The winter months of January and February can seem dull and muted. Most of the earth seems to be in a state of waiting. The trees have shed their green leaves. Most of the flowers have disappeared while waiting for Spring. Many animals even tuck themselves away to wait for warmer weather. The days are shorter and the sun’s rays are weaker due to their low angle.
People are not exempt from this. We experience a lull in activity and thought during these months too. Many people experience fatigue, mood changes, and feelings of hopelessness due to decreased sunlight disrupting their biological clocks. Others are simply trying to recover from what feels like running a gauntlet from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s – especially if you have kids!
Our spiritual lives experience these seasons of quiet as well. We contemplate and remember Jesus each Sunday morning as part of the Lord’s Supper, and it can be a challenge to keep these thoughts fresh and meaningful week in and week out. When you add in the factors above that come with the winter season, a meaningful communion time each Sunday can prove elusive for many.
Winter comes right between Christmas and Easter. During the Christmas season it is easy to remain focused on the birth of Jesus. We see nativity scenes in people’s yards. We hear about Mary and Jesus in songs. We sings hymns and carols throughout the season. The beginning of Jesus’s life on Earth seems to be all around us in December. During the Easter season, our thoughts are focused on the cross and the empty tomb. We dwell on the sacrifice of Jesus to pay our debt. We relish in His resurrection and the conquering of death. Easter Sunday is a declaration of the events surrounding the end of Jesus’s earthly life and a glorious celebration of what comes next for those who believe.
So, if Christmas is focused on the beginning of Jesus’s incarnate life and Easter is focused on the end, then how should we approach this weekly time of reflection in the Lord’s Supper during the months in between? I suggest one option is to focus on Jesus’s ministry. The life and teachings of Jesus are what happened between His birth and His crucifixion, and the words of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels, make a great starting point. Jesus himself begins this way in Matthew 5:
He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
May your winter’s communion times be special and fruitful.
The first part of Romans chapter 12 is one of those passages that you hear a lot. “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices” and “in Christ we who are many form one body” are phrases that get used often in everything from sermons to worship songs. I’ve even seen them on t-shirts and social media posts. It is such a pivotal chapter, that we often forget where it is in the context of Romans as a whole.
Romans has this reputation of being one of the most theological books in the Bible. And that reputation is WELL DESERVED. Basically, in the first 11 chapters Paul has been systematically laying out a complete theology for understanding what it means to be a Christian. This reputation for being so theological has caused some people to wonder why Paul includes these practical chapters toward the end.
Romans 12:1-2 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
What we can sometimes fail to remember is that ALL theology is practical. And all Christian practice IS theological. You can’t have one without the other. The Good News of Jesus Christ is meant to transform a person’s life. Unless we start to LIVE OUT our theology, the Gospel hasn’t accomplished its purpose.
We offer ourselves as living sacrifices, and that is how we worship God. Here is where a little bit of first century context might be helpful. When we think of the word “sacrifice” we often think of giving up something or going without something. But when the first century person thought of the word “sacrifice” they equated it with the word “worship.” In the ancient world, ritual sacrifice at a temple WAS how you worshipped your God – Jews and Gentiles alike. The temple in Jerusalem AND countless temples all over the Roman Empire were constantly busy with people coming to sacrifice something AS THEIR ACT OF WORSHIP.
As you might expect, many Gentiles practiced a cheap version of worship. They reasoned that if all we have to do is offer this animal at an alter once a year (or however often), then we’re golden. We’re straight with the gods. I can live the rest of my life however I want. Israel, by the way, wasn’t immune to this kind of thinking either. The Old Testament prophets spoke against this again and again.
For a better example, look no further than when Jesus himself calls out the Pharisees for being white-washed tombs. Pretty sacrifices on the outside, but no genuine worship on the inside. That’s why Paul follows his word about offering yourselves as sacrifices with a caution to not conform to the pattern of the world, but instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
No, the sacrifice that we offer at the alter – our worship to God – is an INFORMED sacrifice. I’ve written before about how Paul saw the world as being caught between two ages. When we accept Christ as Lord and seek to follow him, we have switched our allegiance from the “present age” and instead seek to live in “the age to come.” And so our sacrifice is a living one. Literally. We sacrifice the right to live however we want to and instead live in ways that honor God. We align ourselves with “the age to come,” but “the present age” is still all around us.
Some might feel that it is enough to simply “live a good life.” Try not to sin, study your Bible, pray regularly, show up on Sunday morning… you know. Doing the things. But if we stop there, then I’m not sure that’s really an informed sacrifice. We need to ask ourselves, “What does God really desire from our worship?” I think it is what He has always desired.
Think about Abraham. When God chose Abraham and told him to leave his family, leave his homeland, and set off on this adventure, what is the reason that He gives Abraham. Do you remember? Genesis 12: “I will make you into a great nation… I will bless you… and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” God desires that His people are a blessing to the whole earth. That’s what He has always wanted humans to be. Isaiah echoes this as well when the Servant of the Lord (that is, Jesus) isn’t just going to restore the people of Israel, he is going to “be a light for the Gentiles, that salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” God chose the people of Israel so that the rest of the world could see and be drawn to Him.
