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Hope for the future. Lamentations 3:1-24

November 11, 2015 by William Higgins

The book of Lamentations consists of 5 poems of lament, or expressions of sorrow and mourning that come from great suffering. The context for the book as a whole is the destruction of Jerusalem in 587/586 BC by the Babylonians. This judgment of God for Israel’s unfaithfulness was long foretold, but here having been experienced, the full impact of the grief and pain are expressed. It’s possible, but not certain, that the prophet Jeremiah wrote this book, which is why it shows just up after the book of Jeremiah in our Bibles.

Our text, in chapter 3, is the first part of the the third poem. This whole poem is an acrostic where every 3 lines of text begin with the 22 successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This passage contains an amazing expression of hope for the future, from a person who knows suffering and hopelessness, which can help us to know how to think more clearly about our own hope for the future, no matter what our context might be. Let’s begin with the writer’s –

Great suffering and hopelessness

1 I am the man who has seen affliction
under the rod of his wrath;
2 he has driven and brought me
into darkness without any light;
3 surely against me he turns his hand
again and again the whole day long.

God’s judgment is described as affliction, wrath and darkness. And it is relentless.

4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away;
he has broken my bones;
5 he has besieged and enveloped me
with bitterness and tribulation;
6 he has made me dwell in darkness
like the dead of long ago.

These verses speak to his lack of health, his suffering and how he is like someone who is in Sheol, the realm of the dead, which is a place of darkness.

7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape;
he has made my chains heavy;
8 though I call and cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer;
9 he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones;
he has made my paths crooked.

There is no way out from his suffering and God is not answering his prayers.

10 He is a bear lying in wait for me,
a lion in hiding;
11 he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces;
he has made me desolate;
12 he bent his bow and set me
as a target for his arrow.

He is like a person mauled and torn apart by a wild animal, like the target for an archer. 

13 He drove into my kidneys
the arrows of his quiver;
14 I have become the laughingstock of all peoples,
the object of their taunts all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitterness;
he has sated me with wormwood.

He is full of arrows, he is shamed and full of bitterness. Wormwood is a plant with a bitter taste.

16 He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
and made me cower in ashes;
17 my soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is;
18 so I say, “My endurance has perished;
so has my hope from the Lord.”

He has no peace, he can’t remember what happiness is, and his endurance is gone. This is a person who knows what hopelessness feels like, as he says in v. 18, my hope has perished. Then the poem goes on to talk about –

Finding hope again

 19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
20 My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.

21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

He gives a brief prayer for God to remember his suffering, because he can only remember it and be overwhelmed by it. But v. 21 begins in a different direction. This is where he remembers who God is, and this gives him hope.

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

Remembering who God is, gives him hope. Specifically two qualities are mentioned:

  • “steadfast love” – which can be translated as kindness, faithful love or great love.
  • “mercies” or compassion. It is the love that a parent has for a child.

And then God’s “faithfulness” in giving this steadfast love and mercy is highlighted:

  • God’s steadfast love “never ceases”
  • God’s mercies “never come to an end”
  • “They are new every morning”

This is his portion or allotment in life. God’s ever renewed love. He has lost everything else – his city and home were destroyed and no doubt he had family who were killed. And yet this is enough. As v.24 says, “’The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”

A word of hope for us

Now I can say with great confidence that I have not suffered as much as the writer of this poem has. And I thank God for that. But precisely because he has suffered so much, he has the ability to speak to us. For if he can find hope in God in his circumstances, surely we can as well.

Whether we are being disciplined for our sins, as was the case here with Jerusalem, or God is just letting us go through hard times to train us and build our character, or we are experiencing good times God’s steadfast love and mercy and his faithfulness in giving these is what sustains us. It is the basis of our hope for the future.

This is the text I first shared with you when I came 9 years ago; my first sermon as your pastor. I told you that our hope in that time of transition was not in me, or in you, or in our circumstances, but only in God. And so I end by saying the same thing to you today.

As your pastor I now commend you into the hands of our God who faithfully gives you his steadfast love and mercies day by day. And I encourage you to have a strong hope for the future, because of who God is.

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On washing dishes (#2). How to make our possessions clean and acceptable to God. Mathew 23:25-26

November 3, 2015 by William Higgins

We’re back in Matthew 23:25-26 today. Our title is “On washing dishes (#2). How to make our possessions clean and acceptable to God.” As we saw last week Matthew 23 is a really intense critique of the scribes and Pharisees. Our verses constitute the fifth of seven woes, or pronouncements of judgment against them. And this one has to do with washing dishes and their overemphasis on outward ritual purity.

25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

Now, this passage can be read in two ways, because Jesus is making two points simultaneously. We have already seen the first, which is that –

The dishes represent the Pharisees

That is, in talking about the dishes, Jesus is making a point about the Pharisees and their spirituality. He is saying that the Pharisees have an excessive focus on the outside, in terms of being ritually pure. They have many rules beyond even what Moses taught about what defiles someone through contact and how to wash in water to be made pure. But inside their hearts are full of “greed and self-indulgence.” In other words, outward ritual purity doesn’t fix the problem of moral impurity in the heart. A focus on the outside does not reach into the heart.

By contrast, Jesus teaches us to begin first on the inside, which is where the real problem lies; the moral impurity in our hearts. And he teaches us this “(in order) that the outside may also become clean.” That is, if we begin within, with a new heart, then our words and deeds will also be clean and acceptable to God. For as the heart goes – the inside, so goes our behavior – the outside.

Today, we look at a second way to read these verses, where –

The dishes are simply dishes

Let’s look at this in four points. 1. Jesus says, “You clean the outside of the cup and the plate.” They clean the outside of the dishes so that they are meticulously ritually pure.

