THE PARABLE OF THE LOVING FATHER

#379                                                THE PARABLE OF THE LOVING FATHER                                                                       

Scripture  Luke 15:11-32 NIV                                                                                                           Orig. 6/30/63 (10/81)

                                                                                                                                                                                    Rewr. 8/6/87 

Passage:  ¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.  ¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.  ¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.  “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  ²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  ²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.  ²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’  ²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’  ³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Purpose: In a series on the New Testament parables, here sharing with my people on the theme of human intemperance beset by God’s great love.

Keywords:          Disobedience                   Forgiveness        Revival                 Self-righteousness         Sin        

Timeline/Series:               Parable

Introduction

                Once upon a time there were two young children who went to spend the summer with their grandparents.  Their names were Billy and Sally.  They lived most of the year in the city, and a few weeks on their grandparents’ farm in the summer was a wonderful experience for them.

                Billy, like many little boys, was exceedingly curious.  He enjoyed all the different things, and animals that he encountered.  One day Grandfather had some work to do in the hayloft and it was too hot for Billy to help.  He was free to roam.  He picked up his slingshot and went out to play hunter.  Out beyond the barn, almost out of sight of the house, Billy had armed his weapon and had it ready.  Suddenly, Grandmother’s pet duck waddled around the corner of the barn.  Without so much as a flinch, Billy let fly his artillery.  His aim usually wasn’t very good, but this time he was right on the mark.  The duck lay dead.  He looked to see if anyone was in sight.  Then, scared though he was, he quickly buried the duck back of the barn.  That night at supper he couldn’t eat.  His grandmother asked if he was sick.  After supper he and Sally went to wash dishes. She said she wasn’t going to help, and if he complained she’d tell about the duck.

                You can imagine what the next week was like.  Billy was miserable.  Finally, one afternoon Billy went to his grandmother’s sewing room.  He stood around, picked up trinkets in which he had no interest.  Shuffled from one foot to the other.  “Billy, if you need to know it, I love you.”  Then came the flood of guilt and confession.  “Billy, I was sitting here by the window and saw the whole thing.  I wondered how long you would endure this bondage to Sally before you came to me.”

I.             First, Parables are Often Unique in Their Setting.  We can back up a couple of chapters.  Luke 13:22. “. . . Jesus went through the towns and villages . . . as he made his way to Jerusalem.”  Jesus is clearly conscious of the precious commodity of his dwindling days.  Luke 17:11 “Now on his way to Jerusalem”—his last.

                More directly, the scribes and Pharisees were murmuring about his friendship with sinners.  Luke 15:2 “[They] muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”  Aren’t you glad Jesus is like this?  You know where we would be otherwise.

                Thus Jesus shares 3 parables of lost possessions.  There is a lost sheep (15:3).  It doesn’t will to be lost. It just wanders away.  The shepherd seeks it until it is found.  It is lost! It is sought! It is found!  The finder rejoices.

                There is a lost coin (15:8).  It has no capacity to lose itself, or to understand its lostness.  The one discovering it lost, holds other things incidental until it is found.  It is lost! It is sought! It is found! The finder rejoices.

                There is a lost son.  He is lost, not because he wandered off, or was impassively misplaced, but because he chose to leave, to separate himself.  He was just as lost! He was sought! He was restored! His return causes joy for his father.

                The elder brother does not joy in return.  Nor does he find joy in his father’s joy.

II.            Next, We View the Lost Son As a Principal Character in Our Story.  V11: “A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.”  It is noted that Jesus does not call this young man a prodigal.  Keep in mind the religious bigots listening.  They are vindictive of Jesus’ openness to sinners.  We can measure both sons and their sin.  The younger was callous and rebellious; the older was censorious, retaliatory.

                We can learn that there are good things about this young man.  He is his own person.  He is ready to strike out on his own.  But he handles it poorly.  His immaturity shows he gives his father no chance to counsel him.  He is seeking only what is rightfully his. Deuteronomy 21:17 The right of the firstborn is a double portion.  He seems to be a man of simplicity and responsibility.  He discovers his mistakes, and blames himself.  He knows his best chance is starting over. At home? Enslaved?

                The Bible describes three kinds of enslavement: Bondsmen—respected family extensions; servant—subordinate but with status; hired servants—temporarily indentured.  The younger son is a man to whom repentance is not an unreasonable alternative.  V.17 “And when he came to himself, he said . . . I will go . . . and say . . . Father, I have sinned.”

                Don’t make the mistake of accusing him as an unthankful delinquent.  There is a mind sustained by childhood teachings.  There is a heart with gratitude for a loving father.

                There are interesting interpretations. Augustine: the “far country” represents the forgetfulness of God. “Came to himself” suggests restoration from madness.  Paul’s description in Ephesians 4:18, “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance . . . in them due to the hardening of their hearts.”

III.           Then, We Must Consider the Older Brother Just as Lost in His Condescending Attitude.  V28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in.”  The elder brother stands in the parable for the hardhearted Pharisees who necessitated its message.  They did not share Christ’s concern for sinners.  We must consider our own attitudes.  As the younger was riddled by an uneasy conscience, this one purported to be without fault. V29: “I never disobeyed your command.”  He was unforgiving.  One-third of the estate has been lost.  His ledger-book mentality demands censure.  Even brotherhood is too high a price for acquittal.  Add to his other wrongs that of betraying his father’s joy.  Father: “this thy brother.”  Son: “This thy son.”

                The theologian George Buttrick wrote: “The far country is measured in motives rather than miles.”

                Finally, the parable shows no evidence of repentance for the elder brother.  Some suggest that it is a true story.

IV.          The Parable Remains Forever that of Loving Father.  V22 “But the Father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it; and let us eat and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and is found.”

                There were some things that the father could do. The robe, best or first, showed honor and restoration.  The ring established the relationship and oneness (Wedding Ring, Class Ring, Super Bowl Ring).  The shoes, not worn by the lowest servants, were provisioned to sons.

                There were other things, however, that the father could not do.  He could not erase the wrong done: Billy could not revive the pet duck. He could not promise a second part of the estate.

                He depicts all the characteristics of the heavenly Father.  He waits patiently and lovingly.  He recognizes the repentant pilgrim.  He goes out to meet the weary son.  He interrupts the confession.  God is no stickler for law for law’s sake.

                A totally new picture of God emerges.  We saw the shepherd search for the lost sheep.  We watched as the homemaker searched for the lost coin.  We sense that the father is brooding for his lost son.  God’s concern for the lost is the brooding concern for what is of eminent worth.

Conclusion

                I have had recent occasion to reconsider the different attitudes allowed my Dad and myself in regard to God as Father.  When he was a lad, his dad deserted them.  He tried to run the tiny farm, but in failure, lost the only holding they had.  He has lived out his life without owning property: fearful of loss.  But the greatest disparity is that he knew no human counterpart to depict for him the true picture of God as one of zealous good will.

A GLORY THAT IS FOREVER

#147                                                            A GLORY THAT IS FOREVER                                                                                  

Scripture Romans 11:1-36 NIV                                                                                                                      Orig. 10/28/62

                                                                                                                                                                                    Rewr. 8/1/85 

Passage: I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. ² God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: ³ “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”^[a]? ⁴ And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”^[b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. ⁶ And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

⁷ What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, ⁸ as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that could not see
    and ears that could not hear,
to this very day.”^[c]

⁹ And David says:

“May their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
¹⁰ May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
    and their backs be bent forever.”^[d]

¹¹ Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. ¹² But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

¹³ I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry ¹⁴ in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸ do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

²² Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in His kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. ²³ And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

²⁵ I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, ²⁶ and in this way^[e] all Israel will be saved. As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
²⁷ And this is^[f] my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”^[g]

²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, ²⁹ for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. ³⁰ Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now^[h] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. ³² For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and^[i] knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”^[j]
35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”^[k]
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
    To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Purpose:  Continuing the series from Romans, here showing the wisdom of God in saving His people.

