Bellevue Foursquare Church: Podcasts & Services

Sept 2, 2008

 

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Marking the Anniversary of the Abolition of Legal Slave Trading in Britain and Martin Luther King day

Matthew 7:7-12
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
James 1:26-2:13
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
The title of this message is long and full of historical significance: “The Spring of Persistent Public Love - Marking the Anniversary of the Abolition of Legal Slave Trading in Britain: A Sermon on the weekend before Martin Luther King day”
I hope to weave together three things:
1) a biblical portrayal of the origin of persistent public love,
2) a tribute to the abolition of the slave trade in Britain on February 24, 1807, with a special focus on the biblical roots of this abolition in the life of William Wilberforce, and

3) a connection to the ethnic challenges of our own situation in honor of Martin Luther King Weekend next week
Wilberforce, and the Bible
First, let’s go to the Bible, God’s word.
Both William Wilberforce in Britain two hundred years ago and Martin Luther King in America fifty years ago rooted their persistent, socially transforming, public love in the Bible.
I don’t mean that they understood and used the Bible in the same way.
Wilberforce was an evangelical, doctrinally orthodox Anglican.
King did not, as far as I know, make his doctrinal views explicit as a mature preacher, but his early papers lean toward a kind of liberalism that would not be called orthodox.
But my point is that without the Bible neither man would have been who he was, and neither would have done what he did:
- Wilberforce being the decisive human instrument under God in defeating the African slave trade in Britain,
and
- King being the decisive human instrument under God in replacing racial discrimination with laws supporting equal rights for all Americans regardless of race.
Their lives and their work and their achievement are inexplicable without their dependence on the Bible.
Wilberforce built his whole personal and public life as a Member of Parliament on what he called the “peculiar doctrines” of the Bible.
And virtually every time King opened his mouth you could hear Bible.
And so the Bible has a way of exerting its power in very different hands.
Wilberforce’s peculiar doctrines:
Wilberforce embraced the totality of the gospel message - the forgiveness of sin, and necessity of faith in Christ in order to be the child of God and have eternal life.
This is what he meant by the “peculiar doctrines” of the Bible.
But he did not stop there, or with the great news that God is our Father and is for us and only gives us good things.
He went on like Jesus did and saw the next word in verse 12. “So whatever you wish that others would do to you ”
A stronger translation would be “therefore.”
They mean the same thing.
The word so or therefore signals that what Jesus just said leads somewhere
In other words the word therefore is linking what has just been said with what is now coming
And so the question for us is - where does the word so or therefore lead us?
This is one of the most famous verses in the Bible.
We know it as the Golden Rule: “So [or: therefore] whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

The Word So in Verse 12
When I titled this message “The Spring of Persistent Public Love,” I was referring to the Golden Rule
Doing to others what you would have them do to you
I want you to see that the word so at the beginning of verse 12 implies
Because you have a Father in heaven who only gives his children what is good for them.
- we can love people persistently.
- we can treat them the way you would like to be
treated.
Your Heavenly Fathers’ love for you is the foundation of your persistent public love.
All of that is implied in the word so—
1) You can live for others;
2) You will live for others; and
3) And this kind of life fulfills all that the law and the
prophets were aiming at.
Martin Luther King and the bible
Goree Island, just off the coast of Senegal, West Africa, was the place where captured Africans were collected and shipped off to slavery in the New World.
A few years ago a beautiful and powerful and humbling speech was made there.
I am aware as I speak today that there are more races than white and black.
That the call to racial harmony is very complex and goes deeper than color.
And I carry a special burden in my heart for the experience of the nations of the world and our relationship to each other.
And I call us as a church to grow in our understanding of that experience which has a uniquely painful place in the history of our country.
Here is a key part of this speech made on Goree Island . (At the end, I will tell you who made it):
For 250 years the [African] captives endured an assault on their culture and their dignity.
The spirit of Africans in America did not break.
Yet the spirit of their captors was corrupted.
Small men took on the powers and airs of tyrants and masters.
Years of unpunished brutality and bullying and rape produced a dullness and hardness of conscience.
Christian men and woman became blind to the clearest commands of their faith, and added hypocrisy to injustice.
A republic founded on equality for all became a prison for millions.
And yet in the words of the African proverb, “No fist is big enough to hide the sky.”
All the generations of oppression under the laws of man could not crush the hope of freedom and defeat the purposes of God.

In America enslaved Africans learned the story of the Exodus from Egypt and set their own hearts on a promised land of freedom.
Enslaved Africans discovered a suffering Savior and found he was more like themselves than their masters.
Enslaved Africans heard the ringing promises of the Declaration of Independence—and asked the self-evident question, “Then why not me?” . . .
The evils of slavery were accepted and unchanged for centuries.
Yet, eventually, the human heart would not abide them.
There is a voice of conscience and hope in every man and woman that will not be silenced—what Martin Luther King called “a certain kind of fire that no water could put out.”
That flame would not be extinguished at the Birmingham jail.
. . . It was seen in the darkness here at Goree Island , where no chain could bind the soul.
This untamed fire of justice continues to burn in the affairs of man, and it lights the way before us.
One of the sad things about this Martin Luther King weekend is that many people—mainly white people—will not mark or celebrate racial justice or the advance of civil rights on this weekend because it is named for Martin Luther King, just like there are many people—mainly black people—who would not listen to that powerful speech if they knew it was spoken by George W Bush.
I pray that at Bellevue Foursquare Church we will be able to hear and feel the beauty and the painful force of that speech made by an imperfect man
That we will mark with prayer and resolve and action a weekend named for another imperfect man.
True Christianity:
True Christianity—is moved by a Christ-shaped heart of mercy.
In the verses from James there are two admonitions to us who are Christ followers that I would like us to take note of:
A. Partiality
Partiality means that you base your treatment of someone—or your attitude toward someone—on something that should not be the basis of how you treat them.
James says that we should not treat those who are different form us with any partiality
In these verses he uses the distinction of riches and poverty.
Verses 2-3: “For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in. 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there,’ or, ‘Sit down at my feet’. .
.”—this is what James calls partiality.
Good treatment and bad treatment, honor and dishonor, rejection and acceptance should not be based on riches or race.
If you read these verses in James carefully he is saying that the way we treat others is the evidence of our relationship with Christ.
B. Law of Liberty
Verse 12 - When you don’t show partiality but love others as you love yourself, you are acting according to the law of liberty.
What doers that mean for us today?
We who are believers are forgiven and freed from the condemnation and dominion of sin.
And so we are to live in that freedom
Should that then produce lawlessness?
James and Paul in other verses answer no.
It produces love.
For both of them, love is the natural fruit and the necessary evidence of being Christians.
Unfortunately that is why and dare I say it, the kind of Christianity that is consumed with self is totally perverse
You see in this liberty there is a law—the law of liberty, that is, the law of love.
We will be judged under this law. And this law says, Do not show partiality to others
And so lets look at the Golden Rule
The Flow from Verses 7-11
Before we unpack the Golden Rule let’s make sure we see why it must flow from verses 7-11 of Matthew 7
The reason is that treating others the way you want to be treated involves an amazing, profound, supernatural change in the way you make choices.
Once upon a time, you chose things mainly because they benefited you; but now you choose things because they benefit others.
And here’s the catch: You may start by thinking, “If I treat others the way I would like to be treated, then I will get treated that way too.”
But Jesus never makes that promise.
In fact, he promises that the opposite will often happen.
For example, Matthew 5:1, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
In other words, when you trust me and persist in love the way I call you to, it will cost you dearly.
The Father Gives Everything You Need to Endure
Now do you understand why the so at the beginning of verse 12 is so important?
If the people that you treat lovingly according to the Golden Rule often return evil for your good, how do you keep on loving?
How can you keep on returning good for evil?
Jesus answers: because you have a Father in heaven who gives every good thing you need when you ask him.
He doesn’t spare the trial.
In fact, he promises it.
But he does give you everything you need to endure it and become more Christ-like through it.
If you know God as your Father through Jesus Christ, then you can and you will persist in doing to others what you would have them do to you, even if they don’t do the same back to you.
The Golden Rule and the End of the Slave Trade
By the beginning of the nineteenth century, about three million African slaves had been transported to the Americas on British ships
It was a profoundly racial issue and unfortunately the sinful attitudes connected with it are not gone from our day
William Wilberforce, with many others in his day became deeply persuaded that this traffic was a great moral evil for many reasons, not the least of which was its utter inconsistency with Jesus’ Golden Rule.
Many of the Christian abolitionists of his day pressed the nation to look at things from the slaves’ point of view and to do to others as you would have them do to you.
Abraham Booth, for example, a Calvinist Baptist preacher, preached a message in London on January 29, 1792, titled “Commerce in the Human Species, and the Enslaving of Innocent Persons, Inimical to the Laws of Moses and the Gospel of Christ.”
One of the most moving parts of the message was his imagining the slave ships landing on British shores and raiding London and Bristol and Liverpool kidnapping your loved ones and dragging them away never to be seen again.
We have all heard that slavery ended in 1865 here in the USA.
But folks unfortunately modern slavery continues.
The Federal Government estimate that there are as many as 55,000 slaves here in the USA.
If we were to take a look at the world today slavery is widespread in many countries.
For instance in Mauritania there are over 100,000 people enslaved. Sudan, with the persecution of the Christians.
Then you only have to take a look at the Muslim world – especially in countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Middle Eastern Arab countries.
The instances of slavery are well documented in these countries
Of course in many countries in Asia there is the enslaving of young girls in prostitution. Thailand and Cambodia are examples of this
I am so glad that the USA will prosecute anyone who engages in sex with a minor in these countries.
Just a few years ago a man from WA state was convicted to traveling to Thailand for the purposes of sex with a minor
So it is not only human trafficking for prostitution, but also in many countries there is child labor where very young children are robbed of their childhood as they are employed in factories and sweat shops
And so how des this all apply to us ?
Heart Christianity
Five years earlier on October 28, 1787, William Wilberforce wrote in his diary at the age of twenty-eight, “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of [Morals].”
For twenty years Wilberforce endured setback after setback in his persistent public love.
But he never gave up and on February 24, 1807, at 4:00 AM, twenty years later, the decisive vote was cast and the slave trade became illegal.
That kind of persistent public love is not adrenaline Christianity but heart Christianity
Adrenaline gives you energy for a moment and then lets you down.
That’s the way many people engage in a cause of love and justice.
But the heart keeps beating as long as you live.
That’s what I meant by heart Christianity
It persists in loving and serving and doing justice year after year after year.
And I asked, who of you will be the heart Christians in the cause of racial harmony and the sanctity of life?
Applying Wilberforce’s Gospel-Based Persistent Love
Today, let me apply the Golden Rule—Matthew 7:12, with its all-important therefore—and the example of Wilberforce’s gospel-based persistent love like this:
There will always be challenges to love people different from ourselves—whether the differences are ethnic or in some other way.
Because Christ is your Lord and Savior we can also apply the Golden Rule to every kind of difference we may encounter in others
One practical way to approach this in your family would be to work with your spouse and children—or a group of singles together, or a small group—and make a list of attitudes and words and behaviors which you could express to a person of another ethnic group but which you would not want expressed toward you.
The list might sound something like this:
- Would I want to be made fun of because of the way I look?
- Would I want to be shunned by others?
- Would I want to be talked down to as an inferior?
- Would I want to never be invited over for dinner?
- Would I want to never be considered for a job I’m qualified for?
- Would I approve if people didn’t want to be my neighbor?
- Would I approve if no one would consider me for a home loan though my credit is good?
- Would I approve if I was never considered for a promotion at work though I am qualified for it?
Jesus Is Even More Radical
But even that set of questions is not radical enough