2. “But inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” The “they” here refers to the plate and the cup. So Jesus is saying that the inside or the contents of the cup and the plate are full of greed and self-indulgence. He’s saying, the Pharisees have more food than they need – they have an excess. And they are keeping it for themselves. Their dishes are full of greed and self-indulgence.

What’s the solution? 3. “First clean the inside of the cup and the plate.” Jesus is saying, do what is right with the contents of the dishes. As opposed to being greedy and self-indulgent and keeping all your food and drink for yourselves, share your food and drink with the needy.

Luke’s version confirms this reading, when it says at this point, “Give for alms those things that are within” – Luke 11:41. That is, give to the needy from what you have inside your cup and plate.

4. “(In order) that the outside also may be clean.” Here we see the completion of Jesus’ turning of the concern from one of ritual purity to one of moral purity. And he is saying that our dishes can be morally unclean or clean. If we keep the excess food and drink that is in our dishes, our dishes are morally impure before God. But if we share from what is in our cup and our plate, this will make the cup and the plate morally clean and acceptable to God. As Luke 11:41 says, “and behold everything is clean for you.”

This leads to a question –

Are your dishes clean and acceptable to God?

We can wash them so that they are sparkling clean, but are they clean before God? It all depends on what you do with them. If you have more than you need in terms of food and are you keeping it for yourself; that is, are you greedy and self-indulgent, or as Jesus says it, our dishes full of greed and self-indulgence, then they are defiled before God. But if we share with the needy, they are truly clean. This is an important question to ask given our context of abundance and prosperity.

Now, Jesus would not just apply this to dishes. He would certainly apply it to all that we can be greedy and self-indulgent about. So we can ask more broadly – Are your possessions clean and acceptable to God? Not just your dishes, but your closets, your house, your garage your storage shed – and whatever else you own.

If we are greedy and self-indulgent with what we own, keeping it all for ourselves, then what we own is impure before God. But if we share, for instance, what is in our closets – our clothes, then these possessions become clean and acceptable to God.

But first –

We need new hearts

And this is where the two readings of this passage come together. For us to share from the inside of our dishes, we must first cleanse our hearts of our greed and self-indulgence, we must cleanse the inside of us. We must repent and let God give us a new heart in this regard, and then we will be willing to joyfully share with others in need.

Once the heart is taken care of, the right outward actions, sharing with the needy will come forth. Then our hearts and our actions will be clean before God. And as we share from what is in our dishes, or whatever we own – they will be clean and acceptable to God. Where is your heart???

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On washing dishes (#1). Transformation begins within and works its way out. Matthew 23:25-26

October 27, 2015 by William Higgins

Our message is entitled “On washing dishes. Transformation begins within and works its way out.” Out text comes from Matthew 23:25-26, if you would like to turn in your bibles. I want to share on this today and also next week, because Jesus is making two overlapping points, simultaneously. So we will look at the first today and the second, next week, Lord willing.

The whole of Matthew 23 is a scathing rebuke of the Scribes and Pharisees. It’s very intense! In this section of the chapter Jesus is pronouncing seven woes against them, and this is the fifth one, and it starts with a focus ritual purity. Now ritual purity is not a topic that non-Jews like us understand very well. Mark, however, helps us out a bit in 7:3-4 of his Gospel. He says, parenthetically, For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches. – Mark 7:3-4

This is not about good hygiene, or physical cleanliness, it’s about ritual or ceremonial purity before God. God is pure and if you want to be acceptable to God you need to be pure. And so you don’t want to be defiled by unclean things. The Old Testament has a number of instructions about this (e.g. Leviticus 11:32-38) and the Pharisees added many more such regulations, called here “the tradition of the elders.” With this background in mind, let’s look at our verses –

25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

Our passage has to do with washing dishe or at least that’s where it begins. But as usual with issues of ritual purity and impurity, Jesus turns the discussion into one about moral purity and impurity (as in Matthew 15).

The text turns on a fundamental difference between Jesus and the Pharisees in terms of the relationship between the inside and the outside and  where one should focus between the two to be pleasing to God. From the point of view of –

The Pharisees

The problem is an outer one, defilement from external sources. It could be things – like touching a dead body, or people – close contact with sinners, tax collectors and Gentiles.The solution is to regulate outward behavior to ensure separation from defilement. You need to be clear about what can be touched or not. And if there is contamination, which water rituals are needed to get rid of the impurity. The goal is to be clean and acceptable to God by being externally pure in these ways.

If you ask the Pharisees, this is the key to renewal among the people of God. And it includes how you wash your dishes to maintain ritual purity.

Jesus

– for his part, rejected the traditions of the elders that the Pharisees added to Mosaic teaching, but he is not saying that Jews should not follow Moses. He is rather trying to get them to see that they have a wrong focus. They are fixated on lesser things.

The real problem is an inner one – an evil heart. In Matthew 15:11 he says, “it is not what goes into the mouth (from the outside) that defiles a person (morally), but what comes out of the mouth (from the inside); this defiles a person.” He goes on in Matthew 15:18-19 to say, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” Human hearts are full of sin and are thus morally impure. And so Jesus’ focus in v. 26 in our passage is on “the inside.”

The solution is a clean heart. Cleaning the outside by being ritually pure does not reach into the heart to deal with the moral impurity that is there, for instance, greed and self-indulgence, which Jesus highlights regarding the Pharisees.

The heart has to be changed. Jesus said in Matthew 12:33-35. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

He is saying, make the tree good and it’s fruit will be good. If you have a good treasure in your heart, what comes out, your words will be good. As the heart goes, so goes our words and deeds. Make the inside right and the outside will become right.

So that’s why Jesus says in v. 26 of our passage, “First, clean the inside . . . that (in order that) the outside also may be clean.” First, begin within and if you begin within, the outside will follow.

