A Christmas Presence that Provides Our Rescue and Our Adoption...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter in our Bibles where a man named Paul is explaining that Christmas is about God responding to the problem of selfishness and rebellion with a promise. A promise of His presence being delivered in time to provide an opportunity for the rescue all of humanity. Yesterday, in Galatians 4:4-5, we discovered that Christmas is about God delivering His presence, at just the right time, in order to provide an opportunity for rescue and to experience His presence as His children in spite of our performance, not because of our performance. And to provide further evidence of this reality, Paul states the following in Galatians 4:6-7:

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

Here we see Paul explain that we know that God has delivered on the promise of His presence in order to rescue us from rebellion and adopt us as sons because God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying Abba! Father! The term Abba, in the language that this letter was originally written in, was a term of endearment that was used in the culture of the day to describe one’s closeness to one’s father. In our culture today, this would be a word picture of a young child crawling into the lap of their father and saying “daddy”. The word father here, however, conveys the sense of a recognition of God as the Creator and caretaker of the universe.

Paul’s point here is that the Holy Spirit is given to followers of Jesus to us as a gift to enable us to recognize our adoption as sons and to empower us to live as His Sons. It is the Holy Spirit’s presence results in us experiencing God’s presence and empowers us to live our lives in light of His presence. We have access the experience God’s presence and power in our lives because Christmas is about God delivering on His promise to provide His presence in a way that provides us the opportunity to be adopted as a child of the Creator and sustainer of the universe.

And because of that reality, Paul explains that we are no longer a slave who is not a part of the family of God. Instead, we have been adopted into the family of God, in spite of our performance. And as a result of our adoption through God gracious act of sending His Son that first Christmas so that we could experience God’s presence, we are an heir. An heir is one who receives the possession of another. In the Roman culture of Paul’s day, adopted children became co- heirs with the natural children of their parent’s estates. Paul’s point here is that, as a follower of Jesus, we are a co-heir with Jesus Christ of the Kingdom of Heaven? We share now, and in all eternity, with Christ, all the blessings that come from living in relationship with God as part of His kingdom.

And the reason that we can experience those blessings is because Christmas is not about us experiencing presents; Christmas is all about God providing the opportunity for all of humanity to experience God’s presence. Christmas is all about God revealing His presence in the most radical way imaginable, so that all of humanity could know that God was real and that God was present and active in the world. Christmas is about God promising to solve a problem that no present under a tree could ever solve. Christmas is about God promising to solve a problem that only the presence of the Son of God hanging on a tree could solve.

Christmas is about God delivering on that promise at just the right time, by sending His Son Jesus to enter into humanity in order to allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives, so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. Because when it comes to God’s presence, timing is everything.

A Christmas Performance that Stands the Test of Time...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter in our Bibles where a man named Paul is explaining that Christmas is about God responding to the problem of selfishness and rebellion with a promise. A promise of His presence being delivered in time to provide an opportunity for the rescue all of humanity. Because, when it comes to God’s presence, timing is everything. We see this reality revealed for us in a section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Galatians. Let’s look at it together, beginning in Galatians 4:4:

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

In this single verse, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us how God delivered His presence in the most radical way imaginable, so that all of humanity could know that God was real and that God was present and active in the world. But when the fullness of time came; in other words, at just the right time. At just the right point in history, not too early, not too late, at just the right time, God sent forth His Son, Jesus Christ.

And what is so amazing is how God delivered His presence in the most powerful and radical way imaginable. God delivered His presence as a baby born to a teenage girl in a feeding trough for animals. But not only does Paul tell us that Jesus entered humanity as a baby; Paul also states that Jesus was born under the Law. But what does that mean? And is that a big deal?

When Paul refers to the Law here, he is referring to the first five books that are recorded for us in our Bibles today, which the Jewish people referred to as the Law or the Torah. These five books contained the list of commandments that revealed to the Jewish people God’s nature, God’s character, and the type of nature and character that humanity would need to possess and display in order to live in a right relationship with God. However, as we discovered earlier in this series, instead of living in relationship with God, the Jewish people selfishly rebelled against God. Over time the Jewish people increasingly were involved in actions and attitudes of omission and commission that flowed from selfishness and rebellion and that hurt God and others.

And as a result of the selfishness and rebellion of the Jewish people, the Jewish people were guilty of having a problem with God; a problem that resulted in a separation between the Jewish people and God. God’s presence was not longer present because selfishness and rebellion had created a division and void. And in the same way today, the reason why God’s presence is not present is not because God has changed or moved. The reason why God’s presence is not present is because we have moved; we have rejected the relationship with God that we were created for and instead chosen to run from God and run to selfishness and rebellion.

And at just the right time, God sent His Son Jesus into humanity to reveal His presence in the most powerful and radical way possible. But notice that Paul states that Jesus was born under the Law. Jesus did not enter into humanity in a position where He was above the Law; instead Jesus entered into humanity under the Law. This phrase literally means to be in subjection to the Law. Paul’s point here is that Jesus entered into humanity and faced life here on earth under the same conditions that all of humanity faced, under the same rules, the same expectations and the same temptations that we face, so that He could totally and completely identify with us.

You see, God sent His Son on specific mission to solve a specific problem. A problem that we caused; a problem that separated us from God; a problem that only God, in a bod, could solve. Paul then reveals the mission that Jesus was sent on in verse 5:

so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

In this single verse, we see Paul reveal for us two reasons why Christmas began as Jesus entered into humanity as a baby born in a feeding trough and under the same rules, the same expectations and the same temptations that we face. First, Christmas began so that Jesus might redeem those who were under the Law. Now this word redeem, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to liberate or rescue. Christmas began so that Jesus would be able to rescue humanity from their selfishness and rebellion that separated us from experiencing God’s presence.

Jesus entered into humanity as a baby in a feeding trough so that He could grow up and live the life that we refused to live by following all of God’s commandments, all of the time, so that He could then allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives, so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. You see, it is not what we do for God that results in us experiencing God’s presence; it is placing our confident trust in what God has done for us through Jesus life, death, and resurrection that results in us experiencing God’s presence in our lives.

But Christmas began not only so that we could experience God’s presence through a rescue mission to liberate us from selfishness and rebellion. Christmas began so that we could experience God’s presence as His children. Paul explains that Jesus entered into humanity so that we might receive the adoption as sons. Now to fully understand what Paul is communicating here, we first need to understand what adoption looked like in the Apostle Paul’s day. You see, unlike today, most adoptions in Roman society did not occur when children were babies. In Roman culture, you would never adopt a baby. Now a natural question that arises here is “why would you not adopt a baby? Why would you wait to adopt until children were older?”

In Roman culture, the reason you would never adopt a baby is you would never know what you would be getting. The Romans recognized that when a baby was born, “you got what you got,” whether you liked it or not. This would include the sex of the child, birthmarks, etc. Thus, according to Roman law, a naturally born baby could be disowned from the family if they failed to meet up to expectations. However, people adopting an older child knew exactly what they were getting, and no one adopted a child unless that specific child was wanted as a family member. So as a Roman child growing up, you never had a sense of security, because your security and your identity was solely based on your ability to perform.

