Good News about Insults

Intro

Christians often forget that we are at war, that we are to conquer evil by love and forgiveness, and that we have a message worth shouting from the rooftops.

Goal.

I want to spur us on to courageous discipleship.

Plan

We will examine Matthew 10:24-39 looking at the insults, courage, family opposition, and the cost of discipleship.

Denigrating Christians

In Matthew 10:24-25 Jesus speaks of Christians being besmirched and slandered as he was. He was called Beelzebul (meaning, lord of dung) a popular corruption of Beelzebub (lord of the flies) in ancient times, an idol worshiped in ancient Ekron and representing Satan the devil. When we in the Church are not being persecuted and being lied about and falsely accused as Jesus was, does that mean that we are perceived as too weak to be a threat to the evils of our society? Is the message of repentance from corruption and wrong-doing not loud enough to be heard? Have we capitulated to the sins of the world? Are we afraid? Have we been cowed into silence by popular immorality? Why are we not suffering in some way? Have we failed to tell the message of repentance and forgiveness?

Insults can be Compliments

Have you ever been insulted? When some people are insulted they allow their blood to boil. They lose their cool and get very angry. However, Jesus said that for the Christian an insult can actually be a compliment. How, you ask? Quite simple! In Matthew 10:24-25, Jesus coached his first students, saying that if he was called the prince of demons, then his followers would be called even worse names. So, next time that we are insulted, keep our cool and analyze the situation. Was the insult the result of being a Christian? If so, then that is actually a good thing. A verbal assault from an adversary might be unwitting praise. Use it to be encouraged. Maybe it is a litmus test of genuine Christianity in our lives. If so, take the verbal abuse as a wonderful compliment.

Shouting Jesus from the Rooftops

Have you ever been threatened because of your faith? In some parts of the world it's a daily occurrence. However, even in free countries Christians can be threatened by a boss to engage in corrupt business practices, or even be threatened by friends and family members who want us to compromise our beliefs. Christians have even been occasionally mistreated by graceless church leaders who want them to kowtow to a particular belief structure which may violate their conscience. What did Jesus say about threats? He told his first disciples that they should respond by shouting their faith from the rooftops for all to hear. There is a time to flee persecution and a time when the faithful response is to act even more overtly, not to proceed with cowardliness, but to intensify efforts with wholehearted fearlessness (Matthew 10:26-27).

A. Overcoming Fear

Fear robs us of life’s fullness. In Matthew 10:26-33 Jesus also addresses fear and gives five thoughts in overcoming it. 1) Realize that everything concealed will be disclosed, even threats and injustices done to us. 2) Be bold by speaking and loudly proclaiming the gospel. There is something about hearing the sound of our own voices that gives us courage to continue. 3) Realize that the most anyone can do is take our physical lives but not our eternity with God. 4) Know that there is someone who cares enough about each of us to know the number of hairs on our heads. That someone knows when every sparrow falls from the sky and values us far more highly. 5) Acknowledge Jesus openly before others. Don’t be a Christian who hides their faith. Openly admit our faith before others.

Worst Case Scenario

Some people hate Christians. In North Korea and a few dozen other countries Christians are sometimes murdered for their faith. Even in countries with relative religious freedom, Christians can occasionally be in mortal danger. Jesus encouraged his first students that murderous persecutors could not touch their souls. Only God can destroy both body and soul. So, where was God when Christians in the early church were murdered for about the first 300 years? Where is God today when some governments persecute or passively allow persecution? Jesus comforted his first pupils by saying that God is aware of even a sparrow falling and knows how many hairs are on our heads. If we should ever have to pay the ultimate price for our faith, Jesus encourages us to have faith in God's ultimate care of our soul (Matthew 10:28-31).

Family Opposition

Is Christianity is a religion of peace? Yes. So, why did Jesus say that he did not come to bring peace but a sword? Jesus explained that faith sometimes divides families. He warned his first students that they would have enemies right within their own families (Matthew 10:34-37). Are we any different today? How sad it is when a marriage partner opposes our faith, or if a son or daughter rebels against the beliefs of their parents. Yet, that is part of the journey. It was in faith that God allowed our first parents to choose an opposing way of life, and it is in faith that we allow dearly beloved family members to choose a way of life that conflicts with everything we stand for. If we follow Jesus, family conflict with those who do not is inevitable.

