Exhortations before confession |
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Don’t grieve the Spirit - 25 May 2010
Ephesians 4:30 says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” This is an unusual phrase – it’s certainly not the way we usually express ourselves – and it’s therefore worth looking at the context to work out what it means.
Paul has just been talking about the importance of speaking to each other in encouraging, edifying ways: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (v. 29). He goes on to say more about the importance of godliness in the way we relate to each other: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (vv. 31-32).
This helps us to see what sorts of things grieve the Holy Spirit. We grieve the Holy Spirit every time we harbour bitterness against each other. We grieve the Holy Spirit whenever we speak evil of each other, and whenever we lack tenderness and understanding. We grieve the Holy Spirit whenever we hold grudges and fail to forgive. The Spirit is grieved by Christian disunity.
The reason this grieves the Holy Spirit is that he is the one who unites us with Christ, and therefore with each other in the body of Christ, the church. We are one in Christ, because we are all indwelled by the same Spirit. When our lives don’t reflect this oneness-in-Christ, it’s as if we’re standing against the Spirit’s work in us, opposing him rather than rejoicing in him.
Open doors - 13 May 2010
Scripture teaches that as Christians we have a responsibility to be hospitable and welcoming to those around us. We looked at this a few months back during our sermons on Hebrews, but it’s such an important aspect of our life as a church that I want to reflect on it again.
Hebrews 13:1-2 says, “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
A couple of comments on this text.
First, hospitality is an ongoing responsibility. These Hebrew Christians have evidently started well – there is no evidence of a rebuke for their ungodliness here or elsewhere. Yet v. 1 emphasises, “Let brotherly love continue.” Starting well is one thing; finishing well is the key.
Second, offering hospitality is a great privilege. Hebrews 13:2 alludes to the occasion in Genesis 18 when Abraham welcomed the three men, and points out that by showing hospitality “some have entertained angels unawares.” Indeed, a closer look at Genesis reveals that Abraham was welcomgin the LORD himself. Abraham would not have been surprised to hear Jesus say, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).
Can I urge you all, therefore, to make the most of every opportunity to show hospitality to those around you.
Everything created by God is good - 18 April 2010
The Bible teaches that “Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim 4:4-5).
Look around you. All the things you can see are created by God, so they’re good. Moreover, they were created for our good.
Sometimes, however, we have a hard time believing this. Perhaps we observe that God’s good gifts are abused by the world (as indeed they are), but then we wrongly conclude that we’d be better of avoiding them altogether, or that there’s something inherently bad about some of what God has made . Such a reaction is perhaps understandable, but it’s wrong, and needs to be resisted.
Indeed, Paul is pretty uncompromising in his criticism of those ascetics who “forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods” (v. 3). These, he says, are the “teachings of demons” (v. 1).
Perhaps the key is not to underestimate the sanctifying power of the word of God. These good gifts of God’s creation are “made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
This text therefore challenges us to enjoy all the good gifts of God’s creation, including the things that the world has corrupted through misuse.
This reminds us that we need to confess our sins.
Two political blunders - 10 April 2010
The general election is now just a few weeks away, which means that as Christians we need to be conscious of the two mistakes we’re tempted to make as we look at the world around us.
The first mistake is unjustified pessimism: “The world’s in such a mess that no one – not even God – can do anything about it.” This is faithlessness. It’s a form of unbelief that shrinks God down to puny proportions, doubting his sovereignty and power over anything that looks too big to handle.
The second mistake is misplaced optimism: “The world’s in a mess, but political party x has the solution. All we need to do is get the right guys into power and it’ll all be alright.” This is idolatry, because it locates the power for world transformation in something or someone other than the Creator.
When we’re guilty of misplaced optimism, we need to hear the first half of Psalm 146:
Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. (vv. 3-4).
When we’re guilty of unjustified pessimism, we need to hear the second half of Psalm 146:
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD! (vv. 5-10)
Either way, this reminds us that we need to confess our sins.
Who’s afraid of the big bad world? - 23 March 2010
One of the besetting sins of Christians today is fear. Fear of the sinful world. We’re surrounded by worldliness, and it makes us afraid.
This fear leads to pessimism – pessimism about the power of God, pessimism about the advance of the gospel, pessimism about the future of the church.
Isn’t it ironic. The gospel confronts the world – and Christians get scared.
Ps 48 tells a different story. The kings of the earth “assembled,” and then they saw the Holy Mountain of the LORD – Zion, God’s city, where the Lord Jesus Christ is enthroned. Listen to their reaction:
5 They were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight. 6 Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labour. 7 By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever.
Psalm 48 says that the kings of the world are afraid of the LORD, not the other way round. And with good reason, for God has “shattered the ships of Tarshish,” and will establish his city forever (vv. 7-8).
The Bible says that Jesus Christ conquered the world at the cross, and that Jesus is now is conquering the world through the gospel.
You have nothing to be afraid of.
Greater privilege - 28 February 2010
Hebrews 2:1-3 says, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”
With great privilege comes great responsibility. God’s Old Covenant people had heard his voice and received the Law that was given to Moses through angels, and they were required to humble themselves before him.
We have received a far greater revelation – the gospel of Christ. We have far greater privileges – access to the holy places through our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus, whose one sacrifice covers all our sins. How much more, then, must we take care to confess our sins and repent before him.
Walk humbly - 11 February 2010
We’re starting a new book in our Old Testament readings on Sunday: the book of Micah. Here is a very sketchy outline of the sort of things Micah has to say.
The people of Israel, particularly the rulers and prophets, have abandoned the LORD and worshipped idols (chs 1-3). But something amazing is going to happen: all the nations will one day join with God’s people to worship him (ch 4).
But how will this be possible? The Lord will raise up a ruler to shepherd (lead) and rule his people. This shepherd-king will come from the tribe of Judah, and will be born in Bethlehem (ch 5).
In that day, the LORD will judge the wicked, and deliver all those who humble themselves before him (chs 6-7).
Micah 6:8 explains what the LORD requires us to do: “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Knocking stuff all over the floor - 14 January 2010
Listen to Jesus for a moment: ‘Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye’ (Matthew 7:3-5).
At one level, this is a fairly amusing image. Imagine the scene: you’re beavering away in the garage, knocking together a set of shelves, and without thinking you blow the sawdust off the newly-sanded surface, only to have it fly up in your face. As you stagger around, half-blinded and cursing your stupidity, your neighbour happens to poke his head through the door. ‘Don’t worry – I’ll help,’ he calls cheerily, as he strides toward you, a huge log protruding from his face, knocking stuff all over the floor.
At the same time, it’s a sobering image. Jesus clearly thinks that such ludicrous hypocrisy is enough of a danger that we need to be warned about it.
It’s therefore worth trying to answer Jesus’ question: ‘Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?’
The answer is obvious, of course. We don’t see because we’re not looking, and we’re not looking because we can’t see. We’re so blinded by our sins that we scarcely think we’ve done anything wrong.
But the Lord isn’t blind to our sins, and he says we need to confess them to him.