As Christians, our purpose is the same. Jesus commands us to “go into all the world” preaching the Gospel and making disciples. You can’t just BE CHRISTIAN. You have to also “DO CHRISTIAN.” Theology and practice go together. They are two parts of the same thing. Or, as James will write, “faith without works is dead.”
Romans 12:3-8 – For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
So in the first two verses, Paul says we should offer ourselves as living sacrifices – and that those should be “informed” sacrifices. Realizing that BEING Christians inherently involves DOING Christian things. And then he rolls right into this analogy of being part of a body. Lots of people get wound up exploring this analogy. How does this body part fit in with that body part? Does the thing that I think I’m good at fit into the body of Christ and if so, how and where? Is this body part working well with that body part? Is this body really working together as a whole unit? OK. Those are good discussions and someone needs to be looking at that. Sure.
But I want to step back and make sure we don’t lose sight of Paul’s main point here. It is NO accident that he follows his words about living sacrifice and renewing your mind with the body analogy. If we are going to BE CHRISTIANS and DO CHRISTIANITY, then the proper place for that is WITHIN THE BODY. It is in the community of Christ that we become most effective. It is by serving the world around us TOGETHER AS A CHURCH that outsiders are best drawn to a life in Christ.
When we work together as a body, we get to take advantage of each other’s strengths. Paul lists a few of them in these verses – prophesying, teaching, serving, encouraging, giving, leading, showing mercy. I don’t think Paul means to limit the list to just these seven. There are lots of ways that you can plug in and become part of the body of Christ. Figuring out what that means for you is part of being “informed” with your sacrifice.
Besides, working as part of a group is just better. Think of it in terms of movies and TV shows. These days, super hero movies often feature groups of main characters: Guardians of the Galaxy, Fantastic Four, The Avengers, Justice League. Or go back in time a bit to my day: Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Original Transformers, Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings. Or look at it in the Anime genre: Frieren, Delicious in Dungeon, Kpop Demon Hunters, One Piece, My Hero Academia, …and the list goes on. I love a good Superman movie, but the group of heroes is just so much more relatable. No one person can do it all. They have to rely on each other to overcome whatever challenges they face. It’s a similar dynamic as you and I become part of the body of Christ.
Being part of the body is also where we grow as Christians. “As Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” That’s actually in Proverbs, which is part of Israel’s heritage. But it is equally true in the body of Christ. My gifts can be used to reach non-Christians, but they can also be used to build up the body through mentoring or teaching, or even just encouraging other Christians. Your gifts can do the same for me. It is when we are in each other’s lives that we can have this effect on each other. It’s when we are in each other’s lives that we are attached to the body. And it is when we are attached to the body that we receive the spiritual nourishment needed to live and grow in our faith.
This was proven in a negative way in the COVID pandemic. Suddenly, we all stayed home and watched Sunday morning on our TVs. Sure, we still got a sermon and we still heard communion thoughts. Most of us sang along when the songs were played on the screen. But as necessary as these changes were for the physical health in our city, they were devastating for the spiritual health of our community. I’ve known quite a few people who quit watching during the pandemic and haven’t returned now that things are back to normal. Being members one to another is vitally important in our life as Christians.
So, BE Christians, DOING Christianity, as part of the BODY of Christ. That is what Paul is saying in this passage.
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper each week by sharing this little piece of bread and a few drops of juice. These two basic items, which are simple enough to be found in every culture around the globe, are meant to remind us of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all recount the story of Jesus instructing his disciples about the bread and the cup. During the Passover meal, Jesus takes some bread and declares, “This is my body, given for you.” And then in a similar fashion, He takes the cup and says, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Simple and short, but packed with meaning.
Luke’s gospel starts the meal with Jesus telling His disciples, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until if finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” This will be their last meal together before Jesus is arrested in the garden and everything else that follows. This is one reason that Jesus’s “Last Supper” becomes the “Lord’s Supper.” But don’t forget that Jesus also was very intentional in setting up the Lord’s Supper DURING this Passover Meal. He wants His disciples to draw meaning and connection between what they are celebrating in the Passover and the events that are just about to take place.
Exodus 12 is where we find the story of how the Passover Meal began. Israel is enslaved to Egypt and the oppression is great. God has empowered Moses to battle with Pharaoh (and Egypt’s gods) through the first nine plagues, and has announced the nature of the tenth and final plague. The Israelites are instructed to sacrifice a lamb and use it to prepare a hasty meal with unleavened bread. Some of the blood from the lamb is to be spread on the doorframe of the house where they will eat. When the Lord passes through the land killing all firstborn of both people and animals, He will see the blood on the doorpost and passover that house and whomever is inside. The power of Egypt will be broken and the Israelites will be set free. They are then instructed to celebrate this meal and reenact this evening every year as a meal of remembrance of what God has done.
