A series of messages on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
A sermon about how the Beatitudes are in fact an expression of the New Covenant Kingdom of God coming into being in the face of opposition. Matthew 5:1 – 12.
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Part 2:
Part 3:
A series of messages on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
A sermon about how the Beatitudes are in fact an expression of the New Covenant Kingdom of God coming into being in the face of opposition. Matthew 5:1 – 12.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
A Sermon on Isaiah 9:1 – 4, describing how Jesus challenged Israel’s own people, outlook and structures to invite them in to what God was doing with them.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
A Sermon on Isaiah 49:1 – 7, reflecting on the prophetic tendency to take on the life of the people to whom they prophesy.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Sermon on Matthew 3:13 – 17 on how Jesus was baptized on behalf of all Israel as an act of return from exile – and how that affects us!
First Half:
Second Half:
Sermon for the second Sunday in Christmastide on Jeremiah 31:7 – 14 – January 2, 2011
The Sermon from December 26, 2010 on Hebrews 2:14 – 18
Part 1 of December 26, 2010 sermon
Part 2 of December 26, 2010 sermon
Part 3 of December 26, 2010 sermon
It’s been two weeks since I’ve given an update here, and that’s actually since we’ve had a lot going on!
Last week, our music director started several weeks of medical leave, and Brian B. helped lead our music in her place.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve had some trouble with the boiler that heats about a third of our building. The problem seems to be fixed now, but took about two weeks to resolve. We thank God for the help from North Park Services to get things going again.
This week, we assembled the contribution statements for 2008 contributions. Since we changed accounting systems partway through the year, many members will get two statements, one for the first part of the year and one for the second part. All that should be necessary to get your total amount given for 2008 is to add the two together. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.
For the next three Sundays, we will be looking at what it means to praise God through the Psalms. This week, we will look at Psalm 111 and how praise and wisdom work together.
I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday!
…”the present form of this world is passing away.” (v. 31)
We live in a world that is changing at a rate never before seen in the history of the world. Culture and technology together propel us into new ways of thinking and acting on a daily basis. We are constantly making adjustments to our lifestyle – and sometimes in radical ways.
Therefore, we as a people should be better equipped to deal with Paul’s statement than many cultures have been. Communication structures, cultural norms and mores, even global outlook – all these seem radically different than they were even a few years ago.
Paul speaks to a people who seem to be going through some social crisis alongside their transformation into Christlikeness. Depending on the translation of the word in v. 26 (impending or present), it sounds like they are either in, or preparing for widespread trouble.
While it is possible that this is just preparation for trouble that could come for being followers of Jesus, Paul makes no reference (which he often does elsewhere) to suffering for the Gospel, or because the world is against Christ. Therefore, it seems that this should be more of a socio-economic crisis than a spiritual crisis.
Yet at the same time, he speaks of “the appointed time”, the kairos. The kairos has grown short. This could speak to the parousia as well. The interpretation of this is key to the passage.
Whatever the case, the short kairos requires radical lifestyle change. If we are running out of time, we are not to mess around. If the present form of this world is passing away, then we should not invest time or energy into it. Also, relative to v. 32, Paul wants us to be free from anxieties.
Mourning and rejoicing took longer periods of time than we do in our culture. It would make sense that if we are spending a lot of time mourning and rejoicing than we are to set that aside to do what God has called us to do.
He’s asking the people to focus on the things of God, not on things that will cause anxiety while things are in turmoil.
Now for a translation that might help:
So I say this, brothers: the window of opportunity is closing – and quicker than before! So from here on out, even those who have wives, should be as though they don’t have them, and those who are grieving as though they are not, and those who rejoice as though they are not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they posess nothing, and those who make use of the world as though they did not use it at all: for the world is in the middle of a scene change.
If we are in a scene change, we must get ready for the next scene. That means everything changes.
My, my my, it’s been cold, hasn’t it?
We are also getting our share of snow!
We get calls regularly when the weather gets like this as to whether we will cancel services. We don’t plan to cancel services for the weather. If you feel like it would be unsafe for you to travel in whatever weather conditions, please do not feel like you must come to church! We want everyone to be safe. However, if you feel like you can make it out in whatever weather, please join us!
We continue to expect God to do great things with us this winter. We know that God loves to show up when we praise him. That is why for the first three weeks of February, we will be focusing on how we praise God and what the results of praise are. I hope you will come join us for a time of praise and worship!
I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday!
