Sunday Sermon
Sunday morning service 8th Jan 2012
Lk 18v1-17
Prayer, humility and the kingdom.
Last time we saw Jesus teaching about the second coming.
He is coming again but until then we are to live serving Him.
So how do we live for him in this world?
1) we pray. V1-8
a) If we are living in expectation of the Lords return we will be prayers.
· But prayer can be so discouraging at times.
Perhaps we feel that our prayers are not answered. That God is not listening.
Jesus must have know that this is how we feel at times.
But he still wants us to pray!
b) Luke lets us know that this is why Jesus tells this story v1.
The story hardly needs retelling v2-5
The point? V1, 6-7.
If we keep crying out to God for help he will help!
Of course he will, God is not an unjust judge! He is the Judge of all the earth and our confidence in him is that he will do what is right: (Gen18v25).
c) of course God will do what is right, but what about us? v8?
Will we keep praying, will we keep trusting?
This draws out another aspect of prayer for us, it is not just about getting answers, it is about cultivating our relationship with God.
So the challenge is will we keep at it?
2) we humble ourselves v9-14
The next section gives a clue as to how we can keep the faith!
We need to keep a constant watch on who we are and on who God is!
a) watch out for self confidence v9.
The Pharisee exemplifies what self confidence is; which leads to none-prayer!
He prays to himself!
V10-11: he is self centred – his focus is not on God but the self! “I... I... I... I...”
Life is all about me! But so it is for those who trust themselves and not God.
Life is simply a matter of survival of the fittest! We have no option but to take care of number one!
b) for the humble person life is all about God : so prayer is to God!
and the first thing we need from God is mercy, because of who we are v13!
App:
We keep the faith by continually remembering who God is and our need for his mercy.
Humility comes from this. (Isa66v1-2, vision of God leads to humility)
c) Jesus concludes: the tax collectors prayer was answered!
He went home accepted by God v14.
Which only serves to humble us further! Because we know we don’t deserve this favour!
App
So we need to constantly keep vigilant, in times of prosperity and blessing the prayer of the Pharisee may begin to infect us! Easier, at times, to pray when we are in need of our great God’s intervention, when we are at an end of ourselves.
3) we trust v15-17
Following prayer and humility comes the need for childlike trust.
a) v15 parents had the nerve to bring their babies to Jesus! The disciples thought this was just too much! Things were getting out of hand! Whatever next!
b) v16 but Jesus calls them to himself, “Jesus loves the little children”!
and through the children he teaches the adults about life in the kingdom.
The first thing he teaches is that the kingdom belongs to such as these!
That is the kingdom is for helpless cases, for those who have not got it all sorted.
For those who need something else/ someone else! Like children who simply cannot survive by themselves! The kingdom is for those who know that without God they are lost.
(Of course the kingdom is also for the so called “sorted” as well, the rich people of the world. But the problem is such people rarely see their need for the kingdom- see v24).
c) this point leads to his next teaching:
v17 we will not be able to receive the Kingdom unless we receive it like a child!
This raises two issues:
· First, what is the kingdom? Simply put:
The kingdom is God and his rule. To receive the kingdom is to enter into fellowship with God, and to submit to his sovereign rule over all things.
The kingdom is life with God, which thus means the very best of life’s!
· Second, how would a child receive it?
How would a child receive something very very good, wonderful indeed?
With thankfulness and joy, without reservation, without a thought about payment or deserving! In a way the child takes the gift for granted, what else is the child to do?
The child can’t begin to think about payment, or about just deserts!
So to receive the Kingdom like a child we need to see how wonderful it is, then we need to see that it is being given to us, then we need to take it joyfully!
Jesus is talking about a way in! He is not trying to put people off, he is simply telling us which door we must use to get in.
So Jesus is coming again: how are we to live? With prayer, humility and childlike trust.
Sunday Evening service 8th Jan 2012
1 sam 11
Last time we saw that Saul was nominated as the first king of Israel.
The chapter finished with everyone going home and most of the people happy that they had Saul as king, but a few complained!
From that passage we saw three reasons why we “do church”:
To Remember the Good News, to Repents afresh and to Recommit to the Lord.
