Comparative preaching on Luke 24 - part one

As noted in the previous posting, Stan and me recently preached on the same passage at the same time in different parishes. Over the weekend, we'll hopefully get Stan's sermon here too! Mine was preached in Magheralin, and the text is Luke 24:13-35.

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Have you ever been disappointed with God? You thought things would all be great when you started out with Jesus. But then bad things happen. You have that meeting with the doctor as he gives you bad news. Or as you stand at the graveside of your loved one. Or perhaps other people seem to be getting on so much better than yourself. You’re disappointed with God. Annoyed that He doesn’t seem to be as close as you wish.

And yet, things can get worse as you dwell on your disappointment. It affects all that you do and think. It can also lead to disbelief. After all, if God has promised to be with us, then where is he? Why do we face these hard times? Is he not able to keep his promises, or does he not care?

The two followers of Jesus we find in our reading are disappointed. Watch them trudge along the road, gloomily talking to each other. It is the afternoon of that first Easter Day, and they’re on their way back to Emmaus. The journey is seven miles or so – a good walk that will take them a couple of hours. Roughly the distance of Magheralin to … (Portadown?) Plenty of time to think and talk.

But notice – even though it’s that first Easter Day, the day of Jesus’ resurrection, they don’t seem to have the joy of knowing that Jesus is alive as they journey. Instead, they are disappointed and disbelieving.

They’re disappointed with the way things have happened over the past week. You can see it in their body language and in what they say as they encounter the stranger on the road. Look at verse 17. ‘They stood still, their faces downcast.’ Their hearts ache, and their faces show their pain and sorrow as the stranger asks what they’re talking about.

And in their sorrow, there’s also room for some surprise. How can the stranger not know about what had happened? As Cleopas says to him, ‘Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?’ (18). The force of his question is even stronger in the ESV. ‘Are you the only visitor … who does not know?’ The things that had been so important to them seemed to have passed others by. As the stranger asks what things, hear the disappointment in their voice, as the story of Jesus is told.

“He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”

They had followed this Jesus, the teacher, the prophet. He had shown his power in both his teaching, and in his miracles. They were convinced that the kingdom of God was here. The Christ had come. And then it all seemed to go wrong. The religious leaders had decided he should die. They crucified him. And hear the disappointment coming out in this sentence – ‘but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.’

All their hopes had been pinned on this Jesus. Their hope had seemed to be well placed, because of the powerful ministry of Jesus. But then he had died on the cross. It had all gone wrong. So much for the redemption of Israel. We had hoped. But not now.

Are there things that we hope for, but circumstances (or God’s purposes) turn out to be very different? You started out on a relationship, with big plans for the future. It seemed to be the right thing. Then it all went wrong. We had hoped…

But notice, that as well as the tremendous disappointment these two are facing, they are also caught in the trap of disbelief. On that day of resurrection, they were stuck in the depths of despair. In verse 22, they tell the stranger about the experience of the disciples that day. “In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning, but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women said, but him they did not see.” (22-24).

Into the middle of the sadness came the reports of the women who had visited the tomb and seen the angels, and of the other companions who had went to the tomb to check it out. Confusion reigns. But has their disappointment lifted? No, rather, they move from disappointment further down, to disbelief. Rather than staying to check out what they’ve heard from the others, or waiting to think about what they’ve heard and what it might mean; they have begun their long journey home. Perhaps this was even part of their disappointment – that other people seemed to be getting on much better, or other people had had these experiences of angels. They had none of that. They only had their disappointment, and then their disbelief – finding it hard to believe what their friends had said.

Could it be, though, that in not believing their friends, they were ultimately not believing God and his word? We’ll see in a minute or two.

So the two people travel along the road, speaking with the stranger. Verse 16 tells us they were kept from recognising him. Yet we know who this stranger is – none other than the Risen Jesus himself. Why does he not reveal himself straight away – stopping them immediately and telling them that they’ve no reason to be sad or confused, because he is alive?

Well, had that happened, they would have been encouraged, no doubt about that. But would they have grown in the way that they could, by going through the learning curve?

Notice that the Risen Christ is journeying with them – even though they don’t realise it, he is with them in their pain and sadness and confusion. At times we also seem to forget that Jesus is with us, especially at those times when he seems farthest away.

Notice next, that the Risen Christ teaches them from God’s word. They were ultimately disappointed and disbelieving because they had failed to understand God’s purpose in the world and failed to understand God’s word.

Hear the rebuke he had for them: ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ (25-26).

They had been disappointed because they had though Jesus was going to redeem Israel. Then it seemed to have gone wrong with his death on the cross. But according to Jesus, it was in this death and resurrection that he did indeed redeem Israel, and all God’s people. Far from the cross being a tragic accident, rather, it was the means of accomplishing the rescue mission, according to God’s plan revealed in Scripture.

As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians (and as we echo him in the words of the Nicene Creed), ‘For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.’ (1 Cor 15:3-4). Far from being purposeless, the cross had been written and spoken about before it had ever happened.

