Sermons From My Heart

Philippians 3:4-14 contrasts the Law of Moses (especially its strict observances) with God’s grace. It tells us what we need to do, such as putting old lives behind us and concentrating on our new lives with Christ. Grace and a right relationship with God are more important than strict observance of the Law. God often calls us to give up something that is important to us so we can grow closer to Him in faith. What we give up pales in comparison to what we gain-eternal life.

The Jews in Philippi claimed that certain rites of Judaism were necessary for salvation. Paul used his own accomplishments as a Jew to argue that these claims were false. His union with Christ, like our union with Christ, was possible only because God gave Christ’s righteousness to Paul and to us so that it was reckoned by God as His own. Faith is the dependence on and trust in Jesus Christ for the necessary requirement to enter God’s kingdom. That requirement is the righteousness of Christ, which God gives to every believer.

Those who have confidence in the flesh in any fashion-but especially people who are bound by legalistic beliefs-are unable to rejoice in the Lord. Legalism drains the believer of the joy of the Lord, and with that joy, the power for vital worship and vibrant service is depleted.

If Paul had failed to achieve acceptance with God through all his inherited and earned virtues, then he reasoned that no one could climb up to God on his own merits. In fact, all that Paul had accomplished proved to be stumbling blocks to his acceptance by God. This is often true for those who are bound up in legalism.

The freedom to make choices brings responsibility. All of us have made poor choices at times, and we have had to suffer the consequences of these choices. The good news is that no matter what poor choices we may have made in the past, there is always hope for a better future. God knew that we would make some bad choices, but he loves us so much that He sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins and to provide a way for our relationship with him to be restored.

If we want to become citizens of another country, we must go through a process of naturalization. There are several requirements, including taking an oath of allegiance to our new country. We become citizens of Heaven the moment we are saved. There is no test or process involved, because Jesus already did everything that is necessary. All we have to do is claim His offer in faith. That is not the end of our salvation, but merely the beginning. If we become a citizen of another country but do not vote, pay taxes, work or do anything to make the country better we are poor citizens indeed. A Christian who does nothing for the kingdom of God is a poor citizen of heaven.

Too many of us as Christians have not appropriated this freedom-bringing truth. We keep one foot in the law where “doing” prevails, hoping that our doing will lead to our being righteous. We forget that we do not strive to live in the Spirit to be in the Spirit. It is the reverse. Because we are in the Spirit we live by the Spirit. Because we have received the righteousness of God, we do deeds of righteousness. We do these deeds not to get in right relationship with God, but because we have already been justified by faith. (Pause)

The Christian life is a journey. It is a process of growth in which we “lay hold” of the fullness of that which had been given us. We are Christians; we must now become what we are. We have been saved; now we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Paul understood that he had a lot of room for growth. And if he did, so do we. Too many of us have the attitude that we have finished growing in faith. We should have the same attitude as the great cellist Pablo Casals. A young reporter asked him one day, “You’re 95. The world considers you to be its greatest cellist; and still, at 95, you practice six hours a day. Why?” Pablo Casals replied, “Because I think I’m making progress.”

If we have grown stagnant in our spiritual lives, we need to ask “why?” Are our spiritual lives stunted? Why are we not growing? Why are we stymied in our spiritual progress? What are our barriers to growth? If we are willing to admit that we need to grow, then identify the barriers that are keeping a lid on our spiritual lives, and finally, by God’s grace, deal with those barriers and remove them, we will begin to press on and grow.

Paul uses the terms “count” and “counted” three times in verses 7-9. In this context, it means “to evaluate or consider.” Paul reminds the Philippians that the decision he made 30 years before writing the Letter to the Philippians still has a hold on him-he still considers his previous assets as liabilities. The righteousness of Christ is now the only asset on his balance sheet. It changed him in a way that his own righteousness could never do. Everything that Paul considered so important before his conversion-his ancestry and Judaistic zeal-is now rubbish in comparison to what he possesses in Christ.

The sufferings Paul speaks of are those experiences of the believer who is truly committed to Christ: suffering for the sake of righteousness. Adversity often draws us closer to God in faith. God doesn’t glory in pain or sorrow, but He uses them to teach us about His love and faithfulness. When adversity comes our vulnerability increases and we wonder where God is. We realize that we need God, especially His fellowship and His presence, or we will collapse. God always has something in mind when He allows us to face difficulty. In times of difficulty, God is our immoveable strength. When adversity strikes, the first thing we should do is turn to God. The second step is to offer our commitment to Him that we will remain focused on Him and not on our circumstances.

 Philippians 3:11 is the only place in the New Testament to use the form of the Greek word for “resurrection.” It means “out from the dead ones.” Paul is speaking of the moment when he will stand before the Lord; he does not want to be empty-handed.

Christians who long to finish well will cultivate three things:

1. The discipline of focus-striving for the single goal (the one thing) until its completion, undeterred by obstacles or the taunts of the crowd.
2. The discipline of forgetting-refusing to be paralyzed or rendered complacent by the past.
3. The discipline of following-intensely pursuing the calling of the Christian life until victory has been won.

Paul was not satisfied to rest on his laurels. He had to move forward toward God’s plan, purpose and prize. To apprehend means “to lay hold of, pull down.” In contemporary terms, it refers to a football player who runs someone down from behind and tackles him. This is how Christians should pursue righteousness.

We can’t dwell on past accomplishments. There is always more to learn and do when it comes to our life in Christ. Privileges of birth and achievement mean nothing, as Paul found out. Each of his privileges became a bundle of loss because they were useless.

Knowing Christ means when we repent and accept Christ as our Saviour, we are united with Christ. He does something which we accept by faith. It means knowing Christ’s death and resurrection as present and active forces in our lives. Knowing Christ means knowing the fellowship of His suffering. We are raised to new life in Christ just like He was raised up on the cross. We celebrate the liberating power of His resurrection through praise and thanksgiving. Knowing Christ means being conformed to His death. Christians must die to sin. We must pass through death to life and must yield our lives to a process of letting the old person die so the new person can be born.

We must never forget that salvation, which includes resurrection from the dead, is a gift of God and we dare not presume on divine mercy. What really matters is the prize of the high calling of God. The price of a vital faith is a continuous struggle. We were created by God to grow; we were recreated by Christ to grow and become our whole selves-the new creation we are in Jesus.

When we turn to God, we must set goals that agree with God’s plan for our lives, and that will also enable us to experience God in greater depth. How can we set these goals and move forward with decisiveness? Paul suggests the following steps:

1. Believe and meditate on the promises of God.
2. Have a consuming desire to achieve a precise goal.
3. Have the courage to try, even at the risk of failure.
4. Choose determination.
5. Be persistent.
6. Humble ourselves.Let go of the past.

In the Christian life, it can be a loss to start with or keep the faith when things are going well. Hanging in through good times and tough times, and to be there for the long haul, takes a genuine commitment that is based on a deep belief that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, and that our lives are in His hands.

What are we unwilling to leave behind for the sake of Christ? Is there anything keeping us from complete obedience? What is keeping us from humbling ourselves in repentance and receiving His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life? Deep down, it might not be wealth, but we know what our idol is. We know it because we are holding onto it so tightly that it can’t escape our grip unless we willingly surrender it to Christ.

As we live and focus on Christ, our eyes should always be gazing ahead to what God has for us next. It’s great to remember how God worked through us in the past, but it’s more important to realize how God wants to work through us today. When we do, we will receive the crown of righteousness on that day when we are gathered before God’s throne.

Bibliography

1. 1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, p. 1660-1661)
   2. Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 31: Galatians/Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 286-298)
   3. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
   4. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
   5. Richard Inness, “The Race.” Retrieved from www.actsweb.org
   6. Bayless Conley, “Not There Yet.” Retrieved from www.answersrbc.org
   7. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “Arms Wide Open.” Retrieved from mydevotional@leadingtheway.org
   8. Pastor Jack Graham, “Keeping Your Eyes Forward in the New Year.” Retrieved from www.jackgraham.org
   9. Bayless Conley, “The Prize.” Retrieved from www.answersrbc.org
   10. Bayless Conley, “Not There Yet.” Retrieved from www.answersrbc.org
   11. Bayless Conley, “Intimacy with God.” Retrieved from www.answersrbc.org
   12. Pastor Jack Graham, “How to Keep Your Past from Dragging You Down.” Retrieved from www.jackgraham.org
   13. Paul Chappell, “Being Good Citizens.” Retrieved from daily@dailyintheword.org

He was, by all accounts, a successful man. This builder of fine homes in an upscale American suburb was known to all as a creative craftsman, a shrewd businessman, a fair-minded employer, and a generous benefactor. But he was aging now, and before he set out for Florida for the winter, he approached his top superintendent and told him that he was retiring. “I want you to build me a home, the finest home this company has ever built. Spare no expense, use the finest materials, employ the most gifted tradesmen, and build me a masterpiece before I come home next spring.”

The next day, the superintendent set out to build that home, but not exactly to orders. If his boss was retiring, that meant he would be losing his job, so he needed to pad his own savings account, lest he be destitute. He ordered inferior concrete blocks for the foundation, but charged the builder for premium blocks, and he pocketed the difference. Now most of you know that I worked for a local lumber mill several years ago, and I saw some pretty inferior material while I was there, especially lumber!!!

The superintendant hired inexperienced carpenters, plumbers, electricians, roofers and landscapers, but he charged his boss wages that would be paid to master craftsmen, and he put the difference in his own bank account. He installed cheap appliances and lighting, insufficient insulation, inferior carpet, and drafty windows, and he skimmed a tidy sum off the top for himself. In the spring, when the home was finished, it looked spectacular; it was the signature home in the neighborhood, and the only thing that made the superintendent happier than how the project looked was the bottom line in his personal bank account, which had grown by hundreds of thousands of dollars that winter.