Jesus declares that this new meal of remembrance is the FULLFILLMENT of the old one. When we accept the saving Grace of Jesus, we align our lives with God’s Kingdom in this new covenant. Then when it comes time for God to pass judgement again, he instead sees the blood of Jesus in our place and passes us over. In Exodus, I don’t think it really mattered who was inside the house. If the doorframe had the blood of the sacrificial lamb on it, God passed them over. Similarly, it doesn’t really matter who you are either. When you choose Christ and put your faith in Him, His blood causes God’s judgement to pass over you as well.
The Israelites were instructed to commemorate this Passover Meal each year in order to remember and pass on to future generations the story of the night that God delivered them from bondage. God broke the power of the Egyptians and set them free, and the Passover meal stood as a lasting reminder of that fact. By sacrificing that lamb and spreading its blood on the doorposts, they were CHOOSING to go with God rather than remain in bondage to the Egyptians. Because of this blood, they were set free from slavery to the Egyptians and could follow God wherever He leads. Commemorating this choice each year through the Passover Meal was vitally important. We read in the following chapters of Exodus that the Israelites were going to need every reminder they could get if they were going to keep choosing God instead of something else. Time and again, we read about how they failed to do so.
For us, this choice was made at our baptism. When we put on Jesus in baptism, we CHOSE through faith, to go with God rather than remain in bondage to sin. In a similar way to Israel, we are set free from sin because of our faith and can follow God wherever He leads. Commemorating this choice each week through this meal of remembrance is vitally important. Before we get too down on Israel for failing to consistently choose God as they wandered the desert, let’s be honest with ourselves and recognize that we also fail to consistently choose God – and we get this remembrance meal every week! I don’t have to remember all the way back to the last Passover meal. I simply have to remember back to last Sunday!
So, in this remembrance meal, and with this blood of Jesus, let us be mindful not only of Jesus and the sacrifice that He made. Let us remember that we CHOSE to follow Him and trust in His blood for our own passover. May this meal also help us to KEEP CHOOSING God in the midst of our wandering this week.
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 6:15-23
Paul is continuing to build the argument that he has been working on through several of these chapters. Ultimately, that argument will be that Christians have it better! In the first half of chapter six, Paul focused on the freedom that Christians enjoy. In this half of the chapter, he shifts gears and explores how Christians have it better through this idea of slavery.
Like he often does, Paul is exploring this idea by working within a dual-option reality. He sets up these two options as the two main options available to everyone. Either you are a slave to sin or you are a slave to righteousness. Speaking to Christians, Paul is assuming that the reader has *chosen* to be a slave to righteousness, even if they might not have heard it in these terms before.
There is one major concept that we need to know in order to fully appreciate what Paul is doing in this section. For us — 21st century Americans — we can have a hard time thinking of ourselves in terms of slavery, especially 1st century notions of slavery. So, let me back up a little bit and build in some context.
In the first century, most Jews held firmly to a concept some scholars call “apocalyptic thinking.” For them, history is divided into two ages: “the present age” and “the age to come.” The present age is dominated by sin, Gentiles, and Satan. The age to come will be marked by God vindicating himself and his people, banishing evil, and establishing his eternal kingdom.
We find this sort of language all over Paul’s writing: – Ephesians: Paul contrasts “the present age” with “the one to come” – Corinthians: Paul refers to “the rulers of this age” and “the god of this age” – Galatians: Paul says we are living in “the present evil age.”
But the coming of Jesus has changed all of that! Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the “new age” has been inaugurated. God’s “new kingdom” has arrived. YET – this present evil age hasn’t come to an end, and the new age isn’t yet present in its full and final form. Evil and sin still exist, and believers have not yet been made perfect. We give our lives to God and align ourselves with the new age, but we still live in a world dominated by the old age and we feel the effects and contamination of sin in our lives.
So, how should we read these passage that seem to setup a choice between two options? It is a tension that Paul himself is navigating in these verses. Paul goes back and forth between verses that indicate God has accomplished our break with sin: – v2: We are dead to sin – v6: our old self was crucified with Jesus – v11: we are dead to sin but alive to God – v13: we’ve been brought from death to life – v14: sin shall not be your master – v18: we are set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness – v22: we are set free from sin and have become slaves to God
Yet Paul also sprinkles in statements that command us to stay away from “old age” thinking: – v12: Do not let sin reign – v13: do not offer the parts of your body to sin… offer yourselves to God – v19: offer the parts of your body in slavery to righteousness
So, which is it? Has God conquered? Or do we need to still be wary of sin in our lives?
I think one of the keys to navigating this tension well is to realize that it is God who takes the initiative. Through grace, God acts to help his people, and then He asks for them to respond. Paul never calls on people to “wage a war against sin and hope that God will take their side and win the war for them.” That sounds ridiculous. But often, it’s what we actually tend to do. We have to remember that we are living in the middle of this tension between what God has already done and what we are supposed to do.
We are pretty good at avoiding “legalism” because we’ve had that one drilled into us for quite some time. But there is a soft version of legalism that sneaks under our radar. It looks like this: we can obey God or even make Him happy on our own. We chide ourselves on how we failed yet again to live up to our idea of what God wants. Instead, we should be embracing God’s grace again today because He freely gives it!
