Losing a loved one is never easy. There is the sense of loss, the pain of separation and even guilt, as in could we have done more for him when he is alive. I believe that you have done all that could be humanly done for your husband or father in the time that he was paralysed by a stroke. I am sure he would have expressed his gratefulness if he was able. There is a psalm that offers comfort to all who reads it.
PS 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
A shepherd is one who looks after sheep. The shepherd’s job involves looking after the sheep, making sure they are fed and watered, and making sure that they are safe. A shepherd is working all the time. It is not a 8-5 job. They are on call 24 hours a day. The sheep are safe and protected. That is the impression that the psalmist wants to convey. Our Lord Jesus Christ is like a shepherd. He looks after us so that we will not be in want. That does not means we will not suffer pain or loss. Loving in this world, we cannot avoid pain. There are many things beyond our control. Like when we are to be born. Or when we die. We Christians believe that life and death in the hands of our God. While we recognize that many things between birth and death is beyond out control, we also recognize that it is in the control of God. Like a good shepherd, God will make sure we get what we need for our life on earth.
PS 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
God meets our physical needs. A sheep needs grass to eat and water to drink to live. In the same way, God provides us food to eat and water to drink. More than that, he provides jobs, business opportunities, friends and families. All good things come from the Lord. He also comforts us in our times of pain. The imagery of green pasture and quiet water is a place of comfort, a place of retreat, a place of restoration of a tired, sorrowful body. It is like the comforting arms of a mother to a child who is hurt.
PS 23:3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
God meets our spiritual needs. He knows that like sheep, we are easily led astray. Like sheep we are easily killed by lions or wolves. That is why he sent his Son, Jesus Christ to save us. It is because of his love that God took the form of a man to die for us. God restores our souls. For those who do not know him, God says, “I love you.” “Believe in my Son, Jesus Christ and you will find rest for your soul.” For those who are hurt, “God says I love you.” “Come into my arms and I will give you rest.”
PS 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Life is difficult. Even for Christian life is difficult. There are all sorts of dangers to our lives and properties. A cyclone may come. An earthquake may happen. A tsunami may wash away all we have given our lives to build. Not matter how strong and healthy your bodies are. No matter how careful you are with your food, how often you exercise and how many vitamin supplements you take, you will still fall ill. Your body will succumb to disease, cancers and accidents. God does not promise that he will prevent us from being sick or dying. What he does promise is that he will be with us all the time. He will walk beside us through thick and thin.
PS 23:5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Like there are always lions and wolves waiting to catch the unsuspecting sheep, the devil is out there watching for unsuspecting human beings. Like a host who prepares a dinner party for his guest; making sure everything is well, the food is well cooked, the table laid and the guest made comfortable. God has prepared a special banquet for us. This banquet is called eternal life. He has invited everyone to this special banquet. No matter how rich or poor, good or bad, clever or not so clever, there is a place for all in this banquet. The invitation is made through Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross to make this possible. Those who believe in Jesus Christ are called Christians. Their head has been anointed with oil, and their cup overflows with God’s goodness.
PS 23:6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
In your grief and despair, know that goodness and love will follow you all the days of your life. That is because God is your shepherd and he will be with you all the days of your life. Not only in this earthly life but beyond. Because you have been invited to live in the house of the Lord forever. For all eternity. And you know that on the other side of death, you will receive a new body that never get sick, never age and never be destroyed.
Dear brother and sister. Know that in your mourning and pain, you are not alone. This community of Christians shares your pain and sorrow. Know also God, who have never abandoned you will comfort you when you turn to him.
Amen.
Monday, June 02, 2008
God is Love and Mercy
a funeral sermon
Let us be reminded that our human life here on earth does not end with death. Death is not the end but the beginning of another part of our life. Human beings are eternal beings. This is because we are created this way. According to the Bible, God created us. He created us out of the dust of earth. When we die, our earthly bodies return to dust but our spirit and our soul continues on. One day, we shall all receive a new body, a body that is renewed, no longer plagued by diseases, stroke or aging.
Why did God create us? He created us because he loves us. He created us to be his children. He wants us to be his sons and daughters. He wants us to be his sons and daughters forever. That means now, here on earth and after death with him in heaven forever. God is Love. Human beings since the time of Adam and Eve, the first humans, have rebelled against God. Yet is spite of our rejection, God still loves us. He loves us so much that he sent his son, Jesus Christ to save us.
John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
• God so loved the world…
• Gave his one and only Son…
• Believes in him…
• Not perish but have eternal life…
God loves the world. He loves us human beings. He does not want to destroy us but wants us to spend eternity with him. So he takes action. Notice that God is the one who initiate the action to save us. It is not us reaching up to a God up there; a God who does not care. It is a God up there who care so much that he initiates action and reaches down to us here on earth.
He did it by coming down himself. God is invisible. No one can see him. That is why God came down to earth as Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in God incarnate. Jesus Christ is God who took on flesh and became man. God became man and lived as man. Here is a God who understands us because he has experienced what we all experience-love, hatred, pain, anger, sadness, and joy. This happened two thousand years ago. Our calendar still date according to when God became man. God not only become man but died on the cross bearing all the rebellions of human beings. God did what no human being can do. He died for all of mankind. However, that is not the end. To prove that he is God, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day. He appeared to more than 500 people. He ate and drank with some of them. Some of them touched him to make sure that he is real. He is real. And now, two thousands years later, nobody has proved otherwise. God became man.
God has already done it. He have man possible a way for us to go back to him. It is not a difficult way. You do not have to have a million dollar to buy a ticket. You do not have to be a holy man. You have only to believe. Yes, it’s that simple. Just believe. Believe that Jesus Christ, God himself has died for you and you will receive God’s forgiveness and return to his family. God is love.
God is also merciful. He knows what is in our hearts, more than we know ourselves. He will judge each man, woman and child according to what is in their heart. Where human judges may make mistakes and condemn an innocent person, God never makes a mistake. He is God. God is omniscience, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Nothing is hidden from him. There is an incident in Jesus’ life recorded in the gospel that shows God’s mercy.
John 8:3-11
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
JN 8:9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
JN 8:11 "No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
This incident shows two things: One is that Jesus knows what is in the heart of all people; the teachers of the law, the Pharisees, the group of men, and the woman caught in adultery. The other is Jesus is merciful. He could have let them stone the woman to death. According to the law of Moses, they have very right to do so. Yet Jesus let her go because he knew what was in her heart. He discerned that in her heart, she has repented and was truly sorry for what she had done.
We can all take hope in this. God is merciful. God is love. He will not condemn anyone unjustly.
amen
Let us be reminded that our human life here on earth does not end with death. Death is not the end but the beginning of another part of our life. Human beings are eternal beings. This is because we are created this way. According to the Bible, God created us. He created us out of the dust of earth. When we die, our earthly bodies return to dust but our spirit and our soul continues on. One day, we shall all receive a new body, a body that is renewed, no longer plagued by diseases, stroke or aging.
Why did God create us? He created us because he loves us. He created us to be his children. He wants us to be his sons and daughters. He wants us to be his sons and daughters forever. That means now, here on earth and after death with him in heaven forever. God is Love. Human beings since the time of Adam and Eve, the first humans, have rebelled against God. Yet is spite of our rejection, God still loves us. He loves us so much that he sent his son, Jesus Christ to save us.
John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
• God so loved the world…
• Gave his one and only Son…
• Believes in him…
• Not perish but have eternal life…
God loves the world. He loves us human beings. He does not want to destroy us but wants us to spend eternity with him. So he takes action. Notice that God is the one who initiate the action to save us. It is not us reaching up to a God up there; a God who does not care. It is a God up there who care so much that he initiates action and reaches down to us here on earth.
He did it by coming down himself. God is invisible. No one can see him. That is why God came down to earth as Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in God incarnate. Jesus Christ is God who took on flesh and became man. God became man and lived as man. Here is a God who understands us because he has experienced what we all experience-love, hatred, pain, anger, sadness, and joy. This happened two thousand years ago. Our calendar still date according to when God became man. God not only become man but died on the cross bearing all the rebellions of human beings. God did what no human being can do. He died for all of mankind. However, that is not the end. To prove that he is God, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day. He appeared to more than 500 people. He ate and drank with some of them. Some of them touched him to make sure that he is real. He is real. And now, two thousands years later, nobody has proved otherwise. God became man.
God has already done it. He have man possible a way for us to go back to him. It is not a difficult way. You do not have to have a million dollar to buy a ticket. You do not have to be a holy man. You have only to believe. Yes, it’s that simple. Just believe. Believe that Jesus Christ, God himself has died for you and you will receive God’s forgiveness and return to his family. God is love.
God is also merciful. He knows what is in our hearts, more than we know ourselves. He will judge each man, woman and child according to what is in their heart. Where human judges may make mistakes and condemn an innocent person, God never makes a mistake. He is God. God is omniscience, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Nothing is hidden from him. There is an incident in Jesus’ life recorded in the gospel that shows God’s mercy.
John 8:3-11
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
JN 8:9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
JN 8:11 "No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
This incident shows two things: One is that Jesus knows what is in the heart of all people; the teachers of the law, the Pharisees, the group of men, and the woman caught in adultery. The other is Jesus is merciful. He could have let them stone the woman to death. According to the law of Moses, they have very right to do so. Yet Jesus let her go because he knew what was in her heart. He discerned that in her heart, she has repented and was truly sorry for what she had done.
We can all take hope in this. God is merciful. God is love. He will not condemn anyone unjustly.
amen
Sunday, June 01, 2008
A Living Hope through the Resurrection of Christ
A Living Hope through the Resurrection of Christ
Text: 1 Peter 1:3-5
Text
1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Sermon Statement
Our living hope is our inheritance of eternal life based on the resurrection of Christ.
Introduction
Took part in a study tour on “The Footsteps of St.Paul in Greece” organized by the Seminari Theologi Malaysia (STM) from 18-28 May 2008. There were 28 of us in the tour. We visited
Text: 1 Peter 1:3-5
Text
1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Sermon Statement
Our living hope is our inheritance of eternal life based on the resurrection of Christ.
Introduction
Took part in a study tour on “The Footsteps of St.Paul in Greece” organized by the Seminari Theologi Malaysia (STM) from 18-28 May 2008. There were 28 of us in the tour. We visited
- Kavala
- Philippi
- Thessalonica
- Berea
- Kalambaka
- Meteora
- Delphi
- Athens
- Corinth and Cenchreae
- Greek islands of Poros, Hydra and Aegina
The highlight of my trip was to visit the monasteries in Meteora. 98% of Greeks belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church. In fact, religion is so closely linked to nationalism that to be Greek is to belong to the Greek Orthodox Church. To leave the Orthodox Church may be punishable by imprisonment and be shunned by the family and community.
The Meteora is situated in the northwest Plain of Thessaly and is made up of numerous giant rocks amidst a flat plain. Often called a stone forest, these rocks became a wonderful place for ascetic monks to be so that they may be close to God. By the late 11th century, there were records of monasteries being built in Meteora. Meteora means ‘in the air’ because it seems to be suspended between heaven and earth. During the peak of monasticism during the 16th century, there were many monasteries. Today there are only six living monasteries left in Meteroa. They are called living monasteries because there are still monks and nuns living and praying in them. These monasteries are open to the public are the Great Meteora or of the Transfiguration, Varlaam, St. Stephen, Holy Trinity, St. Nicholaos Anapafsa and Roussano.
Icon is one of the ways in the Greek Orthodox Church in which to teach the gospel. Often they are also called ‘living books’ or ‘living devotions.’ These works of Byzantine art are not worshipped but are used to teach. There is one icon titled “The Resurrection” (1552) which I saw in the Great Meteora which I find fascinating and appropriate to today’s sermon.
