Matthew 10:34-39

“More Than a Personal Savior”

Pastor Jerry Hoek

Introduction:

When I was in seminary, I had a professor who, when I first met him, sounded like he could have been a drill sergeant.  He had a rough, growling kind of voice and he had a rather mean look the first time I saw him.  However, when I got to know him in a small group both he and I were a part of, I learned something about him.  I learned about his heart.  I learned that although he had a gruff exterior, he had a tender heart.  I learned that he had a love for his students and for what they were doing that far exceeded that of others.  That being said, he still had high demands for his classes.  He expected excellence and graded accordingly.  However, we never questioned the fact that the bottom line was that he loved his students and wanted them to do well.

What is a your picture of Jesus?  Many people today think of Jesus purely as a loving and tender-hearted teacher.  He is a friend who never gets angry or who simply smiles at everything we do.  Others view Jesus as a stern Lord who looks down from heaven with a very serious and stern expression demanding perfection and being very unhappy each and every time we don’t measure up.   Still others view Jesus as the one who simply gives them a “get out of hell” pass.  He is the one who saves them but nothing much more.  Who is Jesus to you?

Well the fact is that Jesus is all of those things and more.  Jesus did suffer and die to take away our sins.  Jesus does love us tenderly and passionately and loves to be with us.  But Jesus also has very high expectations for us.  In fact, the one who changed water into wine to show just how radically he will change things, demands that we follow Him and give ourselves to Him in radical obedience.  This means that our lives as Christians will have a different look than what we might be thinking.  Let’s read Matthew 10:1-10, 34-39.

I. Peace or a Sword?

II. Fighting in the Family

III. Priorities

IV. Losing Our Lives

I. Peace or a Sword?

In verse 34 Jesus says, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth…”  Jesus came to earth from heaven with a very specific purpose: to bring salvation to God’s people.

However, in this verse Jesus also makes it very clear that He did not come to bring peace.  Now that seems to fly in the face of what the angels sang when Jesus was born.  They sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

So what does Jesus mean when He says that we should not think that He came to bring peace?  The peace Jesus came to bring is not simply the absence of strife but a much deeper peace.  In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  And in John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The peace Jesus is talking about is the peace we can have with God knowing that our sins are forgiven and removed because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Jesus says that in bringing salvation to us and also peace with God, He also comes to bring conflict with others who are aligned against God.

So Jesus adds, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”  Jesus says this in a way that clearly implies that His coming was to bring division and hostility.  Jesus knows that those who believe in Him are part of a minority movement and so He wants to make it very clear from the beginning that it will be mean conflict for His followers.  That is why He said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  As this minority movement of Christians moves into the majority who don’t believe in Christ, there is bound to be conflict, persecution and rejection.

So when we experience conflict because of our faith, Jesus says, “That is what I told you to expect.”  Dwight L Moody once said, “I thought when I became a Christian I had nothing to do but just to lay my oars in the bottom of the boat and float along. But I soon found that I would have to go against the current.”  Or as the late Ray Charles once said, “There’s nothing written in the Bible … that says if you believe in Me, you ain’t going to have no troubles.”  What Jesus says next, however, shows just how extensive this conflict can be.

II. Fighting in the Family

In verse 35, Jesus gives examples of just how deep the conflict may go when He says, “For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

The kind of conflict He has in mind may actually divide families.  The reference Jesus uses is from Micah 7:6 which describes the family unit in conflict because of Israel’s unfaithfulness.  “For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.”  Because Israel was unfaithful to God, they had tremendous conflict within the family.  Jesus, however, is saying that such conflict will now arise simply because some will believe in Him and some will not.

The reference to the man turning against his father points to the fundamental family loyalty.  Since the father was the head of his household, the loyalty owed to him was above all loyalties.  To bring division between father and son was to offend one of the most deep-seated values in that culture.

Moreover, just as the son is set over against the father, so a daughter is set over against her mother.  The mother was the important person in the female section of the household.  Division among the women was another serious split but it does not stop there.

The daughter-in-law became a member of a new household upon her marriage.  It would be expected that she would enter fully into her role as a member of her husband’s family and that she would look to her mother in-law for guidance and affection.  To have division here would leave the bride very much alone.  Jesus makes it clear that the fundamental unit, the family, could be divided.

Jesus says further in verse 36 that “a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”  The last place a person would expect to find enemies would be in his or her own household.  Divisions may occur where we least expect them because it is impossible to predict how people will respond to the gospel.  Jesus will not always make families happier by a family member’s Christian decision.

Now let’s make sure we understand this clearly.  There is nothing more beautiful than a close family.  And in fact, many families owe their closeness to the love and presence of Christ in their midst.  We urge husbands and wives to be united in the Lord and such a union is truly a marvelous thing.  And it certainly is not wrong to love the family.

However, what Jesus is saying here is that our life should not be our family alone or above all.  As precious as our families are, Jesus expects our loyalty to Him to be even higher.

For example, my father in law served in the Navy during World War 2 and when he came back he had a very close buddy, Humphrey, who died about four years ago.  My father in law and Humphrey stayed in close contact and up until Humphrey’s death a few years ago, my in laws would still visit Humphrey in southern Indiana.  They had gone through a war together and had a very close and important bond.  However, if my father in law had chosen to spend all of his time with Humphrey rather than his young family, that would be misplaced loyalty.  His family had a higher place even though his bond with Humphrey was very dear.

If it comes to choosing between family and Christ, Jesus makes it clear that He must be the one we must follow even though family is so beautifully important.  That is what Jesus makes even more clear in the next two verses where He establishes clear priorities.