Jesus then launches into what I imagine was the ultimate Bible study. ‘And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.’ (27) Jesus explaining his life and death and resurrection from the Hebrew Scriptures.

No wonder the disciples felt their hearts burn within them! (32). Jesus was opening up the Scriptures to them, helping them to understand what they were ultimately all about.

Do we encounter the same thrilling experience of encountering God in his word? As we read and hear the Bible read and explained, do we feel that burning? The words we hear and speak are not lifeless words – they’re not just interesting accounts of ancient life. These are the very words of God – the words of life and salvation. Living and active, and powerful words.

The travellers arrived at Emmaus, and the stranger seemed to be going on, yet he was persuaded to stay with the two. It was getting late, and he shouldn’t be travelling. Much better to stay with them for the evening. And as they came to the table, it was the stranger who took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.

Was this unusual, for the guest to serve the meal? Perhaps. Yet in the unusual act, there was also something very familiar about it. Those actions – the taking, thanking, breaking and giving are the same as in the feeding of the 5000 (Luke 9:16 – ‘Taking the five loaves of bread and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people.’) and in the Last Supper (Luke 22:19 – ‘And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”’). Or was it as they saw the nail prints in his hands – those ‘wounds of love yet visible above in beauty glorified’?

Either way, they instantly recognised Jesus, and knew that he was alive! In that moment of recognition, he disappeared from their sight, yet they weren’t sad at their loss. Rather, through their encounter with the Risen Lord – through his word spoken, and through his presence with them, and ultimately, through remembering his sacrifice and recognising him in the breaking of the bread – they were changed and transformed!

Gone was the disappointment of Good Friday. Gone was the disbelief of their friends and of God. Gone, even was their tiredness. Now, these disciples are transformed. How can we see that?

Well, remember how they had trudged along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus, feeling every step of the 7 miles? Now, despite the lateness of the hour, they set out back to the city. Their sadness has been transformed into joy. They must tell others about it!

So off they go, back to Jerusalem. There they find the Eleven and the others with them. There they find the transforming power of the risen Christ in the Eleven too. Notice that verse 34 is the testimony of the disciples who had stayed in Jerusalem: “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” They too had encountered Jesus, and had been changed.

The it is the turn of the two from Emmaus to tell their story, ‘and how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke the bread.’ (35). Together, the disciples share in the joy of the risen Lord. Nothing will be the same again.

Are there situations in which you are disappointed at how things are going? You feel that all hope is gone. Nothing can change. Your faith in God is being stretched to the limit. You think God is far away and is not interested. Take heart tonight from the experience of those disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Jesus was not far from them. He was journeying with them in their sadness. He was with them in their pain. But more than that, Jesus brought God’s word to clarify and explain; to encourage and show God’s purposes. And then, they came to recognise Jesus with them. They were transformed through their encounter with the Risen Christ.

Jesus is with you, too, in your pain. His power is sufficient for you. And as we break bread tonight, we remember his death on the cross, and his mighty resurrection – defeating sin and death, and giving us life and hope. Jesus is with us. Will you be transformed by his presence in your life?

Comparative Preaching

It's always interesting to see how different people approach and preach the same text. Perhaps using a different introduction sets the direction and aim of the sermon in completely different ways. Or the use of illustrations helps aid the understanding.

On All The Scriptures we're going to see this in action. Both Stanley and myself are preaching this Sunday night. The passage is Luke 24:13-35 - the road to Emmaus. Watch this space for the two sermons!

Strewth! Aussies can preach!

This month saw the visit of the world renowned Anglican Evangelist John Chapman to Dublin. Chapo is passionate about helping preachers preach the scriptures so that peoples hearts are set on fire. His book on preaching evangelistic sermons, Setting Hearts on Fire can be found here. One his evangelistic sermons can be found at the Crinken Church of Ireland website.

There you will also find sermons by another top preacher and Aussie - Ed Vaughan. Both men originate from the Diocese of Sydney. Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport!

The Fiery Furnace: Daniel 3:13-30

My other sermon from Daniel so far. This was originally preached on 19th November 2006.

Idols are all around us. The cult of the celebrity is everywhere – on tv, in newspapers, and on the internet. Just think of the X-factor, or Pop Idol. What about the crowds that flocked yesterday to get a glimpse of Tom Cruise at his wedding?

However, it’s not just celebrities who claim our allegiance and worship. Our society is obsessed with money and wealth; getting and spending. The expectation is for us to join in the worship of wealth – so how do we react in the situation? Our friends, colleagues, families expect us to bow down and worship money, just like them. What will we do?

Our Old Testament reading tonight brings us to Babylon, during the time of the exile. The leading citizens of Jersualem had been carried off to Babylon, and the temple destroyed. What would the Jews do then? These people of God – without a temple, and so far from home – what would they do?

Would they merge into the surrounding culture, make themselves comfortable in Babylon, and start worshipping the Babylonian gods? Or would they maintain their faith and trust in God, despite being so far away?