Jesus, unlike others in his day, did not say “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you.”
He said, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
That is even more radical, because it means that we are to become creatively proactive in our relationships—across ethnic lines and every other way.
So make another list: What things might I do for another person (of another race) that I would want done for me in his shoes?
If God is your Father and if you trust him to give you freely and sufficiently everything you need to live for his glory, the answers to those questions and many more will shape your life into a life of persistent private and public love.
You may live to see a great victory like William Wilberforce did on February 24, 1807, with the abolition of the British slave trade (two hundred and one years ago next month).
Or you may be cut down in the middle of the battle the way Martin Luther King was at age thirty-nine on April 4, 1968.
In either case, you will not have wasted your life.
Not if you have persisted in lifelong public love rooted in the faith that your Father will give only good things through Jesus to those who ask.
Display Christ’s Many Glories
I pray that you if you have never watched the movie that came out last year called Amazing Grace and drink in the spirit of this man—the spirit that persists, perseveres, endures in the cause of public love, righteousness, justice, the Golden Rule that you will make a decision to do so

And I pray that all year long—you will be an ongoing witness to Christ and what He has done in your life

Let’s live that together.

9am service

 

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Romans 15:30
“Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.”

Introduction
Our focus today will be on Romans 15:30.
I am calling the message, “Incentives to Strive in Prayer.”
The basic point of the verse is to motivate the Roman Christians to “strive” or to “struggle” or to “fight”—it’s a strong word (not just pray, but strive or struggle or fight)—in prayer to God for Paul as he goes to Jerusalem with a contribution for the poor Christians of the city.
Verse 31 tells what specifically he wants God to do in answer to their prayer.
But in verse 30 the focus is on two incentives for them to struggle in prayer for Paul as he ministers in Jerusalem.
The first is “by our Lord Jesus Christ”—”I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ, to strive together with me in your prayers for me.”
The second is “by the love of the Spirit.” “I urge you, brethren, . . . by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.”
So the basic outline of the verse is simple: there is Paul’s plea for them to join him in prayer.
It is a plea not for casual, laid back, easy-going prayer, but for striving or struggling in prayer.
Then there are two incentives for them to respond to this plea.
He pleads “by the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And he pleads “by the love of the Spirit.”
Our goal, then, is to meditate together on these three things:
- the plea for Christians to struggle in prayer for the sake of
ministry;

- the incentive “by the Lord Jesus Christ;” and

- the incentive “by the love of the Spirit.”

But first let me describe the setting today where this Word from God hits us.
The setting for this word today is very simply that today is the end of 2007 and in a couple of days the beginning a new year of praying and a new year of ministry and I think God wants to speak this word through me to you concerning our ministry.
I urge you, Bellevue Foursquare Church, by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayer to God for me—and not just for me, but for the entire mission and ministry of this church.
Fasting as Striving
One way to see prayer as a striving or a struggle is to see fasting as part of it.

Fasting intensifies prayer and says with physical hunger—this much, Lord, we want you to act.
This much we desire your power to come.
This much we hunger for the revelation of your glory in the hearts of your people.
This much we thirst for the conversion of perishing friends.
And I ask you to consider some significant fasting this week.
But you won’t do that unless you feel how critical the things are that I want you to pray for.
So let me tell you about my meditations yesterday.
I can honestly say that at this point in time both Gaby and I are exhausted – these last few years have been extremely tough
And so I asked, “Lord, is there anything worth fasting for in our future?
Is there a call and dream and a possibility that you may bring into being through our striving and prayer in 2008?
Why should I fast this year?
Why should I ask the people to strive in prayer?”
Here is the answer that created a sense of critical need in me and gave me an excited sense that there is much to lay hold on God for this year.
What Should We Pray and Fast for This Year?
1. This year, Lord willing, there will emerge a new staffing structure with significant staff changes

This alone, for me personally, is enough to motivate sustained striving in prayer and earnest fasting
I believe many of you feel this burden as well.
I plead with you to strive together with me in prayer and fasting.
2. This year, Lord willing, a new vision for member care, for family ministries, and small groups will crystallize and shape the way the staff and council do their work of spiritual oversight.
I am desperately concerned for the next generations and the lessening influence and impact of Christ in their lives
This could have dramatic impact on staff roles, and on significance of the council, and on the priestly function of this congregation as a whole—a very exciting biblical impact!
One of the historic, biblical values of the Foursquare has been the priesthood of the believer (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:6; Ephesians 4:12).
3. This year the renewed vision of our worldwide missions weighs heavily on my heart.
There are neighbors and friends and colleagues and strangers that are outside Christ and perishing if they don’t put their faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Will God give us the power to love them and witness to them as we ought?
And will he open their hearts to give heed to the Word?
This itself is enough to fill us with an urgent longing for God to act in answer to our prayers.
Many of these people who need salvation have names and faces.
We know them.
This is a call for striving in prayer.
4. In the new year, Lord willing, there will be a new funding plan for at least paying down the mortgage on this building
Would it not be wonderful to put that money towards the expanding of missions and ministries right here?
This possibility is worth striving for in prayer.
5. This year, Lord willing, there will be fresh initiatives in the way we cultivate loving relationships here at Bellevue Foursquare Church, and in the way we partner with World Impact Network to do urban missions and touch the poor, and the way we defend the unborn, and the way we think and act about the inter-cultural issues facing us as a country
All of that will remain a dream without reality unless there is striving in prayer to God.
Prayer will make a crucial difference in answering those questions.
6. Then of course 2008 is an election year and I do believe that we as Christians need to be striving in prayer for our nation that the will of God, in spite of the rhetoric and distortions, will be done in November

Perceiving Critical Need Births Striving in Prayer
That is what I meditated on yesterday as I pondered my own sense of urgency and my own call to fasting and to striving in prayer this week and through the year.
I mention these things because I know a burden for prayer doesn’t come out of nowhere.
I can also tell you that a number of people from our congregation have spoken to me recently about prayer and how we can motivate those who call Bellevue Foursquare their home to strive with us in prayer this year
I believe this call to be different this coming year comes from seeing a critical need and a great hope.
If you don’t feel it, you won’t struggle in prayer.
But you will feel it to the degree that your life is intertwined with this church and you share the mission to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.
If you are a Christian, you all have struggled or will struggle in prayer.
Some of you carry such a burden for prayer and in prayer that you do this almost daily.
Others hardly ever strive in prayer.
In fact some of you are having a hard time even picturing what Paul and I are calling for when we say, “I urge you to strive together with me in your prayers to God.”
But there is a time when you all will strive in prayer.
Striving in prayer can happen alone.
It can happen in a group, that stir each other up to strive in prayer.
Not all prayer is at the same intensity of striving.
The greater the burden, the more intense.
Striving in Prayer Against Our Enemies
How shall we understand this striving?
In verse 30 Paul does not say what or whom we are to strive with.
- Is it striving against the sin in our lives that hinders our prayers (Psalm 66:18—”If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear”)?

- Is striving against the unbelief that threatens our faith as we pray (Mark 9:24—”Lord, I believe, help my unbelief”)?