So what would often happen in Roman culture, where there were many who did not have large families, an affluent but childless adult who wanted an heir would adopt a post-pubescent male, often a slave, to be his son. The need for a male heir and the expense of raising children were strong incentives to have at least one son, but not too many children. However, if that son did not work out, what a Roman citizen would do is disown his son and adopt a slave who had demonstrated the responsibility and ability to continue the legacy that they had built.

This system of adoption also acted as a mechanism for ensuring a smooth succession, as the emperor often would take his chosen successor and then adopt him as his son. In fact, adoption was the most common way of ascending to the throne without use of force. Probably the most famous adopted man in Republican times was Augustus Caesar, who was the ruler of the Romans Empire at the time of Jesus birth. In addition, according to Roman law, an adopted child could not be disowned. He or she was permanently added to the family.

So when the Apostle Paul states that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to rescue humanity from selfishness and sin so that we would be adopted as His children in spite of our performance, this would have been a revolutionary statement. This would have been difficult to comprehend. That God would adopt us in spite of our performance instead of because of our performance? That God would make us a permanent member of His family? That I could never be disowned, not because of my performance for God, but because of God’s performance for me?

Maybe I have just described the thoughts that are running through your mind. Maybe you feel like there is no way that God would adopt you; maybe you feel like that you need to change some things in your life, that you would need to clean up your life, before God would even consider adopting you. If I have described you, here’s the thing; Christmas is about God delivering His presence in order to provide an opportunity for rescue and to experience His presence in spite of your performance, not because of your performance.

Tomorrow, we will see Paul provide further evidence of this reality.

Timing is Everything....

As a church we have been spending our time leading up to Christmas discussing the reality that, at the end of the day, Christmas in our culture is about the presents. Christmas in our culture is driven by the presents we receive from others and Christmas in our culture is driven by the presents that we give to others. And everything around us reinforces that reality. The advertising on TV and radio reinforces the important of presents. The scenes in the stores and the shopping malls reinforce the importance of presents. The conversations that we have with those around us reinforce the importance of presents. And our desire to get just the right gift for someone reinforces the importance of presents.

We then asked ourselves the following question: After all the energy and effort that we expend on finding just the right present for that special someone, have you ever found yourself disappointed in the response to the present? I mean just think of all the energy and effort that we spend on finding just the right present for someone. And is it not only the energy and the effort that we take to find just the right present; it is also the energy and effort that goes into making sure the present is opened at just the right time.

Have you ever been there? Have you ever been in that place where that special gift had to be opened at just the right time, in just the right order? I remember growing up and spending the days leading up to Christmas anticipating what was in each box as it appeared under the tree. I remember thinking through which box I would want to open first. And then Christmas morning arrived and as I went to grab the present that I wanted to open first, I remember my parents saying, “no you can’t open that present yet; you have to open this present first”. And I remember being so frustrated and so excited at the same time. Because, when it comes to presents, timing is everything.

Have you ever been there? Have you ever been in that place where you open a gift that seems to open up even more anticipation, more excitement, more questions? In our home growing up, we were allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve. And of course, there were some presents under the tree that I was not allowed to open yet; so frustrating as a child. One Christmas Eve, I remember picking one present to open that seemed fairly large and fairly heavy, which seemed like a good pick, because as a child we assume that the bigger and heavier the better, didn’t we? Well I opened the present to discover that it was a package filled with batteries of every size and shape. And for the rest of the night, which was a long night, I wondered what those batteries were for, because when it comes to presents, timing is everything.

Have you ever been there? Have you ever been in that place on Christmas Eve where you are looking out the window of your home or office, hoping that the UPS truck arrives with that special present that you waited until the last minute to order? Maybe, I am the only one who has ever done that. And when the truck arrives, your heart begins to race and your mind begins to ease, because that special present has made it on time.

Because, when it comes to presents, timing is everything. There is something powerful when that special present that you spent so much time finding is opened at just the right time, in just the right place. There is something powerful when the timing goes off just as planned and we see the response that we had hoped for when that present is opened. Because, when it comes to presents, timing is everything.

And that is why it can be so devastating for us when the UPS truck does not arrive on time. That is why it can be so devastating when our presents are not received with the response that we had hoped for after all of the energy and effort that we placed into that present. That is why we can find ourselves watching with amazement as our children spend an entire day playing with the box that the present came in instead of the present that they said they so desperately wanted. That is why we can feel incredibly disappointed when that gift that was so desperately desired by someone ends up gathering dust in a closet only a few weeks after its arrival?

And we are all guilty of this, aren’t we? I mean for the vast majority of us, we do not even remember what or how many presents we received for Christmas last year, or who gave them to us. We have all been in that place where, despite all the efforts going into finding the right present to be opened at just the right time, that present really did not have the lasting impact that we thought that they would. And we have all been in that place where the presents that we thought would fulfill a desire and need in our lives ended up being unable to fill that need.

Because, when it comes to presents, while timing is everything, could it be that Christmas can become about the wrong kind of presents. You see, Christmas began not so that we could experience presents; Christmas began so that all of humanity would have the opportunity to experience God’s presence. Christmas is all about God revealing His presence in the most radical way imaginable, so that all of humanity could know that God was real and that God was present and active in the world.

You see God’s presence was desperately needed because we have a problem. Christmas is about the reality that God’s presence cannot and will not be present with selfishness and rebellion. Christmas is about God responding to the problem of selfishness and rebellion that created a void that separated humanity from God. Christmas is about God responding to the problem of selfishness and rebellion with a promise. A promise of His presence being delivered; a promise of His presence being delivered in time to provide an opportunity for the rescue all of humanity.

Because, when it comes to God’s presence, timing is everything. This week, we will see this reality revealed for us as we look at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Galatians.

God's Promise of His Presence...

This week we have been discovering the promise that God made to provide an opportunity for all humanity to experience God’s presence. We find God’s promise revealed in another section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Isaiah. In this section of this letter, we saw that the selfishness and rebellion of the Jewish people resulted in moral and spiritual darkness setting over their lives. A darkness and emptiness that could not be replaced, remedied, or filled on its own: a darkness that could only overcome by something outside of us.

And at this point God would have been perfectly justified in walking away forever from the Jewish people and all of humanity. All of humanity rejected and rebelled against God and God had every right to exercise His right and just response to that selfishness and rebellion and just walk away. But that is not what God did. Instead of responding by walking away, God responded with an amazing promise. Instead of promising to walk away from humanity forever, God made a promise to take a step toward humanity. We see this amazing promise revealed through the prophet Isaiah is Isaiah 9:1:

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

In Isaiah 9:3-5, the prophet proclaims that God has made a promise to the Jewish people and to all of humanity. A promise of His presence in the form of a rescuer. And as a result of God’s promise of His presence in the form of a rescuer, the Jewish people would experience the joy and the numerical, material, and spiritual blessings that come from being rescued and reunited in the relationship with God that they were created for. The Jewish people would be freed from the burden of oppression from other nations that came as a consequence of their selfishness and rebellion.

