By Randall E. Davey

(Second Sunday of Advent)

1 Thess. 3:9-13

INTRO:

What would a perfect church look like? How big would it be? What kinds of ministries would it have? Is it reasonable to assume that a perfect church would have a perfect pastor and staff? Would one assume that the church would have a perfect church board, perfect Sun­day School teachers, perfect musicians, and, yes, perfect parishioners. Perish the thought!

No, we are not given to such fantasy as perfect church­es. We are rugged realists: things are far from perfect. Every sick person for whom we have prayed might not get well. Every unemployed person for whom we have prayed might not get a better job. Regardless of how much we pray, some persons will still choose to abuse others. Unjust and unnecessary wars will still be fought; sons and daughters of humankind will die.

Instead of expecting perfect churches or perfect mar­riages or perfect governments, we've grown accustomed to mediocre churches, average pastors, tolerable mar­riages, and incompetent politicians. Such is our world.

Following a brief but stormy ministry in Philippi, the apos­tle Paul moved to Thessalonica and attacked both mediocrity and heresy (Acts 17:1-9). In the synagogue, he preached His ministry was not marked with wide acceptance On the contrary, he was beaten, imprisoned, repeatedly run out of town. What drove Paul to preach such a controversial and revolutionary message?

I. Paul had confidence that Jesus was com­ing again

Paul risked his life to start Thessalonica First Church. His preaching incited a riot. With Silas, he was forced to escape to Berea, where he met with a similar fate (cf. Acts 17:1-14). He had been beaten and imprisoned in Philippi for similar antics prior to his Thessalonian crusade, but his commitment was unswerving. He was con­vinced that it was his responsibility to prepare believers for the imminent return of Jesus.

ILLUS. A discouraged preacher friend called me a few Sunday nights back to say that he was thinking of resign­ing. Somewhat surprised, I asked why.

"Closed doors".

"Closed doors?"

"Yes, a few board members shut me down on my plans to remodel the foyer. It's obvious that they're not going to let me lead."

Paul wouldn't have understood "closed door" talk. Opposition seemed to fuel him.

A. Paul prayed that the Lord would establish their hearts. Paul recognized that only God's Holy Spirit could convince the new converts of Resurrection truth. Apart from the witness of the Spirit, they would be unstable.

B. Paul prayed that the Thessalonians' hearts would be "unblamable in holiness" (v. 13, NASB). "Unblam­able" seems to say, "Be perfect or without fault at the Lord's return." It shouts of impossibility. Let's take a closer look.

Paul is praying that the Church for which Jesus died will respond to grace so that believers will be found sanc­tified, "set apart for His purposes," loving each other as Christ loved them. Now that's a perfect church!

ILLUS. I attended a weekly Tuesday morning prayer meeting frequented mostly by older adults. One morning a conversation about how holiness people ought to look ensued. One argued that jewelry of any kind was out. An· other talked about clothing, while another talked about hairstyles. Every point was illustrated by someone who attended the church of which we were members.

One of our group happened to be blind, and in his characteristic way, he said, "I can't see what holiness people look like, but I sure can hear how they sound."

II. Paul believed that God wanted to complete the transformation that He started

He prayed not only that God would let him see them again but also that he could "complete" what was lacking in their faith (v. 10, NASB).

A. Paul was grateful that the converts had survived under peer pressure. Their conversions were not with­out notice. Paul was convinced that God was mightily at work in them. Their conversions weren't in ques­tion. However, he wasn't blind to their needs.

B. The word "complete" is used in the material sense of mending nets. We might say that Paul wanted to "fix" what was lacking in their faith.

C. Paul affirmed them in conversion. He noted their dra­matic tum from idols (1:9) and their willingness to be imi­tators of the Lord (1:6). He had heard from Timothy that they had stopped working in order to wait for the Second Coming. In so doing, they resented local authority. Some had begun to slander Paul. Others were tempted to slip back into habits of immorality. Without surprise, there was division in the church. Paul wanted to fix what was lacking in their faith as evidenced by that litany of ills.

ILLUS. Devotionally, I frequently pray, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me" (ps. 139:23-24, NASB). I pray it slowly, asking God the Holy Spirit to help me see what is lacking in my faith life. God is seldom silent.

III. Paul suggests that lack of faith is betrayed by lack of love

The life of the community signaled that something was fundamentally wrong at a deeper level, something that needed "fixing."

A. Paul doesn't discount the extent to which love was operative in the community. He prays that the Lord would cause them to "increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men" (v. 12, NASB). The pic­ture is near perfect. A community where persons love and are loved not because of accomplishment, race, color, creed, financial standing, or worth to society. They are loved simply because they are. Paul envisions that kind of community as one that is established, un­blamable in holiness.

B. Paul did not leave them with lofty exhortation. That kind of loving was the same kind that he illustrat­ed toward them (v. 12).

ILLUS. In a restaurant I watched two parents, two chil­dren, and what I guessed to be two grandparents, having breakfast. Bites of pancake were punctuated with admo­nitions, exhortations, threats, and stares. The children were apparently used to the exercise and acted out mon­strous behavior, undeterred by potential punitive action. Before the second cup of coffee was poured, Mom jerked the little two-year-old girl from her booster chair and set her down on the floor. The little wide-eyed juvenile stood braced for lecture No. 971. "Can't you be nice? Grandma won't want to come to breakfast with you ever again! Now sit down, be nice, and shut up!"

I wonder what "being nice" means to a little two-year-­old. I wonder if she thought it was the same thing as sit­ting down and shutting up.

Paul didn't confuse his audience as this mother had confused her little girl. He said, "Love each other as I have loved you."

C. Let's reflect for a moment on our community. What does it mean to be Christ's Church in the 20th century?

I wonder if the gathered church is the primary time and place where we learn what it means to love and be loved. I wonder if that gives added significance to our regular participation. I wonder if only by worshiping, studying, serving, and witnessing together do we have context in which we learn to love together.

CONCLUSION:

Paul prayed that the Lord would "direct" his way to the Thessalonians. In the meantime, he prayed that the Lord would "cause" them to increase in love (vv. 11-12, NASB).

Paul realized that he could not talk them into being a loving community. He prayed that God would cause them to be convinced that love was the necessary stan­dard for Christ's community.

In holiness churches, we have believed that before one can love as Christ loves, one must be cleansed of preoc­cupation with oneself, of inbred sin. Paul prayed for their sanctification, that they would be set apart for God and His service. He knew they needed fixing, but he knew he couldn't do it.

Celebrating this Advent season, we sense our need to prepare for the Lord's imminent return. I invite you to open yourself to the Spirit's loving, cleansing work of grace, making it possible for you "to increase and abound in love for one another ... so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus" (vv. 12-13. NASB).

At His return, will He find us alert, watching, waiting, serving-imitating Him and acting like a perfect church? "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20, KJV)!

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A PROPHET FOR ALL TIMES

By Randall E. Davey

(Third Sunday of Advent)

Mal. 3:1-4

INTRO:

Some 400 years before Jesus' birth, a preacher called Malachi wrote a heated letter to the Jewish nation. The stinging rebuke exposed Israel's darker side.

To say that the Jews felt abandoned by God was an un­derstatement. They were riddled with doubt and crippled by indifference. They were forced to believe that the God of justice had turned a deaf ear on them.

Those weren't hasty conclusions. After all, their worship center had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and they had been held hostage for some 50 years. Their unceremo­nious release and trek home didn't make for a photo oppor­tunity. Persian domination continued, replete with exorbi­tant taxes. The relatively few square miles of barren land from which they were forced to eke out an impoverished existence was surrounded by vengeful neighbors.

They were permitted to rebuild the Temple. As the walls rose, so did their hopes. But their dreams proved to be nightmares. The building was built, but the glory of God was absent.

Their pagan neighbors fared better than they did. They soon gave way to hopelessness. Their hopelessness turned to skepticism.

Worship was in form only. They kept the best of every­thing for themselves and gave the sickly animals to the Temple (1:8). They lost concern about racial purity and married the enemy. Adultery was common, divorce was rampant, sorcery abounded, and oppression of widows, orphans, and laborers was normative. All of this didn't happen overnight. It was so gradual, even priests had grown blind to their own condition.

They had dreamed of prosperity and worldwide domi­nation, but here they were at the bottom of the pile, de­pressed beyond measure.

If the Lord would come, they would fare far better.

I. The prophet sent a mixed message to an indifferent crowd

It was both good news and bad news. Good news was that the Lord was indeed coming. The "Behold" of verse 1 (NASB) is not announcing immediate fulfillment as much as it signaled a certain fulfillment. The speaker was the Lord of Hosts, and His promises are assured facts (Num. 23:19).

A. Promise No. 1. "I am going to send My messenger" (v. 1, NASB). Many Jews believed that Elijah would re­turn before the "day of the Lord." Malachi says as much (4:5). All four evangelists unite in declaring that John the Baptist was the messenger of choice who mimicked the prophet Elijah. Jesus confirmed that John the Baptist was the ignored Elijah of prophecy (Matt. 17:10-13).

B. Promise No.2. "He will clear the way before Me" (v. 1, NASB). They weren't ready for the Lord's coming. The messenger would call them on their sin-that was bad news. They weren't bothered by their own unbe­lief, doubt, crookedness, and perversity. They ignored the Law, which said, "He [God] will by no means leave the guilty unpunished" (Exod. 34:7, NASB).

ILLUS. A mean-spirited, narrow-minded, and unforgiving veteran of the church scolded his pastor for not preaching on judgment, damnation, and hell. The elderly straight shooter knew that the young folk needed a good dose of old-time preaching to stop them dead in their tracks, but he clearly saw no need of such preaching for himself.

C. Promise No.3. "And the Lord ... will suddenly come to His temple" (v. 1, NASB). The word "sudden­ly" is never used to denote immediacy; it always means unexpectedly, regardless of the lapse of time, and usu­ally was associated with a calamitous event.

Undoubtedly, the Temple built by Solomon and re­built by Zerubbabel was understood as Jehovah's dwelling place (Hag. 1:9). Ezekiel told of a day when God's dwelling place would be with His people, a New Testament understanding of temple. Jesus did come to the Temple built with hands and through the ages has repeatedly come to His Church.

II. No news was not good news

The bad news is, "Company is coming, and you're not ready." They looked for a messiah who would grant them the blessings they deserved, one who would punish their enemies and oppressors, and make Israel once more a pros­perous, powerful nation, ruler over the hated Gentiles.

A. Many won't be able to endure the day of His com­ing. Certainly this crowd had cause to quake. Their stan­dard of doing business was completely out of whack with God's standard: "Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44, NASB).

B. The priests were premier examples of unreadiness. The sons of Levi needed help! They had been instru­mental in seducing the people (1:6ff; 2:1-9).

