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What It Means To Call God, “Father”

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 19, 2009|

We’re talking about God today; who God is and what God is like. It’s a big topic and we are only delving into a part of it. 

God was seen as a Father in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 1:31; 8:5; Proverbs 3:12; Jeremiah 31:20; Jeremiah 3:19; Hosea 11:1; Isaiah 63:16; Psalm 103:13). But the prominence of “Father” as a, or perhaps the way of talking about God comes from the New Testament.

God as “Father” in the New Testament

The word “Father” is used 250 times in the New Testament as a reference to God. As one scholar calculates – 43% of all references to God in the New Testament call God “Father.” 

This emphasis on Father language comes from Jesus: 

  • For instance, Jesus uses “Father” 100 times in the Gospel of John as a reference to God.
  • And Jesus addressed God in prayer as “Father” every time he prayed, save one. This was in Mark 15:34 where on the cross he is quoting Psalm 22:1 and says, “My God, my God.” In every other recorded prayer that we have he uses “Father.” 

God as our Father

Now, Jesus’ Father language is certainly connected to the fact that he was God’s unique and beloved Son. And as God’s Son, Jesus called God, “Father.”

But even though he is in a class by himself with regard to being God’s Son, Jesus teaches that God can be our Father too!

When we become a Christian: 

  • we are born of God – John 1:12-13
  • we are children of God – Luke 11:11-13

According to Jesus, our relationship to God is like the relationship between a Father and a young child.

  • And so just as Jesus referred to God as Father, so we also can call God “Father.”
  • And just as Jesus prayed to God as Father, we also are taught to pray to God as “Father” in the Lord’s prayer. 

Now we have to be clear here . . .

God is not male! 

In a Harris poll from 2003, 37% of men and 46 % of women though that God was male. Of the different religious groups surveyed, 49% of Protestants thought that God was male.

  • But God has no gender. God is neither male nor female. It was in the pagan world that the gods had a gender, either male or female.
  • Scripturally, both male and female are created in the image of God, who is our Father – Genesis 1:27 
  • And there are also feminine metaphors for God in Scripture (Deuteronomy 32:18; Isaiah 42:14; 49:15; 66:13; Jeremiah 31:20; Matthew 23:37)

So, when we name God as “Father” – we are referring to a social role with specific attributes. One that is captured by this name and is centrally important to God’s identity. What is at focus is the social role, not the gender. 

The point is that God acts toward us as a loving father acts toward his family. 

So, I want us to look at the attributes of this “father” role, and specifically . . .

The characteristics of our heavenly Father

. . . so we can see what it means to call God, “Father.” We’ll glean this from Jesus’ teaching in the first three gospels:

1. As Father, God is One who is powerful. Just as a small child marvels at what a human father or parent can do, so much more so with our heavenly Father.

  • Jesus spoke of the Father as “Lord of heaven and earth” – Luke 10:21. The Father has all power.
  • And as Jesus said in prayer, “Father, all things are possible for you” – Mark 14:36. God’s power is only limited by his own character and purpose.

2. As Father, God is One who loves us. 

  • The prodigal son’s father presents to us a picture of God as our Father. The Father is characterized by patience, steadfast love and compassion for his wayward son. Luke 15: 20 says, “while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” 
  • God cares for even the weakest among us. In Matthew 18:14, speaking of new Christians, Jesus says, “It is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” 
  • Jesus teaches us that the Father loves even his enemies, caring for their needs – Matthew 5:45. So How much more does he love and care for his own children? 

3. As Father, God is One who is close to us, who is in relationship with us. 

  • Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” – Matthew 6:8. 
  • And he said that the Father sees us in secret. For instance while we are praying in a closet – Matthew 6:6.
  • The Aramaic word “Abba,” which Jesus used for father [although too much has been made of it – it doesn’t mean “daddy”] means “dear father” – Mark 14:36. 

4. As Father, God is One who has authority over us to teach us how to live. Just as earthly parents teach their children about right and wrong.

  • Jesus teaches us that we are to do the will of our Father in heaven – Matthew 7:21.
  • And we pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” – Matthew 6:10. We pray this because God’s will, not our will, is all important. God is the one who is in charge and we submit to him.

5. As Father, God is One who forgives us when we fail.

  • As Jesus tells us, “Your Father is merciful” – Luke 6:33.
  • And we pray to our Father, “forgive us our sins” – Luke 11:4.

6. As Father, God is One who gives us gifts. 

  • Indeed, the Father gives us “good gifts” – Matthew 7:11.  Jesus said, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
  • These gifts include the Holy Spirit. As Luke 11:13 says it, “how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.” And these gifts include the coming kingdom. In Luke 12:32 Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” This is our inheritance that God, our Father, gives to us.

7. As Father, God is One who provides for our material needs. 

  • Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” – Matthew 6:26
  • This is why we pray to our Father for “daily bread” – Matthew 6:11.

8. As Father, God is One who watches over and protects us. 

  • In the context of persecution, Jesus said about the Father’s watchful care, “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered”- Matthew 10:30. We know that he watches over our very lives.
  • With regard to protection, we pray to our Father, “lead us not into testing, but deliver us from the evil one.” – Matthew 6:13. Our Father protects us from situations of testing that we can’t handle; that would overwhelm us; that are too difficult for us.

Having looked at all this we have to say that . . .

Human fathers are imperfect

Jesus certainly knew this. In fact, speaking of earthly fathers Jesus says, “you who are evil” in Luke 11:13, in comparison with our heavenly Father.

And many of us have had bad experiences with earthly fathers who were authoritarian, critical, abusive, distant, or not present for one reason or another. Perhaps we never knew our father. (Jesus’ own earthly father apparently died when he was young). And even the best earthly father is lacking. And so to use the language of Father for God can be jarring. 

But what I want to say is, to use the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:48 . . . 

“Your heavenly Father is perfect” 

We come to understand what a true father is, not by looking at the imperfect copy of earthly fathers, and projecting that onto God. But by looking at the heavenly Father, the perfect original; the one who defines true fatherhood.