Isaiah then reminds the Jewish people of a story that is recorded for us in a letter in the Old Testament of our Bibles called the book of Judges. In Judges 6-8, we read the story of a man named Gideon, who God raised up to lead the Jewish people during a period in their history when they were oppressed by another foreign nation, called the Midianites. And the Jewish people were very familiar with this story. The Jewish people were very familiar with the idolatry and rebellion that marked the Jewish people in that story. The Jewish people were very familiar with the fact that God told Gideon to march against the Midian army with only 300 soldiers. The Jewish people were very familiar with how the Jewish nation stood by and watched as God delivered the Jewish people against overwhelming odds by His might and power.

And now, God is promising to bring another deliverance from oppression through another rescuer. Once again, God is promising to enter into their story in a powerful way. Once again, God is promising His presence to be present with the Jewish people. And the Jewish people were expecting that God’s presence would be present through another leader like Gideon. What the Jewish people did not expect, however, was exactly what Isaiah said next, which we read in Isaiah 9:6-7:

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Now almost all of us are at least somewhat familiar with these verses. We are at least somewhat familiar with these verses because we have received a Christmas card or a coffee mug with these verses written on it. We are at least somewhat familiar with these verses because we have listened as a radio or T.V. station read these verses as part of a commercial. But place yourself in the shoes of a Jewish person some 2700 years ago. You do not have radio or T.V.; you do not have the gospels or the writings of the New Testament. From your perspective, God seems to be distant and disinterested. You are not seeing God’s presence and activity in your lives. There were unanswered prayers. There is a decline in the health and the wealth of the nation. The Northern part of the Jewish Kingdom has already been conquered and you fear that you are next.

And here comes a prophet from God that is promising that God’s presence will once again be present in the lives of the Jewish people through a rescuer. And the prophet then tells you that God’s promise of His presence will be in the form of a baby born to the Jewish people sometime in the future. How would you respond? What would you say? Really? I mean seriously Isaiah, what do you mean that a child will be born to us and that the government will rest on His shoulders? I mean a minute ago you are talking about the story of Gideon as an example of deliverance from oppression, and now you are talking about a baby doing the same thing? How is that going to work?

You see, God’s promise did not involve a repeating of the past. Instead, God’s promise was radically different in both scale and scope. God’s promise of His presence was not going to be achieved through a rescuer that would lead the Jewish people into a war to overcome oppression. This would not be might making right. Instead, God’s promise of His presence would be achieved by God humbly entering into humanity as a child. God’ promise of His presence would be achieved by God taking on flesh.

And God’s promise of His presence would result in One who would rule over all humanity. God’s promise of His presence would result in One who would give wondrous counsel that is unfailing in the depth of its wisdom and insight. And God’s promise of His presence through a rescuer would be God in a bod; this King, this Messiah, this Rescuer, would not be a man who would temporary sit on the throne. This Messiah, this Rescuer would lead for all eternity. And most importantly, God’s promise of His presence would result in One who comes in peace and who establishes peace between God and between men. God was going to fulfill the promise that He made to King David to usher in a kingdom where humanity would have the opportunity to experience an eternal state of peace with God and one another. A kingdom that would be firmly established and sustained through justice; a kingdom marked by what is right and noble.

Isaiah then explains that God’s promise of His presence is an ironclad promise, because the zeal of the Lord will accomplish this. Now this word zeal conveys the sense of having a consuming concern for another’s best and an unwillingness to allow anything to hurt or destroy another. Isaiah is revealing for us the reality that God’s passionate pursuit of humanity and His promise of His presence will not be derailed by anything. You see, God’s promise of His presence is not simply to bring a king among kings. God’s promise of His presence is to bring the king of kings. God’s promise of His presence was a promise to be present; to enter into humanity. And that is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is all about God’s promise to reveal His presence in the most radical way imaginable, so that all of humanity could know that God was real and that God was present and active in the world.

As with any promise, however, a promise made is a promise kept. A promise isn’t a promise unless the promise is kept. A promise that is not kept is meaningless and even worthless. Or worse yet, a promise that is not kept, could, at its core, be deceit at the deepest level. So the Jewish people, after hearing God’s promise through Isaiah waited for God to keep His promise. And they waited. And they waited. Some waited longer than others. For over 700 years they waited. Any many gave up on God’s promise. Many continued to walk away from God and viewed God’s promise as meaningless and worthless. Because a promise made is a promise kept.

Next week, we will discover that God is a promise maker and God is a promise keeper. We will discover how God kept His promise. And we will discover when God fulfilled the promise to provide an opportunity for all humanity to experience God’s presence.

The Emptiness of a Lack of Presence...

As a church we are spending our time leading up to Christmas in a sermon series entitled Presence. Last week we discussed that Christmas began not so that we could experience presents; Christmas is all about God providing the opportunity for all of humanity to experience God’s presence. Christmas is all about God revealing His presence in the most radical way imaginable, so that all of humanity could know that God was real and that God was present and active in the world.

We discovered that God’s presence is desperately needed because we have a problem. Christmas is about the reality that God’s presence cannot and will not be present with selfishness and rebellion. Christmas is about God responding to the problem of selfishness and rebellion that created a void that separated humanity from God. Christmas is about God responding to the problem of selfishness and rebellion with a promise.

Now, this week, I would like for us to spend our time together discovering the promise that God made to provide an opportunity for all humanity to experience God’s presence. We find God’s promise revealed in another section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Isaiah. In this section of this letter, we see the prophet Isaiah, who was God’s spokesperson to the Jewish people, the very person who God used to reveal that humanity was in desperate need of God’s presence because of their problem of selfishness and rebellion, used by God to reveal His promise of His presence. To fully understand the significance of God’s promise, however, we must first understand the context in which God made this promise.

We discover the context in which God makes the promise of His presence revealed for us in Isaiah chapter 7 and 8, which occurred during the period between 736 and 734 b.c. The nature and condition of Jewish nation at this time is also recorded for us in another letter in our Bibles called the book of 2 Kings. At this point in the history of the Jewish people, the Jewish nation was a nation that was divided into two kingdoms; the northern kingdom, which was referred to as Israel and the southern kingdom, which was referred to as Judah.

Now Judah was led by a King named King Ahaz. And Ahaz was one of the most wicked kings that ever led the Jewish people. The Bible tells us that Ahaz embraced the idolatry that had previously consumed the northern kingdom of Israel. He worshipped the false gods of the gentile nations that God had commanded the Jewish people to destroy when He delivered them from slavery at the hands of the nation of Egypt. As part of his idolatrous worship, Ahaz burned incense to these false gods and even burned his sons in fire as an act of worship to these false gods.

During this time, the northern kingdom, Israel, made an alliance with the nation of Aram, which was located in modern day Syria, to attack Judah. And as the united armies of Israel and Aram marched toward Jerusalem, Judah had a choice. And that choice was this; who are they going to trust? Are we going to trust in the Lord? Or should we trust the nation of Assyria, which was the hated enemy of the Jewish people. Now in those days, an alliance with a foreign nation required adopting that nation’s gods and religious practices. So an alliance with Assyria would require entering into a covenant that involved recognition of the Assyrian gods and an admission of their lordship. Ahaz would even have to redesign the temple altar in Jerusalem that Solomon had previously made in order that sacrifices to their gods could be made.

