The Mayan calendar has no today! But, here we are!
The human race is a fearful lot! I doubt that that is really news to you. We see it in action every day. Yesterday was December 21, 2012, the winter equinox and the first day of winter. Some people feared that Friday would be the end of the world, because it was the last day of the Mayan Indians’ 5,125-year cycle. The Mayan calendar has no today! But, here we are!
Closer to home, recent gun violence and fear of gun control has caused a dramatic jump in gun sales. AR-15s are jumping off the shelves in record numbers. Even stranger, fear of violence has cause a jump in sales of another item: armored backpacks for children. Yes! You can send your child to school with a backpack that will stop a round from a .44 magnum handgun. Anne Marie Albano, who is the director of psychiatry at Columbia University’s Anxiety Clinic said yesterday that instead of fear, parents should convey calmness, not anxiety.
“This is not serving to keep children safe,” she said. “This is serving to increase their fear and their suspicion of their peers.” Good luck with that advice, doctor! Calmness and pacifism are much harder for people to muster than fear and distrust.
Well, Christmas is here, and perhaps with it, there is some hope for mankind! I am always amazed, however, when I realize how much we are like the people we read about in the Bible. I have become aware of just how much fear greeted that first Christmas, so long ago.
Angels announced the first Christmas to a number of people in the scriptures. The angels expected their response and they were right! People were afraid! In Luke 1:13, the angel Gabriel came to Zechariah to tell him of John’s arrival and Zechariah was gripped with fear. “Do not be afraid,” the angel said. In Luke 1:20 an angel came to Joseph to tell him of Jesus’ coming. The angel told him, “Do not be afraid.” Similarly, in Luke 1:30 the angel’s announcement to Mary was also prefaced with, “Do not be afraid.”
Perhaps the announcement we are most familiar with is to the shepherds in Luke 2. Let us turn to Luke 2 and read verses 8-15. Luke 2:8-15.
LK 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
LK 2:13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
LK 2:14 ”Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
LK 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of the Word.
In these days of anxiety and fear, it is important to remember that the first statement all the angels made to the people they spoke to was, “Do not be afraid.” The angels stressed that fear was unnecessary because the purpose of their visit (in all these occasions) was to bring goodnews. Their announcement was that the long looked for Messiah had finally arrived. They would find this Messiah in Bethlehem; an innocent child in humble conditions. Their announcement said he was a savior, not just for them but for all the people.
For most Jewish listeners of the day, the first assumption would be that the nation would be saved from the Roman Empire. Many today would tell you that he came so that Christians can go to heaven. Certainly, that is part of the answer. But the word “savior” here means so much more. The word used for “savior” means not just political salvation but “well-being, healing, deliverance and a right relationship with God. It means hope, life and peace. Their message went well beyond “do not be afraid.” It was a message of love and joy. God had set in motion a plan that would save the world from darkness and sin.
You and I can have joy at Christmas instead of fear. God loves you so much that he was willing pour himself into the man Jesus so long ago. Moreover, the man Jesus, born a human child and living the same difficult life as all of us, became the sacrifice of love for you.
John 3:15 says that, “everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” You and I need not live a life of fear!
JN 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
The creator of the universe has given you a gift at Christmas. His gift is that you can be eternally secure and will never have need to fear again. Our Christmas gift, Jesus the Savior, told his disciples in Matthew 10:28-31,
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Because of Christmas, we have the joy of salvation and no reason to fear.
God had advanced human history to its greatest cosmic tipping point and whom did he choose to be his primary agents of action? They were two of the most commonplace people that you could imagine.
No one enjoys receiving bad news. Have you ever had the experience of the phone ringing in the middle of the night? Few things in life can cause such a rush of adrenaline and a wave of fear. Who is calling? What terrible news is this? Delivering bad news by day or night can be hazardous!
The phrase “don’t kill the messenger” has many common usages. It is difficult even to know its beginnings. It may go back as far as Sophocles’ play Antigone in 441 BC. In the play, a guard comes to Creon the King of Thebes to deliver some bad news. He says to the king,
“…I am now here,
not of my own free will or by your choice.
I know that—for no one likes a messenger
Who comes bearing unwelcome news with him.”
News delivered in the blackness of night is seldom good and usually “unwelcome.” I want to talk with you today about news delivered in just such a way. Initially, it was received as terrible news, but it became the best news that was every delivered! Turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew.
The news that I am thinking of is in Matthew 1:18-25. Today I am reading from the English Standard Version. Matthew 1:18-25.
[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. [19] And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. [20] But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
[23] “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of the Word.
So many aspects of the story of Jesus’ birth are astounding or awe-inspiring. I have always thought that Mary and Joseph’s relationship in the face of this midnight news was remarkable. Yes, of course, angels appeared in the night sky and foreign wise men followed a brilliant star. Those were amazing events.
For me, however, Mary and Joseph were the most remarkable. Perhaps it is because they were so “unremarkable.” These two people were completely normal. God had advanced human history to its greatest cosmic tipping point and whom did he choose to be his primary agents of action? They were two of the most commonplace people that you could imagine. They were two young people with no worldly power or advantage, living in a backwater town in a third rate country. God entrusted them with the future of humanity.
The specifics of the story require some cultural shifting. Mary and Joseph were “betrothed.” It is an archaic English word that comes out of the 16th century. Troth means “true hearted” or “faithful.” They had been promised to each other in marriage, probably one arraigned by their families.
