All I Want for Christmas (Titus 3.3-8 and Matthew 1.18-25)

Introduction

“All I want for Christmas… is you” was a hit for Mariah Carey in 1994. Or, you might be more familiar with an older song with a similar title. “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” (I think that one was a hit for Count Dracula). Actually it was recorded in 1949 by Spike Jones and the City Slickers.

If you have two front teeth missing, it’s not hard to see why you would want to get them back on Christmas morning. Biting into your roast turkey calls for a decent set of top teeth, but I’ve always thought it was a bit unambitious to wish for nothing more than a set of dentures in your Christmas stocking.

What are you hoping to open tomorrow morning? I asked my family at the dinner table the other night and one said “a drum kit” (that was the cat), one said “a handbag” (that wasn’t me) and one, just to make the others feel guilty said “world peace.”

According to xmaselves.co.uk the top 10 presents for girlfriends last year included the Thornton’s I Love Chocolate hamper and Fuzzy Feet Pig Slippers.

The top 10 presents for boyfriends in 2009 included Cookery Courses with Professional Chefs (“Wow, thank you darling, that is just what you always wanted!”) and, at £9.95 each, self stirring mugs. Here’s what the maker says about them – “The Plain Lazy Self Stirring Mug is the ultimate gift for that person you know who is into DDIY (Don’t Do It Yourself)! Simply flick the switch located on the top of the handle and the mechanism will stir your cup of tea for you!”

What do you really want for Christmas? Beyond some nice new lingerie or something frivolous for the man who has everything, or what you always get – if tomorrow morning you could have anything you liked what would you choose?

The Me I Want to Be

I’m reading a book by John Ortberg called The Me I Want to Be which is about our personalities and how there are several versions of us.

The real ‘me’ is the person I am when no one is looking. This is our true self, it’s who we really are.

But there are other me’s as well.
· There’s the ‘me’ I don’t want to be.
· There’s the ‘me’ I pretend to be.
· There’s the ‘me’ I think I should be.
· There’s the ‘me’ other people want me to be.
· There’s also the ‘me’ that I want other people see.

We hope that this ‘me’ is the very best version of us there is; the smiling, laughing, popular ‘me.’ Most of us like to make sure this ‘me’ happy, intelligent, important or funny. The thing is, most of us find it hard to keep this version of us going forever – or sometimes it falls apart.

Like the army lieutenant who wanted to impress people about how important he was. So when a junior soldier knocked on his door he pretended to be on the phone with the Big Cheese so that everyone would know he really was a ‘somebody’. “OK, General, you can count on me. Goodbye Sir” and he slammed the receiver down. He then looked up. “Well Private, what do you want?” “I’ve come to connect your telephone line, Sir.”

One of our fears is that the real ‘me’ will be unmasked - and with good reason. What if Wikileaks published everything you have ever written or what if every private conversation you ever had was secretly recorded by an undercover journalist and put into the public domain?

The discomfort we feel about that is what the Bible calls ‘sin’ and that is what Jesus came to save us all from. That’s why our Gospel reading means when it says “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Why Jesus Came

Our reading from the letter to Titus tonight talks about another ‘me.’ It’s the ‘me’ I once was. Or rather it’s the ‘me’ Saint Paul says he was. And he says “At one time we… were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

It’s an ugly list but I must honestly say that I would have to plead guilty to everything on that list at some time in my life - and I’m a vicar. That’s the ‘me’ I used to be… And in truth some of that still creeps into the real ‘me’ now at times.

There’s an old African American prayer I like to say when I think about all this and it goes like this: “I ain’t what I oughta be, I ain’t what I wanna to be, I ain’t what I’m gonna be but, thank God almighty, I ain’t what I used to be neither.”

What about the ‘me’ that God sees? He sees all your ‘me’s’ at once; your past, your present and your future; he was there before you were born and he knows the moment you will take your last breath. He knows you through and through, he searches the secrets of the heart, from your darkest darkness to the best you can be. And, oh how he loves you – enough to send his only Son to find you when you are most lost.

After Paul’s frank admission about his wretchedness he goes on to explain why God decided to initiate the first Christmas. He says “But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”

Jesus did not come to save the perfect ‘me’ I want to be
or the ideal ‘me’ others want me to be,
or the false ‘me’ I pretend to be,
but the real ‘me’ – perhaps that’s the ‘me’ I don’t want to be, but it’s who I really am when no one is looking.

That’s the ‘me’ God loves. That’s the ‘me’ God is waiting to be loved by.

Ending

So when you’re opening your Fuzzy Feet Pig Slippers or Plain Lazy Self Stirring Mug tomorrow - or whatever it is you get - remember that God’s Christmas number One is the same tune every year. “All I want for Christmas… is you.”


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, December 24th 2010

If Jesus Had Never Been Born

Introduction

I expect most of you will be familiar with the James Stewart film “It's a Wonderful Life.” It’s a feel good film in which the main character gets to see what his town would have been like, if he had never been born.

Last year I started to make a list of what our world would be like if Jesus had never been born. I was amazed at how long the list was and it became obvious to me quite quickly that this world would be a much darker and duller place if we were still waiting for the first Christmas.

This thought might come as something of a surprise to many because it seems that whenever the merits or otherwise of Christianity are debated on the radio or TV, someone says that religion just leads to more hatred and war. I'm amazed at how few people challenge this notion.

If the First and Second World Wars had been started by the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury I'd understand it! The fact is that the world was torn apart many times by wars before Jesus was born.

"Yes," they say, "but what about the Crusades?" The flaw in this logic is that those appalling events 800 years ago were in direct defiance of Jesus’ own teaching. Jesus said “Love your enemies." He said "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." He said "Blessed are the peacemakers.”

So let’s think about what life would really be like today if Jesus had never been born.

Everyday Life

There is so much we take for granted that would be completely different. If Jesus had never been born, this would not be 2010 AD because AD means the year of our Lord.

If Jesus had never been born, towns we know as St. Albans, St. Petersburg, San Francisco, Christchurch, Corpus Christi, Santa Cruz and Bishop Auckland would all have a different name.

If Jesus had never been born everybody you know called Christine, Christian, or Christopher would be called something else.

If Jesus had never been born, many idioms would never have entered our every day speech; Good Samaritan, prodigal son, wolf in sheep’s clothing, love your neighbour, go the second mile, do unto others as you would have them do to you, turn the other cheek and salt of the earth; all of which were coined by Jesus.

Christmas

If Jesus had never been born, we would never have heard of Santa Claus. That fat bearded man in a red velvet suit is based on a real person; a generous Christian bishop from Turkey who gave impoverished girls dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes.

If Jesus had never been born, we would never have heard a single Christmas carol or Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

Social progress

If Jesus had never been born, we would have never heard of Martin Luther King or Mother Teresa. Blacks in America would still be second class citizens and the poor of Calcutta would have no one to love them.

If Jesus had never been born, organizations such as the Samaritans, Christian Aid, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army would never have been founded. Life for the suicidal, the sick, the hungry and the world’s poor would be much, much worse.

If Jesus had never been born the first free hospital in the 4th Century would never have been built – and nor would tens of thousands after it.

If Jesus had never been born, the slave trade might still be here, since it was opposed almost single-handedly on Christian principles by a Christian politician - William Wilberforce.

Education

If Jesus had never been born, thousands of schools would never have opened and church schools in Britain today wouldn’t have long waiting lists.

If Jesus had never been born, Oxford, Cambridge, Paris Sorbonne, Princeton, Harvard and Yale Universities would not have opened.

The Arts

If Jesus had never been born, we wouldn’t have much priceless classical art including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling.

If Jesus had never been born, we would have no films such as It’s a Wonderful Life, Ben Hur, Chariots of Fire, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and scores of others.

If Jesus had never been born, we would have no Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, no Dickens’s Christmas Carol, and no The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

If Jesus had never been born, we would never have heard “Amazing Grace” or “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring.”

Civic Life

If Jesus had never been born, we would never have had a national anthem which addresses God and asks him to save; we would probably be a pagan nation worshipping the sun and the moon as fertility symbols.

If Jesus had never been born we would never swear on the Bible in court or say that anything is gospel truth.

International Affairs

If Jesus had never been born the net flow of immigration in the world today would not be from non Christian countries to Christian ones – because they’d be no more desirable places to live.

If Jesus had never been born, the Auca Indians of Ecuador would still be spearing white men to death instead of baptizing their children.

If Jesus had never been born, the Arawakan natives of the Caribbean would still be cannibals.

If Jesus had never been born, descendents of the Maya in Mexico would still sacrifice their children instead of teaching them to praise their Creator.

Ending - The Heart of the Matter

If Jesus had never been born, hundreds of Old Testament prophecies would have remained unfulfilled. Death would not have been conquered. God would be a liar.

If Jesus had never been born, three wise men would have just been three wise guys.

If Jesus had never been born, there would be no mediator between God and man, for the only one able to bring God and man together, Christ Jesus, would have been as fictitious as the tooth fairy. We would still be dead in our sins with no hope of eternal life.

If Jesus had never been born, the risen Christ wouldn’t be here tonight, waiting for you to give your heart to him in faith.

What a difference Jesus makes!

Happy Christmas. And thank God for Jesus!


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees and St Mary's Long Newton, 19th December 2010

Jesus is Coming - Get Busy! (Matthew 25.14-30)

Introduction

Last week I was preaching on the parable of the 10 bridesmaids and I said during that talk that I had a burning and unfulfilled ambition. For the benefit of those of you who were not there I said that I would love to jump out of an aeroplane with a parachute. Well now, on Thursday Terry Doyle came up to me and said “Gram’ll fix it” – or words to that effect.