And so for many of us, we need to relearn what a true father is and find healing in this for the damage done by our earthly fathers. 

Our heavenly Father is all that we could have ever wanted and yearned for in our earthly fathers. And he exposes evil human fathers for what they are  – imposters; fakes. And then he invites us to own him as our true Father and to find healing in this.

And so let me end by simply saying to you . . .

  • Our heavenly Father is one who deserves to receive honor, just as the fifth commandment tells us to honor our earthly parents. But so much more so – for our Father in heaven’s power and character.
  • Our heavenly Father is one whom we want to be in relationship with. We want to experience his love and closeness and to find forgiveness when we fail.
  • Our heavenly Father is one who is worthy of our obedience and submission.
  • Our heavenly Father is one whom we want to emulate. As they say, like Father like child. We want to be merciful and loving to all, just as our Father is merciful and loves even his enemies. 
  • Our heavenly Father is one whom we can truly trust to give us good gifts, to provide for us, to watch over us and to protect us.

What a privilege it is to be a child of God! I urge you, if you don’t know God as your Father, seek God out, so that you can have such a perfect Father in your life. And if you know God as your Father, look to God in all these ways, and receive all the blessings of his Fatherly care in your life. Let him be a Father to you.

William Higgins

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What are you looking forward to?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on March 1, 2009|

 Today we begin a series of teaching on Jesus’ second coming.

Now there are lots of debates about exactly how this will all unfold. For instance, what happens just before or after Jesus returns. And these discussions will continue on and people of good faith will disagree. That’s not our focus today.

Our focus is: What we have to look forward to when Jesus returns.

Scripture tells us that in our lives in this world we will have trials and tribulations. It will not always be easy.
We will suffer. We will experience disappointment, discouragement, even despair at times.

Yet as Christians we know and believe that there is hope for our future. Lets look at this . . .

1. Jesus will return

As bad as the world is around us; as much as it is broken and full of evil and seemingly beyond hope of repair – certainly with regard to what God’s will is for it – we know that there is one who is coming who will fix it.

Jesus said about himself, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father . . .” – Matthew 16:27. He also said, “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” – Mark 13:26.

 Paul said it this way, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

Jesus has not left us to ourselves. He will come. And he will come through on his promises to us.
 Here are several notes about his coming:

  • It will be a literal, bodily return – Acts 1:11. The angels said to the disciples, ‘Just as you saw him ascend into heaven (with his resurrection body), so will he return in the same way.’
  • Everyone will see him return – as Jesus said in Luke 17:24, “For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.” He is countering here the idea that his coming will be a spiritual or secret return that only a few will know about (Luke 17:23; also Matthew 24:23-26). He is saying there will be nothing hidden about it. No one will be able to miss it.
  • It will be glorious – Mark 13:26 & Matthew 16:27. As we saw from these verses, he will come “with great power and glory” and “with his angels in the glory of his Father . . ..” It will not be like the humble infant born in a manger, who lived in poverty and was unjustly killed. He will come with the splendor and majesty of the king that he is.

2. Jesus will rule over the earth

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you . . . the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne” – Matthew 19:28. This throne speaks to his rule as King over the earth.

It is at this time that our prayer – “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” will be truly and completely fulfilled.

Now a part of his rule has to do with judging. Jesus said, “the Son of Man is going to come . . . and then he will repay each person according to what he or she has done.” – Matthew 16:27.

This is when what Jesus said in Luke 14:11 will come true, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

  • Those who are on top now because of evildoing and oppression will be put down.
  • Those who are on the bottom now because of righteousness and commitment to Jesus will be raised up and blessed.

King Jesus will right all wrongs and bring true justice and peace to the world.

3. We will be resurrected

In Mark 13:27 Jesus says about himself, “And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” The angels will “gather” us up, a common (harvesting) metaphor for the resurrection in the teaching of Jesus.

As Paul teaches in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:

  • Christians who have already died will be raised first, and then
  • Christians who are still alive at Jesus’ return will be given new resurrection bodies

Resurrection means that our earthly bodies will be transformed. Paul says that Jesus will “transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”- Philippians 3:21.

Our resurrection bodies will be like Jesus’ supernatural body and like the bodies that angels have. We will be able to appear and disappear. We can eat food, but we don’t have to.

Resurrection also, of course, means that we will be immortal. Paul said, “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” – 1 Corinthians 15:52-53.

We will experience the full reality of Jesus’ defeat of death. Our new bodies will live forever, without suffering. What a blessed change this will be!

4. There will be a huge celebration

This is called the Messianic banquet; an end time celebration for the faithful, with Jesus.

Jesus said of this, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 8:11. He also talked about his disciples eating and drinking, “at my table in my kingdom” – Luke 22:30.

This is what he said at the last supper, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” – Matthew 26:29. Think of it. He is waiting in heaven to celebrate with us!

This is also pictured as a wedding banquet: For instance in the parable that Jesus tells in Matthew 22:1-14 and also in Revelation 19:9 which says, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb.” It’s going to be an amazing party!

5. We who have been faithful will be rewarded

We will be “blessed.” This is the message of the beatitudes in Luke 6 & Matthew 5. As the word indicates, we will be happy, blissful and fully and truly contented. And with good reason!

  • The eternal kingdom will be ours. Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
  • We will see God. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” We will be close to God and be able to be in God’s presence.
  • We will have joy with Jesus. Matthew 25:21 says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. . . . Enter into the joy of your master.”
  • We will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” [Now, although it is often thought that we will spend eternity in heaven, the reality is that God made us for this earth and it is our destiny to be here. It would be better to say that when Jesus returns – heaven will come down to earth. This is also pictured in another way in Revelation 21. We do not go up to be in the new Jerusalem. It comes down out of heaven, and it says that now God dwells with us, that is, on earth.]

So, all of these rewards will be ours. God will give us the earth, we will have joy with Jesus, we will see God, and possess the kingdom forever. We will indeed be blessed!