B. The Cost of Discipleship

Sugar-coated sermons of popular preachers are for baby Christians. Is Matthew 10:34-39 too strong for us? Can we face the fact that we are at war, a sword is needed? Family division over religion does happen. 1) Are we worthy of Christ, giving him first priority? We love our families, but do we love God more? 2) Do we take up our cross, willing to be vilified for Christ as Rome crucified non-citizens? Do we identify with today’s nobodies like non-citizens? 3) Are we willing to be different, giving instead of taking, dying to selfishness, admitting that we cannot solve our problems, that only God can save us? If we would die for him, will we be bored for him in a church that plays hymns instead of rock-n-roll, offended for him in a church that contains imperfect people?

Outro

The sword that Jesus spoke of was not one to destroy lives, but to destroy the evil that destroys lives. We are to conquer evil by love and forgiveness, even of family members who make themselves enemies, even when we are enemies of God. Let us shout the good news of hope from the rooftops.

Good News for all Nations

Intro

Our world is sick. Families are being destroyed and churches are dying. What is causing this? Is there good news to take to the nations? Is there hope for families and churches?

Purpose

I want to show the importance of hallowing the name of God as Our Father in heaven, and how that will go a long way to solving our family and church problems.

Plan

We will begin with Matthew 28:16-20, explore hallowing God’s name as Father and recapturing the value of fathers on earth for the healing of all nations.

The Trinity in 60 Seconds

God is Spirit, has personality, is life, good, unchanging and inhabits eternity. In the Bible God is one, and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have one name (Matthew 28:19-20). God is not one person with three personalities because Jesus prayed to the Father. God is also not three Gods but one, indivisible and yet three persons. Jesus calls God’s angels his, judges the world, is the resurrection, the life, is the Word which was God, and he is called Lord meaning God in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit is also a person. He makes decisions, teaches, guides us, makes the things of Jesus known, convicts the world of sin, can be grieved, blasphemed, possesses a rational mind, can be lied to, resisted and we can have fellowship with him. God is three and one — a mystery. Why is God called the Father?

The Father in the Trinity

God is Father because as Creator He is like human fathers in some ways. The Bible reveals the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) as three with one name (Matthew 28:19). A father is a parent in a way that a mother is not. The Son is also God yet distinct from the Father, begotten. The Father is unbegotten. In the Trinity each Person is God yet different. The Son is begotten of the Father and the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Equality, difference and hierarchy are not necessarily contradictory. Jesus never speaks of God as His Mother. Mary is His Mother and He taught us to also address God as Father (Matthew 6:9) by adoption (Romans 8:14-17;Galatians 4:4-7; Ephesians 1:5-6). God’s Fatherhood is the model of how fatherhood should be (Ephesians 3:14-15). Why Father and not Mother?

Why Masculine Language for God?

Why does God reveal Himself as Father (Matthew 28:19)? What is He telling us? Is God in some ways like a human father even though without gender and without human limitations and faults? Is God as Creator like a human father? Does God care for His creation as a father should care for his children? But, mothers do that too. Does the difference between a father and mother help? How is God our Father in a way that He is not really our Mother? A father procreates different to a mother. The father impregnates a woman and determines the gender of the child. The father has priority as the source of impregnation while the mother has priority as first nurturer. God is the first source of creation while Jerusalem above (Galatians 4:26) is our Mother, the first nurturer of the soul. What about those who call God Mother?

The Male Metaphor for God

Is there no more room for God’s revelation, only human agendas? Is Christianity just philosophy? Is it our work to reconstruct as we like, to change the Our Father into Our Mother (Matthew 6:9)? Do Jesus’ teachings and example compel us to accept other language for God, even though he never explicitly called for it? Was a patriarchy meant to be a domineering, women-hating culture as portrayed by those with an agenda? Is revealing God as a loving, compassionate Father in error? Did Jesus intend a “depatriarchalizing” of the church? When feminine language is applied to God it is used in the same manner that we say a man may act like a women. The primary metaphor for God in Scripture remains masculine. Why is God never called “She” or “Her”? The biblical writers’ speak of God primarily in masculine terms. But, does God really have gender?

