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When I was a kid I remember being a part of this kid’s production, or concert at our church. It was really enjoyable but I remember a story they told us that I have never forgotten. As part of the preparation for the concert we would have practices and these would always start with some sort of devotional. One day they told us the story of how you can boil a frog alive. Supposedly frogs will adapt to the environment around them, so if you put a frog in room temperature water and slowly raise the temperature the frog will sit in the water until it is boiled alive.

As a kid I remember being horrified because I thought, “Wait how did they find this out unless they actually boiled a frog?”

Now if that frog story doesn’t haunt you at night maybe the passage we are looking at today will. We are going to be taking a look at the time Jesus freed a demon-possessed man in Luke chapter 8 verses 26-39.

Luke 8:26 says, “Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.”

The verse starts out with “Then they” which indicates that the passage we are looking at is a continuation of the passage before it. For the setting we are going to have to turn back to verses 22-25

^“Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.’ And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!’”

So now looking at the context we can identify the setting of verse 26. We have the who: Jesus and His disciples. We have the where: Gadarenes. Gadarenes is not really a town but rather it is a term used to refer to the small villiages surrounding the larger town Gadara. From historical context we know that this region was populated by both Jews and non-Jews. Although we don’t know the exact town Jesus comes too, most scholars would agree that Jesus has come to a Jewish settlement some where in the area surrounding Gadara. We also sort of have the when: the day after “a certain day”.

Now that we have the setting lets look at what happens.

Luke 8:27 says, “And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.”

Once Jesus and His disciples land in Gadarenes a man comes up to Him who has been demon possessed for a very long time, and we are given a few details about the man.

Clearly, he is not doing the greatest spiritually, I mean he is demon possessed. His spiritual health has had a negative effect on other parts of his life as well. Physically he is running around naked, and socially he has been separated from his family and community and is living in the tombs. His entire life is in shambles, and he has lost everything that makes him human.

Then it continues in Luke 8:28-29

“When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!’ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.”

Immediately when the man sees Jesus he runs up to Him and begs Jesus not to torment him. I am not sure if this is a demon speaking through the man or if he has been possessed for so long that he identifies with the demon but either way he is completely filled with terror and recognizes the authority Jesus has over him.

This is pretty amazing considering what verse 29 tells us. The people of the town had made attempts to control him before, even using chains and placing a guard to watch over him. But they were powerless to control the demon. But he simply sees Jesus and He commands them to come out and the demon is filled with terror and literally grovels before Him asking for mercy.

Looking at the description of the man doesn’t it seem like something out of a horror movie?

Our society seems to be obsessed with the supernatural if you look at all the movies that are made about demon possession, but what many of them get wrong is that they present the possession like a battle between the demon and whatever source of good is in the movie. It always seems like the good guys are barely able to defeat the demon, when in reality Jesus has complete authority over them and they are fully aware of it. It is not a battle between two equally powerful enemies. The forces of evil are no match for Jesus.

It continues in Luke 8:30-33

³⁰ Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?”

“And he said, ‘Legion,’ because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.”

Jesus asks the demon what his name is and the demon responds “Legion”

A legion is unit of Roman soldiers. And a full legion is 6,000 soldiers. The situation was terrible enough before but as we can see its even worse.

Can you imagen the torment this man must have been going through, constantly night and day filled with thousands of demons? We have seen in other accounts of how terrible one demon can be, now imagen thousands.

The demons then ask Jesus to not send them into the abyss, which seems to be a place of torment even for demons, and instead be sent into a herd of pigs nearby. And Jesus does it.

I am not exactly sure why Jesus allows the demons’ request, in one of the commentaries I read it suggested that it was so that the man could see the true nature of the spirits that were inside him. That any seductive nature that might have appealed to him when he originally opened himself up to their influence would be gone when he saw that even in something as insignificant as a pig their only desire was to destroy.

This shows us the true nature of demons and evil spirits. No matter how innocent or interesting messing with the spirits may appear in media it is nothing to mess around with.

People will play with Ouija boards, mediums, psychics, and other stuff like that and think that it is innocent, but it is not. The only spirit we should be reaching out to is the Holy Spirit. Any spirit not of God is of the devil and we who have been saved from the power of sin have no business diving back into it.

So after all this, the next verses give us two different responses to what Jesus did.

Luke 8:34-39 says,

“When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned. Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,  ‘Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.’ And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”

After Jesus frees the demon possessed man and sends the demons into the pigs, the people who were looking after the pigs run back and tell everyone what they saw. The people of the town come and see the man who had formally been naked and controlled by demons fully clothed and in his right mind sitting at the feet of Jesus. But instead of praising Jesus or welcoming the man they ask Jesus to leave. Why did they ask Jesus to leave? What were they afraid of?

Hang with me here because I am going to ask you to dig a little deeper. From best we know the people in the town Jesus went to were Jewish. Jesus sent the demons into a herd of pigs near by. We know from historical documents that in this area there were Jewish pig farmers.

Now according to Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 Jews are not permitted to eat or touch the dead body of pigs and other unclean animals.

Some Jews still farmed pigs because the Roman soldiers and other non-Jews still ate them and they could make a lot of money. But these people were not looked on very highly. In many cases they were seen as almost a lower class. Other Jews wouldn’t marry them and sometimes wouldn’t even get close enough to touch them.

In order to farm pigs they were almost always unclean, and often times they were selling the pigs to people who were actively oppressing the Jewish people, such as Roman soldiers. Not only this but often times Jewish communities who farmed pigs were involved in other unlawful practices, and had forsaken many of God’s commandments.

They were afraid because they saw the power that Jesus had over the demons that were controlling this man, they saw the way He had changed his life, and they thought, “What is He going to do when He comes to our village and sees our lives?”

“What is He going to do when the sins in our lives and they ways we have been forsaking God’s law are revealed?” Jesus has power over the demons, but even more importantly He has the power to change lives, and that terrified them.

It terrified them because sometimes the Hell that we are accustomed to is more comfortable then the Heaven we don’t know.

Most people are terrified of change and no matter how terrible, wicked, or miserable our lives our, many of us will choose to stay the way we are because we know it. We have learned how to live with our sins and with our faults and although its not easy its familiar.

Jesus didn’t come across the demon possessed man and make it a little more convenient for him to continue to live the way he was. Jesus came and destroyed his way of life and changed it completely, because Jesus didn’t want him to continue living this way. He wanted the man to have an abundant life and that required a dramatic change.

These people came face to face with Jesus recognized His power and instead of asking Him to change their lives they sent Him away for the sake of the familiar.

By contrast the man who Jesus healed asked to come with Jesus and Jesus told him to go back to the town and tell people what God had done in his life.

When Jesus sent the man back he went and told people about what Jesus had done in His life. He told people about the power of God and because of that God was glorified. It is amazing the see the power that Jesus had to change his life. He took a man who was running around in the tombs naked, and after a brief encounter Jesus turned him into a man who is running through the town and country side telling others about the glory and power of God.

That’s what Jesus wants for us. He wants to come into our lives and change us from the inside out. He wants to deal with all the sin and filth in our lives and send us off so we can glorify Him.

He wants to make us evidence of His power and glory. What a great privilege it is to have a God who not only can change us and bring us into a relationship with Him but who also wants to use us to bring others too Him. He wants to use us to glorify His name.

God’s challenge for us today is to allow Him to come in and change our lives. Surrender all of the sins and filth in our lives and submit to His power to change us. Then we need to go out and glorify Him. We need to live lives that are evidence of His work in our life, and to give a testimony of His goodness and love to the people around us.