A modern reader might read, “engaged.” That, however, is not a strong enough word. These two were legally bound to each other. Divorce was required to end this form of “engagement.” News came to Joseph that his “faithful” was pregnant! Knowing that he was not the father Joseph began to make plans. He could not go through with the marriage because of her “unfaithful” act.
She had been having sex with someone! It was adultery and the punishment for that was death (Deuteronomy 22:22). He would end it quietly with a writ of divorce, which Jewish law allowed. All he had to do was to sign a paper with two witnesses and it would have been over. At least this action would save her life. It would also show that he was without guilt.
It must have been shocking for him. He would have known Mary for most of his life. This would have been completely unexpected. His plans were set, but he hesitated to carry them out.
Then God intervened. An angel spoke to him and told him that his plan was unnecessary. “Do not be afraid.” You do not need to take the action you plan. You can marry her. Here is the stunning phrase, …that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
It was two brief sentences, but a great deal to receive and understand. What would he have known from this? First, he knew she had not been unfaithful; the power of God the creator had begun the pregnancy. Second, what had been very bad news was the greatest announcement the human race would ever hear.
He would have a son. That by itself would have been a blessing. But Joseph knew that the angel was describing the long-looked-for Messiah. [23] “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). The Psalmist had said that God himself would redeem Israel (Psalm 130:8). The name “Jesus” would have been the clincher. Jesus (or Joshua) means, “The LORD saves.”
How did he respond? Did he take the safe route and carry out his original plan to keep them all out of trouble? No. He got up and began the process of completing the marriage. The neighborhood gossips could go ahead and wag about her infidelity or his shameful guilt. He would trust in God.
You might think that you have little in common with Mary or with Joseph. But they were common people just like you and me. They had no expectation that God would use them in powerful ways.
Bad news, even disastrous news comes to all of us. Even as I prepare this message, news outlets are bringing news of tragedy and pain. We live in a world that cries out in pain constantly. The question is not if bad news will come to you. The question is how you will respond when it comes to you.
Joseph and Mary chose a path that was inconvenient, difficult, even dangerous. They chose to be faithful to God’s message of hope. Will you face the events of your life (the good and the bad) by simply making your own plans for dealing with it quickly and quietly? Or will you turn to God who is the source of all that is good.
Turning to God is an act of faith. It is also an act of the will. Two thousand years ago, two very common young people chose the path of faith when there was a much easier way. The question for you is what will you choose?
The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.
From its very earliest days, the people of the State of West Virginia have lived with an “extraction economy.” By that phrase, I mean that most of our economic activity has come from industries that remove natural resources and ship them outside the state. Thousands of West Virginians make their livings from lumber, oil, natural gas, coal and the infrastructure that supports those industries.
There was a time when surface mining for coal was called, “strip-mining.” Today, they call it “mountain-top removal.” That is a descriptive title. The process involves peeling the top off of a West Virginia mountain to expose the coal underneath. Valleys between the mountaintops are filled in with the “overburden,” the coal is removed and essentially, the mountain is now a “plain.”
West Virginians have been discussing and continue to discuss the economic, social and environmental “pros and cons” of mountaintop removal. Which is more important, the mountains and the environment, or jobs and the economy? Whether you are “for it” or “against it,” when people see mountaintop removal, they are usually struck by the scope of the task. Moving mountains is not an easy proposition.
Biblically, the phrase “moving mountains” is used when the speaker or writer wants to describe a task that is so large it is seemingly impossible. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus told his followers, “…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Today, I would like you to turn with me to Luke 3:1-6. Let us read what this writer said about the impossible task of moving mountains. Turn with me the Gospel of Luke. Luke 3:1-6.
LK 3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar–when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene– 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
LK 3:5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
LK 3:6 And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’”
May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of the Word.
In telling the story of Jesus, Luke gave his reader a time marker. He used the lives of the men who ruled the country and ran the temple as locators for the story he was telling. Historical records of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate as well as Herod, Philip and Caiaphas point the reader to 28 or 29 AD. That was the “when” for Luke’s account. The “who” was John, son of Zechariah and the “where” was the rocky, mountainous wilderness in the land around the Jordan River. John was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
Was John offering forgiveness if they would just come and be baptized? No. Much like our current use of baptism, John’s “baptism of repentance” was intended to be an outward, public display of sorrow and a moral change of heart. The desired result would be forgiveness from God. But, Luke cannot miss the obvious completion of one of Isaiah’s prophesies.
Luke recalled Isaiah 40:3-5. John the Baptizer’s message was the message spoken of by Isaiah, that voice “calling in the desert.”
“Prepare the way for the Lord,
Make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
Every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
The rough ways smooth.
And all mankind will see God’s salvation.”
A nation or city that was expecting an official visit from royalty would have gone out and prepared its roads. The word “prepare” here implies the removal of obstacles. Cleaning and repairing the roads certainly seems an obvious preparation. But Isaiah goes well beyond that and uses the epitome of the impossible. The royal visit in Isaiah’s prophesy was so important that mountains needed to be moved, roads needed to be straightened and repaved so that the whole world would see God’s salvation.
John the Baptist and Luke the physician and writer knew that Jesus was “God’s salvation.” John told those that came out to listen to him that they needed to prepare for the coming of the Messiah by demonstrating their sin sorrow in the act of baptism.
We who are followers of Jesus know that he was and is the only source of salvation from sin. The God of creation wanted a relationship with you so badly, that he poured his divine nature into the form of simple man. Jesus was born to be offered as the sacrifice for your sin! Does that mean that we can just sit back and do nothing?
Romans 3:22 says that, “…This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Your salvation does not depend on your effort! However, when you are aware of the sacrifice made for you, why would you make NO effort?
