Saturday, August 28, 2010

29.08.10 - Surviving the Tough Times

Two weeks ago we looked at Psalm 1 which used two contrasting images – a tree planted by a stream of water that was healthy and fruitful, and chaff, the husks off the grain that are good for nothing and which blow away in the wind.

The image of the tree planted by the water is also used by Jeremiah and I’d like to look at that. But, again, two images are used and they are very different. They are designed to provide a contrast. And, again, they illustrate two types of people. Look at these two images (a bush in a parched, salty desert, barely growing at all, and a tree planted by water.)

READ Jeremiah 17:5-8

Have we got those two images in our minds: a bush planted in wasteland, in a desert, in a salt land where no one lives; a tree planted by water, whose roots go down giving a constant supply of water. Even when drought comes, it remains healthy and it continues to bear fruit.

But Jeremiah is not giving a lesson on trees. He is talking about people – two types of people. Through the prophet, Jeremiah, God illustrates two types of people: those who trust in Him and whose confidence is in Him and those who trust in people, who depend on flesh.

When David went out to fight Goliath, what did he trust in? Did he think he could defeat Goliath by himself?

Look up the story in 1 Samuel 17. King Saul said to David, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are little more than a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

Saul was right. David couldn’t do it.

But David replied, “When a lion or a bear came and carried off one of my father’s sheep, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. If it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.” It sounds as if David has an inflated opinion of himself. It was all about what he could do, but then we get things in perspective. He said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

David had killed lions and bears but he wasn’t trusting in his own skill or strength. He could do it only because God rescued him. When it came to fighting Goliath, he again trusted that God would rescue him.

For your future security, are you trusting God to provide or are you trusting in your investments? Where is your focus at the moment? Are you preoccupied with storing up money for a rainy day and therefore not serving God? Are you storing up treasure on earth instead of treasure in heaven? Maybe if we served God, He would provide for our futures. But can we serve, really trusting that He will look after us?

The Bible is full of stories of great armies being defeated by much smaller armies that simply trusted in God. God says do not put your trust in horses and chariots. Can you trust me?

In our work or our relationships or our ministries we can trust in our training, our strength, our skills, our knowledge, our persuasiveness instead of in God. Those who trust in flesh are the bush in the salty desert.

But some people trust in God and their confidence is not in their accumulated money or their qualifications. Their confidence is in God. They know that God will look after them; God will provide for them; God will enable them to do what they could not do without Him; God will do miracles.

Jesus said, “You are going to be arrested and tried before kings. Don’t worry about what you will say because the Holy Spirit will give you the words.” Can we trust God to give us the words?

God says those who trust in themselves or other people, are cursed; they are like that stunted bush in the salt land. Even when prosperity comes, these people don’t share in it. That is a bad picture. I don’t want that to be God’s assessment of me; that I am a stunted bush producing nothing.

By contrast, the tree by the stream is blessed. Trouble will come. It is described here as heat and drought. The tree isn’t spared trouble but God says it doesn’t fear the heat; it has no worries in the year of drought.

Why not? Because its roots go deep and even when there is little water, it still has a supply and so it can remain strong.

It seems to me the emphasis in these verses is on survival; surviving the tough times – the drought, the heat. Again, it is talking about people. People who trust in God can survive tough times.

We sometimes say, “I don’t know how non-Christians survive tough times like this when they don’t have God to lean on.” The Christian knows what it is to lean on God when the going gets tough. Even in the drought the tree with deep roots that is planted by a stream can still get water. In the same way, even in troubling times, the person who trusts in God still receives help. If this person lives close to God and has put his/her roots down into God, then, even in tough times, he/she has a source of peace and help and strength. Being able to draw from God means we can survive when everything around us is turning to custard. There is enough in God to sustain us through that time and God is always there.

The leaves of this tree are always green. In other words, the person who trusts in God is always sustained; is never defeated by the difficult circumstances.

It never fails to bear fruit. This person doesn’t merely survive. Even in the tough times, the person who trusts God can be productive. Consider, for example, a Christian thrown into prison for his faith. Today we have handed out envelopes for support for people who are persecuted for their faith. In many parts of the world, Christians are suffering simply because they are Christians. This week, .........., one of our ............in Sudan, sent an email asking for prayer for a Samaritan’s Purse humanitarian worker kidnapped in Dafur in May. ..........said conditions in Dafur are deteriorating fast and the insecurity is causing many people to leave for safety reasons. .............asked us to join others in prayer for her: that she will be strong in captivity, that she would be protected body, mind and soul and that God would get the glory if and when she is released.

She is one of many Christians imprisoned and persecuted. Please do consider giving to support our persecuted brothers and sisters. They trust in God and God will deliver – through our giving.

Imagine being one of those Christians thrown into a terrible prison. God is able to bring peace even there. Those Christians can survive if they know how to trust in God. Paul and Silas were once in prison in Philippi yet they were found singing hymns in the middle of the night. They weren’t drunk or mentally unstable. They knew God’s presence in the prison and had confidence in Him despite the circumstances.

But that story, in Acts 16, also illustrates the other part of what Jeremiah says. Not only did their leaves remain green, they didn’t fail to produce fruit. Even in that prison they preached about Jesus to the jailor and he and his whole family were converted.

And, Paul and Silas were miraculously released from the prison which was, for them, another consequence of trusting in God.

Today, no doubt, many of those persecuted Christians maintain their sanity and their joy in prison because they are able to draw from the God they have come to know and trust. And many will witness in prison so that others also come to know Jesus. Their leaves remain green and they never fail to bear fruit.

Does this passage from Jeremiah mean that things always go well for the person of faith and always go badly for those who simply trust in worldly means? No. We know that often it is the ungodly who seem to have the easy life and all the material possessions. Sometimes they look like the strong green tree while those who do trust God look like the starved bush. Sometimes it looks as if the ungodly flourish and the faithful Christian struggles. If you wonder about that seeming injustice, read psalms 37 and 73.

Ps 37:35-36 35
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

In the short-term it seems unjust but take a long term view and you realise that God is just.

There is all sorts of practical advice I could give about surviving tough times. I could talk about making sure you have a nest egg in the bank. I could talk about keeping fit and healthy. Get a good lawyer. But a nest egg can disappear overnight if the economy fails. It is very unreliable. God can provide. Can we trust Him to provide? Those who trust God are more secure than those who trust banks.

Jeremiah’s advice is not superficial. It is not that a nest egg or a good lawyer are inherently wrong. It is just a question of where we put our confidence. The real way to survive tough times is to have confidence in God. Those who trust God are like a tree planted by the water. Those people can survive anything.

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus pleaded with God to be spared the cross. It was a desert time for Him but Jesus’ roots went deep. He had a close relationship with His Father. He trusted Him and when He wrestled in prayer His roots went deep enough to find God and in God He found the peace that enabled Him to calmly face those who would arrest Him.

Even on the cross, in all the horror and turmoil of that, He talked to God and committed Himself into God’s hands. That was where His trust was. That was where His confidence lay. His roots were deep enough to find water even then. And He never failed to bear fruit. It was on the cross that He achieved His finest hour, when He saved the world by dying for it.

