Advent: welcome and sent pt.2 (Tuesday evening)

Preached on: Tuesday 1st December 2020
The sermon text is given below or can be download by clicking on the “PDF” button above. There is no PowerPoint PDF associated with this sermon.
Bible references: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Luke 10:1-3, 8-9; Acts 11:19-21; John 3:5-6; Luke 15:20-24
Location: Brightons Parish Church

Good evening everybody welcome to Tuesday Evening Sermon where we dig a bit more into God’s word. Thank-you for putting in the time to be here and to grow in your relationship with God. Sometimes Tuesday Sermon is about recapping a previous series but tonight is a bit of a touching point on some extra reflections on Sunday’s sermon and a bit of a transition I guess to aid that transition from our last series into our Advent series and into the new year potentially.Today we’re also going to look at a number of different passages in the scriptures and we’re going to look at shorter portions than we did with our sermon last month but still a number of portions we were going to jump about and draw out different things from different parts of the scriptures. So get ready with your Bible and whether it be a Bible App or a hard copy, get ready with your Bible so you can follow me through with us because there won’t be any slides on screen.

But before we do that let us take a moment to pray so let us pray:

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight oh Lord our strength and our Redeemer, Amen

So in our last series we had seven weeks on the theme of justice and we saw how core justice is to the heart of God, that he is a God who loves justice and so His people need to be your people who seek justice and hopefully that series began to sow some thoughts and ideas or maybe brought affirmation. If you’re someone who seeks justice maybe in your everyday work or in your volunteering and maybe up till now you’ve not really heard the Church speak much about justice and so hopefully that series was of some help and I’m grateful for the folks that introduced elements within Community Corner just to get trying to help make it practical as well. I’m sure that we’ll need to return to the theme of justice again in future years and to help us grow in this because I’m not sure it’s something that we often think about and we need to grow and mature in that way but as we saw on Sunday we’re not only called to justice we’re called to another important role. So let me recap a few verses for us this is from Matthew chapter 28 at verse 18 – Matthew 28

Then Jesus came to them and said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Soly spirit and teaching them to be everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.”

Likewise we could jump into the book of Acts chapter 1 at verse 8; Jesus has risen from the dead and he has been meeting with the disciples teaching them further about the kingdom of God and he says to them: Acts 1 verse 8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

So “Yes” we are called to justice, to seek it, to make it a priority, but we are also called to go and share our faith and to help others grow and become Christians themselves. And so, part of our purpose here at Brightons is to invite people to follow Jesus and I’m so encouraged that the Kirk Session agreed with the Strategy Group that this should be part of our purpose, to invite people to follow Jesus and so it’s got to be a core part of our Church life and more than just words on a nice document or a website because Jesus calls us to go and make disciples; He calls us to be His witnesses, His ambassadors to the nations and to our neighbors, and often, sadly, in the Church, it seems to have been one or the other between justice and what we call evangelism, that we are either a Church that pursues justice and ignores evangelism or a Church that does evangelism but we ignore justice. And from since the beginning of the Church, since the beginning of God’s people thousands of years ago, beginning with Israel, there has been that duel call of justice but also to be a light to the nations and so seek to share the faith with others. Because if you don’t have evangelism you miss out on a lot of important things being realized and we’ll touch on a few of those just now. But if you don’t have justice your message just doesn’t help particularly in today’s society and world that if you don’t show that compassion, if you don’t show that concern, then it just feels like empty religion and it’s not just today that that’s been a case. One of the huge times of growth within the Church was about 300 day or so when there was a huge plague in the Roman Empire and it was the Christians who put their lives at risk and showed compassion to neighbors when the rich Romans fled to keep themselves safe, but because the Christians showed that care and concern then the people began to become much more receptive to the Christian message and people came to faith and the Church grew

And I see that in other organizations as well. CAP (Christians Against Poverty) pursues justice, seeks to help people in the midst of brokenness but it’s very clear also about giving the opportunity to hear more about the Christian faith about what fuels us. Now they don’t force it down anyone’s throat. I believe it is very gently done having known workers in that field of work, but they hold them both together, they seek to hold them in tension and one they help people get out of debt but two they often help people to meet with Jesus and both elements transform their lives in the more complete way that God hopes for us when we experience his shalom. It’s the physical and the spiritual. Or one of my other favorite organizations is One Life and One Life it seeks to earn the right to speak into the lives of young people and I think that is key in our generation we have to earn the right now we’re not in Christendom any longer we don’t have an automatic right to go into schools or to share with people we have to earn the right and so it’s keeping that tension between justice and evangelism. But both are part of the mission of God.

But if we don’t heed the great commission, if we don’t seek to share our faith, then we face some serious issues and problems and we miss out on a lot as well and I want to briefly talk about three things that we miss out on and that are so crucial for us to bear in mind.

Firstly, as I was speaking about on Sunday, part of sharing our faith is partly as part of growing in our maturity as children of God, as followers of Jesus, and we sought to give that idea about sharing the Christmas card this advent season with a neighbor or a friend and inviting them to watch a service. And so sharing our faith is so key in helping us grow. Let me take you to Luke chapter 10; Luke chapter 10 and we’ll read a couple of verses here 1 to 3 and then 8 to 10; Luke 10 at verse 1 – “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore to send out workers into his harvest field. Go, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. When you enter a town (this is verse 8) and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you, heal those who are ill and tell them the kingdom of God has come near to you.”

Here we’re seeing part of the training model of Jesus, how he discipled his disciples verse 1 says “the Lord appointed seventy-two others” others to the 12 disciples and sent them out two by two. So we can see here that the going out to share the gospel, to share the good news, to evangelize wasn’t just for the apostles, it wasn’t just for the big-yins, those that are super confident and got a really important role. Every disciple of Jesus was called to this. He began with the 12 and then moved on to the 72. And we see it just replicated time and time again in the life of the Church and we’ll speak more about that in a moment. Jesus says the harvest is pointing about the workers are few and so he calls more he grows this movement which will one day be the Church to go and share the good news of the kingdom of God. That the kingdom has come near through Jesus breaking into our world, coming into the world as a babe. Growing up and entering into this ministry, anointed by the spirit. The kingdom has come near and he sends out the 72 others. Likely this 72 had been journeying with Jesus for a while as his ministry grows, as he shows compassion and seeks justice. It begins to open doors and people become receptive. He begins to gather people around him a huge crowd of people and he initially picks the 12 but then he’s gotten 72 others that he has picked and he sends them out. He’s taking them under his wing to grow them and his disciples and in maturity. But the time comes when they have to go out. Can you imagine being the 72 others? Like you’ve seen the other 12 get picked and they are like the superstars; they are like your models and heroes, and now it’s your turn! He’s probably sent them out two by two again because that was the model of Jesus. Can you imagine being one of the pairs in that 72? “Jesus you want me to go out? You want me to go out and heal and preach? Like Jesus, Okay, you can do it because, well, you’re the son of God – and the 12 can do it because they’re the special guys, they’re the ones that you’re going to build your Church upon.” But, but us? Me? That would have been really scary. But in the model of Jesus of how you grow in faith and disciple others, there comes a time when you have to go and share your faith. And if you don’t take that step, and if you don’t follow the model of Jesus, eventually your growth, my growth, our growth as a Christian becomes stifled, stunted. We get capped. And I wonder if that’s part of the reason that the Church in Scotland, the Church of Scotland is in such dire straights, because we are not particularly mature in our faith. Sure we can probably do the justice thing reasonably okay. We are very active and we help other people and we try our best to be good people, but that has capped us because we have bought into that thing that “well I’m an introvert our faith is very personal” or “I don’t feel comfortable with this” and so we hit a ceiling. But we need to get through that ceiling if we are to grow and if we are to see the Church grow as well.