6. We who have been faithful will rule with Jesus over the earth

As we see in the parable of Luke 19:17 & 19, those who serve Jesus while he is gone with their various assignments, will receive various levels of rule, based on their service.

Paul says it plainly – “If we endure, we will also reign with him” – 2 Timothy 2:12.

In 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 he gets more specific about this rule. He asks the Corinthians – “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” That is, the people that have lived on the earth. And also he asks, “Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” These are beings that are beyond our understanding and yet we will be involved in judging them.

7. All things will be made new

What Jesus will do will extend even to the entirety of the cosmos – the heavens and the earth.

Jesus talks about “the new world,” when he comes in Matthew 19:28. Literally, it means the “regeneration.” Another translation renders it “the renewal of all things.”

Romans 8:21 talks about this and says, “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” In other words, it will be made new and glorious just like our bodies will be new and glorious.

John saw this prophetically in Revelation 21:1 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away . . ..”

So the message today is, whatever your circumstances are, and this earthly life can be both difficult and cruel, as Christians we have something to look forward to.

To summarize Paul from I Corinthians 2:9 – what God has prepared for us who love him is:

  • beyond what any eye has seen
  • it is beyond what any ear has heard
  • it is beyond what the human heart can even imagine

That is what we have to look forward to. This is our hope.

And it is this that keeps our current struggles in perspective as we remember the bigger picture.  And this is what gives us the strength to move forward, faithfully following Jesus in the midst of our difficulties.

William Higgins

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Trust in the Lord with all your heart

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on February 15, 2009|

I want us to look at “Trusting in the Lord with all our heart” this morning. We all have trying and difficult times that we go through. And some of us are going through them right now, whether known to others or not.

And in our times of testing and weakness, we need to be reminded to trust in the Lord.

I want us really just to soak in the Scriptures on this topic; to immerse ourselves in them this morning to help us and encourage us wherever we are at.

And so we will look at numerous texts from the Old Testament on this. I encourage you to let the Word work its way into your minds and then down into your hearts so that it can transform you; your outlook and your actions. And also strengthen you to carry on.

We begin with . . .

The meaning of trust

This comes from the words that are used in our verses that we will look at in a moment:

  • The word for trust used in most of these verses, means – “To trust in, rely on, or put your confidence in someone or something.”
  • Another word for trust in our verses means – “To take refuge in.”

Putting all this together into a definition: Trust means that you rely on God’s character and power to take care of you; that you look to God to care for your needs – your salvation, your help and guidance.

It’s definitely not just a feeling. It’s a choice that shows up in how you respond; how you act in concrete situations of distress and need.

Now lets look at how . . .

We can trust God in any situation 

First of all, when we are fearful of danger. In Psalm 56:3-4 David is dealing with the fear of what the Philistines, his mortal enemies, might do to him. He says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”

Psalm 91:1-4 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” In the midst of the fear of snares, and deadly pestilence we are to trust in God to take care of us.

We can also trust God when we are oppressed; that is, when we are suffering under those who do us wrong; who mistreat us. Psalm 9:9-10 says, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Psalm 31:14-15 says, “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!” As the psalmist says, “my times are in your hands.” Our very lives are in God’s hands and so we must entrust God with our lives in these situations of trial.

We can also trust God when we need vindication; when we have been wronged and need God to intervene and make things right; to set things straight.

Psalm 37:3-5 is written about those  in Israel who are oppressed by the powerful and taken advantage of. It says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” What is the desire of the heart of the oppressed? Deliverance and justice. The message here is – trust in God, and he will act for you.

We can also trust in God when we are confused; when we don’t know the right way to go. Isaiah 50:10 says, “If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.”

The familiar and beloved Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” God will show us the way.
 God will guide us and help us when we don’t know what to do; when everything is all darkness. As Proverbs says, when we trust in God, “he will make our paths straight.” He will show us the way.

Scripture also teaches us . . .

What we should not trust in

These are God “substitutes;” what we are tempted to rely on in our difficult situations instead of God. Or perhaps, when we don’t fully trust in God. We want God, but also a little bit more; something else to help us besides just God. We’re not sure God is enough so we need some backup, as it were. Here are five examples:

1) Our own understanding. This is our own human knowledge and wisdom. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 28:26 says, “Those who trust in their own wits are fools.”

God’s ways are beyond us. They are counterintuitive. They are upside down from our point of view. And so we can’t always trust our own thinking. We have to follow God’s way.

2) We are also not to trust in powerful People. Jeremiah 17:5 says, “This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.”

Psalm 118:8-9 says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

3) We are also not to trust in wealth. Psalm 62:10 says, “If riches increase, set not your heart on them.” This is always tempting for us. We look to our wealth to provide for us and give us security. But God is our trust.

4) We must also not trust in military power. This is the power of the flesh, of human force and violence. Psalm 44:6 says, “For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.” Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” God is the source of our safety and protection.

5) We are also not to trust in mere religious institutions. In Jeremiah 7:4, the prophet said to those who thought that God would not judge them simply because the Temple was in their city, Jerusalem. He said, “Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’”

Instead of listening to God and obeying, they trusted in a building – to their own destruction.

Well, if these God substitutes – our wisdom, powerful people, wealth, the military, religious institutions, if these are things we should not trust in because they won’t come through for us. Let’s look now at . . .

Why we can trust in the Lord

First of all, because the Lord is able to help us. Isaiah 26:4 says, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Psalm 62:8 along these same lines says, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”

God is solid as a rock – an everlasting rock, and he can give us refuge in any circumstance.

And not only is God able, God is faithful to help us. Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” 

Psalm 22:4-5, taking a historical perspective says, “In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.”

God doesn’t change. God will not forsake us when we trust in him. God comes through for us to help us. God will deliver us, or God will go through the difficulty with us and bring us out on the other side victorious.

Lets end with some . . .

Promises for those who trust in God

  • Psalm 32:10 says, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.”
  • Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of others lays a snare, but one who trusts in the Lord is secure.”
  • Psalm 125:1 says, “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” We are stable and strong with the Lord’s strength.
  • Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” We are rooted and nourished and bring forth fruit even in hard times.
  • Isaiah 26:3 – “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” God gives us of his peace in the midst of it all.