Sowing Seeds Ministries are going to make arrangements for my dream to come true - on condition that they can sabotage my equipment… (No seriously, on condition that it is a fundraising jump for Sowing Seeds Ministries). So, providing I pass the medical, I’ll be jumping out of a plane for Sowing Seeds Ministries sometime next year. Result!

Actually, I forgot to say that I have another ambition; I’ve always wanted to go on a four week, all expenses paid, luxury holiday in the Bahamas!

We’ve been going through Matthew 24 and 25 over the last few weeks which are all about the future return in majestic splendour of Jesus Christ. He will come in glory to judge the living and the dead. And we have summarised Jesus’ straight talking in those two chapters of Scripture as follows. Jesus is coming so wise up, watch out, wake up and (today) get busy. Get busy, because when he returns he’s going to ask us what we’ve been doing with our lives and he’s going to want that we have something to show for it.

I’m going to break this passage down to 3 sections of 3. So we’re going to talk about 3 ideals, 3 facts about our future, and 3 options open to us.

Three Ideals

The first ideal comes in v14. It’s the principle that nothing I have belongs to me.

[The kingdom of heaven] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

As Psalm 24.1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” And I’ve looked up that word “everything” and it means “every thing.” It’s all God’s. When I look at everything in my life; my home, my car, my time, my books, my modest talents, my dreams, my memories and my bank balance - which is even more modest than my talents by the way - God… owns… all of it.

To say that God really owns all my time, every one of my talents and abilities, and the sum total of my treasure is to say that he controls the rights. Whatever he wants and when he wants it - it is all his.

When your kids pass their driving test you have to negotiate that most painful of all rights of passage – the ceremonial lending of the car keys. As parents, you entrust your car to your offspring. But there is never any question that you can withhold your car keys at any time, for any reason. Your kids only have responsibilities (i.e. to return that vehicle in exactly the state they found it). But you keep all the rights. Oh yes! In the same way, every single minute I live, every single ability I have, every single pound I spend comes from someone else - God. We may possess much but we own nothing.

That is what it means to say “Jesus is Lord.” He’s the boss, he owns it all. I own nothing. The Bible says “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” Which is why if you are filled with the Holy Spirit you get this.

If you own your own home, take a walk around your property when you get home to get a feel for the reality of this principle. You may have the title deeds to it, but that document only reflects your right to possess that pile of bricks as long as you live, not forever. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

If I truly believe that God owns all my time, all my talents, and all my treasure, then I am bound to use these resources for his purpose and pleasure. And in doing so my joy is released and I feel really alive,

The second ideal comes from v15 which says, “To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.”

Ideal number 2 is to say “I will be satisfied with what I have.”

Are you a five bag person, a two bag person or a one bag person? I don’t know. God knows. But whatever your lot in life God is looking for an attitude of gratitude.

The Lord has given you opportunities for service in accordance with your ability to make use of them. We don’t have equal abilities and we do not have the same opportunities. But on the day of judgement, the number of opportunities for service will not matter. The question will be, “Have you been faithful in the use of your time, your talents and your treasure?”

The third ideal comes out of v16-18 which say that the first two doubled their money but the third one dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s investment.

Ideal number 3 is obvious. I commit to investing the time, talents and treasure I have, and not waste my life doing nothing.

Three Facts About the Future

As well as giving us 3 challenges to living according to kingdom principles, Jesus gives us here 3 facts about the future.

Fact 1. A day of reckoning will certainly come. Verse 19:

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.”

When Jesus told this story, I believe he was implying that he did not expect his return to be imminent. He says “after a long time.” I think he was hinting that a relatively extended period of history would have to elapse before his return.

2 Peter 3:4-9 says this: “[People] will say, ‘Where is this coming he promised? … Everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ … But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

How different would your life look if, before every decision you made, you asked yourself a simple question; “How is this going to look on the day of judgement?”

Fact number 1; a day of reckoning will surely come. Which would be extremely daunting and nerve-wracking if it were not for fact number 2 which comes out in v20-23. Those who are faithful, will be fruitful and will be rewarded.

The men who had received five and two bags of gold showed the master that they had doubled his investment. In each case the master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Sometimes people say “The Lord does not call us to be fruitful, only to be faithful.” Have you ever heard that? Well, it’s wrong. The Lord expects fruitfulness in our lives. “I have appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last” said Jesus. The master here multiplied his blessing on his servants after they had shown their faithfulness. But how did he know they had been faithful? It’s because they were fruitful.

So fact 2; those who are faithful will be fruitful and will be rewarded. Conversely, fact number 3 is this: Those who are lazy and unproductive will be condemned.

Listen again very carefully to v24-30. Jesus is giving a sober warning and he is deadly serious.

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.’

For those who have will be given more, and they will have an abundance. As for those who do not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

‘And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

According to Jesus, one of the distinguishing marks of a true Christian is generous service. He says here that eternal destruction comes to those who never lift a finger, who never give a bean and who invest nothing of what they’ve been entrusted into the Lord’s work. Zero service, zilch giving and idle prayerlessness are sad outcomes of a life that is completely unchanged by grace.

How can anyone call themselves a Christ-follower and not have a heart for giving, for serving, for sharing, for praying, for being a blessing to others?

Three  Choices

So then there are three choices open to us concerning the investment of our time, our talent, and our treasure.

Choice 1; do a lot with a lot. That’s what the first servant did, doubling the abundance that what he was entrusted with.
The church has had many five-bag heroes down the years who have done a lot with a lot. Martin Luther King won civil rights for blacks in the USA. William Wilberforce abolished the slave trade in Britain. Mother Teresa saved countless lives in the slums of Calcutta.

Choice 2; do a lot with a little. That’s what the second servant did, doubling the relatively small amount that he was entrusted with.

Note the principle here. We are 100% accountable to God whatever our level of giftedness. Some people think: “O, because I only have modest gifts I have less responsibility.” No! In this story, the master came back and asked those who had received much and those who had received little exactly the same questions.

Thank God for Christians who do a lot with a lot. Thank God for Billy Graham and Hudson Taylor and Nicky Gumbel and Bono and Mike Pilavachi.

But there are many more Christians who have done a lot with just a little. I read about a woman this week who was preparing a box of supplies to be sent to a Christian mission in India. A little girl gave her a penny and the woman used it to buy one tract explaining God’s plan of salvation. Eventually, that little tract was put into the hands of a community leader and was instrumental in leading him to faith in Christ. The man told his community about his faith. Many of them believed. A church was established there and over 1,500 local people became Christians - because one person was willing to let God do much with the little she had.

One day every person who trusted Christ as a result of the chain of events that that little girl’s gift started will say, “Thank you for doing a lot with a little.”

The third choice, which is no option at all, is to do nothing.

You might be thinking, “Why was the third servant treated so harshly? At least he gave back what he had originally been given.”

But Jesus is teaching us here that God does not expect to find us at the end totally unchanged from the way he found us at the beginning. He expects us to discover, develop and deploy what he has placed in us by grace.

Those who have not been given much in the way of time, talents, and treasure can be tempted to think, “When I have more, I’ll start giving more. But for now I’ve got hardly any time, I’m not good at doing very much and I’m always skint so I’m not in a position to invest more at this time.

That won’t wash with Jesus! He says here that faithfulness and fruitfulness are nothing to do with whether you started with a lot or a little. Being a good steward or a wicked and lazy steward doesn’t depend on how much you have.

You can be a wicked and lazy steward with a lot or a good steward with a little. You can be a wicked and lazy steward with a little or a good steward with a lot.

The point is this: not everyone is going to hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master’s happiness” on the Day of Judgement.

Ending

I began by talking about Pam’s stepmother and Mark’s father. Well, I want to finish by saying that I lost a father this week as well. He was a spiritual father. Owen Thomas was vicar of Saint Stephen’s Canonbury in North London where Kathie and I were based when we were first married and he preached at our wedding.

Owen was one of the most significant people in my life when I was a young believer. He had an unflinching faith in the power of the gospel and his consistent Godly character left an indelible mark on me. I praise God for a long life well lived.

His son Andrew wrote to me this week and said, “It's a real privilege to have been up close and personal to such a man of God, for all my life. I will miss him terribly.”

One of the things I will remember Owen for was his passion for talking to anyone and everyone about the Lord.

A tramp would come to the door asking for a meal so Owen would cook him up something tasty and say, “You know my friend what you really need is Jesus.”

An engineer would come from BT to work on the phones line so Owen would show him around and when he was done he’d say, “Thank you for fixing the phones young man but, you know, what you really need is Jesus.”

A woman would come round from the Choral Society asking if anyone from the church would be interested in their performance of Handel’s Messiah. Owen would give her a spontaneous rendering of the Halleluiah chorus, say he’d put a notice in the church notice sheet and then say, “But what you really need is Jesus.”

Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master’s happiness!

Jesus is coming – get busy!


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 19th December 2010 (with thanks to Rob Duncan for the outline and several of the illustrations)

Jesus is Coming - Wake Up! (Matthew 25.1-13)

Introduction

Less than two weeks to go before Christmas… Not even a fortnight to get the tree and decorations up, do all the food shopping, write and post all your cards, devise your plan to keep the kids occupied, get those last minute presents wrapped and psyche yourself up for the in-laws. How are you coping with the pressure?