C. "Who can stand when He appears?" (v. 2, NASB). The question is borrowed from battle imagery (2 Kings 10:4, NASB) and means, "Who will stand his ground?" The prophet suggests that no one will pass the pene­trating tests the Lord will impose. That was bad news. Yet the purpose of the refiner and fuller was not to de­stroy but to purify and whiten.

ILLUS. We used to sing a lot of songs about the second coming of Christ. By the end of verse 1, Mrs. Huff would raise her hand, wave her hankie, and start shouting. I didn't question her readiness, but I did wonder about the rest of us who remained conspicuously silent.

III. There was a bright spot on a dark horizon

The prophet was not limited to doom and gloom. He was a rugged realist. The Jews weren't coming close to living the way God had called them to live. They were in trouble.

ILLUS. The Kansas City Star reported the story of a mur­derer's trial. He admitted guilt. But the family of the vic­tim was even more enraged when the killer laughed as he recalled for the jury the very act of murder.

"Are you sorry for your crimes?" asked a doubtful judge.

Without hesitation the killer answered, "Not a bit."

The indictment Malachi leveled at the Jews could be filed against the 20^th Century church as well.

A. Isaiah warned his audience to remove every ob­stacle that stopped them from being what God had purposed. God is sensitive to a broken and confession­al spirit (Isa. 57:14-15).

B. Malachi affirms that God wants to prepare persons for judgment, not destroy them. He compares the Lord to a refiner’s fire and fullers' soap, a smelter and pu­rifier of silver. Fire burns and soap consumes what the sinner so dearly loves, not only transgressions of God's Law but also all self-righteous works. Yet, the refiner comes not only to bum and the fuller not only to con­sume; they come to refine and to purify.

C. The Lord promises to remove the heart of stone and give us a new heart and a new spirit, His Spirit (Ezek. 36:26). Our sins will be forgiven and remembered no more Ger. 31:34). We'll be "clothed ... With garments of salvation ... a robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61: 10).

CONCLUSION:

Malachi wouldn't be a family mm or Christmas bedtime story. It is marked with pathos, despair, and heaviness.

One is tempted to walk away from it all, contending, "That was then, and now is now, and never the twain shall meet." But there's a real sense in which "then is now" and "now is then," and Malachi could be called a prophet for all times.

We're not as apt to think about world domination. We re­member "days of infamy" and Berlin walls. We reckon with a crumbling Soviet empire and a weakened world economy. We're more likely to think in terms of surviving than con­quering. All of that is masked by Christmas routines of get­ting and spending, partying and musicals, increasing rates and decreasing benefits, and stress, stress, stress.

So worn-out are we that divorce, adultery, oppression, abject apathy, and indifference are no longer head turn­ers. The Church stands begging for ministers and money but knows it will stand in line with museums and good causes for less than a fair share. Where there's little mon­ey, there is even less time. The world stands wanting for those who would minister.

Worship can understandably be lackluster. Hardly can we be called celebrants, people of praise, offering our­selves unto Christ Jesus, when we have to hang on just to survive.

More than a few times we have said to each other, "I would love just to get away from it all." "I wish just one Christmas wouldn't be so awful and hectic." Some dear soul may even be heard to utter, "I just wish the Lord would come." It's a faint Voice, but the message is clear. Somehow things would be better if the Lord would come-or so we think.

But the prophet speaks-it's really God talking. He speaks through the prophet, who calls us to purity. He speaks through John the Baptist, who calls us to repen­tance (Luke 3:3). He speaks through the risen Jesus; and He speaks through the apostle Paul, who prays that we may be "blameless until the day of Christ" (Phil. 1: 10).

The prophet for all time speaks to our time.

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THE WORD OF THE LORD THAT CAME TO MICAH

By Randall E. Davey

(Fourth Sunday of Advent)

Mic.5:1-5a

INTRO:

In the second half of the eighth century, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah ruled Judah in succession. These three ki11gs worked in a turbulent political climate. Domestic is­sues took a backseat to foreign affairs, but the administra­tion failed to achieve independence.

The rebellion was short-lived against Assyria. Samaria fell in 722 B.C. Deportation, begun 10 years early, resumed.

In 701 B.C., 21 years after Samaria fell, Assyrian troops inhabited Judah, and Hezekiah was fined and lost part of his territory to the Philistines.

The influx of military money boosted the economy and improved the locals’ financial lot. Financial gain meant pow­er, and power bred independence. Attitudes toward religion became complacent. Personal and social values disintegrated.

Land barons squeezed farmers out of business. Age-old sanctions associated with the divine covenant were for­gotten. Priests 'and prophets preached in concert with the new age, conscious of the hand that fed them.

Government did nothil1g to check the rich. Policies de­fended wealth gained by illegitimate means. The poor be­came poorer. Self-interest was the standard by which po­litical decisions were made.

The prophet Micah attacked with disgust and vengeance the absence of justice. "They covet fields and them seize them, and houses, and take them away. They rob a man and his house, a man and his inheritance" (2:2, NASB).

He rebuked them for portraying God apparently as a benevolent and forgiving grandfather figure, doting over the sins of the people. Priests were granting the people false assurance. They were sure that God would tolerate their ventures into the occult and their spirit of self-reliance.

Micah reminded the community of the saving acts that started with the Exodus and ended in their arrival in Ca­naan (6:4-5). It was nothing new. They recited these deeds in worship, but they failed to be moved to carry out the terms of the covenant. They knew the Exodus story but lived as if it never happened.

Sunday by Sunday, believers gather for worship and stare out stained-glass windows, yawning as Scripture is read and dozing as the Word is proclaimed, and living as if it were a fable told for the amusement of children.

ILLUS. An uninvited consultant told his pastor, "Start the service with something peppy. You have to get my engines started before I feel like singing. It's been a bad week." Apparently he sensed no need no need to sing or knew of no reason to sing.

The believer can look a little farther back in history to find reason to sing. It's about the Cross. It's reason enough.

Reflecting on the mighty acts of God, we have reason worship with thanksgiving in our hearts.

I. There is something worse than recession on horizon

Micah identifies with Jerusalem (v. 1). He sees the details of doom associated with Sennacherib's invasion in 701 B.C. and ultimate 'destruction that comes a century later.

A. The call to gather in troops was to prepare for that which is sure to come. The enemy is at the door.

IILUS. The world awaited the resignation of Mikhail Gor­bachev. Boris Yeltsin, his savior in the coup, had proven to be Gorbachev's political captor. Gorbachev, who months ago enjoyed worldwide admiration, is fading in relative obscurity.

B. The venerable judge has become a whipping boy.

ILLUS. Judges are not immune from criticism for the opinions they render. Newspapers frequently vent public outrage over one ruling or another. But the outrage is at its zenith when a judge violates the law and stands before a peer for sentencing.

President Bush's selection of Clarence Thomas illustrated the point as Thomas was made out to be less than ju­dicious or prudent. His alleged offenses were noteworthy in view of the fact that he may be called upon to rule in a sexual harassment charge.

C. Though the Citizens of Judah will not quickly re­cover, God has not forsaken them. Within this drab context of misfortune Micah paints a contrasting picture.

ILLUS. A friend was shocked when he lost his job. He first responded with dismay, "I've always tithed." He con­cluded that he was recession-proof via his tithe Contract. His job loss had to mean that he was in trouble with God. But circumstances don't mean all that much about God's attitude toward us. However, our attitude toward Him is reflected in the way we respond to circumstances. He will not forsake His people.

II. A Ruler born in Bethlehem is certain

Micah sees through Israel's despair to a better day.

From Bethlehem Ephrathah, the "Faithful House of Bread," a Ruler would come.

A. Bethlehem Ephrathah was the birthplace Of the Davidic dynasty. David's father is described as "an Ephrathite ... from Bethlehem in Judah" (1 Sam. 17:12). Apparently Ephrathah is the district in which Bethlehem lay.

B. The Davidic covenant, referenced in Psalm 89, says, "Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness - and I will not lie to David - that his line will contin­ue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun" (35-36). Micah reminds Israel that God will not al­low them to slip into oblivion.

C. This Ruler hails from "the days of eternity" (NASB). Some scholars contend that Micah simply meant, "from the distant past." Others argue that he in­sisted on a Ruler with heavenly origins, an ideal David. But most agree that he believed that the Ruler to come was a person of destiny.

D. The Ruler-Savior will come after judgment. Israel's foes will close in, and God's chosen people will be taken captive; but it will be a temporary phenome­non. They will remain prisoner, Micah believed, until the Royal One is born.

III. What kings couldn't do, God's Ruler can

When God's Ruler comes, the captives will be deliv­ered! Micah promised that "the remainder of His brethren [would] return" (NASB).

ILLUS. For the first two years of my college work, I attended Mount Vernon Nazarene College, which, at that time, was a two-year program. Because I happened to be part of the school's first two years of existence, the ambience was unique and unrepeatable. I remember a distinct feeling of dis­sonance at the thought that the vast majority of the graduat­ing class of 1970 would never be together again as a class. And we haven't been. Some went to Eastern Nazarene Col­lege, some to Bethany Nazarene College, others to Trevecca Nazarene College, and a few to Olivet Nazarene College, and scores of others to one place or another. The few times I went back, I left depressed. Most of the teachers I had are long gone. It's not the same, and it never will be. But what if-? What if somehow, someone could pull it off?

That's the kind of hope with which Micah teased his audience. When the Ruler comes, He will usher in a grand homecoming.

A. The Ruler will work like a shepherd tending his flock. This figure embodies an ideal of Israelite king­ship. It brought to mind stories of David, who was tak­en from his care of sheep to care for the people of God (2 Sam. 7:7-8).

B. He will rule with strength, evidence of divine en­abling. In the coronation ode recorded in Psalm 21:1, strength is the divine enabling of the king, by which alone his reign is a success.

C. He will be great. God promised David that Israel would be planted, and they would remain where they are, never to be disturbed again (2 Sam. 7:10). This ideal would take place in the sweeping reign of the Coming One, whose fame was to be spread world­wide. In fact, the "ends of the earth" depict a world­wide empire.

D. He will be our Peace. The One who is coming, Mi­cah preached, was One who could manage what no one else could.

CONCLUSION:

"O little town of Bethlehem." So long ago they hoped for a military Leader who could conquer. They believed He would be born in Bethlehem. So long ago they be­lieved that an ideal Ruler would come and deliver them. So long ago they were confident that the Ruler would be a Shepherd, Protector, and Guide. So long ago they be­lieved that peace would result. So many lived and died without seeing their hope come to fruition.