So, wherever you are at today, just as the Scriptures say – give yourself fully into God’s hands and trust in the Lord to deliver you, to take care of you, and to provide for you. He is faithful and he will surely do it.

William Higgins

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God’s People

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on January 25, 2009|

Today the Elders and I are introducing to you a proposed  Cedar Street Baptism and Membership Covenant for our congregation. What this is really about is understanding and remembering who we are, what we are about, and what binds us together as God’s people.

Since we’re introducing this, I thought I would share with you this morning on the theme of “God’s People” and highlight portions of the Covenant in the process.

First of all . . .

God calls us to be a part of his people

God’s purpose has always been to form a community, not just save individuals; to have a community of the redeemed.

Our culture is so individualistic that we sometimes reduce our faith down simply to a personal relationship with God. When, in fact, it is that, as well as being a part of God’s new people; being in God’s covenant community.

We know this was true in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 7:6 Moses said to Israel, “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”
In Isaiah 43:20-21 the Lord speaks of “my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”

That this is still true is evident in 1 Peter 2:9 which refers back to these two verses (and others) and applies them to Christians. It says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Notice the same themes – a chosen people; a people of his own or treasured possession.

God seeks for a people who will follow after him; a community that is his own; that will proclaim his praise to the world.

And so sisters and brothers, those who are God’s are to be a part of God’s people.

  • This is certainly a part of what baptism is about. When we are baptized, we become of our own mature choice, a part of God’s people. As Acts 2:41 says, those who were baptized were added to the church body in Jerusalem.
  • And we are to continue to be a part of God’s people, active, engaged, fully committed and participating throughout our lives. As Hebrews 10:25 says, we are not to neglect “to meet together, as is the habit of some.”

We are to be a part of God’s people. This brings us to the question . . .

What does it mean to be a part of God’s people?

1) It means that we confess our faith in Jesus. Matthew 16:15-18 records this conversation. Jesus said to his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! . . .. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church . . ..”

Jesus is saying – it is on the foundation of this apostolic confession of him as Savior that God’s people is built.

And so to be a part of God’s people means that: We confess our faith in Jesus as our Savior.

[The covenant we are proposing calls us to this in the first section on confession under questions 1, 3, and 6.]

A second aspect of what it means to be a part of God’s people is that . . .

2) We confess our experience of salvation. In Acts 2:38 Peter said to the crowd on the day of Pentecost, “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.”

Here on this day, when the church was fully formed by the coming of the Spirit, what does Peter tell the crowd to do, which leads to their being a part of God’s people? He points to several spiritual experiences:

  • He speaks of repentance; a change of heart; sorrow for our wrong deeds, which comes from God working in us.
  • He speaks of the forgiveness of our sins; of experiencing God’s mercy and release from our sins, our guilt and our shame.
  • He speaks of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit; of having God’s Spirit come into our heart and give us new life and power.

So to be a part of God’s people means that: We confess that we have experienced God’s salvation in our lives.

[Again, the covenant, in section one, calls us to confess this in questions 2, 4 and 5. And just as Peter also notes in Acts 2 we acknowledge that we are willing to be baptized as a testimony to this inward spiritual transformation in question 7.]

Finally, with regard to what it means to be a part of God’s people, the fruit of our faith in Jesus and the salvation he gives us is found in new kind of life . . .

3) We commit to love God and others from now on. Matthew 22:36-40 recounts a discussion of what God wants from us as his people. Someone asked Jesus, “’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’”

All that God wants; God’s will for his people is summed up in these two commands to love.

So to be a part of God’s people means that: We commit to love God and others.

Now, love of God and others is not just a warm fuzzy feeling, an emotion, or an inner intention:

  • To love God means to obey God – I John 5:3. This verse says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.”
  • To love others is to act in practical ways to help them, as Jesus teaches in Luke 10:30-37 in the parable of the good Samaritan.

[The covenant we are proposing calls us to this kind of love of God and others in the second section on commitments. There are two sections on love of God and three sections on loving others.]

Alright, we have looked at how God wants us to be a part of his people, and what this means: confessing our faith in Jesus, confessing our experience of salvation and committing to love God and others. Let me end by saying that . .

It is a blessing to be a part of God’s people

Oh its true, since we are all human and weak and fail, we will experience problems. If you have been a part of any church (there is no perfect church) for long enough:

  • you will be involved in misunderstandings and conflict
  • you will see pride, hypocrisy, thoughtlessness, gossip and sometimes downright meanness
  • you will see the full range of human sin

And it will cause disappointment for sure. We don’t always live up to the ideals that are in the Scriptures and that we have attempted to spell out in the covenant.

But let me say, that God is also here among us, and in the midst of his people throughout the world. God’s Spirit is at work in our midst to bless us.

And God helps us to move beyond our fleshly human weakness, and to turn away from our self-centeredness and our pride. God does his work in us and we see the fruit:

  • when we walk with each other through hard times with encouragement and support
  • when we struggle hard to work through conflicts and seek peace with each other
  • when God uses us to minister to each others’ needs
  • when we love each other deeply from the heart and sacrifice for each other

This is God at work.

We are blessed to be a part of God’s people – to have fellowship, community, common experiences, bonds of love, commitment to each other and our shared goals, and the strengthening that all this gives – which we wouldn’t have if we just isolate off by ourselves.

God calls us to be a part and he does so for our own good.

William Higgins

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The Only Thing That Will Matter On The Final Day

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on January 4, 2009|

I spent a lot of time in school in my life, probably too much. But its left me with a certain mentality. In any class I wanted to know, “What am I responsible for?” “What’s going to be on the final exam?”

And so when I think about my faith and about the last day; the final judgment, I think in a similar way – “What am I accountable for?” “How will I be judged?” I want to know what really matters, so that I can be prepared.

