Great Glory

In November of 2000, Sharp released the J-SH04 camera phone to the Japanese market. It was the first camera phone that allowed images to be sent electronically.  The phone allowed storage of 20 pictures and cost $500.  BBC reporter, Jon Wurtzel asked his readers what on earth they would do with a phone that had a camera; this is what they said[1]:

Take pictures of friendly dogs I see when I walk around.
John, US

I would use the camera phone to take pictures of my best friend, my dog Benson.
Miles Brown, England

I would use the camera during business meetings to take sneaky pictures of competitors’ notes for analysis later.
Levi Buckley, UK

I can't wait. There's so much I'm looking forward to photographing ... grumpy commuters, clouds, sleeping dogs, minor vehicle collisions in car parks, geese, steam, have-a-go-heroes, ... and then presumably I'll be able to email the pictures to all my friends.
Glenn Broadway, UK

I would like to use it when I am very angry, like when I have taken a day off work and a tradesman does not appear. I would also use it to express joy, like when I am especially pleased by a present. As an amateur artist it would also help to show what I am currently working on, to enquirers.
John Cornish, Australia

Infinite uses for the teenager, not entirely sure what the rest of us would do with one though.
Lizz, UK

It is hard to imagine that the camera phone was only invented 14 years ago.  There have been infinite uses of the camera phone including sending pictures to your friends of your dessert during date night, taking selfies during sporting events, and taking thousands of pictures of your children doing cute things.

            Although camera phones are useful, they are not always helpful. Images have overtaken our culture.  According to Jonathan Good, “Every 2 minutes today we snap as many photos as the whole of humanity took in the 1800s. In fact, ten percent of all the photos we have [in the history of time], were taken in the past 12 months.”[2] And as Jim Gaffigan has eloquently noted, “I have more pictures of my kids than my father ever looked at me.” Although taking pictures can be harmless or even beneficial, there may be unintended negative consequences and dangers that result from living in an image driven culture. We may try to protect ourselves from it, but we have to be aware of the dangers of living in an image driven culture and, in particular, the dangers of raising children and grandchildren in this culture. 

            Several months ago I was at a party with some friends and met a sophomore in high school.  This high-schooler  was a very typical teenager; he was glued to his iPhone and could not stop talking about himself.  He recently posted something on his twitter page and kept checking every minute on who else “liked” his post.  Teenagers (and many young adults) are desperate to know how many people “like” their ideas or pictures.  They are desperate to be acknowledged and recognized; they are desperate for their own glory. This desire for their own glory must be addressed.

            This desire for glory may be most easily seen in young people, but the desire for our own glory is in every human heart.  New technology only gives an expression for the desires that are already in our heart.  Jesus warns us to avoid those who seek their own glory and warns us from being those who seek to steal God’s glory.   

The Great Condemnation of the Glory Stealers

            The scribes, Pharisees and the Sadducees have all challenged Jesus’ authority.  Jesus has answered every challenge raised against his authority, but as he ends this discourse, he directly warns the people about the leaders. Verse 45,

And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (Luke 20:45-47)

The scribes were stealing God’s glory because they were living to draw attention to themselves rather than to God. They were using their spiritual influence for their own prestige. 

            The scribes did not love God, but they used Him.  They used Him for their own comfort and their own prestige. They wore long, flowing expensive robes to draw attention to themselves.  The scribes also loved the special greeting that religious leaders received when entering the marketplace.  And not only did they loved the special greetings in the marketplace, they loved the best seats in the synagogues and at the special feasts.  They were the religious, spiritual leaders, who wore the Armani suits, loved the box seats at the Panthers game, and the free meals downtown.  None of these things are bad in themselves, but the problem was that they were living for these benefits rather than to God. These were not mere blessings given to the leaders, but the very reason they pursued the ministry.