But we live and celebrate the coming of One born in Beth­lehem. He didn't muster armed forces, but He conquered. He didn't rule like potentates. He served and washed feet and spent time with outcasts. He delivered all who would be delivered. He was a shepherd. In fact He said of himself, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10: 11, NASB). In Him we have peace that passes all understanding (phil. 4:7).

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THE PEOPLE OF GOD

By Randall E. Davey

(First Sunday after Christmas)

Titus 2:11-14

INTRO:

During the summers of my elementary school years, my sister and I fended for ourselves during the day, since both of our parents worked. My sis and I typically awak­ened to a quiet house and unstructured days, punctuated by the daily TV episode of "The Millionaire" and an occasional chore. My sister, being a few years older, was the designated boss, but she rarely tried to pull rank.

One daily ritual remains fixed in my mind. Since my mother left for her factory job in the wee hours of the morning, she invariably left a note for us on the kitchen table. It was predictable and read something like this. "There is lunch meat in the fridge for sandwiches. Bread and potato chips in the cupboard. Fix Kool-Aid to drink. R, don't forget to mow Fanny Crown's yard; and B, fold the clothes."

Nothing on the note was new information. We had gone over it the night before. The note was just a re­minder. Paul's letter to Titus, both personal and official, was basically a reminder. The reminder wasn't just to shore up Titus' memory. It was designed to encourage him in his ministry.

Titus, a Gentile probably converted under Paul's min­istry, was a third generation Christian. He was like a son to Paul (1:4), and the letter is laced with paternal tones.

Titus probably received the letter during his ministry to the Cretans, of whom it was said they were among the most contemptible, despised, and oppressed people of the Mediterranean world. He worked specifically with the poor and dispossessed.

His task was even more difficult since the future of Christianity seemed highly doubtful to any discerning soul. Persecution threatened the very existence of the loosely linked house churches.

Facing overwhelming odds, Titus served in a hostile environment, passing on the Christian message. Paul wrote to remind Titus of basic truths that Titus' crowd needed to hear over and over.

That letter, written in antiquity, has a contemporary ring.

ILLUS. Since the November 9, 1989, fall of the Berlin wall, one cannot help but feel part of the rapidly unfolding worldwide drama being played out with daily scene changes. Plummeting real estate prices, bank failures, the fall of the communist regime, nuclear disarmament, food shortages, the AIDS epidemic, recession, and talk of glob­al depression fuel survivalist thinking. Credible authors are urging persons to hoard food, buy guns, move to warm climates, away from all cities as steps to survive the coming rough times. One can easily become preoccupied with mere survival and lose sight of eternal matters.

The Lord spoke through Paul's pen to an anxious audi­ence: "I encourage God's own people to have more faith and to understand the truth about religion" (l:1, CEV).

I. Paul reminded Titus that God wants a peo­ple for His own possession

God rescued us from evil that we might be a people. It had to be a word of comfort to early-century Cretan ears. They were considered the scum of the earth. Now they were hearing that God wanted them to be His possession.

A. As used in the Bible, the term "people of God" typi­cally refers to common folk as opposed to the ruling class. Ordinary people are linked to a common ori­gin-none other than Jesus.

B. Things were going from bad to worse. Some of them were soon to be slaughtered. Undoubtedly, they felt abandoned and disconnected. Titus was to reassure them that they were God's possession, dead or alive.

C. We children of the Enlightenment pride ourselves on such things as individuality. Instead of thinking as a people, we revel in our separateness.

ILLUS. One Sunday a parishioner commented on the way out of service, "If you're interested, I'll tell you what I think that passage means, and I don't know Greek or He­brew!" He went on to discount the value of commen­taries before giving a view of the passage that sounded very American and very male and very unchristlike, yet he was proud of it.

"But the Bible was written to a people," I countered. "What do you think the passage means to the community of faith and how do you respond to the way the church has historically understood this passage?"

"Don't know and could care less"; and with that, the conversation ended.

D. God isn't interested in a bunch of lone rangers who argue from their own vantage point. He rescues us from ourselves, born with the self-turned inward, born with a bent toward sin. He redeems us from a life given over to the pursuit of self-centered interests and delivers us into the context of relationships, persons with whom we can hammer out the basics of salva­tion - as a people.

The Church exists today as "the called-out ones," gathering around the Word, informed and Spirit-­shaped.

II. Paul reminded Titus that the people of God were distinctly different

The Cretans were about to go under in every way imag­inable. Paul urges Titus to remind them that God had al­ready saved them. God's kindness was evidenced in Jesus, who saved them and was present as Savior. He would save them for all of time. In that they were distinctly dif­ferent from so much of the world who had to rely solely upon might. They were distinctly and uniquely God's.

ILLUS. Not long ago, a researcher from Princeton Univer­sity interviewed me as part of a study on religion in America. "Nazarene?" she said quizzically. "How is that different from the church down the street? What is your distinc­tive?" Paul could have answered more quickly than I.

A. The people of God are trained to deal with their wicked ways by repenting and purposing to imitate Jesus. It's not so much a matter of the will as it is a re­sponse to God's graciousness that makes it possible.

B. The people of God are taught to live in harmony with the person, work, and ministry of Jesus. That means, they want to live sensibly and in right relation­ship with God and humankind. They believe the Christ of the Resurrection is presently at work in them. With Paul, they confess, "I have died, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20, BTF).

C. The people of God are instructed to be a people of hope. The word "hope" has become synonymous with wish. Interchangeably, folk may say, "I wish 1 would win a million dollars," but they know it's just a wish. That's not the hope about which Paul wrote.

To those soon to die, Paul encouraged Titus to re­mind them that Jesus promised to come back. That en­abled them to look beyond present circumstance to see that which really mattered.

ILLUS. "I'm ruined. I worked a lifetime to have what I have, and now it's all gone. I'm ruined." The confession of a homeowner whose home, furnishings, and personal memorabilia had been destroyed by fire. Ruined? Not for the people of God. Murdered? Awful, but not the worst thing that could happen for the people of God. Unem­ployed? Terminally ill? Crippled? Maybe. But not ruined! AS Paul penned the reminder, one can imagine the early strains of "My hope is built on nothing less . . ." straining to be penned.

D. The people of God are purified. They are the prod­uct of God's handiwork, as much as trees and streams and mountains. We were slaves and He freed us. The mystery of the Cross! The wonder of the Resurrection! The coming Lord set us free from every wrong, and He cleansed us. That's a distinction!

III. Paul reminded Titus that the people of God are zealous for good deeds

The word "zealous" (NASB) was not a new one to this crowd. They knew of Zealots, fanatics bent on over­throwing any kind of political rule. Zealots they could be, but zealots for Christ's sake. They were to be a sign to the unsaved that God in Christ makes humankind dis­tinctly different.

A. They were to pour themselves into the lives of fel­low Christians, especially the poor. Those beyond "the household of faith" were to be the recipients of their care (see Gal. 6:10, KJV).

ILLUS. A friend was reading a popular economic forecaster. In response he concluded that he would do every­thing possible to flee the coming rough times. He planned to squirrel away food, clothing, medicine, and gold-backed currency. Not long into the project, he real­ized that if he saved all he could and then met someone thirsting, he would be compelled for Christ's sake to give a cup of cold water until there was no more to give.

B. Oppressed, maligned, and persecuted Cretans were reminded to be model citizens, even unto death (3:1ff.). Grace would make possible the reshaping of sinful humanity into the people of God.

CONCLUSION:

Only by grace can we be called the pe0ple of God. Are you numbered among His people? Redeemed? Full of hope? Living rightly? Denying evil? Zealous good works? If not, you can be. The invitation to receive God's saving grace has been extended by Jesus Christ himself.

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INTERESTED IN THE PRIESTHOOD?

By Randall E. Davey

(First Sunday of January)

1 Pet. 2:9-10a

INTRO:

According to First Clement, Peter, a leader and spokesman for the early disciples, fell victim to Nero's great persecution. Some speculate that his First Epistle was writ­ten in the early 60s, a few years before his tragic demise.

The tone is pastoral, warm, and supportive, written to persons converted from paganism to Christianity. In so do­ing, they were subject to misunderstanding and cruel treat­ment. Peter tried to help them see their present sufferings in light of eternity, a perspective with which he died.

Since they were under surveillance, this passage deals with the duty of Christians to be holy in their conduct. While Paul tells new converts to "put off ... the old man" (Eph. 4:22, KJV), Peter encourages them to make a dis­tinct break with their past. Put aside every kind of evil, de­ception, and malevolence. These folks were soon to die.

ILLUS. I visited an acquaintance who was in prison for crimes against persons. While incarcerated, he under­went mandatory therapy. Though it didn't lessen his sen­tence, he felt somewhat relieved to know that persons most frequently act out aggressively when under pres­sure. He had lost his job, his wife, and his home. To peo­ple under equally significant stress, Peter wrote.

In Peter's mind, believers start life over. He compares them to "newborn babes," who should "long for the pure milk of the word" (2:2, NASB). This alludes to a custom of drinking milk after baptism, which, mixed with honey, was considered to be Messianic food (Exod. 3:8). Here it is a symbol of the Word, for which the Christian is to hunger and thirst so that one may grow.

The metaphor changes from "babes" to "living stones" (v. 5). Later, the new converts are called "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own posses­sion" (v. 9, NASB), terms of honor initially reserved for Is­rael. These collective "identities" stand out as significant. Liv­ing stones compare with Jewish altars on which priests make offerings. When Paul speaks of such offerings in Rom. 12:1, he refers to committing one's whole life to God.

The duty of the truly chosen people is to proclaim the wonderful deeds of the God who has called them. Proclamation ­consists in irreproachable conduct.

The recipients of the letter lived in various degrees of duress. Beaten down for a new belief! Alienated for being different! Persecuted and killed for a way of life! Hardly a sign of honor.

ILLUS. As professional football teams near the playoffs, there are winners and losers. Some of the losers aren't all that bad. One team that fell to the bottom of the pile this year has lost all of its games by 7 points or less. Their coach was asked, "How can you keep your players psyched to play the final game when they know that they will finish last regardless of the outcome?"

"I tell them that they are winners, that they can and will play like winners, and will probably win the game."

More than one team has risen from defeat to eliminate a contender.

God in Christ reminds us that we are new creatures, giv­en the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:17-18, NASB).

I. You have something significant in common

Peter tells his readers that they have a common life and descent; they are people of the same nature. They are holy, a word from which 20th-century readers recoil. "Holy" does not denote perfection in terms of perfor­mance. The word "holy" in the Greek text means literally "set apart for the service of Deity."

Peter told them that they were God's own possession.

IILUS. Possessions have worth largely because of their pos­sessor. I'm still amazed when I read that persons bid thou­sands of dollars for Michael Jackson's glove or Elvis Pres­ley's car or some such memorabilia. If the "glove" were found independent of the Jackson tag, it would be discard­ed, deemed worthless since its counterpart wasn't found.