Is God Father or Mother

If God inspired the analogy of being a Father (Matthew 28:19) and some disagree who has the problem? Was Jesus wrong to call God Father and even Abba, Daddy? Ought we Christians deny Christ’s revelation as to how we see God as Father? Was his revelation just culturally bound by the sexism of the day? Was Jesus wrong to uncritically reinforce such patriarchal terms rather than correct them for future Christians? He certainly corrected other inadequate teachings and stepped over cultural prejudices against women. Jesus frequently addressed God as the Father and if we ignore that, what else do we ignore of his teachings? Jesus’ mother was Mary not God. If God wants to be understood in patriarchal terms who are we to argue? Do we make God over in our image or receive his self-disclosure as the Father? What is the value of a father?

Value of Fathers

According to studies, children with fathers at home are more likely to finish school, far less likely to be in poverty, survive infant mortality, less likely to be in jail, drugs or delinquency, or to be involved in early sex and teen pregnancy, and far less likely to be abused. Child welfare says that fathers are not mere afterthoughts as second adults in the home but have a significant impact for good on “cognitive ability, educational achievement, psychological well-being, and social behavior.” Understanding the role of fathers must begin with the best role model for all men and only perfect Father, God in heaven (Matthew 6:9; Matthew 28:19-20). We honor our parents and receive the promise of longer lives (Ephesians 6:2). This translates into a respect for authority which fosters healthy societies and people who honor God. How are fathers different to mothers?

Differences between Father & Mother

A father gives to procreation and a mother receives the father. A man reproduces outside of himself, while a woman reproduces inside of herself. This brings about two different relationships to the children. A child is initially more detached from the father and more attached to the mother. Fatherhood symbolizes in some ways how God is transcendent, apart from His creation as motherhood pictures his immanent, intimate presence in creation. Does this transcendence have priority over God’s immanence in creation? Is Father-language necessary to avoid implying pantheism which reduces God to the level of His creation? Calling God Father does not negate motherhood or maternal imagery of God. Is God trying to teach us that calling him Mother would negate fatherhood and create an idolatry of His creation? Scripture certainly speaks of God mostly in paternal terms (Matthew 28:19). How does a father think?

The Hearts of the Fathers

The hearts of mothers are naturally turned to their children, but from conception there is a disconnect between fathers and children that should be united over time. In today’s world that is not always the case, especially as the male role in families has been disparaged and minimized. Malachi 4:5-6 addresses this issue. A prophet (perhaps in the spirit of) Elijah will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Unless this is done, the prophet declares the result as utter destruction. Those churches which do not fulfill this Elijah role, but diminish fatherhood are slowly sinking into utter destruction. In the role of Elijah the prophet the Church must turn the hearts of the fathers and children towards each other and hallow God’s self-declared role as Father (Matthew 28:19-20). Why is fatherhood devalued today?

Devalued Fatherhood & Church Decline

A liberal agenda is to replace God the Father (Matthew 28:19) with God the Mother. No father can replace a mother’s role of intimacy, care, and nurture, but a Swiss study found that if a father does not go to church, and his wife does, only one child in 50 will go to church. But, if a father goes regularly, regardless of his wife’s attendance, two-thirds to three-quarters of their children will become churchgoers. Can we continue to feminize our churches and keep the men and consequently our children interested? Have we hurt the Church by neutering, devaluing and excluding fathers? Has the absence of Christian male role models contributed to the decline of many churches? As some churches conspire against any patriarchy are they also robbing God the Father of honor due to his name (Matthew 6:9)? What about bad fatherly role models?

Call no Man on Earth Father

What about those who were abused by a father and find it difficult or even offensive to think of God as such? What about priests who do not deserve the title father? What did Jesus mean to call no man on earth father (Matthew 23:9)? Abraham (James 2:21) and Paul (1 Corinthians 4:15) were titled father. We should honor father and mother, but none compare to God as Father. Rather than reject God as Father, we ought to learn from Him what all human fathers ought to have been. Biblical imagery is not ours to change or abolish at whim. God wants us to understand Him as our Father, not abusive us as some on earth have been, but as a wonderful Father and origin of eternal life through Christ in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). Why do almost all Christian churches teach this?