The goal is to be clean and acceptable to God, not by a rigorous focus on outward ritual purity, but by having a  new heart that brings forth right behavior. Jesus is specifically talking about his core message, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17. We repent by turning away from our moral evil. And then we receive the blessings of the kingdom – salvation – forgiveness for our sins and the Holy Spirit, who comes within and gives us a new heart. (As promised by Ezekiel 36:25-27)

If you ask Jesus, this is what will bring renewal and salvation to the people of God, the coming of the kingdom that he brings.

Jesus’ point to the Pharisees

As I said, this passage can be read in two ways. Today our focus is on how the dishes represent the Pharisees. The parallel to our verses in Luke 11:39 confirms this reading when it says, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” He’s not talking just about dishes here anymore.

Jesus is saying, You look great on the outside. You are ritually pure beyond what even Moses taught and you look morally pure too (although what is in the heart always slips out here and there – Matthew 6:2-4, etc.). But inside your hearts are full of moral evil – here he talks about greed and self-indulgence. And your focus on the outside will never fix this. First, clean your hearts from these evils, and then right behavior will follow; a new heart will fix it. And you will be truly clean and acceptable to God.

The message for us

As people, we struggle with things like “evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” as Jesus talks about in Matthew 15, and more, because our hearts are evil too. And this evil defiles us before God so that we can’t be in relationship with God, who is pure.

The message for us is don’t be like the Pharisees and focus on what is external, thinking that this will bring internal change. Because we are just dealing with the symptom of the problem, not the root of the problem – our evil hearts. The answer is a new heart within, which we find through repentance and the reception of a new heart by the Spirit of God working within us. This happens when we first become believers, bu it is also a life-long journey of dying to those parts of us that lead us to sin and finding new life and the Spirit makes us new more and more.

Real change begins within and then moves outward to transform our behavior. Deal with the root and the fruit will follow. [Now, none of this means that outward discipline is not needed in our struggle against sin and in our desire to live godly lives. As long as this is coming from a changed heart and not trying to create a changed heart it is normal and good.]

Next week we will look at how our dishes and closets and houses and cars and whatever else we own – can be clean and acceptable before God.

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Why, God?

October 12, 2015 by William Higgins

Well, there’s nothing to celebrate in the two announcements we’ve just heard. It’s all sadness upon sadness. Yes, we have been through a really hard time.

The title this morning is, “Why, God?” Why do you allow us to go through such difficulties? Asking God why in times of trial is a biblical practice. Here are some examples from the book of Psalms:

  • I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me?” – Psalm 42:9
  • Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? – Psalm 10:1
  • My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? – Psalm 22:1
  • Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction . . . ? – Psalm 44:24

God allows us to go through really hard times as individuals and as congregations. So difficult that it seems like God is far away, while we suffer and struggle. But I want to encourage you this morning, by reminding you of five things about the God we serve.

1. God loves us

To be more specific, God loves Cedar Street. Paul says in Romans 8:32 – He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Paul’s point is that if God has already given us his Son to die on the cross to show his love for us, we can be sure that his love to us is secure and will continue. If he has already given that which is most precious to him, he will for sure show us his love in lesser situations.

And just because we are going through hard times doesn’t change this. Paul goes on to say in Romans 8:35, 37 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Brothers and sisters, don’t fear. God loves us in the midst of our trials.

2. God knows all about our situation

God has not been caught unaware by any of this.

It may seem like God is far away, as the Psalmists say, because of our troubles. But God knows every detail of what is going on, and every detail of all the pain that has been experienced by each one of us. The psalmist writes in Psalm 56 about his trials, talking about his enemies – “5All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps . . .” He has some serious problems.

But then he goes on to say to God, “8You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” God knows all about it. In the same way, God knows all of our sleeplessness, all of our tears, all of our distress. They are in his book. There is a careful record of our pain and suffering.

Sisters and brothers, don’t be afraid. God knows what we are going through.

3. God is in control

Let me read some excerpts from Isaiah 44:6-8 – Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel . . . “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? . . . Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it?”

God has a plan from of old. That’s why he can declare what is yet to come. And it includes each one of us in this congregation.

Don’t think that God is scrambling or that God has to scrap his purpose and plan for us. God knew we would be here today, going through what we are going through. And God is so great that he can even use the actions of those who oppose him or our own failures to accomplish his plans. You can’t thwart God, you can only decide if you want to be a part of what he is doing and be blessed, or not.

I believe that going through our recent difficulties has conditioned us and put us in a place to be able to receive what God wants for us.

Don’t be overwhelmed. God has a purpose and a plan in all this.

4. God always works for our good

A part of God’s plan is that he uses our pain and suffering; he redeems it so that good can come of it. Paul says in Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

God’s heart and purpose is that good can come of our trials, for us and others.

Don’t be afraid. God can bring something amazing out of all this.

5. God is able to handle things

Jesus said in Mark 10:27 – “All things are possible with God.”

When we are in a trial, it’s hard to see this. All we see is the bad. We want to say, “yes, God you can accomplish anything, but look at this and look at that.” But God is able to accomplish all that God purposes. And so we should pray, “God we know you can do it. Bring forth your will.”

  • Can not the one who created all things out of nothing bless and help us?
  • Can not the one who brought a group of slaves out of the empire of Egypt save us?
  • Can not the one who raised Jesus from the dead bring new life to us?

In all of this I am encouraging you not to fear. Or to say it positively, Have faith in God!

We can’t always answer the question why God lets us go through things. But we can answer the question of who; who our God is. We serve a God:

  • who loves us
  • who knows all about our pain
  • who is in control and has a plan
  • who always works for our good
  • and who is able to accomplish his will

And so because of who God is, we can move forward in faith.