But what if Christmas this year didn’t happen? Jesus said that the coming of the Son of Man will be when you least expect it. What if he were to return in power and glory when we were all stressing out over stuffing the turkey? What if he were to come back tonight? Never mind being ready for Christmas, are you ready for Christ?

As we approach Christmas and as we start to think back about what it means that Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth, we are thinking ahead as well to his return.

The first time Jesus came as the Prince of Peace, wearing a crown of thorns. When he returns as King of kings he will wear a crown of glory. The first time Jesus came his mission was to save the world. When he returns his mission is to judge it.

There are at least 45 specific and distinct prophecies in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah. For example he will be born in Bethlehem, he will speak in parables, he will be betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver (not 29.99!), he will be hated for no reason, his hands and feet will be pierced, he will be buried with the rich and he will rise from the dead. These and dozens of other precise predictions were all fulfilled to the last detail in Jesus of Nazareth.

But for every prophecy about his first coming there are 8 concerning his second. One in every 30 verses of the New Testament is about the sudden and dramatic return of Jesus Christ.

God’s track record on prophecy fulfilment is flawless. This is why we must take seriously his promise to return in power and glory and take note of what he says about our being ready for it.

And my question to you this morning is simply this; if Jesus appears tonight in glory and majesty and might – and one day he certainly will - will you be found ready or caught unawares?

Context

This morning’s gospel reading is about a wedding, but not a wedding like any of us have been to, I’m sure. Every culture has its time-honoured wedding customs which appear curious, even bizarre, to those from other countries.

In China the groom’s family offer the gift of a whole roast pig to the bride’s family as an engagement gift and the bride wears red, not white.

In Finland the bride-to-be to walks from house to house with a pillowcase to collect her wedding presents.

In India the bride’s parents wash the couple’s feet with milk and water.

In Bulgaria the bride tosses a dish filled with wheat, coins and a raw egg over her head.

In Fiji the groom presents his bride’s father with a gift of a whale’s tooth.

In Greece they smash dishes on the floor for good luck and throw money at the musicians.

And in Venezuela the newlyweds sneak away from their own wedding reception without saying good-bye to anyone.

So it’s not surprising that, in Bible times, marriage etiquette was very different to ours today. I guess if they could observe an average British wedding they’d say to us “Why are they blowing - in one day - £20,000 they don’t have when they should be setting up home together?” And “Why does the bride’s father make a total lemon of himself dancing like an idiot after the reception?”

Let me tell you what a typical 1st Century Jewish wedding would look like. First of all, no white limousine; the bride, meticulously and beautifully adorned, would walk from her parents’ home to her future parents in laws’ home. That would save you a bob or two… There would be no online wedding lists; the bride would have wedding gifts carried in front of her on a sheet by friends and family members. When she arrived at her fiancé’s house, she would be welcomed in by her future in-laws.

But, unlike a Western wedding with the bridegroom waiting nervously at the altar, he is nowhere to be seen. He has already left with his mates to eat his last meal as a single man (so we’re talking steak and chips and plenty of beer). Finally, when his stag party is over, between 11 o’clock and 3 in the morning, he sets out with the lads to get back to his home where his bride-to-be and half the village are waiting.

The custom is that he can come back at any time of the night he wants. (Well, might as well start as you mean to go on)! Seriously, it’s the groom’s prerogative to be behind schedule, not the bride’s. And because it’s usually so late in the evening, the route to his home has to be lit up by bridesmaids holding oil lamps.

As soon as they hear the commotion of the bridegroom and his pals a few hundred yards down the road they light their lamps, greet him as he arrives and join in the procession.

The moment they all get to the groom’s house the doors are shut and the wedding starts straight away. If you’re late you miss it. The bride and groom sit down on two thrones and the groom’s father presides over the festivities.

In the story Jesus told, the groom took much longer than expected - in fact he and the lads were having such a great evening that no one could stay awake. And while they were all asleep five of the ten lamps ran out of oil and had to run off to fetch some more.

Perhaps the nearest equivalent in our culture would be a bridesmaid who discovered half an hour before the wedding that left her dress at home two hours drive away. What can she do? She can’t really follow the bride up the aisle in a lime green t-shirt and jeans can she?

The Point of the Story

So that is the background to this story. But Jesus didn’t say these words to tell us about someone’s nuptials.

It’s a story with a meaning. Jesus is the bridegroom who is late arriving. In fact, the Church has been waiting for his return since he ascended to heaven in about 33AD - that’s about 1,980 years now which is, let’s be honest, a long time to wait.

The point is very simple; the wise bridesmaids had anticipated the possible delay so they brought with them an adequate reserve of oil. The foolish bridesmaids were unprepared; their oil ran dry, their lamps went out, they were taken by surprise and so blew their chances of getting to the party.

10 bridesmaids were waiting. 10 were dressed up and looking their best. 10 fell asleep when the groom was late. 10 had lamps. 10 wanted to attend the celebration. But only 5 did because only 5 were ready when the bridegroom came.

Jesus will come again one day, perhaps in 10 years, maybe in 100 years, it could be tonight. The thing is are you ready?

That’s the shocking point of this story – it’s a warning. If Jesus comes tonight only those who are ready are getting in to the party of eternal life.

1) Knowing Jesus

Let me be absolutely clear about all this. Who do these bridesmaids represent? The wise ones stand for authentic followers of Jesus, who have encountered Christ and are now filled with the Holy Spirit (that’s what the oil is all about).

The foolish ones are casual believers if you like; they might even be churchgoers, but they have never really been converted to Christ. They’re lukewarm about Jesus, they’re embarrassed to talk about their beliefs such as they are. They are indifferent to the gospel.

5 bridesmaids dozed off in complete peace knowing that they would be ready in a flash. Jesus called them “wise.” And 5 went to sleep indifferent to the urgency of their situation. Jesus called them “foolish.” They were just negligent and lazy.

My friends, do not put off till later the most important thing in life. The more we approach the return in glory of the Lord Jesus the more pressing it is for us all to be ready for it.

2) Do It Now

I have a secret ambition that I’d like to share with you. I have a dream, one day, to jump out of an aeroplane with a parachute. For me, that is the thrill of adventure. Kathie, who usually likes my company, is nonetheless unwilling to be anywhere near me on this particular journey. By the way, if anyone here has a private plane and a second-hand parachute (in good condition) please see me after the service…

But one of the most terrifying nightmares imaginable is surely the one when you jump out of a plane, pull the parachute cord – and nothing happens. Feel the panic and anxiety as you plunge towards the earth watching everybody else above you descend gently down as, one by one, their canopies open normally. They can do nothing for you. They can’t carry a parachute for you. It’s too late.

Jesus means to say with this story that there’s no emergency parachute. Nobody can believe in your place. There comes a time when a toddler has to let go of the furniture and walk alone. There comes a time when the stabilisers have to come off a child’s bike so he can learn to balance on two wheels. There comes a time when a bird has to leave its nest and fly. There comes a time when an adult has to stop coming home to mummy. There comes a time when you have to believe for yourself and not lean on someone else’s faith.

The foolish bridesmaids saw - in alarm - that their oil had run dry so they asked the others if they could borrow some but that isn’t possible. The wise bridesmaids said in v9, “No. There won’t be enough for both of us.”

Someone else’s faith is not enough for you. If you were brought up in a Christian home that’s great (well, usually!) but that doesn’t make you a Christian. If you have Christian friends, that’s a good thing (well, usually!) but that doesn’t make you a Christian either. You can’t borrow salvation from a friend and you can’t inherit it from your parents.

What do we need to do then? The wise bridesmaids say in v9 “Go… and buy some for yourselves.”

Christ is the source of light and grace. John 1.9 calls him “The true light that gives light to everyone.” Come to him before it’s too late! Oh, how I pray that for each person here today the moment of death will not be the time to realise that we have no oil, that we are spiritually bankrupt!

There comes a point when it is too late. The return of Jesus Christ will be abrupt, sudden and unexpected. The Bible says he will return at a time when people least expect him. He will come in royal power and unparalleled glory. Before anyone realises what is happening it will be done. The king will have appeared in all his splendour. And when he is here there will be no time for the doubters, the sceptics and those who will get round to spiritual things later.

Listen to the panic in the voices of the foolish bridesmaids in v11: “While they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’”

There comes a point when it is too late. Listen to the sober finality in the voice of the bridegroom: “Truly I tell you, I don’t know you” Jesus will say. There comes a point when it is too late.

Ending

It would be a big mistake if I were to end my address now saying, “Well folks, that’s all for today, let’s pray as we close.” That would be grossly negligent. So I return to my question at the beginning of this talk; “If Jesus comes back tonight will you be ready?”

If you know Jesus Christ personally – and you know that this faith is not just borrowed from somebody else – and you understand that this is not the kind of question you can put off indefinitely well, you are ready. Your lamp is burning brightly and you have plenty of oil.

But if you cannot honestly say “Yes” to that question, I want to invite you to make a step of faith this morning.

There is nothing more exciting, more wonderful, more marvellous than meeting the Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords, and sealing your eternal destiny. It is a considerable step to make but it is simple to do. You basically need to say three things; “sorry, thank you and please.”

Sorry; “Almighty God, I am sorry for everything I have ever done and thought and said that is wrong. I want to leave behind me today everything that is not right in my life - the whole lot.”

Thank you: “Almighty God, thank you for sending Jesus to earth. Thank you for the gracious gift of forgiveness and new life that spring from the cross he died on in my place. I accept that gift now. I receive all this from you freely today.”