When we embrace God’s grace and live our lives out of that mindset – then we truly become God’s children. Everything we do should be rooted in God’s grace. In fact, everything we do should serve to CHANNEL God’s grace toward everyone around us!
Before we swing too far to one side, though. Remember that we are working through this tension of new age and old age being present together. Leaning totally on the Grace end of the spectrum can start to look like some sort of “magical Christianity” where we don’t really have to put anything into it. “Let go and Let God” is the rallying cry of those who end up too far this direction. Don’t go so far toward Grace that you forget that God HAS commanded us to be a certain way and to act in certain ways.
You live in both ages, so you need to bake both kinds of mindsets into your faith walk. Paul will spend chapters 7 and 8 hashing it out further, but for now I think it is enough to notice that Paul agrees with James: Faith without works is dead. Live into the Grace of God and channel that Grace to everyone around you — but honor that gift of Grace by living a life that is obedient to God’s calling.
May God bless you as you seek to serve Him this week.
Note: This is the third of three sermons I preached this Summer in Japan.
In recent weeks, we have focused on how our prayers to God can become more relational. We’ve looked at many of the prayers that Paul includes in his letters, especially his “Thanksgiving Prayers.” They have helped deepen our understanding of prayer through his example to encourage others and show gratitude. As our relationship with God becomes deeper, we may even have times when we pray to change God’s mind. In Matthew 7:11, Jesus says, “ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask of him?”
Rooting our prayers in our relationship with God also helps protect us from praying for the wrong reasons. About 25 years ago, there was a book published in the United States titled “The Prayer of Jabez.” This book sold over 10 million copies and it’s main idea was that Christians should include a certain kind of prayer in their daily routine. The kind of prayer that this author was suggesting follows a format similar to a prayer found in the Old Testament.
First Chronicles chapter four is mainly concerned with documenting the names of a wide variety of the descendants of Judah. Most scholars agree that First and Second Chronicles were written after the Isrealites returned from exile, and so an accounting of each tribe’s descendants is an important part of the early chapters. But right in the middle of this list, the author takes a moment to single out this person named Jabez.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 reads, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, I gave birth to him in pain.’ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request.”
The author of the book published 25 years ago pointed to this verse and concluded, “…make the Jabez prayer for blessing part of the daily fabric of your life… By the end of that time, you’ll be noticing significant changes in your life.” This author also went on to say, “You start to pray for more ministry, and amazing things occur. As your opportunities expand, your ability and resources supernaturally increase, too. Right away you’ll sense the pleasure God feels in your request and His urgency to accomplish great things through you.”
Although this book became very popular and sold many copies, it also received a large amount of criticism. While we do make requests to God through prayer, approaching prayer as a way to increase our own happiness can easily be abused. This kind of thinking puts ourselves and our own needs at the center of our prayers to God. Again, presenting our requests before God through prayer is not a sinful practice. But making ourselves the center of our prayer life is a dangerous step to take.
Approaching prayer in this way can lead to a mechanistic view of God. Our Father in Heaven is a being with whom we should develop a relationship. He is not a vending machine waiting to dispense whatever would make us happy or successful. Our prayers should be offered with humility and submission to God’s will, not with an expectation that God will give us whatever we desire.
Approaching prayer in this way can also lead to a life characterized by consuming more and becoming entitled. God, in this skewed kind of thinking, becomes less about meeting my NEED and more about satisfying my GREED. Eventually, this sort of prayer life becomes like an addiction to asking. We end up believing that God will always say YES because we have not trained our appetites to say NO.
But before we go too far, let’s remember that the prayer of Jabez IS included in the Bible. Maybe there is some sort of lesson to be learned from it. When viewed with a more complete theology of prayer, the prayer of Jabez offers some valuable insight. A biblical theology of prayer includes not just what we are asking of God, but how we are asking too. Consider how Jesus discusses prayer in Luke 18:1-8:
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.
The widow prays often and she prays for justice. Jesus is teaching us something about how we pray through this parable. So what about the prayer of Jabez? What is going on with him? Let’s hear his prayer again, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”
Scholars remind us that Jabez is of the tribe of Judah. Elsewhere in Chronicles we read how the tribes of Simeon and Reuben pillaged the land of their enemies so that they could inhabit their territories. Those stories describe a process that could be violent and painful. So, it is possible that Jabez is actually pleading for God to protect him and help his people flourish without having to resort to violence.
Jabez prays “…and that you would keep me from hurt and harm.” The translation of this text could mean that Jabez isn’t praying for his own protection, rather that he wouldn’t be the one inflicting hurt and harm on others. Read this way, the prayer of Jabez becomes a powerful example for us. Jabez trusts in prayer more than he does in his own strength or power. He is submitting to God through prayer and asking for God’s help on behalf of his people, not for his own desires.
Just like Jabez, we enjoy the privilege of praying on behalf of our people. We pray for each other regularly, and that is an important part of our prayer lives. However, we are called to think in greater terms. Jabez was part of the tribe of Judah, and those tribes and clans were based on physical relationships. Either you were descended from Judah or you were not. As Christians, our ties are not based on physical relations. Our ties are found rooted in God’s Spirit. We are a spiritual family. We are bound together in the Love of Christ.
