Coffee, a Bible, and a Napkin to Scribble On
This is a short reflection I gave for a pastors’ luncheon. I talk about Isaiah seeing the Lord in Isaiah chapter 6 and what that GLORY was all about.
You’ll notice the abrupt ending. It’s all about awe here, leaving the application for everyone to go figure out for themselves.
Here is my sermon from August 30th, 2020.
In a lot of Bibles, you’ll have a subheading that says something like “Jesus teaches on divorce.”
While those headings might help you skim through and find what you’re looking for, they can also be misleading. In my sermon, I talk about the things that Jesus is teaching in the context of divorce.
The Pharisees were trying to figure out which team Jesus was on, or what sort of denomination. There were some Rabbis that taught this about divorce, and others taught that. If they could figure out which side Jesus was on, they could pick sides easier.
THAT is as much this is about divorce. Reitz and Mater Dei are the two big Westside High Schools in Evansville. One is the public school (Reitz) and the other is the Catholic school (Mater Dei – duh.)
I hope you find this encouraging, especially if you are divorced!
This is my sermon on Matthew 18 from August 23rd, 2020. I was in person at Westminster this week. If the trend continues downward, we’ll stay that way!
Some people read this as Jesus’ caution against making children sin, but that’s not what He says. He says that to enter the kingdom of heaven you have to believe like a child believes, and then no one should make someone who believes with a such simple faith sin. The people with simple and full faith are the greatest in the kingdom, and WOE to those who lead them astray!
This whole section is Jesus’ commentary on temptations and how they come at us. What Jesus says here is in right in line with Romans 15. We should bear with people that are weaker in their faith and not tempt them to sin with our own liberties.
So Jesus says these extreme things about how to deal with sin: chop your hand off, gouge out your eye! Yet none of the disciples were maimed like this.
Again, Jesus is speaking in parables, but that doesn’t mean we’re off the hook! Avoid giving into temptation with all of your might!
Understand that temptation is not sin.
Understand that you can actually control yourself!
Paul talks about this:
1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
And look at the context. Look how he continues:
1Cor. 10:14 ¶ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
1Cor. 10:15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
1Cor. 10:16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
1Cor. 10:17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
Resist sin and temptation because we are part of the body of Christ. I need your spiritual maturity and you need mine. You need my prayers interceding for you on Tuesday afternoon instead of me spending time giving into gossip, slander, greed, and lust.
Paul actually connects us resisting sin and the way out to our community with one another:
1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Of course, the other way of escape that God has provided is the forgiviness of all of your sins forever by Jesus’ death on the cross. Your sins ARE forgiven is the message of the Apostles. Not all of your sins WILL BE forgiven, or WHAT YOU’VE COMMITTED SO FAR.
Your sins are gone. All of them ever. That is the ultimate escape. You don’t have them any more.
Some people have developed a whole theology around this one sentence. Jesus didn’t teach any more on it. He may have just been going along with a lot of the beliefs of the day.
There is something real about angels and their connection to us, but the Bible doesn’t ever say we should trust them, pray to them, glorify them, hope in them, thank them, or any of that. There is one god.
Angels didn’t get their wings until the 4th century when the worship of Nike, the goddess of victory, got mixed in with Christianity. Pictures of angels up until then looked just like men until they got Nike’s wings.
Remember, the context of what Jesus has been saying is simple faith and temptation!
Matt. 18:12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
Matt. 18:13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.
Matt. 18:14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
As much as we want to shun and tsk tsk tsk on the person that falls into temptation, God wants to leave everything else behind to be with that person! He would even leave His seat in heaven to come and live for 33 some odd years to save me!
All of this has been leading up to this great session on forgiveness. If we see how simply we can believe in Christ, and if we see God’s character leaves everything to flee sin and run after the person that has fallen in sin, we can more easily forgive others.
Matt. 18:15 ¶ “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
Matt. 18:16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
Matt. 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
This way of dealing with sin is so genius. It honors everyone involved. It makes sure that the offense is really a sin and not just the accuser’s preference. And it makes expectations for the Christian body clear: Look bro, we’re not going to tolerate you living for your flesh in greed or lust or hatred. That’s not the way of Jesus!