The Christians to whom Peter wrote felt they had no worth or were of little value to God, since things weren't working out well for them. With job loss and other eco­nomic adversity, one is tempted today to assume that God has turned a deaf ear. In that moment, one should read 1 Pet. 2:9 - true then and true now.

These persons to whom Peter wrote were valued as a chosen race, owned and set apart by God for His purpos­es. He chose to use His "possession" as priests.

A. Being labeled with terms exclusively used of Israel must have been an obstacle. The concept of "holy" did not fit 1st-century Christians any more than 20th­century disciples. Peter contended that their holiness would be expressed in their identity as priests.

B. Believers are "king-priests" associated with the Lord Jesus, a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Calling the Church a "body of priests" emphasizes its corporate nature.

C. The 1^st-century understanding of "priesthood" was like a 20^th-century view.

ILLUS. The 1st-century priesthood referred exclusively to the Levites. Today, 20th-century Protestants would as­sume it refers to Catholic clergy. In either case, the term applied to "professional" religious persons through whom laypersons make contact with God.

For centuries, the priests held exclusive rights to cer­tain ceremonial, religious acts. The thought that every­one was a priest seemed ludicrous.

II. You are a royal priesthood

In view of life or death, they were to be a royal priesthood, and that was an old idea.

A. God through Moses addresses Israel, saying, "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy na­tion" (Exod. 19:6, NASB). Israel had arrived where God would make them into a religious community pe­culiarly His. The multitude that had escaped from Egypt was unified into the beginnings of a nation. This period has great importance for understanding God's will as it was revealed in the heart of the law.

B. They were to be a ministering community. Every­one had a unique religious task as though he were standing at Sinai, hearing the thunder and the horn and the Voice.

Fearing for their lives, they had a tendency toward self-preservation. But, in face of death, Peter calls them to think of others.

C. As a priest mediates between God and man, God called Israel to be the vehicle of the knowledge and salvation of God to the nations of the earth. This was written before the "professional priesthood" devel­oped. Nevertheless, it represents God's intent.

D. "And has made us to be a kingdom and priests" (Rev. 1:6). The Scripture is saying, "You shall be, you are, you were made to be" a kingdom of priests.

III. You are who you are-that you may proclaim

When I have looked at this passage, I have been lost in the idea of priesthood. I've reflected on the Reforma­tion's celebration of the "universal priesthood of believ­ers" and the marked regression the church has experienced since then. As priesthood is an expression of holiness, proclamation is an expression of priesthood.

A. The priesthood praises God for His gracious deal­ings and glorious attributes. The Church is to "adver­tise" the noble acts of God in history.

ILLUS. An old adage says, "A satisfied customer is the best advertisement." That thought convicted me. What have I advertised?

B. Christians are reminded of God's action in bring­ing them "out of darkness into His marvelous light" (v. 9, NASB). "Those who look to him are radiant" Ps. 34:5). "Ye are the light of the world . . . Let your light so shine before men" (Matt. 5:14, 16, KJV).

C. The church is to be a joyous community, constant­ly and gratefully declaring the "wondrous works" of God.

ILLUS. I grew up hearing testimonies of fairly short or­der - long before the "care and share" style of the '80s and '90s. "I'm saved, sanctified, and satisfied," they would say. But Peter saw testimony of life and lip as an opportunity to "declare."

J. G. Morrison was known for saying that testimony was second only to preaching in terms of its convincing value to the non-believer. This passage informs the church concerning the content of profitable testimonies.

D. The sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving symbol­ize the fact that the holiness of the church is for the sake of the world. David sang, "My vows to thee 1 must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, yea, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life" Ps. 56:12-13, RSV).

CONCLUSION:

You are chosen to be a people of priests! You have re­ceived mercy. You have been redeemed. Live and re­joice, showing God's praise.

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ANOINTED AND SENT

By Randall E. Davey

(Second Sunday of January)

Isa. 61:1-4

INTRO:

This text reads like a preacher's idealistic, self-imposed job description delivered on his inaugural Sunday. At a glance, one may dismiss the rhetoric as good intentions overcome by optimism.

Obviously, the Word deserves more than a cursory glance. Perhaps it's the modem "can do" spirit in me that focuses on the "to do" list (vv. 1-3).

ILLUS. A few years ago, I passionately maintained that computers were toys of the affluent, something with which we have gotten along without for, 10, these many years and, frankly, something I never intended to have. But now I have one.

Hardly a day goes by that someone doesn't tell me about a new software program that will save me zillions of hours with a punch of the key. I buy them and don't have a second to spare.

One of the programs installed on my personal comput­er is called "Task Manager." I used to have lists written on anything and everything. I now can conveniently transfer every list to the task manager. It asks me to give priorities to the tasks, the due day, and some pertinent note about it. When I tum my computer on, the Task Manager Program boots up automatically. When it does, the computer makes an obnoxious alarm clock sort of sound at the same time the screen is flashing, "21 Tasks PAST due!" The word, "PAST" is capitalized. The excla­mation point is there also. I feel ashamed and blamed by my own computer. But it trains me to think in terms of tasks.

I'm dominated by time management and task lists. Many of us value being called "effective."

Added to that, I am a Type A personality. I've often wondered how men like Isaiah made it through their ministry not knowing if they were Type A or not. But I tend to read every Bible character through my Type A eyes and believe, that the bulk were similarly wired, Je­sus being the notable exception.

All of that means that I tend to take charge, handle tasks in a timely and responsible way, believing that whatever the mind can conceive and believe one is ad­dicted and driven to achieve. Three guesses, then, on how I initially read Isa. 61:1-4!

You're thinking, this is a terribly long and involved in­troduction for a four-verse text. There's reason to my method.

We are in such a habit of getting things done, being somewhere on time, and finishing with excellence that which we have started, that we can't divorce that mental­ity from the way we think about Scripture.

I jump past Isa. 61:1 and get on with the job. Too much work to do to sit around and reflect! But it's only when we allow the Word to shape us and the Spirit to speak to us that we reach the understandings that God in­tended.

I. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me

Isaiah said a mouthful when he confessed that he had been anointed. Anointing language was normally reserved for political types, not preacher types (see 2 Sam. 23:1-7).

A. Anointing was the method whereby one received the Spirit. With the giving of the Spirit came the power to carry out whatever one was called to do. The king had the power to carry out the law of the land. Since Isaiah was anointed, he had the power to fulfill his promises, unlike the politicians.

ILLUS. American President Bush admitted his frustration at the comparison being made between his Gulf War per­formance and his ineffective domestic policy. During the war, he was empowered to tell the military what to do, and they did it. On the domestic front, he can tell Con­gress what he wants done, but the legislation can be lost in committee, modified, or defeated. The president doesn't always have the power to get things done.

B. Isaiah's testimony had to be good news. They were in absolutely despicable condition. Many had come back to a home they never knew, born as children of the Exile. Though they had returned from captivity with high hopes, they were now given to hopeless­ness, depression, and poverty.

ILLUS. In the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, Kuwaitis were liberated from Hussein's murderous hand. The tele­vision network CNN revealed the impoverished look of the liberated, devastated and ravished by war. Inadequate medical supplies, bombed cities, and mine-laden fields brought the liberated economy to its knees.

II. The Lord anointed Isaiah to bring good news

To disadvantaged and economically oppressed, a warm coat or a loaf of bread may warrant a smile but not jubila­tion. Isaiah proclaimed "the favorable year of the Lord" (v. 2, NASB).

A. Commentators suggest that the favorable year of the Lord was actually the Year of Jubilee, mentioned in Lev. 25:8-55. It's a moving account of forgiveness that may never have been a social reality. The idea worked something like this.

Every 50 years came an economic leveling, which no 20th-century politician would have the nerve to sug­gest. Land was to return to its rightful owners. Slaves were released. Debts were waived.

B. Captives and prisoners were in debtors' prisons. If this was indeed the favorable year of the Lord, now they were candidates for release. In their despair, they were called to celebration. The released will surely rejoice.

ILLUS. I bought a small, two-bedroom house as rental property. Not long into the arrangement, I determined that one should know more than I knew and be more capable than I to be a landlord. So I sold it without the aid of a realtor. No problem.

Years later, I got a document from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, notifying me that the couple to whom I sold the house had declared bankruptcy. That house, their delin­quent payments, and fees were now my responsibility.

That news rained on our parade. It could have been fi­nancially devastating. For one year it was never far from my mind. Every purchase I made, I made in light of the debt that might fall my way.

For reasons I'll never understand, my attorney called to say that the bank had released us from liability. The case was closed. My heaviness of heart and yearlong sobriety of spirit was transformed instantly, and I couldn't hide the smile.

III. Good news makes a real difference

Isaiah's ministry was not relegated to a week of special services. His ministry resulted in real change.

A. The devastated community would be renamed "oaks of righteousness" (v. 3). A new name signaled a new reality. The new reality would bring glory to the Lord.

ILLUS. I walked through a park not far from home and counted 14 trees that didn't survive the Kansas drought of '91. They stood erect but lifeless, victims of an un­quenched thirst.

I passed an old, scarred oak, home to squirrels and a poorly built tree house. One limb supported a homemade swing. The bark was stripped. But there it stood, full of life, resilient, a testimony to its strength and vitality.

B. The released are free to rebuild so that the ruins can become inhabitable again. They were released to rebuild to God's glory. Indeed it was a new day!

CONCLUSION:

On the heels of His baptism, Jesus visited a synagogue, read today's text from the scroll, and identit1ed with it by saying, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21, NASB). It has been called the mis­sion statement of Christ's Church.

How do we release? I'm not empowered to release you from your debt. You don't owe me. I'm not empowered to right economic wrongs from which you have suffered. But as a member of Christ’s Church, the message of release is mine to proclaim.

In a sense we hold sway over one another. To the ex­tent that I want you to live up to my expectations, I hold you in bondage. It happens in marriages, in friendships, and in work relationships. Unless you act like I think you ought to act, or talk like I want you to talk, or think like I want you to think, I will not love you to the extent that I could. I simply choose not to reward you if you insist on being different from my expectations.

Sound familiar? It makes me wonder how someone would respond if I said that you can do life as you feel that you should. If it doesn't line up with my expecta­tions, it's fine. Though I reserve the right to hold my own opinions and I reserve the right to grieve for you if I must, I will love you none-the-less. You are released to be who you ought to be for Jesus' sake.

That's foreign speech to most of the world. Especially for those who haven't yet heard the Lord say, "Forgiven." "You're released." "Redemption is possible because of Christ Jesus." "You can be a new creature - to My glory."