Three days later Jesus knew the joy of the resurrection and the joy of knowing He had done all that God has asked of Him. He had been faithful, trusting His Father. His Father had been faithful.

How deep are your roots? Deep enough to find God even in tough times?

We can trust Jesus who loved us so much He was willing to lose everything to die for us. We can trust God who is able to bring resurrection out of crucifixion. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They are like a tree planted by the water.

Monday, August 23, 2010

22.08.10 - Re-setting Our Compass

If you are on a journey using a compass, every so often you need to re-set your compass. That simply means get a new bearing so that you know which direction to head. You need a map and a compass. You make sure your map is facing north, using the compass. You align the dial of your compass with the compass needle. You position the compass over your current position and turn the base until the arrow points to your destination and where the dial is intersected by the arrow on the base gives you the bearing.

If you then travel some distance and get off course, you can repeat the process and get a new bearing. To set your compass you need four things. You need a compass, and a map, but you also need to know where you are and where you want to go.

Over the last little while we have been re-setting our compass. The elders and staff have been involved. We have had congregational meetings and there has been a small group working specifically on our vision. Our vision is where we want to go. We are re-asking ourselves, “Where are we? Where do we want to go?” so that we can re-set the compass and head in the right direction.

A while ago we put a draft mission triangle in the newsletter and asked for comments. We have updated that a bit. It now looks like this. It picks up three key things Jesus said. When He was asked by a Pharisee trying to trap Him, which was the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. The second greatest, He said, is to love our neighbours as ourselves. Those two greatest commandments are on two sides of the triangle. At the end of His life, Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” That is the Great Commission and is on the bottom side of the triangle.

We often talk too about the five purposes of the church. They are easily attached to the triangle. Worship is our expression of our love for God. Loving people is expressed through fellowship and through serving, meeting needs. Making disciples involves evangelism and bringing people to maturity.

You will be given a copy of that at the end of the service as well as a draft list of values that we would love your comments on. We have still to work on our vision and some goals, so we are only part-way through the process but it is all part of re-setting the compass.

I’d like to consider a biblical example. The early church wasn’t perfect but it still does give us a very good idea of what a church should be like. In terms of knowing where we are heading; what our destination is, there is really no alternative than to be guided by what we see in scripture.

In the book of Acts we see the life of the very early church. Just last month we looked at the story of the lame man healed at the Temple (Acts 3,4). I want to look at it again. I won’t read it all. I’ll summarise it. You might like to have your Bibles open at Acts 3, 4. One day Peter and John went up to the Temple at the time of prayer; three o’clock in the afternoon. At the temple gate they saw a lame man begging. He asked Peter and John for money. Peter looked straight at him and said, “I don’t have any silver or gold but what I do have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” And of course, he did. Walking and leaping and praising God, he went into the temple with them. When the people saw him, and recognised who he was, they were filled with wonder and amazement.

Now I just want you to see how this illustrates our triangle. Peter and John were going up to pray in the Temple. It started with worship, but it didn’t end there. It was “Peter and John” so they were having fellowship. They were doing this together. And it was three o’clock in the afternoon – afternoon tea time – a very good time for fellowship.

Then they saw a person in need so they healed him. Actually, they were very emphatic that they hadn’t healed him, but we will come to that. They served – They met a need – in this case, by the power of God.

But that is not the end of the story. Healing this man wasn’t the end. If we carry on in Acts 3 we see that the people in the Temple came running over to see what was happening. When Peter realised this, he started preaching. He said, “Why are you staring at us? We didn’t heal this man. The God of our fathers has glorified His servant Jesus.”

That probably wasn’t the safe thing to say. Jesus wasn’t very popular with the leaders and it was only a short time since He had been killed. But Peter was very direct. He accused them of killing this Jesus whom God had glorified. “You handed Him over... You disowned Him... You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released! You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead. It was that Jesus whom you killed who healed this man completely as you see. Not us. Jesus.”

He then became a little more conciliatory. “You acted in ignorance. God had said through the prophets that the Messiah would suffer.” Then 3:19: “Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins might be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Messiah, who was appointed for you – even Jesus.”

There was the evangelism. Repent and be forgiven. Notice how Peter said that Jesus had been appointed for them. Jesus had been sent for them. God had given a Saviour for them. The people who killed Him would be saved by Him. That is God’s grace, isn’t it?

If we move into chapter 4 we see that the religious leaders arrived, were pretty angry, arrested Peter and John and threw them into prison. But look at v.4: But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. Their evangelism had been effective.

The next day the leaders questioned Peter and John. By what power or name had they done this thing? Again, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, was forthright: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed... Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.

The next verse (4:13) says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Peter and John were uneducated fishermen. How come they were so bold as to confront the leaders like this? The leaders concluded that these men were different because they had been with Jesus. Peter and John had a boldness and a maturity and power that came not through formal education but through being with Jesus. These men had been disciple.

The leaders decided they could do little but they did command Peter and John not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter replied, “Should we obey you, or obey God? We cannot help speaking about what we have seen or heard.” They were now mature followers of Jesus who couldn’t help but witness to the things they had experienced, even though that might endanger their lives. They had died to themselves and that is perhaps the greatest sign of maturity.

Peter and John went back to the gathered Christians and said what had happened. The Christian community started praying. They recognised the conflict that was developing. The worldly rulers were rising up against Jesus whom God had anointed. That meant they might rise up against Jesus’ followers too, but these young Christians prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Isn’t that great? “Persecution is breaking out. Lord, enable us to speak out boldly. Perform more miracles in the name of Jesus.” Even these new Christians were gaining real maturity. The next verse says, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

In that story we see all of the five purposes. They were all part of the life of the early church. And there is a sequence. It was because they had come to love God that they loved each other and joined in fellowship and they loved others and served them. It was because of the miracle that they had the opportunity to preach and it was because they loved both God and people that they wanted to tell them about Jesus. Miracles are sometimes called “signs”. They point beyond themselves to Jesus, so the serving is often what opens up the opportunity for evangelism. And, of course, it doesn’t stop with conversion. Conversion is to be followed by growth to maturity. Peter and John had grown through being with Jesus. The new believers were already growing and keen to be involved in the serving and the evangelism.

You might think I was a little flippant about the fellowship; they were going to prayer together and it was afternoon tea time! But this story is bracketed by two summary descriptions of the life of the church where all five purposes are very clear but fellowship is particularly prominent. These two descriptions are at the end of Chapter 2 and at the end of Chapter 4. We have looked at them many times before because they are a snapshot of what God wants His church to be like. If you think that there wasn’t much evidence of fellowship in what I said, the evidence for fellowship in the early church is enormous. Fellowship is about togetherness, community, family, caring, sharing.

READ Acts 4:32-35

All of the believers were one in heart and mind. “All of the believers” must include even those who were converted in the temple that day the lame man was healed. They had been brought into a community who were united – one in heart and mind. A large part of what we read about in those verses is about sharing possessions and caring for the needy. It is about community and serving.

The other thing mentioned is that the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of Jesus with great power. I take that to mean that they continued to do what they had done in the temple and before the leaders – to say that the Jesus who had been crucified was God’s Messiah whom God had raised again and that there was forgiveness and salvation in this Jesus. In other words, that they continued to share the good news. So fellowship, serving, evangelism.