I think I was very blessed that when I came to faith at nineteen. Within a month I started university and I came into an environment within the Christian Union there where it was just natural that you shared your faith, you sought to do it. Now we did it in some terrible ways – surveys and street preaching and different things and I’m not advocating any of that! But I grew phenomenally in my faith, in confidence in my faith, and until actually you have to try and articulate what you believe and why you believe it and help others to engage with that,
your growth is stunted. Or trying to share your testimony – if you can’t share your testimony, and I’m not saying you have to do it on Testimony Tuesday, but if you can’t share that testimony, if you can’t share how you journeyed in faith and came to faith and have grown in faith and how your faith has made a difference to you, again, your growth will be capped, And the number of people who have said either during Testimony Tuesday or after Testimony Tuesday “Actually, that was really scary at first but it really helped me” – there’s quite a few who have said that – and so if we are to grow as ambassadors, if we are to grow as disciples we need to follow the model of Jesus and we need to learn ways to share our faith. Now it might not be in public ways, it might not be in Testimony Tuesday, it might not be as I do it, but somehow, some way we need to learn to grow and share our faith.

Because point two of the really important reasons for sharing our faith is about the future of the Church in this area and in Scotland, anywhere. Let’s turn to Acts chapter 11 at verse 19. Acts 11 verse 19 – “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed, travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”

Another key reason for heeding the call of Jesus to be as ambassadors, to go make disciples, to share the good news of the Lord Jesus and of His kingdom, is that’s how the Church grows. If the disciples had just stuck to the Jews or if the disciples, because they faced persecution in difficult times, had decided just to become very personal about their faith or retreat, then things would just have died out, in that area, maybe even more broadly. But they didn’t. They were bold. They would not allow what they had experienced to stay for them and so they spoke about the good news and the Church grew. A great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

You know I think most of us are aware that the Church is declining in Scotland and particularly in the Church of Scotland i think the statistics are something like in the last 20 years the membership of the Church of Scotland has halved, halved, has halved. It is really quite small now in comparison to what it used to be. The population that would identify as Christian and as having an active faith is much smaller than it used to be. And this is true also of Brightons. I don’t think we always are aware of it because when we’ve been able to gather in person and we we’ve also had quite a busy Sunday service and we so we think we’re doing pretty well and we feel quite secure and it kind of insulates us a little bit. But, for example, in the last two years in my time we’ve had 23 deaths and by the end of January, hopefully, we’ll have about 17 new members because there’s hopefully some new members joining us just before Christmas. So that’s pretty good but that is not average and still we are declining there and let’s not overlook that.

Or, for example, I dug into some of the statistics as well: currently only 35% of our membership is under 65 versus 81% nationally within Scotland. 35% under 65, 81% nationally. And that’s important because, well the Church doesn’t just happen. If we are to sustain what we do, if we’re to expand what we’re going to do, then we do need to see people coming in. We do need to go out and be able to share our faith because in 10 years time, if things don’t significantly change, we’ll have 20% under 65 versus what is projected to be 76% nationally. 20%, 20%! And, to be honest, that 35 to 20% just now, it’s already stretched in a lot of ways. If I look around and I’m looking around for someone to do a job or do something else I’m often having to ask people who are already doing a lot.

We need to understand that Brightons faces this issue as much as any other Church. Yes, we’re unable to do a lot just now but if things don’t change there is going to come a point in the next five, ten years when we’re gonna have to stop doing what we do if things don’t change. We’re gonna have to not shut up shop, but we might not be able to keep running Boys Brigade, Girls Brigade, Sunday School, Pre-Fives as we’ve been doing. All these things that we take great joy in and we’ve got history and we’ve been running it for decades. Some of this is going to stop if we’re not more active about sharing our faith, and that’s a reality we just have to become aware of.

And we all have to be part of it. It can’t just rest on me or select group, the extroverts, those that are comfortable and confident in their faith. We all need to be involved in this because a large part of my time, for example, is getting taken up with other things. And that’s okay because I think we’re in a season where ministers across the Church of Scotland are going to have a much broader kind of remit. It’ll be a bit more strategic. It’ll be a bit more strategic and where time is invested to grow and train up others because the model that we’ve inherited of ministers being heavily pastoral and kind of neglecting the development aspect and the strategic aspect, is just not working anymore. That has to change. We probably have to go back to a little bit more of what Jesus did where he had the 12 and he invested heavily and then he had the 72 and we see that kind of transition in ministers. Aand so that does require us to transition in how we do Church as well.
So, for our own maturity and growth, we need to get involved in sharing our faith. For the future of our Church, for the spread of the gospel we need to get involved in sharing our faith.

But also, for those that we are seeking to reach out to, we need to share our faith as well.

Let’s jump to John chapter 3. John chapter 3 at verse 5 – “Jesus said to Nicodemus “Very truly I tell you, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit.”

Again and again across the scriptures, in every gospel, nearly every letter there is mentioned somewhere to the necessity of sharing the faith and helping others to choose to follow Jesus for their own benefit. Not just in the present time, because there is great benefit in the present time to following Jesus, that hope, that light, that joy, that peace that can only come through a relationship with Him is there, is for now, but they is also that eternal dynamic and we don’t speak often of it and I doubt you’re going to hear very many sermons of fire and brimstone from me you’ll be glad to hear, but there is an eternal dynamic to all this and we need to remember that. No-one can enter the kingdom of God unless they’re born of water and the spirit.

Doesn’t give very much leeway – and I know we get pretty uncomfortable with that. I get pretty uncomfortable with that. It’s not often part of my chat with people but it seems to be a reality within the scriptures.
,
And then, particularly in today’s society, we are uncomfortable with that dynamic and we seek maybe to try and get ways around it or we allow ourselves to be shaped by the culture rather than by the scriptures. So, for example, there was there is a Christian author called Rob Bell – he was a pastor in the States and for a long time. I really revered Rob Bell his messages were relevant understandable, very helpful, and we did some DVD series called Nooma and they were great, very powerful. And I think I’ve maybe read a couple of these books but I had friends that read his material and I think I’d listen to sermons and such like, but then Rob Bell produced a book called Love Wins and on this cover that sounds very appealing. Doesn’t it? Love Wins! Who doesn’t want that? Who doesn’t want to share that message? But really his message wasn’t watertight. It lacked substance and you read the book and got to the end of it and basically all that he had was a hope and a prayer. Even if that, to be honest. A hope that there might be another chance that once we die maybe we’ll have the opportunity to appreciate something of God in Jesus and there’ll be another chance, that was where he ended up kind of landing –

but he his argument was pretty flimsy.