Unless the Spirit of the Lord God is upon us, we'll ex­pect folks to line up with our way of seeing things. But when the Spirit whispers release, we can't help but whis­per it with Him.

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WHATEVER IS A PRETTY BROAD TERM

By Randall E. Davey

Col. 3:12-17

Third Sunday of January

INTRO:

Colossae was the San Francisco of Asia. Richter scales were broken more than once by quakes in the Lycus Riv­er Valley. Neighboring city Laodicea was twice destroyed by destructive tremors. But, as a testimony to the area's deep pockets, reconstruction was accomplished without government grants or aid.

The beautiful valley had the makings of a national park. The chalk-laden waters of the Lycus formed incrustations that spread like a stony shroud over the ground. The description brought to mind Utah's Brice Canyon, where for­mations remind one of the skyline of Moscow. Typical of volcanic areas, ground that wasn't covered by ash was ex­tremely fertile and good ground for pasturing sheep. Re­putedly, the area was a world center for the wool industry.

Actually, Colossae stood as one of three cities built in view of each other and ultimately was deigned the least important of them. Neighboring Laodicea became the po­litical and financial headquarters of the valley, while Hier­apolis found fame for its trade and healing spas. At one time Colossae was equally significant, but eventually it was said that "the glory had departed."

They remained noteworthy, however, in religious cir­cles, but that wasn't Who's Who material either. On the contrary, their notoriety resulted from a sweeping heresy identified as Gnosticism.

Gnostics believed that spirit alone is good and that matter is essentially flawed and evil. That understanding gave rise to a fully developed but destructive worldview. (1) They insisted that God did not create the world, be­cause He couldn't have anything to do with evil matter. (2) Jesus, then, could not have had a "flesh and blood" body. Rather, He must have been a spiritual phantom. They even said that when Jesus walked, He left no foot­prints. (3) Since the body is evil, it either must be kept 9^l1derand denied. If the body is evil, what difference does it make what one does with it? (4) Gnosticism was a highly intellectual way of-life. Man must fight his way to God, and only a few ever attain contact with Him. (5) Jewish Gnostics insisted that the way to God was tied closely to ritual and ceremonial law.

The Christian church at Colossae to which Paul wrote was mainly a Gentile church that Paul had not founded or visited. Through Paul's partner, Epaphras, the church's probable founder, Paul learned of the problems that were brewing.

I. Paul addressed the Colossian Christians as the "chosen of God" (v. 12, NASB)

That sounds a bit like Peter's words, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people" (l Pet. 2:9, RSV). Those had been terms applied to Jews and later to Jesus.

A. Paul was saying that there was no longer a "fa­vored nation status." Now, all who responded to God's grace could be part of His great Christ-centered community. Believers are not called to be holy isola­tionists.

B. Paul uses the language of clothing to convey his teaching. Colossians should put on qualities seen in the life of Jesus. In another letter, he simply says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 13:14, RSV).

ILLUS. As a kid growing up in Cambridge, Ohio, I would traditionally ask my mother, "What can I get you for Christmas?"

Without fail, my mother would say, "Just be good." That wasn't the kind of response I had in mind. I was thinking more along the line of a coffee mug. If I pressed her a bit, she would say, "I mean it. Be good. Clean your room. Make your bed. Mow the lawn. Be nice to your sister. Obey."

C. Sometimes Paul said, "Be holy"; at other times, he spelled out what it meant to be holy. Paul knew that Jews had been .cautioned to keep God's commandments (Deut. 7:6-11) and to be holy, as He is holy (Lev. 11:44). Men and women of the new creation should inevitably exhibit something of His nature.

II. The chosen of God should imitate God's Chosen One

Paul explains how the church is to be Jesus to each other.

A. Put on a heart of compassion. In that day, there was no provision for the aged. The physically and mentally disadvantaged were barely tolerated. Jesus stood as the Model of compassion. With compassion He looked at the multitude as sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34).

B. Put on kindness. Josephus contended that Isaac was an example of kindness in that he dug wells and gave them to others, insisting they weren't worth fighting over (Gen. 26:17-25). Kindness is identified as a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). "Taste and see that the Lord is good," says the Psalmist (34:8). Paul writes, "Continue in his kindness" (Rom. 11:22).

C. Put on humility. That has been a stumbling block' for humankind who crave recognition and attention. Those who walk with God must humble themselves (Mic. 6:8) because He prefers to dwell with those who are of a humble and contrite spirit (Isa. 57: 1 5).

D. Put on gentleness. Moses was very gentle in facing undeserved criticism without giving way to rage. In­stead, he interceded for offenders (Num. 12:13). The Psalmist said, "The humble will inherit the land" (37:11, NASB).

E. Put on patience. God, who is patient (Exod. 34:6), demonstrates the same through His people. To the ex­tent that we are patient, we testify of His patience. Paul contends that love is patient (l Cor. 13:4).

ILLUS. Regardless of the severity of winter weather, our seven-year-old Ashley has to be reminded to zip up her coat and don her hat. In her excitement to play, she will dash out into subzero temperature oblivious to danger.

Christ's Church must heed Paul's reminder to be prop­erly clothed before entering into community.

III. Imitation of the Lord reaches its zenith in forgiveness

New clothes generally need alteration. "Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (v. 12) don't fit like tailored garments on bodies habituated to wearing "immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed" (v. 5, NASB). When we try to be compassionate or kind, someone will suspiciously ask, "What's with you? You're not acting yourself!" And they're right. You are not acting yourself. You are allowing Jesus to be expressed in you.

A. Give your brother some room and forgive him. It has little to do with what he deserves or how you feel about it. It has to do with God's response to your own record (v. 13).

B. "Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity" (v. 14). Love holds the whole Christian body together. Any body of people sooner or later tends to fly apart. Love is the one bond that will hold them together in unbreakable fellowship. In 1 Cor. 13:13, love is listed as the supreme Christian grace. Love checks the self­ish, hard tempers that keep people apart. Love ex­presses divine life in the community.

C. "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts" (v. 15). One scholar paraphrased it this way, "Let the peace of God be the umpire in your hearts" (see Williams). The way to right action is to appoint Jesus Christ as the Arbiter. If peace is sacrificed in hammer­ing out differences, the body has been fractured in de­fiance of the will of God.

ILLUS. I grieve every time I hear of church splits, regard­less of the number of folks involved. A split that results in one family or one person leaving a fellowship is just as tragic as a whole group seceding. It's a sad commentary on God's people saved by grace.

D. Be thankful. Paul said of the pagan world, "Al­though they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks" (Rom. 1:21, RSV). If all humanity owes thanksgiving to God, how much more should the re­deemed thank Him?

ILLUS. For a long time I have believed that worship should be rich with persons spontaneously "teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (v. 16, NASB). I can't escape the prophet's dream that the "chosen ones" were created to be a people of praise. That's the tenor of the community where the Word of Christ richly dwells within.

CONCLUSION:

The grand finale of the text is verse 17. Paul addressed basics for Christian relationships within the community. He summarizes with a life principle: "Whatever you do . . . in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (v. 17). The Christian's whole life must be lived in obedience to Him.

"Whatever" I do - my labor, my leisure, my relation­ships, my solitude, my possessions, my dreams are all an expression of thanksgiving.

I suspect that you share my feelings of being over· whelmed at the "whatevers" of our lives. Join me in prayer, asking the Spirit to grace us sufficiently So that whatever we do in word and deed will be an expression of thanks for His redemptive work in us, reflecting the risen Christ at work through us.

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SOMEONE OUGHT TO READ SCRIPTURE

By Randall E. Davey

Neh. 8:1-6, 8-10

Fourth Sunday of January

INTRO:

An ad hoc committee planned this fifth-century B.C. dedication service held at Water Gate Square, Jerusalem. Phase three of the building project had gone over the cost estimate and the time estimate.

Father Ezra, a priest, had arrived in Jerusalem in 458 to promote religious reform. Jerusalem had been destroyed years earlier. The Temple was mere rubble. Religious life was nothing like the ceremonial past of tradition.

After a long stint of Babylonian oppression, the fate of tie Jews had gone from bad to worse. Cyrus of Persia overran Babylonia and permitted displaced persons to re­turn home to rebuild their centers of religious life in ex­change for loyalty.

Not all the Jews in Babylonia took the offer. Some were doing quite well financially and opted to stay be­hind but donate to the "Rebuild Jerusalem Fund." The folks who did return to Jerusalem tended to be poor and unskilled. Though their building fund was impressive, it didn't take much opposition from the locals for their en­thusiasm to be quelled. The work stopped.

Nehemiah, appointed governor of Judah by Artaxerx­es, arrived in 445 and boosted Ezra's construction efforts. Both, men were bent on pushing through religious re­forms. Both were especially concerned about purity of heart.

So, 25 years into the project, the overanxious dedica­tion committee planned a celebration to coincide with the New Year's celebration. The crowd gathered near the recently completed wall for the ceremony. Perhaps there were a few speeches and thank-yous before the "planned spontaneous" request for the reading of the Law.

No One thought the feast would take the sober twist that it did after the Scripture was read. It was supposed to be an innocent, ceremonial reading of the Law.

ILLUS. Being a preacher includes being the token prayer. I was asked to give the invocation for a convention of insurance underwriters. Prior to my spot on the program was a professional comedian whose humor was pre­dictably raw. I was tempted to preach instead of pray. But one could tell that the planners of the convention banquet saw no conflict between the comedian's materi­al and my prayer.

Regardless of the committee's motives, Ezra seized the opportunity and read the Word from dawn till noon!

1. I. All the people gathered as one

“The people gathered ... as one man," a primitive kind of congregation. Though not a worship service, it was certainly a sacred celebration. All who could under­stand were welcomed there.

A. There was an air of excitement as they stood shoulder to shoulder, "clients of a common God." Some stared at the walls, remembering the rocks that they had put in place. The finished product represent­ed something that they had done as a people.

B. Babylonian captivity had devastated their sense of being a people. In the midst of celebration, they couldn't help but think: of relatives still in a foreign land.

ILLUS. We 20th-century Americans find it difficult to un­derstand the profundity of oneness, since individuality and "self-madeness" are cherished. We honor the "man of the year," or the "woman of the year" while other coun­tries think in more corporate ways.

The president of a major Japanese company was asked, "Who invented the product for which your company is famous?"

"Oh, 2,000 employees did," he responded. They don't think in terms of individual efforts but in that which is good for the company.

C. That fifth-century B. c crowd gathered as a people and positioned themselves to hear what God had to say.

Every time the congregation gathers reminds us that we are a people, to whom we are called to minister and who are called to minister to us. We're not in it alone. We are a people.

II. Ezra read the Scripture to all the people

Ezra started reading at dawn. This might have been the first recorded sunrise service!