Especially since the king, Nebuchadnezzar, had unveiled a new statue to be worshipped. The status was rather impressive – ninety feet high, nine feet wide, and made of gold. At the dedication ceremony, all the chief officials, rulers and civil servants were present.

The order came from the king that when the orchestra played – that whole big list of instruments – ‘the horn, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music’, then the people were to fall down and worship. If they decided not to worship, then they would be thrown into a blazing furnace (6).

Can you imagine a big crowd of people standing around the image? All waiting on the music? Think of some of the big gatherings of people we have seen recently - the Live Aid concerts, or …

And so, the music started, and the people fell down to worship. Right across the plain, people are prostrate… except for those three people still standing – so noticeable on the landscape. Who are the three? And what are they doing, still standing?

The three men are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – friends of Daniel, and fellow exiles. Already in the book of Daniel we have met them – in chapter one they also refused to eat the king’s meat which had been sacrificed to idols. And there they stand, in disobedience to the king’s command.

Straight away, some of the astrologers come up to the king to report what had happened. Ever since the Jews had come to Babylon, the astrologers weren’t keen on them – already, the astrologers had failed to interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two, while the Jew Daniel had done it. Later, they would fail Nebuchadnezzar with another dream, and also Belshazzar’s writing on the wall. So when they had this chance to get the Jews thrown into the furnace, they would take it. In doing so, they would also prove their own loyalty.

But notice, in verse 12 that the astrologers say ‘there are some Jews… who pay not attention to you’ – does this mean that other Jews were going along with the flow and worshipping? Were they encouraging the three to also bow down?

It’s here that our reading began tonight – with Nebuchadnezzar in a furious rage. Who were these people to not be worshipping him and his gods? Did they not know that if they were in his culture, they should do as he did? So he has them brought before him, and gives them another chance. If they fall down and worship, well and good, But if not, then they will be thrown into a blazing furnace.

Notice the challenge he sets – ‘Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?’ To Nebuchadnezzar, his image was obviously the most powerful god, because he was ruling. It seems to be a power play – if I’m king of this vast empire, then my gods must be more powerful than all the other gods.

For Nebuchadnezzar and his loyal followers, the question was obviously meant to be rhetorical – needing no answer… the answer was obviously no. No other god could rescue them from his hand.

What would you do, if you were in that situation? Facing a hostile, angry king who threatens death – horrible death in a furnace – if you don’t bow down. After all, how hard would it be to lie down on the ground for a minute or two? He wouldn’t know what you were thinking. And it would mean you could continue to serve God in the king’s service.

What did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego do? They answered the king: ‘we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’

To Nebuchadnezzar’s challenge, they show their faith in God, believing God is able to rescue them and save them. The confrontation is set up. Nebuchadnezzar’s gods against God. But even more than that – the three go further. Even if our God doesn’t save us, we still won’t serve your gods.

This is no fair weather faith – which only lasts as long as things are going well. Here, in front of the king, the one who transported them so far from home and who wants to force them to worship other gods, they defy him, and declare their total trust in God. Even if God won’t save them miraculously – that’s his choice – they will still serve and worship only him.

You can see the blood vessels standing out on the head and neck of Nebuchadnezzar – he’s raging with these men. And so he acts out of his rage – the furnace is made seven times hotter, and the three will be thrown in.

To make sure they can’t escape, they are tied up – wearing all their clothes and blankets around them for good measure – to make sure there’s plenty of stuff to burn. The commentators seem to suggest that the furnace had one opening at the top, and another at the bottom. Into the top opening they are thrown, by the strongest, best soldiers in Babylon. Yet it is the soldiers who perish from the heat and the flames.

The three men find themselves in the furnace. Nebuchadnezzar watches to make sure they are burned up. And as he watches intently, suddenly he gets a fright. The three men had been tied up, thrown in as if in a sleeping bag, yet now he can see them walking about freely, unharmed, and not only three – but a fourth as well!

The fourth looked like ‘a son of the gods.’ Who could this be? The son of the gods – later, in verse 28, Nebuchadnezzar refers to him as an angel – the angel of the Lord. But some would see this as a pre-birth appearance of Christ, being present with his people in their trouble.

Nebuchadnezzar had set the challenge – what god will be able to rescue you from my hand? The three had answered that their God was able. Nebuchadnezzar now saw with his own eyes that this was so – their God had rescued them, but not only that, had been present with them in their trials.

As the king says himself, in paying tribute to God, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.’

So how does this apply for us today? Do you face pressures to conform to other people’s expectations – or to join with other people’s worship of celebrity or money or false idols? These idols which threaten to take the place of God.

How will you respond? Will you go with the flow, or will you go against it and stand your ground? We may not face the furnace – yet there are still consequences to our actions – maybe being isolated in work, or being thought of as eccentric…

In the midst of these trials, we find that God is with us – his angel was present with the three; his presence is with us. Maybe not saving us out of the trial immediately, but being with us in the trial.