I think most of us would like that to be the case. I think most of us really want love to win,

and we see that in – I think we still see that in the scriptures that the love of God wins. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. Love still wins, but love is still just love does not delight in evil, and so God can’t overlook sin. There is an eternal dynamic to things.

And I think we have a hope that stands up and is greater than Rob Bell’s flimsy argument that let’s hope that there’s another chance on the other side. We don’t need that flimsy hoping argument, We have a hope in Jesus and all you need to do is put your faith in Him and bow the knee to Him. And yeah that’s huge, and it’s costly in different ways but Wow! I would never turn my back on Him now, because following Jesus, having bent the knee to Jesus, has changed my life for the better, And His wisdom, His ways are so much better than mine or any others I’ve ever come across.

So, there’s an eternal dynamic, but as we know, and see within Luke chapter 15, we have a heavenly Father who welcomes us home, who is waiting to welcome us home, and not only waiting to welcome us home, he sacrifices something of Himself to welcome us all.

Luke 15 at verse 20 – “So the younger son got up and went to his father, but while he was still a long way off his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants “Quick, bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened in calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate for this son of mine was dead and is alive again. He was lost and this found. So they began to celebrate.”

In Advent we remember the love of God that sent his Son into the world. The person, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, God himself came into our broken world, into our darkness, to seek and save the lost. You and me, This world. And He’s not just waiting, He’s pursuing. There is that welcome home to everyone, and we are called to share that message. To make it known. We are called to be ambassadors of this incredible good news, this incredible invitation, this incredible welcome home from God.

And if we want to grow in our faith, if we want our Church to grow and if we want individuals to know, the joy, the blessing, the hope that only comes through Jesus, both for this life and for the next, we need to share our faith. We need to learn how to share our faith. We need to have boldness and not allow the excuses that we’ve used and utilized for so long to hinder us and cap us and restrict us and stunt us. We need to cast them aside Church.

And we need to go out into our neighborhoods, into our families and friends and one way or another share the faith.

I’m not saying I have all the answers. I’m not even sure necessarily how to do this, but if we don’t have a deep conviction, our future actions won’t change.

So, may we heed the invitation of Jesus. May we have that deep conviction and begin to explore ways, even this advent season, of sharing the welcome of God.

Amen

Let us take a moment to pray.

Our God and Heavenly Father, through Your Son You have called us to a high calling, an important calling, to share the good news of Jesus and of Your kingdom breaking into the world, of that welcome home to one and all. I pray that You would come and fill us afresh with Your Spirit and give to us a holy boldness to invite someone this Advent, to consider the welcome of God and then into the New Year Lord teach us your ways, give to us opportunities, help us to become more proactive in sharing our faith. Maybe it’s as simple as saying “I will pray for you” maybe even there in person on the phone “Can I pray with you just now?” Lord, who knows there are many ways that You might lead us in this and equip us but Lord it begins with a deep conviction and I would ask that we would have a deep conviction and that from us empowered by Your Spirit, Your gospel, Your message would ring out loud and clear across this area and through your people, to see Your Church grow. to see Your Kingdom grow, to see You receive more glory and honour in Your rightful place and to see people come to know You, come to know Your joy and Your hope and Your peace and Your love and Your purposes both for now

and for all eternity

I ask this Father in Jesus name. Amen

Justice: life for all

Preached on: Sunday 1st November 2020
The sermon text is given below or can be download by clicking on the “PDF” button above. Additionally, you can download the PowerPoint PDF by clicking here 20-11-01-Message-PPT-slides-multi-page.
Bible references: Isaiah 11:1-10 & John 8:1-11
Location: Brightons Parish Church

Text: Isaiah 11:1-10 and John 8:1-11
Sunday 1st November 2020
Brightons Parish ChurchLet us take a moment to pray before we think about God’s Word.May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of all our hearts, be true and pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

Friends, can I ask you, when was the last time you were challenged about something? When was the last time you were open to a challenge from God or someone around you? After last week’s service, I was talking with Gill, my wife, about something I needed to get from the shops – an item of clothing – and I was just going to go to a local shop, where I knew I could get it quite easily, quickly and probably quite cheaply. It was at that point I became challenged, because at that point Gill spoke out and queried if we should be buying clothes from this particular shop, because the price of the clothes might indicate that the labourers are not paid a fair wage, unlikely to be paid a living wage, and so maybe it would be better to find out more and buy from places we are more confident about their approach to justice.

At the time it was hard to hear and it up-ended all my plans and my schedules, I got a bit flustered, I got a bit stressed, but you know – Gill was right, and she was right to speak out and challenge me. Because in that moment she was speaking God’s heart, His heart for justice, and God’s people, God’s leaders, must be open to His challenge, to His discipline, so that life may come for them and for all the nations.
In our passage today, the Lord through Isaiah speaks in verse 1 of the ‘stump of Jesse’ and from this ‘a shoot’, ‘a branch’ will come. This is reference to the royal line of King David, to whom God promised that his descendants would sit on the throne of Israel for ever. But because of the waywardness of these leaders, God had disciplined them, God had chopped the tree down to a stump. These leaders had led the nation astray, but as we’ve seen the nation was not innocent either, for there was selfishness and oppression – the nation had become corrupt as well, and so God brought challenge and discipline to His people to turn them to His ways and into the life He wished them to have and to share with all.

He would accomplish this, as we saw last week, by raising up a new King, a shoot, a branch, who would bear fruit, the fruit of shalom, peace, which we read in verses 6 to 9. There we read that the natures of creation will be transformed such that there is harmony where today there is only division and strife and enmity. But a glorious hope, once more, is held out – and it will be brought to fruition by this great King, a king upon whom the Spirit of the Lord will rest, such that with wisdom He will be able to judge all things rightly, with understanding He will see to the heart of the issue, with counsel He can devise a right course of action and His might will see it through.

I suspect , I hope, that we might like the sound of this, we might like the sound of this new King, and as we saw last week, the New Testament teaches that these promises have been begun to be fulfilled in Jesus, that He is this promised King, upon whom the Spirit rested such that His Kingdom began to break into this world.

But our passage today has a middle section that I think we could be a little uncomfortable with, for it reads: ‘He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.’ (Isaiah 11:3b-4)

I wonder, does that stack up with your mental picture of
Jesus? More often than not, I think we have a picture of Jesus as simply meek and mild, that we dumb down gentleness, compassion and love to something that never ruffles feathers or brings a word of challenge.