            Jesus further shows why the scribes should not be followed. The scribes were using God for his blessings without actually serving God. Jesus said they were devouring widows’ houses.  Scholar Darrell Bock notes,

Jesus pictures destruction when he speaks of the scribes “devouring” the houses of widows. They take from the group most in need and leave them devastated. The nature of this crime is not detailed, but four possibilities are suggested: (1) the temple authorities managed the property of widows dedicated to the temple in a way that took advantage of them (Ellis 1974: 239), (2) the scribes took advantage of widows’ hospitality (Jeremias 1969: 114), (3) the scribes took homes as pledges of debts they knew could not be repaid (Leaney 1958: 256), or (4) they took fees for legal advise against the provisions of the law (Stählin, TDNT 9:445). ^[3]

Instead giving to those most in need, the scribes took from them. 

They were religious leaders acting in a false religion. James, the half-brother of Jesus, writes:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)

Their religion was false and defiled before God because they were full of the world and did not care for those most in need. This was why Jesus warned the people of them.  The warning was necessary because out of pretense the scribes made long prayers. They wanted to show the people how spiritual and religious they were with their lofty and long prayers, but their lives did not match their profession. 

            And the true warning comes with the last sentence, “They will receive the greater condemnation.” The end of the scribes is woe, because they are not true disciples. They lived for themselves and did not care about the needs of others.  They made great boasts with their mouths, but their lives were far from God.  Many of have seen this first hand with Jimmy and Tammy Faye Bakker and the PTL Scandal up the road in Fort Mill in the mid-80’s.  A few months ago, Roland Drye, pastor of Inspiration Baptist Church told a story of how PTL followers tried to work their way into his church.  He held a members meeting and warned everyone from falling under the influence of PTL and the Bakkers.  Secret meetings continued to happen, so Pastor Drye and a deacon went to confront the organizers of the meeting.  As the conversation continued, the organizer started getting angry and agitated and Roland just started laughing.  He said at that moment, the Holy Spirit revealed to everyone there who was in him and what was in the follower of the Bakkers. 

            Beloved, the likes of Jimmy and Tammy Faye Bakker are still around.  They may look different, but their end is the same.  Beware not to fall under the influence of popular preachers who use God for his blessings without living connected to the true gospel.  But you do not only need to be careful of those false preachers, but you have to be careful not to follow in their steps. We follow in the steps of the scribes when we seek to steal glory that only belongs to God.  Do we desire for people to see us or to see the God we serve?  In our ever increasing technological world, we must be thoughtful and humble to give all honor and praise to God.  We need to shift the glory from ourselves to God.

The Great Commendation of the Glory Shifters

            Jesus criticizes the leaders to his disciples within earshot of the people.  He wanted the people to hear his warning, but after a warning of who not to follow, we get a picture of who to follow. Verses 21:1-4,

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Throughout the temple, there were offering boxes where people gave freewill offerings to offset the costs of temple worship.  Jesus looked and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box and he also saw a woman put in two small copper coins.  The two coins were “lepta” the smallest currency equaling 1/100^th of the average daily wage.  It would have been easily identifiable by its size.  It was an extremely small sum, but Jesus draws attention to its very high value in saying, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

            Jesus uses the word “penichros” here referring to someone who is intensely poor and in need. This widow is in sharp contrast to the scribes mentioned above.  She did not have long, flowing expensive robes or the best seats at the feasts. She had nothing, and yet she contributed to the Lord’s work out of her poverty. Indeed there were others who gave more money than this widow, but there was not anyone who gave more than she did.  Her giving costs her the most because her gift came with the greatest sacrifice.  She gave all she had to live on and therefore, showed the greatest love. Her sacrificial giving revealed her love for God.

            There are several important applications we can draw from this passage.  First, Jesus sees the real costs of your giving.  As we have seen several places throughout Luke’s gospel, how we handle our physical resources is an indication of our spiritual condition.  No one but the Lord knows the true cost of your giving.  The world may look at the dollar amount, but the Lord looks at the sacrifice.  The Lord sees what your giving costs you and he will commend you for it. We have many widows in our church who give with the same heart as this woman. A refrain that I often hear from our widows is “I wish I could give more.”  Beloved, the Lord sees your true sacrifice. You may feel that the amount is small, but your “small gift” may worth more than all the rest. Take comfort that Lord sees the heart in your giving. He sees how you desire to shift the glory to God through your sacrifice.  This passage shows us who the real “big tithers!” are. It is not the ones who give the most money, but give up the most to give their money.