It is in this context that the prophet Isaiah approaches king Ahaz as the king is making preparations for the defense of Jerusalem in order to deliver a message from the Lord. And the Lord’s message to the king was this: “Do not fear this army, because this plan will not happen. Do not place your trust in the Assyrians, place your trust in me. But if you do not trust me, if you trust the Assyrians, understand this; you surely will not last”. The prophet then puts king Ahaz to the test by inviting him to test God. King Ahaz, however, refuses to test God.

Now, the reason Ahaz refused to test God was not because he feared God; the reason Ahaz refused to test God was because Ahaz had already made up his mind. The king had already decided that he would place his confident trust in Assyria instead of the Lord. King Ahaz responded to the situation that he faced from the military threat of the northern kingdom of Israel and the nation of Aram by appealing to and paying the Assyrians a great sum of money to come to his aid. The Jewish people broke their covenant with God in order to enter into a covenant with the false gods of the Assyrians.

And it was this decision by King Ahaz that signaled the beginning of the end for the Jewish people of the southern kingdom. This decision by King Ahaz proved to be the turning point that led to God’s presence departing from the Jewish people. It was this turning point that led to what we read in Isaiah 8:19:

When they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. They will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward. Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.

Instead of seeking the presence of the one true and living God for guidance and direction, the Jewish people sought guidance from those who would speak with the dead. Instead of seeking the presence of the eternal God, the Jewish people sought the presence of the temporary. And as a result, the Jewish people were wandering through life separated from the presence of God. The Jewish people were left to grope along the way like blind men without the light of God’s presence to guide them. Wherever the Jewish people looked, wherever the Jewish people searched, they only found the emptiness and the darkness that comes from the lack of God’s presence. And as the Jewish people began to experience the consequences that came from their selfishness and rebellion, the result was the inevitable emptiness that comes from the absence of God’s presence.

Maybe you can totally relate to where the Jewish people were in Isaiah’s day. Maybe you feel a void and emptiness in your life; you feel that something is missing in your life; something is missing that nothing has been able to fill. Maybe you have tried to fill the emptiness and void in your life with position, or pleasure, or possessions, but at the end of the day, the void, the emptiness is still present. You see, while darkness can swallow up a light that is failing, darkness cannot produce or replace that light on its own. Darkness cannot fill the very void that it creates. And just like the setting sun results in darkness on the earth, the Jewish people’s selfishness and rebellion resulted in moral and spiritual darkness setting over their lives. A darkness and emptiness that could not be replaced, remedied, or filled on its own: a darkness that could only overcome by something outside of us.

And at this point God would have been perfectly justified in walking away forever from the Jewish people and all of humanity. As we talked about last week, God is just and God is right. And God, in His justice, will not allow selfishness, rebellion, harm or wrong to go unpunished. For God to allow selfishness, rebellion, wrong or harm to go unpunished would only prove that He is unjust. All of humanity rejected and rebelled against God and God had every right to exercise His right and just response to that selfishness and rebellion and just walk away.

But that is not what God did. Instead of responding by walking away, God responded with an amazing promise. Instead of promising to walk away from humanity forever, God made a promise to take a step toward humanity. Tomorrow, we will see this amazing promise revealed through the prophet Isaiah...

God's Presence is Desperately Needed Because We Have a Problem...

This week, we have been looking at the reality that Christmas in our culture is all about the presents. However, Christmas began not so that we could experience presents. Instead, Christmas began so that all of humanity could experience God's presence. We have been answering the question "why does God and God’s presence in our lives seem so fleeting and elusive? And why do we desperately need God’s presence?" by looking at a section of a letter that is recorded in our Bibles called the book of Isaiah.

Yesterday, we saw Isaiah respond to the Jewish people of his day who were questioning God’s nature and character and were beginning to think that God had changed and was the problem by revealing the reality that God is not the one who moved. Instead, the Jewish people have moved. God was not playing hide and seek; they were playing hide and seek. God was not paying attention and God’s presence was no longer present because they were too busy running from God and running to selfishness and rebellion.

The Jewish people had embraced and were now ensnared in a life and a lifestyle of selfishness and rebellion that hurt God and others and separated them from God’s presence being present in their lives. The prophet then reminds the Jewish people of the impact of their selfishness and rebellion had in verses 9 and 10:

Therefore justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We hope for light, but behold, darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope along the wall like blind men, We grope like those who have no eyes; We stumble at midday as in the twilight, Among those who are vigorous we are like dead men.

As a result of God’s presence being no longer present in the lives of the Jewish people, the Jewish people were no longer experiencing a right relationship with God. The Jewish people were not experiencing God revealing Himself in practical and powerful ways. Instead of the light of God’s presence in their lives, they were experiencing the darkness of God’s absence. And as a result, the Jewish people were groping along the way like blind men. They were reaching out and searching for a way to be right with God while being blinded by their selfishness and rebellion. Regardless of age and stage of life; regardless of position or prominence in society, the Jewish people were hopelessly lost and were left to deal with the consequences of their attitudes and actions toward God and others.

And the reason why the Jewish people were hopelessly lost; the reason why God’s presence was not longer present in their lives; was due to the fact that God’s presence cannot and will not be present with selfishness and rebellion. God is just and God is right. God, in His justice, will not allow harm or wrong to go unpunished. For God to allow wrong or harm to go unpunished would only prove that He is unjust. And because God is holy, just and right, He will not allow His presence to be present with selfishness, rebellion or injustice. We see this reality repeatedly play out throughout the Bible. Throughout the Bible, we see God repeatedly withdrawal His presence from individuals and nations who chose to run from God and run to selfishness and rebellion.

And throughout the Bible we read that the Jewish people were well aware of this reality. The Jewish people were well aware of both God’s holiness and justice and God’s right and just response to selfishness and rebellion. That is why throughout the Bible, we see individuals respond to an encounter into the presence of God with fear and dread. We see this happen when Joshua had an encounter with God. We see this happen when Samson’s parents had an encounter with the Lord in the book of Judges. And we see this happen when the writer of the letter we have been looking at this morning, Isaiah, had his encounter with God, which we read about in Isaiah 6:1:

In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined!

Isaiah responds to his encounter into the very presence of the Lord by stating “Woe is me, for I am ruined”. In other words, Isaiah is proclaiming “Oh no! I am a dead man. I am as good as dead”. But why are all these people responding to an encounter where they get to experience God’s presence in such a way? Why does Isaiah feel like God is going to take him out? What is the problem here? We find the answer in what Isaiah says next:

Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

You see, Isaiah knew that the issue wasn’t with God. Isaiah knew that God was not the problem. Isaiah knew that he issue and the problem was with Isaiah. “I am a man of unclean lips and I live among of people of unclean lips”. The problem was Isaiah’s selfishness and rebellion. In the presence of God’s perfect holiness and justice, Isaiah was able to see himself for who he truly was. There was no room for excuses, there was no room for blame shifting; who he was and who God was became painfully apparent.