But the peace, the shalom, described in verses 6 to 9, is hard-won, it follows judgment, it follows challenge and discipline. The Lord doesn’t do it to grind them down, but that they might be led into life, true life and life for all, and so He champions justice for the poor and calls His people to show a righteousness that went beyond simple, external religion.

Again and again in the New Testament we see Jesus doing the same. In our second passage today, a woman has been caught doing wrong, but where is the man? Where is justice against him? The Pharisees are ready to fulfil the Law, but of these same Pharisees Jesus will say:

‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices…But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former.’
(Matthew 23:23)

In Jesus and in Isaiah, we see that living rightly, righteousness, is more than refraining from sin or ticking religious boxes, it is also actively turning towards others to help them know life. As a result, Jesus challenges the Pharisees, He calls them out, and yet, to the woman, He is still challenging, but with gentleness – He is not ready to condemn her, but nonetheless He does not ignore Her choices, and says to her, ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’ (John 8:11) In Jesus there is this perfect balance of love and gentleness, with righteousness, justice and even discipline.

I wonder friends, where is Jesus challenging us and calling us to a way of life that seeks life for others? Where is He calling us to stand alongside the poor and the oppressed? Where do we need to change our practices, our way of living, so that we don’t just buy the cheap clothes? In our series so far, what issues of justice have you responded to? What next step have you taken?

Within these same verses, it’s interesting that Isaiah says this King will ‘…with justice…give decisions for the poor of the earth.’ (v4) It makes me wonder, why does God seem to side with the poor? Isn’t He the God who shows no favouritism? Well, I think it’s always been the case, across human history, and even today, that it is the poor who have been disproportionality vulnerable to injustice and victims of injustice, and so God gives particular attention to them and calls His people to seek justice for such as these that they might know life.

In the New Testament, Jesus said, ‘“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I

was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

‘Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison and go to visit you?”

‘The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

Are you rich? Could your decisions be deliberately, or inadvertently, affecting the poor such that they are victims of injustice? It is said that if you have sufficient food, decent clothes, live in a house or flat, and have a reasonably reliable means of transportation, you are among the top 15% of the world’s wealthy people. If you have any money saved, a hobby that requires some equipment or supplies, a variety of clothes in your closet, two cars (in any condition), and live in your own home, you are in the top 5% of the world’s wealthy people.

So, most of us are in the top 15% and many might be in the top 5% or higher, and so our choices matter. The clothes I choose to buy, matter. But if my heart is not right, if my heart is hard, I won’t care about such things and I won’t receive the challenge, even the discipline, of Jesus, no matter that He delivers it with gentleness, or so that I and others can know life.
So, finally, how can we have hearts that are receptive to His call, to His challenge? Well, in our passage from Isaiah today, this future King would be marked by something that was missing from the leaders, and that future Kingdom would be marked by something missing amongst creation. We read today: ‘The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him… the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord – and he will delight in the fear of the Lord… They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.’
(Isaiah 11:2-3, 9)

In our day, we think of ‘knowledge’ as information, ‘knowledge’ for us is knowing about something. But in the Scriptures, to know someone, is not knowledge about them but having a personal, intimate relationship with them, such that it could be said of the prophet Samuel, before his call by the Lord, that he ‘did not yet know the Lord’ (1 Samuel 3:7). To know, is to have relationship, and when that relationship is with the Lord, there is a fear of the Lord that is good and healthy, a fear that even Jesus showed to the Father because He rested in the Father’s love. And so, this fear, as seen perfectly in the life of Jesus, as seen in that future kingdom, is a fear that shows itself in obedience, in choices aligned to the Word of God, and in hearts open to His challenge, His discipline even, because we know He does it for love of us and for this world.
Friends, as people who claim to follow Jesus, do we also delight in the fear of the Lord as He did? Are we a people, who have that personal relationship with God, and so will receive our heavenly Father’s challenge? Will our living, be more than ticking various religious boxes, such that we actively make choices to seek justice, defend the oppressed, and so by the challenge and discipline of God, we and the nations come into the life and the peace of God? I pray it may be so. Amen.

Called to Share

Preached on: Sunday 23rd August 2020
The sermon text is given below or can be download by clicking on the “PDF” button above. Additionally, you can download the PowerPoint PDF by clicking here 20-08-23-Message-PPT-slides.
Bible references: Matthew 9:35-10:8
Location: Brightons Parish Church

Text: Matthew 9:35-10:8 (NIV)
Sunday 23rd August 2020
Brightons Parish ChurchLet us take a moment to pray before we think about God’s Word. May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of all our hearts, be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

In the last few months, even in the last few weeks, there has been a lot of transition, often difficult transitions. We saw last Sunday, our young people moving up the schools years, and our primary 7’s going into S1 may not have had the usual transition they were expecting. I wonder if they felt “in at the deep end” rather quickly. Or what about our school leavers? Those going on to work, college, apprenticeship or university – do they feel ready for the transition they are now facing as they go into the workplace or their new campus?
Transitions have also been felt by those of us who are beyond these stages. As we came out of a tight lockdown, the transition to a measure of freedom was unsettling, especially if we were maybe shielding. So, this summer we’ve all felt the impact of transitions and often these can be difficult experiences which we don’t feel ready for.

I suspect that the disciples were feeling a bit like that in our passage today. Up until this point, it has been Jesus alone who has shared the good news that the Kingdom of God is breaking into this world. He has healed the sick, raised the dead, set people free and made known the love, power and ways of God in word and deed. But now, a transition comes.

As Jesus sees the crowds, His heart wells up with compassion for them, with such deep concern that He is moved to action. Jesus looks out over that multitude who need help, who need good news, and He discerns that the time is ripe to begin the next stage of His ministry, and it is going to involve the disciples. He says to them: ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’ (v37-38)

The next stage of the ministry of Jesus is to have others involved in sharing the work; one man can only be in one place at one time, and so the plan of Jesus is to involve others. He instructs the disciples to pray about this, but lo and behold, what happens? We read: ‘Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and illness…These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘…Go to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”’ (10:1-2, 6-7)

I wonder how the disciples felt at that point. I wonder if they felt ready for this transition? As Jesus calls them to Himself and then sends them out to make known the Kingdom of God in word and deed, were they shaking in their boots? Had they realised that they were going to be the answer to their prayers? I doubt it, because that wasn’t how rabbi’s worked back then – you learnt from the rabbi, and after many years you might get to carry on his teaching, but you certainly weren’t expected to do the miraculous or make known a provocative message!
So, here is Jesus, sending out a group of inexperienced nobodies; in fact, in their midst is a hated ex-tax collector, another is an insurrectionist (or terrorist we might say today), and still another will prove to be a traitor. Jesus has deliberately selected the dregs of society and instils them with the charge to go share His message, His love and His power! It is mind-blowing – but it is the way of Jesus: He calls the most unlikely of candidates and asks them to share in His ministry.