We don’t specifically see worship or maturity in those verses but let’s also read the ones that come immediately before the story of the lame man at the temple. Listen for all five purposes: worship, fellowship, serving, evangelism and growth to maturity.

READ Acts 2:42-47

Every so often, we need to review. We need to remember what it is all about. We need to get things in focus again. We need to re-set our compass so that we head in the right direction.

The life of the early church was characterised by those five purposes, in a wonderful and powerful way. They were a whole package and it is that package that we want to have in place. That is our hope – that we might be like them. Wouldn’t it be great if we could read those verses and think that they were a description of Calvin; that we too were devoted to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer; that we were seeing signs and wonders and that level of commitment to each other that meant that people were selling their possessions so as to give to those in need; that we met frequently (daily?) for worship and we met frequently in each other’s homes and enjoyed meals together praising God; and that the Lord was adding daily to our number those who were being saved?

This story of the lame man didn’t stop with the worship. It didn’t stop with the fellowship. It didn’t stop with the serving. It didn’t stop with the evangelism. It didn’t stop with maturity because the next generation began worshipping and fellowshipping and serving and evangelising and growing others.

Is that the direction we are taking? Let’s pause long enough to take stock and to remember what it is all about and to re-set our compass so that we are heading where God is calling us – as a church but also as individuals. Where is your compass pointing? Is it time to re-set that compass?

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

08.08.10 - Manila Talk

Jason Barron

Magundung Umaga, Good Morning. For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Jason and I’m the Intermediates Youth Pastor here at Calvin. At the end of June I went to Manila in the Philippines for just under 3 weeks as part of my youth worker training and also to experience another culture and to try and seek God in that place. Before the trip I had only been as far away as Auckland so needless to say this was a very daunting experience for me and while I was away I will admit that I missed home and my family very much and I’m not just saying that because they are sitting over there.


So I left Home on the 16th June to head to Manila to let this journey begin. Since I have been back I have had a few standard questions so to cover all bases I’ll answer them for you. Yeah it was really hot over, ridiculously hot even. Actually were I stayed they had power, pretty inconsistent power but still power, non-drinkable tap water and a few other things that remaindered me of home.

There were 13 of us from NZ headed over to Manila from different parts of the country. Thankfully we mostly knew each other so it meant that our group de-briefing times could be very honest and real because we knew where we were coming from. The main part of the trip was to experience life in a squatter community and what better way to do that than to live in it. I spent over 2 weeks living in a slum community with a family that I was fostered out too. This is them here. Ate Ledia and Michael. They were amazing people and so very generous in the way they treated me, looked after me and even with the stuff that they gave me out of their own mean was just phenomenal.

The community itself was different than I was expecting. Most so the houses were made of concrete. They were smaller than the 2 corners of the stage here back and like I said before having power surprised me a little but apparently there are a lot of illegal connections and that caused a transformer to blow up which was pretty freaky. There were animals everywhere cats, dogs and rosters. Cock fight was a big thing in the slum community and there were many tied up on the streets. It was sad to see really.

There was something else that I noticed over there. One day a lady came round to the house I was staying in and said to me. “Jason, these are my two nieces and they are both single” and they were both pretty hang out with me, even though they were a little too shy to talk. One of the girls from our group told me that one of the girls kept telling her just before we left how much she was going to miss me. This brought me to the conclusion that girls in NZ aren’t really catching the vision here at.

I was challenged in many different areas during my time in the community. One thing I was challenged on was how much I worry about things coming up. In Matthew 6 Jesus talks about worry what it says at the end of the chapter really stuck out to me. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I spend roughly 6 months worrying about heading over to Manila and it got a little worse with every day to the point where I wasn’t really functioning properly and went into a super-introverted state and look out if you even talked to me when I went into that state because it was not pretty. To all those that happened to I sincerely apologise for that. But now that I’m back I’m feeling a lot more free and certainly not super-introverted anymore. In fact I’m feeling really good in general which is great and I’m not worrying so much about the future, still thinking about it of course but not worrying all the time like I was. The healing I received from that was great.

There is one parable from the Bible that stuck out to me during my time over there. Marty shared this parable with us 2 weeks ago. We’re all about consistency in the youth team here. Just in case you forgot I’ll refresh your memory

Luke 10:25-37

That parable says so many different things to me and if time allowed I would happily share them but unfortunately it doesn’t. Firstly loving your neighbour as yourself. I was talking with Ate Ledia one day and she said this to me. As long as me, my family and my neighbours are ok then I am happy. I came to realise that she wasn’t just saying this but she lived it out. She was always checking up on the neighbours and they were doing likewise and it wasn’t a chore for them. It was just what they did. Even when it wasn’t easy they stuck with it. Both good and bad. Sometimes I know I find this hard to do myself, to find time in the day to spend time with my family, friends and the youth that I work with when actually I realised that I need to make time for them rather than just find it. Too me if I’m trying to find it then I am not making it as much a priority as it possibly should be. Something that Pastor Paul Loveday said before he left really stuck with me and that was that people are more important than tasks. Don’t get me wrong tasks are important but not as important as people. So I’m trying hard to make more time to spend with the people around me.

On one of the days that some of our host families took us out into the city for a look around. Towards the end of this day we were heading back to catch the train and we had a close to literal Good Samaritan experience. Everyone was walking quickly to catch the train and out of the corner of my eye a saw a lady lying on the ground. I looked back and thought that she didn’t look in good shape at all. I wasn’t sure what to do. I had been taking my queues on how to act from the Filipino’s that were hosting us but they just kept walking. I watched as many Filipino’s walked past and did nothing until 2 of the girls from our group stopped to help her and she was in a bad way. She was unconscious, bleeding a little, obviously malnourished and to top it off she was pregnant. After giving her some water and fanning her to cool her down help came and took her off to the hospital. There are many things that I would have liked to have said after this experience. One being that she was ok now but we never saw her again another would be that I was the one who stepped up and decided to help this woman out, but I wasn’t. I have heard this parable since I a child and every time that I heard it I thought that if that situation arose that I would step up and help that person out. In fact I’m sure I would have heard that at least 2 or 3 times in the last year and thought that but when it came down to putting into action I froze.

One last thought before I finish... I have been challenged in many ways as I said before but one thing that stuck out to me was that as Christians we need to live out the Bible even when it hurts and is inconvenient. It’s easy not to murder someone really but making yourself vulnerable and being totally open to what God might want you to do is not always so easy to do. My challenge to everyone this morning is to seriously think about how we are living out what we are called to do according to the Bible

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

01.08.10 - Themes and Topics From Les Miserables

by Paul Johnstone


1) Beliefs

2) Battles
Barricades / Barriers

3) Bitterness or Brokenness
Beginnings

Scripture Readings
Deuteronomy 6 vs 1-9
Ephesians Ch 2 vs 1-10
1 Peter 1 vs 13-15

As most of you are probably already very aware, in just one week’s time the local Operatic Society is going to be staging the internationally acclaimed Stage Musical ‘Les-Miserables’. You have probably seen the advertising around town or in the papers, and you may have read an article that I put in the recent Church Newsletter outlining the background to the story, and noting also that I, and others from here, happen to be in the cast of the show. (As an aside, that is why my hair is longer than normal, as I have to cultivate a ‘scruffy’ look – for the next two weeks!!)

