QRC- Intro

QRC Intro

They are everywhere.  You can find them in magazines, in newspapers, on bill boards, stores and restaurants.  You know what I’m talking about those funky little square bar codes that are showing up everywhere.  They are called Quick Response Codes and they were first developed by a subsidiary of Toyota in 1994 for use in their manufacturing process. 

If you’ve ever wondered what they are for you scan them with your smart phone or iPhone and they take you to a website.   There is one on the back of our bulletin that looks like this, if you scan it you go to our homepage.

Now you might be thinking “So what”?  And I certainly didn’t see much use in it but this summer Angela was looking to buy a new Kayak and while we were at one store they had a QRC on the tag on the Kayak, I scanned it and there was everything I needed to know about that Kayak.  And that is the one we bought. 

What if we had that type of resource for some of the things we face as Christ Followers?    Answers to questions we have and situations we face?  Through the month of November our series will be “QRCodes for Life” and we are going to look at where to find answers to some of those challenges that we face. 

But to start with, we have to be sure of the source.  I mean if you were having headaches and there was a QRC for headaches and you scanned it and it took you to “Billy Bob’s self-guide to brain surgery and taxidermy” you would have second thoughts about using that as a guide to diagnosis and treat your headache .  It might say, “First you drill a hole in your head, then take a stick and root around.”    

So this morning we are going to look at the source of the QRC’s we will be talking about over the next four weeks. 

You may have noticed that in my messages I use a lot of scriptures, when I was in college I read the words of John Wesley who said “I am a Bible bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small.”  And I really didn’t understand what he meant but I have come to understand, because I too am a bible bigot, I don't think that anything I or anyone else has to say has the potential eternal consequences of God's word.

You don’t come to church on Sunday Morning to hear the collected wisdom of Denn Guptill you come to hear from the Bible, the word of God the Holy Scriptures, so I don’t want to take the time you have entrusted me with to let you know what I think. 

And I would be naïve to think that everyone agrees with me on the validity or the value of this book. A number of years ago I was asked to take part in a debate on CBC radio concerning the Oxford translation of the Bible.  This particular translation worked very hard at trying to offend nobody. So they were very gender unspecific.  Now I understand some of that, he and her become they, mankind becomes humanity or should that simply be hu-people-y.  I can even concede a little bit on us becoming Son’s of God becoming Children of God, although socially and culturally speaking, 2000 years ago being someone’s son was a whole lot different then simply being someone’s child and was understood as such. 

But the translation kept going, it removed any mention of the Jewish leaders asking for Christ to be crucified instead it was simply the religious leaders. Because it didn’t want to be anti-Semitic.  But historically it wasn’t just any religious leaders who demanding the execution of Christ it was the Jewish religious leaders.  That’s not to put any blame of Jews who live today that is simply the historic reality.  To deny that is akin to just referring to the authors of the holocaust as political leaders and not mentioning that they were German political leaders.

In the Oxford translation the right hand of God was no longer the preferred place because that would imply that left was wrong or bad.  The parable of the blind guides was left out because it was offensive to blind people, you get the gist.  And I was asked to debate another pastor who thought the Oxford translation was the greatest thing since sliced bread.  And I challenged her saying that regardless of how you viewed the Bible it was wrong to take that much liberty with it.  If it was the word of God how could you make such radical changes, if it was just a historical document how could you justify tampering with it or if it was only great literature we wouldn’t change the wording of Shakespeare’s plays simply to make them more appealing for today.

But to her the Bible was just a book, a good book but just a book never the less.  And I couldn’t fathom how a pastor, a minister could view the word of God as just a book.  What did she say when she stood up on Sunday Morning?  What could she possibly offer her congregation if it wasn’t from the word of God? 

And so in the scripture that was read this morning Paul is writing a young pastor by the name of Timothy.  Like 1 Timothy this book is a personal letter; it wasn’t addressed to the congregation of the church it was addressed to the pastor of the church. We are reading someone else’s mail. 

Paul is in prison in Rome facing execution and he’s writing to Timothy in the city of Ephesus, which if we pull down our trusty map is right here in what we now call Turkey.  These are very close to the last words that Timothy would ever have from his friend and mentor.  The letter was written around AD 67 and Paul was writing to encourage Timothy and to remind him of his calling.

And part of what Paul reminds Timothy of is his heritage, how he was brought up in a Godly home with a foundation established on the scriptures.  And that goes back to the promise we are given in Proverbs 22:6 Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.   

In other words parents do your best when they are little and hope for the best when they grow up.  And Timothy had that heritage, it would appear that his Mother Eunice and his Grandmother Lois were followers of Christ and that they had brought Timothy up in the faith.  Now understand that these ladies came to their faith through a Jewish background and so that is how Timothy would have been raised. The scriptures that he would have been taught would have been the Jewish scriptures, what we know as the Old Testament, because for Timothy the New Testament was still a work in progress.

After He turned 13 the Rabbis would have felt that He was responsible enough to observe all the mitzvahs, which were the divine commandments or meritorious acts.  As He grew He would have read the Talmud which were the books of wisdom written by the Rabbis through the centuries.  And in those books He would have learnt things like “Never threaten a child, either punish him or forgive him.” or “A child's tears move heaven itself” or “Why was man created on the last day, so when pride takes a man it can be said, 'God created the fly before you.'”  He would have learnt all these things at the Heder or Hebrew school.  Historians tell us that at a time when 90% of the world’s population was illiterate, that every Jewish boy over the age of five was learning to read.  And while most of us do our best to struggle though with one language, Timothy was undoubtedly learning in both Hebrew the language of his people, and Greek which was the language of the marketplace. 

On His first day of school Eunice would have included a honey cake in His lunch to remind Him of how sweet learning was and His teacher would have given him a taste of honey and told Him, “The study of God's word is sweeter.”  But Timothy’s education in the scripture would have begun long before that, in his own home. 

But what are some of the things about the scriptures that Timothy and we by default are reminded of here in regards to God’s word.  2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

First of all we are told that The Scriptures are Inspired by God  This is the crux of the entire sermon.  If you can’t believe that this book was inspired by God then what good is it for you?  It’s not just another self help book, it’s not just another book on morality, it’s not just another “Good Book”.  This is the word of God.  And it’s not enough to say “Well I believe that parts of the Bible are inspired.”  What parts?  The parts that you agree with?  The parts that make you feel good but don’t make you feel guilty?  Do you get your pick of the Ten Commandments, so you’ll pick do not murder and do not steal but skip lying and adultery.  This book is either the word of God or it’s not and if it’s not then why waste your time with it?

We hear the word inspired tossed around a lot these days, artists are inspired, musicians are inspired, and interior decorators are inspired.  But does that mean the same as the bible being inspired by God?  No.  In most cases when we speak about someone being inspired it means they are very creative, that they are able to draw some special inspiration from within themselves or from their Muse.