The Sayings of Christ Unite Christians

Is there common ground that unites Christians? The logia, the sayings of Christ are the thing upon which most Christians agree. Christians are divided over so many issues and teachings. Yet, Jesus commanded that his disciples teach what? He charged them with teaching what he taught them (Matthew 28:19-20). So often we teach a whole host of other things instead. Yet, that is what unites us. No matter whether we are Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or Pentecostal, we believe in what Christ taught. So, if there is a priority in the Bible, it is the words of Christ, what we call the logia. And guess what! When we focus on Jesus and what he taught, all the other issues seem to fade into the background. We actually find common ground that wonderfully unites us all. Ain't that just fantastic?

Outro

The Gospel message to all nations includes God as Father. Let us get back to hallowing the name of God as Our Father, and the solutions to all our family and church problems will surely not be far behind.

Good News Flowing from Within

Intro

How should Christians affect the communities in which they live? Are we to be like a desert salt lake that receives water but does little or nothing to give life, or are we to be like a flowing stream that brings life to all who are near?

Purpose

I want to show how Christians are to be like flowing water.

Plan

We will examine Jesus instructions on the last great day of the festival regarding rivers of living waters.

The Last & Greatest Day

In John 7:37 we read of Jesus standing up to speak loudly on the last and greatest day of the festival. That describes the final eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn festival commemorated with small booths made from leafy boughs and observed since the Exodus from Egypt. Traditionally, each morning the High Priest and a procession went from the Temple to the Pool of Siloam and filled a container with water. They re-entered the Temple through the Water Gate. Another priest carried wine for a drink offering. They poured their offerings out at the base of the altar. The water, symbolizing the Holy Spirit poured out upon men, flowed down the Temple steps into the outer courts. This Jewish feast tradition was used by Jesus to illustrate the Holy Spirit’s working as rivers of living water.

Thirst

Jesus said let anyone who is thirsty come and drink (John 7:37). Thirst often means earnest desire. Deceptive advertising promotes popular sugar-laden drinks, but the greedy food industry lines its pockets and our thirst is not satisfied. Just as the benefits of water far outweigh artificial drinks, so do the benefits of true religion outweigh counterfeits. According to WebMD, water keeps us slimmer, boosts energy and lowers stress due to dehydration, builds muscle tone and prevents cramps, reduces wrinkles from the inside, aids regularity and reduces kidney stones. It truly satisfies. In a parched land, thirst was well-known. God promised Israel living water (Proverbs 18:4; Isaiah 58:11), like water for a thirsty land (Isaiah 44:3), water without price (Isaiah 55:1), a powerful symbol of life. Physical water truly satisfies physically. Belief in Jesus satisfies forever.

Living Water

In desert survival a rule of thumb is not to drink from pools of stagnant water, but to look for a source of running water, sometimes called “living water” (John 7:38). Drinking from the living water that Jesus gives, satisfies our thirst permanently. The only requirement is belief in Jesus. The Holy Spirit flows from God to us and out of us to others. When we have salvation we are satisfied. Christianity is not meant to be a selfish religion practiced in isolation from others. The context seems to indicate that what we have received from God ought not to stay within us, but should flow out of us like living water, rather than staying still and becoming stagnant. Does this mean that faith not shared with others becomes stagnant? Is there a difference between stagnant and living faith?

Rivers of Living Water

To understand Jesus’ prophecy of the Holy Spirit flowing like rivers of living water from within (John 7:38) we view two similar Old Testament passages. Psalm 1 praises the law, a shadow of the cross, given on Pentecost. Those who delight in God’s law are like trees planted by rivers of water. Ezekiel 47:1-12 describes water flowing from the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem and making the desert to the south productive. An allegorical interpretation of such Old Testament passages, such as that used by the Apostles, might lead us to an understanding of the Holy Spirit flowing from heavenly Jerusalem into and out of Christians as a blessing to others around them. Do we touch others’ lives in such a way as to bless them? Do we love our neighbor enough to quench their spiritual thirst?