And let’s pray that as we live for God, showing our faith by our actions, others will see, and give the praise to God, as Nebuchadnezzar also praised the Most High God.

Love, sex, and marriage

In today's confused world, love, sex and marriage are understood in radically different ways. Is there any guidance from God on these important issues? The team at the Irish Church Missions believe that there is, and its found in the Bible. At the following link, you will find clear and edifying talks from Eddie Coulter, Dave Martin and Sean Martin.

http://www.icm-online.ie/sermons.html

Falling from grace: Galatians 5:2-10

In these days of celebrity exposure on tv and magazines, we’re all too familiar with the fall from grace. Someone who was popular, or important, or influential does something or says something, and suddenly, they are dropped, ignored and forgotten. Think of Kate Moss, after the drugs scandal, or Jade Goody after her alleged racism on Big Brother. They’re out in the wilderness, and their position is lost.

As we come to our passage in Galatians 5, Paul warns his readers in verse 4: ‘you have fallen away from grace.’ So what does Paul mean when he says that they have fallen from grace? How did they get into that position, and what were the alternatives? And what will it mean for us? Is there a danger that we could fall away from grace?

So let’s first see what Paul means when he says that the Galatians have fallen away from grace. It is certainly a serious situation – to fall away, or remove yourself from grace – from God’s favour. Are we right to think that it is a position of being removed from God’s favour? Yes – look at verse 4 again. Not only does Paul describe it is falling away from grace, he also sees them as being ‘alienated from Christ.’

Remember, these are Christians Paul is writing to. This is a terribly serious situation – no wonder Paul uses such strong language right through the letter. If you know Galatians at all, you’ll have come across his outbursts, cursing those who try to preach a different gospel (1:8-9), his confrontation with Peter (2:11-14), his words in 3:1 (‘You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?’). Then just after our passage ends, he exclaims that he wishes that ‘those agitators… would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!’ (5:12).

So how did the Galatians get into this position? Why does Paul say they have fallen from grace? Look to verse 4 again – ‘You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.’ (5:4). The foolish Galatians were trying to be justified by law. So what does that mean? Quite simply, they were trying to be right with God by keeping the law. Verses 2 and 3 point us towards circumcision – as symbolising the law.

It seems that after Paul had visited Galatia and preached the gospel there (and moved on), other teachers came in to the church who were teaching something different. No longer was it salvation by faith alone, as Paul had taught. They were teaching that to be right with God, the Gentiles had to first become Jews before becoming Christians. And so, they insisted on circumcision for the Galatians, in order to be right with God.

Imagine you were a Christian in Galatia. Paul had taught them the basics of the faith and moved on. Then the other teachers arrived – maybe even claiming to have connections to the church in Jerusalem – who say that you have to submit to the Jewish customs and law in order to be fully right with God. Well, what do you do? You’ve no idea where Paul is now – he could be in Philippi or Thessalonica or Corinth… And you want to make sure you’re doing it right. So the Galatians bought into the new teachers.

But now Paul has heard of it, and he’s furious! Cue the curses and outbursts. Why is he so furious? Well, it’s simply the case that the Galatians were putting their hope and confidence in something other than Jesus. Their focus and attention was shifting from Christ alone, to Christ plus circumcision.

If they were hoping to be made right with God through the law (and through circumcision), then they weren’t looking to Jesus alone for their salvation. Call it an insurance package or whatever – you know, just to make sure, we’ll cover all bases and all possibilities for salvation – but really, it was to their condemnation and shame.

Why was this? Well, because if they are circumcised, then Christ is of no value to them. Christ won’t make any difference to them, because their confidence is in their circumcision. And yet, they’re not in a good position – verse 3 says that ‘every man who lets himself be circumcised … is required to obey the whole law.’ By submitting to the law, they were required to obey all of it, if they aimed to be right with God through it.

Yet they could never achieve this. No one (except for Jesus), could keep the whole law. So if they were trusting in their law-keeping, then they were condemned already. Remember what James said – ‘For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it’ (James 2:10).

The Galatians were tempted by the Jesus plus circumcision package of the false teachers. Perhaps they were looking for that extra security or assurance. But in reality, they had exchanged freedom in Christ for the slavery of the Law. Isn’t that the point of 5:1, which we didn’t read tonight, but provides a key to the passage: ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.’

The Galatians had been under the slavery of sin. Jesus then freed them through his death on the cross for them, and by their coming to faith in him. But now they were exchanging their freedom in Christ for a new slavery under the law.

How does this affect us today? After all, we don’t have teachers going about saying that we need to submit to circumcision and the Jewish law and customs to be saved. That particular testing isn’t a problem to the modern church. I’m not sure it would gain much popularity anyway, if teachers came today preaching the need for circumcision.

Yet we face similar problems. For the Galatians, the teaching was implying that to be saved, they had to trust in Jesus and be circumcised. It was ‘Gospel Plus’. Trust in Jesus, yes, but you also have to fulfil all these other criteria too. What do we see around us in churches and denominations? Fill in the sentence – to be saved, you must trust in Jesus and …… - abstain from alcohol, or vote unionist, or whatever.