Icons are religious art that draw us into the Divine presence and remind us that we are resident aliens in this world.
Our text today tells us three things about living hope:
(1) Our Living Hope is based on the Resurrection of Christ (v.3)
(2) Our Living Hope is our eternal inheritance (v.4)
(3) Our Living Hope is protected by God (v.5)
(1) Our Living Hope is based on the Resurrection of Christ (v.3)
1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
a. In His mercy
b. New birth
c. Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Some features from icon:
Figure of Christ dominates the centre of the painting
Christ has triumphed over death
Christ is dressed in brilliant, radiant apparel and surrounded by a glory of light. This symbolized His resurrected body and the eternal life (undying light) to come
His hands and feet bears the scars of the crucifixion
The arena in Philippi must have seen many Christians put to death because of their faith. The Romans are usually very tolerant of other religions. Their own pantheon was actually made up of Greek gods which they gave Roman names. They allowed the Jews some religious freedom. Yet they were intolerant of the Christians. Why? The reason is that while other religions allow many gods, Christianity has only one God. Lord Jesus is king. The Roman Empire allows only one emperor. That is why Christians presented a threat to the empire. It is treason to follow another king. What is even more frightening is that they are willing to die for their Lord. (The Roman soldiers are willing to die for their emperor). What is worst is that they are happy to die for their Lord. Christians are led singing and smiling to their martyrdom!
That is because these Christians have a living hope. This living hope is based on something tangible- Jesus Christ rose from the dead. The resurrection is the basis on which Christianity rise or fall.
Our living hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
(2) Our Living Hope is our eternal inheritance (v.4)
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,
a. Never perish
b. Never spoil
c. Never fade
Some features from icon:
The halo around his head, his radiant robes and triumphant expression shows his victory over death.
Death is represented in chains, beneath the gates of Hades which were broken
The two broken rocks showed how Christ entered the abyss to rescue the human race
Christ is shown pulling the paralysed hands of Adam and Eve.
What is this living hope? This living hope is that Jesus Christ has conquered death and has given us eternal life. This external life is something that will never perish, spoil or fade.
In Delphi, we saw the temple of Apollos where the famous Delphi oracles were given by a priestess. Delphi has been famous for their fortune telling for over a 1,000 years. People come from all parts of the ancient world to enquire of her. In Herodotus’ records of the Persian war where King Leonidas and his 300 soldiers held back the Persian armies for 3 days, King Leonidas did enquire of the Delphi Oracle. She prophecies that either Sparta will burn or Leonidas will die. Yet even powerful and influential Delphi did not survive. It was destroyed and was forgotten for about 1,000 years when its site was discovered and excavated by the archeologists in the 1900s.
Our inheritance is eternal because it was won for us by Jesus Christ. Nothing can take it away from us.
(3) Our Living Hope is protected by God (v.5)
5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
a. Through faith
b. God’s power
c. End times
Some features from icon:
Also Christ liberates from the bonds of death the righteous. On the left are John the Baptist, David and Solomon. On the right are Abel and two Gentiles.
It represent the culmination of the redeeming work of Christ
The Greek Empire at its peak under Alexander the Great extended from Greece to Afghanistan. It has even subdued the great Persian Empire. With time, the Greek Empire crumbled and along came Romans. Pax Romana guaranteed peace by the Roman legions from the British Isles to Turkey. The Roman legions offer protection. One can travel safely from one end of the Roman Empire to the other. Yet in time, it too fell to the barbarians.
Our living hope in the eternal life in the kingdom of God is protected by God, himself. It will last forever because God is forever. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Conclusion
This icon shows that there is hope in the world, and for the world.
(1) Our Living Hope is based on the Resurrection of Christ (v.3)
(2) Our Living Hope is our eternal inheritance (v.4)
(3) Our Living Hope is protected by God (v.5)
Hope is important. Research has shown that people who have hope live longer, are mentally more alert and are less prone to depression than people who have no hope.
Soli Deo Gloria
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mothers are Special
Mothers Are a Special People
A Mother’s Day sermon
Big Idea/ Sermon Statement
To affirm the institution of motherhood and the role of mothers as a special people in giving life, nurturing life and passing on life.
Introduction
Today (11 May 2008) is a special day. It is a day to celebrate life, especially new life. Today is Pentecost Sunday, the day the church is born through the Holy Spirit. Today is also the day we celebrate Mother’s day, where we remember our mothers to give birth to us. This is really a very special day. With Easter arriving so early this year, Pentecost Sunday and Mother's Day Sunday fall on the same day.
Mother’s Day was originally called Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is believed to have originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one's mother church annually, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day. Most historians believe that young apprentices and young women in servitude were released by their masters that weekend in order to visit their families. It must have been a day everyone looks forward to because there is no 5-day week or annual leave if you were in servitude at that time.
However in the United States, the origin, while influenced by the UK, was different. Mothers' Day was invented by a mother protesting the killing of her sons during the American Civil War. She got other mothers to protest, too, and pretty soon Congress got in the act. Finally, in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson pronounced the second Sunday in May as Mothers' Day, a day dedicated not to honouring mothers, but to honouring their wishes -- that the killing be stopped. In the USA, it is a tradition to fly the country’s flag on Mother’s Day to show solidarity to mothers’ who children had died in the war.
This aspect of Mothers' Day is too often ignored, even by the church. It should not be. It is central to the whole idea of motherhood, including the motherhood of God. It is about the giving and taking away of life. You mothers know the pain of seeing your children fighting and hurting each other. Can you imagine the pain of seeing one of your children kill another? Can you imagine seeing your children divide into opposing armies and slaughter each other?
Today’s celebration is about motherhood (of mothers and of God). It is also about children because without children there are no mothers. I wish to affirm mothers here today because
(1) They give life.
(2) They nurture life.
(3) They pass on life.
Mothers are special because…
(1) …they give life
Monica of Hippo (332 – 387) is the mother of Augustine, who wrote extensively of her virtues and his life with her in his book, Confessions. Augustine was what we will today call mother’s boy!
Monica’s parents brought her up as Christian and married her to an older, pagan man named Patricius. He was a man with a great deal of energy, but also a man given to violent tempers and adultery. Augustine reports that despite the prevalence of domestic abuse at the time, because of her obedience to him, Patricius never beat Monica. Furthermore, her mother-in-law was against her and put her into great troubles.
However, Monica attended church daily and cultivated the virtue of patience. She would say to other women who had bad marriages, "If you can master your tongue, not only do you run less risk of being beaten, but perhaps you may even, one day, make your husband better." She won the favor of her mother-in-law in a short time. Eventually, she converted Patricius to Christianity and calmed his violent nature.
Monica bore three children, among them Augustine. Augustine made her very happy with his successes as a scholar and teacher, but he also made her very ashamed with his debauchery – drinking, womanizing, and gambling. For ten years, Augustine lived with his mistress and subscribed to Manichaeism. Whenever Augustine ran, she followed him; whenever he came home, she challenged his rebellious ways. And when he wasn't with her he knew that she was praying for him, because he caught her often on her knees pleading to God for the salvation of his soul. One day she got so desperate she went to a Bishop Ambrose and wore the man out. She wanted the bishop to speak with Augustine. At last, annoyed by her persistence and moved by her tears, he answered her with a roughness mingled with kindness and compassion, "Go, go! Leave me alone. Live on as you are living. It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost."
When her spouse Patricius died, Monica joined Augustine in Italy. There, some time later, she had the pleasure of seeing her son, at the age of 28, converted, and baptized by Bishop Ambrose.
In the summer of 386, after having read an account of the life of Saint Anthony of the Desert which greatly inspired him, Augustine underwent a profound personal crisis and decided to convert to Catholic Christianity, abandon his career in rhetoric, quit his teaching position in Milan, give up any ideas of marriage, and devote himself entirely to serving God and the practices of priesthood, which included celibacy. Key to this conversion was the voice of an unseen child he heard while in his garden in Milan telling him in a sing-song voice to tolle lege ("take up and read"). He grabbed the nearest text to him, which was Paul's Epistle to the Romans and opened it at random to 13:13-14, which read: "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
Not long after, as she was preparing to return to Africa, she died at the age of 56 at the port of Ostia, telling Augustine: "There was indeed one thing for which I wished to tarry a little in this life, and that was that I might see you a Catholic Christian before I died. My God hath answered this more than abundantly, so that I see you now made his servant and spurning all earthly happiness. What more am I to do here?" All this Augustine recorded faithfully and loving in his book, Confessions.
This is a mother who not only gives physical life but also spiritual life to her son. The life of Monica and Augustine reminds me of what King Lemeul’s mother taught him as recorded in Proverbs 31: 1-9:
The sayings of King Lemuel--an oracle his mother taught him: "O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. "It is not for kings, O Lemuel-- not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Origen’s mother
Origen Adamantius, ca. 185–ca. 254) was an early Christian scholar, theologian, and one of the most distinguished of the early fathers of the Christian Church. He was so devoted to Christ that he wanted a martyr’ death. He would try in many ways to get himself arrested by the authorities. His mother hid his clothes thus preventing him from being martyr and giving the church a first rate mind.
(2) …they nurture life
John Wesley was born in Epworth, the son of Samuel Wesley, a graduate of Oxford, and a minister of the Church of England. In 1689 Samuel married Susanna Annesley, twenty-fourth (24th) child of Dr. Samuel Annesley. Susanna herself became a mother of nineteen (19) children and John was the fifteenth child. There were two pairs of twins. Ten of the children survived to adulthood, three sons and seven daughters. Susanna educated all of her children at home. It was through her convictions that John Wesley became acquainted with daily prayer, a reliance on the Lord, and a giving of one’s self to the service of others. The Wesley children's early education was given by their parents in the Epworth rectory. Each child, including the girls, was taught to read as soon as they could walk, and talk. Susanna would make time to read, pray and talk to each one of her children every week. She was a busy person but she made time. She set aside an hour each day of the week for a particular child – Thursdays, for instance, was Jacky's (John's) day. During this hour she would inquire after “the state of their soul on its journey as well as their progress, fears, expectations, and goals in other endeavours.” Thus began lifelong habits of regular self examination. When she herself needed time alone, she would sit in the kitchen and pull her apron over her head. Seeing this, her children will not disturb her. John’s father, the Reverend Samuel Wesley, was the Anglican Rector, whose beliefs followed the church doctrine of the time.
John and Charles Wesley are the most commonly known of her children. When John was five, their home caught fire. John’s bed was in the attic and no one was able to reach him. John leaned out of the window and was able to be rescued. From that time until his death, he believed that he had been saved for a special task in life and that he should work diligently to fulfil this promise to God. He called himself a brand plucked from the fire referring to Zechariah 3:2.
Charles went onto to be a famous hymn writer, writing bout 2,500 hymns. Some of these hymns are familiar to us
"And Can It Be That I Should Gain?"
"Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"
"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing"
"Jesus, Lover of My Soul"
"Jesus, The
Name High Over All"
"Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending"
"Love Divine,
All Loves Excelling"
"O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing"
"Rejoice, the
Lord is King"
"Soldiers of Christ, Arise"
"Ye Servants of God"
Susanna Annesley Wesley was a popular speaker and Bible Study Leader. The historian J. B. Wakeley wrote, "While her husband was absent in London in 1711, attending Convocation, Mrs. Wesley adopted the practice of reading in her family, and instructing them. One of the servants told his parents and they wished to come. These told others, and they came, till the congregations amounted to forty, and increased till they were over two hundred, and the parsonage could not contain all that came."
After Susanna Wesley died on July 23, 1742, she was buried at Bunhill Fields. John Wesley conducted the services. Charles Wesley wrote the epitaph for her tombstone. Later a new stone was set up, bearing a different inscription.