But the thought of the original language in saying the scriptures were inspired comes from the two Greek words which meant God and breathed, God breathed the scriptures into being.  As a matter of fact if you were to read 2 Timothy 3:16 in the New International Version it begins by saying All Scripture is God breathed.   You have 40 different human authors who put pen to paper, so to speak, who contributed to this book, and we believe that they were inspired by God in what they wrote.  I read a great analogy the other day.  If you were a musician and picked up a trumpet and played it the music would be created by your breath, the trumpet would simply be the tool, it would be what turned your breath into a recognizable sound. If you then picked up a tuba and played it would still be your breath but it would come out sounding different, hopefully.  In the same way the breath of God is played through various human writers in the Bible, same breath but we hear it in different ways.  So Moses writes different than David, who writes different than Amos who writes different than Jonah, who writes different than Matthew.  But the initial inspiration or breath is from the same source.

So it’s inspired, but why?  Do we have the Bible, the inspired word of God just to have a good book to read?  And it is great reading, there is mystery and intrigue and romance and betrayal, poetry and songs, inspiration, philosophy and theology all wrapped up in this book we call the Bible. No it’s not just a good read there needs to be a purpose to our reading. 

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

The Scriptures Teach us What is True  There has to come a time when we ask: What is truth?  Is it something that is defined by politicians?  God help us if it is.  Or do we leave it up to nine appointed judges in Ottawa to decide what truth is and by default what morality is?  Can truth change?  When the entire kerfuffle about same sex marriage was going on I attended a public meeting about what the new legislation meant, by the way I am opposed to same sex marriage as is the Wesleyan Church, in case you needed clarification on that. I was in the meeting and asked Geoff Regan what protection was in place for me as a clergy if I was asked to perform a same sex marriage.  To which Mr. Regan insured me that I was protected by the Supreme Court Ruling.  And so I asked if the Supreme Court ever changed its mind.  And he said it did.  Not much protection, but the point being is that truth is not supposed to change. 

Jesus promised in John 8:32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

But how can the truth set you free if the truth is ever changing and what is true today isn’t true tomorrow?  Jesus said in John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

And we are told in Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  So perhaps we could read that as:  The truth is the same yesterday, today and forever.  And the Bible is where you will find that truth.

So what else is the bible good for? 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

The Scriptures Teach Us What is Wrong.  It’s not enough that we get our creed from the bible we also need to go to it for our conduct.  It’s is the source of both our belief and our behaviour. It should make a difference in how we live.  And if it doesn’t then there something wrong.  Christians are referred to as being born again, having a new beginning and being new creations.  That would signify new behaviour, how we act, how we live, what we do.

Throughout the Bible our behaviour is not taught to be a way to our salvation, as a matter of fact in Ephesians 2:8-9 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

So our salvation is not dependent on our behaviour, but our behaviour is dependent on our salvation.  Does that make sense?  No, ok.  You don’t become a Christian because of what you do, but when you become a Christian that determines what you do, there are specific things Christians do and specific things Christians don’t do.  And they are found in the book.  We are not left  without guidance.

True story, this is too good to make up.  I was talking to a friend of mine one day and he was telling me about how he became a Christian.  No church background, a friend of his introduced him to Jesus, he had just started attending church.  His friend gave him a bible and he starts to read it.  At the time he was living with his girlfriend and one night they are laying in bed, he’s reading his bible and comes to a word he doesn’t understand.  So he turns to his girlfriend and says “What’s fornication?” Now if’n you’re wondering the same thing, fornication is sexual activity outside of marriage, sex is God’s wedding gift.

So he asks his girlfriend “what is fornication?”  and she replies “That’s what we do.” 

The scriptures tell us what is wrong.  But more then that let’s keep reading  2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

The Scriptures Straighten Us Out, So the next morning Bill moves out, if they were fornicating and fornicating was wrong then he knew that he should stop fornicating.  Pretty simply right?  So what’s the problem?  And maybe that’s the reason we don’t read the bible, because we don’t want to find out what we are doing wrong and what we should do about that behaviour. 

When people talk about being accepting of people they talk about Christ’s love and forgiveness.  They remind us of the woman caught in adultery, how Jesus told those who wanted to judge her to cast the first stone if they were without sin.  And then people tell us how we should be like that accepting and forgiving of people regardless of what they do or how they behave.  What they forget is what Jesus told the woman when everyone had left.  Do you remember?  Sure he told her in John 8:11 “Go and sin no more.”

In other words stop doing what is wrong.  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  Not only is there a new life but the old life is gone. 

And finally 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

The Scriptures Teach us to do what is right.   Sometimes people say that the Bible is full of Don’ts but there are actually more dos in the bible then there are don’t so if you spend all your time doing the dos you won’t have time to do the don’ts.  If you want some place to start try Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

So I’ll tell you what, work on those nine and when you get them down pat let me know and I’ll find you some more.

Here’s the secret if you want to know what’s in this book then you have to read it.  It can’t just sit there.  If you don’t have a bible I would recommend the New Living Translation, if you can’t afford one let me know and I’ll buy you one.

Every once in a while I read a quote and think; man I gotta use that.  Charles Spurgeon was the pastor for 38 years of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London England.  During the time he was there the church grew to over 5,000 in attendance and he became known around the world for his preaching and this was before television.  And Spurgeon said once “There is dust enough on some of your Bibles to write damnation with your fingers.”  I hope that’s not true of you, let’s pray.

The Result of our behaviour.

Over the past four weeks I’ve been speaking about what Jesus said about our behaviour, and if you were looking for a specific list of what we can do and can’t do you’ve been disappointed.    Jesus didn’t provide a detailed list but instead insisted that our relationship with God would lead to proper behaviour.  And he did provide some warnings telling people that there were certain behaviours that would indicate that there were problems with that relationship, and even indicated that people who exhibited those behaviours weren’t in a relationship with him, regardless of what they might claim.

The problem with lists is that if anything falls outside the list we assume that behaviour is alright.  And so we hear people who are involved in behaviour who are saying “Well Jesus didn’t say anything about . . .”  And you can fill in the blank.

And so Jesus painted a picture with broad strokes, a picture of people who respected and loved God and one another.   When Jesus was looking for a metaphor to describe those who behaved this way he reached out to and latched on to an unlikely pair.  Jesus told those who followed him, that their behaviours would make them like Salt and Light.  And while they might seem confusing to us to those he was talking to it was probably an “Ahhh!” moment. 