Since our family is defined by the Holy Spirit, it can include anyone who has the same Spirit in their lives. We aren’t limited to only including those who were born into our tribe. We can welcome people into our tribe regardless of where they are from!
Yes, we can pray the prayer of Jabez asking for God’s blessing on behalf of other Christians. But unlike Jabez, we also get to ask God to lead other people to join us in this walk of faith in our savior Jesus! This gift of forgiveness and becoming part of the family of God is not limited only to those who have a certain ancestor. It is freely available to anyone who puts their faith in the saving power of our loving Father.
That’s why Paul can pray in Colossians 4:3, “At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ.” And even more directly in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, “Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you.”
As we grow deeper in relationship with God, we are shaped by His Spirit. Gradually, His desires become our desires as well. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 declares that, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” As Christians, we have the joy of participating in God’s desire. We should make sure that our prayers reflect that as well.
Note: This is the second of three sermons I preached in Japan this Summer.
Two weeks ago, I encouraged us all to become more relational when we pray to God. Following Paul’s example, prayer can result in a deeper relationship with God and prayer can also draw us closer to each other. We should spend significant time praying for the foundational parts of our inner Christian life instead of allowing our prayers to always be about the outward, visible parts of our walk with Jesus.
It is desirable that we focus much of our prayer life on those foundational parts of our Christian walk, but we cannot forget that God still wants us to pray for specific requests as well. It is good when we seek God’s intervention for the struggles present in our lives. As we learn to speak with our heavenly Father in more relational ways, it is only natural for us to express our desires and wishes to Him as well.
Many times, when we present our requests to God, we ask for Him to do something. It might be that we ask Him to intervene for us. It might be that we ask Him to intervene for someone else. In either case, we are usually asking God for something that hasn’t happened yet. Sometimes we pray for God to move in some way, but that prayer seems to go unanswered. In that case, we usually think about it in one of two ways.
Our first thought might be that God is planning on giving us what we are asking for, but the timing is not right. When we recognize that God has better knowledge than we do, we are able to wait with patience for the answer to our prayers. Patience, you may remember, is one of the fruits of the Spirit’s work in our lives, and waiting on God is a common theme in the Bible. Abraham, Moses, and David all experienced significant periods of waiting for God to act.
Our second thought on unanswered prayer is where I want to focus on today. That thought might look something like this: God, I earnestly want this. Please change this thing in my life. If it is your will, I am begging you to act in this way. — If these prayers go unanswered long enough, we might even start to think in terms of praying for God to change His mind.
But, we need to consider this question: Does God change His mind? As your prayer life grows more relational, this question becomes more and more important. It is a pivotal question to ask, because how we answer this question has great impact on the way that we pray.
So, does God change His mind? Some would say “No. God does not change His mind.” There are four Old Testament texts that suggest God does not change his mind:
In Numbers 23:18-19 God tells Balaam to deliver this message to Balak:
“Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor.
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
In Malachi’s prophecy against Israel for breaking the Covenant, God tells the people:
“‘I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
And in Psalm 110, David writes that: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind.”
そして詩篇110篇で、ダビデはこう書いています。
詩 110:4 【主】は誓い、そしてみこころを変えない。
And yet… let’s consider the passage in 2 Kings 20:1-7:
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly…”
“…Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’” Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.
God seems totally affected by Hezekiah’s prayer. He sends Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that this illness would be fatal. After hearing Hezekiah’s prayer, however, God heals him and grants him 15 more years of life.
Hezekiah is not alone, either. What about Moses? Exodus 32:9-14 describes an incredible discussion between Moses and God:
“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?“ … and skipping down to verse 14 … “Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.”
In fact, there are at least 19 different texts which suggest that God could change His mind. Consider Jesus himself, in the garden, praying earnestly that God would change His mind and take the cup of crucifixion away from Him. Or, why would Paul repeatedly plead with God to remove the thorn in his flesh if he didn’t believe that God could change His mind and do so.
It seems clear that God *does* change His mind. In fact, we can tell from these stories that God is not reluctant to change His mind! I think this is possible because of our relationship with Him. God eagerly desires to know His people intimately. He further desires that His people intimately know Him as well. God wants this relationship to be so authentic that we are able to challenge him in prayer and be able to beg Him for something different to happen in the world.
Some would say that the way to change God’s mind through prayer is to live righteously.
では、神の心を変えるには何が必要でしょうか。
祈りを通して神の心を変えるには、神の義にかなった生き方をすることだと言う人もいるでしょう。
In Isaiah 1:15, God tells the Israelites that:
“When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!”
Or for a more positive example, we could turn to James 5:16 and read:
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
We can definitely say that yes, living righteously is an important part of it. But there are kings who are *not* righteous who have their prayers answered.
Jeroboam was a bad king by all accounts. In 1 Kings 13, Jeroboam’s hand was miraculously shriveled up when he tried to have the Man of God arrested. Yet:
“Then the king said to the man of God, ‘Intercede with the Lord your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.’ So the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.”