III. Priorities

In verse 37, Jesus says, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”  Now let’s be clear that Jesus is not saying that we shouldn’t love our parents and our children.  Jesus, in fact, assumes that there will be such powerful and deep love within families.  But Jesus wants to make sure that the love within the family is not so strong that it pushes love for Him to the background.

That says a lot about who Jesus is.  Only Jesus has the right and the authority to demand such a love.  This underscores that Jesus is not just a human teacher, but that He is indeed the Son of God to whom we owe all allegiance and love.  If a person cannot love Jesus more than his family, Jesus says they are not worthy of me.

In verse 38 Jesus continues, “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”  Taking up a cross has become not much more than a metaphor for enduring some kind of suffering.  If we have a chronic illness or a persistent problem of any sort, it becomes a “cross we must bear.”

But there was no doubt that when Jesus’ disciples heard the phrase “take up his cross,” the picture that came to their mind was a man carrying a cross to his execution to his death; he was not coming back.  We might say that we have to pick up our hangman’s noose and follow Christ.

To use another phrase, we must be willing to go to the wall for Jesus.  This saying comes from sword fighting in which you may find yourself cornered against a wall in the course of the fight with no escape but you fight to your death.  Jesus is saying that we are to go to the wall for Him and give up your life for Him.

Even more starkly, Jesus is saying that to follow Jesus is for a person to die to himself.  We, and all our self-centeredness and selfish sins, must die so that Christ can live in us.  Following Christ means complete self-denial.  But it is not all for loss, as Jesus concludes this hard teaching.

IV. Losing One’s Life has eternal benefits, as we see in verse 39.

Jesus concludes, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  If we strive to get the very best for ourselves, according to the world’s values, we will lose everything.

A man decided to enter the ministry as a second career after a very successful, six-figure-income in corporate America.  He had climbed the ladder as high as he could and then came to a startling conclusion.  He wrote, “Once I reached the top of the ladder and looked around, I realized that all the struggle, all the costs to my family and friendships, all the sacrifices I had to make to reach the pinnacle were not worth what I found there and the lack of meaning I felt there.  Suddenly it hit me: I had propped my ladder up against the wrong building.”  If it is a person’s goal to “make it in this world, they will be sorely disappointed.

If, however, we lose our lives for the sake of Jesus, we will find our lives.  The word for “lose” here has the idea of something being totally destroyed.  We have to lose ourselves completely, put ourselves completely to the side.

And we must do this for the sake of Christ.  The life that matters is the life that is lived for Christ.  It is living the life that is not concerned with the benefits we will receive here or in eternity, but with living in the service of God and serving others.  If we lose ourselves in love and service to God, we will find ourselves and our life in the fullest sense.

So while Jesus is our friend, our beautiful Savior, He is also the one who calls us, requires us to follow Him and go to the wall for Him.  But what does that mean specifically and practically?  What is the battle that Jesus calls us to engage in?  It is not, as we often hear, to make this nation into more of a God-fearing nation.  Nor is it to make our American way of life stronger and better.

No, it is much, much bigger and far more sweeping than those things.  Listen to what Jesus said when He read the scroll in the temple in Luke 4:17-21.   The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,  because he has anointed me  to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus did not say that He came so that we can become rich or successful or secure.  Jesus says that we are to go to the wall and do the things that He did when He was on earth.  We are to bring healing to those whom we can help.  We are to help those who are in distress or victims of oppression.  In short the coming of Jesus is not about just getting us to heaven but to do the things of God while we are here on earth.

I think many times today we have this idea of Jesus being our tender Savior and precious friend.  And as a result of that, we think that following Jesus means a life of soft fuzzy blankets and, as the old hymn says, “flowery beds of ease.”   Jesus does love us without question and has also saved us, thoroughly, completely and absolutely so that we are free from the punishment and penalty of sin.

However, Jesus also does lay out high demands for those who follow him.  It has been said the way to make it through life is to keep the main thing the main thing.  However, what then is the “main thing”?

Timothy Merrill writes: The “main thing” is that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins.   The “main thing” is that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, beating death down forever.   The “main thing” is that the human struggle entails suffering. Period. Struggle for justice? You’ll suffer. Struggle for peace? You’ll suffer. Struggle for truth? You’ll suffer.  But the “main thing” is also that you’ll not suffer alone. God suffers along with you.  The “main thing” is that if God be for us, who can be against us?  The “main thing” is that we are never alone, for there is no place in the universe we can go, there is no sin that we can commit, that will put us out of reach of the grace of Christ’s sacrifice, the gift of God’s love.

So what does this mean as we consider knowing Jesus more?  God did not send His Son to die just so that we could get a free pass to eternal life in heaven.  That is what we can look forward to, make no mistake; however, it’s more than that.  God wants to be in a relationship with Him and He wants us to confront the things in this world that need to be confronted.  He brings us peace, but in bringing us this peace, He calls us to action as we serve Him.

If love for our lives is stronger than our love for God, then there is something seriously wrong.  There’s an old story about a farmer talking to the Lord: “If I had a million dollars, I’d give it to you, Lord. If I had a thousand acres, I’d turn them over to you, Lord.”  The Lord said: “”Well, how about a pig?”  “Take it easy there, Lord; I’ve got a pig.”

God has lovingly given us many blessings as wonderful gifts from Him.  Now Jesus calls us to focus on Him alone as we follow Him and let the things of this life not overwhelm or determine our lives.

Isaiah 40:27-31 “How Does God See Everything?”