Now the purpose of today’s sermon is not to be a 20 minute advertising break for ‘Les-Miserables’, nor am I going to attempt to analyse all of the key biblical themes, of which there are many, that are contained within the Show.

But what I would like to do, however, is touch on some issues and topics, that each one of us may need to grapple with in our lives, and briefly reflect on how that topic may be touched on within the Show ‘Les-Mis’.

* I intend to start with, firstly, some personal reflections.
* Then, secondly, I’ll give a brief overview of the story and its timeless themes.
* Then, finally, I’ll touch on three key life truths and see how these apply to ‘Les-Miserables’.

So, for some personal reflections:
One of the aspects that I enjoy most about the story of ‘Les-Miserables’ is that it is a story about real life – unpleasant, unfair, painful and unjust though it was for many people of that time, and still continues to be for so many. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from, or gloss over, the times of pain and difficulty that often confront us, but it does also show the possibility of hope for a new tomorrow, of redemption versus condemnation, and of legalism being overpowered by Grace. It shows us real life struggles, and of the power to overcome - but also of Grace sufficient when we fall short.

So on a personal note, I would add that when I knew late last year that I had a part in the Show, I decided that I would set some personal goals for this year – goals long overdue – that I wanted to work on anyway, but for which I had greater incentive to achieve through knowing I would be in this Show.

And these goals were around the areas of personal improvement, through looking hard at myself, of getting fitter, and losing some weight, of being more diligent and disciplined in my spiritual and prayer life, of improving a range of relationships, and work practices, and just generally seeking to be more on top of key areas in my life, and putting practical things in order.

Now I wish that I could say I am now 100% successful in all these goals – that I’m now supremely fit, and at my goal weight – a business genius – and a spiritual giant, able to overcome all temptations, trials and difficulties.

Well, I’m not. I haven’t reached all my goals. I still make mistakes, and let myself and others down, and I’m still not as disciplined as I should be in lots of areas, but I’m making good progress, and I’m grateful to God for that. And I’m grateful too that some of the themes contained in the storyline of ‘Les- Miserables’ reaffirm and continue to offer us hope and encouragement in the struggles of daily life, as they are based around some essential Biblical Truths.

Now, by way of a brief overview then of the story of ‘Les-Mis’:
Someone once said, when referring to the Arts in general “That in order for an artistic work to stand the test of time as something of true value, and lasting worth, it needs to reflect some essential God-given truth or principle”. This is sometimes referred to as a ‘Creation Ordinance’. In other words, the world has been created by God to function in a certain way. And when we fall into line with this plan, things work. We are blessed. Now, in the Arts that is often shown through, for example, God-given beauty in a painting or a sculpture, or through Biblical Truths and Principles, as portrayed in a book or drama, or through the gifts of purity, joy, hope and inspiration – contained within many musical pieces, and the like.

A ‘Creation Ordinance’
Now when referring to the Arts this can perhaps best be summarised as: For ‘lasting Appreciation’ we require ‘God’s Inspiration’, shown through ‘Our Demonstration’.

Well, it seems as though ‘The Book, Drama and Musical versions’ of Les- Miserables clearly portray a Creation Ordinance, something of God’s Demonstration of Truth, as they have lasted the test of time – while many other lesser works have long since been forgotten.

The musical is based on the 1862 book of the same name by Victor Hugo, (who had a very varied theological understanding and it appears wouldn’t have considered himself to be a committed Christian), and the book was apparently so popular when written that people queued to buy it. It primarily tells the story of Jean Valjean, a man driven to stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving family. He pays for his crime through 19 years hard labour and is released an angry and embittered man.

His bitterness, however, is melted as he experiences love, acceptance and grace at the hands of a very Godly bishop, who challenges him to live a life worthy of the generosity, grace and forgiveness that he has been shown.

The story follows his changed life of becoming a model citizen, even though he has to break his parole to be able to start his life once more.

In contrast to Valjean’s acceptance of grace, however, is the figure of Police Constable Javert, who relentlessly pursues this parole breaker. His understanding of the law is very one sided. He only understands judgment and penalty with no room for forgiveness and grace. And this distorted view of life and the law ultimately leads to his demise.

There are numerous other characters and stories contained within the Show.
Fantine A solo mother, used and rejected by her wealthy boyfriend, driven into selling herself through prostitution when she is wrongfully dismissed from her job.

Cossette Fantine’s daughter, who is rescued from slavery by Valjean and eventually grows up and falls in love with Marius, a student from a Paris Revolution.

Eponine A daughter of dishonest and manipulative Innkeepers who longs for a better life and risks her all for the one she loves.

We are also introduced to a harsh Prison system of the day, to the wretched poor of industrialised Paris, and to the crime and immorality that is fostered by an uncaring Government. There are also the idealistic students who believe that Revolution via guns and barricades is the only way to change their world and transform society.

Yes, there are a huge number of stories told, played out as people respond to the various circumstances of their lives.

Well, so much for my personal reflections and recent journey

And - the background to the story of ‘Les- Mis’

Now, what I’d like to do, is touch on a few words, and issues, that we all face, in our lives, and that are faced within this Show, and see if we can find appropriate challenges and responses to them.

And I’ll go over each of these reasonably briefly, as I have three topics to consider. They all begin with B. And they are as follows:
1. Our Beliefs – what we do and how we live will always be as a response to our beliefs.
2. Our Battles – we all face battles and struggles; how do we face these?

Do we face them by building up Barricades and Barriers? Or do we tear them down?

And then thirdly –
3. We can choose to respond to life’s difficulties with Bitterness or with Brokenness. What’s our choice. Because the answer to that will determine the shape of our …… New Beginnings – each day offers us the hope of a new beginning. What sort of new beginning do we want?

So then, Firstly, Beliefs

What we believe is crucial. It will determine our response to life’s issues. It will determine our eternal influence, our eternal destiny.

Our Pastor, Peter, has preached on this numerous times – that as a people wanting to follow God’s way, we must be sure that we engage our brains – that we form a Biblical perspective of life’s challenges – that we allow God to transform us, as we are reminded in Romans 12 vs 2, by the “Renewing of our Minds”. That we put ourselves in places where we will hear and learn of God’s truth, and that we will apply it in daily discipline and obedience to Him.

The reading we had earlier from Deuteronomy 6 – is about loving the Lord our God. But we are also reminded there of how we are to Love God, and it is – by Understanding God’s Word, His Commandments, His Teaching.

And by following this (read some verses)

It sounds simple I know, but it’s crucially important. Are we feeding our minds with sound Biblical truths?? Are we encouraging others in these truths? (vs 7)

We probably can’t emphasise too greatly, can we, the importance of what we believe?

It will determine our future – both in this life, and the next.

One of the classic stories of ‘Les-Miserables’ is the different beliefs held by Valjean and Javert – around the subject of The Law and Grace.

Javert’s belief could perhaps simplistically be described as ‘Old Testament’ in nature. He believed the Law had to be followed and obeyed to the letter, and if broken a penalty was to be paid. No excuses. No exceptions. No forgiveness. No Grace.