In sure and steadfast hope to rise,
And claim her mansion in the skies,
A Christian here her flesh laid down,
The cross exchanging for a crown.
True daughter of affliction, she,
Inured to pain and misery,
Mourn'd
a long night of griefs and fears,
A legal night of seventy years.
The
Father then revealed his Son;
Him in the broken bread made known;
She
knew and felt her sins forgiven,
And found the earnest of her heaven.
Meet for the fellowship above,
She heard the call, "Arise, my love!"
"I come!" her dying looks replied,
And, lamb-like as her Lord, she died
Truly, she is like ‘the wife of noble character’ in Proverbs 31:28
PR 31:28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
John Sung’s mother, Chen Ruo Lan
John Sung was the 6th child and 4th son of Sung Xue Lien, a Methodist Pastor. John was named Zhu Eng (“God’s Grace’) at birth because he was the first child born after his mother’s conversion. He is a famous evangelist who brought the gospel and revival to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Today, you can still meet the more senior Christians who remember his revival meetings.
“Father’s asthmatic condition took a turn for the worse during
the fall of 1909. He was choking and felt agitated because the phlegm was stuck
in his throat. A teary mother was too grief-stricken to pray for him, and she
told me, “Quickly, go and pray for your father. What is impossible with man will
be possible with God!”
I could not bear the sight of my father coughing
continuously and so I prayed, “O God, please save my father so that he can raise
me up right into adulthood!” I had barely uttered my “Amen” when I heard a loud
cough from my father as he vomited a blob of thick phlegm. At the same time, his
breathing eased. I thank God for answering my prayers and lifting Father from
the valley of death…Through this, I hope that all mothers will teach their
children how to pray right from their childhood.”
The Journal Once Lost: Extracts from the Diary of John Sung.p.9
(3) …they pass life to others
RO 16:13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
Romans 16:13 is particularly interesting and it is one that scholars have struggled with over the centuries. Paul writes: "Give my greetings to Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine." Now this statement could be taken two ways. It could mean that Paul had two distinct women in mind--the mother of Rufus and his own personal mother. Or, he could be saying: "I salute Rufus and his mother, who is like a mother to me." If that is what he meant, and most Biblical scholars agree that that is indeed what he meant, then it raises some interesting speculation.
• When and where did Paul meet Rufus' mother?
• Did she nurse him through some serious illness?
• Did she receive him into her home for an extended stay during his missionary journeys?
• How did this woman and Paul form such a close bond that he refers to her fondly as being like his mother?
Mark tells us that Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried Jesus’ cross, had two sons: Alexander and Rufus. Was this the same Rufus to whom Paul was speaking? If that is true, his mother would be Simon of Syrene's wife. No one knows for sure who this remarkable woman was who served as a mother figure for the great Paul. Yet we know she has had a powerful effect on his life, so powerful that he called her his mother.
For some ladies, Mother’s Day is not an enjoyable day, especially if it is celebrated in church:
(a) for some, motherhood is an accident, and not always a welcome one;
(b) for some, biological motherhood isn’t possible;
(c) for some, mothers weren’t all that nice;
(d) for some, motherhood is a bondage.
Here Rufus’ mother proved to us, once and for all that you do not need to have biological offspring to be a mother. For those who do not have children also can be mothers and that is a very important ministry. This applies not only to this who do not have children but also to aunties, god-parents and grandparents. It applies equally to mother-in-laws.
Conclusion
Mothers are the unsung heroes of the church. Almost all mothers I have talked to feel inadequate. Some are good mothers but some have been bad mothers and they worry about how their inadequacy will affect their child. This is made worst because in church we always hear about good mothers only. Do you feel adequate to be a mother?
The poet Wilhelm Busch said “(Mutter) werden ist nitch schwer; (Mutter) sein dagegen sehr.” (To become a (mother) is not so difficult; on the other hand, be-ing a (mother) is very much so!)
Let me shared about one more mother, this one not too good.
Wang Ming Tao’s mother, Li Wen Yi
Wang Ming Tao who was born in 1900 and died in 28 July 1991 is widely recognised as an influential pastor who builds the indigenous Chinese Church based on the principles of self-propagation, self-government, and self-support. Recognised as the ‘dean of house churches’, he was in direct opposition to K.H. Ting who insisted that the church should be loyal to the state. He spent 24 years in jail for his faith. He was arrested in 1955. The next year, he was released when he signed a confession. However, he felt he had betrayed his Lord so he retracted his confession and was jailed until his release in 1979.
Wang Ming Tao was born during the Boxers were attacking Beijing. It was the time of the Boxer rebellion. Fearing for his life, Ming Tao’s father, a medical doctor with the Methodist mission, Wang De Hao committed suicide by hanging himself. Five weeks later, Ming Tao was born. Now forced to leave the Methodist compound, Wen Yi bought a house with the compensation money and rented out rooms. The tenants were a rowdy lot. His mother did not like to cook so she only made one meal a day. As a result, Ming Dao and his sister were malnourished, small and thin. He was named Wang Tie (Iron Wang). He was always bullied and get into all sort of trouble.
(3) …they pass life to others
RO 16:13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
Romans 16:13 is particularly interesting and it is one that scholars have struggled with over the centuries. Paul writes: "Give my greetings to Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine." Now this statement could be taken two ways. It could mean that Paul had two distinct women in mind--the mother of Rufus and his own personal mother. Or, he could be saying: "I salute Rufus and his mother, who is like a mother to me." If that is what he meant, and most Biblical scholars agree that that is indeed what he meant, then it raises some interesting speculation.
• When and where did Paul meet Rufus' mother?
• Did she nurse him through some serious illness?
• Did she receive him into her home for an extended stay during his missionary journeys?
• How did this woman and Paul form such a close bond that he refers to her fondly as being like his mother?
Mark tells us that Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried Jesus’ cross, had two sons: Alexander and Rufus. Was this the same Rufus to whom Paul was speaking? If that is true, his mother would be Simon of Syrene's wife. No one knows for sure who this remarkable woman was who served as a mother figure for the great Paul. Yet we know she has had a powerful effect on his life, so powerful that he called her his mother.
For some ladies, Mother’s Day is not an enjoyable day, especially if it is celebrated in church:
(a) for some, motherhood is an accident, and not always a welcome one;
(b) for some, biological motherhood isn’t possible;
(c) for some, mothers weren’t all that nice;
(d) for some, motherhood is a bondage.
Here Rufus’ mother proved to us, once and for all that you do not need to have biological offspring to be a mother. For those who do not have children also can be mothers and that is a very important ministry. This applies not only to this who do not have children but also to aunties, god-parents and grandparents. It applies equally to mother-in-laws.
Conclusion
Mothers are the unsung heroes of the church. Almost all mothers I have talked to feel inadequate. Some are good mothers but some have been bad mothers and they worry about how their inadequacy will affect their child. This is made worst because in church we always hear about good mothers only. Do you feel adequate to be a mother?
The poet Wilhelm Busch said “(Mutter) werden ist nitch schwer; (Mutter) sein dagegen sehr.” (To become a (mother) is not so difficult; on the other hand, be-ing a (mother) is very much so!)
Let me shared about one more mother, this one not too good.
Wang Ming Tao’s mother, Li Wen Yi
Wang Ming Tao who was born in 1900 and died in 28 July 1991 is widely recognised as an influential pastor who builds the indigenous Chinese Church based on the principles of self-propagation, self-government, and self-support. Recognised as the ‘dean of house churches’, he was in direct opposition to K.H. Ting who insisted that the church should be loyal to the state. He spent 24 years in jail for his faith. He was arrested in 1955. The next year, he was released when he signed a confession. However, he felt he had betrayed his Lord so he retracted his confession and was jailed until his release in 1979.
Wang Ming Tao was born during the Boxers were attacking Beijing. It was the time of the Boxer rebellion. Fearing for his life, Ming Tao’s father, a medical doctor with the Methodist mission, Wang De Hao committed suicide by hanging himself. Five weeks later, Ming Tao was born. Now forced to leave the Methodist compound, Wen Yi bought a house with the compensation money and rented out rooms. The tenants were a rowdy lot. His mother did not like to cook so she only made one meal a day. As a result, Ming Dao and his sister were malnourished, small and thin. He was named Wang Tie (Iron Wang). He was always bullied and get into all sort of trouble.
“Ever since I was small have had certain characteristic. No matter what issue
arose, unless I myself could see the rightness of a certain course of action, I
would not blindly follow others. On the other hand, once I had seen the
rightness of a certain course of action I would allow no obstacles to hinder me
following it. I may be weak in body but I am not weak in will.”
Thomas Harvey, Acquainted with Grief: Wang Minddao’s Stand for the Persecuted Church in China.
Li Wen Yi have had a difficult life and I do not know enough to judge her nor do I want to. What I want to say is that in spite of her bad mothering, his son turned out to be who he is. Wang Meng Dao needed that stubborn personality to stand up against K.H. Ting and the Communist government. If he had not been so stubborn, Christianity in China would have not survived by going underground as house churches. It would have been swallowed by Mao Communists. Today there are millions of Christians in China and the numbers are still growing.
I believe that there is One that stand behind all mothers, helping them to be better mothers because none one is a perfect mother. God is with all mothers and helps them with their inadequacy. No worries.
I believe being a mother is a calling, as much as a calling to be a preacher, pastor, doctor or fireman. It is a full time calling demanding persistence and stamina.
• It is not a job you can resign from.
• It is not a job you can delegate to.
• It is not a job you can retire from.
Like all callings, God will be behind you all the way.
Motherhood is any form, biological and non-biological is about giving, nurturing and passing on life. And love is the essence of this life.
This is so vital that God himself uses this metaphor to reflect his love. Though taken out of context, this verse uses the mother and child metaphorically to show God’s love for us.
ISA 49:14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me." ISA 49:15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
soli deo gloria
Children’s Prayer for their mothers
Dear God,
Thank you for giving me a wonderful mother. Thank you for making her healthy so that she can look after me. Thank you for making her loving so that I am loved. Thank you for all her hard work looking after me, and my brothers and sisters, so that I can grow big and strong like my Daddy. Thank you for making her patient when I am naughty. Thank you for my mother when she teaches me to read the Bible and pray to you. Thank you for being a wonderful God who makes wonderful mothers. In Jesus’ Name we pray.
Amen.
Li Wen Yi have had a difficult life and I do not know enough to judge her nor do I want to. What I want to say is that in spite of her bad mothering, his son turned out to be who he is. Wang Meng Dao needed that stubborn personality to stand up against K.H. Ting and the Communist government. If he had not been so stubborn, Christianity in China would have not survived by going underground as house churches. It would have been swallowed by Mao Communists. Today there are millions of Christians in China and the numbers are still growing.
I believe that there is One that stand behind all mothers, helping them to be better mothers because none one is a perfect mother. God is with all mothers and helps them with their inadequacy. No worries.
I believe being a mother is a calling, as much as a calling to be a preacher, pastor, doctor or fireman. It is a full time calling demanding persistence and stamina.
• It is not a job you can resign from.
• It is not a job you can delegate to.
• It is not a job you can retire from.
Like all callings, God will be behind you all the way.
Motherhood is any form, biological and non-biological is about giving, nurturing and passing on life. And love is the essence of this life.
This is so vital that God himself uses this metaphor to reflect his love. Though taken out of context, this verse uses the mother and child metaphorically to show God’s love for us.
ISA 49:14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me." ISA 49:15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
soli deo gloria
Children’s Prayer for their mothers
Dear God,
Thank you for giving me a wonderful mother. Thank you for making her healthy so that she can look after me. Thank you for making her loving so that I am loved. Thank you for all her hard work looking after me, and my brothers and sisters, so that I can grow big and strong like my Daddy. Thank you for making her patient when I am naughty. Thank you for my mother when she teaches me to read the Bible and pray to you. Thank you for being a wonderful God who makes wonderful mothers. In Jesus’ Name we pray.