- Is it striving against the terrible distractions—mostly innocent in themselves—that keep us from finding time and focusing in prayer (1 Peter 4:7—”Be of sound judgment and sober for the purpose of prayer”)?

- Is it striving against Satan and his principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12—”For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers”)?

Yes, all those enemies and obstacles must be struggled against.
Is it any wonder that we find prayer as hard as we do?
There are so many opponents.
If the enemy can cut off the power source or the supply line, the whole army languishes, able to do nothing.

Striving in Prayer with God
But there is another way to think about this striving in prayer, namely, with God himself.
This doesn’t mean that we think of God as an enemy and we fight him and conquer him.
It means we see him as our only hope and in desperation we take hold of him and refuse to let him go without a blessing.
Examples of this would be:
- Moses striving with the Lord on behalf of rebellious Israel (Deuteronomy 9:24–29).

- Hannah striving with the Lord to give her a son (1 Samuel 1:10, 12).

- Jesus striving with his Father in Gethsemane, and sweating, as it were, drops of blood (Luke 22:44).

- Paul praying with self-sacrificing passion for his Jewish kinsmen (Romans 9:1–3; 10:1).
In every case there was an intensity and urgency and earnestness and zeal and fervor that I think Paul had in mind in Romans 15:30.
Listen to just one example, if you want to know what it may sound like.

This is Daniel crying out to God for the deliverance of his people from Babylonian captivity when the 70 years of exile were over.
His prayer is introduced (in Daniel 9:3): “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.”
So you see the visible symbols of striving in prayer.
Now hear the words, as the prayer ends (in Daniel 9:18–19):
O my God, incline Thine ear and hear! Open Thine eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Thy name; for we are not presenting our supplications before Thee on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Thy great compassion. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Thine own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.
He entreats God with earnestness and he wrestles by making a case on the basis of God’s zeal for his glory.
So I conclude that God calls us from time to time, to strive—to struggle, and wrestle, and persist, and prevail in prayer.
This is what I urge you to do this week for all the great possibilities that lie before us as a church an in your own life.
Two Incentives to Strive in Prayer from Romans 15:30
The incentives Paul gives in Romans 15:30 are:
“Now I urge you, brethren, 1) by our Lord Jesus Christ, and
2) by the love of the Spirit . . . to strive together with me in prayer.”
“By Our Lord Jesus Christ”
Take these two briefly one at a time.
He calls us “by our Lord Jesus Christ” to strive in prayer.
What does that mean?
How is this an incentive to strive in prayer?
There are so many things about Jesus that induce us to pray.
For example:
- He commanded that we pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1).
- He made his name the basis of our prayers (John 14:13;
15:16).

- He shed his blood to purchase all the benefits of salvation including answered prayer (Romans 8:32).

- He taught us to pray with his model prayer called the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13).

- He modeled prayer by spending whole nights in prayer (Luke 6:12).

So which of these does Paul have in mind?
Or is there another?

“By the Love of the Spirit”
And what about the second incentive?
“Now I urge you, brethren, . . . by the love of the Spirit to strive together with me in your prayers.”
Does this mean the love that the Spirit creates in us for each other, so that we want to pray for each other (Galatians 6:22)?
Or does it mean the love that the Spirit himself has for us so that we have confidence that he will help us in our praying (Romans 8:26) and act lovingly in response to our prayers (Acts 4:31; 8:15)?
What Paul Has in Mind
Now all these possibilities are true.
And all of them should stir us up to pray.
But here’s my answer to what I think Paul means in both of these incentives.
I take my cue from the following verse.
Verse 31 gives the aim of the prayer Paul wants.
He wants them to strive in prayer, he says, “that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints.”
Two requests:
1. That his opponents might be restrained so that they do not kill him;
2. That the Christians in Jerusalem would look kindly on his ministry and affirm it rather than criticizing it.
My suggestion is that the two incentives of verse 30 correspond to the two requests in verse 31.
To overcome the enemies and keep them in check so that they do not kill Paul will require a powerful, sovereign intervention of One who has the right of “Lord” over all the secular powers.
This corresponds to the incentive, “By our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In other words, I urge you to strive for my deliverance from the Roman and Jewish authorities in Jerusalem because Jesus Christ is Lord and has the right and the authority to make the soldiers and governors and Caesar do whatever he pleases.
Pray with confidence that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him (Matthew 28:18).
Finally, the second request is that the Christians in Jerusalem will look favorably on Paul’s ministry rather than being suspicious of him or criticizing him.
In other words he wants them to treat him kindly and gently and lovingly.
This corresponds to the second incentive, “By the love of the Spirit.”
Paul believes that, if the Romans ask the Father in Jesus’ name, the Spirit will lovingly and powerfully work in the hearts of the Christians in Jerusalem to give them a large portion of his own love to receive Paul and help him in his ministry rather than resisting it.

Conclusion: A Call to Strive in Prayer for Bellevue Foursquare Church
So that is my plea to you on the brink of the new year :
Would you strive together with me in prayer to God not only on my behalf, but on behalf of all the vision that God is creating in these days at our church?
Pray the mission and the vision and the fresh initiatives we will be focusing on in 2008
Pray for great spiritual awakening and revival to support all these things.
Pray in the mornings and join those who will be praying here corporately as well
Whatever you do, don’t be prayerless in 2008.

Prayer is our hook up with the power of God for all the mission and the vision and the initiatives.

Strive together with me in your prayers.

I urge you by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit

This gospel was written by the disciple of whom it was said, “Jesus loved him.”
John was the closest intimate of our Lord during the days of his ministry, so this constitutes a very important gospel.
Yet what a faint and very feeble illustration that is of the tremendous impact made on the Apostle John by three-and-a-half years of close companionship with Jesus of Nazareth.
John was an old man when he wrote this gospel.
As best we can tell, he wrote it from the city of Ephesus, where he settled after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D., in order to guide and direct the Christian community in that great Roman center.
He wrote this, probably, toward the close of the first century.
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke had already been written and widely circulated among the early Christians.
All the letters of Paul had been written, as had all the letters of Peter.
This gospel was one of the last books of the New Testament to be written.
John’s gospel is different. John himself has told us (in Chapter 20, Verses 30-31), why he wrote this gospel:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these [signs] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, [the Messiah], and the Son of God and that believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31 RSV)
It is clear that John’s method is selection, and his purpose is regeneration: life in the name of Jesus; real vital, exciting, compelling, fulfilling, satisfying life, what Jesus meant when he said, “I have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.”
Although John has allowed perhaps forty or fifty years to go by since the events he records here, nevertheless we must remember that he has been retelling this story almost every day for all those years.
Perhaps that is why John could add insights and interpretations to his accounts that the others do not include.
All this was burned into the apostles’ memories by this constant recitation of what had happened.
Through the course of the years they never forgot what Jesus said and did.
We can be certain that this is an authentic witness from an authentic disciple, who recalls clearly and vividly everything that Jesus said and did in those three-and-a half marvelous years.
John begins his gospel with an eighteen verse introduction, the theme of which is the question: “Who is Jesus — really?”
Where did he come from?
What is represented in the remarkable manifestation that was the life of Jesus of Nazareth?
This prologue contains a summary of John’s most profound convictions about our Lord.
It focuses on the central fact of Christian faith: Christianity is not a philosophy; it is about a Person, and that Person is central to all Christian faith.
To take Jesus out of Christianity would be like taking numbers out of mathematics, like taking doctors out of medicine, or like trying to think of daylight without the sun.
Jesus is absolutely central to Christian faith.
That is what constitutes Christianity as a unique religion.
All the other great religions of earth center upon the teaching, the ideas, the philosophies that are represented in them, but not Christianity.
It centers upon a marvelous, beautiful, remarkable, astonishing Person.
Jesus was easily the most shattering, the most radical and truly revolutionary character that ever has appeared in human history.
More books have been written about Jesus than any other figure of the past.
More music has been composed, more pictures have been painted, more great drama has been written about Jesus than any other person.
Have you ever wondered why?
Why is it that human beings have never been able to forget Jesus of Nazareth?
Why does he not fade into the dim past as others have?
We do not spend that much time with Alexander the Great, or Julius Caesar, or other great leaders.
We still know who they are but we do not spend all that focus of interest and attention on them.
But Jesus looms as large in our society as if he was contemporary with us.
Why is that?
Why is he the most powerful personality ever to appear on this planet?
That is what John is answering for us in this prologue to his gospel: Who is Jesus?
We are going to take only the first four verses of this gospel this morning, but in these verses John gives three reasons why this remarkable, astonishing remembrance of Christ persists in the earth: it is because of who Jesus was.
JESUS IS GOD:
The first reason he puts very bluntly and unmistakably: Jesus is God! John 1:1-4:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4 RSV)
Remember, that was not written about some mystic, divine being up in heaven somewhere.
That was written to describe the identity of a Man who once walked this earth, who lived and breathed like we do.
John knew this Man intimately.
He ate with him and slept with him out in the open; touched him, heard him and followed him.
These are the remarkable conclusions to which John has come as he has thought about the life, the death and the resurrection of that remarkable Man.
The first thing John wants us to understand is that Jesus was God.
First, he was the Word of God: In the beginning was the Word.”
The “Word” here is the Greek word, logos, which means the same as our word, W-O-R-D.
What is a word, anyway?
A word is an audible or a visual expression of a thought.
Thoughts are incommunicable until they are put into words.
Several times the Scripture asks. “Who has known the mind of the Lord?”
The answer is, “No one.”
Nobody knows what God thinks until he tells us.
In fact, we might just as well ask, “Who has known your mind?” until you express it in words.
Who has known my thoughts?
I am trying to convey to you today the thoughts that are in my mind, and the only medium I have is words.
You are listening to what I am trying to say, so you are thinking my thoughts because my words shape and form the meaning of them.
That is what John means here.
When Jesus was among us as a man he expressed what was going on in the mind of God.
He told us the thoughts of God.
He was God’s utterance on earth, unveiling to us what Paul calls “that secret and hidden wisdom of God,” (1 Corinthians 2:7).

