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Psalm 95 – Scriptural connections

February 23, 2012 by William Higgins

Sunday school lesson

Review. We have looked at the two parts of Psalm 95. The first calls us to worship God. The second calls us to listen to and obey God’s voice. Now we look at how these two parts fit together, along with how the second part of this Psalm connects to some other key Scriptures.

Read the text. 

“[1] Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! [2] Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! [3] For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. [4] In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. [5] The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. [6] Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! [7a] For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”

“[7b] Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, [9] when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. [10] For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.’ [11] Therefore I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

How the first and second parts of the Psalm connect. There is such a significant difference between vs. 1-7a and vs. 7b-11 in tone and focus that many have thought they should be seen as separate. Yet there are a number of connections between the two parts. Here are three examples:

Question 1: What name is God called in v. 1 (part one)? What plays a key role in the two stories in part two (Massah and Meribah)? 

Question 2: Near the center point of this Psalm (in terms of words) , God is called “our Maker” (v. 6). How does this name speak to why we should praise God (part one) and why we should listen to God (part two)?

Question 3: What is the image of God in v. 7a (part one)? How does this fit with the call to listen to his voice in 7b (part two)? [hint – John 10:4]

A central connection between the two parts is the progression of worship in the Psalm as a whole, noted before. The people come to the temple with loud praise, they come in to bow down (part one) and then they listen to a message from God (part two). And there is a message in this. Yes, true worship involves thanksgiving and loud praise, as well as bowing down before God (part one). But it also involves listening to and obeying God in faith. The first is relatively easy. The second is not always easy. For instance, in Exodus 15 Israel praised God with song, but in Exodus 17 they did not obey, but tested God at Massah.

The idea of God’s rest is also a connection between the two parts of this Psalm. As we saw last week “God’s rest” can refer beyond just entering the promised land. It can also be a reference to the temple (1 Chronicles 28:2, Psalm 132:14, Isaiah 66:1) and it can look back to when God created the world and then rested (Genesis 2:2-3).

  • If we see also a reference to God’s rest as creational, then this ties part two together with part one’s focus on God creating both the earth and Israel.
  • If we see also a reference to God’s rest as relating to the temple, then this ties part two together with part one’s focus on coming to the temple to worship.

How Psalm 95:7b-11 connects with other Scriptures. It is tied to numerous other Scriptures that reference Massah and Meribah and testing God in the wilderness. We will mention one and look at another.

Psalm 95’s sermon may well be based on Deuteronomy 6, which is itself a sermon based on Israel’s testing of God in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 6:16 says, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” Notice also two key words from Deuteronomy 6 – “hear” (vs. 3, 4) and “today” (v. 6) that are also found in Psalm 95:7b.

If Psalm 95:7b-11 is a sermon based on Deuteronomy 6, Hebrews 3:6-4:11 is a sermon with Psalm 95:7b-11 as its text. Notice the layers here: 1. Massah (Exodus 17:1-7) and Meribah (Numbers 20:2-13); 2. Deuteronomy 6; 3. Psalm 95:7b-11; 4. Hebrews 3:6-4:11.

The author of Hebrews uses Psalm 95 to reflect on Massah and Meribah and to apply it to Christians. Look at the material below and then read Hebrews 3:3-4:11.

  • The situation in Exodus and Numbers: the children of Israel are without water in the wilderness
  • The situation in Hebrews: Christians struggling under hardship and persecution. The “today” of Psalm 95 is applied to this.
  • The failure in Exodus and Numbers: they tested God by not believing and obeying him.
  • The failure in Hebrews: they will test God if the message of the gospel is not held to by faith with obedience.
  • God’s rest in Exodus and Numbers: the promised land is at the forefront.
  • God’s rest: the promised land is combined with the creational rest of God in Genesis to speak of the rest of the coming new creation, the kingdom of God.
  • The result in Exodus and Numbers: they did not enter the land.
  • The result in Hebrews: they will not enter God’s rest, unless they renew their faith.

*According to Hebrews 4:1, 6, 8, 9 – the truest fulfillment of God’s rest has to do with Christians entering the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 3:6-4:11: [6] – And we are his (God’s) house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. [7] Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, [9] where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works [10] for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ [11] As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.'”

[12] Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. [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. [14] For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. [15] As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

[16] For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? [17] And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? [18] And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? [19] So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

[4:1] Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. [2] For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. [3] For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ “although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. [4] For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” [5] And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.”

[6] Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, [7] again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

[8] For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. [9] So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, [10] for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. [11] Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

Note: Massah and Meribah are translated not as place names but according to their word meanings, here rendered as “rebellion” (Meribah) and “testing” (Massah). [This is how the Greek Old Testament (LXX) translates Psalm 95. The King James also.]

Question 4: According to the author of Hebrews how does the message of Psalm 95:7b-11 challenge Christians in his day?

Question 5: How should it challenge us today?

Large group discussion of answers.

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Don’t test the Lord. Psalm 95:7b-11

February 23, 2012 by William Higgins

Sunday school lesson

Review. Last week we saw how Psalm 95:1-7a calls us to worship the Lord. God is worthy because he is the creator – both of the world (vs. 3-5) and of us his people (v. 7). These acts demonstrate how great God is. But also, simply because God is our creator and we are his, we ought to offer up praise to God. This is the right response. Finally we give thanks because this same God who made all things, “is our God” (v. 7), not some other idol or false god.

We also noted how there is a progression in this Psalm, much like what happens in a worship service: First we are called to sing, give thanks and make a joyful noise (vs. 1-2). Second we are called to bow and kneel (v. 6). Finally, we are called to listen to a message from God.

Read Psalm 95:7b-11.

“[7b] Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, [9] when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. [10] For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.’ [11] Therefore I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

Commentary. These verses have a structure to them, just like we saw in the first part of Psalm 95. vs. 7b-9 form an inverted outline and vs. 10-11 parallel each other. Take a moment to look at the chart below: 

Our verses today, although brief, have rightly been compared to a sermon. And if they are a sermon they are based on the two stories mentioned in v. 8 – the story of Massah in Exodus 17:1-7 and the story of Meribah in Numbers 20:2-13. These stories are very similar, and in both God provides water for his people from a rock.

The word Massah means “testing.” The word Meribah means “quarreling.” In Exodus 17 Moses names that place both Massah and Meribah, while in Numbers 20 Meribah is mentioned as a place name. We will refer to the first as the Massah story and the second as the Meribah story. 

The tone of this sermon is a real contrast with the first part of Psalm 95 which is upbeat and joyful. It gives a strong warning to avoid the mistakes made by the people of God in these two wilderness stories.

Psalm 95 tells us that in both instances Israel “put me to the test and put me to the proof” (v. 9). They tested God. Read the following Scriptures to see what Israel did:

  • Exodus 17:1-3 “. . . there was no water for the people to drink.  Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
  • Numbers 20:2-5- “Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”

Interestingly Psalm 81:7 tells us that God was also testing them. God let them experience these difficulties to see how they would respond to him.

The phrase “for forty years” (v. 10) refers to the time of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness. The story of Massah (Exodus 17) would have been near to the beginning of this time. The story of Meribah (Numbers 20) would have been near to the end of this time. That generation of Israelites was known for their fighting with God from beginning to end.

Vs. 10-11 show that the result of such disobedience to God is judgment. “God loathed that generation.” God was angry. God excluded them from the promised land.