Are there problems with this approach? Yes, absolutely! The offer of free salvation in Christ becomes perverted and distorted to fit the other agendas of the individuals concerned. Suddenly, the gospel isn’t a free offer, when the other conditions (which may not be biblical) are added to it. And so easily, the focus can shift from faith in Jesus to that external thing which is noticeable.

But there’s another issue that arises as we seek to apply this passage today. The Galatians had been confused and led astray by the teaching they had received. Look at verse 7: ‘You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?’ It was their teachers who had cut in on them – that image of the athlete running, and someone getting in their way, diverting them. Paul is rightly harsh on the false teachers – affirming that they will pay the penalty (10).

And yet the Galatians were partly to blame for being led astray. I’m not saying that there’s a possibility of being led astray by those who teach here – not even when your new curate arrives – but how careful are you to check what you are being taught? Do you accept what is said from the pulpit without thinking, or do you check that it is what the passage is saying, and in line with the Scriptures?

Having looked at the position the Galatians were in – that of having fallen from grace; and considered how they had ended up in that situation – we should ask – was there an alternative? What was Paul urging on the Galatians?

Look again at verse 4, and read on into 5. In 4, we see ‘you’ and ‘you’, whereas in 5 we see ‘we’ and ‘we’. There’s a change and a contrast there, ushered in by the first word of verse 5: ‘but’. Let’s read it – ‘You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love’ (4-6).

What is the alternative Paul urges? Rather than being alienated from Christ, the true believer is ‘in Christ Jesus’. Rather than trying to be justified, there is the hope and eager expectation for the true righteousness. Rather than working for justification by the law, their righteousness comes from faith. Rather than being right with God through something done to the flesh, the true believer is right with God through the Spirit.

So what is the position we should be aiming for? ‘For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love’ (6).

Paul has already been arguing that circumcision has no value – but he goes further here to say that being uncircumcised is no better. Just as those who were circumcised had nothing to boast about, so those who hadn’t been circumcised had nothing to boast about. Tom Wright suggests that the word for ‘value’ can also mean power – there’s no power in being circumcised or not being circumcised.

So to return to our earlier application of seeing other churches where we might see ‘Gospel Plus’ in operation – it won’t do us any good to boast that we aren’t like that, or that we don’t make additional demands.

The only thing that counts, Paul tells us is this: ‘faith expressing itself through love.’ How are we made right with God? Through faith. But it isn’t a dry intellectualism – in simply assenting to a series of beliefs. No, the faith is living and active – expressing itself in love. Being seen by what it does.

We don’t do the works to be saved. But the works we do show that we have been saved by faith. This is, for Paul, the key to Christian living – as he will go on in the rest of the chapter to write of the fruit of our faith – the fruit of the Spirit, those things that can be seen and are evidences of our faith – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

So having seen the options available to the Galatians, we have to ask – what way are we going? Are we, like the Galatians running well? Will we continue to run well, not allowing anyone to cut in on us? How do we keep it going? Let’s pray that we will continue to have faith expressing itself through love, rather than trusting in any sort of Gospel-plus system.

If you’re still in slavery to your sins, and have never known freedom, then Christ offers freedom to you tonight, as verse one reminds us. Come to him, and be set free! And if you do know Christ, and have been freed by him, then I urge you to continue to run well, in freedom.

The Foolish Man: Luke 12:13-21

I wonder if we have any fools here today? You may not like to admit it – no one likes to be called a fool, after all. And yet, the Bible talks about fools quite a lot – especially in the Psalms and Proverbs. In Psalm 14, we read ‘The fool says in his heart, “There is no God”’ (Ps 14:1).

Now you might be thinking that that can’t apply to you – you know there’s a God. But do you always remember there is a God? Is he the highest thing in your thoughts? Does the way you live show that you believe in God?

In our New Testament reading today, we heard a parable that Jesus taught. Someone in the crowd had come up to him and asked him to make his brother divide the inheritance with him. The man was acting out of self-interest – he only had his eyes on the money.

Jesus’ reply sets up the parable, and gives us the key to understanding it. ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ Even at the outset, Jesus is saying that your life isn’t about what you earn or own. That there’s more to life than getting all you can. But even more than that – you have to take care and be on your guard – covetousness can creep up on you. Isn’t it so easy to see what your neighbour has and to want it? Yet Jesus calls us to be watchful against it.

He then goes on to tell the parable. It’s probably a familiar one, but let’s hear it again.

"The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

At the start of the parable, we are introduced to the rich man, a farmer, whose land produced plentifully. He had been working hard that year, and was pleased to see that he had harvested a bumper crop. And yet there was a problem. The barns he had used in the past suddenly weren’t big enough for all he had produced. He couldn’t store away all he had – what would he do?