Please; Almighty God, please by the Holy Spirit come and live in my heart from this day on and forever. Fill my life with you. Let heaven be in my heart. Amen.”

If anyone here today has said that prayer in their hearts I’d like to meet with you after the service. I have a little booklet I’d like to give you and I’d like to pray with you and say a few words of encouragement.


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 12th December 2010

I Have a Friend Who...

I want you to meet "James", "Hannah" and "Bill." They are three completely imaginary friends of mine. How would you say they look from their faces? … Yeah, happy, contented, cheerful. You’d say by looking at them that they seem to be doing more or less OK. But there is something I should tell you about my 3 friends.

Not one of them is a Christian believer. None of them go to church. None really seem interested in doing so any time soon. Why? What objections do they have to Christianity? Are they strident atheists dogmatically opposed to any form of belief? Are they perhaps members of another religion? Have they just never come across the gospel before?

Let’s start with James.

James has no big hang-up about suffering. (We looked at this subject 3 weeks ago). You won’t find James puzzling over why a God of love allows cancer and war and child abuse and tsunamis.
He doesn’t understand it but he doesn’t lose sleep over it either. No, for James the problem of suffering is not the reason that he is not a Christian.

Here’s why James is not a Christian. James is a friend who says ‘It’s OK for you that you believe - but it’s just not for me.’ Do you know someone like James? Hands up if you have ever heard that kind of remark, ‘It’s OK for you - but it’s not my sort of thing’?

OK, what about Hannah?

Hannah has no big objection about evolution and creation (which is what we looked at last week). She can understand that if there is a God, he could make the universe and, to be honest, complex life forms spontaneously evolving from nonliving matter requires a certain degree of faith too. The truth is that Hannah doesn’t really have an opinion about science and faith either way. No, for Hannah the debate about science and faith is not the reason that she is not a Christian. Here’s why Hannah is not a Christian.

Hannah is a friend who says “I just don't feel any need for God; my life is fine as it is.” Now, again, have you have ever heard anyone say something like along those lines? Personally, I think it is much more common than things like
· “What about suffering?”
· “What about other religions?” and
· “What about science?”

All right, now for Bill.

Bill is not one of those people who say that all Christians are hypocrites and that church is boring. He won’t go on about being forced to attend church as a boy. He doesn’t say that Christians are always anti gay or anti women…

In fact, he might be quite open to mixing with Christians. He might encourage his children to go to a church school or youth group. He thinks the church does good work. He even got married in one many years ago. But he wouldn’t really call himself a believer in Jesus and he never prays.

Bill is a friend who says “I’ve just got too much going on in my life to bother about faith.”

James, Hannah and Bill put things slightly differently but they are all basically saying the same thing. None has a principled objection to Christianity, they just can’t see the answer to this question: What’s in it for me?

James says ‘It’s fine for you - but it’s just not my kind of thing.’ Hannah says ‘I don't feel any need for God; my life is fine as it is.’ Bill says I’m too busy for all that.’

I have two questions that I would like you to discuss in groups.

In Colossians 4.3 it says “Pray for us, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ.”

So here’s the first question:
How would you pray for friends like James, Hannah and Bill? What kind of things would you ask God to do in their lives?

The second question is this: How would you share your faith with them? What approach would you take to interesting them in the good news about Jesus? What sort of things would you say to them?

We’re going to take about 10 minutes and then we’ll come back together again...

...Feedback on flipchart...

Let me tell you how I pray for people like James, Hannah and Bill.
It says in Acts 16 when Paul, Timothy and Silas were in Philippi, “The Lord opened [Lydia’s] heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Until the Lord opened Lydia’s heart she was unable to respond to the gospel that demands a response. It demands repentance for sins. It demands trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. It demands obedience in baptism and a life of following Christ. All this is possible once the Lord opens someone’s heart. It was not just Paul's eloquence or persuasiveness that was having such a transforming influence in Lydia’s life. It was the Lord opening the heart. First of all then, for people like James who say “It’s OK for you that you believe - but it’s just not for me” I ask God to open hearts.

Secondly, I pray that God will bring to their consciousness their need of a saviour. This is what I pray for people like Hannah who say “I just don't feel any need for God; my life is fine as it is.” People will never believe that they need to be saved until they really feel lost and that is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Madonna once said “I was what you would call at the top of my world. I’d won a Golden Globe for Evita, I was pregnant, I had fame, I had fortune, everything that you would perceive a person would want in life. But I’m sure everyone’s had that out-of-body experience where you say to yourself, and it might happen at 28 or 38 or 68, why am I here? Why am I inside of this body? What am I doing?”

The third thing I pray for is that people like Bill will have an encounter with God. That is what most needs to happen for people who say “I’ve got too much going on in my life to bother about faith.” In the book the Grace Outpouring that Julia mentioned last week there is a story of a couple of atheist ramblers who wandered past this Christian centre in Wales where there is a revival style awakening going on.

They come under the conviction of sin, fall to the ground and ask “What is going on here? We feel different. We feel like this is what we’ve always wanted.”When people encounter the presence of God they never say “I haven’t got time for this.”

So much for prayer then. How should we share our faith with the likes of James, Hannah and Bill? Or, put it another way, why do we think it would be better for them if they become Christians?

A former vicar of this church, David Osman, was once asked why he believes in Christianity and he replied “Because it’s true.”

On one level what James says seems reasonable. Remember what he said? “It’s OK for you that you believe - but it’s just not for me.”

But the point is that if Christianity is true it is true for everyone. To say, “That’s fine for you but it’s not for me” is illogical. If it’s true then it is true for me, and it’s also true for everyone else. If it’s not true then it’s not true for me, and it’s not fine at all that I believe in it because that would mean I’m deluded and wasting my life.

So I would gently challenge James and say to him “If Christianity is not true then no one should believe it, including me. If it is true then everyone should believe it, including you. How sure are you that Christianity is not true?”

The second reason James, Hannah and Bill should become Christians is this; It works.

Talk about the change that came into your life when you first believed in Christ. Talk about times when you have seen amazing healings or when God has lifted you in times of sadness and tragedy. Talk about walking miracles like Gram Seed.

Hannah says “I just don't feel any need for God; my life is fine as it is.” But everybody has a Madonna moment from time to time. That’s when the illusion of self-sufficiency is lifted and you get to see the real state of the soul without God. Testimony is really powerful – and the greatest testimony is not in what you say but in how you live.

The final reason why should James, Hannah and Bill become Christians is this; It is urgent.

I read a book by a guy called Scot McKnight last week. He talks about how he became a Christian when he was 6 years old. He said to his mother, “Mum, I want to accept Jesus into my heart so I can be forgiven of my sins.” He had heard the gospel, understood that God loved him and had sent his Son for him to die so he could be forgiven. All that was left was his decision. His mother said slightly hesitatingly, “Don’t you think you should wait till your father gets home?” He replied that he was afraid he might die before she got home.”

For people like Bill who say “I’ve got too much going on in my life to bother about faith at the moment” we need to get to a point where we can say (and you have to find the right moment to say this kind of thing) “If you were to get run over by a bus tonight, Bill – and honestly I hope you don’t – but if you did, would you be sure of going to heaven?”

I have a friend who thinks they are fine without God. If only they knew how much better off they’d be with him.

Let’s pray…


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 28th December 2010

Remembrance Sunday Sermon (2 Samuel 23.8-17 and John 15.13)

Introduction

Ever since the Armistice Treaty in 1918 churches have held services of remembrance to give thanks to God for the freedoms we enjoy and that were won at so high a price; the lives of 16 million soldiers and civilians, plus 21 million wounded to say nothing of the pain endured by many millions of loved ones when they learned that their husbands, fiancés, sons and fathers would never come home.

We do this for four reasons; which I’ll call regard, recognition, remembering and repentance.

Regard

What do I mean by regard? I mean this; whatever our feelings about the rights and wrongs of war, it is proper for us to show due regard for those who are most affected by its destruction. Many wars have been fought since World War I and each has been tragic. Since the First World War it has been estimated that about 120 million people have been killed in armed conflict.

However righteous the cause, however noble the objective, war always leaves heartbroken widows, fatherless sons and daughters and grief-stricken mothers who have to do what no parent should ever have to do; bury their own children.

On this day, our nation shows all those who are grieving their loved ones the regard we have for them and the heartache we share for their loss. We join together and say “You are not alone. We want to stand with you in your loneliness, your grief, your pain.”

That is a vital part of who we are and what we stand for. It is part of our soul.

Recognition

Secondly, this day is also about recognition. In our first Bible reading we heard about the bravery and courage of David’s mighty warriors; men who stood their ground and who defended their people and land from invading forces and against great odds.

Today we recognise the valour and courage of men and women who serve in the armed forces. In Afghanistan today our servicemen and women are laying their lives on the line diffusing explosive devices, defending schools which are giving an education to boys and girls, training local people to stand up to bigotry and intimidation, safeguarding the dignity of women and crippling the heroin trade at its source.

We recognise their courage with pride and gratitude today.

Remembering

Thirdly, and obviously, Remembrance Sunday is about remembering.

The Battle of Britain website has a letter that was first published on 18th June1940 in the Times. It was found among the personal belongings of a young RAF pilot who was reported ‘missing, believed killed.’ The letter was to be sent to his mother in the event that he died in action and I have abbreviated it because it is a little long.

