo ther-ap-yoo’-o (from which we get the word therapy). Means to serve, service, and restore to health.

…the Vision of His ministry – “He saw the multitudes”

• He had no narrow interest for His own place and people merely, nor did He focus His energies and compassion upon those who were His followers only. He saw the multitudes!

…the Motivation for His ministry – “He was moved with compassion for them”

• This compassion was intensified because Jesus saw that the people had been abused and harassed by the religious teachers of their day. These corrupt men had used the people for their own purposes and ends instead of simply teaching them God’s Word. These people were “ripe” for the message of forgiveness and holiness.

The Lord of the Harvest

The Harvest

The work of reaping a crop that is already ripe. Figuratively, it represents the work of gathering men and women, boys and girls to Christ through their salvation and discipling.

The Harvest is under the control of the Lord. The words, “Lord of the Harvest”, demonstrate that God is in control of this vital work. It is foolish to think that we can do this greatest of all work without Him. Therefore Jesus commands us to “pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

All around us, this morning, are people for whom Jesus died. It is a simple fact that they will not be saved if we do not reach them. But people are not saved by the force of our arguments or the power of our personalities. Salvation is the gift of God. As such, it can only be imparted (given) by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has chosen to live and work through us. If we are not moving and witnessing under His leadership and guidance, what are the chances that we will be successful? Prayer is talking with God. It includes listening as well as speaking. When we speak with God we are opening our heart’s desires to Him; when we listen (by studying the Bible and in our quiet times before Him), He “speaks” to our hearts.

Therefore, let us pray! Some of us will have to pray until we, too, are moved with compassion for the lost! Some until they are given the vision to even see the lost as needy, scattered and harassed. Others must pray until they become convicted that the Lord of the Harvest wills the salvation of the lost…that He will give us a rich harvest of souls. All of us will have to pray until we see that if we really are going to have a harvest that we must get ready for it now…today!

Conclusion

Hans Nielsen Hauge[1]

…is called the Wesley on Norway.[2] When he was just a farm boy, working on his father’s farm, God called him to witness to others of salvation by grace through faith. His parents tried to discourage him from following God’s call by pointing out that he was just an uneducated peasant boy. But God had called him and he would obey. Bathing himself in prayer, Hans set about telling others what God could do for them.

Norwegian law prohibited any religious work without the approval of the local pastors and, of course, they would not agree. Thus Hans divided his time between the prison house and the fields, but always he was busy telling others about Jesus’ love for them. As a result, thousands were won to Christ that would otherwise have been eternally lost.

Are you willing to let God use you where you are, just as you are? Join in singing this prayer we learned as children, years ago…

A Closing Thought

“Lord, lay some soul upon my heart.

O!,  love that soul through me.

And may I ever do my part

To win that soul to thee.”

[2] additional information gathered from http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/03/30.html , http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/122.html , and others.

Luke 12:13-21
  13 ¶ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Three Stages of Ol Suit.

You may have heard about the young man who proposed to his girl in the following way: “Darling,” he said, “I want you to know that I love you more than anything else in the world. I want you to marry me. I’m not wealthy. I don’t have a yacht or a Rolls-Royce like Johnny Green, but I love you with all of my heart.”

          She sat thoughtfully for a moment and then replied: “I love you with all of my heart, too, …but tell me more about Johnny Green.”

          Money can’t buy love and that’s true when it comes to our relationship with God, too.

The Context of our Story

Jesus has been preaching some very strong, difficult to hear truths about:

    Hypocrisy v. 1

    Judgment v. 2

    The Certainty of Sin’s Exposure v. 3

    God’s Absolute Supremacy v. 4 & 5

    The Reality of Hell v. 5

    The Intrinsic Worth of the Human Soul v. 6 & 7

    Our Obligation to Boldly Stand Up for Good and God v. 8 & 9

    Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit v. 10

    Persecution & Courageous Witness v. 11 & 12

The Interruption

 Apparently, right in the middle of Jesus’ lengthy sermon, a man stood up with a complaint against his brother about the fairness of an inheritance settlement.

 This is an almost unimaginable breach of etiquette and Jesus rightly protests by saying, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”

 Looking right past the man’s belligerent behavior, Jesus sees the real issue: this man has a heart of greed!

 Thus Jesus warns His disciples: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

 In other words the popular saying of our day is true: “He who dies with the most toys…still dies!”