During the Advent season, we remember the words of John the Baptist, “prepare the way for the Lord!” Remove all the obstacles! Do everything possible; even do the impossible because the Messiah comes!
You know what the mountain is in your life. It is time to make an effort to remove it! What obstacle comes between you and the coming savior? Because of Jesus, we are forgiven. In gratitude for that fact, we need to make every effort to push sin aside and make way for Him. This year, as we remember his birth, let us also make preparations, beginning in our own repentant hearts.
Prepare the way for the Lord.
Come Lord Jesus.
I have a few questions for you. See if you can tell me who this is.
Who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, but is honored in that city by a statue of someone else?
Who served as ship’s doctor aboard both a whaling ship off Greenland and a steamship traveling to West Africa?
Need more clues?
Who loved football, cricket and golf?
Who wrote fiction, non-fiction and poetry and was known to encode clues concerning mysteries in his own life into the stories that he wrote?
Some of you have it, I am certain.
Who basically defined and perfected the detective mystery genre of popular fiction?
Arthur Conan Doyle is the answer, of course. His stories of Sherlock Holmes and his trusted friend Dr. Watson laid the ground-rules for what is now the most widely read form of popular fiction. People love to read those stories and piece together hints, conversations and tiny bits of evidence to solve a great mystery. In the end, it all comes together and the truth is reveled. The mystery, solved.
We are entering the season of Advent. During that time, we are reminded of the mystery that the Jews struggled with generation after generation. The prophets provided bits of evidence, but the identity of the one they were looking for was unknown to them even when it was announced!
Turn with me first to the prophet Isaiah. This morning I am reading from 10:33 through 11:2.
ISA 10:33 See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty,
will lop off the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,
the tall ones will be brought low.
ISA 10:34 He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax;
Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.
ISA 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
ISA 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him–
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—
Israel and Judah, the two kingdoms of Palestine, were at war with the Assyrians. This had been going on for a long time. In 733 BC, the Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser III conquered a broad swath of territory and forced both Israel and Judah to pay tribute. Isaiah prophesied that Assyria would eventually fail and in a big way!
In this passage, Isaiah described God (the LORD Almighty) as a frightening axe-bearing forester, dropping the Assyrian trees left and right. From the tallest of trees to the lowest underbrush, Isaiah said that God would clear it all away.
Biblical prophecy is often about more than one time. It is always relevant to its current time; in this case the imminent fall of the Assyrian Empire. However, it is common for the prophet to also bring God’s message about events in another time. In this passage, Isaiah returned to a message that he had spoken of before; the coming of the Messiah.
He continued his “fallen tree” metaphor by describing the coming Messiah as a “shoot” coming up from the “stump of Jesse.” The line of Jesse had been “cut off.” The greatness that Israel saw in David and Solomon had not continued. Now Isaiah speaks of hope; both in the present tense (hope for the downfall of the Assyrians) and in a future, ultimate tense (the coming of God’s anointed). The Messiah would bring the Spirit of the Lord with him and be filled with wisdom understanding, knowledge and power. Isaiah told them of a coming savior.
For hundreds of years Israel watch, waited and prayed that God’s Messiah would supply them with the hope of glory. How God would accomplish this and who this would be was the great mystery.
Now, press fast forward for about 750 years. We come to our second reading for this morning. This reading is from the New Testament. Paul wrote a letter to the Colossian church.
Colossians 1:24-29.
COL 1:24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness– 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
COL 1:28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of the Word.
Paul wrote to the believers at Colossi and told them that he had been given a commission to fulfill. A commission is an order that must be completed and with it comes the authority to act in a way that fulfills that order.
What were his orders? He was to present to the readers “the word of God in its fullness.” Paul defined “fullness” as the answer to the great mystery. How would God fulfill his promise of salvation? Who would this Messiah be? It was the mystery that had been “hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.”
It was Jesus of Nazareth; born in unusual circumstances, lived the life of an impoverished rabbi, executed like a common criminal and raised from the dead to walk with them again. It was astonishing!
Even more, it was a mystery with an expected twist. The Messiah brought salvation not just for the Children of Israel. “The glorious riches of this mystery,” was that Christ was in them; gentiles, set apart for God’s purposes and given the hope of glory promised so long ago.
I am quite certain that we have no idea how radical this idea was. The fact that gentiles could be the beneficiaries of God’s ancient promise to Abraham through the sacrifice of Jesus changed the ground on which they stood. We, the gentiles in this story, often take all of this for granted. We are grafted in and that is no small matter.
This week we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It is our custom to do this four times a year and I am thankful that one of those times is during the Advent season. The meaning of his coming is made so much clearer when we remember also that he died as a sacrifice. Advent celebrates his coming into the world. Communion honors his sacrifice. For those of us (all of us) who are not Children of Israel, that birth and sacrifice are all the more profound.
He conquered death for us even though we had no right to ask for such a gift. It is indeed a profound mystery. Its clues are scattered throughout the ancient texts. The full truth is for us, the body of Christ.
Jesus was and is the only savior. Come, Lord Jesus.
I hold in my hand what may be the most unpopular coin in American history. The Susan B. Anthony dollar coin was minted from 1979 to 1981 and then again in 1999. It bears the image of women’s suffrage campaigner Susan B. Anthony. If she had been alive at its minting, she might have wanted to sue for defamation of character!