We don’t know exactly who all had gathered around Jesus to hear him speak that day, but we have some hints.  Back at the beginning of the chapter, when this day began, you might remember we were told in Matthew 5:1-2 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.  Did you catch that, Jesus saw the crowds gathering but he went up to the mountainside and his disciples gathered around and he began to teach them.

So it was not crowds of semi interested people who had gathered around, it wasn’t the uninterested who were listening to the message that day it was people who were seeking the truth, who had already in some way committed themselves to following Jesus. 

Now we don’t know who all was there that day but we were introduced to four of them not long before Jesus began to teach and it was the four fisherman, Andrew, Peter, James and John.  Four fisherman and I’m pretty sure that they were the ones who had the eureka moment when Jesus talked about Salt and Light. 

Salt and light, that was something they knew about because every night they made their way safely to shore by following the lights set out for them and every day they took the fish that they hadn’t sold fresh and they covered them in salt to preserve them for the next day.  And so when Jesus looked out at his disciples and said “You are the salt of the earth and you are the light of the world” Andrew and Peter and James and John all looked at each other and went “Ahhh, salt and light, that’s cool.” 

But here we are two thousand years later and instead of saying “ahhhh” we saying “Huh? Salt? Light?”

So what was it that Jesus was trying to say?  What was it about salt and light that Jesus was trying to convey to those who sat around him on the hill that sunny Palestinian afternoon?  And what is his message for us 2000 years later.  What was it about salt and light that should be evidenced in those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ?

The First thing is that Salt and Light Are Distinctive.  I’ve never heard anyone say “Hey what’s that strange taste”  when they try something that is salty,  It is very distinctive and defining, salt is not confused with other flavours, you don’t hear people say “You know it’s either salt or vanilla I’m not sure which.”

You might hear someone say “that is really salty” or “This needs more salt” but for the average person they don’t confuse the flavour of salt with other flavours.

It is the same way with light, you might hear someone say “What is that light?”  but you never hear about light “Is that a light or a . . .?”  I’m not even sure what you might possibly confuse a light with, perhaps a reflection but that is still a light of sorts.

And so Christ is telling those who gathered to hear him that day that if they chose to follow him they would be known as his followers, there would be something distinctive in their lives that people would know that they were a Christ follower.  A number of years ago someone was telling me about a person who worked in the same office as they did.  “We’ve worked together for years” the person told me “And I just found out they are a Christian, isn’t that funny?”  No actually it’s kind of sad.  We are not called to be the same as everyone else we are called to be different. 

Different in our perspectives, different in our behaviour, different in our morals.  People should be able to tell by your language that you are not like everyone else.  By what you laugh at and don’t laugh at.  When they are telling you about the weekend they had and you tell them that you worshipped the God of creation on Sunday.  When they make sexual suggestive remarks and you don’t reply in kind.

People shouldn’t wonder about your faith it should be evident in your life you shouldn’t have to wear a sign that says “Look at me I follow Jesus”  instead Christ’s presence should be evident in your life.  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  And in 1 Corinthians 15:22 Everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.  People ask you all the time “Is that a new car?”  “Did you get a new house?”  “Do you have new glasses?” in the same way when you become a Christ Follower people should be asking “Is that a new life you have?”

Do you remember from watching Sesame Street “One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn't belong, Can you tell which thing is not like the others by the time I finish my song?”  If you are a Christ follower and you are in the company of non-Christ Followers you are the thing that is not like the others, or at least you should be

When Jesus was praying for his followers before he went to the cross, praying not just for Peter and Andrew, not just for James and Nathaniel, but for Denn and for Mike and for Sherry and Heather and for all the people who would ever follow him, he prayed  John 17:15-17 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.

Did you catch that?  They do not belong to the world any more than I do.  If you are a Christ Follower, and you’ve probably figured out if you’ve been around Cornerstone for any length of time I use that term more than Christian because Christian is just way too generic in 2012, if you are a Christ Follower then it is because you are following Christ.  It’s not because you attend Cornerstone, that doesn’t make you a Christ Follower, it’s not because your parents or your spouse follow Christ, that won’t cut it. 

Jesus told us 2000 years ago John 12:26 Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honour anyone who serves me.

If we were going to the same place, and you wanted to go but didn’t know the way you could follow me.  And that would entail . . . following me.  And maybe when we got out on the highway you decided that I was driving too slow for your preference or maybe you didn’t like the colour of my car or whatever and you decided to follow someone else.  You would no longer be following me, no matter what you said and if you ended up in a different place then you intended that would be your fault not mine. 

As a Christ follower you are to follow Christ, not Mohammed, not Buddha, not Confucius and certainly not Denn.  Dad often reminds me of the Tombstone somewhere in the US that has as the epitaph

Pause, stranger, when you pass me by,

For as you are, so once was I.

As I am now, so will you be.

Then prepare unto death, and follow me.

And someone had scratched on it:

To follow you I'm not content

Until I know which way you went!

As Salt and light are distinctive if we are followers of Christ we will be distinctive because we will be like the Christ we follow. 

Salt and Light Serve a Purpose.  A number of years ago I preached a message on being the salt of the earth and mentioned several purposes that salt was used for 2000 years ago. Salt was Essential for Health Salt is essential for the well-being and indeed the very existence for those living in very hot climates.  It is necessary for proper body metabolism, that is the normal retention and exchange of fluids between cells. 

When the body begins to lose moisture and salt content through perspiration, then the life process become threatened.  In fact if the salt isn’t replaced then death may occur. 

So when Christ commends us as salt he is commanding us to contribute to the health, vitality and well-being of society.  Too often we hear the phrase “society is sick” and well that may be true, the Christian church must realize that one of the reasons we are supposed to be here is to keep society healthy.

Salt Was Used to Preserve This was probably one of the most important functions of salt in Christ’s day.  In the hot weather of Palestine, before refrigerators or coolers the only way to keep the meat or fish you didn’t need today from going bad was to salt it.  Now I don’t mean a little bit of salt I mean lots of salt.  And through this process of salting putrefaction was kept at bay.

When I was growing up from time to time we’d have salt fish, because that’s what my parents grew up eating on Grand Manan.  To prepare the fish you’d soak it all day, change the water a few times and then boil it, and then when you ate it you kept a glass of water handy because it was so salty.  There was no doubt in anybody's mind at all that there was some salt in that fish.

That is the way we are supposed to affect society, they can soak themselves in sin, they can try to boil us out but if’n we are doing what we are supposed to be doing then we should permeate society so even with a casual taste Christianity is the prominent flavour.  Instead we have become like those new potato chips that are lightly salted.  When you first taste them you’re not sure if they have salt on them or not.

The only way we are going to preserve this old world is to pack it in salt, and we’ll never do that as long as the salt is content to be in the salt shaker.