V. 11 tells us that God swore an oath in his wrath. The content of this oath was that “they shall not enter my rest.” Deuteronomy 9:22-24 relates the Massah story to the story of the spies in Numbers 14. It is here that God swears that none of that generation would enter the land (Numbers 14:20-35). Failure to obey God’s voice is cited in Numbers 14:22 as the reason for this. Psalm 95:7-8 tells us to listen to God’s voice.

The word wrath is not mentioned in the stories of Massah and Meribah. However, Deuteronomy 9:22-24 speaks of the Lord’s “wrath” in connection to Massah, and Psalm 106:32 speaks of God’s “anger” in connection with Meribah.

God’s rest (v. 11) can refer to several things. It can look back to God’s Sabbath rest after the creation of the world (Genesis 2:2-3). It can also refer to the temple, the place where God rests (1 Chronicles 28:2, Psalm 132:14, Isaiah 66:1). Or it can refer to the land of promise, which was often called God’s rest (Deuteronomy 12:9, Joshua 1:15, 1 Kings 8:56). In the context here, the last one seems to be at the forefront. God does not allow them to come into the rest of the promised land.

Questions:

Question 1: What did Israel do wrong in the stories of Massah and Meribah? How does our Scripture describe what they did wrong (vs. 7b-9)? They quarreled and tested God. Grumbled. Asked, “Why? Why? Why?” Demanding.

Psalm 95 says they hardened their hearts to God so that they didn’t listen; they put God to the test and to the proof.

This is the core issue – they assumed that God could not handle this. Unbelief. No confidence in God. And this showed up in their complaining and quarreling. We’re gonna die!

They took the stance that God had to prove himself to them, which is what it means to test God.

Question 2: What should they have done when confronted with their desperate situation (no water in a desert)?  They should have known that God can take care of them. And if God led them into a place with no water, God had the ability to provide water for them.

They should have trusted God. They should have come to God in confidence – “OK God, how would you like to work through this problem. We know you are able.”

Question 3: How does the end of v. 9 – “though they had seen my work” play into God’s judgment of them? They knew better. They had seen already many great miracles. There was no need for God to prove himself to them. They had no excuse.

Question 4: How do we test God? What are some examples? In our difficulties – instead of trusting God and saying, “OK God, how would you like to work through this problem we know you are able?” we stand back and say God why did you let this happen? We complain. (this is not a discerning “why?” but a complaining “why?”). We assume God isn’t able to take care of us. We demand that God prove himself trustworthy to us. It doesn’t matter what God has done in the past – “Prove yourself again Lord!”

Question 5: V. 7b says, “If you hear his voice.” What do you think God is trying to say? Trust me. Look to me. Keep doing what I have commanded you. Don’t harden your heart to this so that you start to complain, argue, and put me to the test.

Question 6: If we are not allowed to test God (also Deuteronomy 6:16), why is God allowed to test us? God doesn’t need to prove himself. God is able and completely faithful. It is we who need to prove ourselves. Will we be faithful? Will we rely on God? This is very much a question.

God’s motive is also different. God does it for our own good. We want peace and no problems – and complain if we don’t have this. But God wants us to grow and become more faithful. And so he allows us to have problems. So that we can learn. *God loves peace, but loves even more that we learn to trust in him.

Large group discussion of answers.

Final thought: “Today” in v. 7b is a word of grace. Yes, the generation in the wilderness failed. But it is a new day for God’s people “today,” that is, all of us who hear this message from Psalm 95. And we are being invited to get it right. To trust God in our times of testing. To have faith. To move forward in obedience to God even when it is hard.

Jesus, in his wilderness testing (Matthew 4/Luke 4), quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 – “you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” This verse is a part of our complex of Scriptures connected to the sermon in Psalm 95. Jesus trusted God. He listened to God. He did not harden his heart. He got it right. And he is our example and can be our help in our times of testing.

How will you respond “today” in your difficult situations?

Handout – Two rock -water stories

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Let us worship the Lord! Psalm 95:1-7a

February 23, 2012 by William Higgins

Sunday school lesson

Review. Last week we worked on getting to know Psalm 95. It has two main parts – vs. 1-7a and vs. 7b-11. The first focuses on God and the praise of God. It uses “us” language and is upbeat. The second focuses on us and the need to listen to God. It uses “you” language and is a strong warning. Today we give our attention to the first part and its call to worship God.

Read Psalm 95:1-7a.

“[1] Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! [2] Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! [3] For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. [4] In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. [5] The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. [6] Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! [7a] For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”

Commentary and questions. This first part of Psalm 95 has two sections – vs. 1-5 and vs. 6-7a, which are closely parallel to each other. This is a part of its poetic structure. Look over the chart below.


Notice the same pattern – a call to worship (blue), and then the reason why we should worship God (red), with supporting statements about who God is and what  God has done. Also notice the use of similar words – “come,” “face” (orange), the possessive “his” (purple), and the phrase “his hand(s)” (green).  Finally, section one has twice as much material as the second: four calls to worship/two calls; two statements about who God is/one statement; four statements on God as creator/two statements on this.

This psalm names a number of ways of worshipping God – singing, making a joyful (loud) noise, giving thanks, worshipping (literally bowing low), bowing down and kneeling.

Question 1: What are the benefits or possible drawbacks for having a variety of different ways to worship God? For instance – Loud/quiet; different postures; singing, speaking, raising hands.  The benefit – more creative expression, more meaningful worship, more ways of expressing love and honor to God. Does God get bored with our worship? Drawbacks – not everyone is comfortable with some expressions, can create tensions.

Question 2: How important is it that our body (posture) be involved in worship on a scale of one to ten? What is your practice?

If we include the last part of the Psalm, with its focus on listening to God, there is a clear progression of worship from: loud praise and singing – vs. 1-5, to bowing down – vs. 6-7 (perhaps in prayer or quiet worship), and then listening to God’s voice – vs. 7b-11.

Many see a structure for a temple worship service in this Psalm:

  • vs. 1-5 – “Come” – that is, approach the temple with loud praise.
  • vs. 6-7a – “Come in” (so it can be translated) that is, to the temple. Bow down and be quiet.
  • vs. 7b-11 – Listen to God (perhaps a Levitical sermon or a prophetic message)

This progression is similar to how one would approach an ancient near-eastern king. You would come with praise and gifts for the king. Then you would bow down and make your request. And then you would listen for his word. God is called a “great King” in v. 3.

Question 3: In what ways is our worship like coming before a king? We do come before God’s throne, where he sits as king of all – Hebrews 4:26, Isaiah 6; Revelation 4.

Question 4: How do you envision yourself when you worship God? How casual should we be, or formal? Before a king, but also as a king who is my father.

There is a strong emphasis on God as creator in these verses. In section one God’s role as creator of the world is highlighted. The contrasts in vs. 4-5 between the valleys and the tops of the mountains, and the sea and dry land make the point that God created every bit of it. In the second section God’s role as creator of Israel, God’s people is highlighted. This refers to when God brought them out of Egypt and formed them into a new people. In v. 6, near to the center point of the Psalm as a whole, God is called, “our Maker.”

In both sections there is talk of God’s “hand” (green).  For instance, v. 5 says, “his hands formed the dry land.” This poetically pictures God as a craftsman and the earth and Israel as God’s “handiwork.”

vs. 3 and 7 (red) tell us why we should worship God. v. 3 says, “the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” God is better than all the other so-called gods. v. 7 says simply, “he is our God.”