Keywords:          Bible Study                         God’s Omnipotence                       Salvation

Timeline/Series:               Romans

Introduction

                It is interesting how prominently the Jews have figured in human history.  Time does not permit but a casual telling of the story that, as often as not, their prominence was their undoing. 

                The presence of the Jews (Hebrews) galled the Egyptians during Moses’ time to the point that it became the practice of state to see them become slaves.  This is similar to the intent of the Third Reich in our own century: The presence of wealthy Jews, and a race of people so content in their heritage, angered the German war lords to the point of holocaust.

                Individually, the activity directed at them has not been much different.  Do you remember Haman, the Agagite, and Mordecai the Jew?  Mordecai was just trying to be faithful to his religious beliefs.  He was not out to challenge anyone else, or to convert them.  But he so galled Haman that he went to his death in a challenge of supremacy.

                Every age has had its company of Jews who become prominent in their fields.  You have heard about the farmer who was a man who excelled in his work.  Well, Jews have a way of rising to the top, as cream over milk.  Perhaps that is the characteristic that has labelled them and marked them for hostility and persecution.

                Search any  area of interest, medicine, government, commerce, industry, and you will note leaders in extraordinarily vaunted positions who are Jews. ***TEXT LOST AT END OF THIS PARAGRAPH***

I.             The Glory of Grace.  V1 “I say then, has God cast away His people?  Certainly not!”  The saved remnant appear in prior lessons: Romans 9 is about God’s sovereignty and election, and Romans 10 is about Israel’s failure and Gentile belief.  The concept of remnant is not new. According to some accounts, Noah spent 120 years preaching and building.  Only his family joined him on the ark.  Genesis 6:8 “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

                The New Testament accounting shows that even Jesus had many who heard who did not believe.  Matthew 7:14 “Straight is the gate, and narrow the way, leading to life, and few there are that find it.”

                At Kadesh-Barnea, 12 spies went out. Ten returned, reporting there was no hope of success; only two believed.  The obvious illustration of Elijah shows a believing host.  Paul considers himself as proof of God’s constancy.

                It continues to Paul’s day and ours.  Every Jew who believes is of the people of God. “Remnant” refers to true believers.

                With a hardened heart, people can be earnestly and sincerely wrong.  V7f “Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were  hardened.  It is  not enough to be good.  It is totally inadequate to claim sincerity. 

The human heart is not dependable.  The Hebrews prove it.  Paul elsewhere has his own testimony.  Acts 26:9 “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.”

II.            The Glory of Provocation.  V11 “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall?  Certainly not!  But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.”  Out of the Jewish failure, faith has come to the Gentiles.  Romans 1:16, “For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  The Gentile is given salvation.  The Jew is incited to desire.

                The nature of their problem is in Romans 10:3.  “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.”  The source of this deplorable condition is in Romans 11:8.  “God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.”  Here, Paul reiterates Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10.

                Did God want to destroy them?  Such is unthinkable.  Paul says “God forbid!”  Isaiah shows that this stupor is in response to their unbelief.

                Take care to note the end result.  The Gentiles are saved.  The Jews are provoked to believe.

III.           The Glory of Ingrafting.  V17 “And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree.”  The imagery in Paul’s lesson is that Israel is the tame olive tree.  Gentiles are the wild olive tree.  On the trunk of the olive  tree, split by limbs broken off, a piece of non-native material is broken off because of uselessness.  In Romans 10:21 Paul recalls the words of Isaiah. “Concerning Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.’”

IV.          The Glory of Future Promise.  V26 “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written, the deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is my covenant with them.”  This says, “All of Hebrew stock will be saved,” or, it says that all Jews who come to accept this conditional right, in Christ will be saved.

V.            The Glory of Praise.  V33 “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.”  The Jew with his strong position in regard to God finds himself disavowed.  This total spiritual energy aimed at God’s people is to reach the unchosen.  That energy is then turned from Israel to the Gentiles, which will ultimately be the means by which the Jew is attracted to his prior post.

***THE CONCLUSION TO THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***

A FAILURE THAT IS ADDICTIVE

#141                                                        A FAILURE THAT IS ADDICTIVE                                                                               

Scripture Romans 10:1-21 NIV                                                                                                                        Orig. 9/23/62

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 7/25/85 

Passage: Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ² For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³ Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. ⁴ Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

⁵ Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”^[a] 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”^[b] (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”^[c] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”^[f]

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”^[g]

¹⁶ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”^[h] 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. ¹⁸ But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.”^[i]

¹⁹ Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

“I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
    I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”^[j]

²⁰ And Isaiah boldly says,

“I was found by those who did not seek me;
    I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”^[k]

²¹ But concerning Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands
    to a disobedient and obstinate people.”^[l]

Purpose: Continuing a series from Romans, showing Israel’s failure to understand their relationship to God and faith.

Keywords:          Bible Study                         Law                       

Series, Romans

Introduction

                Quest is a major factor in one’s concept of dedication.  Do we envision a great task entrusted to us?  Do we apply ourselves to its success?

                It is said that the ship’s log used by Christopher Columbus on his first crossing of the  Atlantic repeats, “This day we sailed westward!” day after day.  When Cyrus Field was preparing to put in place the very first Atlantic cable, he first  made fifty trips across that great ocean to prepare for it.  Gibbon, the historian, wrote his autobiography nine times before he was satisfied with it, and spent twenty years on his greatest work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. 

                More recently, this week’s news tells of treasure hunter Mel Fisher.  For sixteen years he has searched the waters off of Key West, Florida, for a sunken Spanish galleon, Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which sank in a hurricane in 1622 with millions in silver and gold.  The search cost Mr. Fisher the lives of a son, daughter-in-law, and another diver.  He is said to have greeted his divers every day for years with the statement, “Today’s the day!”  Last Saturday morning was the day.

                But the Jews, instead of seeing their relationship with God as a quest of faith, saw it as an endowment of merit.  As long as they were the guardians of the law, they were special.  Paul shows them that this is not so.  Faith must be the target of Jew and Gentile.

I.             The First Consideration Is Their Judicial Failure.  V4 “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

                We need a right picture about failure.  It  was not a failure of the law.  Romans 4:4f “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes . . ., his faith is accounted for righteousness.”  Psalm 32:1 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

                It was  certainly not God’s failure. Isaiah 1:9  “Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a . . . remnant, we would have become like Sodom.”  Clearly, it was their failure.  Three times (Luke 12:56, 19:44, 21:24): “How is it you do not  discern this present time?”

                They were not without urgency.  There was will, determination, even excitement, but all in error.  Paul prays for their salvation.  He tells us that they are not.  He tells us that they can be:  II Corinthians 3:16 “When one turns to the Lord the veil is taken away.”  He tells us that they will be: Romans 11:26  ”All Israel will be saved.” 

Their failure is that they are looking to their  Jewishness, not grace, to save.  We are not saved by our Baptistness.  Others are not saved by their Methodistness, etc.  We are not saved by our churchiness.