Salt Was used for Seasoning  Historians tell us that the food of Jesus day would have been very bland.  In our gastronomical experimentation we have lost sight of what it must have been like.  If we look at many of the third world countries even though they may not be on a starvation diet their sustenance comes primarily from rice or grain.  Meat and fish is a real treat.  When I was in Africa the primary seasoning was salt, unlike the Maritimes where it’s Ketchup. 

Christ’s diet would have required salt to improve its flavour.  And so if we are to be the salt of the earth part of our purpose is to add flavour to the world, to make it more palatable.  Over the past two thousand years the church has helped improve the flavour of the world through art, music and literature.

Salt Was Used for healing    2000 years ago there wasn’t a drug store on every corner.  If a soldier was hurt in battle, if a farmer was gored by a bull, if a child fell down and scraped his knee there was a common treatment.  The wound was bathed in salt and water.  And it proved to be an excellent sterilization agent.  As a matter of fact it’s still used in many countries today.  When I was in Bible College our school nurse had served for forty years as a missionary nurse in Africa and her solution for most medical problems was to gargle with salt water. 

The church of Jesus Christ needs to have a healing ministry in today's world, and not just spiritual healing either but physical and emotional healing as well.  There needs to be a ministry of reconciliation.  We need to help in the healing of broken bodies, broken hearts, broken homes, and broken hopes and dreams. 

Light serves a purpose as well.  And this was a picture that these fishermen would understand.  Light Attracts Peter and Andrew and the boys fished at night because during the day the fish in the Sea of Galilee stay close to the bottom where it’s cooler but during the cool of the night they come close to the surface and the guys would have kept a lit torch aboard their boats to draw the fish even closer.  You ever turn your lights off on your porch in the summer time because it attracts moths?  15 Years ago when we first moved into Kingswood our son Stephen had fallen asleep watching TV and had the outside light on and the front room light on and someone who was lost deep in the bowels of Kingswood came to our door at 2:30 in the morning looking for directions, why?  Because they saw our light.  When we are the light of the world we will attract people to Jesus, that’s part of what we are supposed to do. Remember what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 4:19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”  and Paul writes in Ephesians  5:8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

Light Guides When fishing at night these men would have someone on the shore light and tend a fire that would guide them back to shore in the dark.  If salt preserves then light points, not to itself but to a path.  If you were to follow the beam of a light house or a buoy you would be in serious trouble because you’d eventually run into it. 

People are looking for the light that the Christian provides, but it shouldn't lead a person to a particular doctrine or person instead it needs to lead past the person to Jesus.  And so we need to be a light for the non-believer, the pre-Christian. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. 

I remember when I was fishing with my dad sailing into Yarmouth in the fog, I can’t remember sailing into Yarmouth without fog but that’s a different story.  And we’d use our radar as much as we could but we would put a man out on the bow to keep a look out for the light from the buoys.  The pre-Christian may be directed toward Christ by the Bible or a T.V. Evangelist or a book but the Gospel has to come to life in the light of a believer. 

I knew the facts of salvation, but it wasn’t until I saw the reality of Christ’s changing power in the life of my best friend that I was willing to trust Jesus with my life.

A Light Dispels the Darkness  Here is the reality, it doesn’t matter how dark it is light will always prevail.  If we could seal off this room completely from any outside source of light it would be very very dark, or as my Daddy would say “Darker then the inside of a cow’s belly.”  I’m assuming that he was just guessing on that and wasn’t speaking from experience.  But as dark as it might be that darkness would be dispelled by the flame of a single match.  John wrote of Jesus in John 1:4-5 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

Adlai Stevenson wrote of Eleanor Roosevelt “She would rather light candles than curse the darkness, and her glow has warmed the world.”   We need to show the light of Christ to the world, and as society becomes darker and darker the need will be greater and greater for us to shine with the light of Christ.  And as futile as it might seem remember John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

And then Christ gives us two warnings. Matthew 5:13 & 15 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.”

3) Without Their Purpose They Have No Value  If salt isn’t being salt and light isn’t being light then they are valueless.  But here is an interesting thing salt can never be anything but salt.  It cannot become less salty and light can never be anything but light, it cannot become less lighty.  And I know you are thinking “But Jesus said”  I know what Jesus said but Salt is always salt and light is always light. 

Salt cannot stop being salt.  Salt in itself cannot become less salty.  Salt is salt is salt.  It does not become less salty, the only way that salt can lose its saltiness is by contamination.  When other elements are mixed with it, so there ends up being less salt and more stuff.  Christians become less salty the same way, when we become contaminated by other things.  And we become less like Christ and more like the world.

Every Christian will be a witness.  They will either be a witness to the changing power of Jesus Christ or against the changing power of Jesus Christ.  And it is a sad commentary about human nature that the negative witness will have more impact than the positive witness.  It’s like the pastor who told a colleague “I have 800 members in my church”  “How many are active?” his friend enquired.  “All of them” came the reply “600 are active for the Lord and the rest are active for the devil”  You’re going to be salt for one or the other and only you can decide.

And while light will always be light it can be hidden either partly or completely and then it can no longer do its job.  And we cover it up by not acknowledging the light, never acknowledging our relationship with Jesus or by allowing our light to become filtered through our actions or the company we keep.  2 Corinthians  6:14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?  The light may still be there but it’s no longer serving its purpose because of the dark lenses it is being seen though.

So how about it this morning, are you having a positive influence on the world around you because of your relationship with Jesus Christ?  It’s not an option, it is a requirement for being a part of the Kingdom of God.  Jesus didn’t say you might be salt or you may be light, he said if you are following Him that you will be salt and light. 

Warnings and Early Warnings

Video from (Peggy’s Cove)

If you aren’t familiar with the video shot, then I’m not sure what to say.  I took that a month ago while we were on our annual pilgrimage to Peggy’s cove, and while I preparing to take some of these phone photos I noticed the lady down on the rocks.  If you were watching carefully you  were aware of just how close she was to the edge of the water.  Now realize that in order for her to get to the spot where she was standing that she would have had to pass one of these warning signs, and have ignored the older less politically correct signs that are scattered around Peggy’s Cove.  32 clicks to make a clue and she didn’t have a click.

I don’t know if you could hear on the video but a couple of people who walked behind me commented on the fact that she was on the dark rocks.  That means rocks where the waves have been recently. 

Perhaps if you had of asked her she would have told you that she knew exactly what she was doing, that others may have been swept off the rocks at Peggy’s Cove but that wasn’t her intentions.  If you had questioned her common sense perhaps she would have told you not to judge her, that she knew what she was doing and the signs were for others who weren’t nearly as intelligent as she was. 

She may have even suggested that the signs weren’t binding, they weren’t the law that they were merely suggestions and that if she had of followed the suggestion then she wouldn’t have been able to get the photographs that she wanted to.