 

 

Over the last few months we have been taking a look at the core values of The Christian and Missionary Alliance and today we are moving on to the final value. Core Value #7, which says, “Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change.” As I was thinking about that core value, and the word risk, I decided to look up risky activities online and came across a list of “25 extremely dangerous activities your mom would never approve of”, on list 25.com.Some of the activities were what we might call high-risk, but we have heard enough about them that they seem more normal. Like…

• Shark cage diving
• Bull riding
• Bull running
• Heli skiing
• Sky diving
• Cliff Diving
• Bungee Jumping
• Base Jumping

But there were also some things mentioned where people seem to have taken some already risky activities to a whole new level like:

• Skiing off of a cliff in the French Alps. Where you take a helicopter up, ski down the first part of the mountain, ski off of a cliff and then parachute down the rest of the way.
• Volcano boarding which is just like snow boarding except you are going down a live volcano
• Bungee jumping off of the Macau tower. Which is the highest bungee jumping location in the world and where you reach speeds of up to 200 mph.
• Crocodile Bungee Jumping in Australia. As if Bungee Jumping is not dangerous enough you can do it over a pit of hungry crocodiles
• Whitewater rafting down the Hantangang River. Compared to some of the other items on this list this may seem pretty safe but when you consider that the Hantangang River separates North and South Korea, the danger become obvious.

Those are some risky activities. But that is not really the kind of risk we are talking about in this core value. We are talking about faith filled risk. The risks we just talked about don’t seem to be about faith. They don’t even seem to be about common sense. They are just risky.

Core Value #7 says: “Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change.” It is somewhat different than the others. It is very personal and challenging. Most people don’t tend to really like change and we are also typically somewhat risk averse, looking to minimize risk in our lives. There are a lot of strong words here like risk and change and even purposes. But I think the key word is faith or hyphenated, faith-filled. You see anybody can take risks. Like we talked about a moment ago. This entire value begins with the words: “Achieving God’s purposes”. The risks we are talking about here are specifically related to achieving God’s purposes. This is about following God even if there are risks involved. The key then becomes faith. Do we trust God enough to follow Him and let him accomplish in and through us what He wants to do? Or are we going to be so risk averse that we stay in our own little bubble, unwilling to move out into the great unknown where all we have is God?

The key word is faith. And a good place to go to talk about faith is Hebrews, chapter 11. This chapter is often referred to as the faith hall of fame. We are not going to break down the whole chapter. But we will focus in on a few verses. Let’s start with verses 1-3: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

Faith is hard to define. It is a bit of a nebulous concept. I think a most basic understanding of faith is believing in what we can’t see. And taken a step further, the word faith suggests a strength or conviction to our belief. I used to think that was all that faith was. I thought faith was all about the strength of my conviction about what I believe. But I see something more here.

Another translation of verse 1 reads: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen Or being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” The word translated here as reality and elsewhere as assurance or sure is the Greek word hupostasis, which is the combination of two words that when put together literally means standing under, like a foundation. It can be translated as assurance or confidence, but it can also be translated along the lines of essence, substance or reality like it is here.

The second word, translated as conviction or certain is the Greek word elegchos and is a word that would be used in a court of law to speak of proof or evidence.

Notice that there is kind of a tangible quality in these words “reality” and “evidence”. Faith is more than just believing something to be true. And I think it is more than just having a strong conviction. I think this is speaking of a tangible quality to faith.

Take a look at verse 3. In verse 3 the author points out a very basic, foundational theological point. God is the Creator of the entire universe and he created it all ex nihilo, or out of nothing. We believe that it was not some Big Bang or other evolutionary process, but that God chose to create all that we know from nothing. That means that what is visible literally came from what is invisible. We believe that, and that changes how we look at everything else around us.

Not everyone believes that God is the Creator. Some don’t believe simply because they have never really stopped to think about it, but others have thought about it and chosen to reject the idea of God as Creator. They have the intellectual opinion that God is not Creator. And that belief impacts how they then respond to everything else around them. They act according to their beliefs, while we act according to ours.

As verse 2 points out, the Old Testament is full of examples of people who let their belief about God show up in the way they lived and the choices they made, even if it was risky and several of them are recorded here in this chapter which is why it is sometimes referred to as the “Faith Hall of Fame”.

For instance we find two examples mentioned in verses 4 and 5: “4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith. 5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.”

These are two stories that you can go back and read in the Old Testament. The first is the story of Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve. They both brought a sacrifice to God, but while Abel brought an appropriate sacrifice that God desired, Cain did not. Abel believed in God, he trusted God and that impacted the decisions he made and what he did. He chose to do things God’s way. That’s faith.

We actually don’t have a lot of information about Enoch, but we do know that he walked in close fellowship with God. So close apparently that at some point God just took him to be with Him rather than have him taste death. And this verse says that he was a person who pleased God. Have you ever thought about what it takes to please God?

Well, verse 6 tells us: “6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

How do we please God? God wants us to have faith. And what does the author specifically point out about what faith looks like? Believing that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. What does that mean? Notice that there is an action mentioned here, seeking Him! This means to get to know Him, to turn toward Him, and to choose to let His plans for us dictate how we live.

In verse 7 we are reminded of Noah. He built an ark. A rather extreme, crazy, risky kind of thing to do, but God used it to save him and his family.

Abraham is mentioned next. God called him to leave everything behind to follow Him to a new land a Promised Land. That was a very risky thing to do.

Later on Moses is mentioned, for choosing to align himself with the people of God rather than staying in the comfort of the Pharaoh. Then leading the people toward the Promised Land, the whole 10 plagues thing and crossing the red sea and all of that. Risk, risk, risk!

Hebrews 11 is filled with people who are commended for their faith. Were they are commended for how well they were able to intellectually defend what they believed? No. Were they convicted because they were really, really confident that what they believed was true? No. What were they commended for? How their faith showed up in action. They were commended for taking faith-filled risks, letting their lives be changed, letting God use them to accomplish His purposes, both in their lives and in the lives of those around them.

That’s faith. All of these people in this chapter were willing to change their lives, give up their plans, and leave their old lives behind to follow God. Because they believe God was who He said He was and that He would do what He said He would do. Because they believed that, they obeyed. That’s faith.

Faith is more than just intellectual agreement with a premise or theory; it is acting on that belief. Some people have used the chair illustration. I can look at a chair and examine it and believe that it is possible for me to sit in it without it collapsing, but until I actually choose to sit in it, I only believe that it will hold me. It is the sitting that shows faith.

God wants us to not just intellectually agree that He exists and to talk about Him like He is some kind of interesting theory. He wants our beliefs to become reality as we act on those beliefs and trust Him and follow Him. Our willingness to do that is going to be determined on what we believe about God. Do we really believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him?

Going back to our core value: “Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change.” We may be risk averse and we may not like change, but if we really believe God is who He says He is and that He will reward those who earnestly seek Him, then we are going to follow Him no matter the risk, no matter the change. That’s faith. And that’s my challenge for us today.

 

 

With varying schedules, it can be difficult, in many churches to calculate the number of people who attend at least semi-regularly. At the River this can be especially difficult, due to the number of students who attend. I spent some time this week trying to come up with an accurate number. After looking at everyone who attends about twice a month I came up with 120. This is not my normal opening illustration but, I want you to keep that in mind as we take a look at our passage for today.

Please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 2, this is where we are going to spend much of our time today, but before we get there I want to set things up with a bit of context.

So the first thing I want to do is pick things up where we left off last week. Last Sunday Nathan preached on The Great Commission passage in Matthew 28:18-20. Nathan spoke about the importance of recognizing the commission or command upon our lives to make disciples. We have a responsibility to not only make disciples right here in our own sphere of influence, but also around the world and he talked a little bit about what that looks like. After the service Nathan told me that there was one small part from the passage that he forgot that he wanted to go back and connect with. And I think it actually is fine, because that part really connects well with what we are talking about today.

So let me remind us of the verses we looked at last week in Matthew 28:18-20 “18 And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Nathan focused on the middle of this passage with the command to go and make disciples of all nations, and the baptizing and teaching aspect of that. That is the Great Commission. But what I want to point out is the two bookend statements.