In 2 Kings 13, we are told that Jehoahaz did evil in the eyes of the Lord as did Jeroboam, and it caused the Lord to burn against the people through oppression from their neighbor, Aram. But in verses 4 and 5 we read:
“Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel. The Lord provided a deliverer for Israel, and they escaped from the power of Aram. So the Israelites lived in their own homes as they had before.”
Even King Ahab, who was the worst king of them all, received favorable attention from God. After Ahab seizes Naboth’s vineyard for himself, God sends Elijah with a message of personal destruction for Ahab and his whole family. Then we come to 1 Kings 21:27-29:
“When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ‘Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.’”
There are many reasons to live righteously. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of our prayers will be answered. The reverse is true as well, though! The fact that our prayers may go unanswered certainly does not have to mean that we have done something wrong.
So, what does it take to change God’s mind if it can’t be fully explained by living a righteous life? Well, some people might suggest that we should keep praying because there is power in prayer.
To that, I can definitively say there is NO power in prayer. Prayer is simply the means through which power is requested. The power belongs to the One who can answer our prayer! It’s not about saying the right words or having the right habits. We cannot approach prayer as a kind of formula which depends on us asking in the right way. That comes dangerously close to trying to manipulate God.
Scholars have noted that many of the answered prayers we have considered this morning contain strong emotion. Hezekiah wept bitterly. Ahab tore his clothes and went around meekly. Jesus prayed with such emotion that sweat drops of blood appeared.
Now, I am not saying that crying will automatically get us what we want. But this point does remind us that we don’t simply approach God with only our minds. We approach God with our hearts as well. After all, if we are learning to interact with Him in a more relational way, then we will naturally be praying with all of our heart, mind, and soul.
Ultimately, that is how we change God’s mind. He eagerly desires to walk alongside us in this life. God is ready and willing to shower His blessings and protection upon us as we seek to grow deeper in relationship with Him. Prayer is a big part of that process. As we come to rely on God more and more in our lives, we will naturally want to share our whole being with Him – including our wants and desires. And since He is the most loving of fathers, He will naturally want to interact with those wants and desires in genuine and tangible ways.
Note: This is the first of three sermons I preached while in Japan this Summer.
クリスチャンの祈り ﾛｰﾏ1:8-10
This morning I would like to spend some time thinking about prayer. As Christians, we know that we are supposed to pray often. Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to “pray continually, giving thanks in all circumstances.” Philippians 4:6 says that “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Colossians 4:2 says it even stronger, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Scripture encourages us to pray when we are in distress, to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other, to pray that we will resist temptation, and even to pray for the welfare of our enemies. There are many kinds of prayers. Yet, even with all of these reminders, I still wonder if we truly understand why we pray.
Sometimes it’s hard to know what we are supposed to be praying for. If we know someone with a medical issue, we know we should pray for them. If someone is struggling with a sin and they ask for our help, we know how to pray for them. If there is some sort of physical need like money or a job, we know what that prayer should look like. But is there a deeper reason to pray? How do we pray when there isn’t a specific need to pray about? Can we simply sit before God in the morning just to nurture a relationship? Maybe there are ways to pray that are less about asking for God’s action and more about getting to know God better himself?
Paul records a number of prayers in his letters. In some of them, he is asking that the people who received the letter experience a deeper relationship with the Father.
“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.”
In this prayer, Paul is asking God to give the Christians in Ephesus a spirit of wisdom and revelation and that the eyes of their hearts might be enlightened. He seeks for them real knowledge of our true hope and that they would experience the riches of their inheritance among the saints. Ultimately, Pauls wants them to know the immeasurable greatness of God’s power.
“And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.”
For the Christians in Philippi, Paul asks that their love may overflow with knowledge and insight. He wants them to remain blameless on the day of Christ and he is hoping that their lives will produce a harvest of righteousness
“For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.”
For the faithful in Colosse, Paul wants them to develop knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding as they lead lives worthy of the Lord. That way they will bear fruit in every good work and grow in knowledge of God.
Paul focuses on what happens on the inside, which ultimately produces fruit on the outside.
パウロは、内面の成長に焦点を当てています。それが最終的に、外面に実を結ぶからです。
Paul’s prayers sound a little bit like the ones we pray for our children. In a sense, they are. These are new Christians who are just taking their first baby steps along the path that follows Jesus. His prayers are about a person’s foundation. They aren’t prayers that something would happen *to* someone, but that something would start happening *within* them.
Let’s take a closer look at a very specific kind of prayer that Paul likes to include in his letters.
パウロが手紙の中で好んで用いた具体的な祈りの例を見てみましょう。
Romans 1:8-10
“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, asking that by God’s will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you.”
“I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.”
ｴﾍﾟｿ1:16
1:16 あなたがたのために絶えず感謝をささげ、あなたがたのことを覚えて祈っています。
Philippians 1:3-5
“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.”