Both of these statements are connected to the theme of God as creator. Why is God greater than all the other gods? Because he created all things. No other god could do this. This is why God is “above all gods.” Why is God Israel’s God? Because he created them as his own people. v. 7 says, “we are the people of his pasture.” v. 6 says, he is “our Maker.”

Recognizing God as the creator of all should lead us to worship for several reasons: 1) God’s power and glory are revealed in his ability to make all that exists. Paul makes this point in Romans 1:20 – God’s “eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” We should worship and be in awe of such a great God. This is also true of God’s creation of Israel, bringing them up out of Egypt. This was an amazing act of power and love.

2) Since God is our creator, God has complete rights to us. Still today we understand that if you make something it is yours. This is why he is our rightful God. The possessive “his” language (purple) makes this point. In the first section we learn that every part of the earth is “his, for he made it” (v. 5). In the second section we are called “the people of his pasture” (v. 7) because he is “our Maker” (v. 6). And so God has a right to our praise and thanksgiving. This is the proper response to accepting that God is our maker and rightful ruler.

3) God’s people are to worship God because this same great God who made all things, is the one who “is our God” (v. 7), the one who protects us and provides for us. We don’t have some second rate god. We have the true God as “our” God.

Question 5: Do you ever give thanks simply for being created or for being alive?

Question 6: What difference does it make to understand that you are owned by God? In general it gives a different perspective on life. We owe God everything we have, including our worship.

Question 7: What are some false gods today? How is our God better than these? Money, social status, career, control, quiet – almost anything can be a false god for us. Only God is the real God and only God can take care of us, show us the right way to live and give us peace.

Question 8: How often do you worship God – not just reading scripture or praying, but praising and honoring God? How often should we worship God?

Large group discussion of answers


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Getting To Know Psalm 95

February 22, 2012 by William Higgins

Sunday school lesson

Introduction. We usually cover large portions of Scripture at a time in Sunday School – and often there is not enough time to dig deep. So I want us to be able to do this in the next few weeks. And Psalm 95 is a great Scripture to do this with because: 1) there is a lot to find in it, 2) it has a great message, and 3) it is connected to a number of other Scriptures – both Old and New Testament.

I also want us to do this in a way that helps us sharpen our Bible study skills.

Small group work 

Read it out loud in two or three translations.

What are your questions and observations? This is the key to good Bible study. Write out 10 of these on this Psalm.

Questions & discussion

1. What kind of writing is this (story, poetry, parable, teaching, letter)? This is poetry (structural features, patterns that repeat; parallelism – things beside each other that are similar or opposite). There is teaching at the end.

2. What are the two main parts of the Psalm? This is discernible by a change of content in the verses.

1. vs. 1-7a.

2. vs. 7b-11.

These are very different. Some have thought this must actually be two Psalms put together.

3. Summarize the message of the first section? Praise the Creator

4. Summarize the message of the second section? Listen to God

5. What are some differences between the two sections? The first focuses on God and the praise of God. It uses “us” language. And it is upbeat. The second focuses on us and the need to listen to God. It uses “you” language. And it is a strong warning.

6. Using a concordance find what “Massah” and “Meribah” (v. 8) refer to.

  • Massah: Exodus 17:1-7
  • Meribah: Numbers 20:2-13

Two similar stories about the people complaining to God and water coming from a rock.

The first episode is named Massah and Meribah, the second Meribah. It’s a little confusing. We will call the first Massah and the second Meribah.

Meribah = quarreling; Massah = testing. The KJV translates the words not as place names but as “the provocation” and “the day of temptation.” This is how the Septuagint and Hebrews 3-4 treat the text as well.

There are many other references to Massah and Meribah in Scripture: Numbers 20:24; 27:14 (Meribah); Deuteronomy 9:22 (Massah); 32:51 (Meribah); 33:8 (both); Psalm 78:15-20 (unclear); 81:7 (Meribah); 106:32-33 (Meribah). [Similar to Psalm 95, Psalm 81 mentions the Meribah story and then immediately moves into an exhortation on listening – v. 8, “Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!”]

7. What are some other Scriptures connected to Psalm 95?

– Deuteronomy 6:16 is important. Deuteronomy is a series of sermons, and in this case it is on the rock water story and testing God. Psalm 95:7b-11 is itself a short sermon on the two rock/water stories and testing God, with Deuteronomy 6 as a text (more on this later). So Psalm 95 is a sermon on a sermon on the two stories of water from a rock.

– 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 – a reference to the water from the rock.

– Matthew 4/Luke 4 – Jesus’ testing, where he reenactsIsrael’s testing and quotes Deuteronomy 6:16.

– Hebrews 3:17-4:13 is a sermon based on Psalm 95’s sermon, based on the Deuteronomy 6 sermon – all of which are based on the two rock/water stories.

Large group discussion of answers

Handout: Psalm 95 literary structure

PDF version- Psalm 95 literary structure

[I owe Mark Girard for some of the parallels in the first section, “face” in vs. 2, 6 and the “hand” language in vs. 5 and 7. Theology Digest, v. 30 pages 55-58]

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Let’s Grow!

February 12, 2012 by William Higgins

Now, my title today isn’t meant to refer to what will happen when we eat our fellowship meal today. I’m talking about growing deeper in our Christian lives and as a church body.

As your pastor I carry a very real concern for our congregation. I think and pray hard about the direction we are moving, our health as a congregation, our ministries and our faithfulness to God. And I will confess that thoughts about such things are never far from my mind and heart. You know, How are we doing? What needs to be focused on? Where are we weak? Where are we strong? What needs to change?

As I reflected this week several things came to mind in terms of areas of emphasis and areas of growth for us. And I thought it would be good to share these with you and to invite you to pick up the challenge to move forward in these areas, so that we can grow as a congregation. So here we go.

1. Let’s grow in our love for one another

Jesus said, “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.” John 13:34. Paul said to the Romans, “Love one another with brotherly affection.” Romans 12:10. Peter said, “Love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” 1 Peter 1:22.

Paul said to the Thessalonians, “Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another . . . But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10. I like this last phrase. You have love for one another, but do this “more and more.” In the same way, we do have love for one another here at Cedar Street, but we are to do this “more and more.” We are to grow in our love for one another.

What do I mean? Let’s work at getting to know each other more. Let’s build our relationships with each other. Branch out beyond those you already know. Do things together.

I mean encouraging one another, praying for one another and helping one another. I mean being kind and gentle with each other. And outdoing each other in showing respect and honor to one another.

Here are two specific suggestions: If you don’t already, come to Sunday school. This is a place where you can get to know others. And also, if you don’t already, be a part of a share group. We have four right now, but if needed we can always start another one. This is a place where you can build relationships, and get support.

2. Let’s grow in our maturity in handling our differences

We are held together by our common faith in Jesus and our commitment to follow him, and this is summarized in our church covenant.

Paul says it this way, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:4-6. Notice the seven “ones”: We are all a part of one body of Christ, the church. And we all share in one Holy Spirit who dwells within us. We have one hope, one Lord, one faith in Jesus, one baptism and one God the Father.

Yet, all congregations have differences also. Certainly we do. And this is perfectly normal. We have different gifts and callings that give us different things to focus on. For instance if you are an evangelist, you are gonna focus on evangelism and want everyone to do this. Or, if you have a gift of worship, you are gonna want everyone to make this the focus. And so on.

We have different levels of maturity and understanding among us. We have generational differences. This impacts all kinds of things, for instance how we might prefer to worship.

