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Jesus’s call to love our enemies and make peace

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on December 4, 2025| 1 Comment »

It’s my privilege this morning to share with you about our Lord’s teaching on love for enemies and peacemaking. This is a part of our sermon series on hard topics – and yes, it can be hard to love our enemies. For whatever reason God has allowed me to experience several really difficult enemies in our journey and I can testify to you that it’s a difficult path to walk. Although I can also testify that God always provides the strength and wisdom we need to do his will.

This is also a hard topic because of all the issues and questions it raises. It’s just not possible in one short presentation like I’m sharing today to address all of these. I was teaching a college class on this topic in Kenya in August and a student in the back – a large man with a booming voice – raised his hand every time I stopped for questions. And he asked really tough questions which led to some great conversations. And in this case by the end of the class we seemed to be on the same page. Likewise, I’m happy to have conversations with you to talk more about these things if you like. And I would love to hear where you’re coming from.

I want us to look briefly at two key passages this morning, and the first is –

Matthew 5:43-44

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

A couple of observations. First, things were different in the Old Testament. That’s not hard to see. And here is where we see that Jesus changes things for God’s people in the new covenant. “This is how things were, but I say to you . . .”

The Old Testament operated by “an eye for an eye.” If someone harms you, you can return harm to them in a proportionate way. But in our verses Jesus calls us to return good for harm, rather than harm for harm. He gives two examples – we are to love those who harm us (enemies are those who harm us) and we are to pray for those who persecute us.

A second observation is that the word “love” here means to do good to someone; to care for, bless and sacrifice for them; to act for their well-being. If we ask, “Does love ever allow us to hurt someone?” Well, in an extreme situation, without the right equipment and pain killers a doctor might need to saw off someone’s leg in order to save their life. And although this causes great pain and is violent it is done in the best interests of the person.

So yes, if someone comes to my house in order to hurt my family, I’m really clear that I can restrain or harm them to protect my family. This can be consistent with love if it’s done with regard also for my enemy’s well-being, in this case, stopping them from doing evil. I would also not use excessive force or vent my anger on them after they are stopped or otherwise express my hatred toward them. Rather, I believe, love would call me to be concerned about them. I will pray for the person and perhaps I will visit them in jail.

So yes, love for my enemy allows me to do this. But I’m also even more clear that love does not allow me to kill my enemy. There is no possible way that this is what is loving or good for the person. This is not caring for them or blessing them. This is not acting for their well-being. Love, of course, means much more than this. Not killing a person is the bare minimum of what love means.

Let me share with you a story about loving enemies: Thomas, who lived in Africa, was a follower of Jesus. But his neighbor hated Christians. One night this neighbor snuck over to Thomas’s hut and set the thatched roof on fire. Thomas awoke in time and was able to put the fire out, saving his family. This happened two more times.

On another night the neighbor once again tried to burn Thomas’s house down. This time it was windy and another neighbor’s house also caught on fire. Thomas’s hands and arms were severely burned putting out these fires. Other neighbors told the chief what was happening and the evil neighbor was put in jail.

The next day a visiting evangelist heard the story. She said, it’s good that this man was put in jail! Thomas replied, “I feel sorry for him.” Then they prayed for the man. Thomas prayed, “Lord, I wish that this man would become one of your children . . .. I pray that we will become brothers in Christ and will be able to preach to our tribe together.”

Two days later the evangelist visited the local prison and asked who might want to become a Christian. Thomas’s neighbor responded. She told him about Thomas’s burns and his prayer. The man cried and nodded, “Yes, one day we’ll do that together – preach to our tribe.” [They Loved Their Enemies, True Stories of African Christians, by Marian Hostetler. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1988. Pages 87-89]

I don’t know what you think of this story. I confess Thomas was more patient with his neighbor than I would have been. But what if we all saw our enemies through the lens of such love – that our enemies might become Christians so that we could serve the Lord together.

Our second scripture is –

Matthew 5:9

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

A couple of observations on this verse. First, peace or shalom is a rich and important theme in Scripture. It has to do with completeness and soundness in all areas of life. Peace equals well-being broadly defined. It involves abundant life, wholeness and blessing. More specifically peace has to do with right relationships with God and others. And when sin wrecks this, it has to do with God’s salvation and restoration of shalom.

A second observation is that in our verse Jesus identifies his followers with the term “peacemakers” or those who work for peace. Christians are defined as those who work for God’s peace in this broken world. We are to be agents of wholeness, blessing and well-being to both the individuals we encounter and the communities where God has placed us.

    Let me share with you now a story about Christians being peacemakers: Ethiopia is a country made up of numerous ethnic/ cultural/ religious groups. And there is often armed conflict going on in the country. The Mennonite church in Ethiopia, the Meserete Kristos Church, is called upon by the government to work for peace in the midst of the brokenness and suffering of these conflicts. This is one such story.

    In 2022 a peace training was done in the Dangur region, which had been experiencing violence and bloodshed for several years. The leader of the training was seeking to communicate that genuine love and humility help in building peace. He decided to use footwashing as an example of this. Two people came forward – a Muslim man and a Gumuz man.

    The leader untied the Muslim man’s sandals and began to wash his feet, while he sat literally shaking from shock. Next, the leader went to the Gumuz man and washed his feet. Some people started screaming. Others stood up holding their heads with their two hands. While washing their feet the trainer said, “Let these feet change their ways today! Let these feet walk in the way of peace! Let these feet run for peace and make history.”

    When he was done the participants returned to their seats. The group then reflected on what had just happened.

    • They were shocked that a Christian did the lowly work of washing a Muslim’s feet.

    • They were especially shocked that the leader had washed the Gumuz man’s feet because he was darker skinned than the rest and the object of racism because of this. This act communicated that the Gumuz people are worthy of dignity and respect.

    After the training the Gumuz man, Dergu, went to a government official and told him about the transformation he experienced at the training. He wanted to do something that makes for peace. He asked for a gun and was given one. He went into the bush where the armed guerrillas were based. He met them and shared what happened to him. He was able to persuade five of them to lay down their arms and give up using violence to solve their conflicts.