ﾋﾟﾘﾋﾟ1:3-5
1:3 私は、あなたがたのことを思うごとに私の神に感謝し、
1:4 あなたがたすべてのために祈るごとに、いつも喜びをもって祈り、
1:5 あなたがたが、最初の日から今日まで、福音を広めることにあずかって来たことを感謝しています。
Colossians 1:3
“In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
“We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly”
1ﾃｻﾛﾆｹ1:2
1:2 私たちは、いつもあなたがたすべてのために神に感謝し、祈りのときにあなたがたを覚え
2 Thessalonians 1:3
“We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing.”
“When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus.”
ﾋﾟﾚﾓﾝ1:4
1:4 私は、祈りのうちにあなたのことを覚え、いつも私の神に感謝しています。
Each of these prayers comes right at the very beginning of these letters. Scholars who study Paul’s letters call this his Thanksgiving Section. He always starts his letters with a prayer of thanks.
Is this just a normal way of writing letters in the first century? Probably not. One major scholar studied other letters from the Greco-Roman world of Paul to see the conventions that influenced him. Those letters DO NOT have a thanksgiving section. This seems to be a trademark thing of Paul.
Notice how personal this is. “When I pray, I think about you.” “When I give thanks, I thank God for you.” Think about how affirming this would be if you were to receive a letter like this. It’s important to know that someone out there cares about you and that they know you by name. This might be a great way to start if you are a person who is learning to pray. Start with gratitude. Then include people.
Even Christians who have been praying for years and years sometimes feel stuck when it comes to prayer. It’s hard to pray. And we feel like we are missing out on something because we aren’t praying well. Sometimes we feel stuck praying because we have been praying for the same thing over and over and not much happens. Often we choose to pray less often because it becomes so routine and we want our prayers to be meaningful instead.
When we feel ungrateful, pray for others. When we feel stuck in prayer, express gratitude. Find ways to approach God’s throne on behalf of those around us. Seek to pray about those foundational things for ourselves and for others. Find time to spend alone with God, guiding your relationship with Him deeper and deeper.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. ~ John 14:1-14
This text is frequently read at funerals, and for good reason.
It contains promises that are profoundly comforting in the face of the death of a loved one. But this text is not only about life after death, this is a text that has everything to do with our lives here and now.
The setting is Jesus’ farewell address at his last supper with his disciples.
Jesus has washed his disciples’ feet and has explained to them what this means (13:1-20).
He has foretold his betrayal by Judas, and Judas has slipped out into the night (13:21-30).
He has told his disciples that he will be with them only a little while longer, and that where he is going, they cannot come (13:33).
He has also foretold Peter’s imminent denial (13:36-38).
No wonder the disciples are troubled. Their beloved teacher is leaving them, one of their own has turned against them, and the leader among the disciples is said to be on the cusp of a great failure of loyalty. It is as though the ground is shifting beneath their feet.
Jesus responds to the anxiety of his disciples by saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me” (14:1). Jesus calls them back to this fundamental relationship of trust and assures them that he is not abandoning them. Rather, he is returning to his Father, which is good news for them.
In speaking of his ascension to the Father, Jesus assures his disciples that this is also their destination. There are many dwellings in his Father’s house, and he goes to prepare a place for them, so that they will be with him and dwell with him in his intimate relationship with the Father (14:2-3).
When Jesus says that they know the way to the place where he is going (14:4), Thomas, like most characters in the Gospel, takes Jesus quite literally. He wants directions, a road map to this place (14:5). Jesus responds by saying that he himself is the way: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (14:6).
Unfortunately, this verse has often been used as a trump card, or worse, as a threat, to tell people that they better get with the program and “accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior” in order to be saved. To interpret the verse this way is to rip it from its context and do violence to the spirit of Jesus’ words.
This statement by Jesus is a promise, a word of comfort to his disciples. Jesus himself is all they need; there is no need to panic, no need to search desperately for a secret map. Jesus adds, “If you know me, you will know my Father also” (14:7a).
The conditional phrase in Greek is a condition of fact, meaning that the condition is understood to be true: “If you know me (and you do), you will know my father also.” So that there can be no misunderstanding, Jesus adds, “From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (14:7b).
This time it is Philip who is not quite convinced. “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied” (14:8). Jesus’ response contains perhaps a hint of exasperation: “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (14:9).
Here Jesus echoes an affirmation from the prologue of John’s Gospel: “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known” (1:18). This is the whole of Jesus’ earth ministry, to make known the Father, to reveal who God is. Jesus, who has come from the Father and is now returning there, is the fullest revelation of the person and character of God. If we want to know who God is, we need look no further than Jesus. All the words that Jesus has spoken, all the works that he has done, come from God and show us who God is (14:10-11).
This passage has everything to do with life here and now because Jesus entrusts his mission to his disciples. “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it” (14:13-14).
Yet here is where Jesus’ promise becomes a little hard to swallow. Greater works than these? Really, Jesus? Greater works than healing the blind and raising the dead? And you will do whatever we ask in your name?
We have all known the pain of praying for healing that did not come, of feeling powerless in the face of disease and death. How can these promises be true?