When the elderly business owner arrived home from Florida that spring, he toured this home fit for a king, and he was ecstatic. The superintendent handed him the keys and thanked his boss for the privilege of working for him all these years. And then the owner did an unthinkable thing: he said to the superintendent “You have been a trusted friend and a loyal partner in my business for all of these years; you deserve a home like this.” And he handed him the keys.

When you were growing up, did your parents ever have to take anything away from you because you didn’t look after it? If so, you can understand what Jesus is talking about in the parable of the wicked tenants. It is a parable of God’s kingdom on earth. Specifically, God is the landowner, the Jewish leaders and people who reject Jesus or do not care about him are the tenants, the Old Testament prophets are the slaves send by the landowner, and Jesus is the landowner’s son. God gave the kingdom to the Israelites to tend and do his work, but they rejected their duties and turned away from God. In return, he sent the Old Testament prophets to warn them, but the Israelites rejected the prophets, even to the point of hurting or killing them. Finally, God sent his son Jesus to warn them, but he was also rejected and crucified.

The parable of the wicked tenants in Matthew 21:33-46 represents our broken relationship with God, his attempts to repair it, and mankind’s rejection of his attempts. In spite of our continual rejection of him, God never gives up on us. His love for us never diminishes.

Greed is what the parable of the wicked tenants is all about, and greed is everywhere. That’s why the parable is so timely and relevant today; because as that wise homebuilder knew the heart of his superintendant, so Jesus knows the selfish condition of our hearts, and he wants us to change our ways. This parable speaks of anger and hatred against not only God, but against those who oppose him. This can be anyone-nonbelievers, criminals, terrorists, or persecutors.

Exodus 17:1-20 and Matthew 21:33-46 are similar stories. In both cases God has told the people what he wants them to do and how he wants them to live their lives, and in both cases the people rejected him. God has done everything possible to give Israel every advantage. He has established an everlasting covenant with them. He has led them through good times and bad. He has given them the Promised Land as their inheritance. He has even given them the law and prophets to guide them. Were the Israelites grateful to God? No. They accepted everything he offered except for the one thing he asked for in return, and that was to worship him and accept him as their Lord and Saviour. As a consequence, the Jewish leadership, which failed to produce good fruit, was disenfranchised and the vineyard was given to the church, which will produce good fruit. Jesus was not so much foreshadowing the shift of God’s emphasis from Jewish to Gentile realms as he was anticipating the replacement of Israel by the church, which united both Jews and Gentiles.

The same situation exists today. God has sent ministers, priests, preachers and godly evangelists such as Billy Graham to us to urge us to change our ways and accept Christ, but we and our worldly society continue to reject him. As men treat God’s people, they would treat Christ himself the same way, if he was with them. If we are faithful to Christ’s cause, how can we expect a favourable reception from a wicked world? Eventually, God will deal with those who reject him just like he dealt with the leaders of the Jewish people. The kingdom will be open only to those who believe him and are willing to do as he asks. Opposition to Jesus is a wrong response as is an attitude of apathy. Those who harbour such attitudes are in danger of being judged. (Pause)

It is somewhat ironic that the ultimate rejection of Jesus by the Jews led to the foundation of the church-a body of believers who accepted him. It is an example of something that is rejected but that becomes something useful, something that changes history. Another more recent example is Nelson Mandela. For decades he was a prisoner in a South African jail, but he emerged to become the first president of the new South Africa. He was so influential while he was a prisoner that the Apartheid regime held secret meetings with him while he was still in prison. Rebels, young and old, were held with him on Robben Island, and it became a training ground for political leaders. Slowly and painfully South Africa was reformed. A nonracial parliament was elected and chose Nelson Mandela as president. During his inauguration speech on May 10, 1994, he vowed that “never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.” The former prisoner was now president. Once rejected, he was now the cornerstone.

The attitude of the tenants is represented by the Pharisees. They were so concerned about obeying the Ten Commandments that they came up with many rules and regulations governing what the people could and could not do. In time, the Pharisees developed an attitude of being entitled to God’s kingdom even though they disregarded the spirit of God’s law and emphasized the letter of God’s law. They considered themselves to be the only people who were good enough for God’s kingdom. In reality, they rejected him even though they thought they were accepting him.

We have a similar attitude today. Our world is not a playground that God will let us live in. His commandments are a reminder that he has expectations for his chosen people-people who have been chosen not for privilege but for service and witness. When we try to be in charge, it speaks of privilege, our misuse of freedom, or our arrogance. We fall into the trap of thinking we have a right to the many blessings that are part of the world we live in-just like the Israelites thought that they had a right to the blessings God gave them.

If we want to avoid the same fate as the Jewish leaders-if we want to inherit the kingdom-we have to know what God wants us to do with our lives. The only way we can do this is through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, reading the Bible and worship. If we want God to bless our stewardship, we have to live righteously, care about each other and bear witness to our faith. In other words, we have to be fruitful and multiply.

Churches in the Third World are growing while churches in North America are in decline. Why? One possible reason is that people in the Third World are on fire for God and are filled with the Holy Spirit. They have few resources, but much enthusiasm for the Gospel-so much so that they are willing to share with anyone who will listen.

God wants tenants who will produce for him. Do we want to be his tenants? If so, what will we produce? If we produce, we will receive the kingdom of heaven. It can’t be taken by us. It can only be given to us, but we have to earn it first and then share it with others. The only rent God will charge us is our time, our abilities and a portion of our money. We are called to be stewards of our lives, to give of ourselves in the name of the Lord as ministers of Jesus Christ. We are to share ourselves, our time and our possessions as a sign of God’s love. Wherever we spend vast amounts of our time and energy working at a job, caring for a family, helping those in need, making sure that the less fortunate get a fair deal, etc., these are places for us to be conscious of the fact that we are doing work in God’s vineyard, and we will be held responsible for it at the proper time.

The task isn’t ours alone to complete. God has invested care and concern for the work we do in his vineyard, and in the end, God’s ways are what we are trying to accomplish. We must remember that we are only tenants, and the full responsibility for the success of our work is not only ours.

Giving grows out of loving, and loving comes from God. We know love because God first loved us. We have known love and so we love others in return. Giving is our response to God’s love, and our giving makes things happen. In fact, at the time I’m preparing this sermon it will only be a few days until we celebrate the Canadian Thanksgiving-a time to give thanks to God for all he has given us, including the opportunity to bear good fruit for him. We are to be thankful for the portion of worldly things that God has given us, be contented with what we have, and trust God to provide for the future.

Leadership must be about service and about nurturing God’s people. Actions have consequences. Good actions reap good consequences like appreciation, respect, a raise in income, etc. Bad actions reap bad consequences like disrespect, prison, other forms of punishment, or even death. The parable is a statement of God’s concern for his people and a declaration that God’s plan cannot be defeated by man. If we love God, we realize that he knows the best way for us to live. He knows how to keep us from following the ways of the world. He sent his son Jesus to pay for our sins so we could be free from sin and walk in a way worthy of him. Which consequences do we want to reap at the end of our lives?

Bibliography

• MacArthur, John: “MacArthur Study Bible: NASB” (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 2006, 2008)

• Exegesis for Matthew 21:33-46. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

1. 1. The Rev. Roy T. Lloyd, ELCA, “Wild Grapes and Productivity”. Retrieved from www.day1.org

• The Rev. Dr. Wiley Stephenson, UMC, “Who’s in Charge Here?” Retrieved from www.day1.org

• Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions: 27^th Sunday (A)” .Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

• Ira Brent Driggers, “Commentary on Gospel (Matthew 21:33-46)” .Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching_print.aspx?commentary_id=145

• The Rev. Charles Hoffacker, “October 2, 2011-Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 22, Year A”. Retrieved from www.episcopalchurch.org/sermons_that_work

1. Fr. John R. Donahue, S.J., “God’s Labour Lost”. Retrieved from www.americanmagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=2501
2. The Rev. Beth Quick, “Lectionary Notes-21^st Sunday after Pentecost”. Retrieved from www.bethquick.com/pentecost21anotes.htm
3. The Rev. Beth Quick, “Give and Take-Matthew 21:33-46”. Retrieved from www.bethquick.com/sermon10-2-05.htm
4. Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “Whose Vineyard Is It Anyway?” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
5. Dr. Mickey Anders, “Wicked Tenants”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
6. Pastor Steve Molin, “Speaking of Us”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
7. The Rev. John Bedingfield, “Stewards of the Planet”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
8. Glen Copple, “What’s wrong with This World?” Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Whats-Wrong-With-This-World?&id=1559975
9. Matthew Henry Concise Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker Bible software package
10. Fr. John Kendrick, O.P., “Working with God”. Retrieved from http://torch.op.org/preaching_sermon_item.php?sermon=5645

The Ten Commandments define the life God wants us to have with him and with each other. Every aspect of our lives is to show that we belong to God. The Ten Commandments are minimum standards for a just society and are the framework for how we are to live our lives. We are to reflect God’s righteousness and justice by obeying God’s Commandments. They are the building blocks for a functioning society. These rules will never be out of date. These rules will never change. These rules will never budge because they are eternally the same.

 The phrase “I am the Lord Your God” is mentioned twelve times in Exodus 20:1-21. It emphasizes his authority and his relationship with his people. They show the love he has for us. God knows that it will be almost impossible for us to perfectly obey these commandments, so he can heal the broken relationship when we break one of the Ten Commandments.