II.            Next, We Look at Their Spiritual Failure.  V9 “If you confess with  your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that  God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  It speaks of grace, of God doing what we cannot, of appropriating the sin-covering function of Jesus’ death for our sin.  John 1:12 “As many as receive Him, to them God gives the power to become His children.”

                Apart from Jesus we are cut off from God.  So also were the Jews.  It is a terrible risk to assume someone may have attained the spirit of obedience.  It speaks too clearly of  confession. It localizes that confession in Christ Jesus. It did the Jew no good to confess his Jewishness.  It does no good to confess our churchiness.  V10 “With the mouth confession is made.”

                How long has  it been since we talked to someone about Christ?  Sunday School teachers need to talk to their pupils.

III.           It Speaks of Their Social Failure.  V14f “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?  And  how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”

                They chose what they could not save.  When the law is not passing out punishment for wrong it is failing.  One of our social concerns today is that the law is not always fair.  We don’t need a law that lets people get by with more; we don’t need a law that, as someone said, “you can get out of if you have money.”

                Mercy is a bestowal of grace. V4 “Christ is the end of the law,” the “termination,” the final reckoning.  It will  never go beyond this.  It is God’s last word on the subject.

                The Jew still has not learned that law and grace are antagonistic.  Romans 4:4 “To him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.”  Romans 11:6, “If by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise, grace is no longer grace.”

IV.          Paul Adds a Concluding Note of Proof of Their Failure.  Deuteronomy 32:21, God said to  Moses, “I will provoke them to jealousy.”  Isaiah 65:1 “I was found by those who did not seek me.”  Isaiah 65:2 “I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Conclusion

                The last entry in the diary of David Livingstone was: “Jesus, my Saviour, my king, my God, I rededicate my all to thee to be and to do for thee  the best that I can until the day is done.”  There is GRACE.  There is BELIEF.  There is CONFESSION.

                Dare any of us think that we can get by on less?  Jesus died for my sin, and it behooves me to daily honor that reality as it if were a badge on  the sleeves of my clothing, telling all of my fealty to Him.

IN THE WAY

#140                                                                          IN THE WAY                                                                                                 

Matthew 19:13-15 NIV                                                                                                                         Orig. 7-11-65 (9-73)

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 8-25-88 

Passage:  ¹³ Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Purpose: Approaching the new church year, to remind my people of our need to offer ourselves in service to the needs around us.

Keywords:          Christ the Saviour                             Heritage               Hunger

                                Children                               Home                    Special Day        

Timeline/Series:               New Church Year

Introduction

                Both of the presidential candidates are talking about things important to all of us: childcare, education, patriotism.  Private education has become a felt need for many parents.  We are reading more and more about parents who are being allowed to educate their children at home.

                Problems in the schools, public and private, are rife.  One is put in mind again of the Baltimore woman who brought suit against her county school board.  She claimed that her son, in choosing not to participate in what she called religious exercises, was being unduly ostracized.  At that time, the schools opened with scripture, and with the recitation of  the Lord’s prayer.  Children who did not wish to participate were allowed to excuse themselves  and leave the room.

                Two hundred years ago, and many of the years since, every school of higher education in this country was connected with some church denomination.  Except for the joint effort of Christian people, there would have been  no higher education on this continent.  Most of those colleges and universities are still around: Colgate, Bucknell, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, and many others.  They are, however, no longer denominationally aligned.  Then, the terms, “education” and “Christian education,” were synonymous. 

                In light of what is happening in education today, it  is no longer remotely conceivable that our children will not be challenged by spiritual things in public or private education.  We must be sure that our churches do our utmost to provide this vital service.  Every Christian is obliged to offer himself/herself in this essential kingdom service.

I.             First, There Must Be Education.  The words of Matthew are that Jesus “blessed them.”  It is a heritage of Judeo/Christian conviction.  Every person in this land is better off because of our heritage.  Many do not acknowledge it.  Yet, they feast on what these religious imperatives have given.  It is one God, living, loving, working through the evils of satanic influence.  Adam was warned after his compromise: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat bread.” 

                This life knows no true good that comes without cost. There is a truism: “There’s no free lunch.”

                Our heritage is not only Judeo-Christian, but set in a free republic.  Whatever your genetic origins, what would life be in those origins?  At once remembering the price paid by our forefathers for this, we are not that far removed from forebears who tilled the ground behind hand-forged plows, and unrelenting oxen, carrying a blunderbuss for protection.  You worry about the cost of living:  They paid dearly for meat and potatoes.

                The blessing is  that the Kingdom of God has come among us.  It is as near as breathing and sunshine.  It does not come with little children, but from little children who are brought to Him.

                True prosperity is not material but conditional.  The need of the hour is in the Kingdom of God.  So we are not the answer.  These, our children, are not the answer.  All of us become the KINGDOM.  That’s the answer.

                Since the Bible is taken from the school, we must pinpoint its value as never before.  We need sixty-seventy people involved in Christian education.  We have no more than half.  Church Training is an eight-cylinder engine beating on two.  Missions and music are hanging on the hope and whisper of half-a-dozen.

                We start next week.  What will you as a Christian be doing between morning worship services from one Sunday to the next?

II.            Secondly, We Must Grasp the True Vitality of the Home.  “Then there were brought to Him little children.”  The event here described is simply that of caring mothers bringing a child to some distinguished rabbi for a blessing.  It was a common occurrence.  It happened on the child’s first birthday.

                A question of responsibility is put forth.  What is the bottom-line charge?  It is, of course, parental.  The best thing the church can do for parents is to convince them.  Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”  III John 4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

                In an age that seeks liberation from all strictures, some demands are to be put in place.  There is little efficacy in marriage.  The license doesn’t prove God is in it.  Being a biological parent is no proof of Christian manhood or womanhood.  The mystery content is found in commitment: commitment to God; commitment to each other forever; commitment that children will be reared in an atmosphere of love and trust.

                “My parents forced me” say the uncaring and the uncommitted.  “I will not force religion down them.”  Would you force air if suffocating? If cancer attacked, would you force treatment? Would you advise seat belts, helmets? 

                If they were hungry, would you not force food for them?  During the noon meal in this country, 1200 children worldwide will starve to death.  30,000 will die today. 12-18 million people will die this year.  Check the label to see where a gift was made.

III.           And Three, Certainly not the Least Important, Is to Encourage Them to Faith in Christ.  “Suffer the little children and forbid them not.  We  have long heard of parallelism in Hebrew prose.  Something uniquely important is repeated.  And as if to add further meaning, he repeats the concept positively then negatively.  “Permit” is followed by “do not forbid.”

                Perhaps we need to review some of the marvelous characteristics of childhood.  Trust is the first essence of children. They readily forgive even to the threshold of abuse.  They approach life with an eye for wonder.  Obedience is natural to them.  But disobedience is a learned ruse.  Childlike faith is to live in trust of God, to think first of obedience, to desire to be forgiving, to contemplate the wonder of God’s care.

                The best way to such faith is development over time, to so touch the lives of our children, to see other children whose lives can only be touched for good by the gospel.  No matter what the age of need, it is still this child-like faith offering opportunity—not childish, but childlike.

                And Jesus instructs us.  We are not to be negative influences. But more, we are to be positive motivators urging spiritual children of all ages to the gospel: to Jesus.