And so this morning I want us to look at the Scriptures to help us all to know how to be prepared for when Jesus returns. What is it that will really and truly matter on the final day?

And let’s just get to the point here:

Jesus said in Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he or she has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

And again in Romans 2:6-8 – “He will render to each one according to his or her works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

The answer is quite simple. We will each be judged based on what we have done, whether good or evil. What we have done is the only thing that will matter on the final day. This is what we are accountable for.

Let’s look at this more closely by noting what will not matter . . .

1. It won’t matter what you have said about your faith; your religious professions. “I’m a Christian.” “I believe.” You have prayed the sinner’s prayer. You have confessed that “Jesus is Lord.”

Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

This is talking about the final day when we all stand before Jesus. There will be some who confess Jesus as Lord, but they will not make it in.

Who will enter into the eternal salvation of the kingdom of God? Jesus said, “the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

  • What matters is not what you say by way of religious profession, it is your deeds of obedience.

2. It won’t matter how correct your beliefs are. You may well know all about Jesus’ second coming. You may know the Bible better than anyone else. You may know the historic creeds of the church. But that doesn’t get you very far.

James talks about correct beliefs in part when he talks about “faith” in  James 2:14; 18-19 – “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? . . . But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.”

The demons have correct beliefs. They know that “God is one,” that is, that there is one God; the Shema. But they do not have correct behavior, and so they shudder.

The same is true for us, if we only have correct beliefs, such a faith won’t save us.

  • What matters is not how orthodox your beliefs are, what matters is your deeds based on these beliefs.

3. It won’t matter if you exercised gifts of the Spirit in Jesus’ name. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23 – “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Here we have people who have gifts of the Spirit (prophesy), who have cast out demons and have done miracles in Jesus’ name.

But Jesus focuses in on the fact that they were disobedient; they were “workers of lawlessness.” They will not make it in.

  • What matters is not manifestations of the Spirit, it is your obedience to God.

4. It won’t matter if you did what is right according to the standards of others – so that others can look on and say, “What a good person!” “What a religious person!” So that the world can say, “What a clean-cut, straight-laced person!” “What a decent moral person!”

You can spend your whole life living up to human-made standards, and miss the mark that God sets.

In a context of talking about God’ will, Jesus said in Matthew 23:10 – “You have one teacher, the Messiah” Jesus teaches us what God’s will is and we are to do what he says.

Remember the rich young ruler? He kept all kinds of commands, and must have come across to others as very righteous. But he did not do what Jesus asked of him, and according to Jesus, would not enter the kingdom of God.

  • What matters is doing the will of God according to Jesus

5. It won’t matter if you used to do the deeds of Jesus, but stopped. Ezekiel 18:24 – says it about as clearly as you can – “But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.”

In the New Testament, in Matthew 24:45-51 in a parable about his second coming, Jesus teaches that the disciple who is doing his will when he returns will be blessed. But the disciple who changes and then acts wickedly will be thrown into hell.

  • What matters is not what you used to do, it is that you continue on in doing the will of God according to Jesus.

6. It won’t matter if you did the deeds of Jesus – if you did them without love. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:3 – “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

These are deeds of Jesus: Jesus talks about selling your possessions and giving to the poor in Luke 12:33. And Jesus talks about taking up your cross and losing your life in Mark 8:34-35.

But if you don’t do these out of love for God and others, Paul tells us, then you gain nothing.

  • What matters is not just doing empty outward actions, it is doing the deeds of Jesus out of love.

As you can see from all these different angles, when you stand before God and the Lord Jesus to give an account for your life, the only thing that will matter is that you have continued to do what Jesus taught out of love for God and others.

Now if you ask . . .

Why does God look at our deeds?

Why doesn’t God just look in our hearts to see if we have faith; to see if we have been born again; to see if we have received the grace of his salvation? The answer is that what is in our hearts, is what comes out in our deeds. What is within is what comes out in our words and actions.

It is just as Jesus said in Matthew 7:16-17, “You will recognize them by their fruits. . . . Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.” All God has to do is to look at our deeds and he knows what is in our heart.

And since you can’t continue to do what Jesus teaches out of love without God’s work of salvation, and God’s continuing grace, and God’s continuing forgiveness when we fail, because its impossible to do all this in our own strength – the deeds are the evidence of God’s grace working in our lives.

A Plea

If you are a Christian here this morning, hear what the Scriptures clearly teach us – God will judge your deeds. Are you ready?

Don’t be deceived thinking that because you have said the right things, or you have correct beliefs, or you have amazing spiritual gifts, or you are a decent person by the world’s standards, or you used to be faithful, or you can look like a Christian to others – that you are OK.

Deal with the sins in your life that you knowingly choose to do over and over again!

Let the grace of God work its work in you so that your life will bear forth the fruit of righteousness; the fruit of continuing to do what Jesus has taught us, out of love for God and others. Turn from your disobedience and let God do his work in you.

And if you’re here and are not yet a Christian, turn from your unrighteousness and receive God’s grace of forgiveness and new life. And let God transform you from within so that the fruit of righteousness begins to spring forth in your life; so that you too can be ready to give an account on that final day.

William Higgins

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Let Us Encourage One Another

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on November 2, 2008|

 I don’t need to tell you that life can be hard. And even the strongest among us can become worn down by trials and tribulations, so that our faith is weak. Even if we are successful in being faithful to God in hard times, we can still become weary and fainthearted.

So we all need to be encouraged from time to time. And this is why Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, “And we urge you brothers and sisters . . . encourage the fainthearted . . ..” This is God’s word to us today. Let me say it in my own words – “I urge you brothers and sisters, encourage the fainthearted.”

No one is immune from the need for this; no one so spiritual that they are beyond it. Take for instance . . .

The example of David

He is a writer of Psalms and a man after God’s own heart. Yet he struggled mightily at times. Lets look at one instance of this:

  • David was anointed to be king of Israel by Samuel the prophet.
  • But David was unjustly hated by Saul, the current king. He drove David into the wilderness. He chased after him, trying to kill him.