Right before Jesus commissioned his followers to go and make disciples, He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Then right after the commission itself, Jesus ended with the word “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So when we take out the commission itself, and look at these outside statements we see that Jesus begins and ends with two things: His authority and His presence. He bookends the Great Commission with saying that He has all the authority in heaven and on earth and that He will be with us always. This means that He is the one who ultimately does the work, not us. It is His work. It is His plan. It is His authority both in Heaven and on earth and so when we go out to make disciples we do so under His authority and relying upon His power. And He promises to be with us every step of the way.

We need to recognize that we can’t do this without Him. We don’t have the power to change people’s lives. Only He does. We don’t have the ability to convict their hearts or to bring about spiritual awakening. But Jesus promises that He does have the power and He will be with us. And that is key for our understanding of the Great Commission.

With that in mind, let’s flip over to Acts chapter 1. The beginning of Acts 1 actually contains for us the last conversation that Jesus had with His followers right before heading up to Heaven. And here we see a similar kind of command as what we saw in the Great Commission. Take a look at verse 8, “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In the Great Commission passage Jesus commanded His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, here He is telling them that they will be His witnesses. When we focus on this passage we tend to focus on what it means to be Christ’s witnesses. But before they can be His witnesses, Jesus tells them that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Just like we talked about with the Great Commission, it is not going to be them doing the work, they can’t go and try and do this on their own. They need the Holy Spirit’s power. In Acts 2 we see what happened when the Holy Spirit came and empowered the disciples. Beginning in verse one, “1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

So I want us to picture this in our minds. All of them gathered together on the day of Pentecost. After this moment in Acts, the word Pentecost has come to be associate with the Holy Spirit, but the original word referred to the Jewish festival of weeks. We don’t know for sure who was all gathered there, but the author just tells us that they were all together in one place.

The first thing that happens is a great sound like a mighty rushing wind. Not wind itself, but the sound of wind. Then the sound of wind is followed by something referred to as tongues of fire. Some scholars see a connection between this event and the words of John the Baptist in Luke 3:16, where he speaks of one coming who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. And that seems to fit because suddenly they are all filled with the Holy Spirit and they begin speaking in tongues.

As you could imagine this begins to draw a crowd. Look at what comes next in verses 5-8 “5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?’”

As we talked about earlier this was Pentecost and along with the Passover and the feast of tabernacles, Pentecost was consider one of the three primary festivals when Jews would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate. Some scholars suggest about a million people might have made the trip to be there for Pentecost. All of these different travelers heard their own languages being spoken. Not just some language that they could understand, but literally they were hearing their own native dialect.

The author then goes on to give us more detail about where all these people were from, look at verse 9:13, “9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.’ 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ 13 But others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’”

The image must have been amazing? All of these uneducated Jews are somehow sharing the mighty works of God in languages they do not actually know how to speak. They could not have done this by their own ability. It was the power of the Holy Spirit. Some of the people in the crowd had such trouble understanding what was going on that they actually thought the people must be drunk, but then Peter steps up and quiets the crowd. Look at what he says first in verses 14-15 “14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;’”

So first Peter clarifies that they are not drunk. He then connects this event to the words of the prophet Joel about God’s Spirit being poured out on people. Which is what just happened to them. Let me also point out that Peter here refers to the last days. We are living in the last days. The last days began when Christ came to earth the first time and will wrap up when He comes again to judge the living and the dead. So everything between Christ’s first coming and His second coming is life in the last days. Peter then goes on to preach to them about Jesus. We won’t look at his entire sermon. You can read it there if you would like. Peter is proclaiming the Gospel. He talks about the life and death and resurrection of Jesus. He ties all of it together with references to Scripture. He tells of how Jesus now has been raised up and that they are all witnesses of that fact. Then he tells them that Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God and that these people that they have heard speaking in their own native dialects have received the promised Holy Spirit and that is what is going on.

Peter ends his sermon in verse 36 followed by the response of the people, “36 ‘Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.’ 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ 38 And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’ 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

Peter shares the Gospel with the people and doesn’t hold back, telling them that this Jesus whom they crucified was the Messiah. He was the Savior and Lord that they were looking for. And then the author tells us that the people were cut to the heart. That phrase suggests intense pain and anguish. But thankfully that pain and anguish leads them to a good response, because they immediately ask Peter, what must we do? Peter replied “repent and be baptized”. The word “repent” literally means to turn. Repentance means turning from our sin and turning to God. Not just confessing our sins, but repenting of them. And then baptism would be the public declaration of their faith in Christ. Imagine what this must have looked like with 3,000 people making the decision to follow Christ and then going to be baptized.

It’s really an amazing story. And the story was just beginning. In the very next passage we find that new people were becoming followers of Christ every day. The book of Acts is filled with stories like this. The disciples went out into the entire world and shared the Gospel. And they were amazingly effective, not because they were amazing speakers, but because of the power of the Holy Spirit.

I want to go back to our bookend statements from the Great Commission and the Acts 1:8 verse that set the context for all that happened in Acts 2. What we see in Acts 2 is exactly what Jesus said would happen here in Acts 1:8. Throughout the book of Acts we don’t see the story of extraordinary men who accomplished extraordinary things, we see the power of the Holy Spirit at work among ordinary men to accomplish extraordinary things.

The Greek word for power that is used there in Acts 1:8 is the word, from which we get our word dynamite. It refers to miraculous power, the same kind of divine power that we see Jesus using in the Gospels. That is the kind of power Jesus was telling them was coming and that is exactly the kind of power we see exemplified in Acts 2 as they speak in languages they did not know and 3,000 people respond.

So I want to challenge us that the same Holy Spirit that resided in them after the day of Pentecost, also resides in us if we are followers of Christ. Which means that that same dynamite, divine power that we see playing out in the book of Acts through the lives of these disciples, is also available with the Holy Spirit living in us today. And we too are called to be witnesses. We too have been commissioned to make disciples of all nations like they were.

Let me close with this, at the beginning of the sermon I asked if everyone who comes at least somewhat sporadically to The River came on the same Sunday how many people would we have and we mentioned about 100-120. We don’t know for sure how many people were gathered in the room in Acts 2, but Acts 1:15 speaks of a gathering of about 120 believers and most scholars seem to suggest that this was probably that same group assembled for Pentecost.

Do we really believe that the same Holy Spirit living inside of these Acts 2 Christians, those 120 Acts 2 Christians, is living inside of us? If so, then is it out of the realm of possibility for God to use us to see 3,000 people come to know him? Of course not. My prayer for us today is that the same Holy Spirit that brought thousands of people to Christ through those 120 people will do the same with us.

 

 

What do we mean when we say that somebody has big shoes to fill? We mean that they are following someone legendary. They are taking over for someone who has done such a good job that it will be difficult to measure up.

Harry S. Truman comes to mind when he took over after Roosevelt’s death. Not only did he have to take over for a legend, but also he took over during a time of war, and had to make the decision about whether or not to use the most powerful weapon known to mankind. He was thrown into an extremely difficult.

Who took over after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination? Andrew Johnson actually became Vice President just six weeks before Lincoln’s death. And when he then had to become president he stepped into a country ravaged by war and had to oversee reconstruction. It was a very difficult position and after firing Stanton as Secretary of War he wound up being impeached by the house but survived by one vote in the senate allowing him to finish out his term as president.

Taking over for a legend can be tough. Today we are going to keep that in mind as we consider someone trying to do just that.

 

Please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Joshua, chapter 1.

Now, one of the things that we like to do before looking at a passage is to consider context. So by the time we arrive in Joshua 1, God has delivered the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they are getting ready to head in to the Promised Land, but Moses, the one who has led them so far is not going to lead them into the promised land

Moses was a great leader and a great man of God, but there was a moment in this journey that he chose to do things his way and disobey God. The people needed water and God told Moses to go and speak to a rock and they would receive water, but instead Moses went up and struck the rock with his staff. Not only did he disobey God in the manner in which he approached the rock, he also did not honor God with what he said before striking the rock. Basically his words glorified himself rather than God.