Furthermore, that Word is from the beginning: “In he beginning was the Word.”
The beginning of what?
Well, the beginning of everything.
In other words, this Word of God was eternal; it always has existed.
It was not called Jesus before he came as a man.
The Word, then, was called other names in the Old Testament.
You will find that he is called “The Angel of the Lord,” or sometimes simply, “the Son.”
Jesus was the Son of God before he came to earth.
We do not have any history before we come to earth, but Jesus did.
He could remember, perhaps, times when he was with the Father before the universe began.
Jesus had a history before he came to earth, and John tells us it was that of the Word.
In the book of Hebrews we read, “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,” (Hebrews 1:1-2a RSV).
Jesus is the eternal Son, the eternal Word.
But more than that, John says that that Word was with God.
That is where a problem arises.
That means that the Word is distinct from the Father; two separate Persons, yet so close that the Word was intimately involved with the Father so that their thoughts, their meanings, and their purposes were one.
That is what Jesus himself said, “I and my Father are one,” (John 10:30 KJV).
He does not mean one and the same.
Some are confused about this.
They say, “How could Jesus be God and the Father be God? How could the Son be his own Father?”
That is because people think one means one and the same.
But they are not, they are two separate persons.
When you think of persons in this sense, do not think of bodies. Bodies are not essential to persons.
Fortunately you all brought your bodies so we can see you.
But you could be here fully as much, whoever you are, without a body because your essential nature is not your body, but you.

Persons are basically spirits. John declares here that the eternal Son, Jesus, was a person, and the Father was a person, and they were one in purpose and action.
Finally, John makes the blunt statement, “And that Word was God.”
No doubt about it! Jehovah’s Witnesses and Unitarians deny this great truth that Jesus was God.
But there is no other translation of this statement possible without violating the laws of Greek grammar and the theological statements of other Scriptures.
If we say, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses want us to say, “Jesus was a God,” then we are introducing the whole realm of polytheism, multiple gods.
But if there is only one God and Jesus was a God, then he was the God.
That is what John affirms right at the beginning of his gospel.
I recognize that that is hard to understand.
Jews, Muslims and Christians all believe there is only one God. In that we share a uniqueness among the world’s religions.
Hindus believe in many gods, Buddhists believe there is no god, that man is his own god; but Christians, Jews and Muslims all believe there is only one God.
Yet when the Christian definition of that one God is given, it includes three Persons.
The Jews deny this.
They say there is only one person in the Godhood, and that is the Father alone.
But, because of the testimony of the Scripture, the evidence of the life of Jesus, and even statements within the Old Testament, Christians have come to understand that God is revealing a complexity in his personage — that he exists as three Persons, sharing the same divine essence, so that there is one God, but three Persons make him up.
Thus in the first chapter of the Bible God says, “Let us make man in our image,” (Genesis 1:26).
A plurality is clearly indicated right from the very beginning.
This is where we differ from the Jews.
It is hard, I know, to grasp that.
We do not have a lot to help us.
I remember the story of the mother who was ironing while her little son was drawing pictures.
The mother asked him, “What are you drawing?”
He said, “I’m drawing a picture of God.”

She said, “How can you do that? Nobody knows what God looks like.”
He said, “They will when I get through!”
Many have tried to draw a picture of God to help people understand the Trinity.
Trinity is really a brief way of saying tri-unity, three-in-one.
I do not have time to go into that at length this morning other than to say I believe with all my heart that that image of God is not only stamped on us — that we, too, are tri-unities — but that it is stamped in everything in the universe around us; that time and space and matter can all be demonstrated to be made up of three divisions, each of which includes the whole of the others.
That is what a tri-unity is.
Well, enough of that.
John says without any doubt that Jesus is God.
Then John declares that Jesus is the Creator of all things.
This accounts for Jesus’ strange and remarkable personality.
He is the originator of all things: “He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him. and without him was not anything made that was made.”
Eight times in the opening chapter of Genesis it says. “And God said.”
God said, “Let there be light, and there was light,” (Genesis 1:3);
God said, “Let there be a firmament between the heavens and the earth and there was,” (Genesis 1:6);
God said, “Let the earth bring forth trees and vegetation” (Genesis 1:11),
and these sprang into being.
The Word, the Son of God, was speaking into being what the Father had designed in that amazing mind of his.
Any scientist who studies in the natural realm is always astonished when he comes to see the complexity of life, the marvelous symmetry of things, what lies behind all visible matter, the molecules, the atom, the make-up of a flower or of a star.
The obvious order, design and symmetry of everything is astonishing; it is amazing.
We have all wondered at what we have seen through some of the discoveries of science.
All of that was in the thought of God, but it never would have been expressed until the Son said it; he spoke and these things came into being.
So this amazing Man, Jesus of Nazareth, in the mystery of his being. was not only a human being here on earth with us, John says, but was the One who spoke the universe into existence at the beginning.
He understands it; he knows how it functions; he is able to direct it, guard it and guide it.
He spoke it into being.
Furthermore, John says, Jesus sustains it: “Without him was not anything made that was made.”
He is essential to it; he is what keeps it going and holds it in existence.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians what that force is: “He [Jesus] holds all things together,” (Colossians 1:17 RSV).
Hebrews says, “He [Jesus] is upholding the universe by the word of his power,” (Hebrews 1:3).
That is why we cannot forget Jesus: we are held together here this morning by his word and his power.
That is why we do not fall apart and blast into smithereens.
Something holds us together, and that is from him.
The third thing John says is that Jesus is the originator of two tremendously essential things that we need: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
The contribution that Jesus makes to us is our very life.
What is life?
Everybody senses the difference between life and death.
A scientist can analyze what elements make up a living substance, but when he puts it all together it does not have life.
The elements are there, the chemistry is there, but something is missing.
It will not grow; it will not develop; it is not alive.
What is life?
No one knows.
Again, life is one of the great mysteries.
But what the Word declares to us and what all science is busy trying to demonstrate is that God is alone the source of life; Jesus is life! Plants have life; he gave it to them.
Animals have a higher form of life; he gave it to them.
Men have still a higher form of life, and he is the source of it.
Thus we cannot escape him, we cannot forget him.
Jesus stands at the beginning and the end of every human life.
Ultimately our life goes back to him when it ceases down here.
More than that, when life is given there comes with it light.
Light here is a symbol of knowledge, of understanding, of truth.

You and I can go to school and learn because we have human life, but Jesus speaks of an eternal life, a higher level, supernatural life, life that does not die.
John declares in his letter, “He that has the Son has that kind of life, and he that does not have the Son does not have that kind of life,” (1 John 5:12).
So eternal life comes only from Christ.
When you have life from him you have the possibility of light as well.
That is why there is no possibility of understanding the world and the universe in which we live without eternal life from the Son of God.
Everywhere in Scripture we are invited to pursue knowledge and discover what is around us in all the exciting mysteries God has hidden in life.
We can pursue science, medicine, art, literature and politics, and all that is right.
But there is something more. If that is all we have, life at that level is narrow, crabbed and limited, and we can never understand what is really happening.
It is only as we come to the level of divine light, understanding as it is in the Scriptures, coming from the lips of Jesus, that we begin to put all the pieces together.

Only then can we see who we are, why we are here, and get the answers to all the puzzles and conundrums of life.
So when John introduces his gospel he wants us to understand this: that the One he is going to talk about, this amazing man from Nazareth, is God himself somehow become a Man.

He is the Creator become part of his creation, the Originator of life and of wisdom who somehow limited himself to learning as a little child, growing and partaking with us in the search for truth, and, at last, manifesting the fullness of it in his resurrected power.

This is the One who is at the center of our faith.

That is why we cannot forget Jesus.

Every human being sooner or later must deal with Jesus of Nazareth.

He is the ultimate crisis in every human life

Last week we took a brief look at the actions of the Holy Spirit in Jesus life at the beginning of His life and ministry
I believe the Lord has led me to use the Book of Luke in our Christmas meditations this year.
I would like to begin by telling you how I came to this decision and how we will proceed.
In the past number of months as you know we have spend some time looking at the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

And knowing Christmas was on the horizon, I have spent a couple of months in my month or so I have been spending much of my personal devotional time meditating on the words of Jesus and the way he acted.
I long for his single-minded devotion to his Father’s will to rub off on me.
I long to share his profound understanding of the human heart and his ability to see through all the outer layers of our lives and into our heart.
I long to have his way with words—words that always laid bare a person’s real loves.
I long, like Mary, to sit at his feet and drink in the living water of his teaching, until it so satisfies my heart that I can be as free as he was from the love of money and from the love of the praise of men and from anxiety about tomorrow.