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Don’t grow weary and give up! Galatians 6:9

September 29, 2015 by William Higgins

Our title today is “Don’t grow weary and give up!” And our text is Galatians 6:9, if you would like to turn there in your Bibles.

Galatians 6:9

The apostle Paul says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Let me begin by pointing out a few things about this verse. The phrase, “grow weary” can also be translated, “get tired,” or “become discouraged.” It means, “don’t lose your motivation in continuing a desirable pattern of activity.” [BDAG]

In this case what is desirable refers to doing what is right or as the ESV says, “doing good.” This means living the Christian life, or more specifically in v. 10 it means doing good for others – that is, being a Christian and ministering to others both within and outside of the church.

The sense is that you have been doing good for a while and the temptation over time is to get tired and weary of this. The promise is of a harvest in due season; of fruitfulness in due time. (The reaping language comes from vs. 7-8) And the condition is “if we do not give up;” that is, if we don’t lose heart or faint from weariness.

If we put all this together it can read: “And let us not grow weary/ get tired of doing what is right/good, for in due season we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up/lose heart.”

Now, let’s look at –

Galatians 6:9 in the context of the book of Galatians

Galatia was the name of a Roman province in Paul’s day, in what is now modern Turkey. Paul preached the gospel here on his first missionary journey, recorded in Acts 13 and 14. And a group of several churches was formed in some of the cities in this territory – Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe.

Well, it wasn’t long after Paul left that new teachers had come in and were teaching a different Gospel saying that Gentile believers need to become Jews to truly be saved. In other words, faith in Christ and his death on the cross was not enough. And some in Galatia had accepted this new teaching. And this led to a terrible conflict with lots of hurt and pain all around.

1. Paul was upset. There is no letter quite like Galatians, where his emotions are raw and in the open. For instance, he says in 3:1-3 – “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” It seemed to Paul that these new teachers had put a spell on the Galatians so that they abandoned the truth. 

2. Accusations were made against Paul. These were made by those whom Paul labeled “trouble makers” (6:17).

– They said, Paul is a people-pleaser. Specifically, when he is around Jews he preaches circumcision, but when he is around Gentiles like you, he doesn’t. He does this to make it easier for you; gain more converts. (5:11; 1:10). Paul corrects this by noting he has suffered persecution for the cross of Christ, which is not a mark of a people pleaser; and that it is they who seek an easy life by preaching circumcision since in this day most of the persecution came from Jewish sourses (6).

– They said, he is not a real apostle with a message from God. Paul responds in detail, of how God called him and gave him a message to preach on the Damascus road when he saw Jesus. (1, 2)

– They said Peter doesn’t support his ministry. Paul responds that Peter along with James and John had approved of his message before he came to Galatia. They gave him the right hand of fellowship. (2). [It’s a bit more complicated than this given the Antioch incident, where Peter seemed to be against Paul, but Paul notes that he corrected Peter publicly.]

3. There was dissension and division in the church of Galatia. In his list of the works of the flesh, notice how many have to do with conflict gone awry – “enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions” – 5:20.

And Paul talks about the danger of gossip and slander – “if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another” – 5:15. He talks about the danger of “becoming conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” – 5:26.

To all this he contrasts the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” – 5:22-23. Paul is saying, the manifestation of the Spirit in our lives in these ways is the antidote to such destructive works of the flesh.

4. There were strained relationships. Paul says in 4:13-20 – “You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? They make much of you, but for no good purpose . . . my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.” They worked together closely and cared for one another, but now Paul is not sure where he stands with them.

5. Difficult action needed to be taken. This was serious stuff and sorting through it was not necessarily easy.

  • Those who were confused needed correction. Paul works at this throughout most of his letter. And he comes out and says it bluntly in 5:4 – “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” Some people needed to relearn the gospel.
  • Those caught in sin needed help. Paul says in 6:1-2 – “Brothers and sisters, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Notice how this involves gentleness, humility and love on the part of the one who seeks to restore another.
  • The false teachers needed accountability. He says in 5:7-10 – “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.”

What a mess!!! Can you imagine? One thing we learn from all this is that conflict isn’t new. It was there in the apostolic period, recorded for us in the New Testament. And as we look at this particular example in Galatia – we don’t know how long it went on, but surely it would have taken a toll on them. And thus we understand the the temptation to give up from weariness. And also the need for this exhortation not to do this in Galatians 6:9, which is his last word of teaching to them, before he closes out the letter. “And let us not grow weary/ get tired of doing what is right/good, for in due season we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up/lose heart.”

I believe –

This is a word of encouragement to us

Perhaps you have been through conflict or difficult times in your personal life, in your church life or at work or school. And the result is that you are weary this morning. The word of encouragement is – Don’t give up! Why? Because we will reap a harvest. God will come through for us. When? In due season. It may be in this life, or it may not be. Some labor faithfully with little fruit to show for it in this life. But certainly the harvest will come in the fullness of the kingdom.

This is a message of hope. Your work is not for naught. Despite our difficulties, God is faithful and will give us a harvest of blessing. So don’t let life’s difficulties cause you to give up and put you on the sidelines. Continue on with your Christian faith strong. And continue to do good and minister to others.

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Baptism as a pledge to God. 1 Peter 3:20-21

September 22, 2015 by William Higgins

We are in 1 Peter 3:20-21 today. This is a passage that teaches us about what water baptism means. It talks about,

“. . . when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which, a few, that is, eight persons were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as a pledge to God from a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ . . .”

We learn several things from this passage.

1. Baptism is a water crossing

 We see this is the phrase – “brought safely through water.” We have seen before how going through the Red Sea was a water crossing, which has five parts to it that teaches us about the meaning of water baptism. Today we see that Noah and his family’s crossing of the flood waters is also a picture of water baptism in five parts.