    After he taught these five people more about peace – he sent them out and they brought back fifteen more guerrillas. Within a year they brought back 850 armed guerillas. Gradually all armed groups in the district were convinced to surrender their weapons. And this spread to several other districts. [“Culturally Rooted Empowering Peacebuilding: A Case of Meserete Kristos Church’s Peacebuilding Approach in Ethiopia” by Mekonnen Gemeda, in Anabaptist Witness, April 2024, Mission and Peace in Ethiopia, excerpt, pp. 153-155]

    Our convictions about loving enemies and peace may well exclude us from some things that our government might require of us. But as this story shows there are other ways that we can be both faithful to Jesus and useful to our communities in bringing healing and help.

    Let me speak personally now as I bring things to a close. I choose to follow Jesus’s call to love and peace, not because God doesn’t use the government and its “eye for an eye” approach to suppress evil for now. God does. And he calls those who do this his “servants” (Romans 13:4). And we are to honor them (1 Peter 2:17). I choose love and peace because it’s the unique calling of Christians to display Jesus’s love and reconciliation to the world. This is our job. And if we don’t do it, who will?

    I choose to follow Jesus’s call to love and peace, not because I’m naïve. I know how the world works. Those who are powerful often take what they want by force. I choose love and peace because more violence, even by the government which God uses – more harm will never fix this broken world we live in. It’s just a stopgap. It’s the love of Jesus that brings healing and hope to our world. Only this brings true peace.

    I choose to follow Jesus’s call to love and peace, not because it’s easy. On a personal level it’s much more satisfying to strike out when harmed and to seek even more than “an eye for an eye.” I choose love and peace because when I was God’s enemy, he gave me his love and peace. And as one who has received such a precious gift, I know that I’m obligated to pass this grace along to my enemies as well.

    I would like us to end with a congregational reading from Romans 12:14-21:

    L: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

    P: Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another.

    L: Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

    P: Repay no one harm for harm, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

    L: Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

    P: To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

    A: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Amen.

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

    Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 8, 2012| 9 Comments »

    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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    The Parable of the Vineyard Tenants. Mark 12:1-12

    Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 6, 2011| 12 Comments »

    Today we look at more teaching from the gospel of Mark and we come to the important Parable of the Vineyard Tenants. I say important because it really gives us Jesus’ own perspective on his ministry and what is about to happen as his time of ministry comes to an end. I want us to look at what this parable means, and draw out some lessons for us to remember as we share in the Lord’s supper together.

    Overview of the parable

    vs. 1-2 – “And he began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.’” [Jesus is using portions of Isaiah 5:1-7 which tells a similar story.]

    This setup was not uncommon in that day. You have an absentee land owner who leases out the farm to tenant workers. The agreement would go like this:

    • The owner has the land and sets things up, as he does here: planting the vines and building a fence, a pit and a tower: all that you need to produce wine.
    • And the tenants are to work the farm and give the owner a reasonable return when the harvest comes, several years later (Leviticus 19:23-25).

    And so v. 2 ends with the owner sending a servant, “when the season came” to collect what’s due.

    The first servant: vs. 2-3 – “ . . . he sent a servant . . .. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.” There were often disagreements between owners and tenants, just as today.

    A second servant: v. 4 – “Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.”

    A third servant: v. 5 – “And he sent another, and him they killed.” [This more than meets the requirement of two to three witnesses of their wrong.]

    More servants: And if this wasn’t enough already v. 5 continues, “And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.” He had a lot of servants, but they had all been unsuccessful in collecting what was due.

    His son: v. 6 – “He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’” “Beloved” means his only son, and so very dear to the father (Genesis 22:2). And this is the only representative the owner had left to send.

    Perhaps the owner figured that since his son has full legal authority, and has higher rank than a mere servant – they will have to respect him!

    The tenants reasoned differently, however. vs. 7-8 – “But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.”

    Maybe they thought the owner was dead since the son came? Or maybe they thought the owner was too old or too far away, or too weak to enforce his claims on the property. By the rules of that day tenants could inherit the land they worked, if the owner and heirs were dead or unwilling to make a claim. So they kill the son and throw him out, without even burying him, a real insult.

    Jesus then asks, v. 9 – “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” The owner is not dead or weak. And there are grave consequences for the actions of the tenants.

    The story the parable tells

    – is really the story of God and his people and it is the story of Jesus.

    • The vineyard is the people of God – this was a common image in Scripture (Isaiah 5:2, Psalm 80:8-9, Jeremiah 2:21).
    • The owner is God whenever God’s people are seen as a vineyard. The word translated in v. 9 as “owner” is actually “lord,” which has a double meaning, pointing to “the Lord.”
    • The fruit of the vineyard is faithfulness. This is what God’s people owe to God.
    • The servants are prophets, sent by God to call his people to obedience. As Jeremiah 7:25-26 says “From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck.”
    • The tenants are the leaders of Jerusalem. This parable comes in the context of a long argument with the leaders of Jerusalem. And even these leaders, v. 12 tells us, “perceived that he had told the parable against them.”
    • Finally, the beloved son is Jesus. In the Gospel of Mark God calls Jesus this at his baptism (Mark 1:11) and at his transfiguration (Mark 9:7).

    First we have, the story that has already happened:

    – God did form a people for himself. He blessed them and sought their faithfulness.

    – And when they didn’t give it God did send messenger after messenger to call them to obedience. But they refused to listen.

    – And now as the culmination God has sent Jesus, his beloved, only Son. The one who has all authority. The one who is dear to his heart.

    Then we have the story that is yet to come:

    – Like in the parable, the leaders have no regard for Jesus, even though he is God’s Son. In fact, they will soon kill Jesus. And in a shameful way, like in the story.

    – But God, his Father, will act. God will “destroy” these leaders, which happened in 70 AD, when Jerusalem was destroyed.

    – And God will give leadership of his people to “others,” referring to the followers of Jesus, his Son.

    And then we have –

    A short Scripture lesson

    – attached to our story. Here we switch from the vineyard as an image of God’s people to that of a building or more likely the temple as an image of God’s people.

    vs. 10-11 – “Have you not read this Scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” This comes from Psalm 118:22-23. Psalm 118 was often sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the festivals. It was well known.