In preparation for the dedicatory ceremonies, work­men had built scaffolding large enough to hold at least 12 men. A wooden podium served to support the Law from which he read.

A. Ezra stood to read, and the people stood as well. They remained standing as long as he read. Standing is a natural human posture for respect.

ILLUS. Out of respect for the law, persons in a court­room stand when a judge enters the room.

B. Ezra prayed a prayer of invocation. "The people answered, 'Amen, Amen!' while lifting up their hands" (v. 6, NASB).In the longer tradition of the church, the "amen" was a corporate word, an expres­sion of "people-ness." The lifting up of the hands indi­cated that one was open to receive from the Lord.

C. then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. These physical gestures were tokens of honor and reverence, an antidote to pride. They witnessed to the presence of the Holy and indicated their spirit of submission in His presence.

D. "All the people were attentive" (v. 3, RSV). They lis­tened with interest and openness.

ILLUS. A parishioner complained to me about the Scrip­ture readings. "They're too boring. I don't like hearing someone read more than a few verses at a time!"

Surely a casual dismissal of the reading of the Word as boring or a preliminary that could easily be eliminated for the sake of time misses the dynamic in the formation of the people of God.

E. The Word was read and explained. Even the church board got in on the act (v. 7). Several of them read and then moved through the crowd, explaining the import of the lessons. The Law was understood to be God's instructions for life. Ezra reminded them of what they had forgotten.

III. The attentive crowd responded to the reading of the Word

Some communities of faith respond to the reading of the Word by saying, "Thanks be to God," or "Praise be to Thee, a Christ." They say it in unison as a congregation. Ezra's crowd grieved and cried openly.

A. It had been a long time since they had been able to worship as a people. For the majority, this experi­ence may have been a first.

B. They may have been reminded that they were to love God with all their hearts and their neighbors too.

C. Perhaps some prayed prayers of repentance. Oth­ers may have wept ill fear of judgment.

D. They listened with attentive ears and responded with sensitive hearts. Every time the Word is read or heard, one can either be confirmed or convicted. God speaks through His Word. He intends for His people to hear and respond.

IV. Nehemiah and Ezra sing a duet

Both the governor and the priest respond to the weep­ing and wailing with an odd announcement. They say, "Don't worry. Be happy." The people are told to eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, give some food to the poor, and remember, "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

A. I couldn't imagine saying to folks convicted by a sermon and moved to pray, "Don't cry! This is the day we celebrate the Resurrection. Go! Eat till you're full! Rejoice."

B. Regardless of their sin, God was a loving God, and eager to restore His people. A short line exists be­tween tears of sorrow and tears of joy, repentance to reconciliation.

ILLUS. I don't know what I did wrong. But it must have been something major, resulting in a spanking when Dad got home. He routinely got home at 6:15 P.M., making for a torturously long wait for sure and certain pain. He used the line, "This will hurt me more than you." I so desper­ately didn't want him to hurt himself. But, he did. After the "board" meeting, we ate supper. The meal somehow made things all right again. It was neutral ground. By dessert time, I was restored to fellowship. I had bright hopes for the evening.

CONCLUSION:

The joy of the Lord! The Lord who is grieved by sin re­mains eager to forgive and reconcile the sinner-gladly. So I hear the Word. I listen attentively. I am grieved. I whisper a prayer and may even weep. Then I'm remind­ed of God, who delights in my prayers and is overjoyed when I rest in His forgiveness.

Well, I'm encouraged. My joy is not explained by cir­cumstance. It rests in knowing that Jesus has whispered the last word on sin, and it's "forgiveness."

If you believe in that truth, let the party begin!

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WHEN CHRIST IS PRESENT

By Randall E. Davey

(Fifth Sunday of January)

1 Corinthians 13

INTRO:

With confidence that Jesus will meet with the two or who gather in His name (Matt. 18:20), we marry bury, worship and study, fellowship and do business as Christians.

To be Christ's implies one has responded to Jesus' gracious offer of forgiveness, justification, and reconcilia­tion. Convicted of sin, we repent and open ourselves to the Risen Lord's saving ways. To that we give witness by saying, "I'm saved," "I'm born again," or by confessing, "I’m a Christian."

When Christians meet, Jesus is present. The believer can say, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20, NASB). Jesus promised to be with the "believer-disciple­" to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20).

Corinth Community Church was having trouble integrating ­the idea of Christ's presence with everyday living. One church member was living with his own stepmother with the tacit approval of the congregation. Others were having sexual intercourse with prostitutes. Others, influenced by a Gnostic worldview, had given up sexual relations with ­their spouses. The same group overate at the Lord’s table, got drunk, and were riotous. They did not oppose partying with non-Christian neighbors. They brought the same spirit to worship services. A district su­perintendent might have trouble filling this church.

ILLUS. I preached a revival meeting for a group who seemed little interested in or inclined to revival. The meetings were fairly routine and disappointing. At the close, a retired preacher explained. "The Spirit wasn't here. He just wasn't here."

I understood what he said. Undoubtedly God was pres­ent, but not in the ways we would have preferred.

Christ is present when His people meet. How Christ's presence is expressed and how Christ's presence is expe­rienced is not so clear.

1. I. How is Christ understood to be present when the church gathers?

When the Church gathers for worship, what causes persons to say, "The Lord was really here today"?

ILLUS. A few weeks ago, we had an unusual service. It was different from anything we have experienced. Before I read the sermon text, a spontaneous testimony was given, followed by several others. Soon an hour had passed. No text was read. The Doxology wasn't sung. The ser­mon wasn't preached. Yet, obviously God's Spirit was present in an unusual way.

Admittedly, we use a very unscientific method in say­ing what we say. It is difficult to analyze that which can't be analyzed. But the church has always prized some ex­pressions of Christ's presence more than others. Corinth no exception.

A. The Corinthians valued speaking in tongues. Some understand that to mean that they cherished gifted speakers. Others understand tongues to refer to lan­guages. Still others think "tongues" refer to unknown ecstatic utterance. Whatever the case, some prized the gift. If they employed it publicly, they may have been perceived as being especially spiritual.

B. Some Corinthians esteemed the gift of prophecy. Some scholars understand it to mean preaching with special inspiration or preachers who were particularly insightful in exposing biblical truth.

C. Another segment gained notoriety by making no secret that they supported local charities. Some may have etched on the back of their secondhand wooden oxcarts, "We support the poor." Probably they wouldn't have opposed seeing their name in print as members of the Heavy Duty Donors' Club.

D. Many among them went to extremes to insure their spirituality. These folk talked of martyrdom and their willingness to undergo it. Surely some would have concluded that these types must be spiritual to say those kinds of things.

E. Is Christ more present in one spiritual gift or an­other?

We are more apt to identify one who prays and "touches heaven" as a truly spiritual person. Others would point to one who cries when he sings. Others measure the audible responses in a service as a sign of God's real presence. For many evangelicals the altar service is perhaps the test case for God's obvious pres­ence. I'm not sure where the sacraments would rank, but I suspect they would be a distant last.

Regardless of the criteria, we testify to the mystery of His presence. We understand that there are ways and times He seems to be present.

II. How else is Christ's presence expressed?

Paul argues in the "love chapter" that one can have all kinds of spiritual gifts and signs that are absolutely worth­less if unaccompanied by love. He insists that Christ's community must be primarily known for its willingness to love each other and to die for each other (John 15:12- 15). Admittedly, that is a far cry from where most of us live. But Paul asserted that only in loving do we under­stand Christ's presence.

A. In Jesus' community folks are patient with each other. That's tough to imagine in any time, let alone in an age in which we can fax and phone from our cars. When, for a moment, someone, somewhere extends patience to you, rejoice. Christ is present.

B. In Jesus' community folks are kind. They ease one another's pain and are sensitive to one another as Paul was to Onesimus! "Folks have been kind to me," you insist. Rejoice. Christ is present.

C. In Jesus' community folks aren't jealous or think too highly of themselves! It's so natural for us to be jealous of the position and status we think we've worked hard to achieve. What fun is it if we don't let a few friends in on our success?

"But," you say, "not everyone is a legend in his own mind, and not everyone seeks praise and exaggerates his accomplishments." No? Then rejoice. Christ is pres­ent in them.

D. In Jesus' community folks are not rude, do not in­sist on their own way, are not easily provoked, and don't keep records of wrongs! The description is get­ting more unrealistic. We've all encountered rude folk who explain themselves by saying, ''I'm an up-front kind of guy. You never have to wonder where you stand with me." Sometimes we would prefer to won­der as we nurse our wounded spirits.

Of course, the conflict over which we came to ver­bal blows was induced by everyone insisting on his own way. But the apostle Paul dreamed of relating in love.

All of us know folks who are tactful and don't insist on their own way. They are not given to temper and don't keep bringing up the past. They are so few that we cele­brate their presence and slowly recognize Jesus' presence.

E. The description of this new community grows more heavenly. A place where folks take no pleasure in doing evil or tale bearing, where they rejoice in the truth and are unbelievably supportive! Christ is present in them.

III. How is Christ's presence experienced?

We experience grace that makes it possible for us to turn to Jesus in conversion. We experience Him in mar­velous outpourings of grace that may result in our sancti­fication and His calling upon us to be a community of persons, worshiping God in spirit and truth. We experi­ence Him in the community of His people.

ILLUS. Years ago, I was part of a congregation given to singing any hymn, gospel song, or chorus that focused on Christian love. It was that kind of an era. One night, fol­lowing board meeting, one member said to another: "If we are one in the bond of love, I'd hate to see what a meeting would be like if we weren't!"

A. John Wesley said that from the beginning there have been two kinds of Christians. The first try to live the Christian life. The second take up their cross daily. The latter want to be like Jesus.

B. Some may believe that they will experience Christ's presence if they worship this way or that, fast, pray, give double tithe, or run the aisles. Paul would contend otherwise. In Jesus’ exemplified, spon­taneous, self-giving love He is understood, expressed, and experienced.

CONCLUSION:

If one purposes to be like Jesus, he must be like Him in loving, for God is love. Have you been loved when you felt you deserved less? Have you loved the unlovable and didn't know why or how you could do it? Rejoice. They could do no less. Christ is present.

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THE VISION

By Randall E. Davey

(First Sunday of February)

Isa. 6:1-8

INTRO:

I have never had a spiritual experience that could top Isaiah's vision or even come close to it. In fact, this vision is something with which I cannot identify, yet I find it en­gaging.

Is the vision to be dismissed as one of those infrequent God-man encounters, buried with His appearances to Noah, Abraham, or Moses? Is it fascinating but personally irrelevant?