Isaiah recognized that he had a huge problem with God as a result of selfishness and rebellion. The same problem that the Jewish people faced. The same problem you and I face. A problem that is universal; a problem that reveals a desperate need of rescue from; a problem that is insurmountable. A problem so massively large that only God could solve.

You see God’s presence is desperately needed because we have a problem. And that is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about the reality that God’s presence cannot and will not be present with selfishness and rebellion. Christmas is not about us experiencing presents; Christmas is all about God providing the opportunity for all of humanity to experience God’s presence. Christmas is all about God revealing His presence in the most radical way imaginable, so that all of humanity could know that God was real and that God was present and active in the world.

Christmas is about God responding to the problem of selfishness and rebellion that created a void that separated humanity from God. A problem that no present under a tree could ever solve. A problem that only the presence of the Son of God hanging on a tree could solve. Christmas is about God responding to the problem of selfishness and rebellion with a promise.

Next week, we will discover the promise that God made to provide an opportunity for all humanity to experience God’s presence.


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Who Moved?

Yesterday, we talked about the reality that Christmas in our culture is all about the presents. However, Christmas began not so that we could experience presents. Instead, Christmas began so that all of humanity could experience God's presence. We looked at the reality that while all of humanity has an intuitive sense and a desire to experience God's presence, yet God's presence can seem so fleeting and elusive. We then asked "why does God and God’s presence in our lives seem so fleeting and elusive? And why do we desperately need God’s presence?" We find the answer to these questions a section of a letter that is recorded in our Bibles called the book of Isaiah.

The book of Isaiah was written some 2700 years ago to the Jewish people, during a time when the Jewish people had begun to question God’s presence. You see, this generation of Jewish people had heard of the stories of God presence as He delivered the Jewish people from slavery at the hands of the nation of Egypt. This generation of Jewish people had heard the stories of God’s presence as He led the Jewish people into the land that He had promised to give them. This generation had heard the stories of God’s presence with King David as the Jewish people had become the most powerful and prosperous nation on the planet. This generation had heard the stories of when King Solomon had built the temple and God’s presence so filled the temple that no one was able to even enter it.

However, the generation of Jewish people in Isaiah’s day was not experiencing God’s presence in their lives. To this generation, God seemed to be distant and disinterested. This generation was not seeing God’s presence and activity in their lives. There were unanswered prayers. There was a decline in the health and the wealth of the nation. There was a sense that the nation was on the decline and that God was nowhere to be found. And it is in this context that we enter into this section of this letter. And it is in this section of this letter that we will discover why God’s presence is so desperately elusive and so desperately needed. So let’s look at this section of this letter together, beginning in Isaiah 59:1:

Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.

Here we see the prophet Isaiah responding to the cries and frustrations of the Jewish people of his day. The Jewish people had recognized that God’s presence was not longer present. And the Jewish people responded to the fact that God’s presence was no longer present by questioning God’s nature and character. The Jewish people were questioning whether or not God was able to deliver and rescue them from the difficulties and challenges that they were beginning to experience. The Jewish people were questioning whether or not God was even paying attention to their situation. The Jewish people were questioning and beginning to think that God had changed; that God was the problem.

Maybe you can relate to these questions. Maybe you find yourself asking whether God is real and active. Maybe you find yourself in a place where God is not present. Or maybe God has never felt present in your life. Isaiah responds to the Jewish people questioning the nature and character of God in this verse by stating “God has not changed and God has not moved. God was the same God that was present and active throughout the history of the Jewish people. God was still able to rescue and deliver. God was still paying attention to the Jewish people. And today, God is still the same. God is still fully aware and fully capable of engaging and acting. The problem was not and is not with God. Now your initial reaction to what I just said is this: “Well, if that is the case, then what is the problem”? Isaiah reveals the problem in the very next verse:

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

Isaiah simply and clearly replies that God is not the one with the problem; no, Jewish people you are the ones with the problem. And the problem is your selfishness and rebellion. You see, after King Solomon had built the temple and finished his reign as king, the Jewish people and culture began to slide further and further away from God. Instead of living in relationship with God, the Jewish people selfishly rebelled against God. Over time the Jewish people increasingly were involved in actions and attitudes of omission and commission that flowed from selfishness and rebellion and that hurt God and others. And that is what Isaiah and the Bible refers to as iniquity and sin.

And as a result of the selfishness and rebellion of the Jewish people, the Jewish people were guilty of having a problem with God. A problem that Isaiah states resulted in separation between the Jewish people and God. God’s presence was not longer present because selfishness and rebellion had created a division and void. Notice Isaiah’s words: “your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear”. In other words, Isaiah is saying “don’t blame God; because God is not the one who moved. You Jewish people have moved. God is not playing hide and seek; you are playing hide and seek. God is not paying attention to you and God’s presence is no longer present because you are too busy running from God and running to selfishness and rebellion.

And in the same way today, the reason why God’s presence is not present is not because God has changed or moved. The reason why God’s presence is not present is because we have moved; we have rejected the relationship with God that we were created for and instead chosen to run from God and run to selfishness and rebellion. Now a potential objection that might be raised here is “how am I running from God and running to selfishness and rebellion? How is it my fault that God’s presence is not present in my life?” Isaiah, anticipating this objection from the Jewish people of his day, provides the answer in Isaiah 59:3-8:

For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness. No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies; They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity. They hatch adders' eggs and weave the spider's web; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth. Their webs will not become clothing, Nor will they cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And an act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways. They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace.

In these verses, see Isaiah reveal to the Jewish people that the reason that they were to blame for the fact that God’s presence was not present was because the actions of their hands, the attitudes of their heads, and the desires of their hearts were consumed by their selfishness and rebellion. And the product of the Jewish people’s selfishness and rebellion was trouble, wickedness and sorrow. Isaiah paints a word picture of an adder and a spider web to drive this point home.

Now an adder is an extremely poisonous snake that inhabits the region that the Jewish people resided. And regardless of the age or stage of life, any encounter with an adder usually resulted in death. Here Isaiah is revealing for us the reality that just like an adder, the selfishness and rebellion of the Jewish people gave birth, or produced the death or separation of the Jewish people from the presence of God.

Isaiah then paints a word picture of a coat made of spider web. Now, putting on a coat made from spider web may initially provide a snug fit that would never lose its clinginess. The problem, however, is that such a coat would never lose its clinginess. In other words, once you have clothed yourself in a spider web coat, it is difficult to take off that coat. And in the same way, if you try to clothe yourself in selfishness and rebellion, it is difficult to be freed from its grasp.

And that is exactly what the Jewish people had done. The Jewish people had embraced and were now ensnared in a life and a lifestyle of selfishness and rebellion that hurt God and others and separated them from God’s presence being present in their lives.

Tomorrow, we will see the prophet reminds the Jewish people of the impact of their selfishness and rebellion and reveal for us a timeless principle when it comes to Christmas.

Presents....or....Presence?