These rules deal with our relationship with God. For example, God is a jealous God. That is why he does not want his people to worship other gods. He loves us so much that he wants the very best for us, and the very best for us is worshipping the one true God. God loves us so much that he wants us to keep his name sacred. That’s why we are told not to take his name in vain. God loves us so much that he wants us to set aside one day a week to worship him. That is why he tells us to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

These rules also deal with our relationships with other people. Honouring our parents means loving them as much as God loves us. God wants us to love one another as much as he loves us. If we do, we will not kill, commit adultery, steal, covet our neighbour’s goods or lie. Our love for God will bring us to our knees because of our need to be loved. If we obey God, it shows our love for him and it is good for us as well.

These rules also deal with our ethics of life. God sees that the issues addressed by the Ten Commandments are wrong because they go against moral laws. God wants us to respect the hazards of sin. Appropriate fear of God makes us reverent, obedient and worshipful so that we will not sin. We will obey the Commandments because our commitment to God gives us an overwhelming desire to obey him. In fact, we are required to obey God when we hear his voice. The Ten Commandments force us to take responsibility for our actions. They are to be part of our response to what Jesus did for us on the cross.

God is a mystery. He has hidden many things from us. These hidden things combined with our sinful human nature to create a gap between us and him. Throughout the Old Testament several of God’s prophets such as Moses tried to close this gap. The only person who has successfully bridged this gap is Jesus. Jesus is the mediator between us and God. God tries to restore our relationship with him through the Ten Commandments and the two Great Commandments. We can’t ignore this relationship. If it is to be an exclusive relationship, God must be our number one priority. The Ten Commandments are the required response of a grateful people.

We are grateful, but we are not perfect. That’s okay, because God sees us through the eyes of love-the same love that caused him to send his son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. God hopes that we will look at others through the same eyes of love. We are not perfect, but God has prepared a place for us with his saints.

Bibliography

• Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

• ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible Software package.

• Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 2: Exodus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1987)

1. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.: 2006)
2. Radmacher, E.D.; Allen, R.B. & House, H.W.: Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2009)
3. Robert L. Allen, “Rules for Living.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
4. King Duncan, “Responsible Living.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com
5. King Duncan, “Etched in Stone.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

In Philippians 2:1-13, Paul talks about unity and servanthood. To live in unity, or to be like-minded, believers must practice three things: harmony, humility and helpfulness. When we value ourselves, we demonstrate Christian humility. We mirror Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve. When we take the very nature of a servant, we have the mindset of Jesus. When we serve, it takes our minds off our desire to be served. The danger of being a lover of self is inherent in each of us. As we put aside our desires and become more selfless, we will enrich those around us, show God’s love wherever we are, and develop the mind of Christ. When we welcome those we consider to be below us, our eyes are opened to the stories of those we meet. It’s such a simple way to love-one that changes our lives and the lives of those around us.

How is your sensitivity toward other people? Do you take time to care about the needs of your friends, family and fellow citizens? Sometimes we get so absorbed with our own personal problems we forget that there is a hurting world around us that needs our attention. The strange thing about it is that when we give love and concern to others, we usually forget about our own problems! The more we humble ourselves, the more God will raise us up not to just any old high place, but as a co-heir seated alongside our Saviour. We suffer with Christ-that we may share in Christ’s highest glory.

If God is to succeed and make things happen, it helps if His people work together. We need to work together with God and understand His plan and purpose for our lives. Directed by His Holy Word, we can pray that He will allow us to work together in reaching those who are lost and in need of the Saviour.

Jesus’ servanthood was authentic in substance and reality. He made a deliberate decision to renounce the privileges of His deity, limit Himself to a human body, and relinquish His position in heaven to become a servant on earth, even to the point of death. If the one person in history who ever had the right to assert His rights waived them, then Christians should do the same.

Attitudes are the foundation upon which actions are built, and these young believers needed an attitude of submission and servanthood to produce harmony. To be of one mind means to agree in doctrine and creed. This isn’t a call to unity at the cost of truth. To be in one accord means literally, “united in spirit” or “harmonious.” Spiritual unity does not occur without doctrinal oneness. Unity is a matter of personal responsibility, with each believer taking ownership of his or her own spirit and disposition.

Verses 5 to 11 are very likely a hymn or poem that Paul wrote or borrowed as an illustration. They offer Jesus as the perfect role model for Christian unity. While the story of the cross is recorded in the Gospels and explained in the epistles, only this passage views the Crucifixion through the eyes of the Lord himself. It presents a glimpse of His perspective so that His followers might see the price of unity: His death.

Selfish ambition is a work of the flesh and has always been the source of divisions within the church. Conceit is empty glory. Lowliness of mind, which was formerly viewed as a negative quality, has been transformed into a sign of godliness and love by the influence of the gospel. Christ taught His disciples how to submit to one another out of love instead of fear.

We are called to look out not only for our own interests, but also for the interests of others. When the community of believers cares for one another just as they would care for themselves, disunity fades through mutual service. The phrase “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” is an imperative construction: God’s people make this happen. Unless they take definite action to consider Christ, they will end up fainting in their minds.

Those who believe in Jesus are leaving an impression of Him on others with their attitudes, actions and relationships. Does this impression represent the likeness of Jesus’ heart? Paul had a desire to accurately represent Jesus, so he urged His followers to reflect the humility, self-sacrifice and compassion of Jesus for others. In fact, we are called to imitate, model and project the ability to temper our influences with humility for God’s purposes in others.

Being in the form of God doesn’t refer to Christ’s outer appearance but His genuine inner identity. All that God is, Jesus Christ was, and ever will be. The word used here for being occurs 59 times in the New Testament, and every time it refers to prior existence. Before He became a man, Jesus existed not only eternally but He also existed eternally as God-being simply not like God but the very nature and substance of God. Yet because He cared about the human plight more than His own benefit, He gave up the independent use of His attributes to serve those He loved.

Scholars have debated the meaning of Jesus making Himself of no reputation and coming in the likeness of man. This “emptying” cannot mean that Jesus divested Himself of any of His divine attributes, for “Deity diminished” ceases to be deity. This passage affirms Christ’s offering for all people. Jesus is now and forevermore both fully human and fully divine.

Jesus sacrificed none of His deity, yet He came in perfect humility by taking on flesh and becoming fully human. By this, He voluntarily submitted Himself to the authority of God the Father and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He also confined Himself to a human body. The word “likeness” suggest similarity but difference. Jesus’ humanity was genuine, but He differed from other humans in that He was sinless and in full possession of another nature-God’s.

Paul looks beyond the day of Christ’s exaltation into heaven (after His ascension) to a future day when every tongue in heaven and on earth will exalt Him as Lord. Though not everyone on earth received the King on His first arrival, one day the One who was brought low will be raised high, and then every knee will bow-believers with joy and unbelievers in sorrow and remorse.

Jesus was sent from heaven for the most humbling of reasons-to exchange His royal robes for the cloak of sin worn by humanity. About one-third of each Gospel’s narrative is devoted to Jesus’ ministry leading up to the Crucifixion, because the very purpose of His coming was His death and resurrection.

Paul does not say “work for your salvation.” God has already worked to make salvation possible. The Christian’s role is to work out what God has worked on by cultivating the characteristics of a godly life. Such faithfulness will allow believers to shine as lights in the world. There is nothing we can do to serve ourselves spiritually; Christ took care of that through His life, death and Resurrection. God has a part in our growth-but so do we. We must make an intentional effort to grow.

Paul uses the word “therefore” to tell his readers that those who call themselves Christians must practice the same discipline that Christ exercised when He obeyed His father. The call to discipleship is costly. When we talk to someone about our faith, we don’t have to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be persuasive, poetic or scholarly. All we must do is tell the wonderful things God has done and His love for everyone. Let His persuasive power work in someone’s heart and mind.

God is at work in the mundane, tiring, ordinary, repetitive duties of life. It might not come with the thunder and lightning of Mount Sinai, but He works in our lives right now just as He worked in the lives of His followers throughout history. God’s plan is often different from our desires, but even when that is the case, He cares deeply about us. He wants to encourage us and strengthen us as we face tough times. He brings us joy through His many blessings in our lives.

What controls us in our Christian lives-our feelings or what we know God asks and expects us to do? Our answers will reveal just who is in the driver’s seat. Sooner or later, everyone will be on their faces before God, even those who have opposed Him. That’s when the people who have already humbled themselves before Him on earth will have no hesitation taking a knee and giving Him praise in heaven. It’ll be like they’ve been there…like they never expected to be anywhere else. We must open the door for God to work in our lives. We must humbly let Him in.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1658-1659)
2. Dave Brannon, “The Interests of Others.” Retrieved from donotreply@email.rbc.org
3. Pastor Mark Jeske, “God’s Persuasive Power.” Retrieved from www.TimeofGrace.org
4. Anne Graham Lotz, “Every Knee Will Bow.” Retrieved from www.angelministries.org
5. Dr. David Jeremiah, “The Tendency of Inwardness.” Retrieved from turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org
6. Bill Crowell, “Painting a Portrait.” Retrieved from donotreply@email.rbc.org
7. Kenny Luck, “Royalty Without a Crown.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
8. Dr. Steven Davey, “Invisibly Involved.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
9. Jim Burns, “Responding with Love.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com
10. Pastor Rick Warren, “Spiritual Growth Must Be intentional.” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
11. Joni Eareckson Tada, “Therefore…” Retrieved from communic@joniandfriends.org
12. Joel Osteen, “Reflect Him.” Retrieved from devotional@e.joelosteen.com
13. Pastor Ken Klaus, “Be Like-Minded.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
14. Joe Gibbs, “Take a Knee.” Retrieved from www.GamePlanForLife.com

How many of you know people who do nothing but complain? That would also describe the Israelites when they were in the wilderness. They constantly complained about things such the lack of food and water, and we see an example of that complaining in the passage we heard from Exodus.