    Now, the reason these verses are attached to this parable has to do with the wordplay between – the Hebrew/Aramaic word for son, “ben,” which is the focus of the parable, and the word for stone, “eben,” which is the focus of these verses (Matthew Black).

    When it says “cornerstone” it is literally “the head of the corner.” It is referring to the most important stone in the whole building. Perhaps the stone at the peak of the arch, or a capstone on a column or a stone at the top of a building that completes it.

    In Jesus’ day this was often seen as referring to king David. He was the one overlooked by Samuel at first, and then by the leaders of Israel. But he became the king of Israel.

    This was also read by some as pointing to the Messiah, the coming son of David. When Jesus entered Jerusalem just before this, the crowds quote Psalm 118:26 – “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” and then interpret it in a messianic way when they say, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” (Mark 11:10)

    The message is clear: Jesus is the stone that was rejected and cast aside by the builders (the religious leaders), but God will vindicate him and raise him up as the chief stone of the whole building. Just as God brought about a marvelous reversal of fortune for David, so God will do this for Jesus, David’s son.

    This raising image is an apt one for the idea of being vindicated, as well as for the resurrection of Jesus (Joel Markus).

    [These verses also connect to the parable in that they expand a bit on the vineyard being given to others. If David is the original reference in Psalm 118, then Jesus is saying it will be similar now in his case. Just as the kingdom was taken from Saul and given to David and his line, so the leadership of the people of God is now given to Jesus and his followers]

    An ironic ending

    The passage ends with v. 12 – “And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.” The leaders are seeking to do just what Jesus said they would do, in his parable that they didn’t like!

    As we share in the Lords’ supper

    – let’s remember some lessons from this passage of Scripture: 1. Let’s remember God’s amazing patience and love. The parable highlights these qualities of God.

    God sent three servants. Then God sent even more. God put up with a lot. This shows that he really loves us and wants us to come back to him and for us to be faithful.

    Then he sent his son to call us back. Now why would he risk this given what happened to his servants? The only answer is God’s profoundly amazing love for us!

    2. Let’s remember the terrible consequences of disobedience. God really does require our obedience. And if we don’t give this, or in this case, if the leaders stand in the way of this – there is judgment. This is what happened in the history of Israel, it is what is predicted in the parable and it is what happened in the fulfillment in 70 A.D.

    God is patient and loving, yes. But God will not tolerate sin forever. There is a limit, and a time when we must reap what we have sown.

    3. Let’s remember who Jesus is. He is God’s beloved and only Son. He is the one who died, coming to call us to repentance. He is the one who was rejected and cast aside. And he is the chief stone, raised up by God – vindicated and resurrected.

    William Higgins

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    Why God forbids alcohol and drug abuse

    Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »

    (rewritten)

    Proverbs 23:29-35

    “Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And you will say, ‘They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?’” (NLT)

    Let me begin by telling you what I’m not talking about this morning. I am not talking about whether a Christian can or cannot drink alcohol in moderation. Christians can disagree about this and I have expressed myself on this before – see here.

    What I’m here to do is to emphasize the line which the Scriptures draw quite clearly, which is that drunkenness is wrong. And as we will see, this certainly includes drug abuse as well.

    But more than just make this point, I want us to look at why this is forbidden, to get some insight into this. Is God just not fun? What’s up with this?

    First, we look at what is clear in Scripture

    Drunkenness is forbidden

    This is especially plain in the New Testament. Turn to 1 Peter 4:3. “The time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do . . . drunkenness . . . (and) drinking parties . . ..” Peter is saying, Stop doing these things! You are believers now. You know, haven’t you already wasted enough of your time with this?” Look at v. 4. He says, your friends may be shocked that you don’t do this anymore, but, as he says in v. 2, you are to live your live after God’s will from now on.

    In Ephesians 5:18 Paul says it quite simply, with 4 words, “do not get drunk . . ..”

    Then he spells it out a bit in Galatians 5:19-21. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality . . . drunkenness (etc.) . . .. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Here we learn that it is a work of the flesh, a sin like sexual immorality (and the other items on this list). And if you persist in it, you will be judged; you will be rejected by Jesus on that final day.

    And then, just in case it isn’t clear enough already, we also have 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. “Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral . . . nor drunkards . . . will inherit the kingdom of God.” Whatever rationalization you might want to entertain, Paul is saying, “don’t be deceived.” It is wrong and it will kill you eternally. (See also Romans 13:13)

    This is why this teaching is a part of our congregational covenant. A commitment to this scriptural standard is a basic part of the Christian life and it is a part of what it means to be baptized.

    Now, let’s look at three reasons why drunkenness is forbidden.

    1. It will destroy you

     When you’re drunk you lose control of your mental faculties and of your behavior in general. This is the definition of drunkenness or intoxication. You also lose control when you are “high” on drugs. The result of this is that you end up hurting yourself in very serious ways. Let’s look at some Scriptural descriptions of this sad reality.

    It will make a fool of you. Proverbs 23:23 talks about having “hallucinations” when you are drunk. You lose touch with reality and this shows up in your behavior. This also comes out in Proverbs 23:35. The drunk person says, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up.”

    You won’t even be able to walk. Proverbs 23:34 speaks of those who “stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a mast.” Isaiah 28:7 talks about people who reel, stumble and stagger.

    Drunkenness also makes you stupid. Proverbs 23:33 says, “you will say crazy things.” Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler” That is, you can become arrogant, obnoxious, overconfident and even violent when you are drunk (Proverbs 23:29 mentions “fighting”).

    Related to making poor decisions, this year, 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes; one every 50 minutes (MADD website)

    Finally, we know the story of Genesis 9 where Noah is passed out, naked in his tent from drinking too much. As Proverbs 20:1 says at the end “whoever is led astray by (wine and strong drink) is not wise.” No, you become a fool for all to see.

    It will lead you to degrade yourself morally. Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery.” Debauchery means unrestrained self-indulgent immoral behavior. And that make sense. Once you’re drunk and lose control, who knows what you will do, or what will be done to you?

    Alcohol is a sin magnifier. It amplifies whatever sinful desires you have and takes away whatever restraint you might normally have.