Second, Jesus is not putting down the contributions of others.  He is highlighting the sacrificial giving of one of the saints, but not discounting the giving of others.  Both the rich and the poor were contributing to keep up the ministry of the temple worship. This morning, we voted on our church budget for the coming year.  Putting together a budget can often be a challenging time in the life of the church. Our finance committee has worked hard to ensure that we are being good stewards of our resources.  We want to spend our money wisely and yet want to be generous in pursuing ministry of the lost and the building up of the saints. The budget we voted on today is our family budget.  We all have an obligation to work to meet the needs of our budget. How does your giving compare to this widow? What does your giving cost you?

It can be awkward for a pastor to speak about giving.  It is easy for people to think that the only reason that ministers talk about money is because our salaries are provided for by the church. Hear me, I do not want to know the amount you give, but that doesn’t mean that I do not care what you give.  If giving is an indication of your heart, than what kind of pastor would I be if I didn’t care about your giving? Money shows our priorities. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21) God wants you to show that He is your priority and your treasure with how you use your money.  People see your priorities. Our priorities reveal our loves. We have the opportunity to show the world that we treasure Christ above the things of this world with how we spend our money. 

There are some of you who need to give more to the needs of the church.  Take a hard look at your spending and look for areas where you can cut so that you can give more.  Jesus commended the poor widow, because she contributed out of her poverty.  You will never regret sacrificing your earthly comfort for God’s glory.  Live to shift the glory off of yourselves to God.

Beloved, this widow was commended because she gave like Jesus Christ.  She gave all she had as Jesus Christ gave all that He had for God’s glory. Jesus gave his life for the sheep.  Jesus says in John 10,

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:11-18)

Jesus laid down his life for his sheep. He gave all that he had for the glory of God.  The one who deserved all glory gave his life so that sinners could be reconciled to God. And after he laid down his life in death, God raised him from the dead offering hope to the world. For if anyone turns from their sin and trusts in Christ sacrifice on their behalf they will receive eternal life. 

            Jesus Christ is not asking you to do anything that He has not already done. Jesus Christ gave all that he had to give God glory. And know the reason that God gave all that he had was because of his love for the sheep.  1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” The motivation for Jesus giving all that he had was His love for the Father and his love for his sheep. 

Our lives should be motivated by the same love.  We show our love for God in how we are willing to lay down our lives for Christ and the sheep.  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. He gave all that he had for us.  If Christ did that for us, then what are you willing to lay down?  Are you willing to lay down your hobbies? Or your cable? Or traveling? Or children’s activities? Or lattes at Starbucks? The church will never fully display God’s glory until we are willing to love God more than the things of this world. The reason we do not give more is because we do not love more.  The more we love God, the more we will delight in giving to his glory.

We should never give in drudgery, but in joy. In love, Christ gave all that he had, should we not desire to do the same?   

---

[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1550622.stm accessed 12.3.14

[2] http://blog.1000memories.com/94-number-of-photos-ever-taken-digital-and-analog-in-shoebox accessed 12.3.14

^[3] Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke: 9:51–24:53 (Vol. 2, p. 1643). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

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Christ is Above All

According to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:19-21

Beloved,

Have you ever stood on top of a mountain? It is incredible sight to look down on everything below knowing that there is nothing above and nothing higher than where you stand.  Standing on the top of a mountain is so sweet because we know of the labor and physical exertion that was necessary to reach the top for mountaintops cannot be reached without a struggle.

Jesus Christ is now seated on the supreme mountaintop of His own glory.  He is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  There is no one above our Sovereign Lord. He sits at the right hand of God with full authority and power until all His enemies are made His footstool.  And yet, the only way Jesus was exalted to the highest place was because of His willingness to walk up Calvary’s hill in obedience to the Father.  Phil 2:8-11,

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is only in Christ’s giving of Himself in death that He was exalted to the highest place. And because Christ is seated on the throne, we as His people know that nothing can separate us from his love. He is the one who died and who was raised.  And knowing that our God is far above all authority and power gives us the freedom to follow Christ in giving ourselves in humiliation so that one day we will be exalted (1 Peter 5:6).