Now to be fair I was shooting video that I thought I would be able to sell to the Television News if anything went awry.  But seriously I was watching because I knew that if something happened that someone would have to do something, I’m not sure if I would be prepared to jump in the water after her, but I could certainly yell for help. 

And she was not only placing herself in danger but was putting others in danger because someone would feel obliged to jump into the water after her.  And if they failed to pull her to safety or recover her body then her family would insist that society, in the form of the coast guard and local fisherman should place themselves at risk and spend vast amounts of money to recover her body.  All because she refused to heed the warnings.  And then some nitwit would suggest that we fence all of Peggy’s cove to prevent it from happening again. 

Which goes to prove the truth of Billy Sunday’s statement “Sin can be forgiven, but stupid is forever.” 

About the same time in the news was the story of Maria Pantazopoulos, the thirty year old bride who drowned during a photo shoot near Dorwin Falls in Quebec.  And that was a tragedy but it was preventable.  Her family has suggested that there should be barriers to keep people away from the water because the warning signs are not enough.  Others have suggested that there be regular patrols or that life preservers be installed along the water edge.

How about this for a suggestion?  Pay attention to the warning signs?  Just a thought.   I don’t want to negate the tragedy of Pantazopoulos’ death, but there were warning signs posted. 

And I completely agree with warning signs in areas like this. When there is danger we should know about it.   And if there weren’t warning signs it would be irresponsible.  That’s why we have warning signs.

Now some warning signs are just dumb, like the label on a bottle of peanuts warning people that it might contain peanuts, or the hairdryer warning stating that it should not be used while sleeping, the label on the iron on transfer that says “Do not iron while wearing shirt”. 

This warning I like, it was on the back of a truck operated by a septic tank cleaning company and it said “Warning this truck may contain political promises.” 

But there are warnings that must be taken serious.  The past couple of weeks we have been talking about “What Jesus Said about Our Behaviour”  and I would suggest that when Jesus spoke about our behaviour he was posting warning signs.  Signs that warn that certain behaviours can hurt us, physically, emotionally, spiritually and eternally.    

In the scripture that was read earlier Jesus warns people about those who exhibit evil behaviour.  A very similar list is given by Paul in Galatians and that list concludes with these words Galatians 5:21 . . . Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.   That my friends is a warning. 

But a warning at that point is like a warning at the edge of a cliff: If you jump off this cliff you will die.  Or perhaps even a warning half way down the cliff:  If you have jumped off this cliff you will die.  A little late perhaps. 

But what can we do to prevent us from getting to that spot?  In the Lord’s prayer Jesus teaches us to pray Matthew 6:13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.  I wonder what a difference it would make in our lives if we prayed that before we got out of bed each morning?  And meant it? 

But let’s go back a little bit earlier in the Sermon on the Mount to see the various “Early Warning” signs that Jesus’ posts for those who would choose to follow him. 

We’ve talked before about how Old Testament laws were laid down for a nation to keep it from deteriorating into moral decay, and rotting away from the inside.  The concepts that Christ goes on to deal with here were meant to hold the moral fabric of Israel together.  They are the essence of the 10 Commandments, and seriously if our Country lived by those rules Canada would be a much better place to live.  

But Christ goes on to say that believers, Christian, those who would follow Christ had a much higher calling then to simply obey the law, and so he tells us how to avoid getting to those dangerous spots.    Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

The Warning is Don’t Kill, The Early Warning is Don’t Hate 

The law says you shall not murder.  That’s cool, in order for society not to destroy itself it needs to respect life from conception to natural death.  When we decide that life at any point on the time line is any less or any more valuable than at any other point then we are opening doors better left closed.   A society that permits the sacrifice of its unborn children for convenience and economic benefit will eventually permit the same for the elderly. 

And while respect for life is a wonderful concept for society as a whole the believer is required to go a step further and along with not kill they must not even hate.  And that can only happen with the help of God. 

Jesus knew that the action begins with the thought and so he warns us to not even start down the path that leads to the cliff.  It was Poet Audre Lorde who warned us  “Hatred is a death wish for the hated, not a life wish for anything else.” 

Jesus understood the power of hatred and anger, how it consumes other emotions.  When we look at social unrest and the violence it so often breeds in most case it begins with anger and turns to hate. 

You all know what is meant by the phrase “If looks could kill.”

And what is true in society is true in personal relationships.  And even if that anger doesn’t result in the killing of a person, it kills a relationship.  And slowly it destroys the person who hates. 

Sometimes you hear in the news about someone who takes the life of another and it seems like it is a spontaneous act, a crime of passion something that happens in the heat of the moment but in many cases there is an underlying anger at play.   Paul nailed it when he warns us in Ephesians 4:26-27 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

So Jesus warns us to nip that anger in the bud.  Don’t let anger steal your joy.   And that’s not always easy, but try this: If there is someone in your life that you are angry with try praying for them, not praying about them but praying for them.  It’s not easy but try it. 

If the prohibition against murder is paramount in protecting society the next command is fundamental to protecting the family.  And so Jesus tells us, Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart

The Warning is: Don’t Cheat, The Early Warning is: Don’t Think About it But as with murder,  adultery very seldom does just happen.  This command of Jesus actually covers two of the Ten Commandments.  The first of course is the seventh commandment, you must not commit adultery, but then Jesus draws on the tenth commandment as well, You must not covet.  You must not want what isn’t yours.  In 1977 Conway Twitty had a number one hit with the song “I’ve already loved you in my mind.”  Stayed at number one for 11 weeks and that’s where adultery begins, in our mind.  The problem today extends beyond coveting our neighbours spouse to all that is served up on television, movies and the internet.  It is fixating on how green the grass looks on the other side of the fence to the neglect of our own grass.  And by the way if your neighbours grass looks greener than yours it might be because he takes better care of his grass. Just saying.

And you know what I’m talking about, you know what you can’t watch or can’t read and places you can’t go. 

Every once in a while we hear about someone who cheats and we think, “Wow, that came out of nowhere.”  But 2000 years ago the Roman Satirist Juvenal observed that “No one every suddenly became depraved.”

Now I’m sure that there are some folks who are sitting there thinking, “Don’t worry Denn, I’ve got it all under control.”  No you don’t!  Proverbs 6:27-28  Can a man scoop fire into his lap and not be burned? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? By the way that was a rhetorical question and Solomon wasn’t really expecting an answer.

So what is the solution?  In the computer world you used to hear the phrase “Garbage in Garbage out.”  The secret is to control what goes into your mind and your heart, and only you can do that.  Your TV has a remote, you can put the book down, you can turn the computer off.  And you can follow the advice of God’s word,  Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

The next warning goes hand with the previous one.