Dearest Mother,

Though I feel no premonition at all, events are moving rapidly, and I have instructed that this letter be forwarded to you should I fail to return from one of the raids which we shall shortly be called upon to undertake…

First, it will comfort you to know that my role in this war has been of the greatest importance. Our patrols far out over the North Sea have helped to keep the trade routes clear for our convoys and supply ships, and on one occasion our information was instrumental in saving the lives of the men in a crippled lighthouse relief ship.

No man can do more, and no one calling himself a man could do less. I have always admired your amazing courage in the face of continual setbacks… without ever losing faith in the future. My death would not mean that your struggle has been in vain. Far from it. It means that your sacrifice is as great as mine…

Today we are faced with the greatest organized challenge to Christianity and civilization that the world has ever seen, and I count myself… honoured to be the right age and fully trained to throw my full weight into the scale. For this I have to thank you. Yet there is more work for you to do. The home front will still have to stand united for years after the war is won...

The universe is so vast and so ageless that the life of one man can only be justified by the measure of his sacrifice. We are sent to this world to acquire a personality and a character to take with us that can never be taken from us…

I count myself fortunate in that I have seen the whole country and known men of every calling. But with the final test of war I consider my character fully developed. Thus at my early age my earthly mission is already fulfilled and I am prepared to die with just one regret, and one only – that I could not devote myself to making your declining years more happy by being with you; but you will live in peace and freedom and I shall have directly contributed to that, so here again my life will not have been in vain.

Your loving Son

Today we say “Thank you” to such fallen, “Thank you” for the lives that they gave in order to protect and defend the freedoms and the peace that we enjoy; freedom to worship (including wearing a cross in the workplace), freedom of speech (including ideas that are inconveniently lacking in political correctness) and many other liberties that are a blessing to our land.

We honour the memory of the many brave men and women who died too young in the fields of armed conflict – and we choose today to live in peace with one another to demonstrate that they died purposefully and not in vain.

Repentance

Finally, repentance. Patriotic summaries of World War II portray righteous allied forces liberating the world from Nazi tyranny. And of course they did, at great sacrificial cost. But we must remember too with humility and tears that allied leaders too will one day give an account to God for the carpet bombing of Dresden, where 25,000 civilians were burned alive in just three days, and for the decision to drop atomic bombs on the civilians of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Good must triumph over evil, but there is darkness, as well as light, in every human heart.

Jesus said “Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” He said it just hours before he died, laying down his life not just for one nation but for the whole world to liberate it forever from the tyranny of sin and death. His suffering and death too were purposeful. He laid down his life not to win peace from a wicked dictator who is here today and gone tomorrow, but to secure for us an enduring peace with God.

Jesus’ suffering and death have power to cleanse of all guilt, all sin everyone who turns to God in repentance and sorrow.

So let us use this day to repent, before God, of our jealousies, our pride, our feelings of vengeance, our lack of love, our vanity and our hatred.

Jesus too did not die in vain for, as the Bible so wonderfully testifies, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 14th November 2010

Praying Like the First Christians (Acts 4.1-31)

Introduction

We’ve been looking these last few weeks at how people pray in the Bible. Abraham haggled with God over judgement he had planned for Sodom and Gomorrah. Do you ever haggle in prayer? Moses unloaded his exasperation on God when it all got too much for him. Jeremiah poured out his raw emotions and personal grief. Are you real with God when you pray? Simeon and Anna prayed faithfully every day and were finally rewarded at the end of their long lives by seeing the answer to all their longings. Reverent prayer. Exasperated prayer. Passionate prayer. Faithful prayer. Today; audacious prayer.

“Audacious” and “prayer” are not words you usually associate with one another… The word “audacious” is more suited to the world of extreme sports than to prayer meetings. When brave people jump out of airplanes with parachutes or fall from bridges with an elastic band round their ankles that is what we call audacious.

But God wants us to pray outrageous, audacious, daring, risky prayers like the one in Acts 4. Peter and John have just released from custody, but they have been given a gagging order, strictly forbidden to say anything in public about Jesus. Put yourself in their shoes. You have been ordered by your local authority to keep the peace and not speak to anyone under any circumstances about what you believe. You’ll stir up trouble. You’ll be responsible for causing a public nuisance. It’s a private matter. It’s the law.

But Peter and John prayed not for the council to change its mind but for the nerve to disobey the law even more insolently than before.

This is the prayer equivalent of bungee jumping or parachuting. The wearing of safety helmets is recommended – literally in fact – because v31 tells us that the house where they prayed was shaken. You know you’ve had a good prayer meeting when you have to measure it on the Richter scale!

There’s a story I like to tell about a businessman who opened a casino and strip club opposite a school. So a group of concerned Christian believers got together and organised a night of prayer and fasting. They prayed until dawn asking God to stop the moral rot in their town. Two days later there was an electrical storm. The casino and strip club were burned to the ground. Praise God! But not for long, because the businessman decided to sue the Christians, claiming that they were liable for the damage because their prayer meeting caused the storm! The believers decided to defend themselves against the allegations, pleading that they could not be held responsible. Ironic isn’t it? Before a judge and jury the businessman suddenly believed in the power of prayer and the Christians vigorously claimed there was no connection at all and it had all just been a coincidence!

Do you really believe in the power of prayer? Recent research in the USA reveals that church leaders (in any case those who participated in the study) pray on average about three minutes every day. I hope on average we manage a bit more than that. But for people like us, busy, tired, distracted, and with a spiritual enemy who hates it when we pray, praying is a battle. So God has given us in Acts 4 five secrets for a powerful life of prayer.

1) Pray Together – Not Just Alone

The first is in v23. “On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people.” There is no trace in any page of the New Testament of solitary Christians. No one manages fine on their own. No, it says “They went back to their own people.” They knew that together they were much stronger than the sum of their parts.

I remember an old Peanuts cartoon where Lucy (the bossy one) tells Linus (the dozy one) to switch channels on the TV. Linus says, “And what makes you think you can just tell me what to do?” Lucy says “My five fingers. They’re not much on their own but together I can make them into a fearsome weapon.” Linus thinks for a minute and says “What channel do you want?” And then, he looks at his fingers and says “Hey, why aren’t you as organised as Lucy’s fingers?”

The unity these Christians had wasn’t about getting together over a cup of tea. God wants us to go further than social friendship; his plan for us is spiritual fellowship. They carried each others’ burdens. They prayed together. “When they heard (about the threats), they raised their voices together in prayer to God” says v24.

In all creation the humble snowflake is among the most fragile of things. They are very small, they weigh next to nothing, they readily melt and they are easily crushed. But together with other snowflakes they can form avalanches capable of burying a village. Prayer is like that. It is so much more powerful when there is agreement in the Spirit and we all say “Amen” with conviction. The world can refuse our invitations, it can despise our teaching, it can oppose our arguments, it can patronise our good works and it can ridicule our values but the world is defenceless against our prayers spoken out in faith, in unity and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is why we encourage people to pray together in home groups, that is why we have started prayer partnerships (are you in one? – get into one if you’re not, see Sylvia and she will do the rest). It’s why we love to do prayer ministry, it’s why we have arranged prayer evenings for sung worship and children’s and youth ministry this month. We believe in the power of prayer together. It changes things. It makes a difference.

2) Look To God, Not At Problems

The second secret comes in v24-28. “They raised their voices together in prayer. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.’”

What are they doing there? They are focusing on the power and authority and supremacy of God; not on the scale and complexity of their immediate difficulties.

And they go on; v25… “Lord, you spoke by the Holy Spirit…” God knows that. Why did they say that? They are reminding themselves that God is the God of real revelation, he has spoken his true and authoritative word, he has already disclosed his mind to us and it is breaking into the realm of our experience.”

And then they say this; v28… “Herod and Pontius Pilate met together … to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”

Again, God knows all this. They’re declaring the truth that God is in charge of history because there is power in speaking out truth that nothing takes him surprise. He will accomplish his plan, he will do what he has said. Even allowing for the free will given to all people, he are sovereign in the affairs of nations and nothing will frustrate his will.

Whenever I begin my praying by rattling on to God about how unfair life is I pray with no perspective, no authority and no power. That’s why these people start by focusing their attention on God. Before asking anything at all, before they present God their real and numerous problems, they remind themselves just who it is they are addressing.

3) Start With Praise, Not Petition

The third secret flows from the second. Spend time in praise and worship before bringing a list of stuff for God to sort out. The basic reason is obvious. God absolutely deserves high praise. He is unquestionably worthy of adoring worship. It’s just the right thing to do. But it’s more than that. Praise and worship make fertile ground for increase in faith. Praise and worship pull down strongholds of fear and unbelief. Praise and worship lead us into the presence of God where there is fullness of joy. That’s a good place to pray.

So start by exalting and magnifying the greatness of the Lord and speaking out truth about him. The first Christians did. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” Start with praise. Only then, renewed by God’s presence, confident in his grace, should we move on to petition.

4) Pray Specific Prayers, Not Vague Ones

The word of God reveals a fourth secret in v29-30. When they present their requests to God what they actually ask is very precise, very exact. There’s no waffly church language in there; no droning, repetitive flannel. They say “Lord, consider their threats” and then theyask God to do two specific things.

First, “Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”

Second, “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

One of the first things I learned as a young Christian is that specific prayers get specific answers and vague prayers get vague answers.

Helen Roseveare, who was a missionary in Zaire, once told the story of a baby who was born prematurely. Her mother died in childbirth so they brought the baby and its sister to the orphanage where she worked. This is what she wrote:

“We tried to improvise a homemade incubator to keep the baby alive but our only hot water bottle was leaking. So we asked the children in the orphanage to pray for the baby and its sister. One of the children stood up to pray, ‘Father, please send us a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late, the baby will die. And Father, please send a toy doll for the baby’s sister so she doesn’t feel so lonely and sad.’