As of today there are now only twelve days until Christmas. And as we get closer and closer to December 25th, we are bombarded with more and more reminders that Christmas is getting closer. There are more and more Christmas songs played on the radio. There are more and more advertisements about Christmas sales that are going on in stores and shopping malls. And there are more and more reminders from those who are close to us about what they would like for Christmas.

You know, those conversations that start something like this: “it would be great if I only had this. You know, I have always wanted that." Or "What is your favorite music? Because I really love this group." Or "Did you know that Jane just got the new I-phone and it is so cool”. Or my personal favorite “you know, if I just had one of these, it would make your life so much easier”. However those reminders and conversations go both ways, don’t they? We are not only receiving subtle reminders that Christmas is coming and subtle and not so subtle suggestions regarding gift ideas. We are also providing reminders and suggestions about what we want to receive for Christmas.

Because, at the end of the day, Christmas in our culture is about the presents. Christmas in our culture is driven by the presents we receive from others and Christmas in our culture is driven by the presents that we give to others. And everything around us reinforces that reality. The advertising on TV and radio reinforces the important of presents. And if you do not think that this is the case, just take a look at this commercial. The scenes in the stores and the shopping malls reinforce the importance of presents. The conversations that we have with those around us reinforce the importance of presents. And our desire to get just the right gift for someone reinforces the importance of presents.

Now, it is not that I think that presents are wrong; I am just wondering what impact those presents have in our lives. After all the energy and effort that we expend on finding just the right present for that special someone, have you ever found yourself disappointed in the response to the present? For example, have you ever watched with amazement as a child opened their present that you thought was perfect for them, that you thought that they really wanted, only to watch them spend an entire day playing with the box that the present came in instead of the present? Or have you ever watched and wondered as a gift that was so desperately desired by someone ends up gathering dust in a closet only a few weeks after its arrival?

And we are all guilty of this, aren’t we? If you do not think that you are guilty, let me ask you a question: What presents did you get for Christmas last year? Do you remember how many presents you received last year? Or who gave them to you? Or where they are today? Are you having trouble answering those questions? I had a hard time answering these questions myself. But why is it so hard to answer those questions? And why do we as a culture spend so much time and energy on presents?

Could it be that the reason that we have a hard time answering these questions is because the presents that we received really did not have the lasting impact that we thought that they would have? Could it be that the presents that we thought would fulfill a desire and need in our lives ended up being unable to fill that need? Could it be that Christmas can become about the wrong kind of presents. Could it be that the reason what Christmas is the most stressful and depressing season of the year for many is due to the fact that there is a lack of presents?

Now, I am not talking about a lack of presents; I am talking about a lack of presence. Maybe it is the lack of the presence of a close family member or friend who has passed away. Or maybe it is the lack of the presence of a significant relationship in your life. Or maybe it is the lack of the presence of meaning and purpose in life.

You see, Christmas began not so that we could experience presents; Christmas began so that all of humanity would have the opportunity to experience God’s presence. Christmas is all about God revealing His presence in the most radical way imaginable, so that all of humanity could know that God was real and that God was present and active in the world.

Whether you are a follower of Jesus; or whether you don’t buy the whole Jesus, Bible, church thing, all of humanity has some recognition and need of God’s presence. And intuitively, we know this to be true, don’t we? That is why no one goes up to a casket at a funeral and proclaims “oh, so that’s’ what happens, you just stop breathing and they put you in a box in the ground. Now it all makes sense”. We would never do that because intuitively, we all sense that there is something bigger than this life. Intuitively we sense that there is something beyond this life. A presence that we desire to experience in our life. We sense the need for this presence in our lives and we search for a way to connect with this presence. And we feel the frustration that comes from what seems to be the fleeting and elusive presence of God.

But why does God and God’s presence in our lives seem so fleeting and elusive? And why do we desperately need God’s presence? This week, we are going to look at a section of a letter in our Bibles called the book of Isaiah, which will answer these questions and remind us that Christmas is not about the presents. Instead, Christmas is about the opportunity to experience God's presence.

A Community that is Committed to Enhancing God's Reputation...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Romans that provides for us the timeless practice that followers of Jesus are to practice a lifestyle that is committed to community. Yesterday we discovered that followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to connecting with one another. As followers of Jesus, God calls us to be a part of a community of believers that is committed to welcoming others warmly and inviting them to be a part of community.

In addition, we discovered that followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to steering clear of division and temptation. As followers of Jesus, God calls us to to steer clear of and avoid those who attempt to bring division and temptation into the church through gossip, slander, or flattering words that are well chosen, but at the end of the day are untrue. Paul then concludes by revealing a fifth way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community, beginning in Romans 16:21:

Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

Paul concludes his letter to the members of this first century church by praying that God would cultivate an inward commitment to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that would result in God, through Jesus Christ, receiving glory forever. And here we see Paul reveal for us the reality that Followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to enhancing God’s reputation. Paul wanted the members of the church at Rome, and followers of Jesus throughout history to understand that the church is the vehicle that God uses to advance His kingdom mission and enhance His reputation here on earth.

And God’s kingdom mission is advanced and God’s reputation is advanced most clearly when followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that is committed to community. A lifestyle that is committed to serving one another. A lifestyle that is committed to praying for one another. A lifestyle that is committed to connecting with one another. A lifestyle that is committed to steering clear of division and temptation. A lifestyle that is committed to enhancing God’s reputation.

So how are you doing? Where are you doing well? Where do you need to do better in order to practice a lifestyle that is committed to community?

Encouraging Connection While Steering Clear of Division and Temptation...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Romans that provides for us the timeless practice that followers of Jesus are to practice a lifestyle that is committed to community. Yesterday we discovered that followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to praying for one another. As followers of Jesus, God calls us to be a part of a community of believers that is committed to praying for one another. Today, we will see Paul reveal two additional ways that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community, beginning in Romans 16:1:

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Now, so often, when we get to these verses in a letter in the Bible, we find our eyes begin to glaze over, don’t we? But it is in these three verses that we see Paul reveal a third way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community. And that third way is this: Followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to connecting with one another. Every name in these verses represents a relationship that has been forged in community. When Paul uses the word commend, this word literally means to bring together friends through a recommendation.

And in our culture today, we see Twitter and Facebook devote entire sections of their web sites devoted to this, don't we? Next time you are on Twitter or Facebook, just look on the top or the right hand side of the web-page. There you will see either a friend-finder link, or a section that says “people you may know”. Facebook is trying to do what the Apostle Paul was doing 2,000 years ago, which is to connect people in community with one another. As followers of Jesus, we are to be committed to connecting with one another in a way that receives and welcomes others warmly. As followers of Jesus, we are to be committed to connecting with one another in a way that comes to the aid and stands by one another.

So here is a question to consider: Are you committed to a community in a way that is committed to connecting with one another? Are you committed to community in a way that warmly receives and welcomes others? Paul then reveals a fourth way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community, beginning in Romans 16:17:

Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Here we see Paul appeal strongly to the members of the church at Rome to keep an eye out to a potential danger that threatens community. What the members of the church were to keep an eye out for; what the members of the church were to pay attention to so as to avoid, was those who cause dissensions and hindrances. By dissensions, Paul is referring to people who love to cause factions and promote opposition. People who cause dissensions love to create discord and division.