When I was serving a church in Iowa, I would often be called upon to preach for other churches in the area who were without a pastor. Once I preached in a church with a balcony and the young people were sitting in this ; balcony. As I started preaching, those kid were laughing and whispering and carrying on. They thought that because they were sitting above and away from everyone else, they couldn’t be seen. However, I could see them. The problem was that I was powerless to do anything about it.
A few years later, I preached again in that same church. I said that even though they probably didn’t remember me, I remembered them. And if they were sitting up there in the balcony and thought they were unseen. they were wrong. I then looked at the new batch of high school kids sitting there and simply said, “I can see you.”
One of the questions that someone submitted to me last fall in the “I Have a Question Series” was: “How does God see everything?” I want us to look at Isaiah 40 this morning because these verses address how God can see all things. More than that, however, we see that not only can God see, He as King has the power to do anything and everything He desires. And He shares that power with us so that we are not only seen but we are empowered to live with Him as we seek to know Him better. Let’s read Isaiah 40:21-31.

I. God’s Vision
II. God Never Grows Tired
III. God Renews Our Strength
IV. How We Get God’s Power

I. God’s Vision
There was never any doubt on the part of the people that God could see all things. The Bible makes that very clear. Psalm 139: 1-12 says, “ a LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, 0 LORD. You hem me in–behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If! say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. Jeremiah 23:23-24 says, “‘Am I only a God nearby,’ declares the LORD, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.’
The Bible doesn’t explain specifically how God can be all places at once and how He can see all things at all times, but there is no question that God can be all places and can see all things.
When I first read this question, I wasn’t sure the reason for this person’s question. It might have been purely an academic question in which he or she wondered how it is possible for God to see and be all places at once. Again the Bible doesn’t explain how God can know all things and see all things, but the Bible makes it very clear that God in His power can see all things. And so God is perfectly aware of what is happening in Afghanistan and Haiti while at the same time seeing what you are doing in the quiet of your own home.
God sees all things. including the sins we commit and the bad things we say. God even know our thoughts even when no one else knows them. But let’s be very clear on something here.
Our Father in heaven knows all and knows all our sins. But our Father is also the one who sent Jesus so that those sins, no matter how many or how secretly we may have committed them, are all forgiven. We grieve God when we sin but God forgives our sins and even more helps us to move past them.
The people in verse 27 were saying: “My way is hidden from the Lord.” The “way” refers to their life and their activities, which were full of trouble and difficulty. This does not mean that God is not able to see their problems. Rather it seemed that God had closed his eyes to their need.
They are saying: “My cause is disregarded by my God.” They had certain rights as people of God’s covenant. They felt that God was not keeping His end of the covenant and they felt abandoned by God.
But Isaiah calls their complaints into question. He says, “Why do you say this and complain, 0 Jacob and Israel?” In effect, Isaiah is asking them, “Why are you complaining when you have no basis for complaining?”
Now we all tend to complain at times about things. When things aren’t going the way we would like them to go, we complain about it. We complain about our health. our jobs. the weather. We complain about many things because it gives us something to do and something to talk about. That is not terribly serious complaining.
But some people are chronic complainers who can find no good in anything. In fact, there are some people would have nothing to talk about at all if they could not find something wrong and complain about it.
The story is told of one such woman who complained about everything and everyone. At last her pastor thought he had found something about which she would not complain. Her crop of potatoes that year was the finest for miles around. When he met her he said with a beaming smile, “You must be very well pleased, for everyone. is saying how splendid your potatoes are this year.” The woman scowled at him in her usual way and said, “True, they’re not too bad, but what I am going to do now for bad ones to feed to the pigs?” Some of us may question God about some small things like potatoes in our lives.
Some, however, have very serious complaints and ask the question: “God, we believe that you exist, but where are you and why don’t you help us in our need?” “My loved one is sick and dying; why do you allow this to happen?” “My marriage is falling apart and/or my family is in shambles; why don’t you see me?” “I am so lonely and depressed and I don’t seem to fit in at all; why don’t You help me?” The questions are timeless and are found on the lips of many Christians. Isaiah clears up what that misunderstanding about God: God not only sees all but cares about all.

II. It is important to have the right Understanding of God and to know that God Never Grows Tired.
Isaiah corrects their misunderstanding by asking: “Do you not know? Have you not heard?” The question we would ask today would be: “What?? Are you completely blind??!” They should know better than to question their covenant God. This is a lesson that they should have learned long ago, but evidently they had forgotten about it. So Isaiah once again reminds them of what they should have remembered.
There are two things the people must remember about the Lord in verses 28 and 29. The first is that “The Lord is the everlasting God.” God’s control extends over through all time: past, present and future. God is eternal and He eternally watches over the people.
Moreover, God is the creator of the ends of the earth. God’s power is unlimited in space as well as time. There is a vastness about God’s power and control that is completely overwhelming.
Therefore, it is unthinkable that God would grow weary and faint. Because the people thought God had abandoned them, they were questioning God’s ability to do anything. But Isaiah makes it clear that if there is a lack anywhere, it is a lack of understanding on the part of the people. Isaiah says, “His wisdom no one can fathom.” No one can fully understand the Lord, or say that what He is doing is right or wrong.
The people thought God was weak and unable to do anything to help them, but Isaiah quickly points out that quite the contrary, the Lord gives strength to the weary ones and increases the power of the weak. The one who seems to be powerless is in reality the source of all power.
For example, when I used to work in a factory that made books, I was surrounded by large, terribly noisy machines that would print, fold, staple, glue and move the books. These noisy machines were in every room except one which was very quiet. To someone who was unfamiliar with the building, it may have appeared to be a useless room until you realize that this was the power room. All the power to run those big noisy machines came from this quiet little room. What seemed to be quiet and ineffective was the source of power for the whole factory.
So for us as Christians, there is a great source of power available for us from the Lord; it may not be very noisy but it is essential. But how does one obtain that strength and power from the Lord? Look at verses 29-31.