Peter tells us that baptism “corresponds” to Noah’s  going through the waters of judgment to new life on the other side. The word “corresponds” is actually “type.” It is a type of baptism, that is an event that points forward to something in the future, which is its counterpoint. They are interconnected.

And so first we have the story of Noah and the ark:

Noah

  • The flood waters represent judgment and death, sent to destroy humanity.
  • But God provided the ark and then sent the waters of  judgment away, saving Noah and his family.

There are five parts to this water crossing: 1. Noah left behind the old corrupt world; 2. Noah was set free from judgment and destruction. He and family passed through the waters unharmed; 3. Noah received the sign of new life/ a dove (think of Jesus’ baptism where the Spirit came as a dove); 4. Noah began a new humanity, it was a new start and a new community; 5. Noah committed to do God’s will – the Noahic covenant found in Genesis 8 and 9.

Well, as Peter says, Christian water baptism corresponds to this.

Baptism

  • We have the waters of judgment and death.
  • But God provides Jesus to save us from the waters – from Satan and death.

And we have the same five components: 1. We leave our old life in the world behind; 2. We are set free from judgment and destruction; 3. We receive new life, the Holy Spirit; we are born anew; 4. We are part of a new humanity in Christ, the second Adam; 5. We commit to obey God. This is the symbolic meaning of baptism. This is what we are expressing when we are baptized.

Also, Peter points out that –

2. In both cases God provided a means of salvation

First, there is the ark “in which, a few, that is, eight persons were brought safely through water.” God told them to build this and gave them the plan and then God sent the waters away.

Second, Peter is saying, you are saved . . . “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ . . .” God provides Jesus to us, who has overcome Satan and death and all that the deep waters represent. And through his victory we can be saved from all this. 

Finally, Peter mentions –

3. What those who are saved need to do – trust and obey

For Noah it was building the ark and then getting in it when the rains came. This was an expression of his trust in and obedience to God.

For us it is “a pledge to God from a good conscience.” Now this phrase is translated in different ways but this is the one that fits here. The word can mean request, but it can also mean a profession or pledge. It was used in legal settings to to seal contracts.

So baptism is a pledge or promise to God; it is an expression of our faith in and obedience to God. It is covenantal. And this pledge comes “from a good conscience” – that is, sincerely, from the heart, without reservations.

Finally, and lest there be any misunderstanding, Peter says, “baptism . . . now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as a pledge to God from a good conscience.”

It is not, of course, the act of baptism as a physical washing that saves. It is our faith and commitment to obey that connects us to Jesus, who saves. And this faith and commitment is properly expressed in baptism as a public declaration of allegiance to Jesus. In the act of baptism we publicly connect ourselves to Jesus, who is our ark, who saves us from the waters and gives us new life. He has overcome Satan and death and we overcome through him.

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Be faithful in the little things. Luke 16:10

August 18, 2015 by William Higgins

Our title this morning is “Be faithful in the little things.” We are looking at a principle that Jesus teaches and how he applies it to two different areas of our lives. The principle is stated most clearly in Luke 16:10. We can call it –

The principle of little and much

Luke 16:10 – “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is unreliable in a very little is also unreliable in much.”

(Unreliable is usually translated as “dishonest,” but the former seems more appropriate as a counterpoint to “faithful.” The principle is also in Matthew 25:21/23, see below. See also Luke 19:17. Luke 7:47 goes in a different direction.)

So we have what is little and what is much. And there is a relationship between them. How one does with what is little is a clear indicator of how one will do with much. This is stated in both a positive and a negative way – whether you are faithful or unreliable.

This principle can be applied in many ways, for instance with parents working with children or bosses with employees, or even in relationships. If someone you are dating treats you poorly or lies to you, you can be sure that they will do so once you are married. But our focus is on how Jesus applies this principle and first we look at the topic of –

How we use our wealth – Luke 16:11-13

The statement of our principle and these verses come right after the parable of the dishonest manager, which we looked at a few weeks ago. Let’s remember together briefly what it taught us:

There was a manager who had squandered his master’s funds and was about to be fired. But then he figured out how to take care of himself. He cut the debts of those who owed his master, so that they would like him and take care of him after he was fired and had no money. He said, “I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.” Luke 16:4. Through a shrewd use of his master’s wealth he took care of his future.

Jesus’ point is that Through a shrewd use of the world’s wealth (giving it to the needy) we take care of our future. He said at the end of the parable, “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:9  That is, the poor ones we help, will welcome us into the eternal kingdom.

And then comes v. 10 which states the principle of little and much, and then in Luke 16:11-12, Jesus applies this principle to the topic of wealth.

“11If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” Here we learn that the wealth of this world is not real wealth. True riches, that don’t fail (v. 9) and that one has because of righteousness, as opposed to how things often work in this world, true riches will only be given out in the world to come.

“12And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” Here we learn that the wealth of this world is another’s. But what we are given in the world to come is going to be our own.

And in both of these statements it is clear that the “little” has to do with what we do or don’t do in this world with the wealth God gives us. The “much” has to do with what we will be our situation in the world to come – whether we will have the true riches that are our own. And the first, what we do or don’t do with the little, determines the second – the much. Because God knows based on what we have done with what is little, how we will do with the much of what is to come in the kingdom.

The key in all of this is, ‘Will we give of our wealth to help the poor and needy?’ This is being faithful in the little, this is being reliable in the little.

Then in v. 13 Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. “13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” If we love God, we will do what God wants us to do with the little of this world’s wealth. We will give to help those in need. But if we love our wealth, we will keep it for ourselves and we will not have friends to welcome us into the kingdom.