Conclusion

                We have approved our Nominating Committee report, and we have a full slate of workers.  Next, the Finance Committee gets to work on the budget.  It will need to be between $100,000 and $120,000.  Peter spoke for the early church: “Silver and gold, have I none; but such as I have give I thee.  In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk.”   Such as we have also.                                              

IN THE ARMS OF JESUS

#136                                                               IN THE ARMS OF JESUS                                                                                      

Scripture  Mark 10:13-16 NIV                                                                                                                          Orig. 6-23-78

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 6-24-88 

Passage:  ¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Purpose:  Dedicated to the cause of the spiritual education of boys and girls through the church.

Keywords:          Christ the Saviour                             Education            Christian Education         Heritage               VBS

Introduction

                A few years ago, late in the year, I was working with a young couple who were soon to be married.  It happened to be one of those occasions where both participants were doing everything humanly possible to effect a sensitively done ceremony.  And I was eager to help them. 

                They felt that this was the only way that they could look back upon their wedding day and rejoice in a day that had been commemorative to their faith in Christ as well as to their love. 

                Two days before the wedding, the newspapers told of another wedding.  In fact, it was on the front page.  The wedding thus described took place  in New Roads, La.  The bride/groom were dressed in the attire of witch/warlock.  Their attendants were decked out as ghouls and southern belles.

                The media would never have written up the wedding we were planning.  They were all too eager to describe in full measure the frenetic energy of a society that has lost its way.  It is this effort to expedite the abnormal that allows a sideshow to become acceptable, and the abnormal to become normal.

                It is thus, with fear in our hearts, that we undertake a program of Christian education.  If we do not teach others of Jesus, and His waiting arms, however will they learn?  The paranormal, the abnormal, is the word  the world passes on.  Our word is spirit, and it is life.  To that end, VBS is a vital part of our effort.  We must teach our children, and all others whom we can, of Jesus, and of his waiting “arms” of blessing.

I.             His Arms Speak First of Substance.  V16 “And He took them up in His arms, put hands upon them and blessed them.”  The substance here is seen in our Judeo-Christian heritage of family. One God: all living, all loving, working against the influence of Satan,  who, by the way, is having a field day primarily on  the back of religious organizers—TV entrepreneurs, denominational controversies, a New York preacher playing leapfrog with lies.  If we don’t tell or show them what God is really like, who will?  At Summer Theater in New Orleans, dissidents placarded Anita Bryant in the late 70’s: “Jesus may have died for sin, but not for mine.”

                God has chosen to work through His church in accomplishment of His purpose.  Satan is pleased to work through the ungodly.  He takes greater pleasure in magnifying faithlessness of so-called believers.  Did you notice the recent write up of dedication of the national headquarters of Atheists? Organized, they’re no threat.  The threat is when we can’t muster interest in doing what we need.  What have you invested in VBS? A lady in town called. She wanted her three daughters in VBS.  She called back, “What can I do?” People ought to be standing in line to help.  Are you?

                Substance is also seen in our purpose.  That  purpose is to guide people in redemptive choices.  Jesus’ parable of the prodigal was to make the point of the difference of life’s values, and difficulty of life’s choices.  The pulse he came to eat was a cheap substitute.  Your children,  your neighbor’s  children, are going to get wrapped up in something.  Why not Jesus? The Greek for “took”—enagkalisamenos—means “folding in his arms.”  If you’ve never “folded” a child in your arms, my heart bleeds for you. 

                The Kingdom of God is mentioned twice.  It belongs to those who, like these children, are receptive.  Jesus did not say it consisted of little children,  he said it happens when those of simple spirit find true substance in Him.  And it’s never been easy.  Our forefathers tilled behind a hand forged plow, and unrelenting oxen, with blunderbuss for protection.  They would have found it easy to live for Jesus in an air-conditioned home with a late model car,  microwaves, and the like.

II.            In This Light, His Arms Speak of Significance.  V13 “And they brought young children to Him that He  should touch them.”  It is undoubtedly true that many parents have no interest in children coming to Jesus.  In many instances, but not all, there is something we can do.  Those who are grandparents, do you sacrifice your witness as an infringement?

                To be  truly redemptive, genuine  parental responsibility must be proclaimed.  It is never a problem to lead a child to faith whose parents are believers.  It is a hundred times more difficult if one or both are not.  The home must exercise responsibility.  Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go.”  3 John 4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

                Some deny that the home can be what it once was, a vine-covered cottage down a quiet lane with happy,  unthreatened children.  But ours is a drug-sated, alcohol-scarred abused community of unconcern. 

A father took a job in a distant city.  He  moved the family into a motel. Several weeks passed.  A motel employee asked, “Little boy, don’t you have a home? I see you here all the time.”  “Sure, we just haven’t found a house to put it in yet.”  After we get settled, as believers, is when we need to do all we can to help other people to have a home to put in a house somewhere.

Let me try to define “home” for you.  It is a place where individuality is happy to  play second-fiddle to family.  It is a  place where neither children nor spouses have to play guessing games about love.  It is a place where God’s Word and work are reverenced.  It is a place where there are no distractions between the way one lives and what one says or teaches.  The church, as an extended family, carries a correlation to the home.

III.           His Arms Testify Ultimately of Salvation.  V14b “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.”  I see this as a positive admonition of need.  The three verses just prior stress the sanctity of the home.  Jesus is instructing the parents to take the lead in their children’s well-being (paidua). The word means “earliest childhood.”

                I am reading salvation into this, of course.  The parent expresses faith in the bringing.  The child discovers faith as what was brought.  There is a parenthetical warning here.  Yes, some bring their children.  Some merely avoid standing in the way, at least by intent.  Some, thoughtlessly, prevent them.  The spirit of Jesus is clearly seen in response to these variant attitudes.  V14 “When Jesus saw this, He was much indignant”—NIV. The King James reads “displeased.”  My Greek dictionary doesn’t describe “indignant.” It refers to “anger.”  In this instance He was angry with the disciples.  Be reminded, He was angry because they stood in the way.

Conclusion

                “Nobody Said It Was Easy” is a term that all of us have used, or have had used on us.  The book of which it is the title happens to be a book on parenting.  It isn’t easy at home, or at church, but it must be done, and you ought to help.

ON TO JERUSALEM

#121                                                                   ON TO JERUSALEM                                                                                          

Scripture Luke 9:51-62 NIV                                                                                                            Orig. October 12, 1985

Passage:  ⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵² And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them^[a]?” ⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Purpose:  Continuing a series from Luke, declaring the way of discipleship

Keywords:          Bible Study         Discipleship

Timeline/Series:               Luke

Introduction

                As Luke opens the door for Jesus to begin His  journey to Jerusalem, he opens a whole new segment of the story  that he intends to tell.  Not only that, he begins accounting what is not otherwise told of the life of Jesus.

                Through Luke 9:50, Luke’s account is a parallel account with Matthew and Mark.  From here on to chapter 19 he will tell vignettes of the life of Jesus which are told only by Luke.  Perhaps as much as 90% of these ten chapters do not otherwise appear.

                This phase of Jesus’ life is called the Perean Ministry of Jesus.  Up to now, it has been the Galilean ministry.  Perea was across the Jordan River from Samaria.  Its name comes from the Greek word for “across,” peran.  It was the ancient name for what is now called Transjordan

                As Jesus started for Jerusalem, He determined to take the shortest route which would have been straight through Samaria.  He sent messengers on ahead to arrange lodging for them.  However, when the Samaritans with whom they talked discovered that they were Jews on their way to Jerusalem, they refused to accommodate Jesus and His disciples.  We have heard much of this bad blood between Jews and Samaritans.  Jesus intends a kindness, which they quietly  rebuff. 