Matthew 5:31-32 “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

The Warning is: Divorce Formally, The Early Warning is: Make Divorce Hard The Old Testament recognized that the marriage was both sacred and binding The Prophet Malachi wrote in Malachi 2:16 “For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. . .

Now that’s fine in theory but it didn’t work well in practice.  One of the major problems of the time was that woman weren’t viewed as people nearly as much as they were as things.  And so when a man didn’t want his wife anymore he simply showed her the door.  Well you can well imagine the effect that this would have on society and so the law brought about a proper procedure to deal with the situation and again it was a law for unredeemed people.

Do you remember Deuteronomy 24:1 “Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes her a letter of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.

The big debate with the Jews was what was meant by the term “Does not please him”  the most conservative teachers said that it meant adultery, or he discovered that she wasn’t a virgin when they married.  Others said that it meant that she made her husband unhappy in some ways.  It could be that she couldn’t have children, that she was disobedient, that she was a nag or burnt dinner or that he had found someone that he preferred over her. 

It was this second more liberal view that was held by the majority of the Jews at the time, at least the majority of the men.  And so if the wife displeased her husband then he gave her a writ of divorce that said Let this be from me your writ of divorce and letter of dismissal and deed of liberation, that you may marry whatever man you wish.  This was the law for society and remains so today, if you cannot live with your spouse and you aren’t a Christian you don’t simply desert them you go through the necessary actions and paper work and make it official.  This rule was there to protect the institution of marriage, to provide a waiting period so to speak, to make it a little more difficult than simply walking away.

When you hear about people and their starter marriages you know that they have already planned their exit strategy.  If your list of why your marriage could end contains more than a couple of reasons you are setting yourself up for failure. 

It was Zsa Zsa Gabor who said “Getting divorced just because you don't love a man is almost as silly as getting married just because you do.”

And so Jesus tells us warns that unless we view divorce as a worse case option it will become way too easy and that has proved itself true in today’s society. 

Matthew 5:33 “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the LORD.’   Matthew 5:37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one. The Warning is: Don’t Lie, The Early Warning is: Be People of Integrity

Again the Old Testament contains laws concerning oaths, that simply means promising to do something.  The result was that people felt that they only time they had to be complelty honest was when they had taken a vow.  This law was to make sure that the word of people would be binding, essentially it was speaking about verbal contracts. 

Two things brought swearing to a head during the time of Christ, the first was taking oaths on frivolous things, and we do that today don’t we, “Honest, I swear, I was in the line at Tim Hortons for 20 minutes”  The second problem was even worse and that was evasive swearing.  People had decided that some oaths were binding and others weren’t.  So if you made an oath on God’s name it was binding, but if you swore by heaven, or earth or Jerusalem then it was less binding.  The thought being that if God’s name was used then he became a partner with you in the statement.  Just a little pet peeve here, I think that some people, believers included, use the name of God much too lightly and I don’t just mean cussing, I mean when we use God as an exclamation in our Conversation.  Saying “Oh my God” is misusing the name of God, as is typing OMG.  To keep it simple the only time you should use the word God is when you are talking about Him or to Him.  By the way that was free.

Jesus recognized that an unredeemed society needed to have something to govern them other than their innate honesty.  Order cannot be maintained without some kind of legal mechanism to insure that promises would be kept.

But Jesus told those who followed him that they should be so honest, so filled with integrity that no one would ever think of questioning their word.   If we are to tell the truth in big things then we will need to tell the truth in little things.  A half-truth is a whole lie.   To quote Don Galer, “Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do.”

There is nothing more damaging to the reputation of the Kingdom then Christians who don’t keep their word and aren’t people of integrity.  When Churches don’t pay their bills, when those who profess to follow Christ are less than honest it not only drags their name through the mud it does the same for Christ. 

The warning is when you have taken a vow don’t break it, the early warning is live such a life of integrity that breaking your word would never be a consideration. 

Matthew 5:38-39 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

The Warning is: Limit Revenge, The Early Warning is: Learn to Forgive  Where his listeners would have heard this would have been in Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21 and Exodus 21:24.  This is the oldest law in the world, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth".  That law was referred to in the ancient world as Lex Talionis (lex talin-o-nis), but it might have been more aptly referred to as the “law of tit for tat”  It appears in the earliest code of law and that was the code of Hammurabi, who was a Babylonian King who lived 1800 years before Christ.  The main principal is clear; if a person inflicts an injury then he would receive the same treatment.

There are some who would call this harsh and blood thirsty, but in reality it was the beginning of mercy, for two reasons:  The first is that it limited Judgement, if someone knocked out one of your teeth then you can't knock out all of his.  Secondly it took judgement away from the individual and gave it to society.  Probably the greatest example of the why and how of this law was capital punishment.  If someone killed your child they would be sentenced to death, that was their punishment, you couldn't go out and kill their children and their spouse.  This type of law was indicative of the society in which Christ lived.  It was very much a retaliatory society. 

And it still is through much of the Middle East, Iran does it, Syria does it, Lebanon does it, Iraq does it, Libya does it and if you want a real lesson in retaliatory justice then just watch the Jews.  But then again we support Israel so when the do it we don't call it terrorism.

If’n you want to stomp out evil by stomping out the evil doer then the law of Moses is fine.  But if’n you want to destroy evil and salvage the sinner then you need a completely different approach.

The law tells us to react in kind, and that suits our human personality.  We are quite willing to kill the killer, hate the hater, and be close minded to the close minded.  But Christ isn't content with those who call themselves by his name reacting in the same way as the world.  Instead of reacting in kind, he commands us to react in contrast.  If we are going to change the world it will happen through forgiveness, It was Martin Luther King Jr. who wrote “That old law about "an eye for an eye" leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.” 

If you don’t forgive when you’ve been wronged eventually it will consume you and turn you into a hateful resentful person.  And that isn’t who Christ called people to be.

And finally Jesus sums up his teaching but stating, Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! When the overriding motivation is displaying the love of Christ the rest of the pieces will fall into place.  When you seek to love others in the way that Christ loves you then you won’t have to worry about whether you do this or don’t do that. 

Follow Me

What Jesus Said about Our Behaviour:  Follow Me

Last month I received an email from a man who is planning on carrying a cross across Nova Scotia.  He didn’t tell me how big the cross was going to be but I’m assuming that it isn’t going to be a small cross.  And to tell the truth I’m not sure what I think about his project, if indeed I think anything about it, kind of ambivalent for me.  It really doesn’t affect me one way or another.     

I’m sure that his intentions are good and there will be those who think that he is committed and others who think he should be committed. 