Valjean, on the other hand, had suffered for 19 bitter years at the hands of the Law, and believed he had little hope for the future. But he wonderfully found Mercy and Love at the hands of a Godly Bishop.

He had believed that his past would always determine his future, but through a gracious encounter, he came to believe that God could erase and cleanse his past and give him a fresh start.

Javert continued in his false belief around the Law, and ultimately paid the price. He didn’t understand the truth of Ephesians Ch 2, as read earlier, especially vs 8.

Valjean’s new belief and understanding from a Godly and Biblical perspective freed him for a life of service, and eternal salvation.

Beliefs – they are of eternal importance. Let us train ourselves to learn and believe the Truth.

Secondly, Battles

There are plenty of battles in the story of ‘Les-Miserables’. There are battles between Legalism and Love, between The Poor and The Privileged. Between the Students and the Army, between the Abused and the Abusers. Between the Caring and the Uncaring.

In some battles, right wins out. Valjean becomes a changed man, builds a factory, houses the sick, feeds the poor.

In some stories, evil wins. The poor remain poor. The downtrodden are kept low. Fantine and others die in sad circumstance.

Yes, life is full of Battles and Challenges. Most of which we won’t avoid. But we can choose how we’ll fight them.

And perhaps we should remember just two things when it comes to fighting the battles in life:
Firstly, do we have our Spiritual Armour on? As outlined in Ephesians Ch 6 (which I won’t detail here). In other words, ‘Are we Spiritually Prepared?’

And secondly, in fighting our battles, are we going to put up Barricades and Barriers, or are we going to tear them down?

In other words, what/who are we Trusting in, as we face the battles and Trials of Life?

The Students of the Revolution in ‘Les-Miserables’ trusted in Guns and Weapons. They erected Barricades as a show of Defiance against their foe, as a place where they could hide and find protection, fight and make their stand.

BUT the problem is – Barricades and Barriers are largely defensive in nature. They limit your fighting opportunities, and lessen your chances of victory. You may be able to hide and fight for a while at the Barricades, but in order to truly win a Battle, you have to leave the protection of a Barricade, and fight on open ground.

Well, it’s quite likely that in our lives, we also get used to putting up Barricades to protect us from the Battles of life.

Barricades and Barriers, borne of Fear, Insecurity, Inferiority, Worry and Anxiety. Our Self-Protection Devices – we put on masks to hide the real us. We deal superficially with others. Afraid to show who we really are.

As someone once wrote – “Why am I afraid to show you who I really am? I’m afraid that if I show you the real me and you don’t like it, then I have nowhere else to go – because that’s all I’ve got. And your not liking me will devastate me”.

Well, I believe, and the Bible teaches, that God wants us to tear down our man-made and feeble Barriers. And put our Trust once more in Him – and fight with our Spiritual Armour on and with Faith in God – ‘Out in the Open Ground’.

The Battles of Life, and Barricades we erect, can be Barriers to our Trusting in God.

What’s our response to this?

So, if we understand...
(1) Our Beliefs and how important they are
and
(2) We consider how we fight our Battles, and our use of Barricades.

Then, finally, let’s consider:
3. In the struggles and difficulties of Life, we often also have a choice between Bitterness or Brokenness. And our response to this will determine the shape of our new Beginnings.

In the story of ‘Les-Miserables’, after 19 years in prison, Valjean couldn’t find work as an ex-convict. He was angry, inward looking, unforgiving, and bitter. Hating the world and all that was in it. And he could have stayed that way, as sadly many people choose to. Blaming the world for their circumstance. Angry and Bitter. Forever a Victim.

BUT an encounter with a Priest, who he first tries to rob, but who then forgives and helps him, forces Valjean to look at his response to his life’s circumstance.

And in the face of unconditional Love, Forgiveness, Acceptance and Grace – his icy heart is melted.

His embittered heart is broken in the kindest of ways. He acknowledges the Love he is offered. Allows his defences to be shattered. And he finds hope in a Spiritual Rebirth.

Yes, Valjean finds a completely New Beginning and purpose in life.

Now, in contrast to this – later on Javert, when faced with similar Forgiveness and Love, offered by Valjean, refuses to accept it. He becomes embittered that an ex-convict has found greater meaning in Life than all his good works, and Legalism, have done for him. He refuses to let his heart be broken or melted. His Bitterness remains. And the New Beginning that he faces, is a death devoid of Grace and Love. As he takes his own life.

When Life’s Battles and Trials, Pains and Suffering come our way, as they most surely will, we won’t always find the circumstance to be joyful, pleasant or victorious.

Suffering, Hardship and Difficulty are just as much a part of Life as Success, Winning and Overcoming.

Just this week, Jo Parish sent out an email from the daughter of Doctor Gary Parrett on the subject of Suffering. And I’ll quote from this:
“It seems that in the American evangelical world, we know very little about lament. We much prefer the happy sayings and the happy songs. We like things to be tied up nicely and neatly. We prefer our theology to be bite-sized; slogans that fit easily on a tee-shirt or a bumper sticker are best. We particularly dislike any display of discouragement or depression on a Sunday morning. Each Lord’s Day, we ask the hurting among us to “pull themselves together” and rise with us to sing “songs of faith” in praise to the Lord. We muzzle the mouths of the downcast. After all, we reason, we are called to “rejoice always”. But Scripture tells us also to “weep with those who weep”. For, after all, there is much in our world that calls for lament”.

Again, it’s about being real before God and one another in the face of Life’s real problems.

So what is crucial here is that we don’t ignore Suffering, Pain or Lament. It must be acknowledged, felt and worked through.

But also crucial is that we know how to let it touch us. We can allow Life’s Pain and Suffering to harden and embitter us, or with all the honesty and openness possible, say, “Lord, use this circumstance to draw me closer to You. To allow me to be broken in the most gentle of ways. And to once more begin to find my meaning, purpose – and eventually a new-found quiet and inner Joy with You”.

Yes, our choice of Bitterness or Brokenness, will determine the New Beginnings, and possibilities that we will face.

So to summarise:

Firstly,...

...Do we know the crucial importance of what it is that we believe?

And are we like Valjean, eager to embrace Grace in our lives, as necessary, for Salvation, for strength to live each day, and to find the purpose and calling that God has for our Lives?

Secondly,

As we confront the Battles and Challenges that will inevitably come our way in Life...

...Will we firstly be sure we have our Spiritual Armour on, and then fight and work, trusting in God, out in the open ground, being real before Him, and others – tearing down the Barricades and Barriers that we often erect as a feeble attempt to keep ourselves safe?

God longs for intimacy with us. And for our relationships with others to be meaningful, we must show the real us.

We need to take the Barricades down.

And finally,...

...in Life’s Trials and Troubles, and in the midst of Pain, Disappointment and Lament, will we again be honest before God. Not allowing our hurts and sadness to cause us to become bitter – but better – will we allow God to gently break and melt our stubborn hearts, finding Joy and Peace in our Trust of Him? Will we choose Brokenness over Bitterness? Leading to the Hope of a New Beginning each day with Christ?

Let us Pray.