Second, Jesus applies the principle of little and much to –

How we serve God – Matthew 25:21, 23

The context here is the parable of the talents. Let’s remember together the meaning of this parable. Jesus is about to go away to the Father after his death and resurrection. And so Jesus leaves his kingdom work to his disciples – the church, to you and me. And to some he gives a lot of responsibility, 5 bars of silver, to some 3 bars of silver and to some only 1 – each according to our ability. And we are to fulfill our tasks.

And then Jesus returns for the final judgment. And here we have the little and much principle stated clearly, as the master says to the one who had five bars of silver and increased them, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.” Matthew 25:21. And again to the one who had three talents and increased them, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.” Matthew 25:23.

Like before with wealth, the “little” has to do with what we do or don’t in regard to serving God with the tasks he has given us to do. The “much” has to do with what we will be our situation in the world to come – what our levels of responsibility will be in the fullness of the kingdom. And once again, the first, what we do or don’t do with the little, determines the second – the much. Because God knows based on what we have done with what is little, how we will do with the much of what is to come in the kingdom.

The key here is, ‘Will we serve God and do what he has tasked us to do?’ If we are faithful with the small responsibilities in this life that God gives us, God will give us greater responsibilities and honor in the world to come.

But heed the note of warning with the third servant. If we are not faithful here, we will not have a place in the world to come but will go to place of weeping and gnashing of teeth – Matthew 25:30.

The principle of little and much

This principle teaches us that what we do in this life will determine what we have in the life to come. God tests us in the little things of this life, before we get the real blessings of the world to come. Because he can tell from what we do in this life, what we should have in the life to come.

If we aren’t faithful in the little things, we will not be entrusted with the greater things – the much of the world to come. So whether it is how we use our wealth in this life, or how we fulfill the tasks that God has given to us in this life, we are being tested.

And so my word of encouragement to you this morning is this be faithful in the little things of this world! Be radical in your giving – don’t let fear of being without hinder you. Serve God with abandon – don’t let the things of this world distract you from what is truly important. Do this and you will be blessed with the much of the world to come – with what is true, with what is lasting and with what will be your own – untold blessings in the kingdom of God.

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How to be shrewd with your worldly wealth. Luke 16:1-9

July 28, 2015 by William Higgins

Today we are looking at the parable of the dishonest manager from Luke 16:1-9, where Jesus is teaching us how to be shrewd with our worldly wealth; how to truly use it for our benefit. This is considered by many to be a very difficult parable to understand. I don’t think that it is. The difficulty is really in accepting the teaching and putting it into practice.

Some background

1He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.”

So we have –

  • the rich man or master who is a wealthy land owner.
  • The manager is his estate or business manager. It was his job to make sure the land produced money for the master.
  • Later in the parable, those who owe the master are tenet farmers, who rent the land from the master and are to give a portion of the produce of the land to the owner; in this story an olive tree orchard and a field that was used for wheat.

This arrangement was common in Jesus’ day.

In this case the manager “was wasting the mater’s possessions.” This could mean that he was a bad manager and had failed to make the land profitable for the master; or more likely that he was siphoning off money from the profits and burning through it. (This is the same word that is used of the prodigal son and what he did with his inheritance).

A manager in a tough spot

Well, the master fires him. “2And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’” Go get your record books, turn them in and leave.

“3And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.’” He’s in a real predicament.

But then he comes up –

A shrewd plan

– as we see in vs. 4-8a. He says, “’4I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’”

Notice the time element here – “when I am removed.” There is a process involved in his dismissal. He has to get his accounting records. And this gives him a window of opportunity to work with because his dismissal hasn’t been made public yet.

“5So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’” The farmer owes around 875 gallons of olive oil to the master. But the manager cuts the debt in half. Notice the haste. This was done “quickly” it says. You can be sure this was one happy farmer!

“7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’” Here the farmer owes around 1,100 bushels of wheat to the master. But the manager cuts the debt by 20%. Again this would be one happy farmer.

But in both cases it’s about more than making them happy. In that day when you did someone a huge favor like this, they were indebted to give you a favor back. Certainly more so than is the case today. This is what the manger means when he says in v. 4, “so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.” By doing a huge favor for them, they will help take care of him when he is out of job.

The master’s response

Then the parable ends with a surprising twist. “8The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.”

The manager is called “dishonest” because he in effect stole from his master in order to save his own skin. But despite this the master commended him for his “shrewdness.” He has to acknowledge that the manager was very clever in planning ahead for himself. If the manager had just stolen it, he could have recovered it. But as it is the master doesn’t want to acknowledge he was duped. And it would be socially unacceptable to take back such a gift, given in his name.

This brings us to –

Jesus’ point

8For the sons of this world (or of this age) are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. The contrast here is between those who are a part of this world system, or this age, and those who are a part of the kingdom of God or of the age to come; the sons or children of light. Jesus is saying that the people of God can learn something from this story about using wealth.

9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth (or mammon), so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. The manager, in a worldly context knew how to take care of himself through a shrewd use of wealth. The sons of light, in a kingdom context don’t act as shrewdly with their use of wealth The sons of light should, just like the manager, make friends for themselves by means of wealth.

Jesus is talking here about using our wealth to help those in need; and especially to help the righteous poor. Those who have needs but look to God for help. He is talking about giving alms.

The assumption here, which might well make us uncomfortable – we who have more than we need and are therefore considered rich – is that these righteous poor will be in the kingdom for sure. As Jesus said about the rich young ruler, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God” – Luke 18:24. He never says such a thing about his poor followers.

And so like in the story, if you help the poor now ; if you give them a favor, they will return the favor on the final day. On the day when wealth fails, they will welcome you into “the eternal dwellings.” It’s not that they are your judge, but they will bear witness of your righteousness before God, and in this way welcome you into the eternal kingdom.