In this chapter Saul gets established as king of Israel.
The reason for that is that he has won his first battle.
He has defeated the Ammonites and rescued the people of Jabesh.
But what is there in this story for us to learn from today?
In it we see the great blessing of unity.
As Gods people, of course, we are One in Christ Jesus. He has brought us together.
The gospel has united us “Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
There is no hierarchy, we have all be lifted up by the One who became a slave for us!
Sadly, however, the Church can often act as if this were not the case!
Even in the early church this was a problem: the Corinthian church,
“1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”
Paul appealed for unity, that is what is expected, commanded! As John affirms:
“1 John 3:23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.” If we love one another we are united.
1) without unity there is vulnerability: v1-3
a)To put it in human terms, there is strength in numbers: Ecclesiastes 4:10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up!
This is seen quite simply in the way that the poor people of Jabesh were open to enemy attack. Because Israel were still in a state of disunity individual towns were much more vulnerable. Thus the people had no option but to compromise, to ask for a treaty!
App
To be alone because of disunity is a big problem! The devil can then attack.
He did that in the Garden of Eden, by just speaking to Eve.
He did it with Elijah making him think that he was the only one left! 1kings 19v10,14
When he attacked Jesus after the 40 days of fasting it was also when he was on his own.
It does not take long to look around us and see the problems disunity causes, in every area of life. But simply looking at the problem is not going to fix it!
b) So what can be done?
We need to seek out help. That is what people of Jabesh did.
· Prayer has to be our first response. We seek Gods help. We wait upon the Lord.
2) in a spirit of prayer we can go about restoring unity
Restoring Unity is no paper exercise.
a) first we need to be broken by the state that disunity has left us in. V4-5.
In Saul’s town the first reaction to the situation is sorrow.
The people are broken by the plight of their brothers!
b) Then there is righteous indignation! There is anger at the state of things v6.
That anger is Spirit led anger, not just Saul flying off the handle!
Anger arises in us when we know that something is not right!
Too often though human anger is wrong, it is simply because my will has been crossed!
It has nothing to do with justice or compassion or the rights of others.
But here Saul is transformed by the work of the Spirit on him! the shy king who hid amongst the baggage rather than step forward as king is now Israel’s bold saviour!
But that only because of the work of the Spirit!
c) This combination of sorrow and anger leads to action. V7-11
there was an immediate step to be taken.
The army is gathered v7-8, word is sent to Jabesh v9-10, then surprise attack v11
App.
a)I think this section is a real challenge to us! Where we find disunity, are we broken by it?
Do we mourn with those brothers and sisters who are suffering because of the effects of disunity! And then is there anything we can do to help?
b)The worst thing we could do would be to add to the problem!
Thus we need to be Spirit led.
The text makes it quite clear that Saul was moved to action by the working of the Holy Spirit.
He could not do anything by himself!
What can we do to help?
Plead with God to raise up Spirit filled servants, who work in His power for His Kingdom.
Plead with God to pour out His Spirit afresh on us!
3) keeping unity v12-15
The important issue next is how do we keep unity?
We know that we are weak when disunited, we know we have to make every effort to restore unity. How then are we to keep and strengthen unity?
This is what Paul calls us to in Eph 4. That is a great passage on unity. V3 gives us the command: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
a) v12-13 first we need to be continually ready to forgive.
Saul could have used this opportunity to wipe out his enemies! But no, he forgives.
App:
The Christian life is one of constant forgiveness, we live in need of God’s forgiveness all the time, and we are to extend that forgiveness to others.
This is simply the nature of life this side of eternity.
And by forgiveness we are always reminded of the Gospel: “Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel”v13. A hard unforgiving heart is a big danger sign. Warning bells should ring!
b) then of course we need to “seek first the kingdom of God”
in v14-15 the people rededicate themselves to the King of kings, through their dedication to the new king. And in all of that there is great rejoicing.
App
Ultimately we keep the unity by all heading in the same direction.
a) We are all fighting for the same cause.
We are all servants of the King, our allegiance is to Him and nobody else.
b) and there has to be joy together. There has to be celebration.
Seeking God and rejoicing in Him will insure our unity and bring much glory to God.