In Psalm 13:1-2, in the context of his enemies (most likely Saul) David prays – “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemies be exalted over me?”

  • He felt impatient with his testing – “How long?”
  • He felt forgotten – “Will you forget me forever?”
  • He felt like God was far away – “How long will you hide your face from me?”
  • His heart was full of sorrow – “How long must I . . . have sorrow in my heart all the day?”

This is a man who needed some encouragement.

And these are exactly the kinds of things all of us feel at times when we get worn down by trials and hardships. And this is when we need encouragement. But what is it that we are supposed to be doing for each other?

What is encouragement? 

The word itself means, “support that inspires confidence to move forward.” It has to do with words and actions that support the person in their time of need, when they are weak, fainthearted – so that they will not give up but move forward.

But lets push a bit further by looking at three things that are closely connected to encouragement, that help fill out what  encouragement means.

1. Encouraging and strengthening are connected: Deuteronomy 3:28 says, “But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’

Moses is about to die and the reigns are being handed over to Joshua. He needed to be strengthened to take on such a big task, and with the track record of the people for not being faithful.

Another example is from Acts 15:32 – “And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers and sisters with many words.”

This refers to the believers in Antioch, who had just gone through some conflict with various ones questioning if their faith was real. They were no doubt a bit shaken. After the matter was settled these prophets came down from Jerusalem, to strengthen them to move forward.

A final example is from 1 Thessalonians 3:2-3 – “And we sent Timothy . . . to strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith, so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions.”

These new believers had begun to experience persecution for their faith, and Paul was driven away from them by it. They were, perhaps fearful. And so he sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage them to stay true.

What we learn from these examples is that when we encourage someone, we are giving them strength in their time of weakness; lending some or our strength to them.

2. Encouraging and building up are connected: The word for “build up” literally means to build a house. Figuratively it has to do with a person who needs to be built up. It looks at a person as a building that is broken down, that has been through a storm, that is falling apart and is in need of some repairs, which we seek to provide. 

Here’s a couple of verses that connect these two words:

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
  • 1 Corinthians 14:3 – “The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement . . ..”
    (Prophesy is Spirit inspired speech; a word from God to a particular situation.) 

What we learn from the connection between these words is that when we encourage someone we are helping them to get put back together again. We are building them back up; repairing what is damaged.

3. Encouraging and stirring up are connected: This comes from Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

The word “stir up” actually means to irritate someone. Here it means to incite someone to do good. So encouraging can involve pushing someone to move forward.

Just as the word encourage in a literalistic sense means to ‘put courage in someone.’ When we encourage someone, we are putting some fire in them to move forward. The kind of encouraging a football coach does at half-time when the team is down. And sometimes that’s what is needed.

Lets end with an example of encouragement, which is a model for us . . .

The example of Jonathan

This is in the context of what we saw of David’s life at the beginning. David was fleeing Saul. And Jonathan, Saul’s son, but also a friend of David, came to him.

1 Samuel 23:16-17 says, “And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel . . ..”

  • He came to be with him in his time of need. Being with someone can be powerful in itself.
  • He also spoke words of encouragement. He said, God will fulfill his purpose for you, even though you are stuck out here in the wilderness.

In David’s weakness, Jonathan strengthened him, built him up and spurred him on. Jonathan gave him the support he needed that inspired  confidence in him to move forward.

And that is what God calls each of us to do with each other. Again, 1 Thessalonians 5:14 says, “And we urge you brothers and sisters . . . encourage the fainthearted . . ..” 

Be Jonathans, each of you! Encourage those in our midst who need it; those who find themselves in the place of David in Psalm 13:

  • Those who feel  impatient with God’s plan
  • Those who feel forgotten
  • Those who feel like God is far away
  • Those whose hearts are full of sorrow

Let us be aware of the needs of those around us and let us minister to them.

William Higgins

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How is Your Splangchnon?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on October 26, 2008|

I know this sounds a bit odd. But it’s an important word in the New Testament and so I want us to study it and see what we can learn from it to apply to our lives. The word . . .

Splangchnon?!

. . . means literally “intestines,” “bowels” or more generally innards or guts. So for instance in Acts 1:18, it says, “Now Judas (after he betrayed Jesus) bought a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.”

But I am not asking you this morning how your intestines are. Splangchnon also has a figurative use.

  • The “intestines” were thought to be the seat of tender affections.
  • What we today associate more with the “heart.”

[It certainly makes for some interesting translation, if you don’t understand the figurative meaning of the word. For instance in Philemon 1:12 Paul says, “I am sending Onesimus back to you – sending my very intestines.” He is sending Onesimus back to Philemon, whom he cares deeply about. Onesimus is Paul’s very heart.]

The figurative meaning of Splangchnon has to do with “compassion” or “a feeling of great affection.” It’s a word that is similar to mercy, but it carries with it, not just the outward actions of mercy, but also the inward feeling that goes along with it. It is to be “touched” or “moved” by a situation, which leads you to act in a merciful and kind way.

To flesh this out a bit more, lets look at Splangchnon or . . .

Compassion in Jesus’ teaching and example

1. Compassion is a response to human need. For instance, the needs of the sick. Many crowds would follow Jesus everywhere, desperate for help, especially for healing. And even though Jesus was looking for some private time, Matthew 14:14 says, “When Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” He was moved to meet their need.

Another example has to do with the needs of a hungry crowd. This comes to us from Matthew 15, just before the feeding of the 4,000. The people were weary and hungry from following Jesus around. In v. 32 Jesus said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” Then Jesus proceeded to feed them miraculously, meeting their needs and more.

Jesus also had compassion on the needs the disabled. In Matthew 20 there were two blind men who were calling out to Jesus to have mercy on them. And the crowds told them to shut up.  But they cried out all the more. And so Jesus stopped to talk to them. And v. 34 says, “And Jesus in pity (Splangchnon) touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.” Jesus met their very real need.