The Israelites always challenged Moses’ leadership, and it was no different when they got to Rephidim. There wasn’t any water, and the people were thirsty. It didn’t help when Moses asked the people why they put God to the test. The people forgot that if God could part the Red Sea, He could provide water to drink. The Lord’s assurance of His presence with Moses- “I will stand before you”-recalls the first time Moses heard these words-at the burning bush.

The Israelites had not come to Rephidim without divine guidance-the cloud and the column of fire. When the Israelites were in the midst of their emotional response, they could not see that right before their eyes was evidence of God’s leading. They learned how God provided food and water. They also learned through warfare that God would bring about defeat of hostile neighbours.

In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul writes about this event: “They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” The stone that was struck in this chapter in Exodus pictures Christ who, when He was on the cross, became the fountainhead of blessing, the Redeemer of the world.

We often put God to the test. We want Him to prove Himself repeatedly. We should heed the words Billy Graham said once and accept God by faith. Instead, we keep asking Him to move down into the smallest, minute details of our lives.

The experience the Israelites had at Rephidim teaches us what it means to be an instrument of God. He used Moses’ staff to strike the rock and bring forth water for the Israelites. The rod is a powerful symbol. Every one of us has some capacity to serve God. He constantly asks us, “What is in your hand?” Our usefulness to God is not measured by the character or capacity of our gifts, but our willingness to use these gifts.

This passage is a good example of how God’s strength is sent to us in times of need. He gives us courage to do the impossible. He gives us courage to change. He gives us joy in the face of our struggles, and He gives us strength by sending us the help we need in our greatest moments of weakness.

Is God still with us when we find ourselves in dry places in our lives? How do we deal with these dry places? Complain? Blame? Does God plan lives? If so, we need to be ready. We need to think about that now instead of just reacting in the moment. We need to remove distractions that make it hard for us to hear and see how God is working in our lives. God is always present.

We can be born-again Christians and still live lives of defeat. If we do, it isn’t God’s fault. He has given us everything we need to live godly lives through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness, as stated in 2 Peter 1:3. It’s up to us to walk in the truth of who He is and who we are in Him.

When we are broken, we might need help to recover. When we are hurt, we might need healing hands to relieve pain. God will send us the helpers we need at the right time. God cares for us and helps us move from places of fear and doubt to places of trust. God provides for us and reveals Himself to us, and then He asks us to trust when the good provision doesn’t come as fast or in the form we want. If we look back, we will remember how God has provided for us in the past, and that He will provide for us in the future.

The Hebrew people had not been trained for war in their years of servitude in Egypt, but Moses had been given a royal course in leadership and warfare when he lived in Pharaoh’s palace. This was an unprovoked attack from a brother nation-the Amalekites were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob.

Joshua would be Moses’ personal minister for the next 40 years. He was also put in charge of the military, beginning with the conflict with the Amalekites. By holding the rod of God, Moses physically demonstrated total dependence on God’s authority and power.

The conflict with the Amalekites sets forth the resources of the man under law, rather than those of the believer under grace. When Moses lowered his arms, the Israelites had to use the resources of the man under law. When Moses raised his arms, the Israelites fought as believers under grace. Under grace, the Holy Spirit gains the victory, but only if the believer walks in the Spirit.

If Moses held up his hand in a gesture of dependence on God, the battle went Israel’s way. If he got tired and lowered his hand, the battle went the way of the Amalekites. Neither Moses nor the rod was empowering Joshua’s army: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was ensuring the victory. After the battle, Moses built an altar and named it as a memorial to the Lord in the manner of the patriarchs.

Because the Amalekites attacked the Hebrew people as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land, God announced through Moses a most solemn oath: God would have war with the Amalekites from generation to generation. Later, Moses told the generation of Hebrew people entering the Promised Land to blot out the enemy nation. A final encounter between the Israelites and the Amalekites served as a victory for Israel and a failure for King Saul, the details of which can be found in 1 Samuel 15.

The idea that God can do everything He wants to do without our help is false. There are some things He can’t do until He finds a person who prays. He can’t do some things unless people think and work. We are connected to one another. The picture of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses’ hands is a picture of the Lord’s people being interconnected. We are interconnected by holding up other people in our prayers, by being with them, by joining them sympathetically when they are struggling in the storms of life. We pray, we pray and we keep on praying. We are the Lord’s intercessors, and we’re interconnected with His people.

If we want to be God’s instrument, we must have a sense of our own uniqueness. Every one of us is special, and God has something for every one of us to do no matter who we are. To be God’s instrument, most of us will have to break the patterns of our lives. Others will simply have to add to or deliberately act out in their daily lives what God is calling them to do.

We can be God’s instruments if we sense our uniqueness and our usefulness. When we do, God can use us as His servants and His witnesses where we are. Moses was faithful. When God told him what to do, he did it. Moses used the rod of God. He struck the rock in the presence of the elders, and the water gushed out to satisfy the Israelites. The supply of water was the demonstration that God was with His people. God never abandons His people, but provides them with life-giving water.

Moses’ staff was not a magic wand. It initiated God’s miracles. It was the symbol of God’s personal and powerful involvement, with Moses’ outstretched hands signifying an appeal to God. The ebb and flow of battle in correlation with Moses’ uplifted or drooping arms provided more than psychological encouragement as the soldiers looked to Moses. It showed and acknowledged their having to depend on God for victory and not on their own strength.

It might be easy for us to dismiss the cries of those in need as the whining of people who lack faith. As we reflect on the human condition, we must ask how we can demonstrate God’s compassionate presence and provision to those who cry out from under life’s hardships.

When we bring together images of God’s gracious provision of food and water with God’s presence in the fire and the cloud, we profess our belief in a God who will be our travel partner in our life’s journey-a confession that is particularly meaningful when we are in the wilderness.

We wander through landscapes blasted by pain, addiction, abuse and neglect. The many sounds and noises of our multimedia age ring hollow in the emptiness of our lives. Through grief, loss and failure, we come to know the desolation of our hearts. We know the wilderness, because that is where we live. We thirst for water, hope, and healing. Moses reminds us that what we seek is God. Is God here or not? The wilderness is a terrible place to lose our way, but it’s also a wonderful place to find it.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, p. 97)
2. Bible History: Old and New Testaments. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 2: Exodus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1987; pp. 192-206)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Stephen King, “Bible Study: 3 Lent (A).” retrieved from www.episcopaldigitalnetwork.com
6. Richard Niell Donovan, “Exegesis for the First Sunday in Lent, Year A.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
7. Sharon Janes, “God is Your Victory.” Retrieved from www.girlfriendsingod.com
8. David G. Garber, Jr., “Commentary on Exodus 17:1-7.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
9. Juliana Classens, “Commentary on Exodus 17:1-7.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
10. Nancy deClasse-Walford, “Commentary on Exodus 17:1-7.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
11. The Rev. Alex Joyner, “Is God Here or Not?” Retrieved from www.day1.org

Muhammed Ali was the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He won 56 of his 61 professional fights and knocked out 37 opponents. His most famous catchphrase was, “I am the greatest!”

One day he was seated in an airplane when the flight attendant came up the aisle to make sure that all the passengers had their seatbelts fastened. When she reached Ali’s seat, she asked him to buckle up. He sneered, “Hmph! Superman don’t need no seatbelt!”

The flight attendant smiled sweetly and replied, “Superman don’t need no airplane, either!” Ali fastened his seatbelt.

The words of Moses in Deuteronomy 8:7-18 impress on the Israelites and on us the need to learn a specific lesson from the past. Their experience of God’s care in the wilderness period, when they were unable to help themselves, was to teach them humility through the Lord’s providential discipline. The memory of that experience should have kept them from having pride in their own achievements when entering the Promised Land. Similarly, our experience of God’s care in the tough times in our lives when we can’t help ourselves should teach us humility. We learn this through God’s loving discipline.

When Moses led the Israelites into the Promised Land, he urged them to be a grateful people. Thanks to God’s blessings, the land was abundant, but they could easily treat this prosperity as something they deserved. From this, the people developed a practice of giving thanks for every meal, no matter how small. For them, it was all a gift.

Moses didn’t want the people to forget that God was their liberator and leader. Remembering implies action and honour. The living God isn’t bound by time. On the other hand, man, susceptible to the pleasures of the moment, is constantly tempted to limit his horizons to what he presently sees and experiences. The very thing that was Israel’s goal-the Promised Land-was the possibility of her downfall. The God who blesses and sustains life was setting before Israel the choice: forget the Lord your God and perish, or remember Him and live.

Dependence is a two-edged sword. It can encourage trust, or it can encourage pride, rebellion and resentment. We as Christians are also susceptible to forgetting what God has done for us. We can get so involved with our daily lives and successes that we can forget that our successes are due to God’s involvement in our lives.

The Israelites needed to learn that if they disobeyed God they would cease to have a claim on Him. They would be judged the same as other nations who had disobeyed God and were therefore punished. Each new generation, including ours, needs to grasp this fact and decide for themselves to be obedient to God. This was and is not to be treated lightly. It was and is a life or death decision.

The greater our success, the greater the risk of us thinking too highly of ourselves, as Muhammed Ali did in the story that introduced this message. We must view success as a gift from God. We must learn to see all of our successes as a gift from God, not our own achievement.

We can be so arrogant as humans. Not only do we start to think that we have made our way by our own strength, but we also turn away from the One who has blessed us so wonderfully. That happened to the Israelites, and it can happen to us. Forgetting God means no longer having Him in our daily thoughts. This forgetfulness leads to disobeying His commandments. God designs our wilderness experiences so that we might learn discipline and obey Him. Through our obedience, we receive His blessings.

Sometimes God provides for us, but we aren’t happy with what He provides or how He provides. We want what we want and we want it now. We don’t consider that what we’re asking for might not be good for us. We don’t consider that the time might not be right for us to have what we’re wanting. Sometimes we act like spoiled brats who always want their way. Can you imagine how it makes God feel when we act this way?