III. God Renews Our Strength and Increases Our Power.
Isaiah tells how to obtain that strength while making a very striking comparison. He first describes what would be considered the cream of the crop. Youth and young men would be the symbol of great energy and strength in that society. These are likely the young men who would be highly skilled athletes or those trained for military service. These are the best the society can produce. Young people are a symbol of life and strength. Isaiah says that even the best young men will grow tired and will soon stumble and fall.
However, compare this to those who hope in the Lord. They will soar like the eagles. One fall in Iowa we were visiting state park about an hour from our home. We pulled the car into a place you could look out over a gorge and river below. Suddenly a bald eagle took off from a pine tree in front of us and with a few thrusts of its wings was gliding out over the river far below. It was just gliding along, wings outstretched, looking all around. It just seemed to be so effortless and easy! That is the kind of strength that comes from the Lord.
Moreover, those who hope in the Lord will run and not grow weary. You who are runners… can you imagine running and running, not just for 2-3 miles, or even the 25 miles in a marathon, but endlessly mile after mile without ever growing tired? That is the strength that the Lord gives.
Finally, they will walk and not be faint. They will be able to keep on walking and walking and walking and never need to rest. The source of strength for those who have hope in the Lord is endless! These verses assure us that we have a potential strength that is far beyond what any others can possibly imagine.

IV. Now How Do We Get God’s Power?

How does one obtain that strength? We must hope in the Lord. Some Bibles use the word “wait”, which is not at all a popular word for most people today. When we think of waiting, we usually think of impatience or perhaps passively waiting for something to happen. We wait in line in the grocery store or in a doctor’s office until it’s turn for our appointment.
But the word “wait” here means to wait with confident expectation and trust. It is not the kind of waiting that some people experience as they wait and hope to win the million dollar lottery. It is a waiting with confidence.
A person who expects God to strengthen him will be strengthened! When they do this, their strength will be renewed like the eagle’s. Instead of stumbling and falling, they will grow stronger and stronger.
Once when I was in college, I was feeling really stressed out as the pressures of school. exams and papers were weighing down on me. I was walking to the library when I noticed a large hawk circling around up in the sky. And I remember just standing there, watching it. mesmerized by it. Such a beautiful sight! This graceful, beautiful bird soaring almost effortlessly, hardly ever flapping its wings.
I compared myself to that hawk that day. I pictured myself as a bird. I was flapping my wings like crazy, frantically trying to stay in the air. I was gasping for breath, struggling to avoid the things on the ground. Then there was the hawk, effortlessly soaring, majestic, calm and serene. I wanted to be like the hawk and soar through life instead of beating my wings at a frenzied pace.
However, soaring means rising up into the air and flying often for miles on power other than your own. When an eagle or a hawk circles in the sky, they are soaring on power that does not come from themselves. They are riding on the up-drafts of air, warmer air that rises and lifts them up. This power can carry them literally for miles. All they need to do is stretch out their wings and let the power of the rising air carry them. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to soar like that? Just stretch out our wings and be able to be carried along without working at it?
Well, the Bible says that we can do just that. We can soar like the hawks and the eagles. Not only can God see all things, He has the power to help us through all things.
We may think we have a lot of energy and enthusiasm. However, if you rely on your own strength, I can guarantee that you will fail and grow weak. If you admit your weakness, you will soar like eagles with great strength.
Early in his career as a youth leader, Paul Cedar was being interviewed for a job by some pastors. The discussion was going well until one pastor raised his hand and said, “Paul, I’ve just one problem here.” He looked at the now-worried candidate and told him, “I believe you have enough talent to pull this off by yourself — and that frightens me.”
Cedar, who did get the job, considers that pastor’s comment the best counsel he received. It made him realize that to be successful he needed to rely totally on God. It is God alone that will enable you to soar on wings like eagles.

Some of you may feel that God has abandoned you and no longer really is caring for you. You may feel that God really doesn’t see you or if He does, He doesn’t care. But you can be assured that God can see all things, but even more He can lift you up! Are you really waiting for the Lord? Or are you relying on your own strength? Waiting for Him to take the weakness you have and turn it into wings with which you can soar?

Ephesians 1:18-19 “The Benefits of Knowing God Better”

Introduction:

How many of you have asked the question when you were younger and in school: “Why do I have to know this? What good is knowing this now going to do for me later?” You can insert your least favorite school subject in this question. I can remember quite vividly when I was in junior high studying history asking my parents, “What good does it do me to study stuff that happened hundreds of years ago?” To me it was a subject chosen by teachers to simply inflict more torture upon us poor beleaguered students. One of the ironies of my life is that now not only can I not read enough about history, but I see the value of knowing it. What has happened in the past is more than likely happening or going to happen again. Knowing history has real value in today’s world.
Two weeks ago, I challenged us this year to pray continually that we know God better. Now perhaps to some that may seem to be like history; it might be a nice thing but what good does it do? What are the benefits of knowing God better? Well, there are benefits of knowing God, but such benefits are there only if we know God as He reveals Himself to us. It’s not enough just to be more spiritual. We must be more attuned spiritually to the God of the Bible so that we learn who God is and who we are as we live in His presence.
This morning we look again at Ephesians 1:17-19. Paul prays that his readers may come to know God better and how this benefits them. Let’s read how that is in Ephesians 1:11-23.