Nothing went right with this coin. Sometimes called the “Carter Quarter,” it was supposed to be minted as an 11-sided coin so that it would feel different in the user’s hand. The intention was to honor the Apollo 11 space flight and its landing on the moon, which is on the reverse. However, vending machine manufacturers raised such a fuss about the design that the plan was scrapped. The coin looks and feels like a 25-cent coin. The US Mint produced 888 million of these coins for circulation, but it took years or them to be released because they were so unpopular.
How much is this coin really worth? It is a U.S. dollar coin. It has the spending power of any other dollar. But, for many years it was difficult to even give these away! A sealed, freshly minted Susan B. Anthony might cost as much as $16 to buy in a coin shop today. How much is a dollar worth? This coin is made of 92% copper and 8% nickel. That means this piece of metal is worth about 6 ½ cents! How much is a dollar really worth? If I had spent this dollar when it was minted in 1979 and I bought one item for one dollar, that same item would cost me $3.20 today! So then, how much is a dollar worth? Another U.S. dollar coin (a 1794 Flowing Hair Dollar) recently sold for 7.8 million dollars. This is very confusing!
How do you measure value? Is there a way to know true worth? True worth, like everything else in this life needs to be measured by a true standard. I know where to find that!
We are going back to Matthew; back to our study of the Sermon on the Mount. Turn with me to Matthew 6:1-21.
MT 6:1 ”Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
MT 6:2 ”So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
MT 6:5 ”And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
MT 6:9 ”This, then, is how you should pray:
” `Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. ‘
MT 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
MT 6:16 ”When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
MT 6:19 ”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of the Word.
When we last looked at the Sermon on the Mount, we read Jesus telling his disciples that they could not simply obey the law as written, or even as it was commonly understood. Jesus taught his followers to go well beyond legalism into self-sacrifice. In this portion of the sermon, Jesus cautioned his listeners that the quality of the good things they were doing diminished if they were done “to be seen.”
MT 6:1 ”Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Jesus made this a statement of principal. He then continued with three examples. They are, giving to others, the believer’s prayer life and conducting a fast. In general, these activities are spiritually based but they involve the believers’ interactions with the world around them.
Let us look at each of them. The first one is about giving to the poor. Notice that Jesus did not say, “if.” No. Instead, he said, “When” you give to the needy. Jesus expected his followers to be giving! The only question was how that was to be done.
He used an odd phrase to describe appropriate giving, “…do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” This seems to be an impossible standard! But Jesus insists that their giving should be so “invisible” that they are not even aware of it themselves! The hypocrites gave so those around them would know they were doing it. Their desire was to reward themselves!
The second warning is about prayer. Just as with giving, Jesus told them to guard their motives. He instructed them to pray in private so that others would be unaware. His warning included a suggested pattern for prayer that would keep them from “babbling like pagans.” It is not likely that Jesus expected his disciples to memorize and repeat these words.
The prayer is a pattern of simplicity that called upon God to take an active part in their lives. The hypocrites prayed so that those around them would know they were doing it. Their desire was to reward themselves!
The third example concerns fasting. These are three basic pillars of Jewish pity; giving, prayer and fasting. Much like the other warnings, this statement told them that they should do everything that they could to keep the fact that they were fasting to themselves! Jesus told them to get cleaned up and to go out into the world like they would on any other day. The hypocrites fasted so that those around them would know they were doing it. Their desire was to reward themselves!
The pattern in these warnings is exactly the same. Jesus warned them not to act in a way that sought praise from other human beings. He told them that to act in that way might gain them human praise, but nothing else. He them told them to act secretly and then reassured them that God would reward openly what had been done in secret.
The “punch” in the passage came in verses 19-21. Jesus made it very clear to them why this secretive behavior was important.
MT 6:19 ”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Was he really talking about money? Certainly there is more to this than that! If they behaved in ways that brought them praise from people around them they were only piling up “treasures on earth.” Those treasures had no lasting value. Earthly treasures (the praise of people) would simply rot away or be stolen. True value could only be found in treasures in heaven (the praise of the Father). God’s treasure is eternal. Jesus told them that their choice of “treasure” was descriptive of their real nature.
These warnings should give us pause, because they apply to us every bit as much as they did to those disciples sitting at Jesus’ feet. You and I know that the good things that we do (our acts of righteousness) have nothing to do with our salvation.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The follower of Jesus is therefore free, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. But our savior clearly says that our attitude about those works will determine our reward.
I want you to be clear, salvation is the believer’s gift, not the believer’s reward! The scripture simply does not define these “rewards” for us. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25, seems to say that our reward may be the ability to perform greater acts of service for God. But there is no clear definition. What is entirely clear however, is that if your motive for the spiritual acts in your life is to gain the praise of people around you, you had better enjoy it now, because it will be short lived.
We all need to examine ourselves. Why do I come to church? When I speak about Jesus, when I read my Bible, when I give or pray or fast, is there a portion of me that is hoping someone will see what a good person I am? Of course there is! You and I are humanly flawed and it cannot be completely avoided! Jesus has warned us about this and we can be careful about examining our motives.
There are times when our relationship with God should be spoken of and publically exhibited (like a city on a hill)! But when your self-interest begins to crowd in, it is time to “keep it to yourself!”
This weekend 59 million Americans will have something in common. They will go to church. Interestingly enough, 118 million Americans tell researchers that they go to church. However, if actual church attendance is extrapolated out for the 314,000 churches in our country, the number actually at worship is about 59 million. Somebody is not telling the truth!
Whether the number is 118 million or 59 million the question that comes to mind is, “What are they doing there?” The obvious answer is worship. Christians go to church for many reasons; fellowship, mutual support, social involvement, education, entertainment, even plain old habit. But if you asked them, most would say, “I’m here to worship.”