1 Corinthians 6:12 – 20 is a difficult passage to preach on in today’s societal environment. I think, however, that vv. 10 – 11 should help us see how to live a graceful morality through this passage.
Many of us were once deeply involved in sin – and none of these things will inherit the Kingdom. Nevertheless, we have been washed, made holy, and made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God.
V. 12: “All things are lawful for me” is Paul’s quote of the Corinthians. Paul never actually negates this idea – in that they were not under the Law, but under grace (see Rom. 6:14). Nevertheless, he argues strongly that there are two major liabilities with this approach to life. First, not everything is beneficial. It may be permitted, but it is not good for us. It may be allowable, but not of benefit to us. Second, “I will not be dominated by anything.” To Paul, the passions of life, including our sexual desires, are to be mastered and kept in bounds, and not allowed to run rampant all over everything. Then, they end up running our lives – and, in his words, ruining our lives. When our lives keep the boundaries God has for us, we are better able to live his life, and these things can be of benefit to us rather than not beneficial.
V. 13: “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy both one and the other.” This is another place where Paul quotes the Corinthians. Some translations allow that the second half of the sentence is Paul’s response, but this does not coincide with his later statements about the body in v. 14 ff. The Corinthians’ attitude is much like our American attitude today: our body parts are designed to do certain things so why not just let them do their thing – stomach, other parts, etc. Why have these parts if we aren’t going to use them to their fullest? This seems to correspond to “kids have all the right parts and they’re going to use them and why shouldn’t they” attitude in American society.
Here, if Paul is responding to the Corinthians in the 2nd half of the sentence, he is saying that “these things too shall pass away.” But I find it more likely that he is continuing their quote, in which they are basically saying that the body is not going to matter at all since it’s the spirit that is what lasts. I think that this works better in light of 1 Corinthians 15 and even the discussion in 1 Corinthians 8 about food sacrificed to idols. In other words, the Corinthians seem to actually not care about the body very much from a spiritual perspective. This is not to say that they do not care about their bodies; to the contrary, they seem to be caring alot about their bodily desires. But they do not see their sexual acts as running contrary to their Christian faith. There seems to be a division between bodily life and Christian faith for the Corinthians. Libido and orientation are no excuse, then, according to Paul.
This is not unlike our American attitude of “live and let live.” But Paul counters this attitude with what the body is really for: “the body is not made for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” This directly counters the “stomach” line. They have a mistaken purpose for their bodies. Their bodies are made for the Lord, and somehow the Lord is here for the body as well.
V. 14: “And God raised the Lord and will raise us by his power.” God has a greater purpose for our bodies than eating, drinking, sexing, etc., can ever achieve. He desires to raise our bodies from the dead – which means that they are valuable to him for his eternal purposes. They are not merely shells for our minds.
V. 15: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” Our bodies are actually the physical body of Christ, just as much as our minds/wills/spirits/emotions/souls are part of Christ. This is a very radical, incarnational concept that Paul is using here. This means that our bodies are of great importance. Therefore, should we unite the members of Christ with a prostitute? Never! How much sense would that make? Of course, most prostitutes in Corinth were related to temple worship, too, so there is a pagan worship issue here that could be explored.
v. 16: Paul extends the marriage line from Genesis 2 to include any sexual activity. This is his argument against fornication. Uniting Christ with a prostitute is inappropriate. Uniting Christ with someone in a way that does not give glory to Christ is inappropriate. You are actually uniting Christ with someone with whom you are sexually active. In the marriage context, this is holy – but apart from that, it seems strange and wrong.
v. 17: “Everyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him”. We are as united to the Lord in the Spirit as we are to our spouse in the flesh. This is how our bodies unite with Christ.
v. 18: “Shun fornication.” We are to avoid it completely! This is a sin against the body of Christ – because we have united Christ with someone inappropriately. Fornication is a sin against our own bodies as well, because we do not recognize their value and degrade them even though they will one day be raised.
v. 19: Our body is the sanctuary (the inner part of the temple where the presence of God is) of the Holy Spirit. This comes from God. This applies collectively and individually. But the individual is where he speaks here – since the Holy Spirit is present in our sexual activities, by implication.
V. 20: We are not our own, we were bought and paid for. We do not have the freedom to do what we desire because we are not owned by ourselves, but by God. Therefore, it is our job to glorify God in our body. Our bodies matter. They are God’s. They will be raised. He is present in them wherever they go and whatever they do. Will what we do glorify God? We must always keep this in mind.