    Long term, it will make you poor. Proverbs 23:20-21 says simply, “Be not among one who drinks too much wine or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.”

    It will bring you sorrow. This is the result of what we have seen thus far. Proverbs 23:29-30 says, “Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks.” This is talking about reaping what you have sown, from all the stupidness of your drunkenness.

    It will enslave you. This reality is described in Scripture. In Proverbs 23:35 the passed out drunk says to himself, “When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?” After all the pain, all you want is more.

    Isaiah 28:7 speaks of drunkards, not as those who swallow wine, but as those who are “are swallowed by wine.”

    Titus 2:3 says, older women are not to be “slaves to much wine.” The language of enslavement is explicit here.

    It can kill you. To the one given to drunkenness, wine may look good, it may be enticing, but really “in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper” – Proverbs 23:32. And, of course, alcohol can be literally poisonous. In the United States, roughly 50,000 cases of alcohol poisoning deaths are reported each year. (alcoholinformation. com)

    2. It will destroy your relationship with others

    When you don’t have control of your thinking and your behavior, you cannot love and serve others. You will lack the judgment and clarity of thought needed to do this. Rather than loving your neighbor as yourself, you will more likely be ignoring or harming others.

    This is especially a problem for those that you have charge of, because drunkenness will cause you to forsake your responsibilities to them.

    Proverbs 31:4-5 says, “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.” There is a real theme in both the Old and New Testaments that leaders must not be those who drink too much precisely because they are responsible for many people. (Isaiah 5:22-23; 28:7; Ecclesiastes 10:16-17).

    Paul tells us that church Elders are not to be “drunkards” (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7) and Deacons must not be “indulging in much wine” (1 Timothy 3:8)

    This is certainly true for parents with children in the home. An estimated 6.6 million children under 18 live in households with at least one alcoholic parent (alcoholinformation.com). Just to give one indicator, alcohol is involved in half of the reported cases of domestic violence (Betty Ford center).

    But even short of violence, drug and alcohol abuse brings untold pain to families. It is a sad reality when a parent loves alcohol more than their child.

    You cannot both love and serve others and have a life given to drug and alcohol abuse. It is impossible.

    3. It will destroy your relationship with God

    When you don’t have control of your thinking and your behavior, you cannot love and serve God. You have to have clear thinking and self control to serve God and these are the very things you give up when you are drunk. Who knows what you will do? You certainly won’t be loving God will all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

    And then when you’re enslaved, your god actually becomes alcohol. You live a life of idolatry, giving up everything for it and looking to it for peace.

    Isaiah 5:11-12 says, “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them! . . . they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, or see the work of his hands.” In the context here it is a part of why the people went off into the judgment of exile. (See also Hosea 4:10-11)

    Jesus said in Luke 21:34, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness . . . and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” This is talking about when he returns. If you are given to drunkenness you will not be ready for Jesus.

    You cannot both love God and have a life given to alcohol or drug abuse. It is impossible.

    An encouragement

    So these are three reasons why God forbids drug and alcohol abuse. But let me say, I do not share this to condemn anyone or to make you feel guilty (unless that guilt leads you to change). The reason behind these reasons is that God loves you. And God wants what is best for you and for those you love.

    And the good news is that Jesus gives us the power to overcome. You can find new life. You can learn to love others. You can come to love God fully. It may not be easy. It may be the hardest thing you will ever do. But Jesus gives us the power to overcome.

    William Higgins

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    Psalm 70. A prayer for help

    Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on September 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

    Listen to Psalm 70 –

    “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!”

    “Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt! Let them turn back because of their shame who say, ‘Aha, Aha!’”

    “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, ‘God is great!’”

    “But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!”

    This is a prayer to God from someone who really needs help. I like this Psalm. It’s short, it’s to the point and it’s honest. [It is actually found in another part of Scripture, almost word for word in Psalm 40:13-17.]

    Alright, let’s begin with –

    The opening plea

    v. 1 – “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!’

    The writer is waiting on God, a common theme in the Psalms, and a common experience for the people of God. He needs “deliverance” and “help.”

    He is waiting on God for this, but he wants God to respond in a hurry. Notice the phrase “make haste” in the second sentence. (It is actually not found in the first sentence, but is supplied by the translators. Literally it says, “O God to deliver me.”) Also, notice in v. 5, “hasten to me,” and “do not delay.” No doubt the urgency of the request is connected to his particular circumstances.

    So, let’s look at –

    His situation

    vs. 2-3 – “Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt! Let them turn back because of their shame who say, ‘Aha, Aha!’”

    He is being attacked by enemies. He feels his life is threatened. His enemies are trying to hurt him. They say, “Aha” which is a taunt, and perhaps connected to unjustly accusing him of wrong.

    From these same verses let’s look at –

    His prayer concerning his enemies

    • “Let them be put to shame and confusion . . .”
    • “Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor . . .”
    • “Let them turn back because of their shame . . .”

    First of all, he wants their efforts to come to naught. He says, “let them be turned back” that is, ‘let their attack fail so that they turn back in retreat.’

    Second, he wants his enemies to be shamed and dishonored for coming after him in the first place. He wants all to see that he has done no wrong and that the attack was unjustified. In other words he wants vindication.

    This is pretty mild compared to how some of the Psalms pray for harm to come to their enemies. But as Christians, even here we would also need to pray for good to come to our enemies. Our Lord says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). He says, “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” ( Luke 6:28).

    Next, he offers up –

    A prayer for the righteous

    v. 4 – “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, ‘God is great!’”

    If the previous section focused on those who seek his harm, this one focuses on those who seek God. He prays that all who love God will be able to give thanks to God, because of how God delivers and saves them. He asks that there will be much praise of God for all that God has done to help his people.

    But this isn’t where he is. And so he ends again with –

    His plea

    v. 5 – “But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!”

    He is still waiting on God. He isn’t able to enter in to the rejoicing yet. He is “poor and needy.” This isn’t a statement his wealth or lack of it. It means that he is weak and fully dependent on God.

    As we saw at the beginning, he is pressing God for a response.

    The phrase, “You are my help and deliverer” is a statement of his faith in God. And he wants God to be this for him now.