Nothing in the Bible condemns hard work in the acquisition of material wealth. God wants us to remember that our ability to earn wealth comes from Him and Him alone. God designed us to create wealth and be productive people. He wants us to provide benefits, services and protection to others. He wants us to create opportunities to help people.

In verses 17-18, Moses warns against remembering the Lord when times are bad and forgetting Him when times are good. His people remember Him through thankfulness and generosity in His name. God cares for his people as a father cares for his children. He provided everything the Israelites needed for their long journey, including the Word of God. He provides everything we need for our journey through life, including the Word of God.

Making progress in our life of faith begins with a clear vision of the outcomes we are looking for. We need to know not only what our objective in following Jesus is, but why that objective is so desirable and worthy of unremitting effort on our part. Progress in our life of faith begins with a clear understanding of what it means to be revived daily in God’s Spirit and Word. As revived people, we can bring renewal of worship and mission to our churches and our communities.

God has prepared a place for us just like He prepared a place for the Israelites. There is no shortage of anything in this place. We won’t lack any good things. In return, we are to give God thanks by saying a prayer like this: “Lord, I want to thank You that You are bringing me into my garden, a land of blessing, a land where my gifts and talents will come out to the full, a good land where I will fulfill my destiny, a good land where I’ll live happy, healthy and whole, a good land where my whole house will honour You!”

Have you ever thought about how it makes God feel when we complain about the things He has provided for us? How much better do you think it makes Him feel when we give thanks to Him for what He has done for us? Instead of complaining about what we don’t have, maybe we should be more thankful for what we do have.

When we have trying circumstances in our lives, we are often so busy asking God to quickly take them away that we don’t stop to think that God, who oversees the entire universe, has not allowed this thing to happen by accident. He has given it to us for a purpose, and it will work for good. We can be content, even thankful, in every circumstance of life because Jesus will strengthen or empower us to do so.

We must always thank God for everything He has given us. In the worlds of a hymn we sing at this time of year:

We plough the fields and scatter

The good seed in the land,

But it is fed and watered

By God’s almighty hand;

He sends the snow in winter,

The warmth to swell the grain,

The breezes and the sunshine,

And soft refreshing rain

All good gifts around us

Are sent from heaven above;

Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,

For all his love

Every day there are things in our lives to be grateful for. Some days may not seem like it. Those are the times to look a little deeper. Thanksgiving is not about the material things in our lives., though they can be nice. Giving thanks is about much more. It’s about feeling for another, for what they’ve done for you, for what they’ve helped you with or what you’ve done for them.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 238-239)
2. Matthias Claudius, “We Plough the Fields and Scatter.” Published in Common Praise: Anglican Church of Canada (Toronto, ON: Anglican Book Centre: 2000)
3. Maxwell, J.C. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 5: Deuteronomy (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1987; pp. 139-146)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
6. Pastor Rick Warren, “You Were Created to Be Productive.” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
7. T.M. Moore, “Stay Focused.” Retrieved from www.ailbe.org/tmmoore
8. Joel Osteen, “The Good Lord.” Retrieved from www.joelosteen.com
9. “In Whose Strength?” Retrieved from www.dailydisicples.org
10. Sheridan Vosey, “Grateful for Everything.” Retrieved from donotreply@email.rbc.org
11. Os Hillman, “The Success Test.” Retrieved from tgif@marketplaceleaders.org
12. Deborah H. Bateman, “Remember to Give Thanks.” Retrieved from http://deborahhbateman.com/articles-written-by-the-author
13. Jennie A. Brownscombe, “In Everything Give Thanks.” Retrieved from www.wordofgrace.org

It’s painful to have someone you trust tell you that they are going to do something for you—and they don’t. Many of us can tell stories about people who have let us down by making promises and then not following up on them. For example, there is a story of a young widow whose husband died suddenly and left her to raise their two children. She told her minister that during the wake for her husband, a lot of family and close friends came up to her and told her that they would be there for her. During the following years, some people were there for her when she needed them, including some people who never made that promise, but there were others who were so eager during the wake to offer help and never called or visited.

Life has taught us to be wary of certain people, and it is a lesson I have learned the hard way. These people include not just blatant liars but those who are all talk with no follow-through. There is an old saying that “a promise made is a debt unpaid”. We expect family and friends to keep their word and come through for us when we have a pressing need, but sometimes they don’t. When a friend disappoints us we are not terribly upset. When someone close to us makes a promise and then fails to fulfill it, we are blindsided because often we do not see it coming.

At the same time, we must acknowledge that that there have been times when we have made promises and then not kept them. There might also have been times when, in order to avoid discomfort or confrontation, we’ve given a half-hearted “yes” to someone or something which we never planned to follow up on. Whether we have been on the receiving end of broken promises, or have given a half-hearted investment of ourselves to commitments we have made, we are in need of the healing and the challenge the Word of God offers us today.

The Gospel reading from Matthew 21:23-32 is another discussion between the Pharisees and Jesus. It occurs just after Jesus has chased the moneychangers and animal sellers from the temple. Both types of businesses needed the approval of religious authorities to operate in the temple. They provided a necessary service. Only temple currency could be used in the temple, so foreign currency had to be converted to temple currency, albeit at outrageous rates of exchange. Animals that were offered for sacrifice had to be free of blemishes as determined by the temple authorities. Both of these services evolved into profitable enterprises, so it is not surprising that the chief priests and elders were upset. They wanted to know who gave Jesus the authority to do what he did. They wanted God to play by their rules, and they insisted that God’s prophets must make the distinctions they make. Like John, Jesus thinks that God’s freedom includes the freedom to forgive people who are not children by blood of the Covenant, who haven’t offered sacrifice, even the poor person’s sacrifice of a dove, in the Temple, who haven’t done anything to deserve forgiveness.

Jesus’ actions in the Temple not only broke the powerful connection between money and religion, they also freely heal and forgive those who are perceived as cursed, those who are perceived as under punishment, those who need some serious blood atonement. Jesus sought to redirect the tradition of Israel away from ritual legalism and a dominant priesthood toward a more meaningful trust by the individual in the gracious and forgiving love of God. Jesus’ actions are a bullet in the heart of sacrificial religion, and they challenge the ultimate structuring of relationships proffered by the so-called authorities. Like Jesus, we too may be called by God to engage in acts of conscience, acts that defy authorities and challenge their right to exist as authorities. We may end up paying a price like Jesus did, but we will also have the chance to turn the questions of our accusers back upon themselves in the hopes that they might see and repent.

We know the answer to the Pharisees’ question, but the chief priests and Pharisees did not. God gave Jesus the authority. The Pharisees and chief priests were rabbis, and they could not believe that Jesus’ authority was greater than theirs. They forgot that God is the ultimate authority. He gave the Jews the Ten Commandments. The Pharisees expanded them with all of their rules and regulations because they were obsessed with not breaking any of the Ten Commandments. The Pharisees considered themselves to be so righteous that they thought they were doing God’s work, but Jesus pointed out in the parable of the sons in Matthew 21:28-32 they were sadly mistaken.

But Jesus uses this trick question to teach the Pharisees about the Kingdom of God. You see, they were living examples of the second son in the parable. Self-righteous Jews were the ones who always gave the appearance of serving God. They followed all the picky religious rules; rules about what they should eat, and what they should wear, and how they should say their prayers. They looked and sounded very religious. But when it came to issues like loving their neighbor, or showing kindness to the poor, or showing compassion to the lowly, they never showed up in the vineyard! They said they would; their religion was very impressive when they were at the synagogue, but they did not live it out in their daily lives.

If we profess that Jesus is our Lord, we must do what he tells us to do. The religious people were the ones who were a problem for Jesus. They were oblivious to the true demands of God’s righteousness. They just didn’t get it. They did not see that God was not so much interested in the pious rhetoric and ceremonial formality.

When Jesus asked the Pharisees if the baptism of John came from heaven or from man, he was really asking them if they thought John was a true prophet or a false prophet. They were caught between the proverbial “rock and a hard place”. If they said that John’s baptism came from heaven, they would be faced with John’s witness to Jesus and their failure to respond to John’s preaching. If they said that it was from man, they would risk upsetting the crowd, many of whom believed in Jesus and John. The Pharisees had the responsibility to know who was and who was not a false prophet. They had the duty to protect the people from false prophets. Their final decision, which was the refusal to answer Jesus, compromised their own authority.

Jesus also indirectly asked the Pharisees if they thought that his authority came from heaven or from man. If Jesus authority is from heaven, then his messianic claim is valid, and the church must stake claim to a unique mission, a mission that relinquishes power in bringing Christ to the world, just as Christ relinquished power in bringing himself to the world. The church living under Christ’s present, heavenly authority will embody Christ’s own ministry as a gracious transformation, a divine reclamation of the world.

Tax collectors and prostitutes were prepared to change their ways, but the religious leaders were not, even though they had time to change. In the parable of the two sons, the older son represented the religious leaders and the younger son represented outsiders such as tax collectors and prostitutes. The faithful son represents the faces of people such as a recovering alcoholic, a small band of worshippers in a storefront, a church that reaches out to the needy in the community, a church member who decided to tithe-all of whom, however reluctantly or painfully, obey Christ. The second son is the person in the pew who refuses Christ entry to the deepest recesses of his or her heart—a preacher whose sermon is designed to please people rather than to please God; the Christian who refuses to obey God in the sensitive areas of sex, money or power; a church that ignores issues of justice and mercy. In other words, they are the people who appear to be faithful but, deep down, are not.