 A Warning Against Spiritual Blindness Produced by Greed

The Illustration

 A farmer, already quite wealthy, happens to have a great year of abundant crops.

 But he does not turn to the God Who blessed his crops and thank Him for His kindness.

 Nor does he remember his neighbors and the widows of his community.

His single concern is for his own ease and enjoyment.

Hear his inner monologue with himself: “I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’”

This was his sole preoccupation: to please himself and do whatever he wanted to do.

But there was another actor in this story…Someone Who had been listening in to the selfish man’s monologue. The spotlight of our text falls upon this next actor and in the blinding light of truth we recognize Him to be none other than the God who had so blessed the man. Listen to Him speak:

“You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

When God calls a person a fool, we’d better take note of it! This is the very same God who reached out to the man in love, blessing his crops and prospered his life! However, the man foolishly lives as though he by himself is the reason for his sudden prosperity.

What about us? Do we credit God with giving us the blessings we enjoy? Further, do we remember the less fortunate in our times of prosperity?

God gives us many gifts and blesses us in a multitude of ways…but He always expects us to pass along the blessings and gifts to others. Listen to His Word:

Deuteronomy 8: 18 “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.”

Money can’t buy love or nearly every American would be head over heels in love with Jesus!

Russian author, Leo Tolstoy, once told the story of a wealthy man who was never satisfied with what he had. He always wanted more and more.

     One day he heard of a wonderful opportunity. For 1000 rubles he could have all the land he could walk around in a day. But he had to make it back to the starting point by the same day.

     He rose early in the morning and set out, walking on and on, as quickly as he could travel, thinking he could get a little more land if only he kept going. Suddenly, he realized just how far he had walked and that he’d have to hurry to get back to the starting point.

     He turned and began walking as fast as he could but soon saw that unless he ran, the sinking sun would rob him of his treasured land. Running, now, with all of his might, he came at last to the starting point…where he collapsed and died.

     One of his servants then came to bury him and, with his spade, dug up a piece of land just six feet long and three feet wide.

     Tolstoy entitled the story, ‘How Much Land Does a Man Need?’. He concludes the story by saying, in the end, “six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed.”

     And then there was the wife who said to her husband, as Christmas was nearing, “Honey, this year let’s give each other more practical gifts…like socks and fur coats.”

Let’s hear the warning of Jesus that life is much more than the collection of things we possess. And let’s remember to look up to God and out to the needy whenever we receive one of the many blessings from the Lord…and be thankful!

[These brief words were shared with a group of ministerial students some months ago. They do not describe the technical side of sermon development or ministerial life but, rather, offer the young minister a small set of helpful principles with which to process life in "professional" ministry. I hope they are found to be helpful. I further hope that other ministers will feel free to add their best counsel in the comments section below. God bless all who "minister before the Lord and His people. -Ol' Suit]

HARD-KNOCKS HOMILETICS
The Trail Version

    First, a word of explanation. I began my ministerial journey in the “wild and wooly” American West. Among the roles I assumed in order to provide for myself and my growing family was that of cowboy. Although I was frequently involved in moving large herds of cattle from one place to another, only rarely did I participate in multi-day cattle-drives. Such drives are fire in the daytime and ice at night with nothing more than bare earth awaiting you at the end of the day. There are no showers, no soft hotel towels, no nice, nearby restaurants, and no soft, comfortable beds to look forward to after the long hours of straddling a saddle and moving sometimes errant (and persistently stubborn)bovine.

    But there was camaraderie and a real brotherhood borne out of the shared experiences of “the trail” and a mutual respect for each other and the skills each brought to the work. It is that which prompts me to label this “The Trail Version.” It is my hope that for every “long drive” of your life, you will have the wisdom to make wise choices and be blessed with reliable companions.

    If you find yourself caught out on a particularly rough trail without the “ranch-hands” you need to get the job done, drop me a line at oldsuit@gmail.com . I’ll be happy to be part of your prayer support team. Who knows, we might even meet up . . . a little further down the trail. Happy Trails!  and God be with you, friend!

-Ol’ Suit

1. Choose carefully the proper chart/map. (Psalm 119:105)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

            During the span of your life you will encounter many fads and systems which claim to be “the right way to do things” and promise to deliver “the truth.” There is only one completely trustworthy source of spiritual enlightenment. That unfailing source of light is the Word of God. Others may, indeed, have bursts of light here and there but the shadows of error and human blindness always mar them and, in the end, make them an unreliable source by which to chart your course.