Beloved, our great and glorious Savior is seated at the right hand of God as the supreme authority over all else.  And this all powerful Savior always stands before the Father interceding for us as our High Priest.  He is our King and our Priest.  His death and resurrection secure for us an eternal hope through faith. We have nothing to fear for He who is supreme is the One who speaks for us.

____

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Worthy of the Age to Come

Thankful for You

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Beloved,

I grew up at All Saints Lutheran Church in Palatine, IL. My family was faithful to attend church as long as I can remember.  When I was confirmed in 8^th grade, my parents gave me the choice of whether I wanted to continue to attend church.  I did not give it much thought, but just continued to go to church.  It may have been my close relationship with my mother or it could have been innate sense that I was just supposed to go to church. Regardless of the reason, I have always enjoyed going to church even before I made a decision to follow Jesus Christ. I have always loved the church. 

I am thankful that God has always instilled in me a love for the local church.  As I have grown in my Christian walk, my love for the church has only deepened.  The more I learn about the church and the more I live in fellowship of the church, the more my love grows for the local church. In my current role as a pastor, I meet a lot of people who do not have the same love for the church. It seems that I have at least one conversation a week trying to convince people of the value of the local church. And the most surprising thing is that most of these conversations take place with Christians. 

Although the view of the church has fallen on hard times, I am so thankful to be part of the faith family at Park Baptist Church. We get a great reminder every week to express our thankfulness by singing,

I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God,
I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,
For I'm part of the family,
The Family of God.

I am so glad that I am a part of the family of God at Park Baptist Church. The church is my family. The people of Park are my spiritual brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers.  And as a part of God’s family, we always have a reason to rejoice in thankfulness. Paul writes, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you.”

Beloved, I am thankful for you. You have been chosen for salvation, sanctified by the Spirit, and given faith to believe by the grace of God. I pray this Thanksgiving you will be grateful for the family of the Park Baptist Church.

 _____

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Questioning Authority- Luke 20:19-26

           

    This coming week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. Everything slows down and people focus on food, family and football.  It is right after a long, busy fall and right before a crazy Christmas season.  It is week when things slow down allowing us to stop and reflect on what we are thankful for in our lives.  Gratitude can change your life.  Gratefulness is the one of the keys to true and lasting happiness. Gratitude helps us shift our focus off of what we don’t have onto what we do have.

     I’ll never forget living in Washington, D.C. in our little two bedroom house. The kitchen had two feet of counter space and only two cabinets with no dishwasher. The house was in a bad neighborhood where our car was broken into several times and the house itself was attempted to be robbed.  The closets were so small that they could not fit one person’s wardrobe, let alone two adults. The bathroom was so small that when Ellen was pregnant she had to turn sideways and shuffle on her tip toes to lift her stomach over the sink to get to toilet.  The house had a lot of “charm.”

   My wife and I had our fair share of complaints about our little two-bedroom home that was until we entered Reggie and Victor Acevedo’s house.  Victor was one of my students in math class and I knew their family was going through a tight financial season so I got them a Thanksgiving Dinner Box that was being offered through a local church.  Ellen and I went to their apartment to bring by the dinner and I will never forget what I saw.  It was a one bedroom apartment that housed ten people.  Beds and blankets covered the floor.  At that moment, the Lord convicted my heart of how much I had to be grateful for in my life.  I had my own two bedroom house with my own kitchen with two feet of counter space and two cabinets and a sink to wash my own dishes.  I had much to be grateful for. 

Gratitude helps us see how much we have rather than how much we need.  Gratitude truly can change our lives. And one of the things we need to be more grateful for is authority. Authority is a blessing and a gift.  Jesus came preaching and teaching to establish his authority on earth.  The leaders of the day challenged Jesus authority. Luke 20:1-2

One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” (Luke 20:1-2)

The leaders came to Jesus and basically said, “What gives you the right to do what you do?” They did not like his teaching so they challenged his authority.

          It is important to see all of chapter 20 in light of these leaders challenging his authority. Last week, we look at the parable of wicker tenants which was spoken against the leaders who challenged his authority as verse 19 makes clear.

The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. (Luke 20:19)

The leaders sought to arrest and destroy Jesus because they did not want to submit to Jesus’s authority. It is important to see that this concept of authority is still a central idea for Luke throughout this chapter.