 

So as discipline, God chose to not have him be the man who would lead them into the Promised Land. Moses was able to see the Promised Land, but another man was chosen to lead them in. And that man was Joshua.

 

Take a look at the first 2 verses of Joshua chapter 1 “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.”

So this opening links the book of Joshua with what has come before it. It flows right out of the book of Deuteronomy. The change from Deuteronomy to Joshua represents the end of an era, but in the book of Joshua we find the fulfillment of the promise that began so long ago with God and Abraham, the promise that He would give them the land, the promise that continued through Moses and now finally in the book of Joshua they will be taking possession of this Promised Land.

 

So to help us understand the context of what is happening here, let’s begin with thinking about Moses. God used Moses to bring the people out of slavery in Egypt. We have the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. He was the one who God gave the 10 commandments to in order to bring them to the people. He met with God on Mount Sinai where God put him in a cleft of a rock and then as he passed by he allowed Moses to get just a glimpse of his glory and then after that God would meet with Moses in the tent of meeting. It is even recorded for us that Moses would come away from those times so changed that his face would be radiant and he would cover it with a veil. God used Moses in great ways before he died at the edge of the Promised Land. And then it was Joshua’s turn to take over and it was his job to lead the people into the fulfillment of God’s promise. That would be a tough role. Talk about big shoes to fill. I would imagine that he felt overwhelmed and anxious. I mean, just the idea of leading this massive group of people would have been overwhelming. And the people of Israel did not exactly have a great track record of being easy to lead.

But God gives him a promise. Take a look at verse 3-5: “3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”

Joshua is basically guaranteed success. He can lead the people into the Promised Land knowing that God will give them the land. He can go into battle knowing that they will be victorious. He can approach the land with confidence that wherever he goes, the land will be his. No one will be able to stand against them. That is a powerful promise. God even says, as I was with Moses, so shall I be with you. God had been with Moses through some very difficult promise. He was with Moses when he led the Jews out of Egypt, and while he led them through the dessert. So that is a pretty huge promise.

Then look at what God tells Joshua in verse 6, “6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”

So God wants Joshua to be strong and courageous and go inherit the land. The last time they were supposed to go in to the Promised Land, the people of Israel were at the edge of the Promised Land and they sent in 10 spies to check things out and the spies came back with tales of the giants who lived in the land and there were only 2 who actually advised going in to take the land. They were Joshua and Caleb and the people would not listen to them, they were swayed by the other spies and refused to go into the land. So as discipline for that God had them wander in the desert for 40 years and all of the people twenty years old or older died off during that time and did not get to inherit the land. So this was a whole new generation getting ready to be led in. And it was Joshua’s role to lead them.

Not only does Joshua have some big shoes to fill with taking over for Moses, but also he is about to lead the people into a hostile territory. There are many battles ahead. And he is leading them to a place where last time the people chose to rebel rather than obey God. So God is telling him to be strong and courageous and go in and inherit the land.

And remember God’s promise that He would give them every place where they set their foot. So God is calling him to be strong and courageous and backing that up with the promise that he can be strong and courageous because God will be with him and that He will be the one fighting the battles and guaranteeing victory.

Even in the words He uses here, there is an assurance. The victory is never in doubt. Joshua and the people of Israel will be victorious, because God is the one who is going to give them the land. God is going to ensure that they inherit the land, they just need to be faithful and go in and take it.

But with that promise comes some further instruction, take a look at verses 7-9: “7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

 

So the promise of the land carries with it a provision that they will be successful if they obey God’s law. That idea of not turning from it to the right or to the left, would be a phrase that signifies the totality of following God’s law completely.

So when we break it down here is what this looks like. God promises success to the point that they will be given every place where they set their foot, but that promise is dependent upon them setting their foot where God wants them to set their foot. It seems like circular reasoning, but let me use an illustration to help us think about this.

Imagine if life were like a minefield. We are on one side and the Promised Land is on the other side. But in between is this minefield. Now there is a way through the minefield. There is a path that can be walked that can get us through safely to the other side. And we have a guide to help us across the minefield, but in order to cross the field; we need to follow the guide. We need to literally step where he steps, and if we do, then we can know that we will be successful, because he knows the way. He knows where all the mines are. If we follow him step-by-step we will be safe and get to the other side. Our success is guaranteed, but only if we go where he goes. If we decide that we think we know best and wander off, then our success is no longer guaranteed. Our success is contingent upon actually following the guide.

The same is true here. If they will obey God and follow Him, going where He leads and stepping where he wants them to step, and then they will be successful. If they go their own way and choose not to obey Him, then their success is no longer guaranteed.

So that means that Joshua’s focus is not on being a great leader, it is really about being a great follower. If he will follow God, then God will lead them to victory. He needs to know God’s Word. The word for meditate in verse 8 actually means to mutter. It speaks of the moving of the mouth while studying. Like you are so focused on it you are actually kind of mumbling the words as you study or think about them.

Joshua is to be a serious student of God’s Word. He is to read it, memorize it, meditate on it, and know it. Because it is through God’s Word that he is going to know God and know God’s plan. If he is not in the word, how will he possibly know the way to go? Going back to our earlier illustration of the guide in the minefield, not spending time with God in His word would be like trying to follow the guide through the minefield blindfolded.

God is showing Joshua the way to go. He needs to follow God, walk in His ways, do things His way and if he does then he and the people of Israel will be successful. Now I know that this is specifically for Joshua and the people of Israel, but I believe this is also God’s plan for us. This is a common theme in Scripture. If we will follow God and go the way that He wants us to go, we too will be successful.

There are lots of ways of defining success. But ultimately only God’s plan for success matters. God is not promising us success in whatever we want. He is not giving us a blank slate of success as in big bank accounts and nice stuff. He is giving us a promise of success that is tied to His will and plan for our lives. As long as we go where He wants us to go, He will give us success. So when God is talking about success here, He is referring to success from His standpoint. I know that to some extent this seems like circular reasoning. Actually to some extent it is.

But we need to recognize that God created us and ultimately He knows what is best for us. That is why He gives us boundaries and rules, it is not to restrict us, but to free us for the purpose for which we were created. And so if we will do things His way, following Him, then we will be walking where He wants us to go, and He will give us success wherever we put our feet. That success may not look the way that the world defines success, it may not look even the way we might define success, but it will actually be what is best because God knows and wants the best for us. His best for us.

Think of it this way, we can trust in God to be leading us to the places that would be best for us to go and we can trust that if we will follow Him He will give us every place we put our foot because we are going where He wants us to go. So that means the victory is assured. Success is given. It may not be success in the world’s eyes, but it will be the best possible success for us.

But that means that we need to trust Him. Going back to the minefield illustration, the people following the guide had to trust the guide. They had to trust that he actually knew the best way for them to go and that he wanted the best for them. I guess ultimately this comes down to that question for us. Do we really believe that God knows what is best for us and that He wants what is best for us? If so, then what we need to do is get to know Him and His plan for us in His word and follow Him step by step, and if we do, then we are guaranteed success.

When I was in college, everyone had to take 12 hours of science. I didn’t do so well in high school science so I looked for a science that I might do better at and I decided upon Physical Geography. It is the study of topography, so we studied everything from erosion to the water cycle and rock cycle and things like that. I actually really enjoyed it, so I took another class in that field and then moved on and took a couple of classes in Geology, and then even an advanced class on dealing with natural disasters. And I learned a lot about things about what happens when you build houses in areas where maybe you should not have built houses. We studied all kinds of things that can happen to homes that face storms, earthquakes and even just regular erosion. Many houses under these conditions were destroyed or abandoned because they became too dangerous to live in. Now sometimes this cannot be avoided. I do wonder if some of these were built upon sites that were chosen more for their view and a little less for the strength of their foundation. If they had been built on a better foundation many of the houses could have been saved.