I. An Enlightened Heart
II. Hope
III. Inheritance
VI. Great Power

I. An Enlightened Heart
In verse 18, Paul prays that the “eyes” of their heart “may be enlightened.” The heart is the seat of all feeling and faith; the core of man’s self. Apart from the work of the Spirit, the heart is blind and dull to the things of God. Men who are thus blinded need two things: the gospel and spiritual perception or eyesight.
Paul is asking that the Ephesians may have “spiritual eyesight.” The Spirit removes the mists of ignorance from their hearts and then replaces it with faith. As the Spirit does this, Paul says three things should become evident to the believer; he will receive three gifts so to speak; things we are going to be looking at in a few minutes.
Two weeks ago we said that the goal for us this year is to know God better. This is a noble goal but without what Paul says next, it could easily become mere spirituality. There is enough of that around today in this postmodern world. Increasingly people today desire to be spiritual. They want to have a spiritual experience. They want to have the feeling of God in their lives.
However, it is not enough just to feel the experience of God. For example, we who are sitting here today are alive, we are living, breathing persons. You can take your pulse, check your respirations and you know, you can feel that you are alive.
However, living is much more than just feeling your body being alive. Being alive means you have a purpose, a reason for living. Being alive means you have a goal in life and things you want to do with your life.
Being spiritual is not enough. The Bible says that we are made spiritually alive so that we can be and do things for Jesus. We have a purpose for our living and we must be reading and studying God’s Word to learn how to know God and live with Him. Dallas Willard writes regarding early stages of our faith: “Our early experience may be so full that we neglect study. But relationship with God, as with any person, soon requires a contribution from us, which will largely consist of study.”
He then quotes Calvin Miller who says, “(Spiritual) mystics without study are only spiritual romantics who want relationship without effort.” Knowing God means we have to know what God says and we learn that through reading and studying the Scriptures. Paul next fleshes out why we should want to know God better and what the three benefits are.

II. The Hope
The first reason to have the eyes of our heart opened is to know the hope to which God has called us. Hope does not refer to the mood of the person hoping; “I hope this is true!” Rather it focuses on the substance or subject matter of expectation. It is not man’s wishful thinking, but the reality of a new and future life. Children may wish for snow and hope that it comes so that they don’t have school but that is wishful thinking.
Biblical hope is sure and certain. When you came here to worship this morning, you didn’t have to wishfully hope that God would be here as we worshiped, but not know if God would be here or not. We can know for certain that God is here. When we sin miserably in our lives, we don’t have to wishfully hope that God will forgive us and love us. When we sin, we have a solid and sure hope that God does indeed love us and forgive our sins. Biblical hope is something that we can fully rely upon but this is a very specific kind of hope. There is only one hope among Christians and that is the hope of your calling. Calling is an God’s act of election; God chooses us. The instrument of God’s calling is the gospel through which God offers to save us. But the call is more than an offer; people are really saved when God elects or chooses them.
Now, as Christians come to know the Lord better, the more they are made certain that the promises that the Bible offers are true and real for them. They have the sure hope and assurance that based on the fact that God has called them, they will someday spend eternity with the Lord. Knowing God will confirm that hope.
Let’s make sure we understand the full implications of this. This means there is no room whatsoever for a works-based plan of salvation for us. God has called us and sent His Son Jesus to make it true and real when Jesus died and rose again. That’s it! Period! It’s not just that God made it possible for us to go to heaven if we are good enough. God has done it completely and finally because of His grace!
Moreover, we have got to rid our thinking of a God who sits up in heaven shaking his head in anger and getting ready to smack us when we mess up. Now God certainly is not pleased when we sin; please don’t misunderstand me. God doesn’t sit in heaven and just smile at us like a doting and clueless father chuckling at his little children as they make mistake after mistake destroying their lives and the lives of others. God is angry and grieved when we sin, just as parents are angry and grieved when their children sin and hurt them.
But God’s love never, ever changes and His call to us which saves us for eternity never changes. Maya Angelou writes, “Of all the needs a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be hope and a hope of wholeness, is the unshaking need for an unshakable God.” We have an unshakable God and this unshakable God is unshakable in His love for us. There is nothing you can do to make God change His mind! And the more we know God, the more it will drive us to Him instead of driving us to sin more. Knowing God better, having our hearts opened will slowly change us to become more obedient children.