    Invitation

    The Psalm ends with him still waiting. And because of this, it is an excellent prayer for us when we are going through trials and difficulties, waiting on God to come through for us.

    Are you waiting on God? We saw the psalmist’s situation, what is yours? I would like for you to make this prayer your own this morning. I have given you a handout with the words of the Psalm, except the specific situation of the writer is left blank. Would you write in your concern in that place?

    Then I will give you a chance to come to the front to be anointed with oil and to receive special prayer. You need not tell me anything, I will simply pray for you along the lines of the Psalm. God, who knows your concern, will hear and respond. Would you come this morning?

    ————-

    Psalm 70 – Outline

     (To the choirmaster. Of David, For the memorial offering.)

    A. Request for haste: Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!

    B. Regarding those who seek his life: Let them be put to shame and confusion who seek my life! Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt! Let them turn back because of their shame who say, “Aha, Aha!”

    B. Regarding those who seek God: May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”

    A. Request for haste: But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!

    William Higgins

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    A change within that leads to obedience: Matthew 21:28-32

    Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 4, 2011| 8 Comments »

    Our text today is often called the parable of the two sons. I think parents with teens will relate to it. It’s about a father trying to get his kids to do chores. One kid is rude about it and the other doesn’t do anything.

    But in all seriousness, it’s an important Scripture because it gives us a very clear understanding of what God wants from us.

    It comes right in the middle of a fairly long confrontation between Jesus and the leaders of Jerusalem – the chief priests and the elders of the people (21:23). And this is the first of three parables intended to give them a message.

    First, let’s work at –

    Understanding the parable

    Jesus initiates this stage of the conversation with a question. v. 28 – “What do you think?” They had just refused to answer a question he posed, but as we will see in what follows, this parable forces them to answer him.

    Now before we move on, let me say here that in some ancient manuscripts of the New Testament the order of the two sons is actually reversed. So if your Bible has this you will know what is going on. For instance the older New American Standard Bible. I am using the ESV as always.

    The first son. v. 28 – “A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’” The word translated as “first” can also mean “older,” as in the oldest son. Some translations take it this way.

    “Sons” is actually the word for “children.” And when the father says, “son, go and work,” it is actually “child, go and work,” a more affectionate way of putting it. He is asking him to do some work on the family farm.

    v. 29 – “And he answered, ‘I will not.’” The son’s response is rude and disrespectful. In its culture this would be seen as rebellious and unacceptable. And it’s a real contrast to the father’s affectionate address to him.

    The story goes on, v. 29 – “but afterward he changed his mind and went.” Although he said no, he does work.

    The word behind the phrase, “changed his mind” can also be translated as ‘he regretted it’ or ‘he thought differently about it,’ or even ‘he repented.’

    This part of the parable has some connection to Luke 15 and the parable of the prodigal son, the only other parable of Jesus that involves a father and two sons. The first son here is quite similar to the prodigal son. And both show us what repentance looks like. They changed their minds and acted differently.

    The second son. v. 30 – “And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir.’” This is a very respectful answer, in contrast to the first son’s words to his father. The word “sir” is actually the word for ‘lord’ or ‘master.’

    v. 30 – “but did not go.” He said yes, but he was full of hot air.

    Now let’s look at –

    Jesus’ interpretation

    v. 31 – “’Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.’”

    • From this we see that the father represents God.
    • The first son represents the tax collectors & prostitutes. They said no to God initially, but when they heard the message of the kingdom, they changed their minds and began to do God’s will.
    • The second son represents the chief priests & elders. They said yes to God, but when they heard the message, they did not act.
    • And most likely the vineyard represents Israel – the people of God.

    The point of the parable is clear. Those who refuse God but later repent and obey, like the first son, will go into the kingdom. And they will go in before those who say yes, but don’t obey God, like the second son. (Indeed the leaders won’t get in at all unless they repent.)

    Jesus gives his strong affirmation to this lesson when he says, “Truly I say to you.” He is saying, ‘take note!’ ‘This is absolutely the truth.’

    Finally, notice how Jesus forces them to answer. The only possible answer to his question is that the first son did the father’s will. Yet the first son undeniably represents well repentant sinners – those moral outcasts that these leaders looked down on.

    And the leaders look very much like the second son, in that they did not take heed to the message of the kingdom. So they, in effect, condemn themselves.

    Now this parable can be applied quite broadly, but in this context Jesus applies it specifically to –

    John the Baptist’s ministry

    – the subject of the argument at this point between Jesus and the leaders of Jerusalem.

    v. 32 – “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him.” Even though they had said yes to obey God, they did not believe John was from God. So they didn’t do what he said.

    Although John came in the way of righteousness, that is, he was righteous and preached a righteous message from God, they rejected him.

    v. 32 – “but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.” Even though they had said no to God, they believed John and repented.

    Finally, Jesus says, v. 32 – “And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.” Even after they saw others respond, they rejected him, and would not change their minds about him, and heed his message of repentance. They blew it twice with John, just like they were blowing it with Jesus as they spoke with him.

    Lessons for us

    1. We learn what God wants from us. God wants us to believe and respond to the message of the kingdom. And how do we respond? We are to respond by obeying God. To say it another way, God is looking for a change within that leads to obedience; so that we come to do our heavenly father’s will, instead of ours or anyone else’s.

    This is the bottom line of what God wants from us.

    2. Don’t be the second son. As Christians we have said “yes” to God, and so we are reminded in this parable that we need to come through on our commitment. We need to make sure we are working in the vineyard, doing God’s will; using our gifts and doing all that God tells us to do.

    Now, the second son echoes Matthew 7:21. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Both use the address of “Lord,” and both don’t obey the will of the father. And both are, as Jesus interprets the parable, excluded from the kingdom of God. (Davies & Allison)

    This is a word to us not just the ancient leaders of Israel. We must come through on our commitments to God.

    3. Don’t be self-righteous. We need humility so we don’t become like the leaders of Jerusalem.

    Think about it. Who are the ones who will never repent? Rank sinners? No. There’s a chance for them. The ones who will never repent are those who think they don’t need to repent; who don’t see the need; who think they are in the right.