The same is true of us friends, because every individual who calls themselves a Christian, every member of a church, is called to share in the ministry of Jesus and go make known the Kingdom of God through word and deed. Now, you might say, that this was only for the Twelve, the apostles, those closest to Jesus and who helped found the church. But if you read the book of Luke at chapter 10, you’ll see that Jesus sends out the 72 other disciples to do exactly the same thing and they come back reporting that the forces of evil submitted to His name. ‘Apostle’ simply means ‘sent one’, a representative, and yes the twelve do hold a special place and authority since they were eye-witnesses, but let’s remember, Jesus said to them: ‘go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’ (28:1920) What did Jesus command them? Go and proclaim the kingdom of heaven has come near and meet the needs of this broken world through His love and power.

So, we are all called to go share the good news of God’s love in word and action. Do we feel ready for this? Probably not, but Jesus doesn’t really seem to take that as a serious excuse. Do we know what to do? I doubt it, I often don’t, but if we don’t try to go and share then at least two questions might arise.

First, do we care enough about others? Remember, Jesus was filled with such compassion that it brought about this transition for the disciples. Jesus didn’t just feel a little pity or a lukewarm concern; He cared enough that He did something. If we don’t respond to the call of Jesus to share the love of God in word and deed, maybe it’s because we simply don’t care enough about others.

Secondly, do we care enough about Jesus? Specifically, do we see Him as Lord, as King, as the one to be obeyed? You see, Jesus instructed the disciples to pray: ‘Ask the Lord of the harvest…to send out workers’ (9:38) and then what does He do? Jesus sends out the Twelve. He does it. He sends them out. So, Jesus is claiming to be Lord of the harvest, claiming to be God of all creation. So, if we don’t respond to the call of Jesus to share the love of God in word and deed, maybe it’s because we simply don’t care enough about Jesus.

What’s to be done then, brothers and sisters? Do we care enough about others? Do we care enough about Jesus? Will we heed His call to share the love of God in word and deed in the Braes area? I hope we will, I hope we’ll respond, and I want to give you a few ideas to get started.

Firstly, prayer. From the place of prayer sharing flowed. So, we need to get praying, and in a few weeks’ time we’ll start a preaching series on prayer. But, equally, start praying now. Maybe use the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer idea – of having 5 people you’re asking God to help find faith in Jesus. Or simply pray, ‘God, help me make You known to the people I meet today.’ So, let’s get praying.

Secondly, sharing the love of God in our words is important, and not just for the confident, extroverted and qualified people because the membership of the Church of Scotland is going off a cliff, and even in the Braes area it is going down across all 7 churches. If that is ever to change then there must be the sharing of the love of God in our words because the young people I see coming along to church, who I see as active in the life of churches, are people in their teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s who are talking about faith and who want to know about this faith. Most young people do not need more activity or another organisation to belong to, but the one thing they are not getting anywhere else is the good news of God’s love for them and to share that we have to use words.

To make this very practical for you, we are running an online Alpha Course starting Wednesday the 16th of September and more details are in the notices. So, let’s get asking and invite someone along, because last year’s course was so encouraging, many people grew in faith, and many more are joining online Alpha at this time.

Finally, sharing the love of God in our actions. Jesus met the needs of the people around Him. So, who are the people around us? Do we know our neighbours’ names? Or, have we had a conversation with someone who needs a helping hand? Or, do we donate food to the Foodbank when we’re down at the supermarket? There are people and needs all around us, and if we create space to become aware of them and reach out, then in meeting them we can share the love of God in action.

Friends, our core purpose is ‘to invite, encourage and enable people to be disciples of Jesus.’ That begins with an invitation into relationship with Jesus, to be part of His family, and so we must vocally share this with others. But being a disciple of Jesus requires us to follow His example, and Jesus shared the love of God in action as well.

May we be a people who share the love of God in word and in deed, caring enough for others and for the command of our Lord. May it be so. Amen.

King of kings (Passion Wk.4)

Preached on: Sunday 5th April 2020
The sermon text is given below or can be download by clicking on the “PDF” button above. Additionally, you can download the PowerPoint PDF by clicking here 20-04-05-Brightons-Powerpoint-Scott-morning-message.
Bible references: Luke 17:11-19
Location: Brightons Parish Church

Text: Luke 17:11-19
Sunday 5th April 2020
Brightons Parish Church

Let us pray. May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of all our hearts, be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

Three weeks’ ago, we began our journey towards Easter, with Jesus resolutely setting out for Jerusalem. Along the way, we looked at those parts of Luke’s gospel where Jesus met with, or spoke about, Samaritans – those people who were outcasts, despised, usually forgotten or ignored by their neighbours.

But today, Jesus reaches Jerusalem, the journey is at an end. Boys and girls, have you ever been on a really long journey? Was it in a car? Or did you walk? Why not tell someone that you’re with just now? I’ll give you ten seconds. (PAUSE)
We’ve all been on a journey that has seemed long, we might have done it in a car which was nice and comfortable. But for Jesus, the journey has not been so easy. He has walked mile after mile, up through the winding, sandy hills from Jericho, which is the lowest town on the face of the earth, but now He reaches the heights of Jerusalem. Jesus has crossed through Judean desert, climbing steadily uphill, up what feels like a mountain. It has been dusty, because it’s almost always hot, and it seldom rains.

This was the way of pilgrims, those journeying to Jerusalem for the annual festival. We know that Jesus chooses this journey because Luke reminds us that ‘After Jesus had [finished teaching], he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.’ (v28) Jesus leads the way. This is to be the climax of His story, of His public ministry, and He knew well what lay ahead, yet He set His face to go and meet it head on.

About two miles from Jerusalem, Jesus comes to Bethany and Bethphage, and He sends two disciples ahead to get something. Boys and girls, can you remember what Jesus asked them to get? Can you remember?…It was a donkey! And…had anyone ridden it before? Can you give me a thumbs up for “YES” and a thumbs down for “NO”?…The answer is… “NO”. No one had ridden this young donkey and yet Jesus gets onto it without any problem, and carries on towards Jerusalem.

What happens next, boys and girls? Does Jesus manage to sneak into the city? No – that’s not what happens! So, what does happen?…As Jesus journeys into Jerusalem, the people start to lay down…their cloaks on the ground – this was like [PHYSCIALLY TAKE OFF JACKET] taking off their jacket and putting on the ground in front of them for Jesus to walk on, for His donkey to walk on. That seems a bit strange to us, but there’s a story in the Old
Testament where the new king is welcomed into Jerusalem by people doing the very same thing.

And then, in the story of Jesus, we start to hear something – we start to hear the crowd say things. They said things like, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’ (v38) Do you think the people were happy, or sad? Put your hands up for happy, or down for sad…I think they were happy!
They thought Jesus was the King that God had promised to send, and that King would make the world a better place. So, they sing part of an old song, written in the Psalms, it’s a song of victory, a hymn of praise to the God who establishes His kingdom upon the earth.