     Who is our authority is a central idea in all of Scripture. One could say that all of the Bible is about restoring our ability to rightfully submit to God’s authority. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent tempted Eve to challenge and distrust God’s authority. 

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:4-6)

Satan tempted Eve to challenge God’s authority and Eve sinned in believing him by distrusting God’s authority. And ever since the Fall, (when God’s authority was first challenged and disregarded by man) we have been tempted to follow Eve’s example.  One of the ways we can overcome our propensity to challenge God’s authority is to be grateful for it.  So as we approach this coming week of Thanksgiving, let me as your two questions about authority.

Are you Grateful for Authority?

            The leaders continue their attack of Jesus’ authority by attempting to set a trap for him by offering him a lose-lose question.  Luke 20:20-22,

So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

The goal of the question is stated there in verse 20, “to deliver him up.” The Jews lived under Roman oppression and did not have authority of the state to arrest.  They wanted Jesus to speak against Caesar so that he would be arrested and killed. In their minds, this was a no win situation. He will either speak against Caesar and be arrested or speak for Caesar and anger the Jewish people who hated paying tributes to him.

           The spies approach Jesus with flattery. They affirm his fairness and righteous teaching and how he teaches the true way of God.  And what they said was true. Jesus did not show partiality and he taught what was right. There words were true, but their hearts were insincere.  (We can say all the right words and still have our hearts far from God. Do not be impressed with people’s lofty words.) These people would have appeared to being submitting to Jesus’ teaching, but submission goes beyond mere verbal affirmation.  This is where we have to check our own hearts.  Are we truly submitting to Jesus authority in our lives or merely giving the outward impression that we are? 

            The outward appearance of honoring God was the problem of the Pharisees.  Listen to the hard words of Jesus in Matthew 23,

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:27-28)

God wants more than the mere outward appearance of gratefulness for His authority, but wants a heart the delights in His authority.

And this is why God sent Jesus Christ.  In the beginning, man had a pure heart that delighted in God’s authority. They lived in the Garden of Eden under his loving rule, but when Adam and Eve ate the fruit they rejected God’s authority bringing sin into the world.  So now, every human is born with a natural heart that is set against God’s authority.  We do not acknowledge God’s authority in our lives or give thanks to Him, but instead we have become futile in our thinking and our foolish hearts are darkened. We claim to be wise, but we all have become fools living outside of God’s authority.  Titus 3:3 says,

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. (Titus 3:3)

Paul and the rest of the apostles looked at themselves as once foolish and disobedient, in bondage to sin, but notice that is not what they are. They were foolish, but now they have changed. What happened?  Titus 3:4-8,

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

God sent Jesus Christ to be our Savior. He saved us according to his own mercy by dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our foolishness. We could not be righteous so God gave us the righteousness of another, Jesus Christ.  After Jesus Christ died, God raised him from the dead giving us the hope of eternal life. All we have to do is receive eternal life is repent of sin and believe Jesus Christ. Repentance is acknowledge and giving thanks to God’s authority in our life. Are you grateful for God’s Authority?  We show our gratefulness through repentance and faith. And our gratefulness is expressed through real concrete actions given to God.

Are you Giving unto Authority?

Jesus shifts the focus off of the question of taxes and broadens the issue to one of authority. Luke 20:22-26

Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar's.” He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

They attempted to trap Jesus with their question, but Jesus sees right through their schemes and flips the question back at them. With his responds, Jesus reveals two sovereign authorities over their lives (and ours).  First, Jesus affirms the authority of the state.  We live in a world in which God has given the state authority to provide for its needs by collecting taxes.

            No one enjoys paying taxes.  One of the reasons that so many people are moving to South Carolina is because it is more favorable in its taxes. We may not enjoy paying taxes, but they are necessary for the state to exercise its authority. One of the most important texts regarding the authority of the state is Romans 13. Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1). The state exists because God allows it to exist. And one of the purposes of the state is seen in 1 Peter 2:13 which says that government should, “punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” The only way the state can fulfill its purpose to exercise authority in maintaining justice is to have people do the work of justice.