III. The second gift is the inheritance.
Specifically, the second gift is “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” The “inheritance” is the sum of all the blessings of the Christian life. Paul especially has in mind those blessings they will receive in the fulfilled kingdom of Christ. These blessings are called an inheritance because they are gifts of God’s grace. Moreover, like an inheritance, once they are given, they will never be taken away.
This is slightly different than the hope of God’s calling. God’s call points back to the beginning of our Christian life. God’s inheritance for us points to that final inheritance which the Holy Spirit guarantees. Since we are fellow heirs with Christ, someday the full inheritance will be ours.
Notice also Paul’s use of the phrase “in the saints.” This inheritance is not just for me individually but it is for US! Knowing God must never be an individual exercise. Having the eyes of our hearts opened is something that happens in the community. We are not a bunch of spiritual lone rangers; rather we are a body of Christ whom God has called to live and serve together.
The inheritance is something that should help us put things into proper perspective in our lives. We can get hung up on so many material or temporal things in our lives. But when we do that, we lose the richness of the inheritance that God has promised.
When King George VI and his Queen visited Washington D.C. in 1939, there was present at the celebration an Native American chief named Whitefeather. He had been asked to appear on the program to sing the British national anthem. After he had done so, he surprised everyone by rendering the gospel song that begins with the words, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold.” After finishing the hymn he addressed the Queen and sought her permission to ask a question. With a smile she consented. Then Chief Whitefeather asked, “Your Majesty, do you believe in Jesus?” The Queen replied, “Yes. Some people know about Jesus Christ, but He is the possessor of my heart and that of my husband also.” The king added with a smile, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold!”
We must remember that regardless of what we may be or have in this world, what God will give us is worth far more than anything here on this earth.
And that also means that this rich inheritance is something we will all share. When we finally get to heaven, God won’t usher us to our little place where we live with just God and me and no one else. We will be living in community in heaven and it will be an even greater, more blessed community than what we have here on earth.
And so in the meantime, we must continue to build this community while we await the inheritance for us in heaven in the future. That is why it is so important that we meet together and worship together. That is why it is so important that we help one another in any way we can and hold each other accountable so that our eyes may continue to be opened. And that is why it is so important for this church that we have a rich diversity because it gives us a taste of the diversity in heaven. When we know God better, this rich inheritance will mean much more to us.

IV. The Great Power
The third gift is “His incomparably great power for us who believe.” Literally this is, “What is the exceeding greatness of his power…in accordance with the energy of the force of his strength” which admittedly doesn’t flow particularly well. Paul uses four synonyms piled on each other to describe God’s power. This is typical of Paul to pile up words in order to make an impact on the readers.
The point that Paul wants to emphasize here is the absolutely unique and superior power exerted by God in the resurrection of Christ. If the death of Christ is the supreme demonstration of the love of God, the resurrection of Christ is the supreme demonstration of his power. This glorious power, in all of its surpassing greatness, is at work in the people of Christ.
The same God whose action is motivated by love alone shows that He also has the power to carry through the decisions made out of love. It is this power that enables a person to be renewed, to put off the old and put on the new. This means that God is not just sitting in heaven loving us while we mess up over and over. It means that God is changing us, using His amazing power.
We need to let the fullness of Paul’s words sink in deeply. We as Christians have a great deal. God has called us and has saved us and He has promised a great inheritance if we believe. We have received many great blessings. Paul’s point to the Ephesians is that they should be sure that they appreciate these gifts fully.
Paul prays here that the people will appreciate the high value which God places on them. Don’t just say that these are nice things and then ignore them. Don’t be like a child who rips open a present on his birthday and then casually tosses it aside. Appreciate all that God has done for us.
Paul also wishes that their lives may be in keeping with this high calling. It is one thing to appreciate a beautiful gift. It is quite another to accept it and use it to the glory of God. God in His love has saved us; how do we live our lives to show our gratitude to Him? God wants us to live for Him, to know him better.
The thing I would encourage you to especially focus on today is the power we have to do this. We have the power to be in a beautifully intimate relationship with Him; to know him better. But often we don’t take advantage of the power. We perhaps are afraid to let go of the old sinful thoughts and habits because we have to admit we find too much pleasure in them. Perhaps we feel that we don’t even need to know the Lord better. “I know the Bible; that is all that I need to know!”
We have the power available to live a rich and full life with the Lord, but we often don’t use it. The story is told of a Welsh woman who lived in a remote valley in Wales. She went to a great deal of trouble to have electrical power installed in her home. They noticed she didn’t use very much electricity at all. In fact, her usage was minuscule. They sent a meter reader out to check on the matter. The man came to the door and said, “We’ve looked at the amount. Don’t you use electricity?” “Oh yes” she said. “We turn it on every night to see how to light our lamps and then we switch it off again.”
This sounds like the way many Christians apply the power of God in their lives. Many act as if they are saying to God, “You’ve given me the power to do it on my own and so I’ll take it from here.” There is so much power that is available to us if only we would continually ask for it and this happens when we desire to know God better.
These verses teach us that the answer is very clear and plain. All we need to do is continually pray that God will fill us fully. God will gladly give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we can not only know more, but know God better. Will we be willing to do that and then live being sure of God’s calling, enjoying the inheritance and living in God’s amazing power.

Singing the Doxology for Unexpected Blessings

Monday morning, after the recent snow storm, I drove in to church to begin my week. Gene Bratt had warned me that there was a huge ridge of plowed snow and ice blocking the driveway but I had no idea as to the extent of the blockage. As I pulled up to the driveway, I knew there was no way that I, or anyone else for that matter, would be able to drive through the frozen solid ridge without ripping up the front or bottom of their car.
Now I knew that it was supposed to melt in a few days but the Engedi group wanted to meet on Tuesday and other groups as well and the driveway really needed to be opened up. Later that day as I started chiseling away at the 10 foot wide and 8 inch tall ridge of frozen slush, I noticed two private snow plows arrive next door to clear out the condo parking lot. I must admit that I hoped that maybe they might take pity on my plight and come over to blast the icy ridge open with their plows.
They disappeared up around the condo parking lot and I kept chipping away at the ice and snow trying to open up our driveway. My hope was to have enough cleared off so that at least one car could pull in. I had just made one skinny path about a foot wide through the ridge when I saw the snow plow drivers again, stopping at Old Hickory Blvd. Now I have to also admit that I gave a few furtive glances their way and maybe, maybe went a bit slower to highlight my tired labor.
So I was beyond pleased that as the first plow left the condo street, he turned left and then aimed right for our driveway, blowing a path right through the icy ridge! Soon the second plow followed and opened up the driveway even wider. Then they turned around and finished opening up the driveway completely. As the first driver finished up, I approached the second driver and thanked him profusely for helping out. He said, “Well, it looked like you weren’t having a lot of fun and we thought we could help you out a bit.”
He told me that they were from Missouri and were following the storm east, plowing and making money as they went. I don’t know if it was my pathetic form out there or whether they had made enough money to decide to head on back home to Missouri, but I was so thankful that they came over to help me! I only wish that you could have seen their handiwork but by the next time you arrive at the church building it will be long gone.
As I walked back up to the top of the hill carrying that tiny shovel, I was humming the doxology. Usually when I sing “Praise God from whom all blessings flow,” I think of God’s grace or creation or my family or other blessings. However this time, the blessing that flowed from God was in the form of two smoking good ol’ boys from Missouri.
Two weeks ago, I challenged us to look for God in all things. I could easily picture God smiling as I watched those two men from Missouri saving me a bunch of work. “Here’s yet another blessing for you, Jerry… all the way from Missouri.” Isn’t life with a God of grace amazing?