Putting it all together

1. The manager was fired and shortly would have nothing. He has to act quickly. One day our wealth will “fail” (v. 9) whether it’s when we die, or when the judgment day comes. Our money won’t help us then and this may be just a short time away.

2. The manager gave away wealth to debtors. We are to give away wealth to the poor.

3. Those he gave to will welcome him into their houses. His future is secured. Those we give to will welcome us into eternal dwellings. Our future will be secured.

Through a shrewd use of his master’s wealth, he took care of his future. Through a shrewd use of the world’s wealth, we can take care of our future.

Let me end by asking how do you use your worldly wealth? Jesus’ advice goes against the advice of financial planners who only plan for this life and not the next. How do you use your worldly wealth?

– Do you store it up for yourself as a source of security, which is idolatry and hatred of God? Or do you use it to help and bless those in need, which is love of God, doing what he wants with the wealth he has given you?

– Do you store it up for yourself by having the comforts and luxuries of this world, which is self-indulgence and hatred of your neighbor? Or do you use it to help and bless those in need, which is love for your neighbor?

If you have wealth, God did not give it to you to keep it for yourself for security or comforts. He gave your wealth to you so that you can be a channel through whom he can work as you are generous and bless others in need.

Jesus is teaching us, if you do give it away through alms, you are shrewd indeed! You are clever in planning ahead for yourself. For on the day when wealth fails – and it surely will since it means nothing in the age to come – you will nevertheless be well taken care of. You will be welcomed into the true riches of the kingdom of God by the friends you have made with your worldly wealth.

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What is God asking you to do? Matthew 20:1-16

July 21, 2015 by William Higgins

We are looking at the parable of the workers this morning in Matthew 20:1-16. And I am asking the question, What is God asking you to do?

Matthew 20:1-16 – “1For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

8And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’

13But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16So the last will be first, and the first last.”

There are a lot of different interpretation of this parable that go in lots of different directions. Here are some examples. 1) The first = the Pharisees, and the last = tax collectors. And they are made equal. 2) Similarly, the first = Jewish Christians, and the last = Gentile Christians. Certainly this is possible, but these are not being discussed before or after this, and the idea doesn’t fit into the flow or context here, especially of  19:30. 3) Along similar lines, but more remote still, the first = long time Christians, and the last = those saved late in life. 4) The parable is meant to teach that you shouldn’t serve Jesus for reward. It’s about motivations. It’s a rebuke to Peter, who in 19:27 asks “What then will we have?” But, as we will see, he is not boasting or serving for the wrong motives. He’s concerned about whether he will be saved or not. 5) The parable teaches that there are no levels of reward. We all get the same thing no matter whether we work much or little. But this goes against other teaching in Matthew, as we will see later, there are levels of reward in the kingdom. I will share with you my understanding. First some –

Background

The vineyard owner hires day laborers in town. The workday at this time was 12 hours long. About 10 hours of actual work, with breaks for meals, prayers. The last worker only worked an hour. A “denarius” equals a day’s wage, something like minimum wage today. The workers get paid at the end of each day in accordance with Deuteronomy 24:14-15. Those who live hand to mouth, must be paid right away so that they can feed their families each day.

There are also –

Some basics from the parable

– that are fairly clear. 1. The point of the parable is that the first will be last, and the last first. The parable is sandwiched between two statements that say just this (an inclusion).

  • 19:30 – “But many who are first will be last, and the last first”
  • 20:16 – at the conclusion of the parable – “So the last will be first, and the first last” (This last phrase has “so,” or “thus” in front of it, meaning, in this way the last will be first. It offers an explanation for the saying of 19:30)

And the  language of last and first shows up throughout the parable itself.

Now, although in other places this phrase “the first will be last and the last will be first,” means reversal (e.g. Luke 13:30), 2. here “the first and the last” speaks of equalization. The last are treated like the first and the first are treated like the last, which is not about reversal.

The climax of the parable in v. 12 shows this. Those who worked the longest complained, “These last worked only one hour, and “you have made them equal to us” who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” The issue here is how all the workers were treated equally, even though some had done more work.

3. The basic identities of the first and the last is clear. 

  • v. 10 makes it clear that “the first” are those who have worked all day, the 12 hour workers.
  • v. 12 makes it clear that “the last” refers to those hired last, who worked the least, the one hour workers.

This much is clear. But if we ask more specifically who is Jesus talking about when he speaks of the first and the last, I would say that –

The context of the parable is the key

That is, the preceding story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-30. Let’s look at this:

1) The rich young ruler asked, “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?” – Matthew 19:16

2) After enumerating many of the commands, Jesus demanded that he sell his possessions and follow him. (Both Mark and Luke make it more clear that Jesus means “all” his possessions). Then he will gain eternal life (19:16-22). Apparently Jesus saw that he had a problem with a desire for wealth and a desire to keep it for himself.

3) Then Jesus talks about how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom. It is, basically, impossible (19:23-24). Now, this is not talking about an actual camel’s gate in Jerusalem. This interpretation comes from the middle ages. It’s a proverb that expresses something that is impossible.

4) Well, the disciples are astonished by all this. They ask, “Who then can be saved?”

5) Jesus replies that God can make it possible (19:25-26). God can help those who have more than they need to give up self-indulgence and to share with the needy.

6) Peter is concerned about whether they, the twelve, will make it into the kingdom, because they are not doing as much as was demanded of the rich man. Peter said, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” (Matthew 19:27). ‘Jesus, you told him to have life he had to sell all. We have left all. Is that enough?’

7) Jesus reassures them, Yes, they will enter the kingdom and will have 12 thrones and judge the people of God. Then he expands it beyond the 12 in Matthew 19:29. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”

So we have a situation where:

  • Jesus is more demanding of the young man – sell all and follow me, and
  • Jesus is less demanding of the 12 & others – leave everything behind and follow me

Yet both would receive eternal life!