                We talked of John recently and his change from “son of thunder”  to “disciple whom Jesus loved.”   We see evidence here of what he was originally.  He and James wanted to call down “fire” from heaven on these wretched Samaritans for daring such a discourtesy.

                This detour is not the way convention dictates but the way conscience demands.

I.             A Brief Look at Old Prejudice and New Anger.  V 53 “But they did not receive Him because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.”  We should not read into this any sentiment against Christ.  They probably knew little. They opposed these Jews expecting lodging.  All of us need to learn to be careful in what we shut out of our lives.

                Jesus used the opportunity to teach.  First note that the believers were as misguided as the unbelievers.  The Samaritans concluded that Jesus was a typical Jew.  The disciples concluded that Jesus shared their anger at such intemperance. Perhaps they were recalling II Kings 1:10-12, when Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume messengers of King Ahaziah. 

Jesus’ advice to them is to examine their spirit.  V55 “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.”  This is not contained in the Greek.  Could it express their strongly negative approach to the Samaritans?  He rebuked their discipleship.  Lincoln said, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”

II.            Here Jesus Begins a Segment of Teaching About the “Way.”  These are Three Tests of Discipleship.

 First is the test of consecration.  V57 Lord, I will follow you wherever you go.”  He has already addressed this in 9:23 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let  him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”  The word “follow” is the verb form of “attendant.”  Now one spontaneously responds.  Wherever you go, I will go.  Have you ever  thought about your response to Jesus?  Jesus reminds him of the variables.  He has observed popularity. He has seen the crowds, hoopla.  What happens when the fun is gone? John 19:30, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.”

                Second is the test of obedience.  V 59 “Follow me.”  “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”  We need to examine the picture that forms.  Is it of a man whose father is in a coffin, a man who wants to attend the funeral?  Look again! The oldest son had the responsibility of funeral arrangements.  He wanted to postpone Jesus’ invitation until a more convenient time.

                William Barclay tells of a brilliant young Arab who was offered a scholarship at Oxford/Cambridge, whose response was “I will take it after I have buried my father.” His father was forty, and in excellent health.  The heart of the question to all of us is “What are we doing that is more important than the Kingdom?”  Discipleship demands obedience.  Soldiers are called to make sacrifices.

                Third is the test of authenticity.  V62 “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.”  Following Jesus is for “keeps,” as someone says.  It calls for  sincerity of purpose.  But one must give up his family? No, but his priority must be the Kingdom.  The ancient Oriental “farewell” might last for weeks.  In Genesis 24:55, after Abraham’s servant identified Rebekah as God’s chosen for Isaac, her mother and brother asked for her to stay 10  days. But the servant said, “do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way.”  And Rebekah went with him.

                Too many people say “I will follow…

                …but…”

                …when…”

                …if…”

                Too many Southern Baptists say “You can’t be my friend unless…

                …you believe in inerrancy.”  The  inerrancy card is inflammatory.

                …you deny ordination of women.”

                …you went to an unconventional seminary.”

Conclusion

                Jesus advised His disciples to understand of  what spirit they were.  When the sermon is five minutes over; or the special message didn’t gel;  or someone you don’t care for shares your pew; or you are reminded of some little deed done, or big deed not done.  “What spirit are you of?”

                When the Scottish Presbyterians first came to Northern Ireland, their faith was unacceptable. Their ministers were considered dissenters and were not allowed.  These people  of faith chose to row the miles back to Scotland on each Lord’s Day to take Communion and to worship.  What spirit are we of?

THE COMPONENTS OF GROWTH

#115                                                      THE COMPONENTS OF GROWTH                                                                             

Scripture  Mark 4:1-20 NIV                                                                                                                            Orig. 12/11/83

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 8/19/86 

Passage:  Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” ⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’^[a]”

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Purpose: Continuing a Prayer Meeting series form Mark, sharing with my people the need to commit oneself to the task of learning the Kingdom of God.

Introduction

                Helen Keller once responded to a student’s question about the difficulty of blindness by responding that it was worse to “have eyes and not be able to see.”  She merely wanted to shock the shortsighted into the realization that one must pursue for understanding, even of the Kingdom of God.  The hearer must not only be aware of the words spoken, he must heed them with the intent to understand and believe.

                There is a great host of people, to whom the gospel has been revealed, yet who choose not to believe.  Opportunity may be extended.  Obligation is clearly demanded. Open heartedness is the need of the hour.  But all too often, opinion is allowed to cloud the mind and close the door of faith.

                The issue addressed by Jesus in this parable is simply in determination of whether we hear Him or another.  Matthew 13:15 (context) “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them.”

                Isaiah 6:9-10 “⁹ He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.^[a]
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,  understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

Mark 4:24 “And He said unto them, ‘Take heed what ye hear.’”

Luke 8:18 “Take heed therefore how ye hear.”

I.             The First Component Is the Seed as the Hearing of Faith.  V4 “. . . as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside . . . v5 other fell on the rocky ground . . . v7 and other fell among the thorns . . . and others fell into the good ground.”

                Recall the occasion of this teaching, somewhere in Galilee with a large crowd, curious, concerned, confused, contentious.  He was positioned to teach effectively (Mark 3:9). They saw also the fields, paths, sower, and birds.

                As the parable revolves around seed, we must briefly examine it.  No distinction is made in the quality of the seed.  Farmers go to great length to compare seed types and their yields, using computer records and magazine recommendations.  Here, the seed stands for “the word of the Kingdom.”  Luke 8:12 “The seed is the word of God.” Mark 4:14 “The sower soweth the word.”

                What we know is that in every instance the right seed is used.  I Peter 1:23 “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever.”

II.            The Next Component Is the Soil: The Heart Seeking Fulfillment.  V4f “. . . wayside . . . stony ground . . . among thorns . . . good ground.”

                The wayside hearer has a hard, beaten, worn pathway.  There is good seed, but no soil.  Seeds  roll before the wind, and are scavenged by birds.  The seed does not even germinate.

                The stony ground hearer has good seed, but the soil is poor.  The seed did germinate, but no depth of earth existed to offer moisture.  Without roots it wilted under a hot sun.  This is the hearer who listens but does nothing with what he hears.

                The thorny ground hearer has good seed and good soil, but competition for soil moisture and  nourishment is acute.  For instance, at an athletic contest there are ability and desire; victory often belongs not to ability but to desire.  Player and coach communication are the key.  How preoccupied are we at Bible study or worship or witness opportunities?

                The good ground hearer has good seed and good soil. Growth begins quickly with singlemindedness.

III.           The Final Component Is that the Sower Is God.  V3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.”  Jesus, in Matthew 13:18, calls this the “Parable of the Sower.”  Note that there were  no distinctions in the quality of the seed, nor in the intent of the sower.  The singular difference is the soil.  The sower, however, is not incidental. We perceive that he stands in the place of God.  Little else is known. Mark says, “Listen! Behold!”

                Other scriptural references to sowing are:

                Ezekiel 28:25, “I gathered Israel from the people among whom they were scattered.”

                Amos 9:15, “I will plant them upon their land and they shall no more be pulled up.”

                Matthew 13:37, “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man.”

IV.          Lessons

                No farmer plants his seed minimally.  Farmer Buddy Fairchild replanted with 80% growth.  God will not do less than we.  II Corinthians 9:6 “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he that sows bountifully will reap also bountifully.”