I have come away from the gospel hungry to be holy, to be real and authentic, not to play church or play religion, and not to fritter away my short life with nonessentials.
And all these longings and this hunger have driven me to ask that God would not allow me to creep along so slowly in my quest for Christ-likeness.
And so it is out of this meditation and prayer has emerged the desire to share these Christmas meditations from Luke with you
Doctor Luke begins by stating that his aim in writing as he has done is to try to persuade Theophilus that the Christian teachings he has heard are true.
He does not want Theophilus’ faith to be a leap in the dark.
So Luke uses the preface to show why he should be respected as a reliable narrator of the history of Christ and his earliest church.
Then Luke begins his story.
Let’s read Luke 1:5–25.
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.
And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they wondered at his delay in the temple.
And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them and remained dumb.
And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, “Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

Patterns and Purposes in Luke 1–2
Luke is the only gospel writer who recounts the foretelling and birth of John the Baptist.
He begins in 1:5–25 with the announcement of John’s birth to Zechariah, his father.
Then in 1:26–38 comes the announcement of Jesus’ birth to Mary his mother.
Then in 1:39–56 a connection between the two is made as Mary goes to visit Elizabeth and magnifies the Lord.
Then in 1:57–80 comes the birth of John and his father’s song of praise, followed in 2:1–20 by the birth of Jesus and the song of the angels.
So there is clearly a pattern in Luke’s presentation:
- announcement of John
- announcement of Jesus; birth of John
- birth of Jesus, with a link between the two pairs as Mary and Elizabeth, pregnant with these two unexpected children, meet each other.
Evidently what Luke wants to do with this pattern is get the reader to compare and contrast Jesus and John the Baptist.

For example :
- both children are announced in advance by the angel Gabriel (1:11, 28);
- both births are unnatural or miraculous;
- in both cases the angel tells what the name should be (1:13, 31),
- and so on.
But even more important than the similarities are the contrasts.
John was born to an aged and sterile woman,
Jesus was born to a virgin;
John was given a name which means “God is gracious”;
Jesus was given a name which means “savior”;
John was to prepare for the Lord, Jesus was the Lord who would reign forever.
In this way Luke helps Theophilus and us to see two important truths.
One is that God is uniquely at work in the birth of these two men.
This is the all important thing for Theophilus and us to see about the history of Jesus: it originates with and is guided by the sovereign God.
It was not easy for a Roman official – a gentile - to believe that a poor Jewish teacher, executed as a criminal, is in fact the Son of God.
That such a man could be an eternal king and savior of the world was very hard for Theophilus to accept.
So Luke starts at the beginning to show that this man and his forerunner were no ordinary people:
That in fact the sovereign God ordained and ordered their births and their destinies.
How does Luke show this? :
In at least two ways.
First, by describing how, through his angel, God predicted what would take place before it happened.
In verse 13 the angel says, “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,” and verse 24 says, “After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived.”
The only thing that makes that kind of authoritative prediction possible is the sovereignty of God.
He can say what is going to happen, because he controls what is going to happen.
God sends his angel beforehand to predict these pregnancies rather than sending him afterwards to explain them, because he wants to demonstrate unmistakably that he is in charge here.
This is God’s work.
These births were not unusual coincidences found by God and used.
They were ordained and ordered by his sovereign will.
The other way God’s preeminence and control is evident in the miraculous nature of these births.
They are not just predicted; they are humanly impossible births.
Verse 7 says, “They had no child because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.”
But after John was conceived the angel says to Mary in verse 36, “Behold your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”

God’s purpose in bringing John and Jesus into the world through humanly impossible births is to demonstrate vividly that nothing is too hard for him; he is in control here and something unexpected and stupendous is beginning to happen in the world.
That is one of the two truths Luke wants to teach us by paralleling the announcements and births of Jesus and John, namely,
- God is uniquely at work here. These men are God’s men.
- But the second thing this pattern teaches is that Jesus is far greater than John the Baptist.
Even before John appears on the scene saying that he is unworthy to tie Jesus’ shoes (Matthew 3:11), we see from Luke’s narrative that the paralleling of John and Jesus finally serves to show that Jesus is vastly superior.
As Gabriel says in 1:32f., “He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever.”

Two Ways to Respond to God’s Promise
There is another thing that I think Luke wants us to see from the contrast between the announcements of Jesus’ birth and John’s birth.
Luke wants Theophilus to see the power of God and the preeminence of Jesus, but he also wants him and us to see the right way and the wrong way to respond to God’s promise of power.
This contrast is unavoidable when we look at how Zechariah on the one hand and Mary on the other hand respond to Gabriel’s promise that God is going to give them a child and make the child great.

Luke clearly wants Theophilus to follow Mary’s example, not Zechariah’s.
Let’s read both responses.
Zechariah says to Gabriel,
“How shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their time.”

Zechariah did not believe Gabriel’s promise.
He was in a similar position to Abraham but did not respond like Abraham, of whom Paul said in Romans 4:19, “He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about 100 years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith giving glory to God.”
Zechariah did waver in unbelief.
And I think Luke intends for us to contrast this response to Mary’s faith, because Zechariah’s wife commends Mary in a way that sounds like a criticism of her husband’s unbelief.
Verse 45 : She says, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
How did Mary’s faith express itself?
When the angel was finished predicting the miraculous birth of Jesus, Mary said in verse 34, “How can this be, since I have no husband?”
Note the contrast:
Zechariah says, How can I know this?
Mary says, How can this be?
Zechariah asks for more evidence;
Mary asks for an explanation.
Zechariah says he can’t be sure;
Mary says she can’t understand.
Mary receives at least a partial explanation
Zechariah receives a rebuke and is made dumb by the angel.
Luke’s point, therefore, to Theophilus is: be like Mary when you hear about Jesus, don’t be like Zechariah.

Proudly Demanding Evidence
There are three lessons I think we can learn from this contrast of belief and unbelief in Mary and Zechariah.
a. First, it is possible to demand too much evidence before you believe God’s promises.
It is not wrong to want evidence for our faith.
Belief is not groundless.
But there is an evil in demanding signs beyond what a humble and open heart would require.
This is a warning to us, lest we like Zechariah demand too much evidence before we will believe God’s promises.

How many of us, when we are laid low by dark and distressing circumstances, cannot believe that God is working it all out for our infinite good until some ray of light, some extra evidence, shows us that it is all going to be OK?
O, how often we fail to take God at his word!
And if Gabriel has a right to become indignant, how much more the absolutely trustworthy God whom he serves!
Remember, Gabriel said to Mary, “With God nothing is impossible” (1:37).
And it is clear from Luke’s narrative that God loves to exalt his sovereign reliability by keeping his word where humans can see no possible way for him to do it.
“I am an old man. My wife is barren and advanced in years. I can’t believe it.”
Let’s not be like Zechariah.
b. God wants to teach us from this text: Trust me! Trust me! I can and I love to do the humanly impossible. Trust me!
You can hear the heart of Luke going out to Theophilus: Trust him, Theophilus!
c. Don’t proudly insist on more signs than are necessary.
Put your whole trust in God and in his Christ.

Humbly Seeking Explanations
That’s the first lesson we learn from the contrast between Mary’s response and Zechariah’s response: it is possible and dangerous to insist on too much evidence or confirmation before you believe.
The second thing we learn is that it is OK to want and to ask for explanations when we are perplexed.
Mary was not accused of unbelief like Zechariah when she queried the angel: “How can I have a son when I have no husband?” (1:34).
Mary saw the human impossibility as clearly as Zechariah, but her heart did not reject the possibility in unbelief; she responded humbly and desired only to know how such an impossibility might be.
You see when our heart is right, God is never opposed to our seeking to understand his ways in history and in our own lives.
We will never understand everything in this age, because, as Paul says, we see through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12).
But the possibilities of what we can understand about the ways of God on the basis of his revealed Word are more vast and deep than any of us here has imagined.
What we must guard against is not that we probe the ways of God too deeply but that we probe with the wrong spirit.
A spirit of idle curiosity or arrogant skepticism would be wrong.
But a spirit of earnest longing to know more of God’s wisdom and a humble readiness to be taught something new—this spirit pleases the Lord.
That was Mary’s spirit.

Don’t Despair, Repent and Press On in Faith
There is one other lesson to learn from Zechariah’s unbelief.
It was preceded by a life of godliness and followed by a life of godliness.
Zechariah’s unbelief is in the same category with Peter’s three denials of Christ: it is a temporary lapse—not a way of life.
Look at what the bible says about Zechariah and Elizabeth
Verse 6: “They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”
In other words this means Zechariah was not a chronic unbeliever.
Not only that, verse 13 says that God was answering Zechariah’s prayer when he promised him a son.
So Zechariah was a righteous and prayerful man.
But even the best of men fall into unbelief now and then.
None of us trusts God’s promises perfectly from day to day.
But thanks be to God, though we may have to endure some chastisement for our unbelief, God does not cast us away, if we repent and set our hope afresh on him.
When Zechariah followed through obediently and named the child John, verse 64 says, “Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he spoke, blessing God.”
And verse 67 goes on, “And (Zechariah) his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied saying, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people.’”
That’s the last we ever hear of Zechariah.
He’s there righteous and blameless, then unbelieving, then blessing God in the power of the Holy Spirit.
So the lesson for us here is that we must not despair if we fall into unbelief.