But what is worship? How is it done? What is required? Some would say that a hymnbook is required, or perhaps a guitar. Many today do not seem to be able to worship without computer screens and video projectors.
The dictionary says that worship is “a reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage or object regarded as sacred.” Reverent honor and homage. Our English word “worship” comes from an older form, “worthship.” The one who is given homage must be worthy of receiving the honor!
There is no single definition of worship in the scriptures but we know that the early church included preaching, scripture reading, prayer, singing, baptism, communion, stewardship, and sometimes prophesy and speaking in tongues. There are biblical examples of these. First century believers, however, did not simply make these elements up!
Let us turn to the Old Testament and see where some of the elements of worship came from. Specifically this morning I would like to consider Psalm 95. Turn with me, if you will to Psalm 95. Here is what it says.
PS 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
PS 95:2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
PS 95:3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
PS 95:4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
PS 95:5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
PS 95:6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
PS 95:7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Today, if you hear his voice,
PS 95:8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the desert,
PS 95:9 where your fathers tested and tried me,
though they had seen what I did.
PS 95:10 For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.”
PS 95:11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
“They shall never enter my rest.”
May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of the Word.
We need to remember that the Psalms are for singing. Picture yourself climbing the steps up to the temple in Jerusalem. You have been ceremonially cleansed and now you are moving up the steps, toward the place of sacrifice. All around you, worshippers are singing this Psalm. Everyone is moving toward the temple.
This Psalm has five distinct sections. The first two verses are a call to worship. The Psalmist called out to worshippers to joyfully sing and even shout out to God.
The second section established God “worthship.” Why was their God worthy of worship? Because he is above all. From its highest places to the deepest part of the sea, the earth is his.
The third section returned to a call to the worshippers. Bow before God! Kneel before your maker! Why? They should bow, the Psalmist says because they belong to God.
The fourth section reminds them of a dark moment in Israel’s past, when an ungrateful people did not trust God to care for them even though they had seen miraculous event after event. At Meribah, Moses disobeyed God and struck the rock to give water to the people.
The fifth section speaks to the sad punishment that generation had to endure. The result of their disobedience was that they would never enter the good land where God’s rest would be found.
You and I will never climb the temple steps. You and I will never hear (no one will ever hear) the sound of the worshippers climbing up to make temple sacrifice. That ancient system of worship is gone forever.
But God is still God and he is certainly worthship! Both the sacrifice and the temple have been replaced by the grace of God! Our reason to worship God is elevated because of the “once-for-all” sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So how will we worship?
There is distinct difference between praise and worship. They are both important but they are subtly different. The picture of praise is one of you standing before God, head up and hands raised with the overwhelming sense exaltation. The picture of worship, however, is on your knees, face down with an overwhelming sense of awe.
For you and me, worship does not require a certain style, a particular type of music or a specific setting. Worship is an expression of our attitude. “Let us come before him with thanksgiving… let us kneel before the LORD our Maker…” We come to church to share in fellowship and to enjoy friends and family. But our primary purpose here must always be to offer a humble gift to the God who created us. We come to offer ourselves to him.
This week, the world around us will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. So many traditions have built up around that day, that I believe that most people have forgotten on basic thing; and that is who it is we must be thankful to!
An attitude of thanksgiving is fundamental to worship, not on one day a year, nor one day a week. Thanksgiving must be at the core of our attitude toward our God. The writer of Hebrews understood this when he referred to Psalm 95.
HEB 3:12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Remember an attitude of thanksgiving and “hold firmly” to our confidence in Christ.
In 1591, William Shakespeare wrote the second of a trilogy of plays about the life of Henry VI. The play focuses on the King’s inability to stop the bickering of his nobles and the inevitability of war. At one point in the play, a rebel by the name of Cade promises the people reform if they will just follow him. Members of the listening crowd respond to nearly everything that he says. Some are adding to his statements, some are heckling (sounds like politics today!).
Then, Cade makes a nearly socialist statement. “I thank you, good people,” Cade says. “There shall be no money; all shall eat and drink on my score, and I will apparel them all in one livery, that they may agree like brothers, and worship me their lord.”
Then, a little known Shakespearean character speaks one of the Bard’s most famous lines. “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” To which Cade replies, “Nay, that I mean to do.” Cade goes on to say that lawyers just shuffle papers and take advantage of people. This from a man who through violence, wanted to set himself up as the country’s regent!
People have quoted that line for over 420 years, expressing their frustration with lawyers and the legal structures they sometimes manipulate. Shakespeare was “William come lately!” The New Testament gospels are packed with Jesus’ frustration with the legal system of his day and the Pharisees who worked that system.
Today, we are continuing our study of the Sermon on the Mount. Last week I called it Jesus’ “counter-culture manifesto.” In this morning’s passage, Jesus expanded his discussion to the “Law” and the way the Pharisees were manipulated it. Turn with me to Matthew 5:17 and we will read through verse 24.
MT 5:17 ”Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
MT 5:21 ”You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
MT 5:23 ”Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of the Word.
In this section of Jesus’ sermon, he turned his listeners’ attention to the Jewish law. In verse 17, he referred to it as the Law or the Prophets. The Jewish scripture was divided into three segments, although the divisions were not hard and fast.
The people of Jesus’ day referred to the first five books of the scriptures as the Law, but it also had a broader definition. The law was also the entirety of God’s interaction with man. The second section of scripture was called the Prophets. It included the prophetic writings of the “Former Prophets” and the “Latter Prophets.” The third section was called the Ketuvim, or simply the writings. The Law and the Prophets were seen as the most important sections of the Hebrew scripture.