By hindrances, Paul is referring to people who love to bring about temptation to others. These are the people who say, “Well I know that the Bible says that we should not be involved in this; and I know that we sat through an ABF and a sermon, and through youth group and heard we should not do this, but let’s go do it anyway. I know that Dave keeps talking about how being a part of a community group and serving in a ministry helps us grow spiritually, but let’s not do that”. These are people that provide temptations that hinder a person’s spiritual growth.

Paul response to those who cause dissension and hindrances in straight forward and to the point: turn away from them; steer clear of them; avoid them. Paul then provides the reason why we are to avoid and steer clear of those who cause dissensions and hindrances in verse 18. When Paul uses the phrase slaves of their own appetites, he is revealing for us the reality that those who cause dissensions and hindrances are consumed with their selfish desires and agendas. And because they are consumed with their own selfish desires and agendas, they will attempt to deceive unsuspecting members of a church through smooth and flattering speech. Now a great definition of flattering speech is that flattering speech involves words that are well chosen but untrue.

And it is in these three verses that we see Paul reveal a fourth way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community. And that fourth way is this: Followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to steering clear of division and temptation. Paul’s point here is that, as followers of Jesus, we are to steer clear of and avoid those who attempt to bring division and temptation into the church through gossip, slander, or flattering words that are well chosen, but at the end of the day are untrue.

And from all that Paul had heard, that was exactly what the members of the church at Rome were doing. Paul rejoiced over the fact that the church was faithfully following Jesus, but also desired to warn the church that they needed to maintain a focus that applied God’s divine wisdom in a way that resulted is wise attitudes and conduct that was beneficial. He desired that the church maintain a purity and innocence when it came to the morally and socially reprehensible consequences that division and temptation can have.

Regardless of what you are experiencing when it comes to the issue of division and temptation, we must always remain on guard to avoid those who Satan and his servants would attempt to use to cause division and hinder all that God desires to do.

Tomorrow, we will see a fifth way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community...In the Meantime, are you practicing a lifestyle that is committed to connecting with one another and steering clear of division and temptation?

A Community that is Committed to Praying for One Another...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Romans that provides for us the timeless practice that followers of Jesus are to practice a lifestyle that is committed to community. Yesterday we discovered that followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to serving others. As followers of Jesus, we are called to practice a lifestyle that is investing our spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities serving God by serving others in community with one another.

Today, we will see Paul continue by revealing for us a second way followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that is committed to community, beginning in Romans 15:30:

Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

In these verses, we see Paul strongly appeal to the members of the church at Rome to join together in unity as part of the community of believers that is united as a result of the Holy Spirit’s activity in their lives to pray for Paul as he sets out to Jerusalem. Paul knew that there would be people in Jerusalem who were opposed to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. Paul knew that there would be people in Jerusalem that would be opposed to the kingdom mission that God had given him to proclaim the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to the non Jewish world.

And because of that knowledge, Paul earnestly desired that followers of Jesus would pray in two specific ways. First, Paul desired prayer that God would rescue him from any potential danger that he would encounter in Jerusalem. Second, Paul desired that the famine relief fund would be received well by the members of the church at Jerusalem.

And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the second way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community. And that second way is this: Followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to praying for one another. Paul desired that the members of the church at Rome would unite their hearts in prayer so that he would experience that gladness that comes from God’s desires being accomplished.

What is so interesting however, is how God answered these prayers. You see God’s will; God’s desire for Paul’s life was that he would arrive in Rome. However, God’s desire and will for Paul was that he would not arrive in Rome as a free man. Instead, God’s desire for Paul was that he would arrive in Rome as a prisoner of the Roman government. After writing this letter, Paul traveled and arrived in Jerusalem, where he was arrested by the religious and political leaders of the Jewish people. After a series of trials in Jerusalem, Paul was then taken as prisoner to Rome. Paul ended up in Rome, just not how Paul thought he would end up in Rome.

And the timeless reality is that sometimes God answers our prayers with a yes; sometimes God answers our prayer with a no; sometimes God answers our prayers with wait; and sometimes God’s answers our prayer in a way we do not expect. But every time, God answers our prayers according to His will and desires for our lives. Paul desired that the community of believers in Rome pray that he would experience the peace and joy that come from knowing that God has answered his prayer according to His desires. And as followers of Jesus, God calls us to be a part of a community of believers that is committed to praying for one another.

That is why we are such strong believers in community groups at the church where I serve. We are strong believers in community groups because we believe that community groups create the environment where such loving, supportive, encouraging, and praying community takes place. That is also why we will pray corporately in groups on Sunday mornings. We do so because as followers of Jesus we are to be committed to praying for one another.

So here is a question to consider: Are you committed to community here in a way that prays for one another? Are you committed to community here in a way that results in you being involved in deepening relationships where you can love, serve, and pray for one another?

Tomorrow, we will see Paul reveal a third way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community...

A Community that is Committed to Serving One Another...

For the past month we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles, called the book of Romans that reveals for us the reality that the fact that God is right is also revealed by how followers of Jesus practice their faith. This week I would like for us to pick up where we left off last week by looking at the final section of this letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles, called the book of Romans. Now so often, when we come to the concluding section of a letter in our Bibles, especially a letter written by Paul, there can be a temptation just to skim through to the conclusion, because all Paul seems to do is greet and thank people.

However, when we give into this temptation, we often miss some amazing truths about God that He has for us. And that is exactly the case when it comes to how Paul ends his letter to this first century church that was located in Rome. Because, in this final section of this letter, we see Paul reveal for us another timeless practice that is necessary to embrace if we are to practice a lifestyle that advances God’s kingdom mission and enhances His reputation. And that timeless practice is this: Followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that is committed to community. In Romans 15:22-16:27, we will discover five different ways that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community. We see Paul reveal the first way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community, beginning in Romans 15:22. Let’s look at it together:

For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you; but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you whenever I go to Spain-- for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while-- but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things. Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

Paul begins this final section of his letter to the members of the church at Rome by explaining his future travel plans. As Paul looked at his itinerary, he saw an opportunity to fulfill the desire that he had to visit Rome. Long term, Paul recognized that Spain and Western Europe would be the next area that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel would need to be proclaimed. In verse 25, however, Paul explains that he had a pressing short-term commitment to make a contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.

Paul here is referring to a special offering that was being taken for the church at Jerusalem, whose members were suffering as a result of a famine in the region, by churches that were located in Macedonia. These were churches that Paul had previously planted in the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica, which were located in the northern region of Greece. In our Bibles today, the books of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians and the book of Philippians are letters that were written to these churches. These churches had become involved in a famine relief fund to help their fellow followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. These non-Jewish churches in Greece recognized that they shared in the spiritual blessings that flowed to them from the fulfillment of God’s promises to the Jewish people through Jesus. And as a result of the spiritual blessings that these churches had received, they felt a moral and social obligation to meet the pressing and practical needs of the members of the church at Rome.