Instead we must repent, accept God’s forgiveness in Christ, and go on blessing the Lord—even more fervently because of his great mercy to us in our sinfulness.

So what It Means to Be Blameless
Now I said I would go back and ask what does it mean when it says that Zechariah and Elizabeth were blameless.
It would be exceedingly strange if Luke meant that Zechariah was sinless until the day Gabriel approached him, and then for the first time he sinned miserably.
Walking in all God’s commandments righteous and blameless need not mean sinless perfection.
In Psalms the “righteous” were not without sin (Psalm 32).
They were those who did not rest in their sin but repented and trusted God and on the whole made his commandments a way of life.
When it says they walked in all his commandments it does not mean they never once coveted; it means this was not the normal track of their life.
“Blameless” sounds very strong but probably means: they live their lives in such a way as to give no one an occasion to hold anything against them.
Paul uses this word of himself and Christians generally.
He says in Philippians 2:14f., “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

Then in 1 Thessalonians 2:10 he says, “You are witnesses and God also how holy and righteous and blameless was our behavior to you believers.”
Yet Paul clearly denied his own perfection in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own.”
The idea seems to be one of so living as to give no one an occasion to hold anything against us, including God.
This does not imply sinless perfection (though that’s our goal) but quick and speedy amends for all wrongs.
What then have we seen from Luke 1?

There is a pattern:

- announcement of John—announcement of Jesus;

- birth of John—birth of Jesus.

By focusing our attention on the similarities between these events Luke shows us that the sovereign God is uniquely at work now in the births and destinies of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

Both births are predicted and humanly impossible.

But Luke’s pattern also focuses our attention on the differences between John and Jesus, so that Jesus is seen to be vastly supreme.

That is very important in Luke’s purpose.

Finally from the contrast between Zechariah’s response and Mary’s response we learned three things:

1) Take heed lest you demand too many signs before you trust God’s word of promise;

2) It is OK to want to understand the ways of God when they seem perplexing—the danger is having an arrogant or cynical attitude, not going too deeply into God’s mind; and

3) We should not despair that we are cast off from God if we fall into distrusting God for a time.

What counts is coming out again and blessing the Lord in the obedience of faith. “Nothing is impossible for our God.”

So let’s trust him to do as we walk fearlessly and humbly in all his commandments

As we enter the advent season we will also transition from talking about the Holy Spirit Himself to the results and actions of the Spirit in the life of Christ

The setting

It appears that the aim of Matthew was to declare the Gospel so that it would appeal to Jews.

Early tradition and its content suggest it was written in Palestine or Syria.

The use of the OT and Jewish emphasis would indicate a Jew writing for Jews.

He aims to prove the Messiahship of Jesus but also presents the universal application of the Gospel.

It is possible that Matthew intended it to be used as a teaching manual and this is particularly suggested by the ecclesiastical teaching and matters pertaining to Christian growth.

What does the author say about the Spirit?

The Spirit:
• was involved with the birth of Jesus (1:18, 20; cf. Luke 1:35)

• was promised as part of Jesus’ baptism with fire (3:11//Mark 1:8//Luke 3:16
• was associated with Jesus (3:16//Mark 1:10//Luke 3:22; 4:1//Mark 1:12//Luke 4:1)

• inspires speech (10:20//Mark 13:11//Luke 12:12; 12:18; 22:43//Mark 12:36)

• was associated with deliverance from demons (12:28)

• can be the subject of blasphemy (12:31, 32//Mark 3:29//Luke 12:10)

• is a member of the godhead (28:19)

And so today we are going to take a brief look at the actions of the Holy Spirit in Jesus life at the beginning of His life and ministry

Obviously I do not have time to go through every healing and action of Jesus in the Book of Matthew, but I hope to lay out some principles for you so that as you read through the gospels

We will taking a look at the reason for Him coming

The Holy Spirit and Jesus, cooperated while Jesus was here on the earth engaged in this earthly ministry.

And so my desire today is for you to be impressed with Jesus

The Spirit was involved with the birth of Jesus (1:18, 20)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit…But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

Exposition

The first reference to the Spirit in the gospel of Matthew is in the context of new life

Similarly, at key events of the life of Jesus, the Spirit is mentioned, including his baptism (3:16), his first encounter with the devil (4:1) and the commissioning of the disciples (28:19).

The narrative was not intended to offer an explanation for a virgin birth, as to how it happened or why.

Rather, it was to establish the role of the Spirit as a central element of the birth.

Also rather than Joseph be fearful, he is encouraged to recognize the positive implications of the Spirit having conceived the child.

The reference to the Spirit would remind a Jewish reader of a number of relevant characteristics when associated with a person.

The Spirit was responsible for :

- Creation (Gen 1:2),
-
- the giving of life (Gen 6:3)

- and affirming and empowering Messiah (Isa 11:2).

Not only did a reference to the Spirit indicate that the birth was divinely initiated but also, the one born was ushered into life as a result of the Spirit’s activity as was prophesied

The Spirit, not Joseph or Mary, was the one who initiated the procedure that would lead to the birth of Jesus.

The significance to the original readers

The nation into which Jesus was born was desperate for help because of the hopeless despair that pervaded it.

The Jews found themselves pressurized from a number of sources and they were unable to respond with any expectation of success.

The fact that the nation had been subjugated by Rome was a major problem.

Not only did the moral, religious and intellectual influences of the Roman empire upset the religious standards of the Jews, but also the taxation burden, exacerbated by the tax collection system, humiliated them, reminding them of their weakness and inability to change their situation.

Foreign soldiers, based throughout the country to quell potential revolution and to protect the Eastern borders, brought fear and insecurity as well as ceremonially and ethically contaminating the cities where they were based; in Jerusalem, they were housed in the Fortress Antonia, next to the Temple.

The nation, though rooted in the worship of God, was bombarded by other religious voices including the Emperor cult and mystery religions.

There was a crying need for transformation and hope to lighten the crushing load of despair that burdened a people blinded by their own religion.

The message of Matthew offered hope associated with the birth of Jesus, ushered in by the Spirit.

The longed-for new era had begun.

The Spirit was promised as part of Jesus’ baptism with fire (3:11)

I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Exposition

These are the words of John the Baptist concerning Jesus in which he stated that Jesus would provide a different baptism to his.

Whereas he baptized in water, Jesus was to baptize “with the Holy Spirit and with fire”.

Baptism

We understand baptize in with its watery connection of being overwhelmed or inundated with the Spirit.

It is descriptive of a powerful infusion of the Spirit into the life of an individual.

Not only is his baptism superior to that of John’s but also this indicates the superior nature of Jesus.

…with the Holy Spirit

The association of the with power in the OT, the creation of new life and the commencement of the new era of the Messiah would have provided a powerful sense of expectancy for the listeners to John the Baptist.

…with fire

To the contemporary reader, fire may be identified with warmth, a cosy scene or uncontrollable danger.

However, these would not be the most immediate associations that a Jew would have with fire.

Rather, “fire” would be reminiscent of :
- the protection and direction of God (Exod 13:21, 22),
- refining properties associated with the cleansing of sin (Isa 4:4) and judgment (Isa 11:4) in which the fire removes the dross whilst purifying the metal (Zech 13:9),
- the presence of a holy God (Exod 3:2) and judgment (Isa 29:6).

The Spirit is also associated with fire in the OT in the context of judgment (Isa 4:4).

Although fire is associated with a number of features, it appears that its link with judgment is the most likely reason for its association with the Spirit.

Not only does the Spirit affirm the believer at the beginning of their walk with God as children of God but also he judges sin wherever he sees it.

The significance to the original readers

The Jews believed that the Messiah would be endowed with the Spirit (Isa 11:2)

Matthew however presents Jesus in an exalted way, demonstrating to his Jewish audience that he is superior to the long awaited Jewish Messiah.

He was not just an anointed man, albeit with supernatural powers.

He functioned as God, demonstrated by his authority to give the Holy Spirit to others.

The Spirit was associated with Jesus (3:16)

And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him. (Matt 3:16)

Exposition

The baptism of Jesus occurred in association with three other events, the opening of the heavens, the Spirit of God descending like a dove and the affirming words of the Father.

Why the descent of the Spirit?

There seems no reason to assume that this was the first occasion on which the Spirit was associated with Jesus.

• We must remember that Matthew is not attempting to suggest that before the baptism of Jesus, the Spirit was not present in the life of Jesus.

• It is not that Jesus was just a man who now becomes a super-man.

• He always was supreme but now, the evidence is presented in the presence of the Spirit who accompanies him.

• The baptism of Jesus in general, and the descent of the Spirit in particular, thus may have primarily functioned as an affirmation of Jesus and a confirmation of his Messianic role, any empowering being supplementary though associated.

• The presence of the Spirit acts as a powerful confirmation of Jesus’ heavenly origin and relationship.

• Jesus, at the Jordan, is legitimized by the Spirit. He may be empowered by him but he is certainly endorsed by him.

• Jesus’ experience at the Jordan was a unique moment in history as was his person and mission.

And so the question we are looking at today is why did Jesus in fact come?

The Reason For Jesus : 4:23ff

Let me give you some background before I answer the question of why He came

In the OT times as well as in the time of Jesus most people thought God sent sickness to punish them

Remember when Jesus met the man who was blind – the first question the disciples asked was why is he blind – did he sin ? But he was born blind – therefore his parents must have sinned

Jesus never linked personal sin with sickness

Paul does and James does but Jesus never did – but they believed it – so imagine when Jesus heals someone and they are restored – what happens to the sin that they think has caused that?