In the passage we are going to look at today Jesus actually addresses that problem. Please turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7. Lets look at verses 24 through 27. “24 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” This passage ties in with everything that Jesus has been saying already. He has been speaking about what it looks like to follow him throughout the Sermon on the Mount as well as speaking about the kingdom of Heaven and then here in chapter 7 he has spent some time talking about those who are really his followers compared to those who are not. And then he culminates with this parable.

It is a well-known parable. It even inspired a catchy children’s song. “The wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house upon the rock…” Jesus here shares an analogy. He compares the life of a person who chooses to obey Christ with a man who builds a house upon a rock. It stands firm through the terrible storms that come along. No matter what happens, the rains, the floods, the winds, it doesn’t fall, because the foundation is strong. Some houses can look really good, but it is when the storm comes and rages against the house that the quality of it is really tested and we can then see whether the foundation is really strong or not. So a wise person makes sure that they have started with a strong foundation and built their house upon that. Jesus compares the wise and builder to the person who hears his words and does them. Notice that tie in between hearing and doing. True faith is not just hearing, or intellectual consent, it is hearing and doing. Faith is active. It is belief that shows itself in obedience. Jesus is either Lord of our lives or he’s not.

 We have talked before about how some of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is tough. We talked even just a couple of weeks ago about how the way of following Christ, the path of discipleship is a hard path. It is not easy to deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily and follow Christ. It is not easy to do things his way, obeying him and letting him be the Lord of our lives. But that is what true faith in him looks like. It is not enough to just casually follow Jesus when it suits you, or to just intellectually consent to the truth that he existed. We have to give our lives over to him in trust and faith and follow him. And if we do, then we will have a sure foundation. The life we build will be built on solid rock and we can be sure that it will be able to stand the storms we will face through life. Because Jesus is Truth. His ways are right. We can have faith in him because he is faithful. We can fully rely on him in every aspect of our lives. He then contrasts that by comparing the person who doesn’t obey Christ to someone who builds their house on shifting sands. When the storms come it falls apart, because the foundation is not strong.   What does that say for the person who does not follow Christ? If we choose to build our lives on the shifting sands of other philosophies or ideas or promises, then like shifting sands, when the storms come our lives are going to come crashing apart, because those things are not truth. Building on sand would be easier. It is a lot harder to dig down into solid rock than sand. And the sand can even give the illusion of stability.

So my challenge for us is to build our lives on the Lord. Let him be the one who is helping us build our lives, directing our steps, keeping in line with his plans for us instead of embarking on our own way. And to ask ourselves, “Where are we at? What is our house built on? Are we trying to live on shifting sand, or are we firmly founded on Christ?

Let me remind us of the familiar words of a well-known hymn:

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ the solid Rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand

 

 

 

Today we are going to take a look at how Jesus defines greatness. Please turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 20. So today we will be taking a break from our series on the Sermon on the Mount, but we will be staying in the Gospel of Matthew for a special passage that fits well on Mothers’ Day. We will be taking a look at a mom from Scripture and learning a lesson on greatness.

Let’s begin with Matthew 20:20-21 “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”

For Mother’s Day, I typically like to take a look at a mom from Scripture on Mother’s Day, not to learn about being a mom, but to see what we can learn from her story about following Christ. And as I was debating earlier this year about what passage to use for this Mother’s Day, this passage came to mind.

We don’t know much about this mom. We don’t even know her name. Some think she is Salome a follower of Jesus who is mentioned as being at Jesus’ death and then the empty tomb, but here she is just listed as the mother of the sons of Zebedee. The son’s of Zebedee are John and James, the disciples of Christ.

I think this little story is perfect for Mother’s Day, because in these verses we see her do something that is stereotypical of a mom. She asks Jesus to declare that when His kingdom comes that James will sit on one side of the throne and John will sit on the other side. This would have been like a request for a king to promote her sons to the highest positions of power and prestige next to the throne. This is just like a stereotypical mom kind of thing. We see this portrayed all the time in TV sitcoms with the mom showing up at her son or daughter’s workplace, marching into the boss’ office and demanding a raise for their child.

First of all, let me say that I think Mother Zebedee gets a little bit of a bad rap sometimes. We tend to blame her, but if we look closely we realize that James and John are there as well. And actually in the next verse we will look at, we see that Jesus addresses them and not the mom when He answers the question. Actually in Mark’s account of this event he actually attributes the request to the boys rather than Mother Zebedee. It is a bold request and while it is ultimately not a good request, I do think that it shows something great about moms. Moms tend to see the best in their kids. Mother Zebedee is probably her sons’ greatest cheerleader. She believes they can do anything. She is proud of them and wants the best for them. She wants to see them thrive and I understand that and even applaud it; even if it was not the best request.

Let’s take a look at Jesus’ response in verses 22-23, “ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’ 23 He said to them, ‘You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.’”

Jesus tells them that they don’t know what they are asking. They don’t know because they don’t understand His kingdom. They don’t really understand what He came to do. They are expecting something more literal and they expect it to be coming soon. The funny thing is that right before their request, Jesus was predicting His own death. This is actually the third time in just the past five chapters of Matthew that He has been talking to them about that. So literally He has just finished telling them about how He was going to be delivered into the hands of the religious leaders, condemned to death, mocked, flogged, and crucified, and then rise again on the third day. He had just finished telling them all of that and then Mother Zebedee and the boys show up with this request. They seem to be ignoring the pain and suffering and just looking ahead to the eventual kingdom. Then Jesus asks them if they are able to drink the cup that He is to drink. Throughout the OT the imagery of the cup was often used to speak of judgment or the wrath of God, although it was also sometimes used to speak of good things like salvation. Here He is speaking of the suffering He is about to go through. Actually in just a little bit He is going to use similar words in His prayer at the garden of Gethsemane where He asks God if it is possible to have this cup pass from Him.

The Zebedee family does not recognize that by asking to share in the power of His kingdom they are asking to share in His suffering. But they respond that they are able to drink the cup. If they really understood what He was talking about they might not have been so eager to face it. But notice Jesus’ response that they will drink His cup. What does he mean by that? He means that they will face suffering as well. Actually the early church as a whole went through a time of persecution soon after Jesus died and the church began to form. Scripture does not give us much indication of what specifically happened to all of the 12 disciples but we do know a little bit about what happened to James and John. We find out in Acts 12 that James was martyred by Herod Agrippa. And we know that John was eventually exiled to the island of Patmos. So both of these boys would drink of the cup of suffering. Jesus acknowledges that, but regarding the initial request of sitting at Jesus’ left and right He says that is not for Him to grant, but that it is the Father’s decision.

In verse 24 we then see how the other disciples respond, “And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.” Ultimately when the Zebedees make this request it means that they want to be exalted to that position over the rest of the guys. I think it was less about righteous indignation over the boys’ request, and more about being upset because they want those positions for themselves.

Their question seems simply like natural human desire to promote ourselves and want to aspire to greatness. But considering they have been following Jesus for so long by this point, it sure seems like they have missed out on Jesus’ plan. And not just Mother Zebedee and her sons, but all of them. This struggle over who was the greatest was a common topic amongst the disciples. Once again Jesus takes the time to teach them. Look at verses 25-28 “But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

First Jesus points to the image of greatness amongst the Gentiles. They lord it over the people. This suggests pride and arrogance and ruling from a lofty position. But Jesus says that is not how it should be for them. He turns things upside down, as He so often does, and says, whoever wants to be great, needs to be a servant or a slave. Jesus actually provides a beautiful juxtaposition here, talking about how the gentile rulers lord it over others, giving us the image of like a master and a slave, or a king compared to a servant. But Jesus turns this image upside down to show that in His kingdom, the great is applied to the slave or the servant rather than the other way around. Jesus then goes on to point to Himself as an example. Jesus didn’t come to be served. He came to serve. He left Heaven to come to earth, and while He was here He continually laid down His life to minister to those around Him. And then He ultimately laid down His life as a sacrifice for us. The word ransom there specifically speaks of a price that was paid to purchase the freedom of a slave or a prisoner of war. Jesus became a substitute sacrifice for us, dying in our place, paying our price, so that we could be saved. Isaiah 53 says that He was crushed for our iniquities, He was pierced for our transgressions, the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we are healed.