    Paul says, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” – 1 Corinthians 10:12. This is a warning for us. You never get to a place where you can’t receive God’s message to you; where you don’t need to be open to repentance.

    4. The gospel is great news for sinners! So if you are here today and you have sin in your life – I mean even really bad sin; you have made terrible and shameful choices – it isn’t too late.

    You haven’t done God’s will so far? Jesus teaches that you can change your mind! You can have a change within so that you believe the message and start to obey your heavenly father. It isn’t too late.

    And if there is anyone here today who wants to do this very thing I invite you to come forward . . ..

    [Note: This is not an example of the first and the last from 20:16. In this last verse the first and the last has to do with equalization, not reversal – both the first and the last were made equal.]
     
    [Note: Literary structure of the parable.
    A. Question/two sons: What do you think? A man had two sons.
    B. First son: And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went.
    `B. Second son: And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.
    `A. Question/two sons: Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.”

    William Higgins

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    Let us live in peace with one another

    Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on August 28, 2011| 3 Comments »

    The church is an amazing thing. It’s made up of all kinds of different people – male and female, rich and poor, people from every tribe and tongue, and people with all different personalities. And these realities are true among us to some degree as well. We have different backgrounds and points of view that we bring with us into this congregation.

    But according to Scripture –

    We are all made one in Jesus

    “Jesus is our peace,” having broken down the barriers that divide us (Ephesians 2:14) Paul says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:27-28).

    So now, although we are many different people, we are one body in Christ and members of one another. “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Romans 12:4-5).

    And now, although we are from many different families, we are one family of brothers and sisters in the Lord.

    • Jesus teaches us that it is his disciples who are his true family (Matthew 12:48-50). These are his “brother and sister and mother.”
    • Paul says that we are “of the household of faith” – Galatians 6:10.

    But we almost have to say these things by faith. For in truth –

    We still have conflicts

    This is why the New Testament talks so much about conflict and the need for peace. Those apostolic congregations needed it. Listen to these admonitions:

    • “Be at peace with one another” – Mark 9:50
    • “Be at peace among yourselves” – 1 Thessalonians 5:13
    • “Live in harmony with one another” – Romans 12:16
    • “Pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building” – Romans 14:19

    And there are others references that could be added. All of these calls for peace give the distinct impression that this is not something that just happens. Peace is something we have to work toward. It is something we have to work hard toward.

    But also notice that in these verses the call is to peace, not just trying to cover over our conflicts so that no one thinks we have conflict, which is hypocrisy. Peace means being honest about it and working through our conflicts in love, so that we all have good relationships with each other and live in harmony.

    We are to work hard at this so that we can work together as one body, and so that we can get along as one family.

    Now, if I may say so, the problem today is that if there is conflict, instead of being at peace with one another, we just leave and go to another church down the street. We avoid conflict. We don’t do the hard work of loving each other enough to hang in there and sort things out.

    Let me say more. I wonder what it would be like if there wasn’t a church on every corner. What if being committed to a church was like being committed to a marriage – where you have to work things out?

    This is what God calls us to do. So let’s look at some ways to do this.

    1. Grow in your love for others

    This is a commitment each of us needs to make.

    To remind us what love is, here are some phrases from 1 Corinthians 13, “Love is kind. Love is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way. Love is not irritable or resentful.”

    And then in Colossians 3:14-15, Paul tell us to – “. . . put on (this) love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.”

    Love is the source of our peace. Let your love for each other grow cold, and you will see our peace disappear.

    Here’s a different way to look at all this. God has put us together for a reason, so that we can grow in our love for each other. So maybe that person you can’t get along with is specifically here to help you grow. Maybe that person that rubs you the wrong way is here for your benefit; a gift of God to you, to help you learn to love more deeply.

    And so if you go off to another church in order to avoid them (thinking perhaps that other churches don’t have such problems), maybe you are really running from God. And who knows? Maybe God will put someone just like them in the new church you go to – for your benefit.

    Does the person annoy you? Ask God for more love. And ask God to give you his eyes for that person so that you can see what is good about that person and why God loves them. And pray for that person. This not only is a blessing for them, it is a tremendous way to change your heart and your attitudes toward the person.

    We’ve got to grow in our love for one another.

    2. Let love break down relationship barriers

    We have to be careful not to let our differences divide us. For instance, those who are older and those who are younger – generational differences. Or those who live in the city and those who don’t. Or even something as simple as the youth letting what school they go to divide them.

    We can’t just go off and be in our comfortable clicks, around those we like and who are like us. Such partiality is not consistent with the call to love each other. As James 2:8-9 says, “If you really fulfill . . . ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

    Love should push us to be with others. And our love should pull others into our circles. We are all a family here, brothers and sisters in the Lord. This is what defines us, not our differences.

    3. Bear with one another

    This is a particular part of love that I want to highlight here. 1 Corinthians 13 also says, “Love bears all things” and “Love is patient.” Paul says in Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another . . ..” We need all these things, but I am especially focused on patience and bearing with one another.

    People can rub us the wrong way. And so we need patience. Patience means longsuffering, or the ability to suffer for a long time – in this case with other’s weaknesses. We need to learn to bear with each other’s quirks and idiosyncrasies (and of course, hope and pray they bear with ours).

    A part of this is learning to overlook minor issues. Proverbs 19;11 says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” So don’t get angry over every little thing that happens. Be able to discern what is a minor issue and what has to be dealt with because it is truly important.

    When there is real conflict –

    4. Deal with the person involved

    This principle is taught in Matthew 18:15. Go to the person in private to talk. Often the conflict is based on misunderstanding and can be settled easily.

    This also makes sure we avoid two really big mistakes. 1) Judging by appearances. We assume we know what is going on based on what we can see from a distance. And we usually assume the worst of motives in others. But we don’t know the whole story. In John 7:24 Jesus says, “do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” You can’t do this until you talk to the person to find out what is going on.

    2) Gossip. Don’t involve others inappropriately in the conflict. The issue is between the ones in conflict and so don’t go around telling everyone your point of view so that people start taking sides.

    Both of these are real temptations, but we must learn to deal with the person face to face.