Matt. 18:18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matt. 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
Matt. 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
So you think you get this clear teaching about how to kick people out of church for doing wrong, etc. and then Peter helps us bring it back out of following a bunch of rules.
So we know that Jesus died for our sins, that is, forgave our debt. But do we believe that in our actions? If Jesus forgave me completely by His grace, why should I try to get any of my identity from accusing you?
This was a Facebook comment from a thread that linked to the quote below. I wanted to keep it here because I think it’s a helpful way to address conspiracy theory hobbyists.
“Do you see how peddling a conspiracy theory is a lot like evangelism? It’s a tragic substitute. A deflection and distraction to what’s really important and what can actually change a person’s life – both Christian lives and non-Christians lives: The gospel of the kingdom.” –Frank Viola
Frank Viola – https://frankviola.org/2020/05/14/shamdemic
He does come on pretty strong selling the books. I think the point is that our attention and contemplation be on Jesus and God’s glory instead of all of the wicked things we theorize that people are doing. The only action I can take on a theory is to spread the theory. That is why it is a counterfeit to evangelism. If I convince you Fauci and the Chinese created this virus to wreck the economy and make millions, what have I gained? If I used that same zeal to convince you of Jesus’ amazing grace and care for you, I have accomplished so much more! Conspiracy theories are puffed up and last a few weeks! The word of the Lord endures forever. Let’s focus on that!
Maybe some of this has to do with disposition too. When I watch the news, I get frustrated because people know more about Fauci or the news celebrity of the week than they do their next door neighbors. “Wuhan invented the virus” doesn’t give me a single action step. I don’t care if I ‘wake up’ to the reality around me, that doesn’t change my actions at all. I live in Indiana. I currently have no dealings with scientists in Wuhan.
I’d say these passions and theories start out harmless enough as an intellectual hobby, but then they turn into a divisive, accusing, slandering lifestyle that does not bless Christ.
American news exists to keep everyone excited and paying attention and often helps craft the stories that we all try to fit these facts into. With some anxiety and rebellion and time on our hands, we can put all kinds of puzzle pieces together and feel like we’ve really accomplished something. I think all we get out of it though is just like the AHA! you get when you realize who the real bad guy is in a movie.
Now what do I do with it? How does the conspiracy of the week guide and change my life? How am I going to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit in light of the new findings that Bill Gates did this or that? If I spend all of my intellectual and emotional energy on that, do I have any left for the couple that is arguing with each other in the park across from house? What if I saved some of this emotional power and reasoning for them?
I’d say these passions and theories start out harmless enough as an intellectual hobby, but then they turn into a divisive, accusing, slandering lifestyle that does not bless Christ.
1Tim. 1:3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,
1Tim. 1:4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.
1Tim. 1:5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Paul is urging love, not speculations. Truth, and not suspicions. If I waste all of my time and skill trying to prove something of little consequence that may or may not be true, what validity will I have proving the love of Christ, which is of GREAT CONSEQUENCE and our lives depend on it being true?
Titus 3:8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.
Paul’s language to Titus only gets stronger after this quote. I know that everything people post on Facebook isn’t something they believe in with great passion, but sometimes it is, and it’s hard to tell the difference in print. We can only go off of the caricatures that we are constantly forming about one another (which are probably wrong, right guys? We would talk about much more fun things in person.)
And this last one, I hope we are on the right side of this. Note it doesn’t say to be quiet and let people believe falsehood, but note what it does say to do:
2Tim. 2:22 ¶ So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
2Tim. 2:23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
2Tim. 2:24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
2Tim. 2:25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
I love the way this was put:
Jesus clothed Himself with us. He put on flesh and died, then put on our flesh and lives!
Mark Weever
I love the way Mark put this. It’s true. Jesus was God in the flesh. He came and lived a life that every one of us lives, except He lived the 0 A.D. version. Hebrews says He was tempted in every single way that we are tempted. That doesn’t mean He thought about looking at things on the Internet or had an easy and secret way to cheat on His taxes.
It means that when Jesus was here, He could do just the same thing Adam did and that all of us have done. He could have ignored God and lived by His own will.
Instead, He gave up His own will and lived for the Father’s will. That will sent Jesus to the cross for all of the rest of us.
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