The parable of the two sons means that those who are not religious may sometimes respond to the good news of God’s forgiving love more readily than those whose self-serving religious superiority makes them immune to its appeal. The main key is a person’s sense of self-worth which can deceive even the most perceptive to think of ourselves more highly than they ought to think. The truth is that even keeping the rules can lead us astray if we end up with the attitude that we’re good and righteous people, pure as the driven snow. To believe this is a dangerous deception. It can cause us as much grief as if we dive headlong into living an immoral life.

When we believe ourselves to be good and righteous people, then we ignore a large part of who we are. We overlook our dark side, what some psychologists call the shadow. The shadow then acts on its own, swallows us up, and takes others along with us. This can happen without us even recognizing it.

Jesus’ parable asks us how we will respond to the Gospel. Will we change our minds and believe, or not? Will we be the son who says he will obey and does not, or will we be the son who turns around and changes his mind? The parable is an example of the old adage that “actions speak louder than words”. We will be judged not by what we say, but by what we do. The religious leaders wrongly thought that they were better than they really were, and they imagined that they did not need to repent.

How many times have we made commitments to God, only to fail on the follow through? How many times have we made promises to God that for one reason or another, we have not kept? How often do we find ourselves responding to God when we have already told God “no”? What we believe needs to be evident in the way we live and relate. There must not be any break between our words, actions and faith. We must be able to discern God’s voice in those expected and unexpected places. We must not only listen but be willing to change as we grow in our personal and corporate faith.

Most of us have been pretty religious for most of our lives. Still, there are those whose religion seems to be lovely when they are surrounded by other religious persons. They can quote scripture verses by the boatload. They know all the religious language, all the religious rituals. But they don’t go to work in the vineyard. And all the love, and all the kindness, and all the compassion that they speak of in church…tends to stay at church. But there are also those whose lives are laced with sin, whose language would make a sailor blush, and who wouldn’t know a bible from a dictionary if it were handed to them, but they are kind, and generous, and compassionate to no end. They don’t get it when it comes to religion, and yet they are walking examples of the very people Jesus came to love.

Which of those people is doing the will of God? It’s a trick question because neither of them is. But here is the word of grace: Which one of them is God’s daughter or son, which one of them does God want to nurture, and mold and change into walking examples of righteousness in the vineyard? All of us.

Jesus says that it isn’t the religious folk who are first in the kingdom of heaven. It is those who are most open to turning their lives around who are first in line, those who take action when Jesus says, “follow me”. We need to be careful lest we get to feeling that God owes us something. God sent Christ into the world to die for our sins, because we are sinners, and we are in need of redemption. That applies to all of us—Sunday school teachers, choir members, clergy, and members of the congregation. God does not owe us anything. Our hope for heaven is based on one thing and one thing alone—and that is the grace of God. This parable comes with the flame of Jesus’ Spirit to quicken our resolve to try again to change what needs changing. We have hope that this time, in some small or large way, change is possible because we have heard God’s word and experienced the living Christ through it.

When we look over our recent past and notice the trend our lives have taken, with the thoughts and deeds that speak of our lukewarm disciples, we want the second chance this parable offers us. We want to be able to change our minds, repent and do the good things we know we are called to do—and do them with the wholehearted “Yes” the gospel requires of us.

Bibliography

• Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV

• Exegesis for Matthew 21:23-32. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

• Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 26^th Sunday (A)”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

1. Karl Jacobson, “Commentary on Matthew 21:23-32”. Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching_print.aspx?commentary_id=1047
2. Ira Birt Diggers, “Commentary on Matthew 21:23-32”. Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching_print.aspx?commentary_id=144
3. Preaching Peace, XVII Pentecost, Year A. Retrieved from www.preachingpeace.org/lectionaries/yeara-proper21
4. Saturday Night Theologian, 28 September 2008. Retrieved from www.progressivetheology.org/SNT/SNT-2008.09.28.html
5. Daniel Clenendin, Ph.D., “Repentance: Cleaning Up a Messy House”. Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net/Essays/20080922JJ.shtml?view=print
6. Sarah Dylan Breuer, “Dylan’s Lectionary Blog, Proper 21, Year A”. Retrieved from www.sarahlaughed.net/lectionary/2005/009/proper_21_year_.html
7. The Rev. Debbie Royals, “Sept.28, 2008-Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 21, Year a (RCL)”. Retrieved from www.episcopalchurch.org/sermons_that_work_100542_ENG_HTM.htm
8. The Rev. Beth Quick, “Paved With…Intentions”. Retrieved from www.bethquick.com/sermon9-25-05.htm
9. John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 25, 2011. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod.org/archives/fifteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-september-25-2011.html
10. Pastor Steve Molin, “Trick Questions”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
11. Dr. Mickey Anders, “Show Me Now”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
12. The Rev. Charles Hoffacker, “The Strange Parade”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

What is the difference between fairness and justice?

How many of us have felt that someone treated us unfairly? Has someone favoured another person over us? All of us have endured some hurt when our dreams are dashed or ambitions denied. Preferred treatment can lay the foundation for bitter memories. Does our ill treatment serve a greater good? Do others in need benefit? Sometimes we endure unequal treatment in the name of justice. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus presented the Kingdom as one of justice, not necessarily of fairness. According to Jesus, the faithful, even those who practiced faith all life long, did not earn the Kingdom. God gave His children the Kingdom as a gift.

Jesus told the parable in Matthew 20:1-16 to illustrate His point that “the first will be last, and the last first”. The landowner hired workers at 9:00 am, 12 noon, 3:00 pm and finally at 5:00 pm. The group hired at the end of the day would have included the sort of workers nobody wanted to hire. The owner promised all the labourers the same wage.

The parable would have had significance in the early church whose members were Jewish Christians. To them the “late arrivals,” the Gentiles, deserved a lesser place in the kingdom. After all, they were not the first invited, as were God’s chosen people. Judging from the heated epistles, like Galatians and the accounts in Acts, the conflict between the two groups could get quite intense.

It also runs contrary to how the world works today. We’re used to being rewarded in proportion to our service. We would be happy to grant the apostles a larger share than we would expect for ourselves if we could expect more than a lesser disciple might receive. We feel for the all-day workers, who received the same pay as the one-hour workers. Is that fair? Don’t they deserve more? Shouldn’t the master treat them better?

We don’t want to be on par. We want to be on top! We don’t want mercy (what God gives freely) but justice (what we have earned). If God distributes rewards fairly, we who worked all day will get more than those who arrived at the last hour. We will receive what we have earned plus a generous bonus. The irony, of course, is that the little bit we have earned is of no consequence when compared to God’s grace.

The generosity of the landowner in this case shifts our thinking away from what a person can achieve or offer to the way in which a person and their very life is valued by the landowner. This parable calls into question the way our world operates and how it devaluates people and exploits many who work long hours in appalling conditions so those in wealthier countries can have cheap products.

This parable reveals important truths about God’s grace. No matter how many hours they worked, all workers were paid the same wage—the wage that was promised. The workers hired first represent Israel, the recipients of God’s covenant promises. Those hired last, at the end of the day, represent the Gentiles, who were offered the same salvation available to the Jews through faith in Christ.

Jesus repeated His parable from Matthew 19:30 and added that “many are called, but few chosen.” His meaning is essentially the same in both cases; namely, that God lavishes His grace on those He chooses, and those who receive it are blessed beyond anything they can ever hope to earn.

If Christians are just and pay their lawful debts and injure no one, the world has no right to complain if they give the rest of their property to the poor, or devote it to send the gospel to the world, or release a prisoner. It is their own. They have a right to do with it as they please. They are accountable only to God. The world has no right to interfere.

This parable is about the kingdom of God. It presents the nature of God’s grace. Grace is God’s graciousness. He extends his love and mercy to everyone. Not everyone responds alike to His goodness. Some compare and evaluate their own “goodness” and thereby fail to understand God’s graciousness.

The points of the parable are:

• The calling to service is in direct relation to the need.

• The reward for service is a gracious meeting of our needs.

• The integrity of service will respect the integrity of grace in meeting needs equally.

God can and does distribute His gifts and His goodness as He wills. Grace can’t be earned or deserved. God is completely free to parcel out His favour however He chooses.

When we’re envious, we’re in a battle with God. We doubt God’s goodness in our lives. We resent His decision to bless others. We accuse Him of being unfair. We don’t believe He has our best interests at heart. We accuse Him of playing favourites. God has a good reason why we don’t have what we want. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

There are two main reasons to never compare ourselves to anyone else:

• We’re unique. God made each one of us special
• If we do start comparing, it’s always going to lead to either envy or pride.

We can easily get trapped by our own patterns of counting and assessing and evaluating that we can miss God’s generosity. We can learn to overcome comparison obsession by focusing on the life God has given to us. As we take time to thank God for everyday blessings, we change our thinking and begin to believe deep down that God is good.

We dare not judge God’s love by our poor standards, nor should we think that once we are in heaven we can choose to go to hell. We should admit that no one deserves to receive freely anything from God. It is His grace that brings salvation. Our work is only a poor “thank you” for what we have received from His mercy and grace. (Pause)

The generosity of the landowner shifts our thinking away from what a person can achieve or offer to the way in which a person and their very life is valued by God. God wants to give value and opportunity to even the weakest within the faith community. The good news is not just for the privileged few but for all. God will return and seek us out to join the labour as many times as it takes.

It isn’t the amount of faith we have, or when we come to faith, that matters. The object of our faith matters. Constantly comparing ourselves to others robs us of the joy of working for God, who made each of us His treasure. God’s gift of grace is free and undeserved. Each of us is given the grace that is sufficient for us to live our Christian faith. Our response is to rejoice and be glad.