We have different personalities, which affect how we approach everything we do. We have differences of opinion on all kinds of things, including politics, which if we focus on will lead us all in different directions.

We come from different backgrounds – city, rural, suburbs – we have it all. And we have different church backgrounds, some were raised Mennonite, some have no church background and everything in-between.

So what do we do with all this? It can discourage us, weigh us down or even tear us apart. But it doesn’t have to. We need to learn to discern what God requires – and then be flexible with the rest. We need to be able to tell the difference between Gods’ will and just what we prefer or want, as opposed to others who see things differently. And in the part that God does not require of us, we can learn from each other and try different things.

Here’s an example. Some prefer it when we use flat bread for communion. The Lord’s supper, after all was a Passover meal with unleavened bread. And it is nice to use the same kind of bread that Jesus used. But some prefer to use regular bread, the kind that we call “bread” in our everyday lives. It has a different feel to it and breaks differently. So we can learn from each other here, and be flexible by using both, taking turns.

And then, when we can’t seem to agree on an issue, or come to an easy resolution, we need to be mature Christians about it, as we have been, and are learning about in our conflict resolution class Sunday school class. Right?

  • Don’t pull back and just drift off if you are in disagreement about something, grumbling like the children of Israel in the desert.
  • And also on the other hand, don’t strike out and tear down others.

Rather, we are to love each other, look to God for help and work toward peace. As Jesus has taught us, “Be at peace with one another.” Mark 9:50.

3. Let’s grow in owning and using the gifts that God has given us

Paul said to Timothy, “Do not neglect the gift you have . . ..” 1 Timothy 4:14. He also said to him, “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you . . ..” – 2 Timothy 1:6. We are to discover and use the gifts that God has given us.

Just like in the realm of physical health, it’s not healthy to be a Christian and not be active, doing nothing. Don’t be a pew potato! Don’t just come and sit here once a week and feel like that’s what it’s all about.

Exercise your gifts. Be active and engaged in serving God. We have focused on this before, but I am reminding you here again today.

I think there are two really big obstacles here. The first is time. We live overcommitted lives. We are overbooked, overscheduled and overwhelmed. And often it is serving God that gets cut out as we try to make time for all else that there is to do today. We are trying to do too much, too many good things, and we end up making idols of these things as we devote ourselves more to them than to serving God and working for the kingdom.

The second obstacle is that you might feel you have nothing to share. Maybe you think you are too young. Or maybe you think that you have already served God and are “retired” now. Well, the truth is that everyone has some way to serve God. Paul says, “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:7. And this is not restricted by age.

So, find out what your gifts are and use them! Next year we plan to have a Sunday school class focused on this. But, you don’t need to wait, try some things and see what you enjoy, see what you do well. And if you need help, talk to me and I will plug you in somewhere.

4. Let’s grow in our emphasis on outreach and hospitality

It’s easy to be comfortable as Christians. Comfortable with just hanging out with other Christians. (Some don’t even know unbelievers very well.) Comfortable with just talking to those we already know when we are at church.

But Jesus calls us to something more. He said, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10. This is why he came. And he calls us to follow his example, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19.

Now, I am certainly grateful for all those working in the areas of outreach and hospitality in our congregation, using their gifts, but these are things that each of us need to grow in.

And I’m not talking about being artificial or forcing things. I mean just being a Christian in your everyday relationships and looking for opportunities to share what God has done. I mean being friendly and welcoming to those who are new to the congregation. That’s all.

In our Sunday school coming up soon, we will have chance to focus on the outreach part of this. And I hope this will spur us in this emphasis.

5. Let’s grow in our desire for more of what God has for us

I want to instill a yearning for more in each of your hearts.

We can see what God wants for us by looking at the picture of the church in the New Testament, especially the book of Acts. They had great love for one another, the Spirit moved in power among them, they willingly suffered for their faith, they shared deep fellowship with each other, they boldly witnessed for Jesus.

As we look at this, we can see that God has so much more for us. We talk about revival and renewal, well this is what we are talking about – getting back to this.

And the problem is not on God’s end. Instead of being satisfied with where we are, we need to be seeking this. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8. James said, “You do not have, because you do not ask.” James 4:2.

We need to ask for this, seek and knock. Life isn’t long! What are you waiting for? This is our chance. We can be a community that embodies Jesus and serves him in powerful ways.

Don’t be satisfied with what we have, as good as it might be. Let us press on for more of what God has for us.

William Higgins

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The encouragement and the challenge of Jesus’ love

February 5, 2012 by William Higgins

(Lord’s supper devotional)

We are celebrating the Lord’s supper today. And certainly a part of what we are doing is remembering Jesus’ love for us. And that’s because we see his love displayed before us in the bread and cup – a picture of his death on the cross for us.

So as we partake today let’s think a bit more about his love for us. I would like to highlight three things in particular this morning. And I will speak in personal terms.

 1. He loved me, though I did not deserve it

I did nothing to be worthy of his love. I had no claim on him that he had to love me so. Rather, I have shown time and again, that apart from God I am rebellious against God. That is, I want to do things my own way, have control of my own life. And I am also self-centered when it comes to other people. Me first, and others second, if at all. I may not have displayed this very openly, but that was also for my own self-centered reasons.

The fact is that through my words and actions, I have made myself thoroughly unlovable. All of my twisted rebelliousness and self-centeredness made me abhorrent to Jesus, because he is exactly the opposite of these things. He is the picture of love and submission to God and love for others. But I must surely have repelled and disgusted him.

Yet, despite all this, Jesus still cared about me. Jesus still loved me! Indeed, I can say, as Paul does in Galatians 2:20, he “loved me and gave himself for me.” He loved me, though I did not deserve it.

 2. He loved me with actions, not just words

He loved me with deeds, not just inner intentions in his heart, or thoughts in his head.

He saw me in all of my need; my sin and my brokenness. And he did not sit far away, in his place of glory with the Father and say, “Oh sure, I love you. I see your need from here and I’m definitely thinking about you.” He came and he acted for me. He saw me as the revolting, disgusting mess that I was – and he came to help me anyway. He demonstrated his love for me, with real life actions in this world where I live.

3. He loved me sacrificially

When he came – he gave up so very much to help me in my need.

  • He laid aside his glory, which he had from the beginning of time
  • He lowered himself to become a human
  • He humbled himself to serve others
  • He bore the cross – the torture, the injustice, the pain, the shame
  • He died on the cross

And he did all this for me. He loved me sacrificially. Jesus held nothing back.

Do you know this love? It’s there for you too, even though you don’t deserve it. He has acted to help you with your need coming to you. And he has done so sacrificially. He truly does love you. But you need to receive this love. Will you receive his love?

Now the Lord’s supper is not just an encouragement that yes, Jesus loves us. If that’s all it is we could just have the broken bread and the cup up here and look at it. We could put it in a display.

But no. He said of the bread, “take and eat.” He said of the cup, “drink from it all of you.” We are to take this love, his love into us, so that we can then love others, as Jesus has loved us. In other words, the Lord’s supper is also a call for us to embody Jesus’ love for others. This is the challenge of Jesus’ love. To receive it is to commit to give it.

1. We are to love those who don’t deserve it

At times we can be pretty good at loving those we like, and those who are nice to us; those who are like us and don’t bother us.

But Jesus calls us to love precisely those who are not lovable to us. As he said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” – Matthew 5:44. Just like Jesus loved us when we were unlovable, he calls us to love those that we find unlovable – who disgust us. We are to give them the same love that he gave to us

2. We are to love others with deeds, not just words

After talking about Jesus’ love for us, and how he came and died for us, John says, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” – 1 John 3:18.