Pastor Jerry
February 2010

Hebrews 13:17 “Responsible Church Leadership”
Pastor Jerry Hoek

Introduction:
I thought I’d open up a big ol’ can of worms this morning by asking this question: What is your attitude toward the government? Now, I’m going to ask you to keep your opinions to yourself, but what is your attitude to those who are your leaders? We are often skeptical and don’t have a good attitude toward them.
What is your attitude toward those serving on the Council during this year? Maybe, feelings of sympathy: “Better you than me!” Or perhaps confidence: “They will do a good job.” Or perhaps indifference. “It doesn’t really matter who they are or what they do, it won’t make any difference to me!” What is your attitude?
On the other hand, what is the attitude of the leaders of Faith Church, among you elders and deacons? Is it: “Well, someone has to do it, so I guess I should?” Or “No big deal; it won’t make that much difference.” What is your attitude toward yourself as well as the office you hold?
Hebrews 13:17 states what the responsibilities of leaders and followers are. As we look at what these are, we will also have a better picture of how we are to view our leaders. Read Hebrews 13:15-25.

I. Responsible Following
II. Responsible Leading
III. Two Good Reasons for Following

I. Responsible Following involves two things:
First, responsible following means obedience. The author to the Hebrews literally says “Obey them that have the rule over you.” The ones who have the rule are those who have authority over the believers. When the leaders say, “This is what God’s Word says, they must obey, do what they are told!
A second part of responsible following is submission. To submit means to recognize the authority of someone else and willingly yield to it. For example, you can obey the police because they are the authorities, but you can obey them without submitting. You can do what they tell you to do but with grumbling. You give in, but only under protest; that is not submitting biblically.
Submitting means that you recognize and willingly yield to someone else because that is the way it should be, and you agree to it. These readers were not only to obey, but to do so willingly. They were to recognize that this is the way God wants it to be.
Now this must be seen within the context of mutual submission also taught in the New Testament. Ephesians 5:21 says “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Galatians 4:13 says, “Serve one another in love.” Both leaders and followers must submit to each other.
There are some dangers that we have to be alert to when we consider obedient following. First, this not a command to unthinking obedience to leaders in the church. God did not give leaders to the church so that leaders could boss others around. There are false teachers and every Christian must be on their guard against such things. Every Christian must weigh very carefully what the leaders are saying to make sure that it is in agreement with the Word of God.
A second danger is that the followers may expect too much from the leaders. The leaders are not responsible for absolutely every single decision that the person makes in his own life and in the life of the church. You don’t have to gain the elder’s permission before you change careers or accept a new job.
There are lines of authority and they must be followed, but they must be followed carefully and thoughtfully as we each follow the Lord Jesus. John Naber was an swimmer who won one silver and four gold medals in the 1976 Olympics. Naber knows the importance of a person being focused on Christ. Naber described the black cross that used to be painted at the end of the pool to warn swimmers that they are about to hit the wall. If their eyes aren’t on the cross, they can easily crash. Naber made this analogy: “As is true in Olympic swimming, so it is in the Christian walk; keep your eyes on the cross.”
However, in swimming there are also ropes that keep a person in his or her respective lanes. That is what leaders in the church of Christ are to do. As we work our way through life focusing our eyes on Jesus, we are guided by leaders that God has provided for us.
We do well to listen and to submit to their guidance as we serve Christ. That means paying attention to the actions that the Council takes. It means that you don’t just disregard what the Council says because you don’t like it. You must submit to them by seriously thinking about what they say. You must submit to them by seriously praying for them and their work. That is what the Word of God says about responsible following.