Amen.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Discovering Christ
Discovering Christ
Introduction: Who is Christ?
A. Jesus is a Teacher
Most if not all people regard Jesus as a great teacher. Mahatma Gandhi regards Jesus as one of the greatest teacher who ever lived and the Sermon on the Mount as the greatest sermon ever preached. He studied the New Testament in South Africa and when he went back to India to lead the Indian Independence movement. Unfortunately, he was unable to see Jesus as more than a man.
a. Teaches about God (John 14:6,7)
JN 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
If you read through the Gospel accounts, you will notice that Jesus has always been teaching the people about God. He understands that it is difficult for people to relate to a God who is invisible. That is why He often points to Himself as the incarnation of an invisible God.
b. Teaches about God’s love (John 3:16)
JN 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The other emphasis about Jesus’ teaching about a God is who is not only our creator but a God who loves us, His creation. God loves us so much that He is willing to sacrifice His only Son for us. That is another difficult lesson to learn. For example, you have a really good friend. So good that you love each other very much. Then one day, you discovered that you have cystic fibrosis. This is a disease that eats up and destroys your lung tissues. The doctors tell you that the only way you will survive is if you receive a heart-lung transplant. And your friend came up to you and said, “Here take the lungs and heart of my only son so that you can live, the son I love very much.” I know it is not a likely scenario but that is what the love of God can be compared to in our present setting.
c. Teaches about God’s plan of Redemption (2 Cor. 5:18,91)
2 Cor 5:18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
This world is not what God made it to be. God created a perfect world which He said was good. This world is broken. God wants to fix this world, this creation that He has made. Therefore He has a plan which involves His Son. Jesus coming to this world is part of this plan. The other part of the plan is what Jesus has been teaching: calling people to turn back to worship God and training the disciples to be the people of God-the Church.
B. Jesus is a Man
The Gnostics do not believe that Jesus is a man. If you have read the book or watch the movie, The Da Vinci Code, you would have been exposed to some of the Gnostic gospels; the Gospel of Barnabas; Gospel of Mary etc. Some Gnostic teaches that Jesus is not a man but something that looks like a man. Others teach that Jesus was the first created creature of God. The biblical accounts was very clear that Jesus is a flesh and blood man.
a. He is the son of Joseph and Mary (Matt 13:35)
MT 13:55 "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
Even though He was conceived by the Holy Spirit while Mary is still a virgin, yet He was born normally like any other child. He has a childhood and was accepted by other children as one of them. In fact, he was accepted by his community as one of them. That is why they were so surprised to find Him different. Isn’t he so and so’s son? Even though Jesus has a divine nature and a human nature, His human nature was so prominent during His time on earth that He was accepted as one of the community.
b. He struggled with decision making (John 12:27,28)
JN 12:27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!"
If Jesus is purely God, then there is not need to struggle. After all, God is omniscience and omnipotence. The fact that Jesus struggled with His decision making indicates that He is like us. He is a human male. For his time on earth, He has put aside His divine nature so that he is human. Like us, he felt stress, pain and the uncertainty of decision making.
c. He was thirsty (John 19:28)
JN 19:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
For me, this is the strongest proof that He was human as He hung on the cross. It was midday, the sun was beating down mercilessly and He felt thirsty. God does not feel thirsty. A human being does.
C. Jesus is God
Jesus is a great teacher and a man. If that is what He is, then He would have just started an effective philosophical school and we are still in our sins. Jesus is fully man. He is also fully God. That is what is so amazing about Jesus.
a. He is called by Divine Names (Rev.22:12,13)
REV 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Names are very important. It is not just a label to identity you but denotes who you are. Those of you who have children will be aware of how difficult it is to find names for your children. Will they grow into their names? In Revelations, Jesus is uses a name the Alpha and the Omega. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and omega, the last. It means completeness or perfection. The only one who can bear such a name is God. Jesus uses names reserved for God such as the “I am”. That is why the Jewish people wanted to kill Him. He was using the name of God and to them that is taboo; taking the name of God in vain.
b. He is called by Thomas his God (John 20:28)
JN 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
The apostle Thomas, often called Doubting Thomas because he said he would only believe if he can see and touch the risen Christ. Actually I would consider him an empirical scientist because he wants to be sure in his own belief. Jesus knew that. That’s why He allowed Thomas to touch His wounds. Thomas burst out in amazement acknowledging that He is God. Legend has it that Thomas traveled to southern India. Here he came into contact with an ancient civilization and Hinduism. That he was able to have converts and started the Mar Thomas Church was an indication of how strong was his conviction that Jesus Christ is God.
c. He is referred to as God (Heb.1:8)
HEB 1:8 But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
God Himself referred to Jesus as God. We believe that God is Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. We do not have three Gods. We have one God who is three. Hence the doctrine of the Trinity. God is omnipresent. When Jesus was on earth, His divine essence is still part of the Trinity. One must not have the misconception that when Jesus was walking the earth, there is only two of the Godhead up there. There are always three who are one.
D. Jesus is Savior
a. Savior because of His completed work on the cross (Col 1:20)
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
When Jesus died on the cross, it was all part of God’s plan of redemption. The world was broken. It was corrupted by human sin. Sin is defined as disobedience to God. The punishment for sin is death. That is justice. Since we have all sinned, we can die only for our own sin. We need someone who does not have sin to die for us. Then we can be free. This person is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ being God is sinless. Hence He can die for our sin. Thus justice is fulfilled. The theological term for this is penal substitution atonement.
b. Savior that brings the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)
AC 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."
We receive this justice when we believe that Jesus die on the cross for our sins. We have received the forgiveness of sin because of what Christ has done. And what is more, God gives us a sign of our forgiveness. He gives us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to us when we accept Jesus Christ’s completed work on the cross.
c. Savior bringing eternal life and assurance of salvation (John 10:28-30)
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."
God has given us his assurance that what He has given us is eternal. God however respects our freedom. We are all given the freedom to accept or reject Him. That is the wonder of God. Only a loving and supreme God will allow His creature to choose to accept Him or reject Him. If we accept Him, we move from the kingdom of this broken world to the kingdom of God. Once we are there, as long as we remain faithful, we will never fall out of the grace of His Hands.
Conclusion: Making Friends with Jesus (John 15: 5-8)
JN 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
If Jesus is who He is: fully God and fully man, then what He has done on the cross are true and we have been freed from our sins. He has taken our sins upon Him. We have received forgiveness. All that He has taught us about God is true. God loves us and wants us to be part of His plan for the redemption of this creation. No only people but the environment as well. Jesus Christ is God incarnate. He is the invisible God making Himself visible. So our role now is to follow Jesus Christ.
Soli Deo Gloria
Introduction: Who is Christ?
A. Jesus is a Teacher
Most if not all people regard Jesus as a great teacher. Mahatma Gandhi regards Jesus as one of the greatest teacher who ever lived and the Sermon on the Mount as the greatest sermon ever preached. He studied the New Testament in South Africa and when he went back to India to lead the Indian Independence movement. Unfortunately, he was unable to see Jesus as more than a man.
a. Teaches about God (John 14:6,7)
JN 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
If you read through the Gospel accounts, you will notice that Jesus has always been teaching the people about God. He understands that it is difficult for people to relate to a God who is invisible. That is why He often points to Himself as the incarnation of an invisible God.
b. Teaches about God’s love (John 3:16)
JN 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The other emphasis about Jesus’ teaching about a God is who is not only our creator but a God who loves us, His creation. God loves us so much that He is willing to sacrifice His only Son for us. That is another difficult lesson to learn. For example, you have a really good friend. So good that you love each other very much. Then one day, you discovered that you have cystic fibrosis. This is a disease that eats up and destroys your lung tissues. The doctors tell you that the only way you will survive is if you receive a heart-lung transplant. And your friend came up to you and said, “Here take the lungs and heart of my only son so that you can live, the son I love very much.” I know it is not a likely scenario but that is what the love of God can be compared to in our present setting.
c. Teaches about God’s plan of Redemption (2 Cor. 5:18,91)
2 Cor 5:18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
This world is not what God made it to be. God created a perfect world which He said was good. This world is broken. God wants to fix this world, this creation that He has made. Therefore He has a plan which involves His Son. Jesus coming to this world is part of this plan. The other part of the plan is what Jesus has been teaching: calling people to turn back to worship God and training the disciples to be the people of God-the Church.
B. Jesus is a Man
The Gnostics do not believe that Jesus is a man. If you have read the book or watch the movie, The Da Vinci Code, you would have been exposed to some of the Gnostic gospels; the Gospel of Barnabas; Gospel of Mary etc. Some Gnostic teaches that Jesus is not a man but something that looks like a man. Others teach that Jesus was the first created creature of God. The biblical accounts was very clear that Jesus is a flesh and blood man.
a. He is the son of Joseph and Mary (Matt 13:35)
MT 13:55 "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
Even though He was conceived by the Holy Spirit while Mary is still a virgin, yet He was born normally like any other child. He has a childhood and was accepted by other children as one of them. In fact, he was accepted by his community as one of them. That is why they were so surprised to find Him different. Isn’t he so and so’s son? Even though Jesus has a divine nature and a human nature, His human nature was so prominent during His time on earth that He was accepted as one of the community.
b. He struggled with decision making (John 12:27,28)
JN 12:27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!"
If Jesus is purely God, then there is not need to struggle. After all, God is omniscience and omnipotence. The fact that Jesus struggled with His decision making indicates that He is like us. He is a human male. For his time on earth, He has put aside His divine nature so that he is human. Like us, he felt stress, pain and the uncertainty of decision making.
c. He was thirsty (John 19:28)
JN 19:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."
For me, this is the strongest proof that He was human as He hung on the cross. It was midday, the sun was beating down mercilessly and He felt thirsty. God does not feel thirsty. A human being does.
C. Jesus is God
Jesus is a great teacher and a man. If that is what He is, then He would have just started an effective philosophical school and we are still in our sins. Jesus is fully man. He is also fully God. That is what is so amazing about Jesus.
a. He is called by Divine Names (Rev.22:12,13)
REV 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Names are very important. It is not just a label to identity you but denotes who you are. Those of you who have children will be aware of how difficult it is to find names for your children. Will they grow into their names? In Revelations, Jesus is uses a name the Alpha and the Omega. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and omega, the last. It means completeness or perfection. The only one who can bear such a name is God. Jesus uses names reserved for God such as the “I am”. That is why the Jewish people wanted to kill Him. He was using the name of God and to them that is taboo; taking the name of God in vain.
b. He is called by Thomas his God (John 20:28)
JN 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
The apostle Thomas, often called Doubting Thomas because he said he would only believe if he can see and touch the risen Christ. Actually I would consider him an empirical scientist because he wants to be sure in his own belief. Jesus knew that. That’s why He allowed Thomas to touch His wounds. Thomas burst out in amazement acknowledging that He is God. Legend has it that Thomas traveled to southern India. Here he came into contact with an ancient civilization and Hinduism. That he was able to have converts and started the Mar Thomas Church was an indication of how strong was his conviction that Jesus Christ is God.
c. He is referred to as God (Heb.1:8)
HEB 1:8 But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
God Himself referred to Jesus as God. We believe that God is Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. We do not have three Gods. We have one God who is three. Hence the doctrine of the Trinity. God is omnipresent. When Jesus was on earth, His divine essence is still part of the Trinity. One must not have the misconception that when Jesus was walking the earth, there is only two of the Godhead up there. There are always three who are one.