Monday, August 16, 2010

15.08.10 - Psalm 1 - Two Types Of People

Last time I preached, which was four weeks ago – thank you to all those people who have done it in the interim – I talked about there being two types of people. I didn’t intend to follow that up. At the Promise Keepers conference I was re-inspired by Psalm 1 and I thought I’d talk about that today, but as I have looked at it again, it very clearly says there are two types of people. Listen to it.

READ Psalm 1.

Let’s dive right into the middle of the psalm. There are two types of people. The psalm uses two images to describe them. Those images are like chalk and cheese. These two types of people are very different.

Some people are like a tree planted by streams of water. It is a picture of health and strength and vitality and productiveness. It is deeply rooted. It is being fed by those streams. Its leaf does not wither, so it is healthy. It bears fruit in season. In fact, the psalm says of these people that everything they do prospers. God’s blessing is clearly on these people which shouldn’t be a surprise because the psalm starts “Blessed is the person...”

And also in v.6 it says “The Lord watches over the way of the righteous.” God’s eyes are on these people. God’s hand is on them.

That is one image: the tree planted by streams of water.

The other is of chaff. You will have noticed already that the psalm describes these two types of people as the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are pictured as these healthy, strong trees. But then it says, “Not so the wicked!” What is true of the righteous is not true of the wicked. The righteous are like trees planted by streams of water. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

That is the complete opposite. Whereas the tree is sturdy and strong, the chaff is flaky. Whereas the tree produces fruit, the chaff is completely useless. Chalk and cheese. Chaff and trees.

Chaff is the husk around the grain. When the grain was harvested it was winnowed to release the grain from the husk. Then it was thrown into the air and the wind blew the chaff away while the grain fell to the ground. No one wanted the chaff. It was useless. Let it blow into your next door neighbour’s field!

These are graphic images but they reflect God’s assessment of the value of these two lives. Some lives are beautiful and valuable to God. Some are useless. That act of throwing the grain into the air is an image of judgement, isn’t it? Separating the good from the bad and disposing of the bad while retaining the good.

Tree or chaff? Which type of person are you? When God looks at your life, is it a life of substance or is it shallow? Are you bearing fruit or achieving nothing? What will there be to show for your life?

We dived into the middle of the psalm so we need to go left and we need to go right. We need to see what the results of these lives are and we need to see what decides whether our lives are trees or chaff.

Let’s look first at the result. If those images represent a sharp contrast, there are equally contrasting destinations towards which they are heading: very different outcomes.

v.6 The wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

At the end of it all there will be a reckoning. One day we will stand before God, the judge. Can we imagine what it would be like to be on trial in a court and to come to that day when the jury brings in its verdict? Your future depends on whether the foreman of the jury says “Guilty” or “Not guilty”. Today is the day you will hear one or the other of those responses. Your future depends on it.

When it comes to the day of judgement, we will hear a similar verdict: guilty or not guilty. But this psalm already tells us which it is going to be. In a sense there is no wondering, no uncertainty. We have already been told. The wicked will not stand in the judgement. They will be condemned. They will not be in the assembly of the righteous. As the righteous are gathered in heaven, the wicked will not be there.

The other phrase used here is that the way of the wicked will be destroyed.

The clear implication is that the righteous will stand in the judgement. For them the outcome will be very different. They will be in that gathering in heaven. Their way will not be destroyed.

OK, there are two types of people. Some are fruitful trees and they will spend eternity with God. Some are chaff. They will not. They will experience God’s judgement.

But who are these two types of people? They are termed the righteous and the wicked but what does that mean? And what determines whether we are righteous or wicked? What choice that we make determines what type of person we are and what our eternal destiny is? Let’s go back to the beginning of the psalm.

There is a very clear choice. It is expressed firstly in terms of what the righteous person does not do. Look at v.1. Blessed are those who do not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers.

Then v.2 says what he does do. He delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night. This is the crucial decision. Everything else in the psalm flows from this. Whether you are a tree or chaff depends on this decisions. Whether you will be saved for eternity or condemned depends on this decision.

The first question here is: Who do you listen to? Whose advice do you take? The righteous person doesn’t live by the advice of the wicked.

Where would you hear the advice of the wicked? On TV. On the radio. In books and magazines. At school and university. From your friends.

At the 2006 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, in the midst of the debate about whether people in sexual relationships other than marriage should be leaders, one person said, “The church gets its standards from scripture not from Shortland Street.” That is exactly the point this psalm is making. The righteous person does not live according to the advice of the ungodly, but his/her delight is in the law of the Lord which he/she meditates on day and night.

Of course, not everything you hear on TV or from your friends is evil. Sometimes it can be very good advice but it is good advice only when it lines up with the Bible. There are many points of view being expressed in society that are not godly. There is a massive emphasis on sex and a normalisation of promiscuous sex and deviant sex. God invented sex but the distortions in our society and media are a million miles away from God’s view on sex. There is huge emphasis in our society on possessions – materialism. Life is largely about getting more. Is that what God says? Absolutely not! Our society says “Look after yourself.” Jesus says, “Die to yourself.” They are polar opposites.

The righteous person does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly but he searches the word of God.

Not everything you hear on TV or at school or from your friends is wrong. But how are you going to know if it lines up with scripture unless you are very, very familiar with scripture? The righteous person delights in God’s word and meditates on it day and night.

It doesn’t say ‘all day and all night” as if you do nothing else. What it means is that we read the Bible and whatever we are doing, we think, “What does that passage mean? How does it apply to my situation? What does God say about this? What decision here lines up with God’s word?” We are always thinking about it, wanting to know what God says. Knowing what God says is the way to wisdom.

The righteous person doesn’t stand in the way of sinners. That amuses me. It sounds like standing in front of fast-moving sinners and being in danger of being run over! It doesn’t mean that. It means that the righteous person isn’t on the same road as sinners. He/she is not doing the same things that sinners do.

Your friends might not think twice about using pirated software or ripping their friends CDs. But that is not where the righteous person stands. The righteous person chooses to be different. Your friends might buy Lotto tickets but is that where the righteous person stands? What does God say about that? Again, we will know only if we are very, very familiar with the word of God.

The first line is about the righteous person’s advice. The second line is about his/her actions. The third line is about his/her attitude. The righteous person chooses not to sit with mockers. Mockers are negative and cynical; people who love to criticise; people who make light of those things that are right and good. People who laugh at the idea of sexual purity or are dismissive of those who choose to worship on a Sunday. Ultimately, of course, mockers are those who ridicule God and reject God’s ways. There are plenty of them around. Blessed is the person who is not found amongst them; who rejects that way of life. Blessed is the person who speaks up for what is right and is respectful of those things that are holy, even when everyone else is mocking.

The tree people choose not to take ungodly advice, imitate sinners’ actions or adopt a scoffer’s attitude. Instead they delight in the law of God and meditate on it day and night. Of course, the opposite is true of the chaff people. They adopt the ways of the world and reject the ways of God. That is the choice that determines whether you are a tree or chaff and whether you will stand in the judgement or fall.