II. But there is also Responsible Leading which involves two things.
First, responsible leadership involves keeping watch over the people. This literally means the leaders “lose sleep” over you. The picture of a shepherd is likely in mind here in that a shepherd will watch over his flock at all times, sleeping little if any at all, so that he will be able to protect the sheep from danger. The leaders were watching over the spiritual condition of the people.
But this may also refer to the fact that the leaders actually lost sleep. There are some indications in the book of Hebrews that these readers were quite independent in their thinking and resisted the leadership. These leaders may have had many sleepless nights as they tried keep the people on the right path. But these leaders had the responsibility for the people’s spiritual care. Some of their flock were in danger of wandering away from the Lord. They were responsible to keep the people faithful to the Word.
Secondly, responsible leadership also includes accountability. They had to “give an account” to God concerning the spiritual and physical welfare of the people under their care. This must have been a very heavy weight for these leaders.
That is a very awesome and humbling thought for leaders today as well. Leaders, think of the people you should have spoken to, but did not; the things you should have done but did not. Someday God will look and hold each leader accountable for the actions he has taken with respect to those under his leadership. This same accountability is also true for all in leadership, including parents, teachers and others.
So what does this say to those who are leaders today? It means that we had better take our roles as leaders very seriously! We have a task for which we will be held accountable by God and that is no easy thing!
Specifically, for elders responsible leadership means this. We must see the needs of the members of our church and doing all we can to meet those needs. When there are problems in an individual’s life, we are ready to help in any way we can. When there is spiritual decline, we do what we can to restore a person spiritually. When there are physical hurts, we offer help and support. Elders must help the people of this church to grow spiritually as we all follow Jesus. And we must do all we can to reach out to others in our community by getting involved in the work of outreach as much as well.
Specifically for the deacons, responsible leadership means this. We must see the needs of the members of our church and doing all you can to meet those needs. When there is unemployment, we offer help and support. When there are other material or spiritual problems in the family or individual, we are ready to help in whatever way we can. It also means being good stewards of the gifts that are given to you. That includes not only wise spending and planning. It also includes giving a good account to the people of what is happening financially. Your task is also to keep us informed of the needs that exist within our own community and the world so that we may respond to those needs. Your task is to help the people of the church so that we may all be able to follow our Lord.
It is also the task of the leaders of this church is to provide leadership and direction for this church. It is to say, “This is the way we must go! Follow us so that we can serve the Lord in this way!”
John Stott summarizes 5 qualities of Christian leadership. Leaders must have a vision. They must have the ability to see where we are now and where we must go in order to be effective and faithful to the gospel. Leaders must be hard workers. They have to put their shoulder to the wheel and work hard toward the goal they have set. Third, they must persevere. They cannot give up at the first hint of opposition for we are leading the people of God, not just ordinary people in the work of the Kingdom of God. Fourth, leaders must have an attitude of service. They must see their task as helping and equipping the people of God to serve. Finally, a leader must discipline himself. A leader must recognize his own weaknesses as he waits for God to help him in his weaknesses.
All this means that we had better take our roles as leaders very seriously! We must work hard as we do the hard work of leading Christ’s church. Former University of Alabama football coach Gene Stallings tells of an incident when he was the defensive backfield coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Two All-Pro players, Charlie Waters and Cliff Harris, were sitting in front of their lockers after playing a tough game against the Washington Redskins. They were still in their uniforms, and their heads were bowed in exhaustion. Waters said to Harris, “By the way Cliff, what was the final score?” This could perhaps describe the work of elders and deacons. We are to serve and give our best and leave the final results to God.
Moreover, leaders must also acknowledge that they are not perfect and do make mistakes. A guide was hired to take some hunters into the back woods of Maine. After a few days, they were hopelessly lost and began to doubt the competence of the guide. “You said you were the best guide in Maine,” they reminded him. “I am,” he said, “but I think we are in Canada now.” Leaders need the input and the correction of those whom they lead and must be willing to admit mistakes and when they need help.
The leaders must lead and the people must follow; and when that happens, there will be two benefits that will come as a result.

III. Two Good Reasons for Following
The first is so that the work of the leaders may be a joy, not a burden. Being a leader in the church of Jesus Christ should be a joy-filled task because they are leading the people of God in establishing the kingdom of God. The leaders in this letter may have had very little joy in their work. The people were rebellious and ungrateful for their leadership. And so, the leaders looked at their task as a burden, not a joy.
Today Christian leadership should be joyous work, but often it is not. Increasingly, pastors become burned out and leave the ministry because there is no joy left in serving and doing the work of serving as a pastor. Often, elders and deacons only go through the motions of their work because they find little joy or satisfaction in the work they are doing. Frequently, capable leaders refuse to serve because they know there will be no joy in their work; it will only be a burden and a hassle.
But it is not only the leaders who suffer if those things happen. Verse 17 says if the people don’t obey it would be of no advantage to them. If the leaders had to serve under tense conditions in the local church, then that does not work out for the benefit of the members. It will bring tension and strife within the church which will break down the church, not build it. When leaders and members are not working together, everyone suffers!
So what do we do with this word from God this morning? To the leaders, see your task as what it really is. You are keeping watch over people who belong to God! That is far more than serving on a board of trustees or holding an administrative position. God has placed you in that office to lead, to nurture and to help those under your leading to grow in their faith. That is something that you as an elder or deacon and I as a pastor have a responsibility to fulfill. That is also something that we will be held accountable for when Jesus comes again.
To the people of Faith Church who will be led by these persons on this Council: these are your spiritual leaders given to you by God for your benefit. Therefore, thank God for them and pray for them as they lead you in service in the church. Be aware of the actions they take regarding Christ’s church here. Evaluate them in the light of God’s word and if it is faithful to the word, submit to them.! If you feel that it is not true to the Word of God, then cheerfully and willingly point out where it is wrong. And encourage them in the work that they are doing for it often is a very thankless job.
We all have a responsibility to make this church a place where all people, those who are members and those who are in our community will be able to see the love and grace of God shown in Jesus Christ. That is, after all, why we are here! To proclaim the gospel of Christ, the message of grace! We must proclaim that Jesus came to die in order to pay the punishment for sin, for our sin. We must proclaim that those who believe will have forgiveness and peace with God. Let’s not give up or become idle as we press on in this work.
About 350 years ago, a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America where they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness. In the fourth year, the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway!?
Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision.
So what? I challenge you leaders to lead to places where God would have us go. I challenge you members to support and submit to them as they lead us as we follow Jesus working in His Kingdom.