D. Jesus is Savior
a. Savior because of His completed work on the cross (Col 1:20)
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
When Jesus died on the cross, it was all part of God’s plan of redemption. The world was broken. It was corrupted by human sin. Sin is defined as disobedience to God. The punishment for sin is death. That is justice. Since we have all sinned, we can die only for our own sin. We need someone who does not have sin to die for us. Then we can be free. This person is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ being God is sinless. Hence He can die for our sin. Thus justice is fulfilled. The theological term for this is penal substitution atonement.
b. Savior that brings the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)
AC 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."
We receive this justice when we believe that Jesus die on the cross for our sins. We have received the forgiveness of sin because of what Christ has done. And what is more, God gives us a sign of our forgiveness. He gives us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is given to us when we accept Jesus Christ’s completed work on the cross.
c. Savior bringing eternal life and assurance of salvation (John 10:28-30)
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."
God has given us his assurance that what He has given us is eternal. God however respects our freedom. We are all given the freedom to accept or reject Him. That is the wonder of God. Only a loving and supreme God will allow His creature to choose to accept Him or reject Him. If we accept Him, we move from the kingdom of this broken world to the kingdom of God. Once we are there, as long as we remain faithful, we will never fall out of the grace of His Hands.
Conclusion: Making Friends with Jesus (John 15: 5-8)
JN 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
If Jesus is who He is: fully God and fully man, then what He has done on the cross are true and we have been freed from our sins. He has taken our sins upon Him. We have received forgiveness. All that He has taught us about God is true. God loves us and wants us to be part of His plan for the redemption of this creation. No only people but the environment as well. Jesus Christ is God incarnate. He is the invisible God making Himself visible. So our role now is to follow Jesus Christ.
Soli Deo Gloria
Sunday, March 23, 2008
A Light In the Darkness
A Light in the Darkness
15 years old Tee Hui Yee made headlines last year when she received two heart transplants within a week. Prior to that, in 2006, she was on a mechanical heart for one year in IJN (Institute Jantung Negara), making a record for the longest period anyone is on a mechanical heart. Her own heart was too weak to work. It would not have been comfortable as the mechanic heart need a battery that weighs 9 kilograms.
In October 2007, she received a suitable donor heart from a man in Perak. Unfortunately, her body rejected the donor heart within one week. On 3 October, a 20 year old mechanic was killed in an accident in Johor. The parents agreed to donate their son’s heart and Hui Yee received a second heart transplant. This time, her body accepted the new heart and she was able to be discharged in time for Christmas last year.
Finding a suitable heart for transplantation is very difficult because the heart must match our bodies. If it does not match, our bodies will reject the foreign organ. This is like kidney transplant. For Hui Yee to find and receive 2 hearts within a week is nothing short of a miracle. The down side is that for a heart transplant to occur, someone has to die. No one can give away their heart and yet live.
Now what if like Hui Yee, your doctor tells you that you have a heart problem. Your heart is not working properly and you need a heart transplant. If not you will die soon. However there is a man whose heart is suitable for your heart transplant. Your doctor has done all the tests and only one man on the whole earth has a heart suitable for you. The man is alive. To donate the heart, he has to die. Do you think that will happen? What if that man is willing to donate his heart for you? How will you feel? I have never heard of any man who is willing to donate his heart. Kidney maybe, we have two. Donors want to live too.
However, I have heard of a man named Jesus Christ. Jesus said some interesting things which are found in the Bible.
Jesus claims that
1. the world is sick
2. the world is dying
3. that he is the cure
4. he has to die for the cure to work
5. that he will come back from the dead
1. the world is sick
Jesus said the world is sick. The world is broken. This is not what it is supposed to be. If you look around, I am sure you are aware that there is something wrong with this world
• The crime rate is Johor Bharu is very high. You are afraid to go out. Snatch thieves not only snatch your bag but may injure you first. Want to take, take lah. No need to use a knife.
• There are more wars in the twentieth century than in the whole of human history
• There are more people starving now than in the whole of human history. It is not that there is not enough food. It is that the rich nations eat more than 80% of the world’s food. There is not enough for poor nations
• Many people in Africa are dying of AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa had 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS by early 2003. 2.4 million Africans died in 2002. Ten million young people (aged 15–24) and almost 3 million children under 15 are living with HIV.
• In some countries, parents are selling their young children, sons and daughters to be prostitute for money.
There is something wrong with the world. This is not how it is supposed to be. The world is supposed to be a good place. The Bible tells us that in the beginning the world is paradise. It is called the Garden of Eden.
2. the world is dying
Recently, a friend of mine went to Cambodia. In Phnom Penh, he visited a museum where prisoners were tortured and killed. The skulls of the victims were still there in the museum. Pol Pot of the Khmer Rouge may have killed 750,000 to 1.7 millions of his own people. During the Second World War, Hitler may have killed 6 millions Jews. How can human beings be so evil? How can we do such horrible things?
The Bible tells us that in the Garden of Eden, something terrible happened. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Because of the disobedience, our human nature changed, become evil. That made God very angry. Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden. To make this world we live in today.
There are many things our eyes can not see. This does not mean that it does not exist. We do not see the electricity, but we know it exist. Try putting your hand in an electric socket. There are angels, demons and devil at work in this world.
The world is dying. God is still angry and one day he will destroy the world. He will send everyone to hell. Hell is a place of eternal fire.
3. that Jesus is the cure
God though angry still loves us. That is why he created Adam and Eve is the first place. He loves us as a parent loves their sons and daughters. No matter how bad our children are, as parents we still love them. So God wants to save us from his judgment. The world is dying and need a cure. The cure is his son, Jesus Christ.
4. that Jesus has to die for the cure to work
For the cure to work, Jesus has to suffer and die. Jesus has to bear all our wrong doings, our evil and suffer judgment for us. He even has to go to hell for us. By doing that, our slate is wiped clean. Punished completed. The summon has been paid. The sentence of death has been carried out. This is like Hui Yee. To get a new heart, someone must die. Because of a young man’s accident death, she is alive today. His heart is beating in her. A sentence of death has been imposed upon us. Jesus has gone out and died in our place 2000 years ago. Sentence has been carried out. We are free.
5. that Jesus will come back from the dead
When Jesus’ work was finished, he rose from the dead. How many people have you met that come have come back from the dead? Even before he died, Jesus has told his followers that he will come back from the dead. Even his followers did not believe him. According to the Bible record, he was crucified and died on Friday. He was laid in a tomb which is a like a small cave and a heavy stone was placed over the entrance. That’s the way they buried the dead in Jerusalem. The governor also placed some Romans soldiers to guard the tomb. They were afraid that someone will come and remove Jesus’ body.
On early Sunday morning, some of Jesus’ female followers went to the tomb to clean up his body. When they arrived, they found the heavy stone rolled way and the tomb was empty. Jesus then appeared to them. All in all, Jesus appeared to 500 of his followers including his own brother, James who did not believe in his teaching. Then Jesus went up to heaven, promising that he will come again. When he comes back, it will be to carry out God’s judgment on earth.
This is an important point. If anyone who can prove that Jesus did not come back form the dead will show that Christianity is wrong. That all that the Christians believe in are fairy tales.
My friends, after more than 2000 years nobody was able to disprove that Jesus rose from the death. That is not for lack of trying. Thousands of people, from scholars, lawyers, CSI experts have tried. Not one can came up with any proof that Jesus did not rise from the dead.
What does that tell you? If someone who claims that he will die and then come back to life again tells me something, I will listen to him.
• He died a horrible death, tortured and crucified on the cross
• He was dead, otherwise they would not have entombed him
• He rose from the dead as he said he will
I will believe all his claims
Jesus claims that
1. the world is sick
2. the world is dying
3. that he is the cure
4. he has to die for the cure to work
Believing is one thing, but acting upon your belief is another. If Hui Yee were told that a second heart was available to her after her first heart transplant and her body was rejecting the first heart, do you think she will believe it?
• It is so hard to get a heart in the first place, now another heart within a week. She has been waiting for the first heart for so many years and was even on a mechanical heart for a year.
• So easy
She may think that the doctors may be bluffing her, trying to console her and make her feel better. What if she did not believe them? What if she refused the second heart transplant? She would be dead now. She will not be able to celebrate Christmas at home and eat Yee Sang during Chinese New year at the home of her heart donor’s family.
What if Jesus is correct?
Jesus claims that
1. the world is sick
2. the world is dying
3. that he is the cure
4. he has to die for the cure to work
5. that he will come back from the dead
That he will take your punishment and give you a second chance. No going to hell. Will you believe him? Can you afford not to take the chance? All you have to do is to believe him and accept his death for you. Then Jesus is the light in the darkness.
There is a simple prayer you can make:
Dear God, I believe that you have sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins and I accept his death on the cross for me. Please help me to understand this more. Amen.
Approach any members of this church and they will help you to know more about Jesus.
.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The Christian's Responsibility to Vote
The Christian’s Response to Government
Introduction
On February 22, 1986, Saturday evening in Manila, Philippines, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Deputy Armed Forces Chief Lieutenant General Fidel Ramos announced over the radio that they were quitting the Marcos government saying that Marcos did not win the February 7 election fairly. They holed up in Camp Aguinaldo (later transferring to Camp Crame across the road), with only a few hundred soldiers to defend them. Over the Roman Catholic Radio Veritas the call was issued for a large number of civilians to surround the military camps to serve as a buffer between the rebels and the Marcos forces that were sure to come.
Many Christians are in a quandary. Would not participation in a barricade be equivalent to armed rebellion against the Marcos government? Is it not better to simply pray in our homes and in our churches? As it turned out, many Christians elected to pray as the main and only response.
There are Christians who did not hesitate to join the barricades. They have no intention of toppling the Marcos government by force of arms. Their reason for joining the barricades was simple and straight-forward: by providing a civilian buffer between the Enrile/Ramos forces and the Marcos soldiers, a shooting war would be prevented from breaking out and a peaceful resolution of the conflict could hopefully be worked out. The Christians know that their lives were in danger should the Marcos forces decide to attack. Their faith was in God.
As it turned out, the civilian barricade was so large (perhaps a million people surround the military camps by Sunday afternoon, February 23) that Marcos had to flee for his life, as defection after defection characterized his armed forces. A non-violent “revolution” finally toppled his 20-year regime!
This is perhaps the most recent example of the Christian’s response to the government. Years before this happened, the Church in the Philippines has been struggling with the issue of the Christian’s response to the government. When Cardinal Jamie Sin was critical of the Marcos government, a catholic layman wrote to the newspaper asking him to read “Romans 13!” The study of Romans 13 proved to be the basis of a Christian’s response to government.
The first eleven chapters of Romans (in particular chaps 1-8) explain in marvelous detail what it means to be saved and how men become saved - by being justified by God’s grace working through faith.
The miracle of salvation impacts every relationship associated with the believer’s life. When we are saved, our initial response should be to present our “bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship (12:1). Then Paul wrote about our having the right relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ (12:2-16) and with non-Christians, including even our enemies (vv.17-21). After dealing with this matter, Paul focuses on the need to have the right relationship to the human governments under which we live (13:1-7)
Text: Romans 13:1-7 in the New International Version:
1. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.
3. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
4. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
6. This is also why you pay taxes, for authorities are God’s servants, who gives their full time in governing.
7. Give everyone what you owe him; if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor then honor.
This passage teaches five vital principles concerning the Christian’s response to the government:
A. The Government….
1. ….. is by divine decree (v.1 b.)
2. ……is an institution of God. Rebellion to Government is rebellion against God (v.2a)
3. ……serves to promote good (vv.3b-4a) and restrain evil (v.3a, 4b)
B. The Christian’s Response…..
4. ……to submit through their conscience (v.5)
5. ……to pay taxes and whatever is due to the government (v.6,7)
1. Government is by divine decree (v.1 b.)
v.1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
First Paul says that human government is ordained by God for the benefit of society. In whatever forms it exists, civil authority derives directly from God.