2. Compassion is a response to human suffering. For instance the suffering of physical and mental illness. In Mark 9 there is the story of a boy possessed by a demon since childhood, which often  tried to kill him. And he suffered from a seizure when Jesus came near. And so the father asked Jesus in v. 22 – “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’” And Jesus was moved to compassion. He cast out the demon and healed the boy (Mark 9:25-27).

Another example is the suffering of a grieving mother. In Luke 7 she had just lost her only son, and she was a widow. So she was not just grieving, but in that culture and day, also on the verge of being economically marginalized not having a male to care for her. Verse 13 says, “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’” And then he acted; he raised the young man from the dead.

Compassion also has to do with the suffering of a wounded enemy. In Luke 10 Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan. A man was robbed, beaten, stripped and left half-dead on the side of the road. He was a Jew. And a Samaritan, who was an enemy of Jews, came and found him. And v. 33 says,    “. . . when the Samaritan saw him, he had compassion.” And he acted. He gave him medical attention, carried him to an inn and paid for his expenses.

And the Samaritan is the example in this story of what it means to love our neighbor. It means to have compassion in similar ways, even upon our enemies.

3. Compassion is a response to human failure. In Matthew 18 Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. A king called for all debts to be paid up. And one servant who owed the king much couldn’t pay. And so the king ordered that he and his family be sold off to pay the debt. But the servant begged for mercy.

Verse 27 says, “And out of pity (Splangchnon) for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.” And the king’s compassion and mercy are a major part of the lesson that Jesus is teaching in this episode.

Then in Luke 15, we have the story of the prodigal son. He had disrespected his father and gone off and squandered his money in a sinful lifestyle. And then when he decided to go back to his father, while on the way, v. 20 says, “his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

The father’s compassionate response is a picture for us of God, and how God responds to us when we come back to him from our rebellion and sin.

Now let look at two things to take away from this . . .

Jesus has compassion on us

This the character of God, and it is the character of Jesus as we have seen in the Gospels. And so

  • in our times of need
  • when we are suffering
  • when we have failed

we can know that it touches Jesus’ heart. Things are not different today than they were back then.

And so when we come to Jesus with our needs and concerns, our pain and suffering, our failure and shame, he will have compassion on us. Jesus will be moved to act in mercy and kindness toward us. And this is a great comfort for us.

The second thing we should take away from this is that . . .

Jesus wants us to have compassion on others

This comes out in Matthew 9:36, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” He saw their needs. And what did he do? How did he express his compassion? A verse later, it says, he sent out the disciples to minister to their needs (Matthew 10:1).

And Jesus still sends out his disciples to do this. Jesus sends us out to have compassion on people’s needs, suffering and failures.

More specifically, we are to minister to them the compassion of Jesus. We are to be the instruments of Jesus’ compassion to the world around us.

So let us not become cold-hearted; let us not be hard-hearted to the needs, suffering and failures of those around us.

Yes, we need wisdom to know how to respond in a way that truly helps, but let us not become cynical, so that we do nothing. Just as Jesus has had compassion on us, so we are to give his compassion to others.

Let me end by noting that . . .

God is stirring compassion among us 

There are many examples, but here are a few:

  • A small group among us who is going out of its way to help with needs in The Gambia
  • My daughter Marie, whom God has put it into her heart to care about Darfur, Africa, a place where truly unthinkable suffering and injustice has become a routine part of each day. 
  • Marlen, whom God has placed it in her heart to pray for children who are kidnapped or missing.
  • Some of us who are talking about volunteering time at the cold weather shelter to help the homeless in our neighborhood.
  • Our Deacons, who just this week talked about putting together a food bank supported by our congregation for those who come to us in need.
  • Ethel organizing, and all who help with food and cards for those who are sick and in need in our congregation.
  • Those of you who are investing yourselves helping families, and kids in our neighborhood and being blessed because of it.
  • Those of you who volunteer time working at the Cumberland Valley Relief Center and the world-wide relief work of Mennonite Central Committee.
  • Those of you who give time and resources for the work that Mennonite Disaster Service does to help people to recover from natural disasters.
  • Our youth, who will be fasting and raising money to help the hungry of the world.

God is stirring compassion, and may God do so more and more! 

William Higgins

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Jesus Calls us to Work for the Kingdom

Posted in Matthew 25, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on October 19, 2008|

We are talking about serving God and working to advance God’s kingdom this morning. Let me begin by saying that . .

Jesus was a man with a mission

He worked hard to promote the kingdom, to make it a reality on earth. As Matthew 9:35 says, “Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.”

Jesus gave himself to this completely and constantly. Serving God was his life focus and orientation. As he said in Luke 4:43 – “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

The Gospels tell us that Jesus

  • taught God’s way
  • healed the wounded
  • loved the loveless
  • served the needy

He served God in all these ways in order to spread God’s kingdom message and to build up God’s kingdom community.

Jesus also calls other people to be a part of his mission

During his earthly ministry we are familiar with how he frequently said to people, “Follow me.” Now this phrase included in it an invitation to repentance and faith in Jesus – but most especially it was a call to “Come and work with me to advance God’s kingdom.”  

Let’s look at one example of this in Mark 1:16-20:  

“Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.”

Jesus called many people when he walked this earth. And now that his earthly ministry is over,  Jesus calls us to work hard to spread the kingdom and finish the mission he began.

Drawing on the familiar parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), as well as other passages where Jesus talks about God’s mission, lets look at some 

Lessons we learn from Jesus about working for the kingdom

These are things we can take away from these scriptures that will help us, encourage us and equip us for the task.

1. Each of us are given tasks to advance God’s kingdom. Just as the servants in the parable of the talents were to take what was given them from their master and increase it, so we are each given kingdom responsibilities and we are to advance the kingdom in those areas. 

We all have responsibilities, according to our ability. Some have heavier duties, some lighter.

Please note: You are not released of your responsibilities because you have a pastor here now, a full time pastor, or a pastor supported financially by the church, however you want to say it. So please don’t think, “The pastor will take care of it all.” That’s a good way to send me over the edge, but more importantly and the focus here, is that it is an abdicating of your God given responsibilities.