Just like Jesus loved us with actions, we are to love others with real deeds, coming to them to help them with their need, where they live. We are to give the same love to them that Jesus gave to us.

3. We are to love others sacrificially

In the same passage, John says this about Jesus’ love, “by this we know love, that he laid down his life for us.” But then he goes on, “and we ought to lay down our lives for the sisters and the brothers. . . ..” – 1 John 3:16. You see the message – he laid down his life for us, we are to lay down our lives for others.

And love is not always easy. The phrase, “laying down your life” means sacrifice. And we need to love not just when it is convenient, or when we get something out of it.

Just as Jesus loved us sacrificially, we are to love others sacrificially. We are to give the same love that he gave to us, to others.

So as you partake today be encouraged by Jesus’ love for you. And as you take in his love receive the challenge, and recommit to give this same love to others.

William Higgins

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Getting serious about good relationships. Mark 9:43-50

January 29, 2012 by William Higgins

Series: Be at peace with one another!

We are wrapping up our series on being at peace with one another, based on Jesus’ teaching in Mark 9:33-50. So far we have looked at three different relationship problems that can happen in the church:

1. Competing with each other for status – the disciples were arguing over who’s the greatest.

2. Excluding those who are different than you – the disciples tried to stop someone working for the kingdom because he was not a part of their group.

3. Causing little ones to stumble – acting in ways that would cause those who are weak in faith to fall into sin or lose their faith in Jesus.

Today we look at the last part of this passage – vs. 43-50, a section that brings home this point – we need to get serious and work hard at having good relationships with one another.

Jesus begins by giving –

Three amputation sayings

They are all quite similar, one concerning the hand, the foot and the eye. (Just a note, in case you are wondering. vs. 44 and 46 are not in the oldest manuscripts, so they are not included in most Bibles today. They say the same thing as v. 48, however.)

v. 43-48 – “And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the un-quenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’”

First, a couple of observations. Jesus talks about the resurrection in several different ways here, twice as “to enter life,” as in eternal life, and also “to enter the kingdom of God.”

But he talks even more about the opposite of eternal life, which is hell. Now this is not Hades, the place of the dead. This is “Gehenna,” the final place of punishment for the wicked. Gehenna literally means the “valley of Hinnom,” which was southwest of Jerusalem. It was once a place of idol worship, including human sacrifice, but later was made into a garbage dump. As such, it became an image of the final punishment of the wicked.

In v. 43 Jesus describes hell as the “unquenchable fire.” In v. 48 he quotes Isaiah 66:24 as a description of hell (via the Isaiah Targum) – “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” This comes from the original garbage dump imagery where there would be worms and fire. The idea is that the worms will always be eating away and the fire will always be burning. A gruesome picture.

There also seems to be a progression from v. 43, that simply says, “to go to hell,” to vs. 45 and 47 that says, “to be thrown into hell,” a more forceful phrase.

The focal point of these verses, however is Jesus’ concern about stumbling. We talked about stumbling last week in connection to how our words or actions can cause someone else who is weak in faith to stumble. Here the concern is what might lead you to stumble, not someone else. There is a shift of focus.

A stumbling block is what causes someone’s downfall, or what trips someone up so that they fall. Again, there is a metaphor here of the Christian life as walking on a path. And so you are walking with Jesus, but something trips you up and you fall into sin and stop following Jesus. So we certainly need to beware of such stumbling blocks.

But what is Jesus telling us to do?! Well, he’s not suggesting that we literally cut off our hand or foot or tear out our eye. After all, this wouldn’t help us keep from falling into sin. No, these are proverbial sayings that warn about the dangers of stumbling blocks to sin, in rather drastic terms.

What they mean is simple, get rid of anything that might lead you to sin.

And this is so serious that you should get rid of the stumbling block even if it is as precious to you as your hand or your foot or your eye; even if it is as painful as cutting off your hand or foot or tearing out your eye. Better to come to the resurrection having made painful sacrifices in this life, than to have stumbled and fallen into sin, so that you are thrown into hell, the place of unending worms and fire.

So this is a strong admonition to separate from whatever might cause you to trip up and fall into sin. Don’t just get rid of the sin, get rid of what might lead you to sin. And notice that Jesus wants us to get this point. That’s why he says it three times.

Now, this warning can refer to stumbling blocks that lead to any kind of sin. (Jesus uses this language in reference to adultery in Matthew 5:29-30). But in context, the point here is more specific. Cut off anything that might lead you to tear apart the peace of the church. Deal with any issues you have that might lead you to damage relationships and people in the church.

He is talking about getting rid of anything that would lead you to do what he has already talked about in this passage:

  • competing with others for status
  • unnecessarily rejecting others just because they are from another group or are different
  • or causing little ones to stumble

And the warning part applies to this as well. And it is clearly stated. If we don’t do this, and tear apart the church, we will be thrown into Gehenna. (See 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 for a similar warning about what will happen to those who tear apart the church.)

In Luke 17:3 these amputation sayings are paraphrased like this, “Pay attention to yourselves.” Jesus is saying, look at your own life to see what might cause you to do one of these things – and get rid of it.

Well, this raises the question –

What do you need to amputate?

What leads you to sin in general? What causes you to give in to your weaknesses? Here are some examples of such stumbling blocks:

  • If you struggle with alcohol addiction, this could be a person or a place that encourages you to give in to your weakness.
  • If you struggle with pornography, unfiltered access to the internet could be a stumbling block.
  • If you are a new Christian, hanging out with old friends who pressure you to forsake Jesus would be a stumbling block

Let’s get more specific – what might lead you to damage the peace of the church? Being too competitive? Always wanting your own way? Allowing yourself to hold on to some bitterness? Not dealing with conflicts, because you don’t like to do this? Being so comfortable with the way things are, that when someone new comes who is different, you get upset. Feeling superior to those who don’t know as much as you? Any of these things might well lead you to damage relationships in the church, and so if they lead you to this you need to separate from them.

In relation to all these stumbling blocks, there may be sacrifices, but the reward is more than worth it. We will enter eternal life in the kingdom of God.

Next Jesus gives us –

Three salt sayings

The first is in v. 49 – “For everyone will be salted with fire.” This is difficult to make sense of. There’s not much to go with. Our help comes from the context just before. It is connected to verse 48 by the theme of fire and judgment.

The point is that everyone will be judged. Just as salt is sprinkled or poured out, so will the fire of judgment come upon all, even if you are one of the twelve. So the amputation warnings apply to them and to all disciples.

Now, the righteous will not experience the fire of Gehenna. But a refining fire is connected to what the righteous will experience on the last day in Malachi 3:2-3. So both the righteous and the wicked will experience fire at the final judgment. (On salt and judgment – Genesis 19:24-26; Deuteronomy 29:23; On fire judging the work of Christians – 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. This text is also connected to breaking apart the church – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.)

v. 50a – “Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again?” Salt had many uses: preservation, seasoning, fertilizer and more. It had real value. As Jesus says, “Salt is good.”

Here the disciples are the salt, who have been made salty by living out Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 5:13). But there is a warning. If you lose your saltiness, that is, you are unfaithful to my teaching – how will you be made salty again? If we don’t practice Jesus’ teaching we aren’t worth anything as disciples. Salt is good, but un-salty salt isn’t.