6 types of government:
i. Perfect government will only come when Jesus the King returns to establish His Kingdom in all its fullness.
ii. Just government is possible where full participatory democracy is in bloom so that people elect good leaders and replace them as necessary.
iii. Mediocre government takes place if less than the best people are chosen to rule.
iv. Ineffective government happens in places where rulers are changed too frequently or the people are ungovernable for some reason.
v. Corrupt government develops when rulers assume public office mainly for private gain.
vi. Wicked government ensures when those in authority are particularly wicked, unjust and oppressive.
Like marriage, it is a universal institution of God, regardless of place, culture, race or any other circumstances.
There is no civil authority except from God. No matter what forms it takes, no matter where it is, no matter what ideology, no human government that has existed, existing or will exist , all government are under the sovereign authority of God. The entire world, everything in the heavens, on earth and under the earth are subject to the Creator. Without exception, the power that any person, group or society may possess is divinely given. How well or poorly this power is used is another matter. Paul’s point here is that this power has only one source – God.
Yet in his divine wisdom, God has permitted Satan to have vast but limited power over the world and the affairs of men. And this include governments. Many if not most government are under the influence of Satan and are a means of promoting and perpetuating satanic activity.
Governments have authority by divine decree. The autocratic, ruthless and demonic regimes of Adolf Hilter, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Tse Tung were no exceptions. The equally ruthless empires of ancient Assyria and Babylon were no exceptions. The Roman empire, ruled by caesars who declared themselves god are no exception.
2. Government is an institution of God. Rebellion to Government is rebellion against God (v.2a)
v.2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.
The logical conclusion we can draw is that since government is an institution of God. Any rebellion against a government is a rebellion against God.
The seriousness in which God takes rebellion is illustrated in the book of Numbers. God has chosen Moses not only to be the law-giver but also to be the human leader of Israel to lead them from Egypt, through the wilderness to the Promised land.
Numbers 16: 1-3 Korah, Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses and Aaron. “ With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who has been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”…v.13 “Isn’t enough that you have brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord over us?” They are questioning Moses and Aaron’s authority. And God was so angry that “the ground under them split apart and swallowed Korah’s men and their household and fire came out of the Lord and consumed 250 rebels.
The next day, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They were still defiant. The Lord then send a plague which killed 14,700 people.(v.49). Had not Aaron made atonement, the whole community would have perished!
God takes seriously any rebellion against those who challenge His appointed authority.
3. Government serves to promote good (vv.3b-4a) and restrain evil (v.3a, 4b)
vv.3,4 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Paul then described the purpose of government. The government has a dual purpose- to promote good and restrain evil. Government is the God ordained vehicle to promote good and restrain evil in human society.
i. Promote good
To promote good is to promote order. The opposite of order is anarchy. Anarchy means there is no rules and everyone does whatever they want. Look at Indonesia when the government could not maintain order- the killing and raping, the destruction of properties. Look at Bosnia and Kosovo. Judges 21:25 “ In those days Israel has no king; everyone did as he saw fit “(NIV)
Rukun Negara were proposed to be the basis of our government:
1. Belief in God
2. Loyalty to King and Country
3. Supremacy of the Constitution
4. The Role of Law
5. Mutual Respect and Good Social Behavior.
This is a strong foundation to build a multinational society. As no human government is perfect, there will be shortcomings. We must accept these shortcomings and work to resolve them.
ii. Restrain evil
In order to promote and protect the good in society, human government must punish evil. Consequently, those who do what is evil have reason to be afraid. Because the sword is an instrument of death, the weapon here symbolized the right of civil government to inflict punishment, including the death penalty for crimes that deserve it.
To restrain evil, there must be a code of law that applies equally to everybody, rich or poor, black or white, educated or illiterate. No one can be above the law.
Interestingly, rulers are called God’s servant. This means that our Prime Minister Dr.Mahathir is God’s servant whether he knows it or not and he is carrying out God’s divine purpose whether he acknowledges it or not.
Servant is translated diakonos. It also means deacon, pastor or minister. This means our deacon is the same rank as Pak Lah!
4. Christian’s Response is to submit through conscience (v.5)
v. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
Does vv.1-4 means that Christians must submit to whatever government they are under – whether good or bad. Are they to accept whatever government, keeping a low profile and hoping the government will leave them alone?
One of my favourite movie is Fiddler on the Roof. A musical with songs like “If I were a rich man” and “Sunrise, sunset”. It is a story about a community of Jew being persecuted by the Russians. The ruler of the Russian is the Tsar. In one scene, the Jew were asking their rabbi, ”Is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?” The rabbi said, “ Blessing for the Tsar? May the Good Lord bless the Tsar and keep the Tsar …………. far away from us all!”
v.5 comments on the above section on government. Here Paul is saying that the authority given to human government is not absolute. Submission is based on conscience. Conscience here refers to the Christian’s knowledge of God’s will and purposes.
When Jesus was asked a trick question about paying tax, He replied, “ Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:17)
So what are the limitations to the authority of human government:
i. When it is contrary to God’s law
When rulers give orders which are contrary to God’s law, for example, by ordering the killing of newborns (Exodus 1) or the worship of idols (Daniel 3) or by prohibiting evangelism (Acts 5), then Christians must say: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29)
ii. When it fails to promote good.
iii. When it fails to restrain evil and become evil itself.
5. Christian’s Response is to pay taxes and whatever is due (v.6,7)
vv.6,7 This is also why you pay taxes, for authorities are God’s servants, who gives their full time in governing. Give everyone what you owe him; if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor then honor.
No one enjoys paying tax. But taxes are part of everyday life and we as Christians must pay our taxes.
When God established the nation of Israel, He also instituted a taxation system:
i. Tithe or a tenth (Lev 27:30) This tithe is given to the support of the priestly tribe of Levite which had no land allocated to it and has no support. It is also called the Levite’s tithe.
ii. Annual Festival Tithe. Used for sacrifices, for supporting the tabernacle and then the temple, for cultivating social and cultural life, and for fostering national unity (Deut. 12:10-19)
iii. Triennial Tithe. Levied every three years (about 3.3% per annum) to help the aliens, the orphans and the widows.
iv. Annual half-shekel Tax. Levied on every male Israelite twenty years and above as a contribution to the Lord.(Ex 30:14)
v. At the end of every harvest, Jews were required to leave some of their crops unharvested, allowing the remainder to be gleaned by the poor (Lev 19:10)
vi. Every seventh year, cultivated land is to be left fallow. Whatever crop that comes up is to be left for the poor and what remained was left for livestock to each.
The total of all these six taxes, all of which are mandately amounted to 24% per year. The taxes are for governmental administrative costs, religious costs and social welfare.
We as Christians are required to give the government their due.
i. Taxes
ii. Services
Some government may require some additional services. Singapore have compulsory national service for their youth. Malaysia requires all doctors to do three years of compulsory service after their housemanship.
iii. Prayers
We are required to pray for our government whether we like it or not. Jeremiah in writing to the Jews in exile in Jer 29:7,8
And work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon. Pray to the Lord for that city where you are held captive, for if Babylon has peace, so will you.” (NLT)
Mind you, this is the Babylon that destroyed the Temple and carried them into slavery and exile. Yet Jeremiah did not ask them to rebel or pray for God’s vengeance on Babylon. Instead he asked them to pray for the prosperity of Babylon.
iv. Election
The new element that we now have which Paul and the Roman Christians do not have is called participatory democracy. Abraham Lincoln’s dictum of a government by the people, of the people and for the people is now everywhere embraced, in theory if not in practice. In a democracy, we have the awesome privilege of choosing those who rule over us.
Conclusion
Romans 13:1-7 gives us very clear teaching on the Christian’s response to government.
A. The Government….
1. ….. is by divine decree (v.1 b.)
2. ……is an institution of God. Rebellion to Government is rebellion against God (v.2a)
3. ……serves to promote good (vv.3b-4a) and restrain evil (v.3a, 4b)
B. The Christian’s Response…..
4. ……to submit through their conscience (v.5)
5. ……to pay taxes and whatever is due to the government (v.6,7)
It teaches that government is not a necessary evil that we Christians have to endure. It is appointed by God and is part of His divine plan.
And how are we to be involved?
1. Prayer
2. Taxes
3. Service
Some Christians should take up politics. A Christian brother who is also a doctor is standing for election in Sarawak. We should support him.
Another way is to be involved in NGO. The government is being to listen to NGOs. We must be involved in NGOs such as environment groups, woman advocate groups, Rotary International, Lion, Kiwanis
4. Election
We must vote. This time more than 9 million Malaysians will be voting tomorrow. We always think one vote is not going to make a lot of difference. We are wrong. One vote means a lot. One vote cast with the understanding of Romans 13 makes all the difference.
Recommended reading:
Eugene H. Peterson, Where Your Treasure Is (Grand Rapids, MI : Eerdmans, 1985)
G.k. Chesterton wrote:
O God of earth and altar,
Bow down and hear our cry;
Our earthly rulers falter,
Our people drift and die;
The walls of gold entomb us,
The swords of scorn divide;
Take not Thy thunder from us,
But take away our pride.
From all that terror teaches,
From lies of tongue and pen;
From all the easy speeches
That comfort cruel men;
From sale and profanation
Of honor and the sword;
From sleep and damnation,
Deliver us, good Lord!
Tie in a living tether
The prince and priest and thrall;
Bind all our lives together,
Smite us and save us all;
In ire and exultation
Aflame with faith, and free,
Lift up a living nation,
A single sword to Thee.
.
Introduction
On February 22, 1986, Saturday evening in Manila, Philippines, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Deputy Armed Forces Chief Lieutenant General Fidel Ramos announced over the radio that they were quitting the Marcos government saying that Marcos did not win the February 7 election fairly. They holed up in Camp Aguinaldo (later transferring to Camp Crame across the road), with only a few hundred soldiers to defend them. Over the Roman Catholic Radio Veritas the call was issued for a large number of civilians to surround the military camps to serve as a buffer between the rebels and the Marcos forces that were sure to come.
Many Christians are in a quandary. Would not participation in a barricade be equivalent to armed rebellion against the Marcos government? Is it not better to simply pray in our homes and in our churches? As it turned out, many Christians elected to pray as the main and only response.
There are Christians who did not hesitate to join the barricades. They have no intention of toppling the Marcos government by force of arms. Their reason for joining the barricades was simple and straight-forward: by providing a civilian buffer between the Enrile/Ramos forces and the Marcos soldiers, a shooting war would be prevented from breaking out and a peaceful resolution of the conflict could hopefully be worked out. The Christians know that their lives were in danger should the Marcos forces decide to attack. Their faith was in God.
As it turned out, the civilian barricade was so large (perhaps a million people surround the military camps by Sunday afternoon, February 23) that Marcos had to flee for his life, as defection after defection characterized his armed forces. A non-violent “revolution” finally toppled his 20-year regime!
This is perhaps the most recent example of the Christian’s response to the government. Years before this happened, the Church in the Philippines has been struggling with the issue of the Christian’s response to the government. When Cardinal Jamie Sin was critical of the Marcos government, a catholic layman wrote to the newspaper asking him to read “Romans 13!” The study of Romans 13 proved to be the basis of a Christian’s response to government.
The first eleven chapters of Romans (in particular chaps 1-8) explain in marvelous detail what it means to be saved and how men become saved - by being justified by God’s grace working through faith.
The miracle of salvation impacts every relationship associated with the believer’s life. When we are saved, our initial response should be to present our “bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship (12:1). Then Paul wrote about our having the right relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ (12:2-16) and with non-Christians, including even our enemies (vv.17-21). After dealing with this matter, Paul focuses on the need to have the right relationship to the human governments under which we live (13:1-7)
Text: Romans 13:1-7 in the New International Version:
1. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.
3. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
4. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
6. This is also why you pay taxes, for authorities are God’s servants, who gives their full time in governing.
7. Give everyone what you owe him; if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor then honor.
This passage teaches five vital principles concerning the Christian’s response to the government:
A. The Government….
1. ….. is by divine decree (v.1 b.)
2. ……is an institution of God. Rebellion to Government is rebellion against God (v.2a)
3. ……serves to promote good (vv.3b-4a) and restrain evil (v.3a, 4b)
B. The Christian’s Response…..
4. ……to submit through their conscience (v.5)
5. ……to pay taxes and whatever is due to the government (v.6,7)
1. Government is by divine decree (v.1 b.)
v.1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
First Paul says that human government is ordained by God for the benefit of society. In whatever forms it exists, civil authority derives directly from God.
6 types of government:
i. Perfect government will only come when Jesus the King returns to establish His Kingdom in all its fullness.
ii. Just government is possible where full participatory democracy is in bloom so that people elect good leaders and replace them as necessary.
iii. Mediocre government takes place if less than the best people are chosen to rule.
iv. Ineffective government happens in places where rulers are changed too frequently or the people are ungovernable for some reason.
v. Corrupt government develops when rulers assume public office mainly for private gain.
vi. Wicked government ensures when those in authority are particularly wicked, unjust and oppressive.
Like marriage, it is a universal institution of God, regardless of place, culture, race or any other circumstances.
There is no civil authority except from God. No matter what forms it takes, no matter where it is, no matter what ideology, no human government that has existed, existing or will exist , all government are under the sovereign authority of God. The entire world, everything in the heavens, on earth and under the earth are subject to the Creator. Without exception, the power that any person, group or society may possess is divinely given. How well or poorly this power is used is another matter. Paul’s point here is that this power has only one source – God.
Yet in his divine wisdom, God has permitted Satan to have vast but limited power over the world and the affairs of men. And this include governments. Many if not most government are under the influence of Satan and are a means of promoting and perpetuating satanic activity.
Governments have authority by divine decree. The autocratic, ruthless and demonic regimes of Adolf Hilter, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Tse Tung were no exceptions. The equally ruthless empires of ancient Assyria and Babylon were no exceptions. The Roman empire, ruled by caesars who declared themselves god are no exception.
2. Government is an institution of God. Rebellion to Government is rebellion against God (v.2a)
v.2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.
The logical conclusion we can draw is that since government is an institution of God. Any rebellion against a government is a rebellion against God.
The seriousness in which God takes rebellion is illustrated in the book of Numbers. God has chosen Moses not only to be the law-giver but also to be the human leader of Israel to lead them from Egypt, through the wilderness to the Promised land.
Numbers 16: 1-3 Korah, Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses and Aaron. “ With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who has been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”…v.13 “Isn’t enough that you have brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord over us?” They are questioning Moses and Aaron’s authority. And God was so angry that “the ground under them split apart and swallowed Korah’s men and their household and fire came out of the Lord and consumed 250 rebels.
The next day, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They were still defiant. The Lord then send a plague which killed 14,700 people.(v.49). Had not Aaron made atonement, the whole community would have perished!
God takes seriously any rebellion against those who challenge His appointed authority.
3. Government serves to promote good (vv.3b-4a) and restrain evil (v.3a, 4b)
vv.3,4 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Paul then described the purpose of government. The government has a dual purpose- to promote good and restrain evil. Government is the God ordained vehicle to promote good and restrain evil in human society.
i. Promote good
To promote good is to promote order. The opposite of order is anarchy. Anarchy means there is no rules and everyone does whatever they want. Look at Indonesia when the government could not maintain order- the killing and raping, the destruction of properties. Look at Bosnia and Kosovo. Judges 21:25 “ In those days Israel has no king; everyone did as he saw fit “(NIV)
Rukun Negara were proposed to be the basis of our government:
1. Belief in God
2. Loyalty to King and Country
3. Supremacy of the Constitution
4. The Role of Law
5. Mutual Respect and Good Social Behavior.
This is a strong foundation to build a multinational society. As no human government is perfect, there will be shortcomings. We must accept these shortcomings and work to resolve them.
ii. Restrain evil
In order to promote and protect the good in society, human government must punish evil. Consequently, those who do what is evil have reason to be afraid. Because the sword is an instrument of death, the weapon here symbolized the right of civil government to inflict punishment, including the death penalty for crimes that deserve it.
To restrain evil, there must be a code of law that applies equally to everybody, rich or poor, black or white, educated or illiterate. No one can be above the law.
Interestingly, rulers are called God’s servant. This means that our Prime Minister Dr.Mahathir is God’s servant whether he knows it or not and he is carrying out God’s divine purpose whether he acknowledges it or not.
Servant is translated diakonos. It also means deacon, pastor or minister. This means our deacon is the same rank as Pak Lah!
4. Christian’s Response is to submit through conscience (v.5)
v. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
Does vv.1-4 means that Christians must submit to whatever government they are under – whether good or bad. Are they to accept whatever government, keeping a low profile and hoping the government will leave them alone?
One of my favourite movie is Fiddler on the Roof. A musical with songs like “If I were a rich man” and “Sunrise, sunset”. It is a story about a community of Jew being persecuted by the Russians. The ruler of the Russian is the Tsar. In one scene, the Jew were asking their rabbi, ”Is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?” The rabbi said, “ Blessing for the Tsar? May the Good Lord bless the Tsar and keep the Tsar …………. far away from us all!”
v.5 comments on the above section on government. Here Paul is saying that the authority given to human government is not absolute. Submission is based on conscience. Conscience here refers to the Christian’s knowledge of God’s will and purposes.
When Jesus was asked a trick question about paying tax, He replied, “ Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:17)
So what are the limitations to the authority of human government:
i. When it is contrary to God’s law
When rulers give orders which are contrary to God’s law, for example, by ordering the killing of newborns (Exodus 1) or the worship of idols (Daniel 3) or by prohibiting evangelism (Acts 5), then Christians must say: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29)
ii. When it fails to promote good.
iii. When it fails to restrain evil and become evil itself.
5. Christian’s Response is to pay taxes and whatever is due (v.6,7)
vv.6,7 This is also why you pay taxes, for authorities are God’s servants, who gives their full time in governing. Give everyone what you owe him; if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor then honor.
No one enjoys paying tax. But taxes are part of everyday life and we as Christians must pay our taxes.
When God established the nation of Israel, He also instituted a taxation system:
i. Tithe or a tenth (Lev 27:30) This tithe is given to the support of the priestly tribe of Levite which had no land allocated to it and has no support. It is also called the Levite’s tithe.
ii. Annual Festival Tithe. Used for sacrifices, for supporting the tabernacle and then the temple, for cultivating social and cultural life, and for fostering national unity (Deut. 12:10-19)
iii. Triennial Tithe. Levied every three years (about 3.3% per annum) to help the aliens, the orphans and the widows.
iv. Annual half-shekel Tax. Levied on every male Israelite twenty years and above as a contribution to the Lord.(Ex 30:14)
v. At the end of every harvest, Jews were required to leave some of their crops unharvested, allowing the remainder to be gleaned by the poor (Lev 19:10)
vi. Every seventh year, cultivated land is to be left fallow. Whatever crop that comes up is to be left for the poor and what remained was left for livestock to each.
The total of all these six taxes, all of which are mandately amounted to 24% per year. The taxes are for governmental administrative costs, religious costs and social welfare.
We as Christians are required to give the government their due.
i. Taxes
ii. Services
Some government may require some additional services. Singapore have compulsory national service for their youth. Malaysia requires all doctors to do three years of compulsory service after their housemanship.
iii. Prayers
We are required to pray for our government whether we like it or not. Jeremiah in writing to the Jews in exile in Jer 29:7,8
And work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon. Pray to the Lord for that city where you are held captive, for if Babylon has peace, so will you.” (NLT)
Mind you, this is the Babylon that destroyed the Temple and carried them into slavery and exile. Yet Jeremiah did not ask them to rebel or pray for God’s vengeance on Babylon. Instead he asked them to pray for the prosperity of Babylon.
iv. Election
The new element that we now have which Paul and the Roman Christians do not have is called participatory democracy. Abraham Lincoln’s dictum of a government by the people, of the people and for the people is now everywhere embraced, in theory if not in practice. In a democracy, we have the awesome privilege of choosing those who rule over us.
Conclusion
Romans 13:1-7 gives us very clear teaching on the Christian’s response to government.
A. The Government….
1. ….. is by divine decree (v.1 b.)
2. ……is an institution of God. Rebellion to Government is rebellion against God (v.2a)
3. ……serves to promote good (vv.3b-4a) and restrain evil (v.3a, 4b)
B. The Christian’s Response…..
4. ……to submit through their conscience (v.5)
5. ……to pay taxes and whatever is due to the government (v.6,7)
It teaches that government is not a necessary evil that we Christians have to endure. It is appointed by God and is part of His divine plan.
And how are we to be involved?
1. Prayer
2. Taxes
3. Service
Some Christians should take up politics. A Christian brother who is also a doctor is standing for election in Sarawak. We should support him.
Another way is to be involved in NGO. The government is being to listen to NGOs. We must be involved in NGOs such as environment groups, woman advocate groups, Rotary International, Lion, Kiwanis
4. Election
We must vote. This time more than 9 million Malaysians will be voting tomorrow. We always think one vote is not going to make a lot of difference. We are wrong. One vote means a lot. One vote cast with the understanding of Romans 13 makes all the difference.
Recommended reading:
Eugene H. Peterson, Where Your Treasure Is (Grand Rapids, MI : Eerdmans, 1985)
G.k. Chesterton wrote:
O God of earth and altar,
Bow down and hear our cry;
Our earthly rulers falter,
Our people drift and die;
The walls of gold entomb us,
The swords of scorn divide;
Take not Thy thunder from us,
But take away our pride.
From all that terror teaches,
From lies of tongue and pen;
From all the easy speeches
That comfort cruel men;
From sale and profanation
Of honor and the sword;
From sleep and damnation,
Deliver us, good Lord!
Tie in a living tether
The prince and priest and thrall;
Bind all our lives together,
Smite us and save us all;
In ire and exultation
Aflame with faith, and free,
Lift up a living nation,
A single sword to Thee.
.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Spiritual Formation: Education of the Heart
Spiritual Formation : The Education of the Heart
Text: Mark 12:28-31
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Spiritual formation is the process of growing into Christ-likeness; characterised by knowing and loving God, knowing and loving ourselves, knowing and loving other people and experiencing the Presence of God in our everyday lives. The basis of spiritual formation is the call of God the Father, the finished work of Jesus Christ the Son and is empowered by the Holy Spirit.
1. Heart
The heart is a wonderful organ, a pump that keeps the blood circulating in our bodies. One we affectionately call our ticker. But we also use the word ‘heart’ in many different ways. We say our hearts may be glad or sad, troubled, aching or sick. Our hearts may be heavy or light, warm or cool, cruel or kind. Our hearts may be aflame with love or broken. To have a heart is to be empathetic, to have no heart is to lack feelings. We pray to change hearts of stone into hearts of flesh and blood. We open our hearts or close our hearts. Two hearts beat as one. We may take heart or lose heart. We may be faint-hearted or stout hearted, half-hearted or whole-hearted, weak-hearted or lion hearted. The heart suffers and the heart endures. On the Titanic, Celine Dion sang that her heart will go on forever.
It is obvious that when we refer to the word ‘heart’, we often refer to more than the organ in our bodies. In the OT, the Hebrew word for heart is lēbāb and the Greek word in the NT is kardia. It carries the meaning of the organ-heart and the metaphor that the heart is
(1) the inner spiritual life
(2) the center of personality
(3) the place in which God reveals Himself to man.