Well my sin must be dealt with as well – but how can that be – only God can forgive sin?

It cant be that he is God is it – but he healed me. If God made me sick and Jesus healed me – what does that make Jesus ?

So what can the Jewish person who was sick – if they go to the doctors when God has made them sick then they are going against God.

There is only one thing to do and that is for them to go to God and say sorry in a hope that God will heal them

So lets see how this works out with Jesus

People are ill and come to Jesus – why am I ill Jesus ?

Please tell me what sin I have committed so that I can be sorry for it –

Jesus does not say anything about their personal sin – what can I do Jesus – you don’t have to do anything ?

Just come to me and I will help you – so who is in control?

For the people of the day who were not Jews it was the priests and the doctors

For the Jews God is in control

But Jesus’ message is – I am in control.

Then the next question is – who are you Jesus?

Some said – you are an imposter – the devil has given you power

Some will say I think you are God and I want to follow you

And the message to the readers of the gospel is what will you do with Jesus ?

Will I be impressed with Jesus when I read the stories – will I learn things about Jesus that I did not know before – will I learn things about God that I did not know before ?

Will Jesus point me to God?

Of course the answer is yes

But here is our danger – because we have been Christians for a number of years and we know the answer is yes we lose the possibility of being startled by the remarkable stories that the gospel writers tell.

So I want you keep pretending that you are not yet a follower of Jesus – prepare to be surprised by Jesus all over again

Imagine that you are seeing Jesus for the first time

Jesus delegated his authority to his disciples – his healings are meant to teach us something – not a better healer – but to teach us something about Himself

If Jesus wanted to leave a method he could have – but he healed people in so many different ways.

Right in the beginning of Matthew’s gospel he tells us some things that are very important about Jesus’ agenda

Did Jesus come to heal and cast out demons ?

There are a lot of stories of that

But is that the main reason he came ?

That is what the people thought

Matthew 4 verse 24 it says that His fame spread – why was that?

In the previous verse it tells us that Jesus healed many diseases

And look what happens in verse 24

Did anyone come to have their sins forgiven ?

Did anyone ask if they could be a follower of Jesus ?

Did anyone want to be a disciple ?

No - they wanted their body’s to be healed.

Very early in the ministry of Jesus they had a misunderstanding of the reason He came ?

“The great healer has come” they said

Right at the beginning of His ministry His heart was broken because people see him as a wonder worker

And right at the end of his life they welcomed him into Jerusalem as a miracle worker

In fact on the day he is welcomed into Jerusalem as a miracle worker He walks right next to the temple and everything is going on in the temple as it has always been – the same corruption in the temple – the same old same old

Jesus has been ministering in that city for years – and the religious have not changed their ways at all.

It is no wonder that when Jesus entered into Jerusalem on that occasion he wept

He cried because the city misunderstood him

And before Jesus died on the cross his heart had broken because people had thought that he simply was a healer

And Matthew does not want his readers to make the same mistake

So a few verses earlier he tells me why Jesus came

Look at Matthew 4:16 “the people living in darkness…”

So what does Jesus do in response to that ?

Verse 17 Jesus began to preach and to preach the Good News – preaching was number 1 in Jesus agenda

But it was not just any kind of preaching on anything – notice what the rest of that verse says

“repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”

Number 2 in his agenda was to choose followers who could also preach.

And so in verse 18 Matthew records that Jesus chooses his followers

At this point in time he has not yet healed anyone because the agenda for him is to preach the good news

Now this is obvious to us but I emphasize this because many Christians misunderstand why Jesus is in their lives

Too many Christians think that Jesus has come into their lives to deal with their physical problems and to make their lives comfortable

But Jesus has come into this world to allow us the privilege of leading other people into the light

And to that he chooses disciples who will follow him and they in turn will lead others into the light

So before Jesus heals anyone he preaches and then he chooses followers who follow him immediately and then in verse 23 Matthew says Jesus was teaching and preaching

Then we have a few verses where Jesus healed and then Matthew says let get back to Jesus’ main priority – and in verse 2 chapter 5 Jesus is teaching again

And Matthew has Jesus teaching all the way through chapter 5.

And then he teaches all the way through Chapter 6 and that is another long chapter

And all the way through chapter 7

And I am saying “please Matthew tell me a story” tell me a healing story –

Matthew says “ I will in time”

But this is not why Jesus came

Jesus came to preach and to teach

And changing your lifestyle is much more important than changing your physical body

And it is only when we get to chapter 8 verse 1 when we have the first healing in the gospel of Matthew

The people wanted Jesus to heal them physically

But Matthew says that is not Jesus’ priority

Jesus has come to teach and preach

And I find it very interesting that the first healing Matthew talks about is the healing of a leper

In those days a leper was someone who was unclean

And I need to admit that when I read Matt 5/6/7 I feel a little unclean because I am not meeting the standards of a servant that Jesus is teaching about.

And even this story of healing has more to do with the teaching I have received.

It is as if Matthew is saying “I know what you are thinking now you have had all of this teaching – you are feeling a little unworthy – a little bit like that leper – a little unclean.”

Let me tell you what Jesus can do for you – he can make you whole

But hear the heart of Jesus – the heart of Jesus is to teach you

Let me give you an example of this –

A question of Service : 8:14-15

Matthew 8 – this is a well known story taught in Matthew Mark and Luke. It is the story where Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law.

And Matthew tells this story in a very unusual way.

It is unusual because it is different from the way Mark and Luke tell it

Matthew has an agenda on his heart – and he chooses to record this healing in order to further his agenda
If you had the stories of Matthew Mark and Luke next to each other you will see that they are all a little different.

They are written to different audiences – Matthew to a Jewish audience / Mark wrote to people suffering persecution in Rome / and Luke will write to an intellectual gentile audience.

So they will present their messages a little different to each other.

So let me just read this little story – it only takes two verses here in Matthew

This is not just a story about the healing of a lady - this is a story that reflects Jesus

Matthew 8:14-15

14Jesus went to the home of Peter, where he found that Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever.
15He took her by the hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and served Jesus a meal.

Who are the people in this story?

Jesus and Peter’s mother-in-law – they are the only people in the story.

When Mark tells the story the disciples are there also

When Matthew tells the story Jesus is in control – and the way Matthew tells it Jesus is the subject of every sentence

When Jesus enters Peter’s house Jesus saw the mother-in-law – Jesus touched her

You see the message from Matthew – no one needs to tell Jesus about the problem.

Jesus is in charge.

Then when the woman is healed who does she serve?

Jesus

When Mark and Luke tell the story they tell us that Jesus served them

For Mark and Luke the service of the lady demonstrates she has been healed

Luke says the lady had a very high fever

Luke says she is seriously ill. And so when I read she is serving the people she must be healed

For Mark and Luke the lesson is when Jesus restores he does it completely and He does it completely and immediately
Matthew has a different reason for telling his story – it is this

When Jesus heals the appropriate response is to serve him.

When Jesus touches your life – the appropriate response is to serve Jesus

I am sure it is no accident that Matthew says that this lady serves Jesus

And so the message to the readers is – will you do the same?

Will this lady serve Jesus because she has been healed by Jesus ?
Of course the answer is yes

But it is suggesting to us that Jesus is worthy of service.

No just because he has healed – but in healing he has demonstrated his worthiness

And look what Matthew then says in the next verses

Verses 18 to 22 are all about the subject of service

So a religious leader says I will follow you anywhere Jesus – I will be your servant

And so Jesus gives guidance as to what it means to be a proper servant

But before he says that we have already seen this lady demonstrating what it means to be a follower of Jesus

I wonder if Matthew had a little smile on his face when he wrote this story – who does he have serving Jesus ?

Is it one of the disciples – a special religious person – no he chooses one of the marginalized people in Jewish society?

A woman and Jesus puts the spotlight on this marginalized person

And he says to the men in his audience and the people who thought they were religious and the people who thought that God smiled on them because they were Jewish leaders and he says:

“This woman serves me - she is your example – will you be like her ?”

We will want to say yes -

Matthew wants his readers to do the same

With God the Holy Spirit Nothing Is Impossible
In the parallel verses where the announcement of Christ’s birth was announced to Mary in Luke 1 verses 37 and 38 the angel Gabriel gives the pregnancy of barren Elizabeth as evidence for Mary that “with God nothing is impossible.”
So let us conclude where Mary does, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38).

Can you say that: “Let the Holy Spirit do with me as he pleases”?

Do you trust the Spirit enough to say: “I am your servantl; take me; use your omnipotent power to put me where you want me, when you want me there, doing what you want me to do”?

Let’s live and speak so that men and women in Seattle and Spain and Sri Lanka and China and Africa where ever might know that Jesus Christ is a great Savior, the Son of the Most High, and the King of kings.

That’s the passion of the Holy Spirit. To be full of that is to be full of him

As I have studied Pentecostal theology over these many years I must admit I have been dismayed at some of the stuff I read and see.

And so that was the motivation for these teachings on the Holy Spirit.

You see I do believe that as your pastor I am required to speak the full counsel of God’s word

Not only that I am constantly being exercised and burdened and do spend considerable time praying about how to help you become disciples of His

I know part of that is for you to know the Word of God – but not only to know the Word, but to actually be living it on a day by day basis

I am also acutely aware of the fact that without the power of the Holy Spirit present and evident in our lives we merely have an intellectual understanding and no power

And so today we will continue with the series I begun a while ago as we talk about The Spiritual Man.