Those who only find Christ later in their lives are the ones who have missed out, for life in Christ is rich and meaningful. To find forgiveness and fullness and meaning and purpose is to find freedom, which is what Jesus intends for all of us. Following Jesus and His way is the way of freedom. Following the ways of the world are the ways of bondage and meaninglessness. Like the workers hired later in the day, the landowner found them “…standing idle…with no purpose.”

The kingdom of heaven image from Jesus comes as a comfort and as a warning. A comfort, because the invitation is always there for each of us. It is never too late for us to turn to God. It is a warning because there will indeed be those who are welcomed into God’s family after we are. Our task is to love them and welcome them just as God does. We are not to feel haughty and more important because we were there first. We must meet them with great joy for their faith.

When God pours out His love and favour toward us, we don’t have to worry. If we take the time to look we will see that God has filled our cup. When God’s favour is extended to those of whom we disapprove, it’s time for us to begin looking at the world the way God looks at the world. We are all equal in God’s eyes.

The story about the workers in the vineyard is about forgiveness. When God forgives our sins, he forgives them all. A brand-new Christian is as welcome to God as the person who has known God for a long, long time. It’s not about fairness. It is about forgiveness. It is about a big and welcoming God who doesn’t make us feel like second class citizens. God takes outsiders and makes them insiders. He treats us not according to our standards but according to His. The measuring stick he uses is generosity.

When God pours out His love and favour towards someone else, we don’t have to worry. If we just take the time to look, we will see that God has filled our cup to the brim too. When God’s favour is extended to those of whom we disapprove, it’s time for us to grow up and begin looking at the world the way that God looks at the world.

The question for today is this: “Is God fair?” Of course, he is! But do you know what else? The Bible tells us that he is more than fair. The Bible tells us that “God is love.” Does God love us because we love him?” No, the Bible says, “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” That’s not fair—that’s love.

If we got what was fair, none of us would get to heaven. We can rejoice in the knowledge that God doesn’t give us what is fair. He gives us his love and grace, despite what we deserve!

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1316-1317)
2. Barnes’ Notes on the New testament. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Augsberger, M.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; p. 18)
4. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
5. Pastor Rick Warren, “When You Envy, You’re in a Battle with God.” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
6. Pastor Rick Warren, “Get to Know Others so You Won’t Envy Them.” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
7. Marvin Williams, “Comparison Obsession.” Retrieved from www.rbc.org
8. Rev. Park Ju-Young, “Workers in the Vineyard.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org
9. Thomas Skeats, O.P., “God’s Generosity.” Retrieved from www.torch.op.org
10. Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 25^th Sunday (A).” retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
11. Richard Niell Donovan, “Exegesis for Matthew 20:1-6.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
12. “Justice in the Kingdom.” Retrieved from www.wordsunday.com
13. Rick Morley, “Crazy Talk Grace.” Retrieved form www.rickmorley.com
14. “Is God Fair?” Retrieved from www.Sermons4Kids.com

One evening, as a husband was sitting quietly, reading his newspaper, his wife walked up behind him and whacked him with the back of her hand. “What was that for?” he asked. “That was for the piece of paper I found in your pants pocket!” she replied. “It had the name Mary Lou written on it.” “Oh, that was from two weeks ago, when I went to the race track,” the man said. “Mary Lou was the name of the horse I bet on.” The woman thought for a moment, then hung her head. “Oh, honey,” she said quietly, “I’m so sorry. I should have known there was a good explanation.”

A few days later the man was watching a ball game on TV when his wife walked up and whacked him on the head again. He asked, “What was that for?” She replied, “Your racehorse just called.”

When it comes to forgiveness, how much is enough? How much do we need to forgive? How often should we be doing all we can to wash away the stains which weaken the bonds between us, which take their toll on our own sense of well-being — our very own peace, not to mention the peace between us?

People come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors, but they have one thing in common—they all make mistakes! We make a lot of mistakes. That is why God sent Jesus to die on the cross — to erase our mistakes. When we do something wrong, we can ask God to forgive us and because of Jesus, He will erase our mistakes and we can start over again, and again, and again.

The parable of the king and the man is designed to show one great truth-the duty of forgiving our brethren, and the great evil of not forgiving someone when we are offended. It also teaches us the following lessons:

1. Our sins are great.
2. God freely forgives them.
3. The offences committed against us by others are small.
4. We should, therefore, most freely forgive them.
5. If we don’t, God will be justly angry with us and punish us. God will forgive if we do not.

Rabbinic tradition taught that a brother could be forgiven three times for the same offense, but not four times. Peter, trying to be a better-than-superior law keeper, doubled that and added one-seven times. He did not expect Jesus’ response, which is not congratulations but a correction. Whether the phrase should be rendered “seventy times seven” or seventy-seven is not important; Jesus teaches us that believers in Christ have been forgiven far more than they will ever be asked to forgive. They must cultivate a spirit of forgiveness, not a habit of counting offenses.

Peter knew the power of forgiveness. He made many mistakes during his time with Jesus, the biggest of which was denying Jesus three times on the night of Jesus’ crucifixion. Each time Jesus forgave him. Peter still didn’t get the fact that because we are all sinners, real, enduring, reconciling forgiveness is beyond our control. It must be a gift received from God to be a gift unleashed and shared for others.

We are not to limit our forgiveness to any fixed number of times. As often as someone hurts us and asks for forgiveness, we are to forgive them. It is their duty to ask for forgiveness, and it is our duty to forgive.

Under Hebrew law, a debtor and his family could be sold into slavery until the debt was paid. Jesus isn’t giving us a lesson in economics or philanthropy. He points out that there is something more than a debt that has been paid. It’s the eternal mercy of God overcoming our sin debt. When we receive God’s love and forgiveness, it changes things. It’s the power and blessing of God, received by faith that is to be put to good use in our lives and in our relationships.

The king’s act of mercy represents God’s mercy to us. We have sinned. We owe more to God than we can pay. Instead of casting us off, God has mercy on us. When we ask for forgiveness, He forgives us.

The story of the man who refused to forgive someone who owed him money was used by Jesus to teach us that the offences which our fellow men commit against us are very small and insignificant compared to our offences against God. Because we have been the recipients of God’s mercy, who are we to suddenly demand justice from others? God’s compassion calls for us to do the same toward others. Anything less is hypocritical.

God expects His children to take on His likeness. If they do not resemble Him in their willingness to forgive, they prove they are not His children. God is rich in mercy and grace, but He is also holy and just, so those who refuse to forgive should not imagine that God would welcome their unforgiving hearts into His kingdom.

The nature of forgiveness is a profound aspect of reconciling grace. Forgiveness is hard. It means that the forgiving person as the innocent one resolves his/her own wrath over the guilty one and lets the guilty one go free. Forgiveness benefits us and frees us for the option of living.

Forgiveness reveals a deep awareness of sin. We can’t change the facts. Forgiveness costs the innocent one, for he resolves the problem in love. Forgiveness conditions us to forgive others for we are forever accountable for our privilege of freedom.

Refusing to forgive inflicts inner turmoil on us. If we refuse to forgive, God will refuse to forgive us. It isn’t worth the misery. We are to forgive as we have been forgiven. We are encouraged to release the poison of all that bitterness. We are encouraged to let it out before God and declare the sincere desire to be free.

Holding on to our anger is not good for our physical health either. Research shows that holding on to anger increases our chances of a heart attack, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other illnesses. On the other hand, forgiveness boosts our self-esteem and lowers our blood pressure and heart rate. Forgiveness also helps us sleep better at night and boosts a positive change in our attitude.

Forgiveness is the gift that keeps on giving when our giving gives out. It’s the power of the Lord’s Prayer unleashed in our lives in the relationships that we hold dear. Do we want to live with the junk of past hurts? No. If we want to give every day a chance, Jesus says that we must get rid of the trash. We are to give others the grace we have been given. When there is no possibility for an ongoing relationship, especially when the one who has wronged us is unreachable or dead, forgiveness can free us from bitterness and the desire for revenge.

When we sincerely confess our sin, we admit to ourselves that we have hurt someone else. To ask for forgiveness repeatedly is to admit that we do not have the ability or power to change that truth in us. If we need to ask forgiveness from someone, it will help us if we ask God to give us humble hearts and a spirit willing to change. If we are being asked to forgive, it will help us if we ask God to help us to look to Him to help restore the person back in our heart without bitterness.

There are three reasons why we need to forgive:

1. Because God forgives us
2. Because resentment leads to self-torture
3. Because we need forgiveness every day

Every time we remember the hurt we have received, we make an intentional choice to say, “God, that person really hurt me, and it still hurts. Because I want to be filled with love and not resentment, I am choosing to give up my right to get even and wish bad on that person. I am choosing to bless those who hurt me. God, I pray you’ll bless their life—not because they deserve it. They don’t. I don’t deserve your blessing either, God. But I pray that you’d show grace to them like you’ve shown to me.”

Forgiveness is something that we need every day. We must ask for forgiveness. We must accept forgiveness from God and from others. We must offer forgiveness. It must be continual. It must be enough, and it must be employed.

Forgiveness is not a matter of social grace or necessity. Forgiveness is integral to the Christian lifestyle. As God always forgives sinners, the sinner should always forgive others. This is the most precious gift in the world. We squander this gift so easily when our selfish hearts shut Him out. When we realize our fault and return to Him, He forgives us and renews His life in us. Forgiveness lies at the heart of our faith in God and our love of one another. Forgiveness, which we receive from God, is what God expects from us in our dealings with each other.

The enduring gift of forgiveness began at the cross. Jesus paid the price for our sins. God forgave our sin debt because Jesus paid it for us. We owe our lives to a Holy God because of our sins and failures, but God took the payment of Jesus’ life in our place. Because of God’s great love for us in Christ, He forgives us. He lets us go in His peace. He releases us from the burden of debt and allows us to live in His freedom.