Three Stages of Ol Suit.

The Word you preach/teach has endured the attacks of the ages. It has been proven in the real-world circumstances of the living and dying, the weak and the powerful, of individuals and nations. Trust the wisdom and truth of the Word of God totally. Trust it as a believer, a Christian leader, and in whatever other capacity God opens for you to fill. You may always and with great confidence close your reading of the Scriptures with the declaration, “This is the Word of God for the People of God.” And be sure of this: The world awaits a word from a loving God!

2. Choose carefully the proper Guide/Helper. (John 16:13)

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

            There are a lot of people who will offer advice to you. Listen most closely to those whose lives vibrate in harmony with God’s Word and passions. But even these will be insufficient in your greatest trials. Then you have One upon whom you may rely – the Holy Spirit who lives within your believing heart.

            In your weakest, blindest moments, He will not fail to be with you, guiding – chiefly through His Word but also by countless other lesser ways – even when you do not sense His presence near. (Romans 8:26a)

3. Choose carefully your traveling companions/friends. (Eccles. 4:7-12; 1 Cor. 15:33)

“Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business! Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”

            Life’s journey was not designed as a solo excursion. We need, and will reflexively seek, companions…friends to share the journey. Friends will lighten the burdens and brighten the shadows. They will be warmth and shelter when life seems to turn cold and dangerous. Everybody needs a buddy.

            Choose your fellow travelers carefully. If you do not share a common Chart and a common Guide it is likely that one of you will influence the other toward their way. On the other hand, a good and well-chosen friend is a treasure house of blessings. When one can’t, two will. When alone you’d fail, two will succeed.

            (I cannot count the times when an evening of light-hearted fun among friends, sprinkled with serious discussions of some perplexing situation, has served to give me what I needed to tackle a challenge and win over it. Real friends don’t just tell you what you want to hear but what you need to hear. And they love you as much as before.)

4. Choose carefully the high road. (Isaiah 35:8, 42:16; Romans 12:18)

“And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.”

“And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

            There will be times when you will encounter undeserved criticism and thoughtless behavior on the part of others. Do your best to ensure that it remains “on the part of others.” Our lives and attitudes are the best homiletic either for or against what we verbalize.  I have not always succeeded at this and you may find yourself coming up short here, too. Whenever I have disappointed myself or failed to live up to the high standards of charity and forbearance toward those who disagree with or oppose me, I am under obligation to make amends. The Good News produces the fruit of goodness. (Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:9)

            [I had an event in my first church in which I acted ignorantly. I didn’t see my error immediately but blundered on for some time, assuming that I had “delivered the Word of the Lord” to the offender. But God in His faithful, gentle way does not fail to go through our junk pile and, eventually, He went through mine. Under His persistent probing I saw the sin of ignorance I had committed against the other person. Then and there I pledged to do all in my power to restore what my immaturity and willfulness had damaged. I am happy to report that all was forgiven and amended, the other person being so much more gracious than I had reason to expect.]

5. Enjoy the journey!

            Remember that God designed us for pleasure as well as preaching. Surely we must be careful to maintain a balance between our mission and our mirth, but don’t let your joy leak out or dry up. Enjoy your companions. Love your spouse. Dream and scheme. Listen for God’s voice. Although you live for eternity, live in the moment, too.

            Eccles. 11:9 “Young man, enjoy yourself while you are young, make the most of the days of your youth, follow the prompting and desire of heart and eye, but remember, God will call you to account for everything.” (Jerusalem Bible)

            Psalm 16:11 “You will teach me the path of life, unbounded joy in your presence, at your right hand delight for ever.” (Jerusalem Bible)

6. Remember where your truest Home is.

            All the joys and toys of earth, fascinating and pleasurable as they are, are destined to fade into oblivion. “The Preacher” (of the Book of Ecclesiastes) knew this well and cautioned that, no matter how enjoyable the things of earth may be, they are not ours to keep. We have better things being prepared for us and a land yet in our future – the only land where the word “satisfaction” is truly fitting.

            “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.

            If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for something else of which they are only a kind of a copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.”  -C. S. Lewis, ‘Mere Christianity’

 Look for me along the trail . . . or when you get Home. God bless you!

Love God. Share life. Cherish your calling. Never quit. The best is always ahead.