A healthy church needs to have all of its parts working together to accomplish God’s mission. No one person can do it all, or even most of it.

Also note: You are not released of your responsibilities because you are retired. Indeed there is no retirement age in kingdom work. We work for a God who didn’t even begin to fully use Moses until he was eighty years old! Age is no barrier. No, as long as we have health and ability, we are to serve God in one way or another.

So don’t say, “We did our work and now its time for others to do the work.” It is good to make room for others to come along and work as well, but that doesn’t mean that you quit.

As long as the Lord gives you breath and you are able, that is how long you are to carry out your responsibilities to serve God and work for the kingdom.

So, each of us have been given tasks by God and we must work at them to promote the Kingdom.

2. These tasks can be anything that further God’s kingdom. Just as with Jesus’ example, we can

  • teach God’s way
  • heal the wounded
  • love the loveless
  • serve the needy

Whatever God assigns to us to spread his kingdom message and to build up his kingdom community.

So, find out what your gifts are and use them. Find out what God wants you to do, and what God has gifted you to do; what brings joy to you – and get busy at it!

But also, help out with whatever needs to be done, even if you don’t feel tremendously gifted, or called in that area. In any Christian community there are things that just need to be done for the community to work. And you don’t need a heavenly vision or a warm and fuzzy feeling to do it – just a servant’s heart. Give of yourself in these areas as well.

3. The focus of all our work is bearing witness to Jesus. It is about testifying to the coming of the kingdom with Jesus; it is about sharing who he is and the salvation he gives.

Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” – Acts 1:8.

  • We do this as individuals, sharing as we have opportunity about what Jesus has done in our lives; inviting people to church.
  • And we do this as a community. Jesus calls us “a city set on a hill” (Matthew 5:14) As a community, we live by a different standard than the world around us, and this is a witness to Jesus.

Let’s remember that Jesus tells us don’t put your lamp under a basket, but let your witness shine before others – Matthew 5:14. We don’t need to be fearful. And he tells us don’t be ashamed of him before the world – Mark 8:38. We are to share our faith in Jesus boldly with others.

4. The goal of our work is to make disciples of Jesus. In the words of Matthew 28:19-20, “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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” We are to bear witness to Jesus so that people will make the commitment to be a disciple themselves; to be a part of the kingdom of God. 

5. Jesus calls some to give their whole lives to working for the kingdom. They may have to leave family behind, and their career plans to help finish the work Jesus has begun.

As we saw in Mark 1:16-20, the first disciples did this. And in Mark 10:29 Jesus speaks of those who leave family and homes behind “for my sake and for the gospel.”

And might we not hope and pray that God would raise up from among us missionaries and pastors and others who will give their whole lives over to kingdom work? Are you open to hear what God has for you?

6. Jesus calls others to stay in their place in life and work for the kingdom. To the healed demoniac who wanted to be a traveling missionary with Jesus, he said in Luke 8:39 – “’Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”

It was God’s will for him not to go, but to stay home and serve and witness there.

7. We are to support those who give themselves fully to working for the kingdom. Jesus said, speaking of these, “the laborer deserves his wages.” – Luke 10:7. They can’t do what they are called to do without your support. And, by the way, we are still looking for more support for Gary and Denise for their work in The Gambia.

8. God’s Spirit gives us the power to work for his kingdom. Just as Jesus was empowered by the Spirit, so are we.

Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses . . ..”

We can’t do anything in our own strength. We need God working in and through us to accomplish something for the kingdom.

9. Be prepared to give an account. This brings us back to the parable of the talents. We have each been given tasks, and we will have to give an account for how we have done. The parable is meant to impress in our minds the exacting nature of our master.

It teaches us: Don’t be lazy, doing nothing to increase God’s kingdom; doing nothing to finish Jesus’ mission. For those who do nothing, will not enter the kingdom on that final day when Jesus returns. And the parable ends with this ringing in our ears in order make an impression on us.

Rather, find out what God wants you to do and work hard! Give your all for the work of God. Be a man or woman with a mission, just like Jesus.

And if you do, you will be blessed to have joy with Jesus for eternity. This is a reward that far surpasses anything we give up to work for him; anything we have to sacrifice to advance God’s kingdom

A final thought

We all go through times when we need to step back and take a rest, or move into another area. So this is not about making anyone feel guilty. We have to be aware of our limits, and I don’t want anyone to get burned out. All of our lives are so busy today. It is a part of our culture that we are always doing things. So we each need wisdom and there is no reason to judge the decisions of others.

But having said that, let me challenge you a bit: Are we really burning out because of doing too much work for the kingdom? Or is it because we over commit in other areas of our lives?

My plea is that you keep a “a final day perspective” – What will God really care about in terms of all you do when you stand before him on the final day?

What I am saying is, of all your many commitments, make serving God and working for the kingdom the top commitment. And schedule the rest of your lives around that.

William Higgins  (edited)

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Are you ready to worship? A checklist

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on September 21, 2008|

Now “worship” can be a big word. It can refer to the entirety of the way we live our lives; the decisions we make and the behavior we exhibit. But I’m thinking more specifically of when we come to praise God, to pray to God and to listen to his word, whether that be personal worship or communal like we do each Sunday.

I would like to share with you about how to be prepared for these times of worship so that you can enter into it fully, freely, meaningfully and powerfully. I hope that this is something you can use as a tool to examine yourself; a checklist of seven items. (more…)

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Politics!? The Kingdom of God & the Kingdom of this World

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on September 14, 2008|

Christians and Politics

Well, I’m talking about politics today. They say there are two things you should never discuss in polite company – religion and politics. They stir up too much controversy. And here I am doing both at one time!

My desire in this, of course, is not to cause conflict, but to help us get focused on who we are as Christians in the midst of this highly charged political environment, and to encourage us to think and act in ways that are in line with our Christian identity.

I had wanted to share with you before the political conventions, but decided to wait – although with everyone all fired up now, I hope that you will still be able to hear what I want to share with you this morning. (more…)

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