That same afternoon a parcel arrived from England. The children looked on impatiently all the time we were unpacking the parcel. To their great joy, surrounded by piles of clothes, there was a brand new hot water bottle.

The child who had prayed for a doll started to furrow down into the package saying, ‘If God sent us a hot water bottle, he has sent a doll too.’ And she was right! Our heavenly Father knew in advance that that child would ask for those very things. Five months earlier he had led a group of women in a small English church hall to place those particular items into that particular package.”

Specific prayers get specific answers and vague prayers get vague answers. I want to encourage you, when you pray, to ask God for precise things.

5) Know That God Answers In His Time, Not In Ours

The fifth and last secret , in fact it’s not a secret at all, because we know this very well it’s just that we find it hard to accept… sometimes God answers our prayers quickly - and sometimes he delays.

In v29 the believers pray “Now, Lord… enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” And in v31 it appears that God answers their prayer straight away. “After they prayed, (or as the ESV translates it ‘when they had prayed’) the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

They asked God for boldness and God gave them what they asked for immediately. God’s answer to their prayer was live, before their eyes. I love it when that happens. Kathie and I once prayed for a friend who had had a stomach bug for two weeks and kept being sick. Immediately after we prayed she rushed to the toilet. I don’t know what went on in there. It sounded like a firework display! But she came out, said she felt much better and was fine from that moment on.

But we know that it’s not always like that, don’t we? Why?
· Is it because we don’t have enough faith?
· Is it because we are too sinful?
· Is it because we are resisting the Holy Spirit?
It could be - but not necessarily.

Sometimes God just answers later. Look at v30 for example. They pray “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” But you need to wait until chapter 5, verse 12 before you read “The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people.”

So please don’t be discouraged if God doesn’t answer your prayers straight away. Two weeks ago we saw that Simeon and Anna waited a whole lifetime before they set eyes on the Messiah they had been praying for and waiting for.

C.S. Lewis once said that God is exceptionally kind to us when we are young in the faith. I spoke with an experienced Christian recently and he said to me, “When I was a young believer I had loads of clear and prompt answers to prayer including some that I can only explain as miraculous.

My own experience is exactly the same. For many, if not most, Christians I think that is the case. At the beginning of your faith journey, just before conversion and just afterwards, God seems to do amazing things every week. But as you get older in the faith that sort of thing seems to get more and more rare.”

It doesn’t seem right does it? Shouldn’t spectacular answers to prayer become more and more common the more we progress in faith and knowledge of God?

It seems not. The New Testament gives two very clear examples of prayers that were not answered. Jesus (who didn’t lack faith and who was guilty of no sin) begged his Father to remove the cup of suffering from him the night before he died. And his Father said, “no.” Oh how glad I am that that prayer was not answered!

If God had said “yes” instead of “no” Jesus wouldn’t have died, he would not have risen from the grave, we would still be lost in our sins, we would still be without God and without hope in the world, and destined for hell – an anguished and everlasting separation from God.

The other example is Paul (he was no spiritual pygmy either). Three times he begged the Lord to take away the thorn in his flesh. Was it a physical sickness or weakness or was it persecutors or something else? I don’t know. I just know he asked God to take it away and God said “No. My grace is going to have to be enough for you.”

Sometimes, in exceptional circumstances, and for reasons that belong to him alone, and even when the stakes are high, and when he knows that by his grace we can live with his silence, God sometimes says “no” or “wait.” Mature Christians understand that God answers in his time, not ours.

Ending

The very first Christians on the African continent each had a little place in the bush outside the village where they spent time with God alone and prayed their audacious prayers. After a while the routes that led to their prayer spots got worn down and became real paths. So it became obvious which Christians were praying daily and those who were not. Those who really believed in the power of prayer used to say to the others, “Friend, why is grass growing on your pathway?”

I want to grow in boldness and I want to see the Lord stretch out his hand to heal and perform signs and wonders. Do you? Well let’s not let the grass grow on our path.


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 7th November 2010

How You Lose Spiritual Power (Judges 16.1-22)

Introduction

Tonight, I’m going to talk about the strongest man that ever lived; someone dynamic, powerful and resilient. A man capable of carrying extreme loads without flinching. His enemies cringe before him. He sends all his foes into panic. Two weeks ago I was speaking about heroes. That’s what I’m talking about now - someone you look up to, a legend that inspires admiration.

But first of all, before we look at Samson and Delilah, let’s bring ourselves up to date with the story so far, which sets the stage for this chapter. Samson, you’ll remember, was born to parents who, up till that time, had been unable to have children.

He was set apart as a Nazarite, meaning he was special, consecrated to God, dedicated to his service. He lived under constant threat of the Philistines. They were a murderous and idolatrous people who, fuelled by a cult of their violent god Dagon, were a scary people to have as overlords. God anointed him with incredible physical strength for his mission to subdue the Philistines.

But instead of describing a Samson who restores order, who overcomes the Philistines and brings settlement, chapters 14 and 15 of Judges paint the picture of a petulant tit-for-tat conflict and revenge attacks that resolve nothing. Samson, if he’s not spending his time partying with his enemies, is picking out victims at random.

A couple of years ago, I watched Stephen Spielberg’s film ‘Munich’. It’s based on the terrorist outrage at the 1972 Olympic Games, when Palestinian extremists from the Black September organisation took hostage, and eventually killed, a dozen Israeli athletes. The film concentrates on the aftermath and in particular the Israeli response codenamed Operation Wrath of God. Mossad agents are given the mission of tracing the men responsible for Munich and eliminating them one by one. Which is what they do; in London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Beirut… all over the place.

But the film shows that their mission only provokes a new wave of attacks against Israel around the world. As for the agents, they begin as the hunters but end up in mortal fear of being tracked down themselves. The film ends with the team leader on the edge of paranoia.

Watching that film, I couldn’t help but think about Samson in Judges 14 and 15 and the situation in the Middle East today. 3,000 years on, it’s exactly the same cycle being repeated between Israel and Palestine, the direct descendants of Samson and the Philistines. It’s the same DNA.

And we saw last week how cycles of vengeance end in tragedy. If you’ve ever politely asked noisy neighbours to turn their music down – and they just turn it up - you know what it is like to contemplate settling the scores. Samson’s life is a reminder that getting even doesn’t work.

It feels good to write a really sarcastic and vitriolic e-mail to someone who has treated you badly, doesn’t it? Oh, the satisfaction when you click ‘send!’

Kathie once wrote a very stroppy letter to our bank after they charged us for an error they had made. I said to her “You can’t send that!” She said, “Why not?” So I said, “It’s written on notepaper with a Bible verse on it!” I wouldn’t have minded if the letter was written on plain paper! She didn’t send it but writing it helped get the anger out of her system.

As someone once said, when feeling cross, “Always apply the space shuttle principle; count down before blasting off!’ If Samson had always done that maybe history would have turned out differently. So that’s the background. Chapter 16 is really important because it gives us an insight into the root of all the rest, from Samson’s point of view. It helps us understand his indiscipline, his chaotic lifestyle.

The Flesh – The Root of Samson’s Indiscipline

When we open the chapter, Samson is in Gaza. True to form, he spends the night there with a prostitute. Tellingly, v1 says ‘he saw a prostitute and spent the night there.’ Samson always was led by his eyes.

How ironic that by v21 those very eyes that led him astray are gone. But, even here, even now, for reasons buried deep in the unfathomable supplies of God’s grace, Samson is still anointed by God. With his awesome, mighty strength, he pulls the city gates, their door posts and the metal bar that secured them, off their hinges and out of their sockets. The commentaries say that these massive doors would have been made from solid timber, studded with thousands of nails and covered in metal to prevent them from being destroyed by flaming arrows. Samson tore all that off the walls.

That feat alone is superhuman. But Samson, apparently just to make sure people got the message that he was not a weed, carried the lot from Gaza to Hebron. Hebron is over 50 kilometres from Gaza - and it’s mostly uphill.

Strongest man that ever lived? It’s hardly surprising that on three separate occasions in this chapter a band of armed Philistines did not dare take him on, even alone, exposed and defenceless - until they learnt the secret of his strength. There was something so unusual about Samson’s physical capability that only supernatural strength could explain it.

And all this despite apparently looking quite normal; as I said about a few weeks ago in case you were away, don’t be fooled by those pictures of Samson looking like the Incredible Hulk. If Samson had a physique like that, Delilah would never have asked him in v6, “Samson, what is the secret of your great strength?” It would have been self-evident. Samson was probably nothing special to look at.

The mystery behind his strength was not his muscle bulk; it was God’s promise to bless him as a dedicated, consecrated individual.

Remember; the spiritual battles you are called to fight and win will be in the strength God supplies, not in your own.

The Apostle Paul was a winner. He wrote about a third of the New Testament, planted churches all over the Middle East and Southern Europe, healed the sick, raised the dead and probably hit holes in one and played lead guitar with his teeth as well! How did he do all that?

Here’s his explanation; “insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities and distresses.” And he’s not talking about obstacles. He said that those weaknesses were the prime reason why the power of Christ showed so clearly in his life. “Insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities and distresses.”