As much as I do not like paying taxes, I am grateful for the men and women of our police department who protect and serve our community to maintain peace and order. I am grateful for our firemen who protect and serve our community to keep us safe.  We may not love paying taxes, but we should be grateful for what our taxes provide.  This does not mean that every tax and/or roll exercised by our government is morally right, but Jesus affirms that we have an obligation to serve the state.

There will be things that our government endorses that we must protest because it goes against God, but we do so with gentleness following the example of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:18-24,

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

How we submit to our earthly authority is one way we display our faith in the gospel of Christ? Our submission helps us become like Jesus Christ.

            Secondly, after affirming the authority of the state, Jesus establishes God as the higher sovereign authority over our lives. Jesus asks for a denarius and said, “Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They of course said Caesar. Then Jesus makes the application that the people should give to Caesar that which is in his likeness, but also the people should give to God that which is in His likeness. What is made in the likeness of God? Who is made in the image of God? We are.  Therefore, we are to offer to God that which was made in His image: ourselves. We are to give ourselves unto God.  Romans 12:1-2,

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

Everything we have and everything we do belongs to God. So, are you giving yourselves unto God? 

            I do not want to make this passage formulaic and thus minimize the depth and comprehensiveness of Jesus’ statement.  In many ways the full application of this command is fulfilled in the greatest two commandments. Jesus said in Mark 12:29-31,

“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

We give ourselves unto God’s authority by loving Him and loving others.

Although I do not want make this formulaic, I do think it would be helpful to look at three specific ways we can give to God the things that are God’s: your Time, Talent, and Treasure.

Time: Every day we make choices that display what we value.  We spent time on things we value.  What does the use of your time communicate about your values? We are called in the Scriptures to make the best use of our time because the days are evil (Eph 5:15-16; Col 4:5-6). Ask people who are close to you how about your use of time.

Talent: God has given us all various gifts and talents primarily to be used for the building up of the body of Christ. God has placed you in this community to use your gifts to help others become more like Jesus Christ.  Are you using your talents to build up others in the faith? Do not squander the gifts that God has given to this church by not using your talents for the good of others.

Treasure: All your money does not belong to you, but to God.  Are you giving your treasure unto God?  We are trained by our society to increase our standard of living as our income increases, but God may increase our income so we can increase the blessing we can be to others rather than our own comfort.  How you handle your treasure reveals the values of your heart!!!

Jesus wants us to give ourselves unto God. The challenge for us now is the application of that command. 

            And as we reflect and think through how we can give ourselves to God this coming week, let us remember that Jesus is not asking us to do anything that He has not already done. Jesus Christ gave himself for us. He offered his body as a living sacrifice unto to death that we may live.  And because of His obedience, He was exalted to the highest place and was given the name that is above every name.  Beloved, God asks you to give yourselves to Him and He promises you that it will be worth it.  

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Once and For All

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18

Beloved,

My first home was a fixer upper.  It needed a lot of work and I needed a lot of help with that work.  My father-in-law came up to help one weekend.  I was very excited because being trained as an engineer, my father-in-law, was extremely gifted with construction and I was positive that we were going to get a lot of work done on the house. Although my father-in-law is gifted with his hands, he is also incredibly detailed with his work which takes projects longer to complete. I may have been frustration with the amount of work completed that weekend, but the work that was completed only needed to be done once. 

Paul writes that God made, “known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1:9-10) God’s plan was very detailed. He gradually revealed the progress of redemption throughout the Old Testament, but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son (Gal. 4:4). Jesus Christ suffered for sins once and for all.  His sacrifice accomplished everything we need for salvation.  His once and for all sacrifice has brought the unrighteous through faith in his sacrifice to God. His righteousness is extended to us through faith. 

The Lord’s Supper is a time of celebrating that once and for all death on our behalf.  Partaking in that sacred meal does not add anything to our salvation, but strengthens our faith and creates a deeper communion with God and his people.  As we approach the Lord’s Table, let us remind our hearts that Jesus Christ has brought us to God. He suffered once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous. 

As we gather around our tables this Thanksgiving, let us be thankful that we cannot add anything to the finished work of Christ, but get to eat a spiritual meal of remembrance to encourage our faith and to give us a foretaste of the feast to come.  

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