In all of this, Luke is trying to help us see something about Jesus; we’re meant to see that Jesus is the King, the Messiah, God promised. But what kind of King do you think Jesus is? The story gives us a number of clues. Why don’t we all, adults and children alike, think about that for a moment, either on our own or with the folks beside us, and don’t forget to write it up in the live chat if you want to do so, I’ll give you thirty seconds. (PAUSE) So, what did you come up with? Let me share what I see.

I see a King who has power and authority; that comes across in a number of ways. In v31, the reason to give for the request of the donkey, is that ‘The Lord needs it.’ God needs it, and that Lord, that God, is Jesus.

What is more, we know from v30, that this animal has never been ridden before, you would think it would throw Jesus off, because He’s just a carpenter and rabbi after all. But low and behold, no such thing is recorded, we’re meant to see that Jesus is King of all creation, including what might otherwise be wild and untameable.

Now, we remembered that when Jesus came in, the crowds put down their…cloaks and sang songs of…joy, they did this because they believed Jesus to be King. But Luke especially reminds us in v37 that ‘the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.’ Countless miracles, things beyond explanation, things only the promised Messiah, the promised King, could do, because He came in the name and power of God.

It’s because Jesus is such a King, that even though some of the Pharisees in v39 object, even then, Jesus says the praise of the disciples is fitting because otherwise the stones would cry out in praise themselves! Such a King is Jesus, that He is due praise even from the inanimate parts of creation.

I think we’re meant to see in Jesus a King who has power and authority. But that’s not all we see of Jesus, what else does the passage show?
Well, remember, what is He riding?…A donkey! Not the kind of grand animal you might expect of a king. But as our opening Scripture from Zechariah reminded us, a King who comes riding on a donkey is a King who is humble, lowly – He comes in humility and to serve.

And Jesus does so, because He cares. We’ve seen that along the way in His journey – boys and girls, who did Jesus care for in the journey? What were those people called?… Samaritans, that’s right! Jesus cares for people who think they are outcasts. Jesus cares for people who think they are forgotten or insignificant. Jesus cares for all the nations of the world.

But we also Jesus cares because of the final verse we read today, for in v41, it said, ‘As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it…’

Now, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem for a particular reason and we’ll get into that more with our Tuesday Evening Sermon. Yet, notice this: Jesus, the Lord, the One who is God in the flesh, weeps. Surrounded by people who are joyful and euphoric, this King, weeps. Imagine what the disciples must have been thinking and feeling, to see their Messiah so upset when this is His greatest moment.

I wonder if this jumps out for me because of an article I read this week about Christianity and coronavirus. What the writer sought to highlight is that rather than coming up with a reason to explain suffering, maybe it is better
to realise that God, that Jesus, laments. He cries; the word in v41 actually means, He wails. Some Christians like to think of God as above all that, knowing everything, in charge of everything, calm and unaffected by the troubles in His world. But that’s not the picture we get in the Bible. Here is King Jesus, full of power and authority, yet vulnerable, honest and caring enough, that He cries, He laments, for us and with us.

Friends, what do you see of Jesus this Palm Sunday? What do see of the One who journeyed to Jerusalem for love of you and love of me? In these difficult days, as we maybe hang a branch and cross upon our front door, what is the Jesus we share with the wider world? I pray that we and our neighbours will know Jesus as the King of Kings, but also as the King who weeps with us and for us. May it be so. Amen.

The Father who accepts

Preached on: Sunday 9th June 2019
The sermon text is given below or can be download by clicking on the “PDF” button above. Additionally, you can download the PowerPoint PDF by clicking here 19-06-09-Brightons-Powerpoint-Scott-sermon-morning.
Bible references: Luke 15:11-24
Location: Brightons Parish Church

Texts: Luke 15:11-24
Sunday 9th June 2019
Brightons Parish ChurchFollowing on from Easter, we’ve been working our way through a 9-week sermon series on Luke chapter 15, where we’ve been exploring what these three parables of Jesus reveal to us of our heavenly Father. Because, whilst the temptation is to focus on the sheep, the coin or the rebellious younger son, the true central character throughout is God, portrayed as the Father in the third parable. We’ve seen that Father God is prodigal Himself – He is extravagant in His love, He is patient, compassionate and forgiving. And along the way, we’ve paused to wonder if we can still hold such a view of God in the midst of a broken world and we’ve seen that for the elder brother too there is an invitation to come home to Father God.

That idea of coming home, of returning, is central to all three parables because to know that we belong somewhere has a profound impact upon us. I wonder, would you turn to your neighbour in a moment, and for one minute, share with them either something serious, or something silly, which helps you to know that you belong to your family or your friendship group? For example, when I come home after a busy day, and I walk in that door and Hope gives me a big cuddle, then I know that I’m home, that I belong. What are the serious things, or the silly things, that help you know you belong to your family or your friendship group? You’ve got one minute – so it’s over to you!

In the parable of the prodigal Father, the younger son has left home, he has rebelled, disgracing his Father, because he thought true life was to be found elsewhere. But things don’t turn out as he plans and in time he comes to his senses and returns home to the Father. As we saw in earlier weeks, the Father had been waiting and watching, and so when He sees His son He is flooded with compassion and He runs to His youngest child. In the midst of that initial welcome, we read these words:

‘the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet…”’ (v22)

We’ve said throughout this series, that knowing the culture, knowing the context, of these parables can help us understand what Jesus was trying to convey about our heavenly Father. So, what do the robe and the ring signify?

Well, the Father asks for ‘the best robe’, which would have been the Father’s own robe, as he was head of the family. It would have been a long flowing gown, a very special garment, reserved for unique occasions such as festivals. It was a sign of favour and honour, and yet the Father gives it to this son. This son who had been living off of the pig feed, who would be in an unkempt condition and so dirty and smelly that one poet wrote that the younger son was ‘the boy who had gone from being affluent to effluent.’
It is to this son that the Father gives His best robe – so, what’s going on here? What does Jesus seek to convey? Well, what we have here is a great exchange – the son’s shame is covered by the Father’s honour – that robe is a sign of the Father saying of the younger son: “I have forgiven him completely, I am wiping the slate clean, this boy is totally pardoned.”

In this, Jesus conveys the means and scope of forgiveness which has always been at the heart of the Christian faith, a means and scope which comes as a shock to many people, including in the 16th century to renowned church leader Martin Luther. For much of his early life Luther wrestled with the imperfections in his own life and how distant he felt from God…
He increasingly struggled with the implications this had for his present life and then beyond the grave.