                The responsibility for receptivity is our own.  Keep the components clear, encourage children, influence others.  The end result is judgment on what we do with what we have.  I Corinthians 2:14, “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.”  Galatians 6:8, “He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

Conclusion

                I remind you that  the land we eagerly wait to plow and to plant in the spring owes us no bountiful crop; it owes us  only the right to get out of it what we can and will.  The schools of the parish owe  no student an education; but he is owed the right to pursue the fullest of which he is capable.  God’s creative genius does not owe the nations peace; He owes us the right to pursue peace and to show that we are worthy of it.

SALUTING THE LIBERATED WOMAN

#108                                                   SALUTING THE LIBERATED WOMAN                                                                          

Scripture Luke 1:46-55; 2:4-7, 33-35, 40 NIV                                                                                             Orig. 5/10/64

                                                                                                                                                                       Rewr. 5-9-86 (5/77) 

Passage: Luke 1 

⁴⁶ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

Luke 2

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

³³ The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵ so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Purpose:  On the occasion of Mother’s Day, to share with my people a particular understanding of the meaning of Women’s Liberation

Keywords:          Dedication          Duty      Liberation            Marriage              Motherhood                      Special Day

Introduction

                Before allowing Mary to testify to us of a truly liberated woman, may I call your attention to her Old Testament counterpart, named Esther.  History paints a rather dim picture of woman’s place during her day.  There were no feminine aspirations to equality, and the men were intent on keeping it that way. Esther and others like her lived in the crucible of inequality.

                Just before Esther makes her timely appearance, the beautiful Vashti was queen.  But now she has been deposed.  She embarrassed her husband and benefactor, the powerful King Ahasuerus, of Media/Persia and “125 other provinces from India to Ethiopia.”  Vashti had been summoned to come and parade her beauty before the lustful eyes of the lesser princes of the realm.  She refused.  Now there is liberation.  However, the menfolks decided that unless the king acted swiftly, this kind of uppitiness was sure to catch on with their wives.  We are not told that she was punished, only that she was deposed, stripped of her royal estate.  My knowledge of the period is limited, but Vashti would have been better off dead.

                Herein steps Esther.  That’s like following Nixon in the White House, or Edwards in the State House.  Esther, did you learn anything?  Esther, did you learn anything?  Do you know to come when you are called? Otherwise, enjoy yourself in the lap of luxury.

                Esther had an older kinsman who saw her in this new role as a standard bearer for Hebrew liberation.  Perhaps a dark-skinned Joan of Arc.  She just wanted her skin left intact.  Don’t forget that it was Mordecai, the kinsman, who was at fault in this mess.  The Jews were in the hotbox they were in because Mordecai would not bow before and reverence one of the king’s princes.  So, Mordecai challenges Esther, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”  It is to the truly liberated women who have functioned with queenly honor in a man’s world that this salute is addressed.

I.             The Liberated Woman’s Devotion of Faith.  Luke 1:46 “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.”  It is the devotion to achieve what she can, while she can, where she can, to the glory of God.  You have the privilege of living in the world’s finest hour for women’s rights.  Don’t forget the achievements of your sisters: Sarah, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Mary, Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale.  Do those at the forefront today deserve the credit? It was an idea whose time had come.  Many think equality discounts God because He is male.

                The New Orleans Times Picayune printed an article written by a nun about God the Mother.  Did she believe it, or was it cleverness?  We have some right to get away from terms of God’s sexuality.  God the Father still says something that God the Person never will.  He is wholly Other.

                So, we are making peace with old and often outmoded concepts.  There are men who want to keep their women subservient.

Genesis 2:18, King James Version: “I will make him an helpmeet for him.”

Me: “I will make him his counterpart to complement and complete him.”

Society is not dependent on “family as we have known it,” but on family.  In the dimension of faith, if woman chooses equality, she loses uniqueness. 

Statistics show greater equality, also, lung cancer, sclerosis, heart disease. Statistic: Less than 100 of 1000 women between 15-44 are married; babies are having babies; abortion on demand; etc.

Women’s truest liberator and liberation is in the dimension of faith.  Some go for headlines: “Six Woman Basketball Illegal,” “All Boys’ Choir Falls Victim to Women’s Lib.”  But the real discovery is that of Faith: “My soul magnifies the Lord, My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”  Therein she becomes the enabler—the Christian mother.

II.            The Liberated Woman’s Detachment for Her Husband.  Luke 2:4, “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, . . . unto Bethlehem, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.”  The consensus of concern remains that the husband be the provider of sustenance.  It becomes more difficult for one income to suffice.  In either case, the wife becomes the principal enabler.  She is more often the one called upon to make sacrifices to complement her life to that of her husband.  The Biblical record sustains this.

                But the place of authority figure is not the intent.  The first compulsion of God on female or male is faith.  I like what a sainted seminary professor used to say, “The wife submits, not because she has found her master, but because her heart has found its rest.”

III.           The Liberated Woman’s Duty in Motherhood.  Luke 2:7, “She brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”  She was called upon, as mothers often are, to make fullest use of circumstances.  A cattle stall became a castle under a loving mother’s hand. 

She was called upon, as mothers often are, to begin as early as possible to complement and supplement spiritual instruction. Knowing what they are learning that is potentially harmful is half the battle.  Tipper Gore fought for moral responsibility in popular music. 

She was called upon, as mothers often are, to pray unendingly for God’s sustenance, encouraging them outside the nest while knowing the dangers and counteracting.  Ecclesiastes 11:9, “Rejoice, . . . in your youth and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that from all these, God will bring you into judgment.”  But, you see, this is a happy eventuality when the child has learned that the judgment of God is to be trusted.

She was called upon, as mothers often are, to challenge to seek and follow God’s will as He reveals it.  Liberation for its own right is a basket of summer fruit, rotten and contaminated.  One can make peace with God’s will.

Driving from Alexandria to Baton Rouge, I met a young man on his way west about twenty miles out of Baton Rouge.  He was a rover.  Across his chest was a guitar.  On his back he carried his backpack, complete with a map of his itinerary.  All of this while he pedaled a monocycle.  He claimed liberation.  Some might claim that he was being victimized by this roving spirit.

Conclusion

                Devotion to Christ!  Detachment for husband and family!  Duty!  These are the clarion calls of true liberation.  Someone has said, “When a woman is possessed by Jesus Christ, something more significant happens to her than could ever happen to a man.”

                Khalil Gibran, in his book, “Jesus, the Son of Man,” includes what he interprets to be the feeling that Mary Magdalene had for Jesus.  “Then Jesus looked at her and said, ‘You have many lovers, yet I alone love you.  Other men love themselves in your nearness, I love you in yourself.  Other men see beauty in you that shall fade away sooner than their own years. I see a beauty in you that shall not fade away, and in the autumn of your days that beauty shall not be afraid to gaze at itself in the mirror, and it shall not be offended.’”

HELPING THE HOME TO HAPPINESS

#105                                                   HELPING THE HOME TO HAPPINESS                                                                          

Scripture                                                                                                                                                      Orig. 5/2/65 (5/77)

Genesis 2:18-24 NIV                                                                                                                                          Rewr. 6/18/87

I Corinthians 7:3-5 NIV                                                                                                                                                                  

Passage:  Genesis 2:18-24 ¹⁸ The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” ¹⁹ Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam^[a] no suitable helper was found. ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs^[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib^[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

²³ The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” ²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

I Corinthians 7:3-5 ³ The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. ⁵ Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Purpose:  On the occasion of Father’s Day, urge my people to achieve a renewed understanding of the home as a unique spiritual blessing.