And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the first way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community. And that first way is this: Followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to serving one another. These followers of Jesus that lived in Greece were committed to serving one another, whether next door or around the world, in a way that met the physical, emotional, or spiritual needs of one another. And with the money for the famine relief fund now collected, that money needed to be delivered to Jerusalem. When Paul uses the phrase “put my seal on this fruit of theirs”, this phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means “when I have placed the sum that was collected safely in their hands”.

Paul was to accompany a team that represented each of the churches that participated in the fund to Jerusalem in order to demonstrate their unity in this effort and to ensure that the accounting and delivery of the money was above reproach. After participating as part of this team, Paul knew that he could then begin his long term objective and goal to bring the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to Spain and Western Europe. Now the road to Spain from Jerusalem would lead through Rome. And as part of his journey, Paul had plans to spend some time in Rome with the hope of receiving spiritual and financial support from the members of the church at Rome as he experienced the community and connection that the members of the church at Rome had for one another. Paul had heard of the commitment that the members of the church at Rome had for serving one another and he wanted to see that commitment first hand.

And in the same way today, followers of Jesus are committed to community that is committed to serving one another. That is why, at the church I serve, we are committed to the goal that every regular attender is investing their spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities serving God by serving one another in a ministry. As followers of Jesus, God calls us to be a part of a community of believers that is committed to serving God by serving one another.

So here is a question to consider: Are you committed to community here in a way that serves one another? Are you committed to community here in a way that invests your talents serving God by serving others?

Tomorrow, we will see Paul reveal for us a second way that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that demonstrates that they are committed to community...

Striving for Unity by Reminding One Another of our Mission...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter in the Bible called the book of Romans that provides for us the timeless practice that followers of Jesus are to practice a lifestyle that strives for unity. Yesterday we discovered that followers of Jesus are to strive for unity by welcoming those who are different. As followers of Jesus, we are to accept and welcome within the community of faith those who may be different than us when it comes to exercising their liberty that they have in Christ in their day to day lives in a debatable or open handed issues of the faith. We discovered that unity does not mean uniformity. The church is divinely designed to be comprised of followers of Jesus that come from diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds that are united in their confident trust in the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

Today, we will see Paul continue by revealing for us a third way followers of Jesus are to practice a lifestyle that strives for unity, beginning in Romans 15:14:

And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.

In verse 14, we see Paul share his perspective on the members of the church at Rome and their willingness to strive for unity by building others up and welcoming those who were different. Based on all that he had heard about what was happening at the church, Paul was convinced and had a certainty that this was a community that was marked by goodness. This word goodness, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to have a positive interest in the welfare of others.

But not only did Paul have a certainty that this was a church that demonstrated a genuine interest and concern for others; Paul was also convinced that this was a church that was marked by a comprehension and a grasp of the message and teachings of Jesus that resulted in Christ being revealed and reflected to the community around them. When Paul uses the word admonish here, this word literally means to warn and counsel against an improper course of conduct. The church at Rome was not a low expectation, low commitment church; the church at Rome expected people to follow Jesus’ message and teachings in a way that resulted in life change and transformation and that engaged those around them with the message of the gospel.

And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us a third way that followers of Jesus are to practice a lifestyle that strives for unity. And that third way is this: Followers of Jesus are to strive for unity by reminding one another of our mission. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be united in a community that is growing spiritually in a way that reveals and reflects Christ. And we are also called to be engaging, loving, and serving our community around us by investing our time, talents, and treasure, in the kingdom mission that we have been given in a way that reveals and reflects Christ. Paul then reminds the members of the church at Rome, and us here this morning, of the kingdom mission the He had been given by God, beginning in Romans 15:15:

But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. 1For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man's foundation; but as it is written, "THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND."

Here we see Paul explain that the reason behind his letter to the members of the church at Rome was to reveal the mission that He had been given by God to boldly remind them of their mission. As a result of God’s grace; as a result of God’s transformational activity in his life, Paul was driven to the mission of serving God by sharing the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to the non-Jewish world, including Rome. And in verse 16, we see that the goal that Paul’s strove for was so that the non-Jewish world that responded to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel would be an offering of worship that pleases God and is sanctified. What is so interesting here is that this word sanctified conveys the sense of including someone in the inner circle of what is holy. Paul’s point here is that he was driven to accomplish God’s kingdom mission to bring Gentiles, who were viewed as outsiders, into the community of faith so that they would no longer be outsiders, but insiders as a result of God’s transformational activity in their lives.

And because it was the result of God’s transformational activity and not his own skill that led to non-Jewish people becoming followers of Jesus, Paul explains that he took pride and boasted in Christ of his relationship to God. Paul did not desire to be the focus or the center of attention. Paul did not desire to receive position or prominence or praise for what he had accomplished. Instead Paul desired to deflect all of the praise and prominence to Jesus Christ and His transformational activity in the lives of the members of the church at Rome and throughout the world, as evidenced by their faithfulness in word and deed. In whatever they were talking about and in whatever they were doing with their hands, the members of the church at Rome and others throughout Paul’s sphere of influence were revealing the life changing transformation that had occurred as a result of God’s activity in their lives.

But not only were the members of the church at Rome and other followers of Jesus throughout the region revealing God’s transformational activity in their lives. In addition, God’s supernatural and transformational activity was evidenced in Paul’s life. God was working through the spiritual sign gifts that He had given Paul to perform the miraculous, which served to authenticate that the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel was indeed from God and not made up by man. Paul then concludes this section of his letter by explaining that the ambition that drove his mission was to take the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to those who were far from God and had never heard God’s message of rescue through faith in Christ.

Paul was not interested in competing with other churches for those who were already followers of Jesus; instead Paul’s ambition was to reach out to those who were far from God so that they could become followers of Jesus and also be a part of God’s mission. And to reinforce his ambition, Paul points the members of the church at Rome, and us here this morning, to a section of letter in our Bibles called the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 52:15, the prophet Isaiah predicts and proclaims that the Messiah would come to bring God’s promise of rescue to those who had were far from God and had not been invested in and invited to respond to God’s promise.

That is why, at City Bible Church, we refuse to engage in a spirit of competition with other churches. We refuse to engage in a spirit of competition with other churches, we refuse to focus on simply speaking and ministering to followers of Jesus, because that is not the mission that God has given us. As followers of Jesus and as a church, we are to be a unified community that is engaged in God’s kingdom mission to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world. And as followers of Jesus, we are to engage and invest in the lives of those who are far from God by loving and serving them in a way that reveals and reflects Christ.

You see, God’s kingdom mission is not about competition; God’s kingdom mission is about unity in community that complements one another as we complete His mission. Because, as followers of Jesus, we are to strive for unity by reminding one another of our mission.

So do you strive remind and encourage one another of our mission? Are we striving to be united and complementing others churches in achieving our mission? Or are we focused on competing with other churches in a way that reveals division?

Because the timeless reality is that followers of Jesus practice a lifestyle that strives for unity.