    Also, when there is conflict –

    5. Hear the other person’s point of view

    It’s easy only to focus on making sure others know where we are coming from. But love compels us to seek to understand where the other person is coming from.

    James 1:19 says in part, “Know this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak . . ..” Quick to listen to others, slow to say what we think. This isn’t something that comes naturally.

    Finally, when there is conflict –

    6. Find a way to work through the issue

    If you need to, find a compromise. Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” It’s not just about us and getting what we want, there is also a concern for the other and their needs and desires.

    If this fails, let some mature believers help. 1 Corinthians 6:1-7 tells us first of all, don’t take each other to a secular court! Then he asks in v. 5, “Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers . . .?” Surely God has given congregations those who can help settle disputes. And we need to be open to a mediator or even an arranged settlement that puts an end to a conflict.

     

    So these are some ways that we work at living in harmony with one another. I encourage you to act on them as there is need.

    And remember, what makes us different from the world is not that we never have conflict. It is that we love each other enough to work through our issues and that we do this in a loving way. This is our witness to the world – that Jesus makes a difference in how we live.

    William Higgins

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    How to overcome doubt

    Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2011| 10 Comments »

    Follow the link for the updated version

     

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    Take Up Your Cross: Mark 8:34-35

    Posted in Mark, Mark 8, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2011|

    [An earlier version of this message was preached in May 2004 in a Church of God congregation in Zurich, Switzerland.]

    I want to talk to you about what it means for us to take up our cross and encourage you in your practice of this. Turn in your Bibles to Mark 8:34-35 – Jesus said,

    “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

    First of all, there are a couple of misconceptions about what it means for us to take up our cross that falsely limit its application in our lives. The truth is that –

    To take up your cross will affect every part of your life

    Let’s look at these misconceptions. Some people say that taking up the cross is a only an inner, spiritual experience, something that takes place in our hearts – an inner cross where we die to our selfish desires.

    Well, there is some truth in this, for there is something called an inner cross. For instance Jesus had to struggle within at Gethsemane in prayer, when he prayed, “not my will, but yours be done.” He had to deny himself and put God’s will first.

    But it wasn’t just about his inner attitudes. Because after Gethsemane came Golgotha. No, Jesus had to take up his cross with real life actions – his suffering and death on the cross.

    Yes, the cross has to do with what goes on within you, but it is also about your outward behavior. For if you die to your desires within this will show up in cruciform behavior and actions without. As Jesus said, a “tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). What is within your heart, is what will come out in your deeds.

    Some people say that taking up the cross is only about suffering persecution, so that it only applies to a particular part of our lives, when we suffer for our faith.

    Well the cross certainly does refer to persecution and followers of Jesus must literally suffer and do at times literally give up their lives.

    But Jesus himself connects his call to take up the cross in Mark 8 with self-denial, something we are to practice in everyday life. Also in Luke 14 he connects the cross to something as practical as surrendering our earthly wealth to God. No, the cross has to do with all that we do in this world as followers of Jesus. Suffering for sure, but also helping a neighbor, doing ministry, serving someone a meal, etc..

    Now I want you to get a sense of what it looks like to take up your cross. I want us to look at the –

    The cruciform pattern of Jesus

     Paul talks about this in Philippians 2:5-11 and I want us to read this.

    “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

    “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

    There is in these verses a “cruciform pattern” to Jesus’ life – in two stages:

    First of all, there is a downward movement. Jesus lowered himself. And he did this in two steps:

    First, Jesus became a servant. Though he was at the highest place in all of creation, he lowered himself to serve the needs of others. He denied himself, he lost his life by setting aside his place, his privileges and his prestige in order to lower himself to serve. He did this as he healed others, taught, set people free, loved them, and in general gave of himself to others.

    But not only did Jesus serve, when his humble service was rejected he lowered himself even further. Jesus endured suffering and death. In this case his self- denial led to the literal loss of his life as he sacrificed himself on the cross for others.

    Then, there is an upward movement. When he was as low as one can go, Jesus waited upon God and God raised him up. God raised him from the dead and seated him at the highest place in all of creation – at his own right hand. He was blessed and honored.

    So this cruciform pattern has two stages – a lowering stage and a raising stage.

    Now let’s look at –

    How this works out in our lives

    We are to live out this cruciform pattern. As Paul says, “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” – 2:5. It is not just about Jesus, it is about us following Jesus. “Take up your cross and follow me,” Jesus said.

    • We are lower ourselves to serve others’ needs, and we are to accept suffering from those who reject this. As we do this, we sacrifice and die to our life here on earth; we deny ourselves and lose our lives.
    • And then we are to wait upon God to raise us up to new life.

    – This is to be the pattern in our life considered as a whole – that we lowered ourselves and then God will raise us up at the resurrection.

    – And this is to be the pattern of our daily walk, as we take up our cross “daily” (Luke 9:23) and “die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:21) to ourselves, and God makes us new in our heart and actions.

    This then is what it means “to take up your cross.”

    But as this phrase indicates, our focus in to be on the downward movement. Jesus focused on the lowering stage. Paul said, “he made himself nothing.” The raising stage was left for God to accomplish. Jesus trusted that God would raise him up.

    We too are to focus on the lowering stage – serving other’s needs and choosing to endure suffering and rejection for this. And then we trust God to raise us up from our lowliness at the right time in this life and then at the resurrection.

    The downward movement is necessary. Everyone wants the second stage, right? Who doesn’t want to be raised up, to be honored, to be recognized, to be blessed?

    But the first stage, the path to this – lowliness, who wants this? We want to skip right to the second stage. But you can’t have the one without the other. Without the lowliness, there is no exaltation.

    In Jesus’ words in Mark 8:35, if we seek to save our lives, that is, to hold on to what we have in our earthly lives; to have earthly honor now, we will lose our lives. We have to lose our earthly life – the lowering stage – before we gain our lives, being raised up by God.

    Since this is so, you can see that –

    The way of the cross is not easy

    It takes real humility to put others first, to lay aside your privileges, rights, status and comforts for others. And to suffer rejection and ridicule for this.

    It takes real love for God and others to deny yourself and to sacrifice in this way for the needs of others day in and day out, not heroically (being noticed by others) but obscurely.