Keywords:          Family                   Marriage              Heritage               Home

Introduction

                We occasionally see stickers on cars identifying those within as participants in some marriage-meaning seminar.  One of these stickers states, “We believe in marriage.”  If one believes in God, and believes that He has spoken in His Word, then marriage is the fundamental human relationship.

                What we read in Genesis 2 as the historic position of scripture, is found virtually unchanged when we read Paul’s interpretation found in I Corinthians 7.  Clearly, Jesus saw it this way, and declared his teaching openly.

                According to many social scientists, marriage is at a low point of esteem.  50% of all marriages end in divorce.  The average span of a marriage is six to nine years, giving vent to what is called the “seven-year itch.”  That’s another name for boredom based on acquired responsibility.

                Don’t lose sight of the fact that in our 20^th Century, sex has become a “sales” technique.  Thus enter our salesperson counselors who advise solutions: “gracious living replaces the life of grace.”  Instead of dealing with the problem, such counselors insist on a change of appearance, or wardrobe.  The psychiatrist seeks the total dismantling of “guilt” insisting, “If it feels good, do it,” which in many cases is what we want to hear anyway.

                The mandate upon the Christian in regard to marriage, is that God is the instigator of marriage, the molder of relationship, the magnifier of trust.

                It is important that those who have weathered the winds of withdrawal, know Who has been their succor.  As well, those who are facing uncertain days of threatened dissolution, need to know that their marriage is worth saving, and to know Him, only, who can.  And, finally, those who look ahead to such a social dilemma, might know that God still honors His Word, for those who are willing to live by it, and for those who do not.

I.             Marriage is Founded upon a Unique Spiritual Heritage.  Genesis 2:24 “. . . he shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” I Corinthians 7:3 “The husband shall give to the wife what is her due as his wife; and so also the wife to the husband.”

                Such marriage is of divine origin.  Living Bible: God took the rib and made the woman, brought her to the man, who responded, “This is it!”  Grace is always getting more than we either expect or deserve.  One is impelled to see intended, physical consummation.  Some say it is the “result of sin.”  Others, that God allows it as an impediment.

                Scripture points to a higher goal of intent.  It was to be creative, intimate, relational—ever so much more than carnal expression.  It is the ultimate proclamation of selflessness.  The Greek has three words expressing love: carnal, familial, selfless.  Proverbs 18:22 “Whoso finds a wife, finds a good thing.” Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled.”

                Such physical consummation becomes spiritual between two people on harmonious spiritual terms. It is the belief that its beginning, and tenure, are of God, and it is the contentment that the relationship is its own ultimate goal.

                I remember a story (Readers Digest, March 1977), “There Came a Cry of Joy” about an ornithologist and a sparrow hawk.  He trapped it, but instead of penning it at the end of the day, felt impressed to release it.  He opened his hands, and watched as the hawk soared upward.  From far overhead he heard the cry of another bird.  “I was young then, and had seen little of the world, but when I heard that cry, my heart turned over.  It was not the cry of the hawk I had released.  I was now seeing farther up . . . where she had been soaring . . . for untold hours. And from far up, ringing from peak to peak of the summit over us, came a cry of such unutterable and ecstatic joy that it sounds down across the years and tingles among the cups on a quiet breakfast table.”

                To this divine origin is added parenthood. It is lagniappe, not biological, but spiritual, emotional.  Note: Parents, your children are being brainwashed with ideas relating to sex that are promiscuous, unrealistic.  Let them see in your marriage the bases for the divine image.  Youth, when you buy the contemporary garbage of promiscuity as a worthwhile goal, you reduce the chances that you will ever be able to experience what God wills for you.

II.            Uniquely Spiritual, Marriage is also Uniquely Human.  Genesis 2:18 “And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make an helpmeet for him.”  I Corinthians 7:4 “The wife no longer has full rights over her body, but shares them with her husband.  So also, the husband with the wife.”

                The Christian home is a respite of equals.  Matthew 19:6 “They are no longer two, but one flesh.”  These equals work together to define roles.  Indeed, the husband is to be head of wife and home.  Ron used “obey” for the wife, but merited it not written into the companion vow.

                The vulnerable marriages, Christian as well, are those that become power struggles.  Speaking tongue-in-cheek, the husband settles big issues and the wife the little ones: The wife decides where to live, school for children, vacation plans, etc.  The husband decides when to reestablish trade relations with China; whether or not to support the Contras; if PTL really should have sold the doghouse.

                Both must take serious interest in avoiding what brings grief to the other. Watchwords are communication, compromise, commitment.

                A relationship of equals is based on spiritual values.  It is this that is most easily mismanaged.  It is not a question of how much or how deeply we love.  Love is measured in terms of quality.  We must be able to gauge where we ourselves are spiritually, and to find another in spiritual harmony.  The last statistics seen call attention to a much higher level of marital success for those marrying above college age, perhaps twice as high.  It is not the college degree as much as age maturity.  Youth are clearly vulnerable.  All must remember that nothing physical or material will last. 

                Love sonnet: Thomas Moore, 18^th Century Irish poet, was married to beautiful Bessie Dykes, an actress.  In 1811, while away, he found out from a friend that she had been stricken with a skin disease, leaving her disfigured.  She dreaded his return. This poem preceded him:

“Believe me if all those endearing young charms, Which I gaze on so fondly today,

Were to change by tomorrow, and melt in my arms, Like fairy-gifts fading way,

Thou would still be adored, as this moment thou art, Let thy loveliness fade as it will.

And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart Would incline itself verdantly still.

It is not while beauty and youth are thine own, And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear,

That the fervour and faith of a soul may be known, To which time will but make thee more dear!

No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets, But as truly loves on to the close;

As the sunflower turns on her god, when he sets, The same look which she turned when he rose.”

                Others are as well vulnerable.  Among them are those who have lost mates of special harmony.  Marriage is not an end in itself.  The key is always, “What God has joined together.”  The solution is to allow the Spirit to lead.

                The worst mistake in my life…. (***the remainder of this paragraph has been lost***).

                What about the divorced?  There are times when divorce or annulment are the only alternatives.  That person has the right to marital happiness.  The Christian must not ever take the easy way.

                I came to know Wes Jackson in New Orleans. His wife had died, and he was dating a church lady.  A friend, whose wife had walked out on his ministerial career, sympathized with him over the loss of his wife.  “As strange as it may seem to you, I envy you.  Not because your wife died, but because death is so final, while divorce is not.  I know she’s out there somewhere, and I still care for her.”

III.           For the Home to be Uniquely Christian, there Needs to be Grace to Accept Differences in Others’ Lives.  The church performs in the role of extended family.  Christ is the husband, the Church is the bride, and we are participants together in family.

                Units within that family structure are going to differ.  Marriage is the norm: the operating criteria for most of us.  Single people are just as important to God.  Marriage at any cost is not the answer.  Making the most out of marriage is the answer for all married people.  The church must stand ready to open its heart as well to those outside of traditional family, offering companionship, and a full sense of belonging.