Now all of salvation is a gift of God, but it is also true that God requires that we obey him. And along these lines God asks some to do more by way of difficult obedience. And God asks some to do less to enter the kingdom or inherit eternal life.

The meaning of the parable

This rightly raises the question, “Is this fair?” – which is what this parable is all about.

The first are those whom Jesus demands much from – sacrifice and hard work, like the young man who has to sell all and follow Jesus in full time ministry. They work 12 long hours in the heat of the day.

The midday workers are those whom Jesus demands less from – perhaps the 12 disciples who leave all and follow Jesus, but don’t sell all; something less than what the first have to do.

The last are  those from whom Jesus demands relatively little from – perhaps ordinary Christians who don’t even leave all. They stay at home and support those who do.

So, we all have to obey; everyone in the parable worked some. But God requires of some more sacrificial obedience than others. God is sovereign and can do what he wants in this regard. He can be generous with some whom he doesn’t require as much from. Yet all who do what God calls them to do will receive eternal life. The last is like the first, and the first is like the last, in that they all enter the kingdom. So the parable is a footnote to the conversation about the rich young ruler and wealth and the saying in 19:30 about the first and the last.

What do we learn from the parable?

Don’t be alarmed if God requires more of others. 1. As long as you are doing what God has asked you to do, you are fine. Eternal life in the kingdom will be yours on the final day. So this is a word of assurance to us all just as it was to Peter and the 12 who were worried about what Jesus required of the rich young ruler.

2. If God has laid on you a difficult path of obedience, don’t complain that others don’t have to do what you do. Don’t be like the 12 hour workers in the parable.

A question, 3. Is God calling anyone here to leave all and follow Jesus? Or to sell all and follow Jesus? To a life of ministry as a pastor or missionary or some other form of service to God that is beyond being an ordinary Christian working in a local congregation? Are there any rich young rulers here today? Do you here Jesus calling you? What is God asking you to do?

Instead of comparing yourself with others – 4. Focus on doing what God has called you to do, and do it well.

Now some say that this parable teaches that everyone gets all the same rewards in the kingdom. But this doesn’t fit with many other passages of Scripture (Matthew 5:19, 11:11, 18:4, 23:11, 19:28, 20:20-28). There are rewards for diligent and sacrificial obedience within the sphere of what God has called us to.

The question is how well do you do what God has called you to do? If you are called to preach, for instance, how well are you doing this; how hard are you working at this? Or if you are called to support those who do full time ministry and to work in a local congregation, how well are you doing this: how hard are you working at this? This is where rewards come in. And this should be a challenge to us all to serve the Lord with our full obedience in the sphere to which he has called each one of us.

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How we should treat one another

July 14, 2015 by William Higgins

Today we are looking at a number of Scripture passages that have to do with how we should treat one another as fellow believers; as sisters and brothers in the Lord. They are sometimes called the “one another” verses. (These are most of the positive exhortations that have to do with two Greek words that mean – “one another” or “each other.” [αλληλων; ῾εαυτου. The latter is marked by an asterisk.])

We will go through them in the order that they show up in the New Testament.I won’t say too much about each verse. It’s not difficult to understand what they mean. The work is in putting them into practice.

1. Mark 9:50 – “Be at peace with one another.” The context here is in part that Jesus’ disciples were arguing with each other about who was the greatest. Not only does he tell them that to be great you must be the servant of all, he tells them to be at peace with one another.

2. John 13:34 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Jesus not only tells us to love each other he makes clear what love means – we are to follow his example. How did Jesus love us? He laid down his life for us. And so we are to lay down our lives for one another.

3. Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Here we have two “one another” admonitions in one verse – 1) we are to love fellow believers as brothers and sisters and 2) we are to honor or lift up one another.

4. Romans 12:16 – “Live in harmony with one another.”

5. Romans 15:7 – “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” The context here is that of Jews and Gentiles getting along in the church at Rome. Although from very different backgrounds they are to accept each other as fellow believers.

6. Galatians 5:13 – “Through love serve one another.”

7. Galatians 6:2 – “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” The context here is that of gently correcting each other if we fall into transgression. This is a way of showing our love for one another. But certainly bearing burdens can cover working with all kinds of needs. The law of Christ is the commandment, “love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

8. Ephesians 4:2 – “ . . . with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love . . .”

9. Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving *one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

10. Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing *one another in all wisdom.”

11. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Encourage one another and build one another up.”

12. 1 Thessalonians 5:13 – “Be at peace *with each other” (own translation).

13. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 – “Always seek to do good to one another.” Paul says just before this that we are certainly not to repay evil for evil, or harm for harm to one another. Rather we are always to do good to each other.

14. Hebrews 3:13 – “But exhort *one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”Again a concern about not letting fellow believers get caught up in a lifestyle of sin.

15. Hebrews 10:24 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” The idea is that we can become complacent or lazy and so we are to act to get people focused and on task doing God’s will.

16. James 5:16 – “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” I take this to mean that we confess our sins to the one we have wronged. And then we pray for healing for the person from any discipline the Lord may have allowed them to go through because of their sin.

17. 1 Peter 1:22 – “Love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”

18. 1 Peter 4:9 – “Show hospitality to one another.”

19. 1 Peter 4:10 – “As each has received a gift, use it to serve *one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

20. 1 Peter 5:5 – “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

21. 1 John 4:7 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

So here are 21 verses that give us a number of exhortations for how to treat one another:

How we shoud treat one another

And there is power in hearing these verses because this is God’s word to us.  And if we open ourselves up to God his word can come into our hearts and change us and empower us to do all these things in our relationships with one another. So let’s all take a moment to look to God and ask – God what would you say to me this morning?

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