In Matthew 5:13 this saying is coupled with a clear statement of judgment. For such salt “is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”

The application of this can be broad, to any teaching of Jesus (Matthew 5, Luke 14), but here it is focused on whether we are living in peace with one another in the church.

9:50b – “Have salt in yourselves . . .” Here the salt is simply Jesus’ teaching. He is saying, take to heart my teaching. Put it into practice. Again, specifically focusing on relationships in the church.

And then finally, 9:50c – “. . . and be at peace with one another.” This is the summary message of the whole of Mark 9:33-50, which begins with arguing and ends with this exhortation to peace.

Let me end with a question –

How salty are you?

Are you putting this teaching of Jesus into practice?

  • Lowering yourself to serve others?
  • Accepting others from groups that are different than yours?
  • Helping little ones who are weak and susceptible to falling?
  • And in general, living at peace with one another?

If you are putting Jesus’ teaching into practice, you are salty salt and you are useful for all kinds of good things in the kingdom. Let us all put this teaching into practice.

William Higgins

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Causing “little ones” to stumble. Mark 9:42

January 22, 2012 by William Higgins

Series: Be at peace with one another!

We are continuing on in our series from Mark 9:33-50 on relationships among disciples in the church, and Jesus’ instruction to us to “be at peace with one another” in v. 50.

First, we learned that we are not to seek out status, you know, arguing over who is the greatest, or competing with each other in various subtle ways. Rather we are to lower ourselves to serve. We are to give up status to help others.

Last week we learned that we are not to reject other Christians who are doing work for the kingdom, just because they are from another group or just because they are different than us. Jesus taught us that if they are not against us, we are to see them as for us. We are on the same team.

Today we learn about how to treat “little ones” in our community. If in our previous two lessons there was something the disciples did or said that Jesus responds to as a way of teaching them something important about relationships, our lesson today has no such prompting. Jesus simply takes the initiative here to give us –

A word about causing “little ones” to stumble

(In the other two examples Jesus concludes by giving a “whoever” saying. Here we only have a “whoever” saying.)

v. 42 – “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

This short verse raises three very specific questions. And the first is who are these “little ones”? The full phrase is, “one of these little ones” and Jesus uses this several times. [Although the “these” does not always have an antecedent (Luke 17:2)]. In line with its use in Zechariah 13:7, where “little ones” refers to God’s people, Jesus uses this as a way of talking about his disciples. (And Jesus alludes to this verse in Mark 14:27, making the 12 the “little ones.”)

Jesus calls his disciples children in other places (Mark 10:24, Matthew 11:25) and this is another, similar way a referring to them.

As we see in our verse, these “little ones” are people “who believe in” Jesus. Again, he is talking about disciples. [More: The phrase “who believe in me” points toward disciples, not simply children. In Matthew 10:42 they are called disciples. Matthew 18 points to a disciple who has joined the community and made commitments of accountability. It is a church discipline context.]

But this phrase also seems to focus on a certain subset of disciples – those who are new, weak, immature or unlearned, and thus vulnerable. That’s why there’s such a concern about their well-being in our verse, that they not stumble. (The 12 are seen in this light as they scatter when Jesus is arrested – Mark 14:27/ Zechariah 13:7)

This same special concern is found in Matthew 18:10 where Jesus tells the apostles, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” God has a special concern for them.

In our Scripture today, the phrase most likely refers to the one who gives the 12 a cup of water to drink. Jesus had just talked about this person in v. 41. This person is “little” because he only gives assistance to those who are out proclaiming the Kingdom, as opposed to being an apostle, following Jesus around, knowing more or being more gifted.

The second question is what does it mean to stumble? Some translations today render it as “cause to sin.” But the word does literally mean “to cause to stumble.” It can also be translated to cause someone’s downfall or to trip someone up so that they fall.

The picture is of someone who is walking along and then trips over an obstacle and falls. It is seen metaphorically as applying to the Christian life. You are walking with Jesus on the path, but something trips you up and fall – and stop following Jesus. [Perhaps this is rooted in the literal command about stumbling blocks in Leviticus 19:14; Deuteronomy 27:18.]

The end result is that the person falls into sin or gives up their faith in Jesus. In Matthew 18, where Jesus talks about this, it is connected to a little one “going astray” or “perishing.”

The third question is how do you cause someone to stumble? Let’s take the hypothetical situation that I think Jesus is working with – someone offers an Apostle a glass of water because they want to support their ministry of preaching and healing.

But the apostle, because he thinks he is so important, and this person so insignificant, communicates condescension and contempt through his words and actions and makes the person feel inadequate, discouraged and shamed. The little one is crushed. He thinks, “One of the 12 thinks I’m not good enough to be a disciple of Jesus. The best I can do isn’t good enough.” And so the little one gives up following Jesus. The apostle has caused this little one to stumble.

You can see the core issue here, a disregard for the well-being of those who are not as mature or knowledgeable or gifted, or experienced as you are. You aren’t concerned with how your words and actions affect them. And this comes from a sense that you are better than these little ones.

This is why Jesus tells the 12 in Matthew 18, “do not despise one of these little ones.” Don’t look down on them, don’t treat them like they are worthless or expendable. [Not only are we not to cause them to stumble, when they do go astray for whatever reason, we are to go after them Matthew 18:10-14.]

Just because you are an apostle, or whoever, does not mean that you are more important than one of these little ones.

The last part of our verse shows us that this is really serious! This is a stern warning to the disciples and to everyone, to be careful how they treat little ones. If you cause one of these little ones to stumble, Jesus is saying, “. . . it would be better for you if a great millstone were put around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.”

A millstone is a rock that was used to grind grain, so that you can make bread. There were two of them together and they grind against each other. There was the hand-held kind and then there was the much larger kind that required a donkey harnessed to it to make it work. Here, Jesus is referring to this second kind. One of these stones could easily weigh several thousand pounds. It would be similar to having “cement shoes” as we say today. You would go straight to the bottom of the sea. Not a pretty way to die.

But the point here is that this would be better than the judgment you will receive, if you cause a little one to stumble. This is how important “little ones” are to God.

Now let’s shift the focus to us and how this applies to us –

Who are “little ones” among us?

It certainly applies to new Christians who have just begun walking with Jesus. Also immature Christians, who are older in years, but haven’t grown much. Also to unlearned Christians, who still don’t know much about the Bible and the Christian life. And it applies to weak Christians. We can all fit under this category because we all have specific weaknesses and under the right pressure might stumble.

But let’s also stretch this out a bit to cover Christians with mental health issues, who because of this are more fragile and thus vulnerable. And perhaps we can also include here Christians with developmental disabilities, whose faith is sometimes more elementary, and children with childhood faith, who are still coming to an adult faith.

This category really covers everyone whose faith is more weak and thus more susceptible to being tripped up.

How can we cause little ones to stumble?

This can happen in many ways, here are just two examples.

1) Use of alcohol. You feel comfortable drinking wine in moderation. You know that people drank wine in the Bible and that the line the Bible draws is drunkenness.

But there’s a new Christian in your church who has struggled with alcohol addiction. And you have him over for dinner. And even though you have heard of his struggle, you serve him wine to drink. Why not, you are free to drink it? And God can help anyone overcome temptation.

Well, he sees you drinking and even though he knows it is very dangerous for him to drink, he thinks, “Well you are a mature Christian who knows the bible well so it’s probably all right.” And so he partakes.