The list that we looked at earlier actually had Jesus listed as the #1 most influential figure in the history of the world. But he was not great because he was a good teacher or because he got a lot of people to follow him. He was great because He gave up His life as a ransom for many. And as followers of His we are supposed to be becoming like Him. I believe that once again Jesus is moving past our actions and dealing with our hearts. We need to recognize what true greatness really looks like. It is not how the world defines greatness, but the way Jesus does. And it actually involves lowering ourselves rather than raising ourselves up. It involves putting ourselves in the position of a servant or a slave to those around us. It involves throwing off the pursuit of greatness and choosing instead to simply be like Christ, laying down our lives picking up our cross and following him. That’s my challenge for us today. If anyone could have expected to be served it is Christ and yet he came to serve.

Have you ever heard of Forrest Fenn? He apparently is or was a multi-millionaire art dealer, author, and Vietnam War veteran who in 2010 decided to encourage people to get up off their couches, leave their video games and televisions behind and get into the great outdoors. He did that by taking a bronze treasure chest, filled with gold and jewels, up into the Rocky Mountains somewhere and leaving it for some adventurous treasure seeker to find. The treasure is estimated to be worth around $2 million. He wrote a book that includes a poem with 9 clues to help you start your hunt and has followed that up with a few more clues over the years, as the treasure has remained hidden. As far as I could find, the treasure has not yet been found, so it could still be out there, waiting for you. Does anyone want to go treasure seeking? I will say I am interested in some ways, not so much because of the money, but because of the adventure of it. It sounds like fun, but in the passage we are going to look at today, we are going to talk about treasure seeking, but from a heavenly perspective.

Today we continue in our sermon series on the sermon on the mount, with a look at treasure seeking from Matthew 6, beginning with verses 19-20: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Now, in Jesus’ time some of the things that were valuable may not seem as valuable to us today. But while the items that were considered valuable might have changed, we can still understand the concept of earthly treasure.

Jesus gives a very practical reason for not laying up earthly treasures for ourselves. They rust, get moth eaten or stolen. These would have been very real threats to the material possessions of the people in Jesus’ time. Those are just natural things that can happen to our things. There are other natural things like bread becoming moldy, or a house getting broken down by a storm, or a fire destroying crops. Not only are there natural threats to our material possessions there are other threats as well. Jesus mentions thieves who would break in and steal, and today we might also think of other factors like market crashes, bank failures, or other outside influences. There are tons of things that can go wrong with our stuff. Even if we live our whole lives and don’t lose our wealth or possessions, we can’t take them with us when we die. They are temporal.

Jesus then contrasts earthly treasures with heavenly treasure in verse 20. As Christians we have been declared righteous, have been redeemed from slavery to sin and death, have our names written in the lamb’s book of life, have been given the Holy Spirit, have had our sins forgiven, have been shown grace and mercy, and can look forward to the day when we will spend eternity with God in Heaven, just to name a few. Moths and rust cannot touch these blessings. While earthly treasure is temporal, Heavenly Treasure is eternal. So purely from a dividends perspective, heavenly treasures are better to invest in, because they last forever, while earthly treasure does not.

But not only does it not last, it isn’t as valuable. Even if we could take it with us, imagine waking up in heaven and having a suitcase full of gold bars and diamonds. What good is that, in Heaven, they use gold just to pave the streets. It would be like carrying around a suitcase full of asphalt. And who would not trade all the money they have to have a life filled with no more crying, no more pain, no more grief, no more sin, no more death. It’s no contest. Even just looking at this from an investment perspective, kingdom treasure is way better than earthly treasure.

I think there is a very important concept here that we need to grasp. Earthly treasures are temporal, because life here on earth is temporal. This is a foundational point that underlies the overall perspective of this passage. If we don’t look at life here on earth as if it is temporal and fleeting and that our eternal home is in Heaven, then this principle of laying up for ourselves heavenly treasures rather than earthly ones doesn’t make sense to us. Compared to what is in store for us, life on this earth is but a drop in the bucket and we can’t miss that bigger picture.

So then is Jesus saying that a wealthy Christian is doing something wrong? Are Christians not supposed to be wealthy? No. I don’t think there is like some kind of magic number where all of a sudden we are too wealthy to be Christians. Is he saying that it is wrong to save money and store up for the future? No, I don’t think that is what he is talking about here either. I believe he wants us to be good stewards of what he has given us. But, I believe he is moving past wealthy or poor and saving versus not saving. Just like in much of this Sermon on the Mount, I believe Jesus is digging at our hearts. Look at verse 21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

So Jesus is not really addressing whether or not you can be wealthy and still be a Christian, he is talking about our heart focus. Let me ask you, what is a treasure? Something valuable? What makes it valuable? It may have an actual value like gold or jewels, or it could be valuable simply because it is meaningful to us. Like we might treasure old photographs or some thing that meant a lot to us when we were a child even though it may not have much monetary value. So the idea of treasure has to do with the value we place on it. Our heart is invested in what we treasure. To some extent, treasure to us is whatever we treasure. Which makes sense according to this verse. Whatever we think of as precious to us, becomes our focus.

In the Lord of the Rings movies and books there is this ring that is kind of the focus of the movie and there is one character named Gollum or Smiegel, who refers to the ring with a particular phrase. He calls the ring: “my precious.” The ring for him is more important than anything else in the world. It is precious to him. It is what his heart treasures most.

So I want to ask you a rhetorical question for you to ponder during the rest of this sermon. The question is: what does your heart treasure most? Just keep that in mind and let it percolate in the back of your head as we look at the rest of the chapter.

Jesus then goes on to talk about our eyes. Take a look at verses 22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

The eye is the lamp. It illuminates the darkness. It lights the way for us to see in a dark place. It is through the eyes that we see the path before us, the obstacles in the way, the signs that point the way, things like that. Have you ever been walking down a path and your attention is not on where you are walking and you trip and fall? If our eyes are not focused on where they should be, then we are going to be more likely to trip up, or maybe go the wrong way.

Let’s consider this then spiritually. The word translated here as healthy also can be translated as single our sound. Like meaning a singleness of purpose. With regard to the eye it suggests clear vision. With clear vision and singleness of purpose, we can move in the right direction, but if we do not have that singleness of purpose, if we have a divided heart or unclear vision, maybe even double vision, we are going to be stumbling around, making bad decisions. If we become too focused on earthly treasure rather than heavenly treasure, our vision gets blurred and we start running after the wrong things.

Look at what Jesus says in verse 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

The word “master” suggestions something like a slave owner. The word in this verse for serve comes from the word that means slave or bondservant. And a slave does what the master wants him to do. So if you are a slave to two different masters it makes sense that sometimes their interests are going to conflict and you will be put in an untenable position.

It is not possible for us to serve God and money. Think about it. The Bible says that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” so God’s purposes are going to clash with a love of money. And when that happens, our loyalty is divided. We can’t serve both masters. We have to choose. So once again the question is, what do our hearts treasure most?

That is kind of a tough question to answer, so what are some good ways to figure out what we treasure most? Maybe looking at where we invest our time? Maybe considering what we tend to think about? How about considering our priorities in the midst of decision making? Those would be some very telling questions for us as we consider what our heart treasures most.

Now let me warn you, I am going to say something maybe a little bit hard to hear or controversial right now, but I think it is important for us to really dig into our lives. This is just a little example for us. Think for a moment about how likely we are to go into work early or stay late or take work home in order to maybe move toward getting a raise, or maybe we take on a second job to earn more money because we are not making enough in our regular job, or maybe we go back to school so that we can earn an advanced degree so that it will look better on our resume. All of those things are fine. No problem with working hard and earning money. Please don’t misunderstand me. But I am just trying to get into our mindset a little bit. Okay? So that is fine right? But now let me ask how hard is it sometimes for us to find the time to set aside for devotions or prayer or going to church or helping someone in need or ministering to our neighbor? Good question right? Those are the kind of tough questions we need to ask ourselves as we consider what our hearts treasure most. We have a lot less problem finding time or making time for things that are going to help us get more earthly treasure, but seem to struggle with finding time to spend with God. I think that is a good question for us to ponder. And it is not easy, because if we are really honest with ourselves we might not like the answers we come up with.  I think that if we are truly being honest with ourselves then this becomes a very challenging passage. But think about what Jesus is saying overall.