So he thought to himself and eventually came up with his plan. Pull down the old barns which were too small, and instead, build new ones. Bigger ones that would hold all his grain and goods. That way, all his goods would be safely stored. Nothing would go to waste. What could possibly go wrong?

Indeed, as he continued to think to himself, I have so much here now that there’s no point in working again. He considered himself so rich that he would never work again. Instead, he would retire early, and take things easy. As he told himself, ‘I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink and be merry.’ Eat, drink and be merry. What more is there to life than getting enough money and goods so you can retire and take things easy? So you can enjoy the good things of life.

And watch him as he rings the builders and arranges the contract for demolishing the old barns and building the new barns. All seems to be working out well – the builders even promised to come the next day! And yet, he’ll never see them come. Because God said to him that very day, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

After all his plans for the rest of his life, he would see none of them, because God took him that night. And the things he had worked hard for, all his possessions and the grain and goods – he would never see the benefit of them.

Notice how God addressed the man. ‘Fool!’ God called the man a fool. And why was that? The fool says in his heart, there is no God. The man had forgotten God. Firstly, he forgot God who provides all the good things he had – the bumper crop came only because of God’s care and provision. As we heard from Psalm 65 earlier, ‘You provide their grain… You crown the year with your bounty’ (Ps 65:9,11).

Yet the man doesn’t thank God. He doesn’t acknowledge God. He only cares about getting the crops and then storing them up for himself.

He forgets that anything he has comes from God – he views himself as the owner of what he has, rather than a steward, given a trust to manage for a short time. So when he has so much, he only thinks of himself.

Notice also that as he forgot about God, he remembered his soul – or rather, his body. As Jesus summarises at the end of the parable ‘So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.’ The man had been so concerned about his own welfare, and taking things easy, that he had forgotten about God, and had taken no steps to be rich toward God. The man remembered he had a soul, but hadn’t put things right with God – he was rich materially, but was spiritually bankrupt.

The man also forgot about God in terms of the future. As the book of James reminds us, we can’t make plans of our own – it is God who holds the future. ‘Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” – yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”’ (James 4:13-15).

And in terms of the ultimate future, the man had forgotten about God, who will sit in judgement on each person. And so, when the man would stand in front of the judgement throne, what would he have to show? His wealth counted for nothing, and he was not rich towards God. As Proverbs 11:28 tells us, ‘whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.’

The man had totally forgotten and ignored the first and great commandment – to love God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. Notice that when he came upon his storage problem, he only thought about it himself, he didn’t involved God in it by praying.

But the man also ignored the second commandment – to love his neighbour as himself. Certainly, he was loving himself, as he planned out his life of wealth and ease, making sure he would have nothing but the best. But was he loving his neighbour? Was he thinking of those around him who were less fortunate, who were facing a bleak winter?

Even a quick glance at his thoughts show how selfish he was: ‘what shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul…’ I, my, I my…

He was so concerned with laying up treasure for himself – material wealth, and yet ignored his soul. Did you notice that he thought he was addressing his soul when he told it to eat, drink and be merry? Yet he was mixing up the physical and the spiritual, and was actually neglecting his soul.

So what can we learn from the Lord’s parable? What is God’s word to us today, in Quilly? Jesus’ warning still stands today: ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And we need to hear these words today, as materialism seems to be out of control.

Someone has summarised our society as thinking ‘the one with the most toys wins’. What is our response to issues of money, wealth and possessions?

Jesus calls us to be on our guard against covetousness. Yet how often do we compare ourselves to those around us – both looking to see if we have more possessions or the better car, or looking at what others possess and envying them? Have you ever caught yourself wishing it was you had that latest gadget, or the bigger house?

Jesus calls us instead to have a proper perspective on matters of wealth. How do you manage the money God has entrusted to you? Will you worship it, or will you use it for good?

Let’s learn from the man in the parable – firstly in recognising that God provides us with all we need. He had thought the bumper harvest was his alone – but we should remember that all we have comes from God and still belongs to him. So our attitude to money should first be that of thankfulness to God. Today in this harvest service, do we truly mean the thanks we offer?

Which leads us into the next attitude – if the money has been given to us by God, then we should ask how he wants us to use it. We should be using the money for God’s purposes – investing in gospel work. And remembering the needs of those around us.

Our reading isn’t telling us though, that it is wrong to seek to improve your circumstances through hard work – the man was condemned because he wanted to store up all he had earned and only use it for his own desires. He was worshipping money, and ultimately worshipping himself by putting himself at the centre of the universe.

But the key question for us is this – how can we avoid being seen as a ‘fool’ by God? The man was called ‘fool’ because he had stored up treasure for himself, but was not rich toward God.

As Jesus said in Matthew 16, ‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?’ (Matt 16:26). These words could have been spoken of the man in the parable – he gained so much, yet forfeited his life, because he was not rich toward God.

You see, we focus so much on this world with its wealth and riches, that we forget about the world to come, and we fail to store up riches for it. How can we shift our focus to the heavenly? How can we be rich toward God?