But eventually Luther, by God’s help, came to understand the Scriptures afresh – that a healthy, positive relationship with God, a relationship described in the Bible as being righteous, of being in right standing with God, that kind of relationship is offered to one and all by a great exchange, a great exchange provided for us through Jesus: that on the cross, Jesus faced the justice of God so we might only know Father God’s delight in us; that on the cross, Jesus, the perfect son of God, was rejected by Father God, so that we could be brought into God’s family as sons and daughters.

I remember when I became a Christian that someone explained it to me like this: that Jesus is like my open palm, nothing separates Him from God, He is perfect, He is righteous, Father God delights in Him fully. But we are like this other hand, and our rejection of God and His ways, what the Bible calls sin, that is like this black book on my palm – it creates a division between us and God, it is a big black mark over us, and because of it our relationship with God is not only marred, it is broken completely – God still loves us, but He can’t delight in us fully, and that big black book is going to affect our lives both now and for all eternity.

But on the cross, a great exchange takes place: Jesus willingly takes our black book, our sin, our rebellion, upon
Himself, breaking His relationship with God…
and facing the eternal consequences for our sin in His own body.

And the effect is that we gain what Jesus had before that great exchange: we gain a perfect relationship with God, we gain the full delight of Father God, we gain an eternal hope and welcome from God into His family.

The prophet Isaiah described it this way: ‘I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.’ (Isaiah 61:10)

In the early sixteenth century, Martin Luther came to own this great exchange for himself – he put his trust in Jesus and came in to a new relationship with Father God,… where fear was gone and joy came in its place, for he knew that God had pardoned him, and covered his shame with the best robe of all, the robe of God Himself.

I don’t know what you make of all this – you might very well be thinking, “well Scott, I got invited here by my friend, and I really wasn’t expecting to hear about sin and all that – this doesn’t really feel like a weekend of invitation or welcome; I’m perfectly aware of God being Judge and I don’t need you judging me.” And if you’re feeling like that, I can understand that, I can resonate with that even – but the reason I had to start there is because of what comes next in the story. For we read:

‘the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger…’

Rings feature in many stories, inside and out of the Bible, across so many cultures, for a ring is a powerful and enduring item – in this small and simple form a great deal of meaning can be communicated.

In the story of the prodigal Father, the ring speaks of the rebel being restored as a son. The ring would have been like a family signet ring and it signified a child’s position as a son or daughter in the great family. In giving this ring, the Father was saying that this rebellious child was restored to his position as a son. The Father was saying that He accepted His youngest child; the Father accepted Him back in, that He was in effect adopting this rebellious child back into the family, and through that adoption, the Father was opening the way for His child to know a wonderful new future and life.
Jesus Himself said, ‘I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.’ (John 10:10)

That is the purpose of Jesus, that is His reason for being, the goal behind His teaching and His death on the cross – that you and I can have life in all its fullness.

But do we know this? Not only in our heads but in lives. Do we know this? We might know that Father God sent Jesus to die in our place to secure our forgiveness, to give us a new robe, and so we know that Father God is like a Judge, and Jesus paid the penalty so that we can have life beyond death, and that’s good news, but it can seem a bit remote and distant, something to think about nearer the time or on sad occasions.

But is that all Jesus meant in His words? Is Jesus simply our get into heaven ticket? Or is there something more to being an adopted son or daughter of the Creator of all things?

If you can’t answer that question, or if you are waiting for me to provide the answer, maybe it suggests that whilst we know God as Judge, we maybe don’t know Him very well as Father. Indeed, Martin Luther himself struggled with this, struggled to pray the Lord’s Prayer because the words “our Father” were wrapped up in a picture of a hard, unyielding and relentless individual. But the parable of the prodigal Father, portrays a very different portrait of Father God, and a much fuller understanding of what it means to be adopted by Him.

Imagine that the younger son, after returning home, receiving the robe and the ring, then participating in that night of celebration, imagine after that he felt he had to watch his step, toe the line, that he was to stay in his quarters, adopt a quiet and reserved life, and not do anything with the pardon and position of a true son. What do you think the Father would feel? Do you think the Father would feel that the younger son had entered into the full life symbolised by the robe and the ring?

I doubt it!? I reckon the Father would be crestfallen – here is this son that he has rescued, that he has forgiven and restored, here is the son who was given pardon and position so that the path in front of him might lead to a full life, one of meaning and purpose and joy…
yet here is this son being a nice boy but a bit of a boring one, a good son but with the life gutted out of him. I think the Father would be heartbroken to see his son misunderstand or underappreciate all that had been given to him by his Father. This younger son has been given pardon through a robe and position through a ring, he has been accepted and adopted by the Father, so that as a son he can come into fullness of life, not live a tame and boring one!

And you know what – I wonder if Father God ever feels bamboozled by what we’ve done with the Christian faith? Jesus came to give us life in all its fullness, but then we seem to reduce the life of faith to being nice and religious, or having Jesus as our ticket to heaven…
rather than seeing the life of faith as an adventure to be lived – as the video said earlier, God is on an adoption adventure, accepting and adopting us into His family, and then involving us in His plans and purposes, plans and purposes which are full of adventure and joy and life, and He invites us to be part of that, part of changing the world!

Friends, if this is not evident in our own lives maybe one of the reasons is that we have not grasped a full enough picture of God: we know Him as Judge, which He is, but we really don’t know Him as Father; we know we’re forgiven but we don’t really know what it means to be adopted by God and to have Him as our heavenly Father, that we are accepted…
We not only need to know that Father God clothes us with a robe, we need to know He gives us a ring as well.

But here’s the thing, it is a two-part deal: you don’t get the ring, without getting the robe first; you don’t get position without pardon; you don’t get adoption and acceptance, without forgiveness. So, you can’t know the life that Jesus offers, life in all its fullness, if you don’t know Jesus. And so, that’s why we began with a focus on the cross, with the great exchange.

And if you want to be part of God’s great adventure in this world, then you need to share in that great exchange for yourself. If you’re unsure how to do that, then come speak with me after the service, or start coming around church a bit more often,…
and hopefully one way or another you’ll come to know the Father draping His robe over you.

But if you know you’ve shared in that great exchange, if you know you’re a Christian, can I ask you, as an adopted son or daughter of God, are you sharing in the great adventure? Or have you tamed the life of faith to something comfortable, something familiar, but something less than God wanted for you? If that is you, and it can come upon us at any stage in the journey of faith, but if that is you, then maybe it is time for you to become reacquainted with the heart of Father God.

One of the best ways to do that, is to be in the Scriptures and talking with the Father about what you read, and being open to what He might say to you.
But a number of years ago, to help people grasp something of the heart of God, someone took many of the promises of God from the Bible and crafted them into what became known as “The Father’s Love Letter”. A video of that has now been made and I would like to play it for us now. As we listen to it, may the words reach deep into our souls, and reveal something of our heavenly Father and what it means to be His child.