In verse 19 where it says do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, could be translated as “stop laying up for yourselves treasures on earth.” I would not necessarily change the translation, but the word stop kind of suggests the recognition that our default pattern is to lay up for ourselves treasures here on earth. It’s kind of just what we naturally do. We worry about meeting our own needs. We are concerned with caring for ourselves and making sure that we have enough. Not only for today, but for tomorrow. We are constantly being reminded to look ahead to our retirement years and making sure now that we will have enough for then. But remember, just two short passages ago, Jesus was teaching us to pray, “give us this day our daily bread.” That kind of prayer just doesn’t fit with laying up for ourselves treasures on earth. He wants us focused on trusting and following Him.

There is this common theme running through the Sermon on the Mount of no longer trusting in ourselves, no longer relying on ourselves, but surrendering each day and every tomorrow to God and letting him be the one in control. And that is not easy. But that is what kingdom living looks like.

For now I want to point out that if we truly treasure God above everything else, then our earthly treasure, goes onto the altar of sacrifice for God to control as he sees fit. That means that rather than being focused on our wealth and trying to keep it or make more, we are focused on God and letting him control and direct everything we have. Our wealth, our possessions, even our very lives are to be fully devoted to God. Our hearts need to treasure him above all else.

 

 

According to a post on the McKinley-Irvin family law website, based on U.S. Census Bureau statistics

In America there is one divorce approximately every 36 seconds.

41% of all first marriages end in divorce, that number rises to 60% of second marriages, and 73% of third marriages.

People who wait to get married until they are 25 are 24% less likely to get divorced.

Living together before getting married makes you 40% more likely to get divorced

If your parents are happily married then you are 14% less likely to get a divorce

Now these stats are hard to decipher and we don’t know how accurate they really are, but it seems that even within the church the divorce statistics are similar to what they are like outside the church.  Today we are going to talk about divorce, but we are going to dig a little deeper.

Please turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5.  Today we continue on in our sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount.  Last week we looked at a particularly hot topic, lust, today we move on to another somewhat difficult topic, divorce, but we are going to move beyond divorce to an underlying problem with divorce and in general with us.  But let’s begin with what Jesus has to say about divorce. Take a look at Matthew 5, verses 31-32, “31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Notice that this passage begins with Jesus saying, “It is also said,” in the Greek the word “and” is used, so this statement is tied to the preceding passage.  Now remember, this passage comes right on the heels of the passage on lust, where Jesus talked about the command to not commit adultery and then raised the bar to not looking at someone lustfully.  And we talked about how Jesus was moving beyond the act of the adultery and dealing with our hearts. Here he takes on adultery from another perspective and that is in relation to marriage.  Remember, he is raising the bar, like he did in earlier passages.

Let’s first consider where the bar was.  Jesus says, it was said that whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. This comes from Deuteronomy 24:1-4 and speaks specifically of a man divorcing his wife.  The law allowed for a man to divorce his wife, but not for a wife to divorce her husband.  And the grounds for divorce were if he found something indecent about her, which could be open to interpretation. And people did interpret it differently.  Some thought that it referred specifically to sexual immorality, others thought that it referred to basically anything the man found displeasing about his wife. So if we use that loose interpretation, then it would not take much to come up with a reason for divorce.  And to obtain the divorce the man would write a certificate of divorce for his wife and have some witnesses sign it and then it was legal and he would give her the certificate and she could go on her way and could be remarried. Apparently  it sounds like it had become a pretty simple process depending upon the Rabbi you chose to follow and his interpretation of indecent.

Now, like we have talked about the past couple of weeks, in this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is raising the bar.  He is taking us past legalistically following rules, and getting to our hearts. He is showing us what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like and calling us to live like that, which is something that he can accomplish in our lives.  So here he is taking us past the issue of divorce to the importance of how we view marriage. He is saying here, that in the kingdom of God, divorce is not supposed to be some easy option.  It is meant to be an extreme measure or a last resort.  Ultimately I think this is less about divorce than it is about how we view marriage.

 

What do we know from Scripture about how God views marriage?  Way back in Genesis 2, God said, “24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Marriage is meant to be for a lifetime.  When two people become one they make a covenant with each other in the sight of God that is meant to be for life.  It is till death do us part. The problem is that somewhere along the way, we made divorce easy.  We made it so that it is simple to get a divorce.

Jesus is calling us to more.  He mentions sexual immorality as legitimate grounds for divorce, but I don’t think he is even saying that if there is sexual immorality that we should get a divorce, he is just allowing for that.  You know, I have had people come to me to talk about divorce and I could tell that they are using this reason of sexual immorality, as a loophole, because they want to get out of their marriage.  And it may be true that they have a case for marital unfaithfulness, but I don’t think that is Jesus’ focus here.  I think he is saying that we ought to be doing everything we can to make marriage work to the point where divorce is not an option except for extreme circumstances and when all options have been exhausted as a last resort. He is not condemning those who have gotten divorced, but calling us to stronger marriages.  I think ultimately this is not so much about divorce, but about marriage, and I think the reason why divorce has become so easy is because we have devalued our marriage vow.

With that in mind look at what Jesus chooses to talk about next. Take a look at verses 33-37 “33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

So verse 33 begins with the word again, which ties it in with the previous passage.  Which I think is so cool.  I think this passage fits well with what Jesus has just been talking about.  That it is part of the same theme.  He is talking about us being covenant keepers.  He is saying that in His kingdom we are to be people of Truth and faithfulness who keep their word.

Back in Jesus’ time vows or oaths were probably a bit more common than they are today.  There are not a whole lot of oaths that we take anymore. But one oath that we do take is marriage.  Our marriage vows are oaths.  We promise to love honor, and cherish our spouse, in good and bad times, till death do us part.

Now let me give us a little background on these verses before we get back to this point.  At different spots in the Mosaic law we find regulations against swearing falsely in God’s name, against breaking your word or swearing an oath and not keeping it.  It was expected that if they made an oath or swore in God’s name that they would keep that pledge. I think some people in Jesus’ time were trying to use loopholes, like they swore, but not on Jesus’ Name and stuff like that.  But Jesus is saying that it doesn’t really matter if we swear on his name or anything else, no matter what we swear on, Heaven, earth, Jerusalem, our own head, or whatever, we don’t have any power. Only God does.  So all of it would be like swearing on His name anyway. But Jesus is raising the bar when he says that we are simply to let our yes mean yes and our no mean no.  In the kingdom of God there is no swearing on things, there is no need for vows, no oaths, not even promises.  If we say yes, then we mean yes and if we say no we mean no and you ought to be able to take that to the bank, because we are going to stand by our word. Once again He is cutting to our heart, not just what we say or some legally binding oath or some potential loophole, but actually getting to our heart.  Are we men and women of truth and honesty and a willingness to mean what we say and follow through?But in our society today, most people’s word means little to nothing.  We have dropped that idea of standing by your word.  We break promises all the time and it doesn’t seem to matter.  And divorce is one of the biggest culprits.  Everyday, people all across the country are promising to love, honor and cherish one another till death do us part, and yet more than half of all marriages end in divorce.