Those things throw us on to God’s mercy until we are thoroughly dependent on him alone. This is what Paul is talking about when he says that the power of God is made perfect in weakness. It goes some way to answering questions like these:

• Why am I bullied and teased at school?
• Why can’t I find a job?
• Why do I feel trapped in this unhappy marriage?
• Why do I feel so tired all the time?
• Why is nothing working in my life?
• Why is my sister seriously ill?
• Why do I have no friends at work?

“Insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities and distresses.” “My grace is sufficient for you, it’s enough, when all is stripped down, it’s all you need. When you get to the end of your strength, God’s strength is all you’ve got left.”

Samson wasn’t satisfied by God’s grace though. Samson needed to satisfy his passions and desires as well - and even his amazing strength didn’t always bring glory to God.

Chapter 16 shows that, even though he was bold before men, he was powerless before women. In this chapter this unaccountable, proud, self-absorbed, disproportionately violent, ungrateful and sexually loose man finally finds out how strong he really is.

Cecil B. De Mille’s 1949 epic ‘Samson and Delilah,’ was a box office hit, but it was trashed by the critics. One, for example, dismissed it as “the most expensive haircut in history.” Another trashed it for its shallow excesses (containing more chariots, more temples, more peacock plumes, more beards and more sex than ever before in the history of cinema).

As for De Mille, he said this; “We’ll sell it as a story of faith, a story of the power of prayer. That’s for the censors and the women’s organizations. For the public it’s the hottest love story of all time!”

But the thing is, it’s just not. For Samson, though it says in v4 that he fell in love with Delilah, by v16 he was tired to death of her. How steamy is that? He spends his time winding her up. She’s just another chick in the long line of easy women he hangs out with. The hottest love story of all time? Give me a break.

She spends the entire chapter nagging him, grinding him down, plotting his capture and public humiliation. Oh, she probably kisses him with all the passion he wants, but we know she’s faking it. She’s arranging for her mates to put his eyes out. For money what’s more. The hottest love story of all time? I don’t think so.

In a word, as Terry said a few weeks ago, Samson’s Achilles heel is what the New Testament euphemistically calls ‘the flesh.’ Or in the version we have here in church ‘the sinful nature’. It’s fallen human nature under the power of sin.

It is the inclination in our make up to slide away from the right path; it’s like a traitor within who is in league with an enemy outside. It’s when I’d much rather read my books and magazines than God’s word. It’s that disposition we all have to resist or at least neglect God in our lives. Romans 7:25 warns that it has a power to enslave people. Romans 7:18 says that there is nothing good in it.

The flesh is what makes Delilah nag and manipulate and whinge instead of having a straight, guilt-free, conversation. Proverbs 19.13 says that a nagging wife is like a constant, dripping tap. Ladies, it’s excruciatingly annoying. Don’t do it!

It’s the flesh that makes Samson lie to her and play with her instead of simply saying, “Look, I’m not telling you, it’s a secret, don’t ask again.” Guys, teasing is patronising and ungodly. Don’t do it either!

It’s the flesh in Delilah that takes one look at the money in v5 and decides it’s more important than the relationship. It’s the flesh in Samson in v17 that gives away his priceless secret just for a bit of peace and quiet. It’s “Hey, I just can’t be bothered any more to uphold God’s standards in my life.” That’s the flesh.

For men, lust tends to work through what they see. That’s why Job said, “I made a pact with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.” (Job 31.1)

Nicky Lee in the Marriage Book writes this; “Many men at some point in their lives, often during their school days, have been exposed to pornography… The danger of pornographic material is that it arouses our sexual desires in a way that leads to lust rather than to a loving relationship. It can easily become an addiction.”

For women, it doesn’t usually work the same way. Sila Lee, in the same book, writes this: “A woman can become addicted to fantasy through what she sees or reads, making real life seem dull, routine and empty of the love and intimacy she craves. Many popular novels encourage such fantasising. But seeking to escape from reality on a regular basis through what is often regarded as harmless entertainment can be dangerous for a marriage.”

The New Testament emphasises the need to train our minds. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things” (Philippians 4.8).

John Wesley once preached on the flesh and asked some provocative questions: “Have you betrayed your own soul to temptation, by eating and drinking to the full, by needless familiarities, by foolish talking, by levity of dress or behaviour? Have you used all the means which scripture and reason suggest, to prevent every kind and degree of unchastity?”

It hardly needs saying, but this is a difficult age for young people to think christianly about the opposite sex. And not just young people actually. Probably most of us, if not all of us, at some time in our lives, have battled with these issues.

In fact, let’s have a show of hands! Or perhaps not… No, of course we struggle. And yet the hormones that charge round our bodies, the libido we all have, our appetites and desires, our passions and drives were all designed by God. It is not sinful to appreciate the beauty of an attractive person of the opposite sex and I don’t think we should feel bad if we do. That’s God’s handiwork!

Food is good for you and overeating is bad for you. A little wine is good for the heart, too much is bad for the liver. Sex in the context of God designed it for is a vital component of building a healthy relationship of absolute trust. And when it is removed from a committed, enduring covenant, while usually pleasurable, it gets devalued and often ends up in unwanted children, sexually transmitted diseases and less stable relationships.

Jesus set the bar high when he said that looking at a woman lustfully is committing adultery with her in the heart. The Message paraphrase of Matthew 5.28 is brilliant; “Don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices - they also corrupt.”

By Jesus’ standard, who can boast tonight?

I’ve known people who like to spend the first six days of the week sowing their wild oats and the seventh praying for a crop failure. And they say, “Couldn’t we have a 21st century edition of God’s law and call it the Ten Suggestions?”

Let's be real. By Jesus’ measure, we all fall, just as spectacularly as Samson, the man who never had the stability or the gravitas of a real man of God and never fulfilled his potential. And what becomes of us if we have fallen?

Ending

I told you at the beginning that I would talk about the strongest man that ever lived; a tough and resilient man. One capable of carrying heavy loads without flinching, a man who sends panic into all his enemies, someone you look up to, a legend that inspires awe.

I wasn’t thinking about Samson. He must be one of the weakest men in God’s word. He was easily led and inadequate. A slave to all his passions, his outbursts and his excesses, he never mastered anything, least of all himself. He had zero character and no moral fibre. I wasn’t thinking about Samson at all.

I was thinking about the one we have come to worship tonight; the Son of Man, the Son of God; Jesus Christ. The cross behind me is our constant reminder of the heavy price he didn’t flinch from paying - in full - to deliver us from the powers of darkness and win for us peace with God.

If you were the only person on earth who needed to be freed from the tyranny of the flesh and the slavery of sin he still would have done it just for you.

The strongest man who ever lived was tied to a post and relentlessly flogged, his back torn open from 40 lashes. They take him out onto the street and load the bar of his cross on his shoulders.

• He climbs the Via Dolorosa leading up out of the city before a jeering crowd
• Unlike Samson, he refuses to return evil for evil
• He, at no moment, attempts to flee the hell that awaits him at the place of the skull
• Nor does he shrink back when they press a crown of thorns upon his head
• He determinedly stretches out his arm to be nailed down to his cross
• He can, if he wants to, call 10,000 angels to get him out of there - and he doesn’t do it He carries, alone and abandoned, the intolerable weight of the sins of the world
• He takes on himself our sicknesses, our sorrows, our sin and our shame
• He forgives all those laughing at him, insult him and spit at him
• He takes the blow of indescribable pain and distress
• He cries in anguish as his Father turns his face away and is torn from his presence
• Even then, in the jaws of death itself, he doesn’t give in – he goes on to the end
• He disarms, on the cross, the principalities and powers of evil
• He makes a public display of them, prevailing over them by his death and resurrection
• He plunders hell and crushes Satan under his feet…

That is the strongest man that ever lived, full of grace and truth.

He knows everything about of you; your highs and your lows, your great strengths and your lamentable weaknesses, that which you are proud of and that which you are not - and, amazingly, he still loves you just as much.


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 24th October 2010

Praying Like Moses (Numbers 11.1-23)

Introduction

You know when you’re looking at someone on the train or in a park or somewhere and they catch your eye so you look away in case they think you’re staring at them? Well, last Sunday, today and over the next few weeks we’re looking at men and women in the Bible and how they prayed. We’re peering into people’s private prayers at delicate points in their lives; moments of great vulnerability and intimacy and particularly here with Moses in Numbers 11. It feels a little intrusive really. At least they can’t look up and embarrass you as they catch you doing it.

But the reason we do this is not to pry but to learn and grow. About these very Old Testament stories, like the one we just read in Numbers, Romans 15.4 says this: 

“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

This is about learning to go the distance, finding encouragement when life is against us. In Numbers 11 we’re at a crucial turning point in the history of God’s people. They have just been miraculously set free from 400 years of cruel oppression. For generations they had cried out to God to get them out of Egypt and lead them into the Promised Land. And God did that. The tyrant Pharaoh was overcome and they escaped unharmed as the mighty hand of God opened up the waters of the Red Sea. They celebrated greatly. The Lord led them through the desert with a pillar of cloud by day and a column of fire by night. He sent bread from heaven to feed them.

On the face of it, with a recent history as good as that, you’d have thought that the people would be really fired up.

The Toxic Power of Grumbling

So it’s a bit of a shock when chapter 11 starts with these words:

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down… The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost - also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

You don’t have to be Einstein do understand that things were not going well. Hardships, fire, complaints, cravings, regrets, disillusionments, comparisons, eating disorders... They were in a desert. They were obviously hungry and thirsty. They had no directions and no map. They had baggage to carry. There was nothing to do. It was too hot. It was too cold. Yes, both! In that part of the world, it’s 40˚ by day and 0˚ at night.