Our topic this month is “What Jesus said about our behaviour”  and you might be wondering what a man carrying a cross across Nova Scotia has to do with that topic, bear with me.  In both Matthew’s and Mark’s gospel accounts we see Jesus’ ministry begin with the same two commands.  First he tells people in Mark 1:14-15 . . . Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”  So, the very first thing that Jesus command us is “Repent and believe”  And that is awesome.  This is the Cornerstone of our faith, repent:  That is acknowledge that you are a sinner and be sorry for that and not just a little sorry, but sorry enough to want to stop that behaviour.  And then believe the good news.  What is the good news?  That when we repent of our sins, that in the eyes of God our sins are forgiven.  And repentance isn’t “I’m sorry because I got caught”.  It is an acknowledgment that your sinful behaviour has been an offence to God.   

William Barclay writes that this command to repent was a command to  “Turn from your own ways, and turn to God. Lift your eyes from earth and look to heaven. Reverse your direction, and stop walking away from God and begin walking towards God.”

That is the same message that Peter preached after Jesus had been crucified and after Jesus had been raised from the dead and after Jesus had returned to the Father.  On the day of Pentecost Peter preaches and when he is done those in the crowd ask him “What should we do?” and we read in Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins, turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to show that you have received forgiveness for your sins.”   And then later Peter proclaims in Acts 3:19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

So the first thing that Jesus said about our Behaviour is that It Will  Involve a Decision to Leave the Past

And maybe you are thinking, “What does that have to do with the guy with the cross?” 

Patience, we will get there.

If Jesus first command was to repent then what was his second command?  Mark 1:16-18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

If Jesus’ first command was for people to draw a line in the sand to delineate the past from the future  his second command was to step over that line and to leave the past behind.  And so he called Peter and Andrew to follow him, and then he called John and James to follow him, and then he called Philip to follow him, and then he called Matthew to follow him.  And he is still calling people to follow him today. 

And that was the beginning of Christianity.  Up to the point Jesus was just a lone preacher calling people to repent, it was when Andrew and Peter put down their nets and followed Jesus that it went from a sermon to a movement. 

But what does it mean to follow?  We really don’t need to bring up a dictionary definition of follow, you understand that.  Follow isn’t a complicated word, it has no deep hidden meanings, it’s not rocket surgery.  If you are going to follow someone you follow them.  If we were heading to the same place and I told you to follow me you would know exactly what I meant. If I wasn’t going that way but knew how to get there I could give you directions and tell you to follow the directions.  Dorothy and her friends understood that they would find their way to the Emerald City if they followed the yellow brick road. 

And when Jesus extended the invitation to follow him people knew what that meant.  And sometimes they did and sometimes they didn’t.  A minute ago I read the account of Jesus calling Peter and Andrew.  Jesus said “Come, follow me.”  And the bible records that they left their nets at once and followed him.  And for the next three years they went where he went and they listened as he taught and they watched as he performed miracles.  

When Jesus called Matthew the tax collector he said “follow me” and we are told that Matthew got up from the tax collector’s booth and followed Jesus. 

But not everybody responded in the same way.  Do you remember the scripture that we started with last week?  Don’t feel bad I had to look it up as well, it was a story told by Matthew about a young man who came and asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life.  And Jesus told him to obey the commandments, and the man asked “Which one?” and Jesus highlighted five of the Ten Commandments, Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not lie, do not steal and honour your parents.  And I’m sure that there are some folks here today who were checking the list off in their minds and figure they have those five covered.  Then Jesus adds another commandment “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 

And then we read Matthew 19:20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”  The guy must have been thinking, “Wow, I’ve got it made, I’m in.”  And we read Jesus reply Matthew 19:21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” And that was the deal breaker.  You see Andrew and Peter, James and John left all that was important to them, they left their fishing boats and their livelihoods, Matthew left behind a corrupt and very lucrative profession as a tax collector.  What Jesus was asking of the young man wasn’t unique, it was what he had asked of others, “Leave yesterday and follow me into tomorrow.”  And they others did.  But listen to what happens in this story Matthew 19:22 But when the young man heard this, he went away very sad, for he had many possessions.

Do you see what happened here?  We often focus on what the young man wouldn’t give up but have you ever stopped and thought about what he did give up? 

This man had the opportunity to become the 13^th apostle!  Jesus said “Follow me” and the man said no, he went away.  He traded away forever for a handful of today.

The second thing we discover about what Jesus requires of us is that It Will Involve a decision for Today The command to follow is still a command to follow.  He may not be asking you to sell everything and give it to the poor but he is still asking you to leave whatever it is that ties you to the past.  And there are those here today who have already accepted his invitation and those here today who have already rejected that invitation.   And maybe for what would appear to be very valid reasons. 

There is a story told by Luke of another person that Jesus called to follow him, Luke 9:59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”   That sounds like a reasonable request, but listen to Jesus’ response Luke 9:60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” Wow, that sounds a little harsh.  The man’s father was dead.  Or was he?  Again sometimes it is a mistake to look at Palestinian words from 2000 years ago with 2012 Canadian eyes.  It has been suggested by a number of scholars that the man’s father wasn’t dead that instead this was a common expression that simply meant that until a person’s father died that there were responsibilities and obligations that needed to be met.  And if you wanted to share in the inheritance then it would be wise to be there until the end.

And so if that is the case, this man wasn’t saying that he would follow Jesus tomorrow, he was saying he would follow Jesus when it was convenient.   Maybe you’ve had that very discussion with Jesus, where you’ve said “Maybe next week” or “Maybe when I’m older” or maybe you are simply saying “After I’ve done what I want to do.”  You know that your behaviour doesn’t fit with those who have chosen to follow Christ and so you’ll wait.  And that decision might be admirable in some ways it can also be dangerous, because we don’t know what tomorrow holds.  Pick up any newspaper and you will read of people who died yesterday who fully expected to be alive tomorrow. 

Now here is a deep truth, you might want to write it down so you don’t forget, ready?  You can’t call yourself a Christ Follower unless you are following Christ.  And if you don’t believe me then listen to Jesus: John 12:26 “Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me . . .”

And for some of you, thus endeth the lesson. Because until you obey Christ’s command to repent and follow him you are under no obligation to follow his teachings.  These are the only two requirements that Jesus makes of people before they step over the line of faith. 

Sometimes I think the church has been a lot more interested in getting people to act like Christians then to actually be Christians.  So unless you have repented and have chosen to follow him your behaviour is irrelevant in the eternal scheme of things. 

Oh you should obey the commandments that Jesus reminded the rich young ruler of, don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, honour your parents, don’t lie and don’t steal.  But that is for the sake of protecting society and really has nothing to do with your soul.  It will make this world a better place while you are alive but won’t really have an impact on what happens after that. 