Jesus told his listeners that the Law would stand “until heaven and earth disappear.” Nothing would be changed. Jesus said that he did not come to “abolish” the Law. That word “abolish” is also used in Hebrew for tearing down or demolishing buildings.
Jesus made it clear that the Law would stand. In fact, he would complete the Law. If the Law of God was unchangeable, his listeners would have to face it! Breaking the law and leading others to do so would make you the “least in the kingdom of heaven.” But practicing and teaching its commands would make a person “great in the kingdom of heaven.”
How would Jesus’ listeners face the Law? Verse 20 must have been a surprise to them! For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus often said absurd things to force people to think, but this must have been stunning. In that Jewish culture, most people thought that the highest level of righteousness achievable was to be a Pharisee. If a Pharisee was not righteous enough to gain the kingdom, how could anyone be?
After forcing that question into their minds, Jesus pointed toward the answer. “You have heard that it was said… Do not murder.” I say, do not even get angry. If you called someone an empty-headed fool (Aramaic Raca), you may have been taken to court. But “you fool” is much worse! This word had the implication of Godlessness and stupidity. The implication is that the language of common slurs can lead to anger and violence. Finally, Jesus gave them a real life example. If you are in the temple to worship and you remember that your “brother” is angry with you about something go and make it right. Then come back and offer your gift.
Christians are fond of saying things like, “Because of Christ, I am no longer under the law.” But Jesus said here that the law will continue and that the law is still binding. Certainly, the argument has and can be made that Jewish ceremonial law does not apply to the Christian. However, no one argues that the moral law, especially as encapsulated in the Ten Commandments, does not bind Christians.
I am wondering if you noticed a few things in that scripture. Breaking the law did not mean that you were excluded from the kingdom of heaven. Did you see that? Breaking the law or even teaching wrongly would not get you excluded from the kingdom. What would keep you from the kingdom? For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees were lawyers! Too many of them, however, were focused on finding ways around the law instead of ways to uphold the law. That is why the name Pharisee is used as a slur today! If you look for a way to keep the law on the surface but are really trying to get around it, you are a Pharisee!
I will let the Spirit convict! You know yourselves. You know where the problems are in your lives. What Jesus told us in this passage is that we cannot hide our misdeeds from an all-knowing God. Jesus did not ask us to be scrupulous and legalistic! He is the source and the means of our forgiveness! What Jesus did ask of us is to be honest with each other and with ourselves.
Jesus asks us not to simply to obey the law but to go beyond the law. The wonderful thing is that, because of Jesus, we have room to make mistakes. The grace of God in Jesus Christ is there for us when we have harmed another, disappointed ourselves or disappointed our God. Once again, it comes back to an attitude; an attitude of humility and a thankful heart.
Galatians 5:5-6 says, “But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
In 1969, a little known professor at California State University wrote a book about the social changes he had been witnessing in the San Francisco area. Theodore Roszak became famous because of that book which was entitled The Making of a Counter Culture. In fact, the term “counter culture” came from that text.
America had experienced a long running movement in its cultural shadows. It began after World War II with what has become known as the “Beat Generation” and evolved into the “Hippie Movement” of the 1960s. Before Roszak’s book, we did not know what to call it! It was counter culture; “a subculture whose values and norms of behavior deviate from those of mainstream society…” When subculture becomes large enough and lasts long enough, it becomes known as counter-culture.
The Beat Generation and Hippie Movement counter-culture essentially dissolved somewhere around 1973-74. Why? Most popular of its political and social goals were accomplished. American culture co-opted its “live and let live” mentality! It is difficult for counter-culture to survive when it is adopted by the culture itself!
We still see the effects of those movements today. But there is another “counter-culture” movement that has had lasting effects; effects that have gone on for centuries not just decades. Perhaps you do not think of Christianity as “counter-culture,” but it certainly qualifies!
Over the next few weeks, I would like to look at what should be considered as a “counter-culture manifesto.” It is sometimes called, “the sermon on the mount.” Turn with me to Matthew 4:23 and we will read through Matthew 5:12.
MT 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
MT 5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
MT 5:3 ”Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
MT 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
MT 5:5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
MT 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
MT 5:7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
MT 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
MT 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
MT 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
MT 5:11 ”Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
May the Lord add his blessing to this reading of the Word.
Matthew recorded Jesus’ teaching, what we commonly call the Sermon on the Mount, as one continuous discourse. It stretches from 5:1 through 7:29. Scholars have often debated whether this is actually one long session or whether Matthew formed it this way as an opportunity to present a collection of the teachings of Jesus.
It is sometimes difficult for us to understand the chronology of the gospels. They seem so different and it sometimes look to us like they are disagreeing with each other. The gospels are a distinct literary form called, “historiography.” It was fairly common in that day. Essentially, you could think of it as history shaped for a purpose. The message of each gospel is more important than its chronology. When all is said and done, it does not matter whether Jesus taught this material all in one sitting or over time. It is the message that is important.
Matthew presented this teaching at the peak of Jesus’ popularity. Crowds were coming from all over the region; from Syria and across the Jordan to Jerusalem and Judea. Even people from the gentile dominated Decapolis were coming to hear Jesus. Matthew wanted his reader to know that this material was at the important core of Jesus’ ministry.