Continuing ministry of Jesus: our role

Preached on: Sunday 24th February 2019
The sermon text is given below or can be download by clicking on the “PDF” button above. Additionally, you can download the PowerPoint PDF by clicking here 19-02-24-Brightons-Powerpoint-Scott-sermon-morning-website (1).
Bible references: Acts 2:42-47 and Matthew 5:13-16
Location: Brightons Parish Church

Texts: Acts 2:42-47 and Matthew 5:13-16
Sunday 24th February 2019
Brightons Parish ChurchLast week we took out first look at the verses from the end of Acts chapter 2 and specifically focused on verse 42. If you missed that week, or forget what was said, then you can now access the latest sermons online via our website, and thank you to our team who have made that possible. Last week we saw that the life and vibrancy of the early church flowed from them dwelling in Jesus and Jesus dwelling in them; that as “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…the Lord added to their number.”

We saw that these four key facets of church life were like the four wheels to a car or four key ingredients to a cake, that there is no good life without the Good Lord.

I encouraged you to think about how you might live out these verses in your own life and we had some time to talk that over with one another. So, for 1 minute, why don’t we turn to our neighbour and share what came of that discussion? Maybe you did something, thought something, prayed something – so, for 1 minute, it’s over to you again – what came out of last Sunday for you?!

(PAUSE FOR DISCUSSION)

Throughout this series in Acts we have seen again and again that a key theme is the continuing ministry of Jesus and that we (each) are invited to play our part, we are all invited into the adventure of partnering with Jesus. One commentator on the book of Acts points out that the author of Acts never attributes the growth which took place primarily to the preaching of the apostles; indeed, as we see in our reading today: “All the believers…[were] enjoying the favour of all the people.” (v44, 47) This favour that the whole church was experiencing would have given opportunity for them individually to share their faith with friends and colleagues and neighbours – this would have involved all the disciples, not just the apostles – and from this, the seeds of faith were sown and the apostles watered, and God, by His Spirit, brought about a great response.
So, if last week was primarily focused on how we each can walk closely with the Good Lord, then this week we are faced with the question: how can we adventure with the Good Lord? How can we play our part in His continuing ministry? Maybe you don’t think of it as an adventure, but in this next video let English Bishop J John tell you why it really is an adventure! (VIDEO)

As a follower of Jesus we are involved in God’s global mission – it really is an adventure. So, again, like last week, I am going to try and limit what I say on these verses, to give you as much of the remaining time to chat amongst yourselves.

I’ve summarised the verses here as: wonder, wallet and welcome.

• So, firstly, “wonder”: “everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles” – these wonders and signs provoked awe, probably provoked questions. They were given as signs to the Jewish people to highlight that their hopes and dreams were now being fulfilled through Jesus, that the dawn of a new age had come, and the kingdom of God was breaking in to this world. But it wasn’t just the apostles who provoked wonder or questions, as I said last week, the church at large impacted the wider Roman culture. And in chapter six of Acts, Stephen is described as “a man full of God’s grace and power, [who] performed wonders and signs among the people” – so the miraculous wasn’t limited to just the apostles. But the principle is this: whether through the miraculous or through love in action,…
the church at large stirred up wonder, they provoked healthy, positive questions. A small book I read last year talks about this, it’s called ‘Surprise the world’ and in it, Michael Frost suggests that “all believers [are] to live questionable lives…lives that evoke questions from their friends…our task is to surprise the world.” How can we do that? He suggests that we should seek to bless others, understanding that “bless” means to “strengthen the arm of another”. Maybe through our words, our acts of kindness, through a gift and of course our time. So, maybe there is someone in your street you can seek to bless? Or what about prayer? Many of us have a conversation with a friend about an issue in their life, and we listen and we nod and we give comfort, but that’s as far as we go. Yet, would it not provoke a question, maybe wonder, if we said,…
“I’ll pray tonight for you about that.” Or indeed, if we go that extra step, and say, “Can I pray with you just now about that?” No one’s ever turned me down, even before I was a minister, and with a one sentence prayer, you could both strengthen and stir up a little wonder.
It’s a great way to adventure with Jesus.

• Secondly, “wallet”: “all the believers…had everything in common…They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” – last week we saw that the believers devoted themselves to fellowship, to “koinonia”, the sharing of life. That sharing, as we see here, went as far as to touch the wallet and the purse, for property was sold according to need; it wasn’t enforced sharing or communism, but it was sacrificial sharing of life for the benefit of one another.
So, can I ask, when was the last time you reviewed your giving to church? Many of us may give through standing order, but have left that unchanged for some time. Or, when was the last time you donated to the Foodbank? So, this week, or in the coming month, why not think about whether you can adventure with Jesus through your wallet or purse?

• Lastly, “welcome”: “they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” – last week in v42, we saw that the disciples devoted themselves to “the” breaking of bread, but here it is simply that they broke bread and ate together, a subtle difference. Their sharing of life together included the sharing of meals, of hospitality. It was done with
“sincere hearts” –
which means it was done without pretence, but simply and with generosity. It stands in contrast to our individualist age. Prior to coming to Brightons we lived in Dalkeith, in a new housing scheme, with lots of folks that didn’t go to church. We would talk with neighbours quite regularly, but not once, I’m embarrassed to say, did I invite them in for a meal, and likewise they didn’t either. Maybe that’s the reason why the conversation only went so far. It’s just so easy in our time, in our country, to run the rat race, and go from one little box to another little box, rarely interacting with those around us.

But if we opened up our homes, to folks on our street who don’t come to church, then it might open doors to deeper sharing, it might help lonely people…

find a place where they are valued and accepted. You don’t have to necessarily invite the young families, if you don’t feel able to do that – if you reached out to someone your age, or someone 10 or 20 years younger than you, and over time if they decided to give church another try, even at the age of 40, 50, 60, 70 – then that might stir up questions in their children or grandchildren, and who knows where that might lead. So, inviting the neighbours ‘round might look different for each of us, and that’s OK. But let’s not allow embarrassment over furniture or fear of serving an inadequate meal hold us back; to do so is simply letting pride get in the way.

So, once more, let’s break into small groups and talk about what it might look like for us to adventure with Jesus in these areas – and, again, if you can, try to come up with one more thing you personally could do to partner with Jesus in His continuing ministry.

(PAUSE FOR DISCUSSION)

Friends, whether it be through one of these three ways, or by reading the vacancy list and volunteering for a role there, we each are called to adventure with Jesus. As our reading from Matthew highlighted, the nature and character of our lives proves the reality of our faith: we are salt and light if we claim to be Christian, and that saltiness, that inner light, cannot actually be lost…
so it should be evident in our lives and through our lives to the people around us.

That has always been God’s plan – for you and I to play our part in the continuing ministry of Jesus. God has no “plan B” – it’s you and me adventuring with Jesus that will help change this world. And maybe as we lean in to that, through wonder, through our wallet, through our welcome, we might waken up people out there to the fact that the kingdom of God is near at hand and the light of the world is Jesus, and then they too might glorify our Father in heaven.

May it be so. Amen.

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