Wisdom Flows

What is top of the list of the Holy Spirit’s gifts? In all the hype and divisiveness caused by different views of what the Bible means by speaking in tongues in the church, a very important gift of the Holy Spirit is overlooked. Jesus prophesied that the Holy Spirit would flow like rivers of living water from within (John 7:38-39). Proverbs 18:4 speaks of the mouth being deep waters and it is not tongues but another gift of the Holy Spirit that is emphasized, “the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.” It is in wisdom that the Gospel must be preached and in wisdom that Christians will gently lead their non-Christian neighbors to the Lord. The Holy Spirit gives an untold number of gifts to believers, and top of the list in 1 Corinthians 12 is wisdom.

Outro

How do we affect the communities in which we live? Are we like monks living aloof from the world, like a desert salt lake that receives water but does little or nothing to give life? Or, are we to be like a flowing stream filled with life and bringing life to all who are near?

Good News—Power from on High

Intro

Do events anger or frighten us? Are we weak quitters who give up at the first offense? Do we feel powerless to overcome the bad habits of the world? Do old age or illness make us feel hopeless? Are we debilitated by hatred or bitterness in our hearts?

Purpose

We need power from on high.

Plan

We will look at Jesus’ parting statements in Luke 24:44-53 as he prepared for his ascension.

Jesus in the Old Testament

Jesus said that he was written about in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms, the Old Testament described in three divisions (Luke 24:44). Over 300 distinct prophecies plus many analogies and stories point to Jesus. There is a prophecy of his virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), his place of birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), his identity as God's Son (Psalms 2:7-8), his anointing by God's Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-2), his death by crucifixion (Psalms 22:16), his resurrection from the dead (Psalms 16:10) and hundreds more. Before the New Testament was completed the church preached Christ from the Old Testament as well as their own direct experience. According to one source there are “343 Old Testament quotations in the New Testament, as well as no fewer than 2,309 allusions and verbal parallels.”

Baptized with the Holy Spirit

An oft disputed phrase is found once in each of the Gospels (Matthew 3:11;Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33) and twice in Acts (1:5; 11:16). Exaggerated teaching about baptism of the Holy Spirit emphasizes things like speaking in tongues or miraculous powers. However, the phrase actually means something a whole lot simpler than that. An examination of the Greek word for baptism is a good place to start. It literally means to dip, or submerge, but it goes way beyond a simplistic literal meaning. It also means a cleansing or washing (ablution) and that gets us a little closer to a logical answer. The Holy Spirit cleans us up spiritually as water cleans us physically. It also means “to imbue richly with the Holy Spirit” and power from on high (Luke 24:49).

Good News—Power from on High

God promised power from on high (Luke 24:49), his power (Matthew 6:13), power to the weak (Isaiah 40:29). Micah (3:8) was filled with power, to declare, by God’s Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). God’s power (Matthew 22:29) is greater power than the grave (Hosea 13:14). The apostles were promised power (Acts 1:8) to be witnesses (martyrs) and were given the power of hope (Romans 15:13) from the Holy Spirit, power of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18), power that is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20). It is the power of the resurrection (Philippians 3:10), power for endurance and patience (Colossians 1:11), power in the Gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:5), power for a godly life (2 Peter 1:3).

Visible and Invisible Presence

Jesus has gone to be with the Father in heaven (Luke 24:51). His visible presence is no longer with us, but his invisible presence is still with us. He is present with us in the coming of the Holy Spirit. He is present with us in the sacrament of communion. He and the Father have made their home with us (John 14:23). The world has spiritual Alzheimer's disease. They don’t know where they are going or why they are here. The invisible presence of the Holy Spirit gives us power to witness of the world’s most important and greatest enterprise. Jesus is no longer visibly present, but we see him in the “breaking of bread” and in the visible church which bears witness to his invisible presence (Acts 1:8). Christ still lives and his kingdom work continues.

Outro

God gives us power to overcome anger or fear, power to overcome offenses, power to overcome the bad habits of the world, the power of hope in old age or illness, power to overcome hatred or bitterness in our hearts, and most importantly power to live forever.