This section of the sermon is called, “The Beatitudes.” It is unique. Oh, there are other beatitudes in the Bible. They are scattered all through the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms. But they are almost always single blessings. Only twice are there more than one; Psalm 84 and Psalm 119 are couplet blessings. But those are the only ones that have more than one. This list would have certainly caught people’s attention. First perhaps because there are so many but more importantly because of the content.
Each one of these would have been jarring to the Jewish listener of Jesus’ day. Each one could be said to be “counter-culture,” since they fly in the face of the logic of the day. Jesus made statements that on the surface seemed completely false. He did that to shake people out of their commonly accepted mindsets.
It is absurd to say that the poor, the grieving, the meek, the hungry and the thirsty could be blessed by those conditions. The culture of the day thought that worldly success was a sign of God’s blessing. These conditions looked to them like a sign of God’s abandonment. However, in each of those cases Jesus promised that God would make it right. The poor will gain. The grieving will be comforted. The meek will be rewarded. Those who hunger will be filled.
Then the list takes a turn. It turns to positive traits. Mercy, purity and peacemaking would all be rewarded by divine action.
The last two of the blessings are actually warnings. Jesus warned his listeners that a life of seeking righteousness would not be well received by the world. They could expect that following Jesus would lead to insults, persecution and slander. Following Jesus would not be for the faint-hearted, but he promised that the future reward would be great.
In Jesus day, following him was clearly “counter-culture.” Jesus’ crucifixion was intended to send a message. The message was “if you pursue radical change the way Jesus did, you will be destroyed.” For early Christians, the choice of Christianity could not be taken lightly. It was a life and death decision. Following Jesus meant that you risked your physical well-being. Choosing Jesus remained dangerous for a very long time.
Remember I said that it is difficult for counter-culture to survive when it is adopted by the culture itself? Remarkably, the darkest times for Christianity have not been during persecutions but in times when the church was the culture itself.
This pattern has continued throughout history. People who honestly attempt to live lives that communicate their faith are seldom accepted by the world. Following Jesus requires radical faith. That is what Jesus calls us to! Jesus wants you to be “counter-culture!”
Mark 8:34-35 says this.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Do I mean that Jesus wanted all of us to become martyred for the faith? No, and yes! Jesus requires that you give your life over to him and he will do with it as he wills. When you give your life to Christ it is not your life anymore! It is a radical idea. But, you will find as we continue to examine Jesus teaching in the “Sermon on the Mount” that Jesus can turn the world upside down!
With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Last week I told you about 16 members of an Amish splinter group who had been charged with hate crimes in connection with a spree of hair and beard cutting attacks inflicted on other Amish believers. When we met last week the jury was still out. On Thursday, the federal trial concluded with the jury finding them guilty. All of them will face prison terms of 10 years or more on charges that also include conspiracy, evidence tampering and obstruction of justice. Sentencing is scheduled for January 24, 2013.
We concluded last week that because our relationship with God is under the new covenant, we are directly responsible for our own obedience. No one else is responsible for our relationship to God, but us! Governments of this world cannot legislate a relationship between our God and us! The choice is always ours!
We looked at the early years of Judah’s King Asa and the way God rewarded him for his acts of righteousness. He dragged the people of Judah away from idol worship and set them on a path of trusting God. Under the old covenant, he was responsible for his people. But we also saw hints of disaster coming in the future.
This week, I would like to return to King Asa’s story to see what happened to him and the people of Judah. So turn with me this morning to 2nd Chronicles 16. We will read the entire chapter. 2nd Chronicles 16.
[1] In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. [2] Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, [3] “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” [4] And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. [5] And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. [6] Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.
[7] At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. [8] Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. [9] For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” [10] Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.
[11] The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. [12] In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians. [13] And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. [14] They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer’s art, and they made a very great fire in his honor.
May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of the Word.
The early years of Asa’s rule had been filled with acts of righteousness. The reward from God was long years of peace and when Judah’s peace was disturbed by a huge army from North Africa, God was with them and they gained a miraculous victory.
Fast forward now, to the 36th year of Asa’s rule. The rivalry between Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom) had escalated to the point that Baasha, King of Israel had fortified Ramah on the border, just a few miles north of Judah’s capital, Jerusalem. This was more than just a military move. Jerusalem’s economy was dependant on those who came to the temple to offer sacrifice. Baasha’s move at Ramah was a blockade that stopped commerce from flowing into Jerusalem. Judah’s capital must have been feeling the strain.
Earlier in his kingship, Asa had turned to God and called upon him to protect Judah. What did he do now? In verse two, we read that he took gold and silver from the temple, sent them as a bribe to Syria’s King Ben-hadad and asked him to abandon his treaty with Israel. Ben-hadad took the bribe, attacked Israel and King Baasha turned away from Ramah to fend off the Syrian attack. While the northern kingdom was diverted, Asa attacked Ramah with his full force and carried away the building materials.
Political leaders seldom like to have their mistakes exposed! So when Hanani the seer pointed out Asa’s selfish mistake, it was not well received. When Hanani predicted continuing war because of Asa’s reliance on men instead of God, Asa threw him into stocks in the prison. He began to mistreat the people at the same time.
Three years passed and Asa became ill. But in his stubborn self-centeredness, he refused to seek out God. In two more years, Asa was dead. [14a] They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David.
This is a very sad story! A man who came into power relying on God, with time, became complacent and died in self-reliance. I am certain in some people’s eyes his political move to divert his enemies sounds brilliant. But, as is so often true for men, this so-called-wisdom was short-lived. Both Israel and Judah suffered a future filled with war, defeat and captivity.