Maybe our marriage vows should be more along the lines of, “do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, honor and cherish her at least when times are good and as long as you feel like it, and still have that same emotional investment as you have today? Yeah, I guess so? Marriage vows have become a joke, because we have become a society that doesn’t care about keeping our word anymore.  And Jesus is saying, no matter what the world says, that is not the way things are supposed to be in the kingdom of God. I love this point.  And I think it fits so well with what Jesus was saying about marriage.  It is not really about divorce.  It is about being men and women of truth and faithfulness and being covenant keepers.  Remember, we are supposed to becoming more and more like Christ.  And one thing we know about him is that He keeps his covenants.  That should be true of us as we live in His kingdom.

That means when we say yes, or I do, we mean it.  And it means that when times get hard and we don’t feel like keeping our covenant we fight for it and don’t give up.  Part of that means trusting in God to be able to do miraculous things in the midst of circumstances that seem hopeless.  It means trusting that God has a plan for us and believing that he can bring beautiful things out of the ashes of our lives.

God can do amazing things when we submit to doing things his way and not taking the way out that the world so easily offers.  When we choose to let our word and our vows mean something.  When we are willing to fight for them and stay faithful, and submit to God, he can take even terrible circumstances and horrible mistakes and do beautiful things. And it begins with a decision that our yes is going to mean yes and our no is going to mean no.  Whether it is a covenant like marriage, or even a choice to volunteer for something that later on we wish we didn’t commit to.  Let’s be men and women of truth and honesty and faithfulness.  Let’s be covenant keepers recognizing that in God’s kingdom, our yes should mean yes and our no should mean no, and that marriage is meant to be for a lifetime.  And that the covenants we make are meant to be kept and are worth fighting for.

 

The movie “127 hours” is based on the story of Aaron Ralston a 27-year-old experienced outdoorsman from Aspen Colorado.  He was hiking in a canyon in Utah on a 13-mile hike, when an 800-pound boulder shifted and pinned his arm.  Knowing that nobody knew where he was, after being stuck there for 5 days, he eventually used a multi-tool to cut off his own arm, and then got himself out of there. It is a tremendous story, but I can’t even imagine what he went through.  But what if I told you that Jesus made the suggestion that maybe cutting off our own arm might be just what we need?

Please turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5. Now in the passage we looked at last week and the passage we are looking at today, Jesus specifically points to the Old Testament law and then raises the bar to what He wants for us. Last week Nathan talked about what that looks like with regard to anger, today we move on to another hot topic.  Lust.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at what Jesus says in Matthew 5 beginning with verses 27-28: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart”

We find the command against adultery in the 10 commandments. This was a basic commandment. Basically it is saying don’t have sexual relations with anyone who is not your spouse. So at the time that Jesus was saying this, that was seen as the standard.  You could think whatever you wanted, but don’t act on it.  Look, but don’t touch. Here the original standard was not committing adultery, but Jesus raises the bar to not looking lustfully at someone. Lust basically means sexual desire. There is a big difference between lust and adultery and a lot that can happen in between the two.  So we can see how Jesus is raising the bar.

The previous standard was calling us to avoid an act, but here Jesus is addressing our hearts not just our actions.  He wants purity.  He wants us to reign in sinful desires.  That doesn’t mean that we are supposed to not be attracted to the opposite sex anymore, but that natural attraction if left unchecked moves on to lustful desire.  The temptation is not sin, but if we choose to abide in the temptation and allow our minds or eyes to lust, then that is a problem.

Now I will be the first to confess, that I have struggled in this area of my life.  I remember being interested in the opposite sex as early as kindergarten.  And as I grew up I had a very active thought life.  And I basically ignored instruction like this.  I didn’t act on my thoughts, but I thought about a lot.  And those thoughts consumed me and corrupted me.  I was not living in purity.  I felt guilty and unclean.  I knew it was wrong and I struggled to stop it.  I was stuck in pornography and in my own sinful thoughts and images.

I think that this is a story that is true with most men at least at some point in their lives and from all that I have heard it is an ongoing struggle.  God worked in my life in this area in a miraculous way when I called out to Him and asked Him to be the Lord of my life and gradually He began to weed out the pornography and the thoughts and images and over time this became less and less of a struggle.  That does not mean that it is no longer a struggle, or that I am not tempted anymore in this area, but God has done amazing things in my life in this area to bring purity and I want to testify to that today, because I know there might be some here who are stuck in this area and feeling hopeless.  For me it was not an overnight change, but a long process, and I can firmly state that it was Christ in me, making me more like Him, and not some great effort by myself.

And I also want to testify that I am so thankful that God dealt with this in me.  Lust is a trap and if you are struggling with this, I want to let you now that you are not alone; you are not a failure, or a bad person.  God loves you very much and wants purity for you.  We need to understand that God is calling us to a better way of life.  His plan for us is better than adultery and better than lust.  He has wholeness and goodness for us if we will submit to doing things His way.

With that said, I want to point out that Jesus is saying that lust is a big deal and it is not acceptable.  So let’s not kid ourselves and pretend that it is okay to fantasize about someone who is not our spouse as long as we don’t act on it.  Jesus is saying that is not ok.

Jesus then moves on to give this some gravity in the next verses, but I think He is also giving us some really practical direction.  Take a look at verses 29-30: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”

The phrase causes you to sin includes a word that means something along the lines of building a trap or a snare or a stumbling block.  That’s what this is.  Our lustful desires cause us to trip up and fall.  And we need to recognize that. But those are some strong words.  And it sounds kind of extreme for Jesus to suggest that we cut off our arm or gouge out our eye.  This is a strong statement, but it shows that Jesus treats this as important.

The penalty for adultery in Old testament was death.  Remember the story of the Pharisees bringing the woman caught in adultery before Jesus and they wanted to stone her.  So if the punishment of adultery is death, Jesus is taking it back to the desire behind the sin and dealing with the desire and even going so far as to suggest cutting off that part of you that was leading to the sin.  Which makes sense if cutting off a limb would save our life like with our opening illustration. But is He literally calling us to do this?  Not literally, but figuratively. Jesus is calling us to deal with sin and temptation in a radical way.  Not just being sorry for messing up, but radically dealing with sin.

Jesus emphasizes this by talking about the alternative of being thrown into hell. He actually uses the word Gehenna here.  That is a word that referred to the valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem that was a place of trash and fire and burning and is used to refer to the place of final judgment or eternal punishment.  He wants us to take this seriously.

Too often we treat sin, and particularly lust, casually.  But Jesus uses strong words here to cause us to recognize that we can’t just play around with sin as Christians.  Christianity is not just about saying a prayer that will help us get into heaven, it is about being a part of his kingdom, and that includes us becoming more and more like him.  Living out what kingdom life is supposed to look like. We also need to realize that sin left unchecked in our lives does not draw us toward Christ, but away from Him.  And that leads us in the wrong direction.  We can’t have that.  We can’t just treat sin casually; we need to treat it surgically, even radically.

So my challenge for us is to recognize that Jesus is calling us to get real with sin and not just let it reign in our lives.  And as I was originally thinking about preaching on this passage, I was reminded of another passage, that reminds me a lot of this one, and I think it helps us to consider this idea of cutting off a limb, in a practical maybe figurative way.

Here is what Paul says in Romans 6 about dealing with sin: “12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” I don’t think that practically speaking many of us are going to go out and gouge out an eye or cut off a limb in order to stop sinning, but practically speaking, what about recognizing the importance of literally looking at it like no longer offering that part of our body to sin, and with the recognition that instead we are offering our eyes, our hands, our lives to God.

We don’t have to cut off a limb or gouge out an eye, but lets stop offering those parts of our body to sin.  Let’s recognize that as followers of Christ, we are being called to deal with our hearts.  What I love about this is that Jesus is moving past our actions and wanting to change us from the inside out. He wants us moving toward purity and holiness.  And I know that seems tough when we are in the midst of the battle, but He who began this good work in us will be faithful to complete it.  We can trust in Him.  But we need to let Him work in our lives.  Let’s stop offering our eyes and arms and other parts of our bodies to sin, and instead let Christ have His way in us.  Recognizing that He has so much better for us in His kingdom and radically choosing to follow Him.