Conclusion

                Let me close, however, with a piece called “Practical Rules for a Happy Marriage.” “Never both be angry at the same time.  Never talk at one another, either alone or in company.  Never speak loudly to one another, unless the house is on fire.  Let each one strive to yield most often to the wishes of the other.  Let self-denial be the daily aim and practice of each.  Never taunt with a past mistake.  Neglect the whole world rather than one another.  Never part for a day without loving words to remember.  Never make a mean remark at the expense of the other.  Never meet without a loving welcome.  Never let the sun go down on any anger or grievance.  Never forget the happy hours of early love.  Never forget that marriage is ordained of God and that His blessings alone can make it what it ought to be.  And you will be happy ever after.”

                C.S. Lewis wrote in The Four Loves: “If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one. . . avoid all entanglements.  Lock it up safe in the coffin of your selfishness.  But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change.  It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. . . .  The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.”

CROWDS ABOUT THE CROSS

#096                                                          CROWDS ABOUT THE CROSS                                                                                 

Scripture  Luke 23:26-43 NIV                                                                                                                              Orig. 5-6-62

                                                                                                                                                                       Rewr. (8-76)  3-5-89 

Passage:  ²⁶ As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷ A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. ²⁸ Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then

“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’^{[a] 31} For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” ³² Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. ³³ When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[b] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  ³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”  ³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. ³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”  ⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”  ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[c]”  ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Purpose:  Approaching Easter, to speak to my people of variant attitudes about Jesus’ death, and the determination that He died in our place.

Keywords:          Christ as Saviour                               Faith                      Special Day, Easter          Crucifixion           Man/Sin

Timeline/Series: Prior to Easter 

Introduction

                It is not necessary for us to travel very far to encounter crowds.  They are everywhere we go, and their reasons for being where they are, are as numerous as the people themselves.

                We find these crowds at our malls, our cotillions of commerce.  They are there to shop, some even to spend money.  But many others are there for the purpose of seeing and being seen.

                Again, we may find the crowds at ball games, at religious conventions, at historic sites, at school convocations, at pageants and festivals, or speeding down the already unsafe highways.

                They gather in the mountains, at the beach, at parades commemorating such themes as Mardi Gras, freedom, homecoming, etc.  You see them riding horses, wearing clown costumes, playing band instruments. Some would not be anywhere else in all the world.  Others would rather be anywhere than where they are.

                The paper told of a gathering crowd.  A distraught woman was threatening to take her own life.  The curious came out of the woodwork.  With hoots and jeers some of them urged her on.  Some there surely cared, but they were intimidated by those who did not.  The police arrived, but even they had difficulty from the vented anger of the crowd becoming a mob that wanted to see some blood-letting.  In their attempt to break through to the poor woman she had become so disturbed by these savage tactics that she drove the knife several times into her own body.  Crowds, how easy to deplore what they become once we are free of their dastardly influence.  How would you have acted at the cross?

I.             On the Faces of That Crowd I See Contempt.  V35 “And the rulers also with them derided Him saying, He saved others; Let Him save Himself, if He be the Christ, the chosen of God.”  The Greek word for ‘passion’ is ‘pathos.’  We have a number of words that are derivatives: Sympathy—to feel for; Empathy—to feel with; Apathy—a lack of feeling; Antipathy—spite, feeling against.

                This last is what we find among Jesus’ enemies here at the cross.  What, exactly, were they feeling?  They were not bored with Jesus.  They weren’t looking for a more dynamic Messiah.  They hated, with passion, all that Jesus stood for.

                Matthew and Mark incriminate chief priests and scribes with “rulers” here mentioned.  Theirs is a contempt for the unproven.  His teaching was in conflict with theirs.  The scribe was patting himself on the back:  “The people need the law, I can give it to them.”  The rulers were concluding that the people were not smart enough to interpret their religion.  They could.

                Does it surprise us to learn that there are still those disposed to contempt for Jesus?  Some modernist religious leaders say that Jesus really didn’t have to die.  They discount Paul’s “Unto us which are saved, it is the power of God,” I Corinthians 1:18.  They ignore John’s terse “Whosoever denieth the son, the same hath not the Father,” I John 2:23.

                There are others who simply hate that for which Jesus stands.  I shared recently the testimony of a rock musician who played Jesus in Jesus Christ, Superstar.  Jeff Fenholt said the “Cast were atheists who were trying to mock Jesus.”  The recent uproar over The Last Temptation of Christ is also evidence. 

                I challenge you to send for the AFA Journal.  Read some of the dialogue being perpetrated on a naïve public.  I read Don Wildmon’s editorial (4-88) proudly accepting contempt and scorn of the ACLU and Playboy for having led the fight against smut.

II.            On Faces in That Crowd I Also See Consent.  V35 “And the people stood beholding.”  V36 “And the soldiers also mocked Him.” 

                Those looking on so candidly were agreeing to this carnage.  Those “beholding” are observing with interest, and their interest is not faith in Christ.  The word “mocked” spoken of the soldiers means ‘sport,’ ‘jest,’ ‘childlike.’  It seems as if there were ambulance chasers then also.  (“Let’s go see how long it takes the crucified to die.”)

                The passion expressed here is apathy.  The contemptuous deserve none of our pity.  These even less.  The soldiers go so far as to gamble over the garment of Jesus as a trivia item to talk about later. 

                I have seen the cards come out at one-sided ballgames.  The 1989 Nevada crusade team had to be challenged not to play slots; we may look back to Las Vegas in June.

                Yes, we can turn up a reason for consent.  Valid questions were being raised by people all over Judea.  Some of those questions were raised by people after hearing Jesus.  Others just didn’t like those kinds of questions.  So, this way they can get Jesus out of the way, and can even say, “Tsk! Tsk! What a shame.”

                Our church roles have many “consenters” on them.  If you didn’t listen carefully, you may have thought I said “sinners.”

III.           Yet Other Faces Stand Out in That Crowd, and On Them I See Confusion. V 40 “Dost not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same condemnation?”  There may have been, and credit must be given to, those “beholding” who were concerned about what all this meant.  Some had heard prophecies of Messiah.  A few might have understood that He was to suffer, die. 

                They had heard Jesus’ reference to himself as “Son of Man.”  Outside of Revelation, the title occurs more than 80 times, all but one in the gospels, and all but one of these used by Jesus Himself.  The exception (John 12:34) is interesting; it is the crowd in confusion asking, “We have heard from the law that Christ remains forever.  How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is the Son of Man?”  The passage, Acts 7:56, is the other exception: Stephen, nearing the end of his life, cried out “Look, I see . . . the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

IV.          But There Were Believers in the Crowd for on Some Faces I See Compassion Concern, Concession.  V26 “Upon . . . Simon, a Cyrenian, . . . they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.”  V27 “And there followed Him a great company of people, . . . which also bewailed and lamented Him.”

                They’re the ones who perceived in Jesus the answer to long-standing questions.  “Where is God?”  “Why was I born?”  “What happens when I die?”

                Believers were there who saw the world potentially as a better place, not yet ready for His departure, not believing that the tide had turned.  Peter (Matthew 16:22) “began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: This shall not be unto thee.”

                Perhaps there were those who had measured the required commitment needed by those who remain.  Down the ages the crucifixion must be repeated over and over again.   What face do you reveal to the Christ who dies there? The face of contempt? That of Consent? One of Confusion? Or the face He wishes to see, of compassion, concern, concession?

Conclusion

                We are part of the crowd.  We can’t change that.  But we do control the kind of face He sees.  In the angry crowd every trusting face He sees causes the nails to be less painful, the crown of thorns less burdensome, the hour of death less agonizing.  Look up!  Look up to Jesus!