I think that the implications of this Old Testament story are vibrant for us today! We are in a political season in a country divided by political strife. On both sides of the divide, people are “girding their loins” for the battle on November 6th. Both sides need to be warned; we need to be warned ourselves that reliance on political power is a dead end!
Your candidate no matter who he or she is, will not save us from disaster! There is only one savior!
Acts 4:11-12 says that, [11] This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. [12] And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
As Asa showed us, it is very tempting, especially when we have experienced some success to begin to think, “I can do this! I have some skills and some intelligence. I can make my own good things happen in life!” This self-reliance is delusion!
None of us is the king of a nation. None of us is seeking political office. But all of us face the danger of self-reliance. If you think that you can “make things happen” for yourself (or even for God) you are fooling yourself. When you are tempted strike out on your own, humble yourself before God, seek his face and rely instead upon him.
This week, in Cleveland, Ohio, a federal court has been hearing a case that involves charges under the “hate-crime” statutes. The case has gained considerable attention, because it involves members of the Amish community behaving in, what seems to us, some very unusual ways.
The 16 defendants in the case are charged with hate-crimes and are facing lengthy prison terms if convicted. Their crime? The charges say that they forcibly cut fellow Amish women’s hair and Amish men’s beards. Prosecutors say these attacks were particularly severe because hair and beards “carry spiritual significance in the faith.”
Defense attorneys do not deny that the hair-cutting took place, but do deny that the events were “hate crimes.” The defense says that these are people are accustomed to handling their differences amongst themselves. Attorney Brian Pierce told the jury that they took it upon themselves to correct others’ behavior. Nancy Burkholder, who has received immunity in exchange for her testimony, said that they wanted those who had their hair cut to see their mistakes “to help get them to heaven.” So much is wrong with this on so many levels, one hardly knows where to start!
Religious conformity by force is certainly not new, it is just something we do not expect from the pacifistic Amish. America has, since its beginnings been a place of religious tolerance. But we also have never been shy about legislation that enforces the majority’s religious views. For Seventh Day Baptists, Sunday Blue Laws come immediately to mind. But using physical force to ensure religious conformity certainly cannot be tolerated.
There was a time, however, when forcing the people to be religiously obedient was seen as righteousness. I am led to ask, what changed? That is what I want to talk about today.
Turn with me to 1st Kings, chapter 15.
1KI 15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
1KI 15:11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. 12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life.
We mentioned King Asa in our study Wednesday night and when we did, I realized that I knew very little about him. So, I spent some time looking into this bit of Hebrew history. Asa was the third king of Judah. Remember that after Solomon died, the nation divided into two kingdoms; Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
Jerusalem was the capital of Judah. Asa was the third king of Judah at about 900 BC. He was the son of Abijah. But it is his grandmother, Maacah, that is mentioned in this passage. Why? It is because she was infamous! Asa’s grandmother was a confirmed idolatress and did everything in her power to drag the people into that hell. She built an Asherah pole and actively led the people in the worship of that fertility goddess.
King Asa’s first act as a new king was to cut down and burn the focus of the people’s idol worship. Because male prostitution was part of that cult’s worship practice, Asa drove them from the country. 2nd Chronicles says that he did this in every town. In a foreshadowing of trouble to come, however, the scripture says that Asa did not completely remove all vestiges of those worship places. But Asa did command his people (2nd Chronicles 14:4) to seek the Lord, “the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands.”
The kingdom experienced peace for a number of years. During that time, Asa gathered together items that were dedicated to God and brought them back to the temple. Then in about 897 BC, Zerah the Ethiopian brought an immense army to attack Judah.
Turning to 2nd Chronicles 14:7-15. We pick up King Asa’s story again.
2CH 14:7 “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
2CH 14:8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.
2CH 14:9 Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with a vast army and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.
2CH 14:11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.”
2CH 14:12 The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the LORD and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder. 14 They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all these villages, since there was much booty there. 15 They also attacked the camps of the herdsmen and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.
May the Lord add his blessing to these readings of his Word.
The role of the Jewish king was unusual. Jewish kings often did not recognize it, but they were not to think of themselves as a “supreme” authority. That position belonged only to God. God said that the people were his subjects, not the subjects of one of his subjects. The king was to be a servant-leader.
Asa’s actions when he became king were focused on turning the people back to the God who had delivered them out of Egypt. In fact, it was the king’s responsibility to turn the people back toward righteousness and away from the idolatrous ways of the Baal and Asherah worshipers. King Asa was rewarded with miraculous victory because he had returned the people to God.
Asa’s prayer in verse 11 is a testimony that he understands his responsibility.
LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.
Asa recognized that the nation belonged to God and not to him. God had a covenant relationship with these people. Forcibly removing the people’s focal points of sin was part of Asa’s responsibility. For Asa, it was an act of righteousness.
If it was right for Asa to force religious compliance, why is it not appropriate today? Why is it useless for well meaning Christians to “require” obedience (even if it is with morally upright legislation)?
The simple answer is that when Jesus died everything changed. Two weeks ago at communion we talked about the “new covenant.” God loved the world so much that he gave up his son so that we could choose to be in relationship with him. We are not a part of the new covenant by force. Your loving relationship with God cannot be forced on you. God values your choice!
King Asa’s responsibility as king was to return his people to a relationship with their covenant God. It was the right thing to do. But our relationship with God is under the new covenant. A worldly government cannot legislate a relationship between us and our God. Well meaning Christians cannot force us into obedience.
Because Christ died for you, you are responsible! You have been given the amazing gift of a choice! Help us, O God! Help us to rely on you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