And sure enough his resolve is weakened by this and he begins once again a pattern of alcohol abuse. For you drinking wine is not an issue of sin. But for this person drinking any alcohol leads to sin. Instead of thinking of his need, his weakness, instead you are focused on your freedom and strength in this area. But you have caused him to stumble into sin. What is the obstacle that tripped him up? You, your words and actions.

2) Church snobbery. A new believer comes to church and is eager to learn. She is full of questions and is curious about a lot. Well, you are the Sunday School teacher and are get annoyed after a while. She never seems to shut up. And she don’t understand the most basic things. You are frustrated because you can’t get through your lesson plan.

One day you complain to a friend at church, “Did you hear that she asked today? She wondered where they put the 10 commandments on Noah’s ark! Can you believe it? She doesn’t know the differenced between Noah’s ark and the ark of the covenant! She’s so ignorant she should just keep her mouth shut. How embarrassing!”

Well the woman overheard this and she was crushed. She looked up to you as the teacher and thought you liked her curiosity as a new believer. She thought Sunday school was where you come to learn about the Bible. But she clearly heard your contempt and condescension. She was so upset that she never came back to church. And when others later tried to get her to return she said that she would never go to a place that would say something like that. She stopped following Jesus. What is the impediment that tripped her up? You, your words and your actions.

Again, this kind of thing can happen in many different ways. Anytime the weak and vulnerable are looked down on, instead of being helped there is an environment where this kind of thing can happen.

Let’s listen now to –

Jesus’ word to us

“Be at peace with one another – Mark 9:50. If you are strong, mature or a leader, don’t see this as an opportunity to look down on little ones and act in ways that have no regard for their well-being; that cause them to stumble. See it as an invitation to care for the weak, the fragile and the vulnerable. If you are strong, if you are gifted, if you are knowledgeable use these things to help the weak to grow and be strong. This is why God has given you these things.

An important part of what Jesus is teaching us in this verse is that every disciple of his is important. The 12 are important, but so is the one with the cup of water. Leaders are important, but so are those who are brand new Christians. Those who have much knowledge are important, but so are those who barely know anything yet. Those who are gifted are important, but so are those who don’t have flashy gifts.

All disciples of Jesus are important and we all need to live in peace with one another acting in each other’s best interests. We need to love and care for one another.

William Higgins

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Rejecting disciples who are not from your group. Mark 9:38-41

January 15, 2012 by William Higgins

Series: Be at peace with one another!

We are looking again today at the larger passage of Mark 9:33-50, focusing in on relationship problems that can happen among followers of Jesus in the church. As we saw last week, the point of this whole passage is found at the very end in v. 50 – “Be at peace with one another.” Jesus wants his people to live in harmony with one another.

You have your handout again today, so you can see the bigger picture of the series we’re in. Last week we talked about arguing over who’s the greatest. And Jesus taught us not to seek after recognition and status. Rather we are to lower ourselves below even those with no status, so that we can serve them. We learned that this is what true greatness means in the kingdom of God.

Today we look at not rejecting disciples who are not from your group. Our text is Mark 9:38-41. This is the story of –

The unfamiliar exorcist

v. 38 – “John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’”

So the situation here is that a person, who was not a part of the twelve, is casting out demons in Jesus’ name. He is doing real ministry because the demons are being cast out, and people are being set free.

That someone else was casting out demons is not that exceptional, for instance there were Jewish exorcists who were sometimes successful in casting out demons (Matthew 12:27). The focus here is that he was doing this in Jesus’ name, that is, he has taken it on himself to act on behalf of Jesus or as Jesus’ representative. [This story is different than Acts 19:13-17. This person is a real follower of Jesus.]

Now Jesus had a number of disciples beyond just the 12. There are the 72 that are sent out in Luke 10 and we learn about a number of other disciples in the Gospel of John. And this fellow is one of these, although maybe Jesus himself had not met him. Perhaps he is a convert of one of these other disciples of Jesus.

From the point of view of the 12, however, this man, whoever he was, was different than they were. He was not, as they said, “following us.” He was not a part of their group. So they tried to stop him.

(Were the disciples envious since some had just publicly failed to cast out a demon Mark 9:14-29)? (Also, see Numbers 11:26-30 for a similar story.)

v. 39 – “But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him . . ..’” He has a very different take on this situation. And he gives two reasons why the man should not be stopped.

Reason #1. v. 39 – “. . . for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.’” Here we see a bit more of why the 12 are trying to stop this man. They thought that he had a crowd from casting out demons, he might end up saying something bad about Jesus.

There is a real “name focus” in this passage, with several instances of the phrase “in Jesus’ name” being used (v. 37 just before, vs. 38, 39, 41). Here the disciples are concerned for Jesus’ name, as in his reputation. They don’t want this man, who might seem like a loose cannon to go off and slander Jesus.

Jesus’ response to this is simple. No one who is doing a mighty work such as casting out a demon in his name, is going then to speak evil of him. How can you see how powerful Jesus is and the freedom he brings – right in front of you, and then turn right around and say something bad about him? This is no guarantee of the future for this man, but it would be hard, Jesus is saying to put these two things together at the same time – seeing one thing and saying another.

Reason #2. Next, Jesus lays down an amazingly inclusive principle for this kind of situation. v. 40 – “For the one who is not against us is for us.”

Usually people think like this – You are either with us or against us. And if you’re not on my side you’re on the wrong side and an opponent. It is true that Jesus does have a saying like this. In Matthew 12:30 he says, “Whoever is not with me is against me.” This has to do with being with or against Jesus. And you do have to choose here.

But when it comes to relationships between disciples, or different groups of disciples – things are different. There’s a different rule.

As long as the person is “not against” you, you should see them as “for” you. That is, on the same side. As long as they are not opposing you, undermining you, or persecuting you – accept them as fellow disciples.

With Jesus there is a clear, black and white standard. But with fellow disciples the standard is much more open and inclusive.

In this particular case, Jesus is saying, even though this man was different from them, not a part of their group, he is not opposing them. In fact, he is “for” them because he is doing the work of the kingdom – casting out demons. He is not the competition, he is an assistant. A fellow worker for the kingdom. Therefore they should not try to shut him down and get him to quit.

A final thought. v. 41 – “For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.” [Note: The Greek after “to drink” is a bit convoluted. It says literally, “in the name because you are Christ’s.” I am following the NIV that translates “in the name” as a variant of “in my name.” The rest is ESV as usual.]

Jesus is helping them put things in perspective here. The phrase, “truly I say to you” means this is really important, so listen up. If a small act of help, like giving them water because they are working for Jesus is rewarded, then surely what this man is doing, casting out demons will be rewarded too. He too is giving them assistance in the work of the kingdom. They are on the same team.

How do we do reject other disciples?

There are many differences between various groups of Christians today; a bewildering variety.

  • As groups we have different histories coming from different places and with different stories.
  • We have different human traditions about how we worship, how we organize our communities, how we do mission, and so forth.
  • We have different beliefs on any number of issues. We don’t agree on all things. And we even emphasize different things where we agree.

How then do we look at these other Christians groups? Those who are not “following us”? Christians who are different than us? We are from the Mennonite tradition here. But what do we think of the Baptists, the Methodists, the Lutherans, the Catholics the Eastern Orthodox?

Now, I’m not talking about false teachers. I’m talking about people who are real disciples of Jesus who are doing real ministry in his name.