It seems reasonable to believe that Isaiah was a man of God, long before he experienced this dramatic vision. Some contend that he had a history of preaching, pro­nouncing woe, warning his kinsmen of coming peril and the sure and certain consequence of their self-reliant spirit.

Others suggest that the vision occurred during some act of worship occasioned by a seasonal festival, such as New Year's, which called attention to the divine Kingship. If so, the Jerusalem Temple celebration would have had added meaning, since Uzziah (also known as Azariah), a popular and effective king, had just died of leprosy (2 Kings 15:5).

At Uzziah's death, Judah was gripped with fear. Uzziah was an efficient administrator, capable military leader, and competent politician (2 Chron. 26:1-15), a tough act to follow. With Assylia about to invade, Judah had no ex­perienced and capable leadership.

ILLUS. In the U.S.A., President George Bush's selection of Dan Quayle as a running mate fueled nationwide inse­curity. The public questioned Quayle's competency and doubted his ability to govern in the event of the presi­dent's death.

While Judah panicked, Isaiah had a vision.

I. "I saw the Lord" (v. 1)

Without explanation or fanfare, Isaiah recalls the expe­rience that undoubtedly changed his life and ministry for­ever. He observes the glory of the king and overhears the deliberations of heaven.

A. "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne" (NASB). We would love to know the details of this story.

Normally people who saw God died (Exod. 19:21). Isaiah caught a glimpse of God. But in the instances when persons like Moses saw God and lived, they were never the same. The encounter enabled them to do what God required of them (Exod. 24:9ff.).

Isaiah leaves the reader with a sense of reverential awe for the One who was high and lifted up.

B. The throne and royal robe were furniture and gar­ments of a king. God alone is the King so desperately needed but so rarely heeded by Judah.

God was exalted. The throne of Isaiah's vision was mammoth, and on it sat the Holy One. While Judah franti­cally searched for someone to lead them, Isaiah lay pros­trate in the presence of the only One who is to be exalted.

The skirts of the royal robe filled the Temple! Isaiah can't bring himself to paint a verbal portrait of God. The description rises no higher than the hem of His garment.

C. Seraphim stood above God. Seraphim are not part of current vernacular. The first group with whom Isa­iah shared his experience understood seraphim to be creatures popular in Egyptian royal symbolism. The winged cobra was understood to be a divine protective spirit, guarding the king.

Others associate the word "seraphim" with fire, likened unto the "fiery serpents" mentioned in Num. 21:6, NASB. Isaiah paints them as winged creatures with some humanlike characteristics.

They were attendants or servants engaged in perpet­ual praise. John saw four living creatures, winged and singing similar hymn tunes, perhaps first scripted by their Old Testament counterparts. "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come" (Rev. 4:8, NASB).

The Old Testament seraphim choral group was singing antiphonally, first one group, then another.

D. "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts" (v. 3, NASB). At that time, only God could be called holy. Yet the entire nation has been called to be holy (Exod. 19:6). Hebrew understanding of holiness took on an ethical cast. To be holy implied right relationship with God and humankind.

E. "The whole earth is full of His glory" (v. 3, NASB). In the postexilic age, this was simply a way of saying, "God's presence is with us." Not only in Temple and not only in cloud but also in all the earth! Where God's glory is revealed, judgment for sin is inevitable. One can't help but think of Jesus, of whom it was said:

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14, NASB).

F. The foundations shook at His voice, and smoke filled the Temple (v. 4). Some traditions include a ritu­al during which they dispense smoke, a reminder of the vision and a reminder that God is mystery.

II. "Then I said, 'Woe is me'" (v. 5, NASB)

Isaiah was reduced to grief and overwhelming self-as­sessment. He had doomed others, and now he doomed himself.

A. When confronted by the Holy One, Isaiah realized that he deserved his absolute and immediate destruc­tion. He knew that he could not join the heavenly choir in songs of praise.

B. He linked himself with his kinsmen. "And I live among a people of unclean lips" (v. 5). With them and for them, Isaiah recognized that their lips were unfit for God. Instead of praise, Isaiah was reduced to abject silence.

ILLUS. I spent a few minutes near an electronic security gate through which airline passengers had to walk before getting on board an aircraft. Most went through without interruption. But one tall fellow wearing cowboy garb had a few problems.

He initially walked through the gate with confidence, but the buzzer sounded. He was asked to de-belt and go through again. He did but met with the same results. He emptied his pockets, threw his brimmed hat to the ground, and tried it again. No luck.

With obvious exasperation, he angrily shouted, "Do you want me to take off every stitch of clothes I have on?"

The attendant replied, "If that's what it takes."

I read the passage and thought of the angry cowboy, and I thought about me. 1 can't carry baggage that is not in keeping with the character of God into His presence and expect to praise Him. Will 1 have to confess anything and everything to join the heavenly chorus? "If that's what it takes."

C. Without a prayer for mercy or a promise in ex­change for mercy, God acts. Before we can think or act, God acts. That's grace!

Seraphim flew with a burning coal in hand, touched the lips of Isaiah, and pronounced him clean. "Your in­iquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven" (v. 7, NASB). He who expected to die was redeemed! Grace upon grace.

One wonders if Isaiah's mind raced to the thousands to whom he had preached. Folks who refused to give God the time of day, much less acknowledge Him! Folks who would be lost if called upon to lead in singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy"!

III. Then Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord

He listened in on conversations of the heavenly court. There was talk of sending someone with a message from the Lord.

A. Isaiah answered humbly but with a sense of neces­sity, "Here am I Send me!" What else could he have possibly said? Life instead of death. Pardon instead of punishment. Guiltlessness instead of guilt. He had to go!

B. The rest of his life was a response to that which God had initiated and so graciously done.

ILLUS. A dear friend of mine was released from prison this past week. For six years and four months he was un­der strict and constant surveillance. But while in prison, he had a transforming experience with Christ Jesus. So many were faithful to the gospel in ministering hope to him.

He didn't learn of his release until 48 hours before he was set free. I talked with him on the phone and asked, "How does it feel to be free?"

"I can't believe it. I simply can't believe it."

At that, he rushed to tell me that he wanted to give the rest of his life ministering to inmates who would live out their days behind bars. Why? Because he felt compelled.

Isaiah had to go. He could do nothing else.

CONCLUSION:

Are you tempted to say, "If I had a vision like Isaiah's, I would more readily give myself to God in worship"? We can't create visions, but neither did he. God initiated the action. We can't purify ourselves and pronounce ourselves forgiven, but neither did he. God initiated the action.

We can't genuinely worship God and sing, "Holy, Holy, Holy," while hanging on to acts, attitudes, or spirits in­congruous with the character of God. Shall we praise or shall we pray?

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IF YOU'RE HATED, YOU MIGHT BE ON THE RIGHT TRACK

By Randall E. Davey

(Second Sunday of February)

Luke 6:17-26

INTRO:

I watched several minutes of a televised interview with politicians, all of whom hope to win their party's nomination for president of the United States. They were asked tough, pointed questions that could have easily been answered with a yes or no. Not one of them offered an easy, understandable response. Skillfully they answered "hot button" questions that they hadn't been asked, avoiding the simple queries.

ILLUS. One politician was asked, "Is it true that you had an affair?" The candidate fussed with semantics, suggest­ed that the past was past and that he enjoyed the support of his wife, and told us that America needed to lower tax­es, help the poor, and implement medical coverage for everyone. Did he or didn't he?

Why didn't they answer the questions yes or no?

One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to answer that. They wanted to address the kinds of topics the public want­ed to hear. They only do that by controlling the interview.

The following morning, the city paper gave the inter­view as little attention as a recycling program. No one ex­pected them to answer the questions. The candidates' primary aim was to please the audience in hopes that that would translate into votes.

How odd of Jesus, advancing a new kingdom, to say what He said. He didn't throw out crowd-pleasing tid­bits. He talked in puzzling, upsetting, nonsensical ways about pertinent matters.

The text covers what some call the "Sermon on the Plain." It has considerable differences with Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. Volumes have been written on these passages given to disciples in the hearing of a larger crowd. Verses 22-23 and 26 will serve as a typical exam­ple of Jesus' teaching.

I. Blessed are you in the oddest of times

"Blessed" refers to the deep, religious joy that is the consequence of one's participation in the kingdom of God. One doubts the disciples could have imagined the things Jesus said would produce such an experience.

ILLUS. Friends of ours who recently returned from a minivacation called to say, "Hello!" The first thing out of their mouths was, "You want to know where to go for a great time?"

I bit. "Where?"

"Sanibell Island," they replied. It's February in Kansas City. I expected them to say Hawaii, the Caribbean, or some such exotic place. On the other hand, I would have been floored if they had said, "Go do hard labor in a prison camp. It's great."

Jesus was saying things that made no sense.

A. Jesus said one will have joy when one is hated. I wonder how many heard the rest of the story. I can't think of a soul who enjoys being hated. I can think of a whole flock who would do anything to be loved!

ILLUS. I drove past a high school the other morning about 7:30 A.M. As I pulled up to a traffic light, I noticed a few high school students standing in front of the school. One girl had on what appeared to be a cross between a David Bowie suit and a Madonna hairstyle. She looked pitiful and lonely. I wondered if she was saying, "All right, gang, will you love me now?"

One will experience joy in the face of overwhelming odds if one is hated for the sake of the Son of Man.

B. Jesus said one will have joy when, as a result of be­ing hated, one is ostracized. Jewish converts to Chris­tianity had been excommunicated from synagogues and banned by their own blood relatives. Merely confessing Jesus to be Messiah was grounds for ouster (John 9:22).

ILLUS. I met a woman who had been a church pianist for over 10 years in the same church in which she was raised. In her late teen years, she married her childhood sweet­heart. They eventually had two children. For reasons I will never know, her spouse abused her, and she finally left him in fear of her life. The church, as she reported it, benched her from the piano since she didn't have "biblical grounds" for leaving him. She wept openly and told how she felt, be­ing ostracized from her church family. After some time, she dropped out. Ostracism wasn't an occasion for joy.

C. Jesus said one would experience joy when insult­ed. The crowd must have questioned His sanity! "You will experience joy when you are hissed off the stage and your reputation mocked."

ILLUS. A television program attempted to launch persons into stardom. Serious contenders sang or performed in front of a live audience who had the prerogative to hiss and boo if they didn't like what they saw or heard. It must be devastating to be mocked and ridiculed right off the stage.

D. When one is hated, ostracized, insulted, and one's reputation ruined, take heart if it is for the sake of the Son of Man. If the Son of Man was rejected, those who follow Him can expect the same kind of recep­tion. It did happen (John 16:2), and happen it will.

II. When most men would weep, you can leap

Jesus doesn't give mere lip service to keeping one's chin up in tough times. He doesn't stop with positive atti­tude or a "can do" spirit talk. He says that when folks are persecuted for His name's sake, they can leap for joy.