Over the last few weeks I have been talking about the person of the Holy Spirit as we looked at the Book of Acts and the Book of Ephesians

And so today I want to take a look at the letter written in about 49 AD from Antioch to the churches in southern Galatia which were founded by Paul on his first missionary journey
As I previously have said – we are not going to get into the what I would call the fleshly excesses and such that you might have heard about

So relax and enjoy this time together and let us briefly pray

I want you to say this “ Father I open myself, my heart, my mind, my spirit to you today – teach me about the precious Holy Spirit

In Jesus name - Amen”

The Setting
The church at Corinth was established on Paul’s second missionary journey. Corinth was an ancient city rebuilt as a Roman colony after its destruction by the Romans following a rebellion in 146 BC.

It inhabited people from all cultures and grew to be one of the wealthiest cities in the empire boasting the most ornate theatres, palaces and temples, its wealth coming from pottery and brass industries and the commercial activities of its ports.

It became a military base, controlling the land and sea routes and was popular with the Emperors as an alternative home to Rome.

Paul was there for eighteen months (Acts 18:1-18) with Acquilla, Priscilla, Silas and Timothy.

Opposition from the Jews was strong, resulting in his being brought before the Roman tribunal.

Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, was beaten by fanatical Jews after the case collapsed.

The people appear to be a mix of Jews (7:18) and Gentiles (1:22-24) some poor and uneducated (1:26-29), some wealthy folk (1:11, 14) but also some slaves (7:21-23).

What does the author say about the Spirit?

Last week we spoke about what the Spirit does for the believer and today I want to talk about what the Spirit does through the believer

The Spirit:
• provides gifts (1:7; 12:4-7, 11, 27-31; 14:1, 12)
• empowers the believer (2:4)
• reveals wisdom (2:10, 13; 7:40)
• creates a corporate body (3:16, 17)
• is involved in the salvation of believers (6:11; 12:3, 13)
• inhabits a believer’s body (6:19, 20)

The Spirit provides gifts (1:7; 12:4-7, 11, 27-31; 14:1, 12)

You are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1:7)

Exposition
The term that is used for “spiritual gift” is charismata.

This is the first use of this term in 1 Corinthians and it strikes an important note for the purpose of the readers’ understanding of supernatural phenomena.

Paul is desirous that they recognize that any ability they have is a gift.

They are gifts of grace, given to the undeserving; not rewards or rights, but gifts.

Subsequently, it is expected that they will be administered gracefully, graciously and for the benefit of others.
.
The significance to the original readers

Paul has much to say by way of correction and guidance to the readers, some of which results in sobering reading.

Before he begins to deal with some of the major problems in the church, he concentrates on that which is positive, thanking God for them and for the potential that lies within them (1:4-7).

Consequent to this fact is their inability to assume that their giftedness is due to their progress as believers; there is no reason to boast or assume superiority over others as if they had deserved any gifts.

They have been provided with gifts by God because of his gracious activity towards them not because of their worthiness (1:4).

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good…All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. (12:4-7, 11)

These verses commence a long section that explores the role of gifts in the Christian community.

Before he identifies specific gifts, he establishes a number of basic principles of importance to the correct use of the gifts.

The word he uses for “gifts” is again charismata.

To enforce the fact he is describing donations generously supplied by God to the church, not rewards deserved by believers, he incorporates a number of supportive aspects in these verses.

• He associates the gifts with the words “service” (12:5) and “working”

• Gifts are not for personal or selfish use. They are for service and to be equated with working, for the benefit of others.

• Every believer is described as being gifted (12:6, 7, 11). For some, this may be a permanent capacity to function in a particular way, though it is possible for all to function in any gift, depending on the sovereign plan of God who delegates the gifts when and to whom he wishes.

• The gifts are described as being manifested according to the will of the Spirit (12:7, 11

• The gifts are varied (12:4-6). Paul provides five major lists of gifts, including the one here in verses 8-10 (Rom 12:6-8; Eph 4:11; 12:28, 29 cf. 13:1-3; 14:6, 26), none of which are intended to be comprehensive but representative (cf. 7:7 which refers to the gifts of celibacy or being married).

• One of the main purposes of these lists is to demonstrate the diversity of gifts available to believers.

• The gifts are described as being given for the benefit of the corporate group (12:7). They are not to be administered selfishly but selflessly, not for personal gain but for the benefit of others.

The significance to the original readers

Although the number of inhabitants of Corinth are difficult to determine (it must have numbered in the low hundreds of thousands), there were more slaves than free citizens

The presentation of the sovereign nature of the gifts, their diversity and the emphases in usage are to be set against a backdrop of selfishness and individuality among the believers.

It appears that some of the believers were boasting because of their gifts (4:6, 7) and so Paul reminds them of the fundamental characteristic of the church.

It is to function corporately, individuals taking responsibility for the welfare of each other.

If they fail to recognize that they are a loving body of believers, they will fail to exist as a church, for the privilege of being part of the Christian community carries with it the responsibility of living in harmony with each other.

Paul is not asserting that uniformity should describe the church but harmony in diversity; not individuality, but a dynamic relationship with the Spirit resulting in deep relationships with each other.

The fact that these gifts are given by the Spirit should increase the sense of responsibility felt by those who are to administer them and, in particular, that they do so appropriately, as indicated by the nature of the giver of the gifts.

At the same time, there is an encouragement on the part of all the believers to recognize that they need not wait forlornly on the assumption that they have not been given a gift from the Spirit since Paul has explicitly stated the opposite.

The responsibility of individual believers, with the support of the others, is to help identify gifts received and to use them effectively in the community.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. (12:27-31)

These verses provide the readers with a second list of gifts in the same chapter though there are differences in the gifts listed.

But the identity of the gifts or the fact that some of them are different to those referred to earlier are not central issues for Paul.

Whereas the chapter began with the fact that there are many gifts, it ends with the recognition that they are diversely distributed.

In particular, Paul records that not all believers are to be expected to function in one gift in particular.

The questions he asks all expect the answer “no”.

There is no need for any one to feel that they are deficient by not functioning in one of the gifts in particular.

This builds on that which he has demonstrated earlier that the gifts are sovereignly distributed.

Therefore, any absence of a gift in a believer is not due to the individual concerned; the donation of gifts is dependent on God.

The concentration of Paul is not on the gifts referred to or even on their diversity. Rather, it is on the diversity of distribution.

What is of central importance is that in this list of gifted people who have been given to the church and gifts that have been given to people in the church, there is a diversity of distribution, determined by God as he distributes gifts as he pleases.

It is mutual interdependency and diversity that Paul celebrates.

The significance to the original readers

Although the church in Corinth was not very large numerically, it clearly contained a number of dominant individuals (4:6; 8:1-13; 11:21) and division was rife (1:10-13; 3:3, 21; 6:1-6).

The previous section (12:12-26) dealt with issues of appreciation of and sensitivity to one another.

Now, Paul focuses on the implications of these factors for the gifts.

Judging from the way in which the questions are asked, it appears that some had been attempting to manipulate others into believing that all should function in one or more of the gifts, no doubt leading to pride on the one hand and guilt and insecurity on the other.

Paul’s assessment is clear.

The gifts of God are potentially for all.

He is not stating that some may never be used in a particular way but that that they need not feel marginalized if they do not since the decision is God’s.

That which they should do, insofar as it is within their capacity so to do, is express their gifts in the best way possible and especially for the benefit of others.

It is Paul’s contention that they should not be expected to function in any other gift than that which God has given to them.

Make love your aim, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (14:1)
So with yourselves; since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. (14:12)

The word that is translated “spiritual gifts” in 14:1 is pneumatika.

Thus, he encourages them to focus on the agenda of the Spirit as he works towards the development of the church.

The significance to the original readers
The objective of building up the church has been determined by the Spirit as has his agenda been established of using believers to accomplish it.

However, the Corinthians have locked him out of the development of that plan, instead instituting their own models of behavior and initiating their own programs.

In particular, in this chapter, they have decided that tongues suits their selfish purposes while Paul argues that the schedule set by the Spirit of strengthening the church is best suited by the gift of prophecy.

As always, the Spirit knows best and the readers need to learn this lesson.

The Spirit empowers the believer (2:4):
My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

Exposition

Here Paul proclaims that his preaching style and content may not have fulfilled the objectives of secular wisdom concerning oratory and its philosophical content, there was nevertheless, an associated power that evidenced the presence of the Spirit.

The significance to the original readers

In the Graeco-Roman world, education was largely for the rich, with fees needing to be paid for education either at home, via tutors, or in a private school.

Amongst Romans, practical subjects were most exalted; pragmatism not philosophy.

Education for them was basically to prepare children for the practicalities of life.
For the Greeks however, education involved the broadening of one’s mind as truth was explored and absolute certainties questioned.

Philosophy was the highest subject and issues about life and death, values and beliefs, God and suffering were explored.

Education was a journey to be enjoyed, with detours along the way where more information could be gathered.

It is this latter form of wisdom which was less developed practically and more engaged in philosophically that had influenced the Corinthians.

Paul refuses to employ the style of philosophers and to engage in speculation or preach in a convoluted way that would have implied to many the