  • Do we think we are the only real Christians? There are still Christians who think their group will be the only one to make it.
  • Do we put these other disciples down? You know, if they only knew more and were more committed, they would be just like us!
  • Do we dismiss their ministries? Ridicule them? Rejoice in their failures? Hope they will stop?

This is unnecessary exclusiveness. We are all, after all, the people of Jesus. And although concerning him you are either for him or against him, that’s not how it works when it comes to our particular Christian groups.

I’m not saying that these differences aren’t important. They can be really important! This is not a call to look down on having strong beliefs. It’s just that we need to realize our differences are not as important as our common connection in Jesus.

Let’s listen to –

Jesus’ word to us

Don’t reject disciples who aren’t from your group. Don’t try to keep them from ministering in Jesus’ name. Rather, “be at peace with one another” – Mark 9:50.

Just as in the episode before this, we were taught to receive or welcome the lowly one who has no status, so here we are to welcome disciples from other groups who are doing ministry in Jesus’ name.

We’re on the same team! And they are helping out in the larger task finishing Jesus commission to us, which is too big for any one group by itself.

Imagine if the church had followed this teaching of Jesus through the centuries, so that we lived in peace with one another – instead of fighting, persecuting and killing each other. What if we didn’t try to dominate each other so that everyone has to believe and live like we do? What if we had listened to Jesus. What a witness it could have been.

But it’s never too late to start. May the Lord help us in this.

William Higgins

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Arguing about who’s the greatest. Mark 9:33-37

January 8, 2012 by William Higgins

Series: Be at peace with one another!

We are back into our series on Jesus’ teaching in the gospel of Mark. And today we begin in on a passage found in Mark 9:33-50, which will take us a few weeks to work our way through.

We’re gonna look specifically at vs. 33-37 this morning, focused on arguments about who’s the greatest in the church community. But before we jump in, let’s back up and look at –

The bigger picture

Mark 9:33-50 is a part of a yet larger section of teaching that comes between Jesus’ second and third prediction of his death. This is teaching for his disciples about living life after his death and resurrection – after Jesus is gone. It’s preparation for this. The first part of this has to do with the household of the church: Mark 9:33-50 – which is our focus. The second has to do with earthly households: Mark 10:1-31 (marriage – vs. 1-12; children – vs. 13-16; wealth – vs. 17-31).

Now let’s look a bit more at what Jesus says about –

The household of the church – Mark 9:33-50

You have a handout that outlines the passage. This is where we’ll be going in the next few weeks. The common theme is relationships in Jesus’ community of disciples. And the point of this whole passage is found at the very end, in  v. 50 – “Be at peace with one another.”

As you can see in your handout, he covers three relationship problems: arguing over who is the greatest, rejecting those who are not from your group and looking down on those who seem unimportant. Then he stresses in the clearest possible way the danger that awaits those who cause division and strife in his community in, what I am calling the three amputation sayings and the three salt sayings.

So this is what we are looking at and we begin with the first kind of conflict, the disciples arguing about –

Who’s the greatest?

v. 33 – “And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’” Capernaum was Jesus’ home base. It was a fishing village on the  sea of Galilee.

Jesus checks in on his disciples to see what they were discussing. Maybe it was an especially intense conversation and he wants to see what’s going on.

v. 34 – “But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.” They were silent because they knew better than to openly argue about such a thing.

Jesus has been teaching them about the coming of the kingdom of God and they expected to have an exalted place in that kingdom, based on their service to Jesus now.

And that expectation was right. As Jesus indicates in Matthew 19:28 – “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

But who would have the highest place? Whose throne would be the best? Whose would be next to Jesus and whose would be furthest away?

v. 35 – “And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’” Jesus sits down because this is what teachers did in that day. He has something to share with them about the true path to greatness – which is very different than what people in the world think.

The way to be great is to be “last of all and servant of all.” This is an important teaching that is repeated in different ways by Jesus:

  • Mark 10:43-44 – “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.”
  • Luke 22:26 – “Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.”
  • Matthew 23:11 – “The greatest among you shall be your servant.”

If in the world you become great by putting yourself forward to be recognized, clawing your way to the top while pushing others down, being arrogant and self-focused – in the kingdom you become great by lowering yourself and being the last of all.

If being great in the world means being served by others – in the kingdom being great means serving others.

Jesus is saying to his disciples – it’s OK to seek to be great, but you’re going about it in exactly the wrong way.

  • Don’t focus on raising yourself up and being recognized and served.
  • Focus on lowering yourself and serving others’ needs.

For this is what greatness means in the kingdom of God. And these God himself will raise up to be honored.

And then Jesus gives an illustration. v. 36 – “And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms . . .” Apparently the child is from the house where they are.

Remember that in biblical times children were not held in the same high regard as they are today in the West. They were often seen as no more than slaves, until they grew up. They had no power or social status. They were not put on a pedestal. They were on the bottom – lowly and last.

And so what does Jesus do? “Taking him in his arms” can also be translated as “embracing him.” Jesus hugs the child. A simple act of love; the giving of attention and affection. Jesus is saying, “This is what I’m talking about.”

Then he gives the lesson. vs. 36-37 – “. . . he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’”

 To receive someone means to welcome them. To welcome them in the name of Jesus is to do this on behalf of Jesus; as his representative; as his servant.

Jesus is saying that greatness comes from accepting the lowest social status in order to serve others – in this case a child. You put yourself below the lowly one, so that you can love and minister to their needs. Instead of the lowly ones focusing on you and lifting you up, you focus on them and lift them up by serving them.

And what you will find is that you will not be serving no-bodies, you know, people who can’t help you out in return (Luke 1413-14), you will be serving Jesus and indeed the Father.

Let me ask the question, then –

How do we seek out worldly greatness?

How do we try to be better than others in our church community? It’s usually not open. Like the disciples we know that we shouldn’t openly pursue this. But we do have subtle ways of seeking to put ourselves above others.

Here’s an example: a pastor who’s focus is on success, defined as having a bigger and bigger church and being recognized by others; a kind of celebrity. In other words this pastor has a worldly definition of success. Now, it isn’t wrong to grow or to be recognized. But the point of ministry is to place yourself below others to serve them, not above them to be recognized. To lift them up, not to be lifted up.

A church member who wants a certain role. And so pushes to get it, manipulates, pressures and politicks for it. This is really just self-promotion – seeking the honor of the role, not seeking to serve others.

Rivalries between church members. You know, over who is more gifted, or more faithful? Rivalries for the admiration of other members, or agreement on key issues that the church is discussing – creating factions.

A church member who wants to be recognized. You have worked hard and no one seems to notice. And so you are angry and a little bitter. And so you start laying out hints to get others to notice you. Again it is not wrong to be recognized. And maybe others are failing to appreciate you. But it’s wrong to seek to be recognized or to set your heart on gaining that. That is the way of the world.

When we take up the agenda of worldly greatness we strain, damage and destroy our relationships with each other. And the church is weakened and distracted from doing what God calls us to do. Any group that is focused on such things is not going to be able to be focused on loving God and loving each other and serving God in the world. So you can see the importance of us having good relationships with each other.

Jesus’ word to us

Stop seeking worldly greatness among yourselves, and “be at peace with one another” – v. 50.

Only seek kingdom greatness, which will eliminate the conflict over who has the most status and who should be recognized.

And then let God exalt you at the right time. Don’t even worry about this. Keep on lowering yourself to serve and leave the agenda of recognition in God’s hands. It may not come until the final day, but wait for it. It will be worth it.

William Higgins

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