ILLUS. A commercial jingle went something like, "I love what you do for me, Toyota!" In the background, a variety of folks were jumping up in the air, kicking their heels.

Even from the lips of Jesus, it's so difficult to understand joy in the face of rejection and abusive treatment.

Jesus offered two reasons they could leap.

A. Leap because you have a heavenly reward in store. Jesus was saying, "Discipleship isn't one grand picnic; but when times are tough, know that there is a final chapter about which your persecutors do not know."

Talk of immortality wasn't household conversation. Many of the crowd didn't believe in the resurrection. So His talk of heaven was one more confusing part.

B. Leap because you are being linked with the proph­ets who were mistreated and persecuted too. The messengers were hated because of the message.

III. "Woe to you when all men speak well of you" (Luke 6:26a, NASB)

Who doesn't want to have a good reputation? Who doesn't give himself diligently to shaping and managing perceptions to insure that a reputation gained is a reputa­tion kept?

Jesus was quick to say, though, that Joe Public spoke well of false prophets. If you want to be like the truth-­telling prophets and the Son of Man, expect to be hated.

Since one may compare with a false prophet, it helps to know if that is a compliment or an insult.

A. They were a problem in Jesus' day (Matt. 7:15-23).

B. They were a problem in Paul's ministry (Acts 13:6) but frequently had amazing popularity with the masses.

C. They had a string of undesirable predecessors who drew crowds by hitting "hot buttons" and telling the crowd what they wanted to hear.

1. "Speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions" (Isa. 30:10, NASB).

2. "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so!" (Jer. 5:31, NASB).

D. False prophets still abound.

ILLUS. I heard a TV evangelist preaching that God wants His children to be affluent. He pitched Scripture out of context. In so doing, he set the stage for those who be­lieve and will send a promise (offering) to mark their commitment to trusting Jesus.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus' message is sobering. The media says of a well-­known pastor, "He's thought highly of and is well re­spected throughout the world as a religious leader." I wonder if that is a compliment or an insult.

I wonder about pastors who crave unanimous votes of confidence from the congregations they serve. Isn't there something about the nature of the gospel that invites cru­cifixion?

What does the message say of any who follow Jesus? Those who live a truly holy life will conflict with the val­ues of the ungodly and the “would be godly” who want a modified Gospel?

Jesus forces His hearers to think. This Kingdom of which He talked was not a mildly different political agen­da that would please the ears of the undecided. No. On the contrary. If the agenda is preached and heard and lived, one might be hated.

To the extent that you are hated for His name's sake, be glad and leap for joy!

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MAJOR MESSAGE FROM A MINOR PROPHET

By Randall E. Davey

(Third Sunday of February)

Zeph. 3:14-20

INTRO:

The scanty material provided in the writings of the sev­enth-century B.C. prophet, Zephaniah, is the sole source of biographical data available. He was a distant relative of Judah's King Hezekiah, making him a second cousin to the current king, Josiah. Probably, he was in his early to mid-20s at the zenith of his ministry. That would put his work at the 638 B.C. to 621 B.C. date, making him a con­temporary of Jeremiah.

History looks kindly on Josiah. His administration came on the heels of Amon's, a short term ruler whose untime­ly, tragic demise by his enemies spelled an abrupt end to a questionable political career. Amon's father, Manasseh, served as king of Judah for 45 years prior to Amon. Ma­nasseh's stamp remained long after Amon was laid to rest and Josiah had ascended to the throne.

Manasseh dictatorially ruled Judah with an iron fist. But he proved to be putty in the hands of Assyrian political and military bosses for whom he had fear-inspired respect. They knew that he ruled Judah at their Assyrian whim and will. The evil despot seduced his own people to win favor with the powers that be (2 Kings 21). Under Manasseh's direc­tive, Judah was overcome with Assyrian customs, policies, and .religion. So broad-minded was he that he opened his arms to child sacrifice (v. 6), witchcraft, the cult of the dead, and worship of astral deities. Intolerant subjects were candidates for a premature trip to the morgue.

Barbaric neighbors to the north, known as Scythians, posed a constant threat too. The Scythians were fierce mobsters, bent on destruction.

Onto the geopolitical stage walked Josiah, whose own Spiritual crisis and "conversion" resulted in further change for corrupt Judah. Josiah's leadership was initially unpopular, but he wasn't to be intimidated. With the zeal of a freshman politician, he introduced sweeping changes that culminated in his first published work, the Deuteronomic Code.

Soon after Josiah found his way around the presidential rose garden, Zephaniah was on hand for a press conference.

Like his idyllic tutor, Isaiah, Zephaniah warned of the imminent day of the Lord, a day of promise for some, a day of destruction for others. Undoubtedly, he saw judg­ments in terms of "this world" events, unfolding through God-used military machines.

The "day of the Lord" was a necessary evil, a judgment that could have been avoided. But for the "humble and lowly ... [who] tell no lies, nor ... [are] deceitful" (vv. 12-13, NASB), good days are ahead.

I. Shout for joy!

These verses reflect the joy of the redeemed in the presence of the promised Lord on the climax of the day of the Lord. The verbs are labeled as prophetic perfect; the events, though yet in the future, are described as hav­ing taken place already.

ILLUS. A few nights ago, I heard a racket coming from Ashley's room. Theoretically, she was fast asleep, but I could tell she wasn't. I went "forthrightly" to her room and saw her bouncing on her bed like an Olympiad on a trampoline. Wide-eyed with excitement, she said, "Two more days until Amanda's party!" Though her enthusiasm was short-lived, she was already in the party spirit long before the balloons were inflated!

Israel was invited to celebrate now, based on that which was sure to come. Christians understand that. We celebrate, knowing that the victory was won in history, and the Victor is coming again.

A. "Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!" (v. 14, NASB). In verse 14, three honorable names are given to the Church of God: Daughter of Zion (cf. Isa. 1:8), Israel (cf. Gen. 32:28), and Daughter of Jerusalem (ct. Isa. 37:22). The remnant, the survivors who will be saved by God "on that day," are invited to rejoice "with all their hearts.

ILLUS. "I can't rejoice in the Lord always. In fact, I have trouble rejoicing at all." It was a confession of sorts. He ex­plained why he left the choir. "I just couldn't sing anymore."

"Why not?"

"Lost my job."

Both Zephaniah and Paul would remind us all that our celebration is not tied to the oppressive realities of every day but to the certainty of "the day of the Lord."

B. Our worship results from reflection. That really flies in the face of our experience. Typically, worship leaders assume that it is their task to "get people ready" for worship. Only after singing a few upbeat songs would folk likely testify. Zephaniah would insist that we come ready to engage in an act of worship be­cause "the Lord has taken away His judgments . . . He has cleared away your enemies" (v. 15, NASB).

ILLUS. If I received a check in the mail from our church board for a million dollars, I would walk into our next ser­vice differently. I couldn't remain the same. The expression on my face would tell the story. We gather, having received the heritage of the Cross. We can't remain the same. We enter worship with a profound sense of gratitude.

II. The King of Israel is in your midst!

The occasion of celebration was not lost in an isolated historical event. It wasn't simply "Red Sea stuff," their own kind of Pearl Harbor, that they were being called to remember. Zephaniah contended that the Lord himself had delivered them from the scourge of the enemy. He would be in their midst!

A. Zephaniah's crowd lived in hopes of Messiah's com­ing but undoubtedly were more focused on the barbar­ians to the north and the soothsayer on the next block.

B. The Lord is present. He is with His Church always, even unto the end of the world (Matt. 28:20). Zephani­ah's picture bypassed so much of that which is now his­tory and that which John saw in his end-time vision: "Be­hold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them" (Rev. 21:3, NASB).

C. The Lord as "a victorious warrior" will save them (v. 17, NASB). Zephaniah employs a militaristic metaphor painfully obvious to his hearers. The pres­ence of the Lord and the certainty of future deliver­ance cause present celebration.

ILLUS. My older brother has always been a hero-type to me. It was initially rooted in the status he gave me by sim­ply being my bigger brother. The neighborhood in which I grew up knew nothing of gangs and street violence. But we could occasionally square off if someone spoke ill of "Gunsmoke's" Matt Dillon or "The Rifleman's" Chuck Con­nors. If the odds were against me, 1 only had to invoke the name of my brother, declare that he was soon to be home, and that very thought gave me confidence and strength.

The Victor is present. The Cross and Resurrection are part of our history, yet somehow part of our present and part of our future. Our adequacy is in Him (2 Cor. 3:5-6). Our hope is in Him.

III. He will exult over you with joy!

Zephaniah details the ways He understands that God will act in behalf of His people. We recite, "1 the chief of sinners am, but Jesus died for me" (John Wesley). The em­phasis there is "for me." Zephaniah is certain, because of God's presence, the remnant have nothing to fear (v. 16).

I struggled with the idea of God's acceptance of me in Christ. Believing it to be true was an exercise of faith. But believing that God will delight in me was a bigger step yet.

A. "He will exult over you with joy" (v. 17, NASB). God rejoices over every repenting sinner (Luke 15:7, 10); He rejoices as he sees the Church and her individual mem­bers joyfully serving Him. As He sees their godly lives (Titus 2:12-14), their "feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:15, KJV), ready and eager to preach, He rejoices over them with great joy!

ILLUS. When Ashley was six years old, she figured it out. "Do you know why Jesus wants us all to get killed?" she asked her brother. "He wants us all with Him; and you know what? Up there, we can jump on beds, and they won't even break! And you can walk: up walls."

It's all right with Jesus if you jump on beds! She has the idea that Jesus really wants to be with us and is inter­ested in our enjoying the relationship. Zephaniah may have been a bed jumper! "He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy" (NASB).

B. "He will be quiet in His love" (v. 17, NASB). Silent­ly He basks in love, an expression used to denote love deeply felt, which is absorbed in its object with thoughtfulness and admiration.

C. "I will gather ... deal ... save ... turn ... bring" (vv. 18-20, NASB). All in their behalf! During the com­ing days of Jerusalem's destruction, the captivity of her citizens, the disruption of worship practices, God's promises voiced through the prophets were absolutely essential to their survival.

D. "I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth" (v. 20, NASB). The deliverance will be observable. It will happen "before your eyes"(NASB).

CONCLUSION:

That's the way Zephaniah saw it! The day of the Lord would be the ultimate in salvation. He may have under­stood it strictly in terms of real dirt and real boundary lines and real enemies. But of deliverance he was certain. That was enough for praise.

The redeemed read the story of history a little differently. We know the Christ chapter. We know about the Cross. And we know about the Resurrection. We can't help but praise. Jesus is coming again!

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