    It takes also endurance. Enduring lowliness, times of despair and times of weakness. It involves waiting upon God when it doesn’t seem that he will act. Remember Jesus on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

    So let me end with –

    Some words of encouragement

    When you feel like giving up, remember we have Jesus’ clear words of promise from Jesus that we will one day be raised up. As he said:

    • Those who are last, will be first
    • Those who humble themselves, God will raise up
    • Those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, will find life in the Kingdom of God
    • Those who lose their lives, will find their lives

    And not only do we have Jesus’ words, in the midst of our lowliness we must remember the clear example of Jesus’ life. He proved his words and promises to be true through his own life and actions, because God came through for him.

    He endured the greatest lowliness, despair and weakness, but God raised him up. And just as God came through for him, God will come through for you as well.

    And so in the words of Galatians 6:9 – “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

    William Higgins

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    Stories of Faith

    Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on July 10, 2011|

    Series on Faith in God

    We are still looking at the topic of faith in God. With the youth sharing today I want to just remind us briefly of some of the themes we have been looking at by telling two stories of faith. I hope that these will be an encouragement to you to believe in and act on God’s promises to you.

    Story #1 – A miracle in a village

    [I am intentionally not saying where this happened or where I got this story].

    In the region where this story takes place people began to become Christians and form churches. But most people were Buddhists. Now when the lives of these Christians began to improve with schooling and the donation of a boat to the local church to get across the river – there was jealousy and opposition in some of the Buddhists. And they tried to close church buildings and expel pastors from their homes.

    Eventually such an order was given – to demolish the church building in a small village where our story takes place. It was given by  the chief Buddhist monk, a village leader and a township administrator.

    The Christians gathered in prayer – and must have heard from God. Because when the officials came on the appointed day the Christians refused to tear down their building. The church leaders spoke out boldly and said they could not tear down a building that was dedicated to the true God. The officials insisted that they do it – but the church leaders told them they would have to do it themselves and be accountable for what might happen.

    Two carpenters were sent to demolish the building. But as soon as they got on the roof a terrible storm came with thunder, lightening and strong wind. This scared the carpenters and they ran to their homes.

    The officials came back another day and again ordered the carpenters to tear down the church. As they began, again, a fierce storm broke out with lightening. The lightening struck a nearby Buddhist image which was famous and revered. The result was 15 cracks.

    Seeing what happened the chief Buddhist monk fled the village. The village leader who ordered the church be torn down was killed by someone. And  the administrator was found to be corrupt and thrown out of the village. And so the order to destroy the building was not carried out.

    I share this story to highlight the faith of the church leaders. They has the three essential parts of true faith working in them. 1) They had something from God that allowed them to be bold. They must have heard something as they prayed knowing that persecution was coming. 2) They had an unfailing trust in God and his word to them. And 3) this was evidenced in that they spoke boldly to the officials who sought to tear down the building and warning them.

    And we see that God honored their faith and did a miracle that glorified his name in their village.

    Story #2 – A miracle in North Carolina

    Now a story that has a miracle of a different kind. This comes from Clarence Jordan – a radical Christian in the South who set up an interracial farming community in Georgia in the early 1940’s – Koinonia Farms.

    In one place he talks about a church where he was asked to preach in North Carolina. “The church would seat about 300 and I think they had about 600 in it. The thing that amazed me was that these people were white and [black] just sitting anywhere they wanted to sit. . ..”

    “When I got through (preaching) the pastor got up and said, ‘Now, we’re going to have dinner on the grounds.’ I really trembled then, because it’s one thing for black and white folks to worship together; it’s another thing for them to eat together. Here the man was advocating social equality right there in the South.”

    “I went over to the pastor and I said, ‘You know, this is a rather amazing thing to me. Were you integrated before the Supreme Court decision?’ [1954] He said, ‘What decision?’”

    “He explained: ‘Well back during the depression, I was a worker here in this little mill. I didn’t have any education. I couldn’t even read and write. I got somebody to read the Bible to me, and I was moved and I gave my heart to the Lord, and later, I felt the call of the Lord to preach.’”

    “’This little church here was too poor to have a preacher and I just volunteered. They accepted me and I started preaching.’”

    “’Someone read to me in there where God is no respecter of persons and I preached that.’ I said, ‘Yeah how did you get along?’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘the deacons came around to me after that sermon and said, ‘Now brother pastor, we not only don’t let a [black person] spend the night in this town, we don’t even let him pass through. Now we don’t want that kind of preaching you’re giving us.’”

    “I said ‘What did you do?’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I fired them deacons.’ ‘How come they didn’t fire you?’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘they never had hired me, I just volunteered.’ ‘Did you have anymore trouble with them?’ ‘Yeah, they came back at me again.’ ‘What did you do with them that time?’ ’I turned them out. I told them anybody that didn’t know anymore about the Gospel of Jesus than that not only shouldn’t be an officer in the church, he shouldn’t be a member of it. I had to put them out.’”

    “I said, ‘Did you have to put anybody else out?’ ‘Well, I preached awfully hard, and I finally preached them down to two. But,’ he said, ‘those two were committed. I made sure that any time after that, anybody who came into my church understood that they were giving their life to Jesus Christ and they were going to have to be serious about it. What you see here is a result of that.’”

    “I thank God there was still one un-ruined preacher in the South who had no better sense than to preach the gospel. Maybe it was fortunate that some of our educators didn’t get hold of him. Now, I don’t mean to be putting emphasis upon the man’s ignorance. I don’t think that made any difference. I think it was the man’s faith that brought the power to his church. He was willing to couple a conviction with a way of action and take the consequences.” [Cotton Patch Sermons, The Substance of Faith, pp. 43-45].

    This pastor also has the three essentials of true faith. 1) He has a word from God from Scripture – God is no respecter of persons. 2) He trusted God to take care of him as he made this word known. 3) He acted and acted boldly even when things were difficult.

    And God blessed him with a new community that reflects the kingdom of God – people that cannot get along in the world – do get along in the kingdom, for we are all one in Christ.

     

    I hope that you will be encouraged by these stories so that in your life circumstances you can be bold and have faith as well when God speaks to you.

    William Higgins

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