But there are very few righteous people. There are very few people who are that focused on knowing God’s ways and living by them. The New Zealand statistics are that of those who describe themselves as Christians, only 11% read their Bible daily. 60% of those who claim to be Christians rarely or never discuss its teachings with others. Wouldn’t you think that anyone who loves God and is always keen to better understand His ways would look for opportunities to learn from others? But most New Zealand Christians have no such desire. Most Christians are not meditating on God’s word day and night. Most Christians are not thirsting for righteousness. Most Christians are possibly adopting worldly standards in many areas of their lives. There is a lot of chaff but we have the chance to be trees.

This psalm hasn’t mentioned Jesus and you are thinking that our righteousness is received from Jesus when we put our faith in Him. It isn’t about how we live. Of course, that is true but if we delight in God’s word and meditate on it day and night, we will very soon discover that God’s way to be forgiven and to become righteous is through faith in Jesus. The world might assume that you don’t even need to be forgiven or that you can earn your own righteousness but we are not interested in what the world says. We are keen to know what God says. We do need to be forgiven. And God offers righteousness as a free gift. But then it is a question of how we choose to live and the psalm is on the button. The righteous do not take the path of the ungodly. The righteous hunger to know God and to know God’s ways and so they love the Bible and are thinking about it day and night.

Living by faith in Jesus means I want to know His ways, not the world’s ways and so I will do exactly as this psalm says. I’ll love the word of God and think about it constantly. That’s what righteous people do.

Notice how similar this psalm is to
Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Notice how similar it is to Jesus words in
John 8:31 ...If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples.

None of us wants to be chaff and to face judgement? Can I strongly suggest you adopt this practice of delighting in God’s word and meditating on it day and night? Start doing that even if, at first, it is not a delight. Do it anyway because you will soon be delighting in what you learn and what God does in your life. This is a key part of being a Christian and yet very rare. Get into God’s word. Be a person who wants to know God’s ways and wants to go God’s ways. You will be part of a very small minority but it is that minority who are like those healthy, fruit-bearing trees. The majority are the chaff.

Monday, August 2, 2010

25.07.10 - Who Is My Neighbour?

by Marty Redhead

This morning I thought we would look at the parable of the good Samaritan. This is a very common parable and one that we all know, however I want to attempt to shed some new light and information on this story that Jesus told. I’m also using some of my information from a book that I’ve just recently finished reading called ’15 Revolution’ which is written by a man called Paul Scanlon who is senior pastor of Abundent Life Ministries in Bradford, UK. The book is nice and short so I was able to read it quickly and understand what it all said. Which was good for me since my attention span is fairly short. Anyway, the tag line for the book is ‘go ahead, inconvenience me”. In which Ps Paul challenges the reader to take 15 mins a day to be inconvenienced and help someone out. It’s not rocket science, but some basic and potentially life changing principles.

Let me read from the text in Luke 10:25-37

You may notice that this is the only gospel account that contains the story of the Good Samaritan. I don’t think that is significant except that it tells us that Dr Luke maybe paid a little more attention to the detail about what Jesus was saying. Maybe for some reason this story resonated with Luke, challenged him in his thinking and therefore became part of the fabric that makes up this gospel. What ever the reason, this story is only mentioned once in the Bible, and it’s found in Luke 10:25. So let me read.

Read Luke 10:25-37

I think many of us read this story and think that we need to help other people more. Which is true in a sense, but I think the real impact that Jesus made by telling this story has been lost through the generations. And now with our 2010 western world view glasses on, we lose the impact of the story as we fail to see the historical significance.

When the teacher of the law stood up in what can only be assumed a crowded temple setting he stood up with the intention to trap Jesus, paint him into a corner and make him look like a fool. I read the text and think that the lawyer is asking the question lined with sarcasm as if showing off to his friend. “Hey ‘teacher’ (as if I could learn anything from you) how do I get ‘eternal’ life”? I imagine the lawyer was pushing for Jesus to proclaim himself as the way to eternal life so they could claim heresy and stone him on the spot. Except Jesus is way smarter than the Lawyer thinks and turns the question back on him. ‘What do you think” says Jesus. The Lawyer responds by quoting Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18. (Love the lord) (and love your neighbour)

“Well done says Jesus”. But the lawyers not happy with that answer, he wants some more. I think that Jesus was happy to leave it there, but not the lawyer. Now I know some lawyers, and they’re not idiots. And I’m sure you know some lawyers that aren’t idiots. But if we’re being honest, there are some lawyers out there that just don’t quite ‘get it’. And I think that this lawyer was one of those guys that didn’t get it. So he asks as if feeling quite smug and full of himself, ready to take this so called ‘teacher’ down, and he says “who is my neighbour”?

And so Jesus launches into this parable. Right out of the blocks Jesus hits the original hearer between the eyes with the opening line “a man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho’. Straight away the listeners know that this man is a Jew, but maybe not a very bright one. Because it certainly wasn’t real smart to travel from Jerusalem to Jericho by themselves. People did it, but it was best done with others. See this piece of road is only 22km long, but is the fastest altitude dropping road in the world. Jerusalem sits at 640m above sea level – Jericho sits at 258m below sea level. That’s a drop of 898m in 22km. Which means every KM the road drops down 40m. It’s not quite Baldwin st, but it’s getting close.

Which means that it’s a rough and rugged road carved into the side of a cliff with lots of ins and outs and places to hide. A perfect place to attack and rob someone of their belongings. So when the original hearer heard that he was attacked and left for dead, there was not real surprise. This was a road that was synonymous for robbers, bandits and was a high risk road. In fact the road was called the ‘Way of the Blood’ because of it’s reputation.

After the man is beaten, bruised and the bible says ‘left half dead’, a priest comes along. He comes to where the man is lying, and does a quick assessment on him. Jesus stated that he was left half dead, which means that by just looking at the man he probably looked dead. This straight away brings a problem for the priest because if he touches the body of someone who is dead, he is declared ‘unclean’. We’re not told in which direction the priest was going, either from Jerusalem and therefore coming from the temple, or towards Jerusalem and so then would be on his way for his temple duty. Either way he would have defiled himself as a priest because of coming into contact with a dead body. However, I think the overriding thought that went though the priests head was “what will happen to me if I stop to help?”

We live in a society that scream you you you you. Get what you want, when you want it, how you want it. How will I be affected from this action? We are a selfish people who always look out for us. On my way to Invercargill on Wednesday I was following a vehicle and then on the side of the road came into view a parked red BMW with it’s fuel flap open and the man on a cell phone in the drivers seat. I have about half a second to decide what to do. In that half second I started to reason with myself.
- I’ve got a young person in the van with me so and it might not be safe.
- I’ve got a schedule to keep, and appointments to keep
- He could be on the phone with help already on the way
- He might not have actually run out of fuel, he could have pulled over to talk on the phone and the fuel flap could be broken and so just happens to be open.

By the time I had made the arguments in my head, justified myself and driven on, I was well down the road and even though I could have turned round, I did not. That man in the red BMW might not have had a problem, but he may have run out of fuel, and needed help. But I was to busy thinking of me. Thinking of what I would lose and how I would be inconvenienced. What would have you done? Stopped….Driven on….or not even seen the problem?

For whatever reason, the priest failed to help his fellow Jew on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho that day. He weighed up the options, refused to help, and carried on his way.