We English hate to complain don’t we? We hate to make a fuss. We mumble to each other that the soup is cold but when the waiter comes and says “Is everything OK?” we say “Oh yes, fine thanks.” The Italians have noticed this. They have a proverb that says, “Step on an Englishman’s toe and he’ll apologise to you.” I met a man who was half German and he told me that restaurateurs in Germany save the worst wine for the us because they know we are the only ones who won’t object! Sometimes people should complain a little.

Let me tell you a story about a man who decided to join a monastery.

The chief monk told him that it would be hard. He would have to give up all his possessions, pray all day and remain totally silent with one small exception. He was allowed to say two words every five years. Five years go by and the Pope comes to visit. “How’s it going?” he says and the man replies with the two words available to him “Bed hard.” So the Pope says, “Terribly sorry, we didn’t know. We’ll take care of it right away.”

Five more years go by and at the end of that time, the Pope comes back again. “How are you my son, is everything OK now?” So the man replies, “Food cold.” The Pope says, “So sorry, I’ll sort it out for you today.”

Five more years pass by and the Pope comes back a third time. “Hello again! Is everything all right now for you?” The man says “I quit.” So the Pope says, “Well of course you quit. I’m not surprised. You’ve been here for 15 years and all you’ve done is complain!”

But there’s a difference between a reasonable drawing attention to under par service and the unhappy overflow of an ungrateful heart. These grumblings and murmurings are recorded here not to show us we should never complain about cold soup. But to show us how fickle human nature can be. There is an alarming contrast between chapter 10 and chapter 11! How quickly people can turn from celebration to griping.

Who do these complaints come from? Verse 4 talks about “the rabble.” It seems that there was an unwilling and vocal group at the heart of the community that soured the whole atmosphere. You know the sort of negative, unhelpful person who walks into a room and the temperature drops immediately. It’s like the bloke who says “I was going to buy a copy of that book the Power of Positive Thinking and then I thought “Ah, but what good would that do?”

Who were these people, this rabble in Numbers 11? The commentaries suggest that it was most likely a small number of Egyptian former slaves, non Israelites, who found their way into the exodus as well. These were people who did not share the identity of the people of God. They jumped on the bandwagon but they never really bought into the identity of being God’s holy people and the vision of where God was leading them.

God had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. He promised he would drive out their enemies before them. He promised them protection and blessing. It was to this people that he revealed himself as Yahweh Raphé (I am the Lord who heals you).

But the rabble only came along for the ride. They only joined in as long as everything was going well and as long as they were personally getting something out of it, but at the first sign of hardship, instead of hanging on to what God had promised, instead of facing adversity in faith, they complained and grumbled and moaned and whinged. And the result is that their negativity polluted the mood of the whole community.

The reality is this: just like the community in the desert here, in any church there are times of setback and discouragement. There are seasons when everything seems to go wrong. There are times when you have to fight in faith and pray with passion despite any evidence of God being with you.

A few weeks ago we showed a video clip of our young people’s work and we celebrated the great things God is doing amongst them. Next week there’ll be a clip about how God is blessing the Lunch Club ministry. We want to talk about what God is doing, not about what God is not doing! We love to celebrate that. But those clips don’t tell you the whole story. We could have showed you a video of the leaders and volunteers of those ministries crying out to God in frustration, praying and agonising, working late into the night preparing, being let down, dealing with crises and illness and exhaustion… That’s the other side of the same reality. It’s because the kingdom of God is both now and not yet. It’s here but it is yet to come. Sometimes we see the power of God break through and wonderful things happen. Other times we don’t. Some are healed. Others aren’t. Some come to faith. Others never do.

The basic problem here is that the rabble had ungrateful hearts. After all God had done for them they should have been overflowing with thanksgiving.

After all God has done for us in Christ so should we! 1 Thessalonians 5.18 says “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Cultivate a grateful soul. You have been redeemed at a high price (the blood of Jesus), you are deeply esteemed by your heavenly Father, you are the apple of his eye, you have been salvaged from the gates of hell and an eternity of bitter regret by grace. You are held with affection in the mighty hand of God, nothing can tear you from his grip and nothing can separate you from his love. So learn to nurture a thankful heart. Don’t let the rabble get to you!

The Impact of Grumbling on a Leader

You talk to any leader and they’ll probably say that the hardest thing to deal with as a leader is the rabble. You get rabbles in businesses, schools, political parties, extended families, voluntary groups, hospitals, even churches … you name the organisation, and there’s a good chance that there’ll be a rabble.

They’re the ones who always say how much better things were before. A few chapters down the line, in Numbers 16, they describe Egypt, the country they had just left, as a land flowing with milk and honey. No it wasn’t! It was a land of hopeless toil and oppression and slavery with no dignity.

The rabble are the ones who spread a spirit of dissatisfaction. In v4 the whole community takes their cue from them: “If only we had meat to eat!” they all say. “We have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” Wait a minute! This is coming from people who have had miracle bread from heaven every day. The Bible says “It was like coriander seed and looked like resin.” Exotic. “You ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar.” Convenient. “You could cook it in a pot or make it into loaves.” Versatile. “And it tasted like something made with olive oil.” Sounds delicious. People say there’s no such thing as a free lunch – yet this didn’t cost them a bean. What did they want, jam on it!?

The rabble are the ones who, whatever goes wrong, whoever is responsible, blame the leader. “My car’s broken down. Well it’s no wonder is it, with David Cameron in charge?” “My pew sheet is a bit creased. Well that would never have happened with the last vicar!” Fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. Verse 2; the people cried out to… Moses. “Hey, what’s with all this fire from heaven singing my tent? It’s not very convenient Moses, sort it out!”

Poor Moses! He had met with God at the burning bush. He had seen a vision of the Promised Land. He had been at the forefront of God’s mighty deliverance. He had talked with the Lord face to face on the mountain that shook with the awesome grandeur of God’s holiness. He was excited and motivated about what God was doing. He could see where it was all going. He had given up living in a palace for that.

Hebrews 11 says “By faith Moses… refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” Even when he was just eating manna it doesn’t bother him that much because he had seen the future. The rabble could only see manna.

And now, because of their moaning and complaining, everybody in the whole camp - 600,000 of them - are wailing at the entrance of their tents. What does 600,000 wailing people sound like?

The ancient Romans had a tradition: whenever one of their engineers constructed an arch, as the capstone, the central stone at the top of the arch, was hoisted into place, the engineer assumed responsibility for his design and the workmanship of his builders in the most profound way possible: he stood underneath. Feel the pressure.

600,000 wailing people. Feel the pressure. The rabble and their negativity and complaining became the focal point of all the pressure Moses was under.

And this is how the rabble often affect leaders. Moses hears all that wailing and cracks under the pressure. And this is the prayer of a leader who is close to the edge. It’s not working. Maybe it’s my fault? And if you’ll allow me to share my heart with you one moment, I’m no Moses but in 20 years of pastoral ministry, I’ve been here many times. Every church leader I know has been here. It’s where you feel that God is calling you to do more than you can deliver. “I don’t know if I can do this, Lord! Maybe I’m the problem. Maybe I just haven’t got it. Maybe I should have just stayed in retail management.”

Verse 13: Hear the exasperation in Moses’ voice. See the tears rolling down his face. “Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!' I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.”

Every pastoral leader asks themselves from time to time the same questions. What have I got to feed these people? Can I say anything that has even a grain of wisdom and doesn’t sound hollow? As I stare at a blank computer screen uninspired for a sermon I must preach tomorrow, is there anything in this book of any interest at all today? Paul said “I die daily.” I’m no Paul, but I die at least monthly!

Then you see how vulnerable leaders can be in v11. “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant?” says Moses. “What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?” Notice he’s getting things distorted. He’s starting to blame God for everything.

“Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant?”

Moses is feeling, “Maybe I should just move to an easier job that hasn’t got the hassle.” He’s saying “Why is this my problem? I don’t have to be responsible for this lot. If you so want to get them into the Promised Land, do it yourself, I can’t be bothered anymore.”

Why did all this happen? How did things get so bad so quickly that Moses actually wanted God to finish him off?

The answer is that he allowed himself to become worried about the problems instead of focused on his vision. The vision was “God is leading these people into a land flowing with milk and honey. But Moses is bogged down with the problems and ground down by the rabble. “How long will this take? How can I keep everybody happy? Where am I going to get meat from? I just don’t know how I’m going to sort that out. They want fish! How am I going to get fish in a desert? How will I ever have the time to do everything I have to do?

He needs to get to where Paul was in 2 Corinthians 3.4-5, “Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”

In our vision to reach out to this parish, we’re going to encounter much opposition and many problems. Just one month into a 48 month vision and we already have encountered opposition and problems. There’ll be times when the rabble start to whisper and moan. There’ll be times when we’ll have to choose not to listen to that and decide that we’re going to overflow with thankfulness instead. There’ll be times when there’ll be too much to do, too little money and too few resources to do it. We will face ridiculous odds. But our confidence is in Christ and our competence comes from God.

Ending

So as I close, as we think about the 4 years ahead of us, how did God answer all Moses’ questions? In the way he usually does. He doesn’t answer all our questions; he questions our answers instead.

Verse 23: The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord's arm too short?"

Is there anything God cannot do?
Is his arm too short to save?
Is God somehow unable to honour his promises to us?
Is anything impossible for God?


Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 10th October 2010