And here we must be clear, the commands of Christ,  what he tells us from this point on about how to behave only applies to those who have chosen to follow him.  And some of you are still thinking about the guy who is going to carry the cross and wondering what it has to do with the message.   Well it doesn’t really, sorry to disappoint you but Jesus did say in Mark 8:34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.”  And so the third thing Jesus tells us about our behaviour is that  It Will Involve a decision for Tomorrow.  But understand when Jesus told us to take up our cross he wasn’t actually telling us to take up a cross.   We seldom think of someone carrying a cross today, and if we saw someone actually carrying a cross we’d think it was a little, ah what is the word?  Oh yeah weird.

But two thousand years ago the metaphor was a lot clearer then it is today.  When we think of the cross and the crucifixion we think of an isolated event in history, the day they crucified Jesus.  But the crucifixion of Jesus wasn’t all that special of an event in Palestine 2000 years ago, I don’t know if it was an everyday event but it was certainly a common event.  And so when Jesus said “You must take up your cross, and follow me”  people immediately visualized someone carrying a cross.  But what did that mean?  Well, the only real knowledge that most of us have of crosses being carried goes back to the Easter story when Jesus carried his cross from Pilate’s court to the hill on which he was crucified.  And since Jesus used this metaphor as an integral component of our behaviour let’s park here for a couple of minutes and see what it entailed for Christ and therefore for those who would choose to follow him.

And this wasn’t the only place that this thought is used, Jesus said in Matthew 10:38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.  And then the metaphor is expanded in the letters of Paul, Romans 6:6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

And again in Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

So what does it mean as a Christ follower to take up your cross and follow Jesus.

1) Carrying Your Cross means Surrendering Your Will  This is probably the most difficult thing for us to get our heads around.  Becoming a Christ follower means that you follow Christ, that you allow him to show you where to go and you follow those directions. 

Before I made the decision to follow Christ the biggest issue for me wasn’t how my behaviour would have to change, I knew that there were certain life style choices that I had made that I would no longer participate in as a Christ follower.  It  wasn’t how my behaviour would change it was why my behaviour would change.  And that was because I would no longer be following Denn I would be following Christ.  That my prime obligation would not be whether or not my life style choices would make Denn happy but whether or not my life style choices would make Jesus happy.

And I was probably different than most of you in the fact that I didn’t like being told what to do by anyone, not even God.  But if you are going to follow Jesus than you have to realize that you can’t follow him and follow the world, you can’t follow him and follow culture, you can’t follow him and follow your own desires or ambitions.   Jesus is saying when you pick up your cross and start on this adventure you are giving him control over your life.  And that isn’t always easy, which leads us to the next point.

2) Carrying Your Cross Won’t be Easy  In the literal and physical sense carrying a cross was not easy task.  We are told that historical that Jesus probably didn’t carry the entire cross through the streets of Jerusalem as is portrayed in most religious art, but instead probably only carried the cross piece which was called patibulum and would have weighed around 100 lbs or 45 kg.  Jesus had been up all night, he had suffered a scourging at the hands of Roman soldiers and now he was required to carry this 100 pound piece of rough lumber in the heat of the Palestinian afternoon.  At this point in history that probably isn’t going to happen to you, but as a Christ follower you will have to make choices in life that aren’t easy if they are going to be pleasing to God. 

Choices as a I mentioned before that will involve lifestyle choices, should I do this or not?  Would this action or behaviour please God?   Choices that involve saying the right thing and doing the right thing, even if the face of opposition .  Choices that involve how you spend your time and how you spend your money.  It’s not always easy. 

Jesus didn’t say “You can’t be my follower unless you go for a walk in the park” He knew it wouldn’t be easy to live a righteous life in an unrighteous world.  The decision to follow Jesus 2000 years ago meant that you might lose your family, your livelihood or your life.  In some countries of the world today it is still a reality.

But understand, following Christ might not cost you your life, or your family or your job. . . but it will cost you something.

3) Sometimes You’ll Need Help With Your Cross  If you know the Easter story then you know how Jesus came to the place that he just couldn’t carry the cross any further.  The emotional and physical strain became too much and either he couldn’t carry the cross at all or he was slowing the procession down and so the soldiers reached into the crowd and randomly picked out a man to carry the cross for Jesus.  We don’t know a lot about Simon, the man chosen to help Jesus.  We know that he was from Cyrene, which was a country in Northern Africa.  Perhaps he had saved up so one day he could celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem, or maybe he was simply a tourist or a merchant who was in Jerusalem that day purely by happenstance.

It is interesting that when we read Marks account it says this Mark 15:21 A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)  The fact that Mark names the children of Simon would indicate that the early church knew who they were.   Now let’s skip over to the book of Romans 16:13 Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.   Same Rufus?  We don’t know.  And Simon was one of those names that there are different derivatives of, much like my name is Denn, D.e.n.n.  But I was named Dennison, in school they called me Denny and when I went to College I chose to go by Den and when we started Cornerstone I added the extra “n”. 

One of the derivatives of Simon is Simeon and we read in the book of Acts 13:1 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), . . . Maybe Simon from North Africa.  It’s amazing how a chance encounter with Jesus can change the direction of your life

But that was a tangent, what is important at this point is that Jesus needed help and he was given it either willingly or unwillingly by this stranger.

There will be times in your Christian life that you will realize that carrying your cross is really really hard.  Maybe it’s things you are called to do, or not do.  Maybe it is simply the strain of doing the right things, the strain of being loving and forgiving in a world that isn’t.  And you think I just can’t do this anymore.  But you don’t need to quit, you need help.   And there are those who would say you just need more of God’s presence in your life, but sometimes you need someone with skin on them.  And I’ve said it before, Christianity was never meant to be a solitary religion.  Develop those friendships and relationships so when the time comes there is someone there to help you with your burden.   Harvey Mackay wrote a book a number of years ago about networking and the title is relevant for each one of us today, it was called “Dig Your Well Before You are Thirsty.”

And finally  4) There is an End to the Journey  For Jesus the end wasn’t pretty but there came to a time that he no longer carried his cross, he was crucified on it. That probably isn’t your fate.

There will come a time that you will no longer have to carry your cross, perhaps that particular season in your life will end, the person who you are called to love and forgive will move on.  Maybe a temptation will be removed, or a situation will resolve itself.  But often times something else comes along, this is just part of life.  And the promise for the Christ Follower is rest and glory in the presence of the Christ we follow.

And we are not only called start the race well we are called to finish the race well. And so to finish this morning, two quotes. 

Contrary to popular opinion it was not Yogi Berra who said “It’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings.”  But it was Yogi Berra who said “It ain't over 'til it's over”.  And perhaps more relevant it was the Apostle Paul who wrote to the Galatians in Galatians 6:8-9 . . .those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Only you know where you are on that time line.  Do you need to repent?  Do you need to follow Christ?  Or do you need to pick up your cross?