Next comes along a Levite. Another people group that the original hearer would have related to. The role of a Levite was to look after the temple and the goings on of it. When Israel came to the promised land, the tribe of Levi was the only tribe not given any land, but was rather given cities and then each other tribe was to give a tithe to the tribe of Levi. All the priest that served in the temple were of the Levite tribe and you would have been considered a person of significance if you were a Levite. Once again we’re not told why the Levite didn’t stop. Maybe he was in fear of his life. As many times before robbers would put one of their own guys in the middle of the road and appear to be hurt. When the innocent person stops to help, all bandits jump from their hiding place and attack the do gooder. This may have been flashing though the mind of the Levite as he passes. Whatever the reason, our Levite friend didn’t stop to help the beaten man.

By using the imagery of a Priest and a Levite Jesus is building up a picture to the hearer that if anyone is going to help this fellow Jew, then these people would be it. He is taking the listening crowd on a journey with fairly relatable people just to flip the script and smack them between the eyes with the third and final person.

As Jesus takes the crowd and builds the story up you can sense that the crowd and in particular the Lawyer are wondering where Jesus is going. So far nothing out of the ordinary, everything is pretty relatable.

And then Jesus drops the bomb.

Verse 33 “But a Samaritian, as he travelled, came where the man was”. This is where in our context we struggle with the impacting hammer that Jesus has just laid down. Jews and Samaritians were sworn enemies. They hated each other with a passion, and could not even stand the other race. In fact at the end of the story when Jesus turns to the lawyer and ask who was the man’s neighbour, he can’t even bring himself to say the word Samaritian. Instead he says “the one who had mercy on him’. The original hearer gets smacked between the eyes, and you can almost hear the audience gasp as Jesus says the word Samaritian. In our country of NZ we do not have an equivalent racial tension that is shown here. To not even be able to mention the word of the other race depicts just how deeply this hate for each other goes.

If anyone of the 3 people that came by the beaten man that day had reason not to stop, it was the Samaritian. He was not only the sworn enemy of Jews, but he was also taking his life into his own hands. The Samaritian stopped, and bandaged his wounds put him on his own donkey and took him to help. He disregarded his own safety, his own personal welfare, and his own time schedule as he helped his fellow man.

I’d like to look back at verse 33 again though. Where Jesus states ‘and when he saw the man, he took pity on him’

Are we moved with compassion towards those in need? Is something of our heart moved when we see someone in pain or discomfort that we want to help them? I know for me that I can grow hard sometimes to what is happening around me. My compassion levels are low, my patience is thin and right at that moment I just don’t care. So my prayer has become to ask God to break my heart for what breaks his. To make me moved with compassion when I see someone in need and have the courage to do something about it.

I was talking to a young person this week who was having a bit of trouble and I was trying to encourage them and getting them to think beyond the current situation. In the course of conversation I asked ‘what are you good at?’ This young person looked at me and said “I’m good at nothing, I’m worthless and a loser”? My heart just broke, and tears welled up in my eyes. For a moment I felt that I saw this young person as God saw them. With hope, potential, a plan for their life and a future. My heart broke for them and I was moved with compassion.

Are you moved with compassion when you see someone in need?

In the book that I talked about at the start of the message called ’15 Revolution’ Ps. Paul Scanlon challenges the reader to take 15min, or even only 15sec to inconvenience themselves each day to help someone else. Sometimes I think that we are moved to make a change in our world but don’t know how. Maybe we get caught up to much in looking for the divine appointment and look for big spiritual arrows above people’s heads. Now I know this sometimes happens, which is fantastic. But in my experience this is the exception rather than the rule. Most of us don’t hear the audible voice of God telling us what to do, instead we just feel a gentle prod, and quiet tug, and a move on our conscience. Sometimes we don’t even need a prod from the Holy Spirit, but rather we just need to be nice. We just need to show an interest in peoples lives and actually care about what’s going on. I know it’s just social etiquette to say ‘good’ or ‘fine’ when someone asks how you are. But we need to take a genuine interest in others lives and just be nice to them.

- Last Sunday Steph, myself and a group of others were at the Croydon Lodge for lunch. There was about 15 of us and we hadn’t booked a table. When we turned up there were 2 other groups of about 10 each sitting down for a meal as well. There would have been about 35 people there maybe, and only 1 waitress. She did her best, and got the food out as best she could with the resource she had. It was a good time with plenty of chatting and no one was really too worried about how long the food was taking. At the end when we went to pay, I just dropped a comment saying I thought she’d done a great job under fairly difficult circumstances. We chatted for about 15 secs and then I said thank you again, she she’d done great, and carried on.

Now I would like to say that that girl is now coming to church, has given her life to Christ and is thinking about going to Bible College next year. However, that is not the case. As far as I’m aware she is still waiting tables at the Lodge and still isn’t a Christian.

But that’s ok!! We should never ever view people as something we can notch up on our evangelism belt. It took me no time to pay a quick compliment to the girl saying she was doing an awesome job. And I don’t know what impact that had on her, it may have lifted her day, or meant nothing to her. But that’s not my responsibility, that’s God’s. My job is to be the face of Christ to those who I come into contact with, God is big enough to do the rest.

- I was getting my hair cut a while back and as always before I had it cut one of the apprentice hair dresses washed it for me. I decided to engage in conversation with her and told her that I was a youth pastor at Calvin Church. Which can sometimes be a real conversation killer as nobody actually knows what to say next. They can’t relate to my job and so we have to find some other common ground to talk about. Anyway, I told this girl that I was a youth pastor and then the conversation progressed and she told me that she was 7th Day Adventist, although hadn’t been going since leaving home. We chatted about church and differences between them, and she told me about her parents and how they were kind of a big deal in the 7th Day Adventist Church. She also mentioned she didn’t really like the strict rules so much and that’s why she hadn’t been for the last couple of years. And then she finished and I think I ended the conversation with something like you should think about having a look at our church at some stage. And that was that.

Being nice to people isn’t that hard. Going out of our way and inconveniencing ourselves to help someone out isn’t that hard. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as stopping and helping someone who is hurt and beaten on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho, all it could be is a genuine interest in how someone is doing. A conversation with your hairdresser about how life is at home. Talking to your neighbour about their kids at school. Telling the meter reader that they’re doing a great job or whoever you run into during the day. Even just having a conversation with someone with a genuine desire to find out how they are doing. A complement to someone can be as powerful as the most selfless act of kindness.

When Jesus told the parable of the Good Samartian, I think that the teacher of the law and all the people who were listening got the point. Jesus flipped the script on what the teacher of the law asked and challenged the listener in the original context, and challenged us today, that everyone is our neighbour.

Play You Tube Video straight away – Tears of the Saints LIFENZ01

If we don’t do something, then who will? IF we don’t stop and help, then who will? If we’re not moved with compassion and move, then who will. We are the Church of Jesus Christ, we are the hope of the world. We are the answer to our hurting community.

My intention is not to make you feel guilty, or that you become a doormat for people’s problems. That is not what God wants. He wants us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. He wants us to be moved with compassion by our neighbours problems as we would our own.

My challenge to you this week, is to just one time be inconvenienced by someone for 15mins.