The story of Ruth Bell Graham and Jim Bakker is a story of forgiveness. Many of you might remember evangelist Jim Bakker’s public disgrace. During his darkest days, Jim Bakker found friends in evangelist Billy Graham and his wife Ruth. Billy visited Jim in prison several times. The first Sunday after Jim was released from prison, Ruth hosted him at her own church. She publicly showed her support for him by sitting with him. She showed God’s love. The language of love is always the language of forgiveness. Love is not love unless it is essentially the spirit of forgiveness.

On Ruth’s tombstone at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an inscription that she requested herself. It reads, “End of construction. Thank You for your patience.” She lived in an area of North Carolina where construction work was always going on. At the end of every construction zone was a sign with that message on it. She said once that it is a wonderful image for the Christian life. “A work under construction until we go to be with God” she said. We are also works under construction. We need the patience of others to the very end. In return, we must freely give and receive the extravagant forgiveness that Jesus commands.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1314-1315)
2. Augsberger, M.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; p. 18)
3. Dr. Neil Anderson, “The Cost of Forgiveness.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
4. Charles R. Swindoll, “When You Are Offended, Part 1.” Retrieved from eministries@insightforliving.ca
5. Charles R. Swindoll, “When You Are Offended, Part 2.” Retrieved from eministries@insightforliving.ca
6. Rev. Gregory Seltz, “Forgiveness, the Gift That Keeps On Giving.” Retrieved from lh_min@lhm.org
7. Max Lucado, “Taking Out the trash.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
8. “The Voice of the Lord for Tammuz 26.” Retrieved from listserv@lists.studylight.org
9. “A Humble Heart and Willing Spirit.” Retrieved from info@dailydisciples.org
10. Pastor Rick Warren, “How Often Should You Forgive?” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
11. Doug Fields, “Finding Freedom in Forgiveness.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com
12. Pastor Rick Warren, “Why Should You Forgive?” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
13. Charles R. Swindoll, “Be Forgetful.” Retrieved from eministries@insightforliving.ca
14. Daniel B. Clendenin, Ph.D., “Accepting One Another: The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.” Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net
15. Karl Jacobson, “Commentary on Matthew 18:21-35.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
16. Pastor Edward Markquart, “Pockets of Poison: The Need for Forgiveness.” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com
17. The Rev. Dr. Robert M. Zanicky, PCUSA, “The Freeing of Forgiveness.” Retrieved from www.day1.org
18. “Over and Over Again.” Retrieved from www.Sermons4KIds.com
19. The Rev. Janet Hunt, “Forgiving ‘Seventy-Seven’ Times.” Retrieved from www.dancingwiththeword.com
20. Daniel Clendenin, Ph.D., “Never Judge, Always Forgive.” Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net

How many of you have played with a yo-yo? A yo-yo is a simple toy, but it is a lot of fun. Some people can make the yo-yo do amazing tricks, but the main thing a yo-yo does is go up and down, up and down. That is also a good picture of us. We all have our “ups and downs,” don’t we? Sometimes we are happy and sometimes we are sad. We may be hard working one day and lazy the next. We may be honest one day and dishonest the next. Can you think of other ways that we have “ups and downs?” In the Book of Exodus, we heard that Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, also had his “ups and downs” and we heard how God punished Pharaoh for his wicked ways.

You will remember that God spoke to Moses from a burning bush and told him to go to Pharaoh and tell him to set his people free. They had been slaves in Egypt for many years. So Moses and his brother, Aaron, went to see Pharaoh and asked him to set God’s people free, but Pharaoh said, “No, I will not let them go.”

Because Pharaoh refused to obey, God began to send terrible plagues on Egypt. One time he sent frogs all over the land. There were so many frogs that Pharaoh thought he would croak. At other times, God sent gnats, flies, and locusts. That really bugged Pharaoh! Well, Pharaoh had more ups and downs than a yo-yo. When God would send one of the plagues, Pharaoh would tell Moses that if God would make it go away, he would let his people go. But after God made the plague go away, Pharaoh would change his mind and refuse to let the people go. Since Pharaoh was so hard-hearted and refused to let God’s people go, God continued to send plagues upon Egypt — there were ten in all.

The final plague was the worst of all. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh that the last plague would be so terrible that it would change his heart and he would let the people go. Every firstborn son and every firstborn male animal would die. How sad! It is always sad to see what happens to people when they refuse to obey God. Since Pharaoh and the people in Egypt refused to do what God told them to do, they suffered terribly! That may be hard to understand, but remember – God had given them many opportunities to do what he told them to do, but they refused.

God gave Moses instructions on how his own people were to prepare for the last plague. He said that every family was to take a one-year-old lamb, one that was perfect in every way, and prepare a meal. They were to take some of the blood from the lamb and smear it on the sides and tops of the doorway of their houses.

God said, “I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood, I will pass over you—no harm will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

After God sent that tenth plague, Pharaoh repented and freed God’s children.

The symbolism of Passover for Christians is rich. The Passover Lamb is a type of Christ. Passover marked the beginning of months for the Hebrews, and the coming of Christ into our lives marks both the changing of our world and the beginning of our lives.

God began the calendar year of Israel with the Exodus. The first month of the Hebrew year, called Abib (or Aviv), literally means “the ear” month because at this time-about April for us-the ears of grain have developed. Passover was to begin Israel’s year. It was a reminder of their coming into being as God’s delivered people.

The Passover was a sacred meal. It was intended to honour God and His relationship with His people. Burning leftover meat represented the sacred nature of this observance, making it clear that it is food for the soul and food for the Body. The bread and wine (or juice) served during the Eucharist is also food for both the body and the soul. Our gathering in worship and God’s saving grace should motivate us and encourage us to perform acts of justice and mercy.

God’s specific instructions about the Passover lamb would ensure that in every way, it was fit for sacred service. A lamb without flaws was to be the perfect sacrifice for the Passover meal, just like Christ was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Nothing but a perfect sacrifice could satisfy God’s requirements, because God Himself is perfectly righteous. No sacrifice was adequate, so God had to provide the Lamb that was without blemish-Jesus Christ. The Feast of the Passover became a festival to celebrate the visiting and redeeming God-the One who comes to dwell among us, not only as Protector but as Sustainer and Giver of Life. The Passover Lamb represented the work that Jesus would finish in His death and resurrection. That’s why he said, “It is finished” just before He died on the cross.

The Israelites were told to be ready to leave their bondage at any time. We as Christians today must also be ready to leave at any time. We don’t know when Christ’s return and the final judgment will take place. The Israelites were also told to eat unleavened bread. In Scripture, leaven represents evil. Our bread of life must be unleavened. We can’t have communion with Christ when there is sin in our lives.

The bitter herbs represented the memory of the Israelites’ bondage, and today we who are saved must not forget the cost of our redemption. Our sin-filled lives must be constantly crucified. Deep down in our hearts, the drinking of His cup and being baptized with His baptism will be our taste of bitter herbs in the feast.

The one who would “pass through the land” was not some angel of death as is commonly assumed. According to the repeated pronoun “I”, it was the Lord Himself, bringing judgment against all the gods of Egypt. Just like the angel of death passed over the blood-stained doorways of the Israelites, Christ’s blood allows eternal death and separation from God to pass over us. We can pass over from physical death to eternal life. Only the blood of Jesus can save us.

God did not protect the Israelites because they were better than the Egyptians, but because they were His people. God gives grace to His followers-whether through the blood of the Passover lamb or the blood of Jesus-not based on merit but on His lovingkindness. Christ’s blood saves us from the penalty of spiritual death just like the blood of the Passover lamb saved the Israelites from the death of their firstborn children and animals.

The passage from Exodus is about freedom from slavery, new beginning and leaving behind. It’s about life and death. It teaches us how to get ready to move fast. Christ’s death and resurrection are also about freedom from slavery, a new relationship and life with God and leaving behind our old sin-filled lives. Christ’s death and resurrection mean freedom for all who believe in Him. The Lord’s Supper is open to all He invited, all the baptized, who remember that Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. The blood of the host at this banquet means that God will pass over the sins of all who partake. As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

God cares for us just like he cared for his children in Egypt long ago. In fact, He made a way for us to get out of our messes too. Just like Pharaoh, we have our ups and downs, but Jesus died on the cross for all the wrong things we have done. If we believe in him and ask him to come into our hearts, he makes a way for us to go to Heaven.

For Christianity, the passion narrative is built, at least in part, on the Passover narrative. In Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples gather in the upper room to celebrate the Passover meal, at which time Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, offering the wine as a sign of the blood of the covenant poured out for the forgiveness of sins. While Passover had nothing to do with the sins of Israel, it does speak of liberation, and the cross is itself understood in that context. In John’s Passion narrative, the connection of Jesus to the Passover Lamb is even more explicit. He is crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover, the day when the Passover lambs are sacrificed in preparation for the feast. Thus, for John, Jesus is the Passover Lamb, through whom liberation takes place. It is his blood placed on the doorposts as a sign to the angel of death. The good news, the gospel, is that God is a liberating God, and in our worship, we are invited to continually retell the story of how God acts to liberate.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 89-90)
2. Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 21: Exodus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1987; pp. 132-142)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010)
5. Ron Moore, “Nothing but the Blood.” Retrieved from www.ronmoore.org
6. Richard Niell Donovan, “Exegesis for Exodus 12:1-14.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org
7. Joni Eareckson Tada, “The Passover Lamb.” Retrieved from www.joniandfriends.org
8. Mark S. Gignilliant, “Commentary of Exodus 12:1-14.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
9. Anathea Portier-Young, “Commentary of Exodus 12:1-14.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
10. Ralph W. Klein, “Commentary of Exodus 12:1-14.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
11. “The First Passover.” Retrieved from www.Sermons4KIds.com