You see, our pursuit of wealth is setting up idols in God’s rightful place. And our promotion of self as the object of our desires is a rebellion against God – it is removing God from the throne and putting ourselves in his place. Both our idolatry and our rebellion are sin. Sin is so terrible that it demands and deserves the wrath of the Holy God, who cannot abide evil or sin.

But thankfully Jesus came as the sacrifice for our sin, dying in our place as our substitute. By his death, we are made right with God, we are reconciled, forgiven, ransomed, redeemed, liberated and revived. And we receive all these benefits by trusting in Jesus, by putting our faith in him. By trusting in Jesus, we can store up treasure in heaven.

Paul tells us in Ephesians that all these blessings from ‘the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us’ (Eph 1:7-8). Later they are described as the ‘immeasurable riches of the grace’ (Eph 2:7) and the ‘unsearchable riches of Christ’ (Eph 3:8). By ourselves, we cannot store up treasure in heaven – we are poor and bankrupt when it comes to the Bank of Heaven. But Jesus offers us the riches of his grace, and provides the means for us to have treasure in heaven.

If you have never trusted in Jesus before, I invite you today to begin trusting in him. Recognise and confess your sin, and God will indeed forgive you, give you new life, and grant you the riches of Christ.

And if you are a Christian, but know that you have disobeyed Christ in worshipping the money God has given you, then confess your sins and return God to the throne of your heart, ruling over all of your life.

And please, don’t be a fool as you leave this hall today.

The Ancient of Days and the Son of Man: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

So here goes on the first sermon on the site. Preached last Sunday in Dromore Cathedral.

America and Britain should get out of Iraq immediately. That is the opinion of some observers, who think that the activities of the two countries are a form of empire building – seeking to extend their power and authority. It is a big question, after all, although perhaps more so for America than Britain, as it tries to be the world’s policeman.

Is there anyone in charge of the world? Can the kingdoms – or empires of today do as they wish? Is there any higher authority which can decide what is fair?

The Book of Daniel is a popular one for Christians. It is, after all, a rich mine of stories for Sunday School, and for the rest of us as well. There we find Daniel in the lion’s den, and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Yet these stories, and others, are found in the first half of the book – up to chapter six.

It might well be as far as we get when we read it through – before we encounter strange visions of beasts and creatures, kings and angels. When we reach chapter seven, then, most of us either struggle through, not really understanding what we’re reading, or else consigning it to oblivion or the conspiracy theorists who seek to interpret the prophecies for us.

However, with these few words of introduction, we find that out Old Testament reading today is from Daniel 7. What should we do? Will we ignore it, or will we work at it, to see what God is saying through his word?

Sadly, the lectionary – or rather, the people who design the lectionary – have chosen to give us only a few verses of Daniel 7 for our reading. If you have a Bible with you, you’ll find it useful to look at Daniel 7. And if not, then try and bring a Bible in future!

As the chapter opens, Daniel first notes that he had a vision, then he begins to describe it. Here we find the strange beasts we talked about earlier – one like a lion with eagle’s wings (4); another like a bear (5); another like a leopard (6), and the fourth which isn’t described – except that it is ‘terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong’ (7). From this fourth beast, there comes ten horns, and then another which has a mouth ‘speaking great things’ (8) – or as the NIV puts it, ‘a mouth that spoke boastfully.’

Is your imagination running wild? Are you picturing these strange beasts? What could they be? Thankfully, we are not left on our own to decide what these beasts and horns could be. Later in the chapter, Daniel is granted the explanation. The beasts, from verse 17, are ‘four kings who shall arise out of the earth.’ That is, these beasts are kingdoms, or empires. The horns, then, are ten kings who arise in the last kingdom – with another king coming after them.

It is as the great king of the fourth kingdom speaks boastfully, that we arrive at the start of our reading. In the midst of all the political dealings and empire building on earth, then, ‘thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.’

While the drama of the earth takes place, with its pomp and politics, another ruler is seated on the throne high above. The ‘Ancient of Days’. Who could this be? Surely this is God Almighty himself.

Notice the glory of the Ancient of Days – his clothing as white as snow, and his hair like pure wool. His throne is fiery flames, and its wheels were burning flame. Truly, Hebrews 12:29 can tell us ‘our God is a consuming fire’. Do you see the purity, the holiness of God? His clothes being white as snow – cleaner than Daz or Surf could ever get them, and fire – that which purifies and refines? The fire even issues out in a stream before him.

Yet he is not alone – we see here a glimpse of the throne-room of God, the centrepiece of heaven, where ‘a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand time ten thousand stood before him.’ What a vast number of angels, standing before him and serving him.

But notice that it is not just the throne-room of heaven we see here. Nor is it just the place where the worship takes place. Further, it is a court room. ‘The courts sat in judgement, and the books were opened.’ Our God who rules, our holy God who receives the worship of thousands and thousands, is also the God of justice – sitting in judgement in the highest high court.