Thus the heart is who we are, our real self and it is out of this center that we relate to God, to other people, and the world. Our heart is not static. It is continually being moulded and formed by our thoughts, our desires, our feelings and our reaction to the external world. By default our hearts are self-centered. When we became Christian, we invite Jesus into our hearts. We called this the conversion of the heart. What it means is that our hearts are to be converted from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness.
2. Definition of Spiritual Formation.
Spiritual formation is the process of growing into Christ-likeness. Spiritual formation is the education of our hearts
Spiritual formation is known by different names throughout the Christian eras. It is known as spiritual growth, growing into communion with Christ, sanctification, regeneration, discipleship, peregrinatio (journey) and Renovation of the Heart (Dallas Willard, Professor of the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California). Spiritual formation or sanctification is an essential part of Christian life. We cannot be a Christian without sanctification, just as we cannot be a Christian without justification.
The moment we accept the redemptive act of Jesus Christ – that Jesus Christ who is fully God, fully human and is therefore sinless, died on the cross for our sins and rose again thereby defeating death- we are saved or born again. That very moment, we have justification by faith and we have sanctification. We are justified in God’s eyes because Jesus died for our sins. As evidence of our justification, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit who can to dwell in us. The Holy Spirit immediately begins the process of sanctification or spiritual formation.
Justification by faith can be considered as a once-off event. Sanctification or spiritual formation is a past, present and future event.
Past, because as God has chosen us from the beginning of time we are already in Christ when he died to set us free. Hence when He rose, we rose with Him sanctified.
Present, because as long as we are in the world, we are in the process of sanctification or spiritual formation.
Future, because the process of sanctification or spiritual formation will ends when we receive our resurrected bodies and are presented to God as being made perfect in Christ.
Sanctification or spiritual formation is not optional. We cannot be like Peter Pan and refuse to grow up. Like any living organism, we have to grow if we are alive. If any organism is not growing it is dead. Similarly if we have accepted Christ and is not growing, we need to relook at our salvation. The Bible said if we are not saved, we are still dead in our trepasses and sins. And dead things do not grow.
3. Goals of Spiritual Formation.
3.1 Become like Christ.[Christ-likeness](Gal. 4:19)
19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,
The process of spiritual formation is so we can become more like Christ. Jesus Christ is the ideal man. He has the fruit of the spirit. And the goal of spiritual formation is to make us like Him. In the Orthodox tradition, they call spiritual formation, theosis, the process of divinisation.
3.2 Restore the Image of God (2 Cor. 4:4)
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Man was initially created in the image of God. With the Fall, the image of God was distorted. One of the goals of the new creation in Christ is to restore the image of God.
John Wesley, in his sermon On Perfection stated that one of the features of sanctification is “the restoration of the image of God in the soul, a recovery of man to the moral image of God which consist of righteousness and true holiness.”
3.3 The People of God. (Rom.8:29)
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Adam and Eve were to be the first of the people of God. The laos. The people that God will stay with. That why in the beginning there was close fellowship with God. God will seek out Adam in the evening. Unfortunately, this relationship was broken by the Fall. Yet God has not given up His plans for His people. He again called His people through Abraham which led to the tribes of Israel and finally through the church. In the end, God will have His people to dwell with. God will be with His sons and daughters. Spiritual formation is the process in which His sons and daughters are transformed into His people. It is the process of building the Kingdom of God.
4. Aspects of Spiritual Formation.
For our discussion of the aspects of spiritual formation, we shall look at our text Mark 12: 28-31.
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Have you ever wondered why the Ten Commandments were given? The Ten Commandments can be considered the guidelines for the spiritual formation of the Israelites. It is to form a people of God. Jesus’ summary of the Ten Commandments is given for our spiritual formation. I would like to use the Celtic cross to illustrate the various aspects of spiritual formation. The Celts are the ancestors of the people of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. St. Patrick evangelized the Celts and a strong Celtic Church was developed way before the Roman Catholics. Celtic spirituality is strong in itself embrace of all aspects of life in Christ. The Celtic cross is unique to their part of the world. It stands twelve to fourteen feet high.The image is a powerful one- the circle of creation with the cross of redemption brought together into one whole. I would like to use it with a modern interpretation.
4.1 Know and love God
‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
One aspect of spiritual formation is to know and love God. Unless you know someone, you cannot love the person. It is the same with God. Unless you know God, you cannot love Him. Unless you know God, you are loving an image or concept you have of God. It is not the real God, just your concept of Him. And often this concept of God is based on our own concept of our fathers. If our father is strict and distance, our God is strict and distance. If our father is warm and loving, our God is warm and loving. As Philip Yancey said in his lectures when he came to Singapore a few years ago, we need to move from knowing our own conceived idea of God to meeting the real God. What is worst is that our own conceived idea of God is a form of idolatry.
4.2 Know and love ourselves.
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
It is only after we become Christians can be truly ourselves, to be fully human. Only God can make us authentic human beings. Many of us are living a life of lies. Instead of becoming who we really are, we hide behind a false mask and try to convince others that we are powerful, in control, beautiful and spiritual. Sometimes we even convince ourselves. This is our false self. Spiritual formation will help us to remove the false self and help us discover our true selves.
The second commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves. It implies the order here. We first have to know and love ourselves. Then we can know and love our neighbors.
4.3 Know and love other people
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Christian spiritual life is relational. The Trinity is a relationship between God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. Spiritual formation is the relationship between God, us and our neighbor which are other people. Spiritual formation is not just a Thou and I affair. Between God and us. It involves the whole world as we reach out to a hurting and suffering world and bring redemption to it. It is said of Abraham Joshua Herschel (1907-1972), a prominent Jewish theologian and social activist that ‘he stormed the fortress of self-righteous power- the war makers, impressing upon them that man is not a number, but the image of God.’
4.4 Experiencing God in our daily lives
Next we look at the context in which Jesus taught the greatest commandment. It is after He has told the parable of the tenants who was ungrateful for what they have been given (Mk.12:1-12), Paying taxes to Caesar (Mk.12:13-17) and debate about marriage at the resurrection (Mk.12:18-27). Jesus did not take His disciples away from the cities to live in a monastery. Jesus taught and lived among the people. His is a marketplace spirituality. Taken in this context, spiritual formation is not done separate from the world. Spiritual formation is experiencing God is the mundane, ordinary matter of our daily lives.
4.5 Trinitarian in the Center
The key to all this is the center. Jesus who is empowered by the Holy Spirit is teaching about the greatest commandment which is to love God the Father. Here we have the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. God the Father is the One who called us. Jesus the Son made it possible to be reconciled with God because of His sacrifice on the cross. And the Holy Spirit is the prime power in our spiritual formation. Without the Holy Spirit, it is not possible to have spiritual formation in our lives. We can try as hard as we can but we will never succeed. It is impossible. But with the Holy Spirit, all things are possible.
Thus we can define spiritual formation as :
Spiritual formation is the process of growing into Christ-likeness; characterised by knowing and loving God, knowing and loving ourselves, knowing and loving other people and experiencing the Presence of God in our everyday lives. The basis of spiritual formation is the call of God the Father, the finished work of Jesus Christ the Son and is empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The book, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, was a powerful story of redemption of a soul. The novel, 1,200 pages of it, deals with the struggle of the soul, the balance between good and evil in human beings, and the continual challenge to conscience. The main character in this novel is Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean grew up as a woodcutter but could find no work. His widowed sister and her children were starving. One day, out of desperation, he raced out of his house, broke a window in a bakery and stole a loaf of bread. Due to the hard penal laws in the 1800s, he was sentenced to 5 years hard labor in prison. In prison he was dehumanized to being just a number. Four times he tried to escape and each time he was caught and his sentence extended. Finally he was released after 19 years in prison. This is a different Jean Valjean. There is no human kindness left. He is bitter, angry and cruel. Concluding that man treated, as animals become animals, Jean’s aim on release is to steal and kill until he is himself killed.
One day he came to the village where Monseignour Bienvenu, the Bishop of Digne, lives. This modest clergy diligently attempts to live in poverty and generosity of spirit in the model of Christ. When he found Valjean sleeping in the streets, he invited him home. Valjean intended to murder the priest and steal his silver spoons. Instead he just stole from the priest. However he was caught. Instead of accusing him, the priest called him his brother and sent him on his way with a gift of the silver candlestick. With this starling act of generosity and forgiveness, the bishop planted in Valjean mind that he has just bought his soul, relieving him of his bitterness and evil thoughts and given them up to God.
A born again Jean Valjean started a factory with the silver the priest has given him in another town. He became rich and prominent. He strove to be fair to his workers. The story went on to show how he saved and adopted an orphan and raise her up as his own. How he gave up himself to the authorities when another man was accused as him (Jean remained a fugitive). How he saved the life of his enemy, police inspector Javert who swore to capture him and thus making his life miserable. How he saved the life of Marius, his adopted daughter’s fiancée. It is the story of a man redeemed for good works. As the story unfolds, we saw the point of redemption of soul and also the spiritual formation of a soul. We see Jean Valjean turning to love God, to love himself, to love others and were involved in the world.
5. Practice of Spiritual Formation.
5.1 Know and love God
Prayer
Word
Knowing God through His Creation
Worship and Adoration
5.2 Know and love ourselves
Prayer
Solitude
True self / false self
Anamchara (Soul friends). One is not alone in our Christian walk but close companionship can encourage and correct one along the way.
James Houston, in his new book, The Mentored Life, wrote “Perhaps the central mystery of our humanness is that we are both individual and social selves at the same time….We are uniquely a self and yet also a self-in-relationships.” He quoted a Xhosa saying, Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (Persons depend on other persons to be persons).
Opening to God
5.3 Know and love other people
Prayer
Fellowship
Exposure
Service
The Great Commission
5.4 Experiencing God in our daily lives
Prayer
Examining ourselves. Examen of consciousness
Frederik Buechner wrote in his Book, Now and Then, ‘Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness; touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are kept moments, and life itself is grace.’
Desert spirituality: Attentiveness and Indifference
The Desert Fathers and Mothers in the fourth century are Christians who rejected the complacency of the Official church and went to leave in the deserts of Egypt. From them we have a rich heritage of writings which made up the desert spirituality tradition. This later developed into the monastic tradition. To survive in the desert, you need to be attentive to what is important and be indifferent to what is non-essential and distract you from what is important. The desert is unforgiving and will kill you. So in our spiritual formation, we also need to learn to be attentive to the essential and be indifferent to what is non-essential to our spiritual life.
Biblical choosing
In our daily life, we are often faces with choices. Learning to make informed decisions that is pleasing to God is part of our spiritual formation.
Practicing the Presence of God.
Brother Lawrence in his book, Practicing the Presence of God, gave practical advice on how to practice the Presence of God. While he worked in the kitchen of a monastery, the job of a manual worker yet he is the presence of the King.
5.5 Trinitarian in the Center
Prayer
Prayer is the axis that connects all the aspects of spiritual formation with the Triune God of Grace in the center.
Baptism (God the Father)
Lord’s Supper (Christ the Son)
Life in the Spirit. Cooperation with the Inner Work of the Holy Spirit in our lives
6. Concluding Remarks.
Spiritual formation is spiritual growth. It is moving from being nourished by spiritual milk to spiritual meat. It is moving from breast feeding to McDonald and to a steak dinner.
Spiritual formation is not a solo understanding. It is done in the company of the community of faith. That is why the church must be actively promoting spiritual formation, supporting and teaching spiritual formation and to provide the resources for spiritual formation. That is why in Holy Light Light, we shall be setting up a Spiritual Formation Institute. It is my prayer that God will use this Institute to help us all in our spiritual formation.
Soli Deo Gloria
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)