And what is the judgement? These are the verses we missed from the middle of the reading – but the judgement is against the boasting beast, and the other beasts. The kingdoms of this world, and the nations are under the judgement of God – yes, to us now the government may seem impressive and all-powerful, as they make laws for us and affect our lives in so many ways. Yet they are under the ultimate authority and judgement of God.

Yet Daniel’s vision isn’t over. There is more to be seen, and to be thought about. I said earlier that the Ancient of Days was not alone, and that was true – after all, the thousands of angels are present with him. And yet, there was someone missing. In verse 9 we noted that thrones were set in place… yet only the Ancient of Days sat down. There is an empty throne. Who would fill it?

Suddenly, Daniel sees the only possible candidate. ‘Behold, with the clouds of heaven, then came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.’ To us, as we read these words, it is obvious who they point to. After all, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus uses it to describe himself 28 times. There, he speaks of the ‘Son of Man [who] came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Matt 20:28), and when asking the disciples who they think he is, uses the title ‘Son of Man’ (Matt 16:13).

The phrase points to the humanity of Jesus – as can be seen if you even browse the book of Ezekiel – the phrase is used there 93 times, to describe Ezekiel – as God talks to him, calling him ‘son of man.’

And what happens to the Son of Man, the man, who is presented before the Ancient of Days? Will he also be consumed with fire from the throne? Will he be judged by the Almighty Judge?

No! Rather, ‘to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.’

The vacant throne is taken, given to this Son of Man by the Ancient of Days. He shares in the glory of God, as he shares in the reign of the universe. Notice that all peoples, nations and languages will serve him – this Son of Man claims the allegiance of all people, whether they choose to worship him or not.

Our passage this morning has echoes of Philippians 2 – even as we see the contrast. The boastful king of the fourth kingdom was cut down in judgement, whereas Jesus, the humble king, was exalted and glorified. ‘Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Phil 2:9-11).

Notice also, that this kingdom, once taken by the son of man – by Jesus – isn’t going to pass away like the kingdoms of earth. With the judgement of God in verses 11 and 12, the power of the empires was taken away. Or, in more recent history, think of the British Empire – that proud institution which lasted so long, and covered so much or the earth. It too has now all but vanished.

But the kingdom of Christ ‘is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.’ As our New Testament reading in Revelation 1 tells us, the kingdom has arrived – Christ is enthroned and reigning. The everlasting dominion has begun, and will not end. It is here to stay.

The question and challenge this morning is therefore – what will you do with this son of man? Do you recognise Jesus as your king? Or will you reject him as king now, living as you please? Because, either way, as Philippians reminds us, every knee will bow and every tongue confess him as king. As the song ‘come, now is the time to worship’ reminds us –

‘One day every tongue will confess you are God,
One day every knee will bow,
Still the greatest treasure remains
For those who gladly choose you now.’

The kingdoms and powerful nations of earth are not all powerful. There is one who is judging and ruling over them. That one is the son of man, who took the throne with the Ancient of Days. Will you submit to his rule, and come into his kingdom today?

- - - - - - - - - -

Over to you now. What do you think? How could it be improved? To get you started, I know the application wasn't the best - but did the sermon get the message of the text across?

First Sermon coming soon!

Ok, so we have two writers so far, but no sermons... are we just afraid to commit our 'children' to the critical processes? Or are we just so busy in the college environs that we haven't been able to post yet?

I do promise, though, that I will start to transfer my back catalogue over to this site - one a week, to enable a bit of reflection and discussion - rather than swamping the site all in one go.

And hopefully the Beardless Grindalite (and others) will begin contributing as well.

But remember, it's not just sermons we're looking - good illustrations by themselves (linked or not to a passage), or a nugget of a thought about a passage, or even just something that has struck you while reading are all welcome!

Sermons

As we start to gather momentum on the blog, and others join the team, so we'll hopefully see an increase in the number of sermons etc.

One of the main aims of our blog is to share sermons we have written. Mainly, this will be in the form of written texts or notes - which, we admit, are slightly different to the finished, spoken sermon. But we want to encourage feedback, so that together we can improve our confidence and skill, as well as hearing accurately what the text is saying.

Some of the areas you might want to consider are:

- Introduction - does it 'grab' you and make you interested? Does it introduce the message?

- Exegesis - does it explain the text accurately and make it understandable?

- Illustrations - are the illustrations used helpful in shedding light on the message? Have you any other illustrations that could help the sermon?

- Application - where does the application come? Does it flow from the text?

- Overall impression - how do you rate the sermon? Have you any suggestions to improve it?

Please try to answer these questions in the comment you leave, after reading the sermon.

The new blog

Hello and welcome to this new blog - a new venture in team blogging!

The vision for this blog has arisen from some student ministers meeting together in a small group for preaching and prayer. This blog will be a space to share sermons, and to contribute thoughts on the Scriptures.

The name has come from Luke 24:

'He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.' (Luke 24:25-27).

Hopefully others will sign up and contribute. If you would like to get involved, email me at the email address on my profile page. Thanks!