Perhaps our problem is that in hearing these promises, we expect to do these greater works in the same way that Jesus did them — with miraculous power that instantly solves the problem at hand. Yet even miracles are not guaranteed to produce faith. Many in John’s Gospel who witness the “signs” that Jesus performs have trouble seeing the work of God right before their eyes.
Toward the end of John’s Gospel, Thomas sees the risen Lord and confesses, “My Lord and my God!” (20:28). Jesus responds, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” This is not so much a scolding for Thomas as a blessing for us who have not seen and yet believe, however feeble our believing may seem.
Jesus promises to be with us through the power of the Spirit, to work in and through us to accomplish his purposes in the world. This does not necessarily happen in easily visible, spectacular ways.
Yet wherever there is healing, reconciling, life-giving work happening, this is the work of God. Wherever there is life in abundance, this is Jesus’ presence in our midst.
“No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known” (1:18). Jesus has made known to us the heart of God, and he has entrusted this mission of “making known” to us.
Think about who you interact with every day. Do you see Jesus working there? Maybe you have a friend who is going through some discouraging things right now. Could Jesus be showing you an opportunity to lift them up? Maybe there is someone who everyone seems to overlook, but you have a chance to include them in what you are doing. Might that be Jesus tapping on your shoulder?
Where might we see Jesus’ work and presence in our midst? How might we show others the very heart of God? Ask God to help you recognize how you can show His heart to others.
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
~ Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
In these early chapters of Romans, Paul is working his way through the issue of faith versus works. To help build his case he wants to take a look at Abraham in order to help us see the issue a little clearer.
The Jews put ALOT of emphasis on Abraham being their Father. They took pride in the fact that they were his descendants, and as such inherited these awesome promises from God. Scholars have pointed out that in many Jewish writings, especially from the first century, it was obvious that the Jews held up Abraham as not just their ancestor but also as a model of faithfulness to the law.
But Paul wants to draw some lines here.
He starts by quoting Genesis 15 — “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” A crucial phrase in this verse is “credited to him as righteousness”, but what does that mean? Some interpreters think that this phrase is trying to say that Abraham’s faith WAS a form of righteousness. In other words, Abraham believing God was in some way itself a righteous act. But Paul doesn’t say it that way. He says that Abraham was “credited” with righteousness. Without becoming overly technical, it is a way to say that Abraham is given a righteousness that does not inherently belong to him. When Abraham believed God, God granted him the status of “righteousness”.
Paul want to make sure we are clear on this, so he continues to explain in detail using the illustration about wages and gifts. This is a little confusing to our ears because of the phrasing that Paul uses, but one commentator laid it out this way:
When we “work,” an employer pays us wages not “as a gift” but “as an obligation”.
God is a God of grace, who always gives freely and without constraint. He can never be “obligated” to any person.
Therefore, God cannot “credit” human beings anything on the basis of their “works”.
The keys to understanding this correctly are the ideas of “gift” and “justifying the ungodly”. Paul insists throughout all of his letters that God’s grace is a gift. That one is pretty easy to get. This bit about God justifying the ungodly, though. We need to be careful about that one. One way many people have mis-applied this passage is to read that and come away thinking, “oh, I can do whatever I want!” It seems to suggest that Christians are “off the hook” going forward. After all, if Christ has already pleased God in our place, is it really all that important that we continue to please God as well in our day to day?
Paul will actually address that in more detail in Chapter 6, but for right now we just need to remember that you can’t take this snippet of a verse in a vacuum. Paul does argue that God makes us right with Him before we ever stop sinning, but he also says that God “regenerates” us and “sanctifies” us and causes His Spirit to dwell in us as well. God transforms us from within! This is how Paul (the faith guy) can agree with James (the works guy). A genuine Christian will always reveal the inward transformation through outward signs of a new life of obedience.
In verses 13-17, Paul restates the truth about Abraham’s righteousness. Then he takes it one step further. Remember, most Jews during Paul’s day taught that Abraham’s stature and role meant that he was in effect being obedient to the law of Moses. Paul wants to make clear that this ISN’T the case. First of all, Abraham preceded the law by more than 400 years. Paul will lean into this fact more in Galatians 3, but here in Romans, Paul sticks with the core meaning in the text. The promise to Abraham did not come because anyone obeyed the law, but “through the righteousness that comes by faith.” In other words, the promises of God come because of faith.
And here’s that next step Paul is taking. Paul says the promises apply to ALL of Abraham’s offspring. When God says to Abraham, “I have made you the father of many nations” he meant it in the physical sense. Abraham’s descendants will become Israelites, Ishmaelites, Edomites, Amalekites, Kenizzites, Midianites and Assyrians (among others). But Paul is saying that God meant that Abraham would be the father of many nations in a spiritual sense as well. In that sense, if we have the same faith that Abraham had, we are part of his spiritual offspring. And as part of his offspring, we can participate in the promises of God! So, FAITH IS A BIG DEAL for Paul.
Here are three big takeaways:
FIRST – Faith is distinct from the law. The law is something you DO. Faith, by contrast, is an ATTITUDE. It is a posture that we take that expresses a willingness to receive the GIFT that God wants to give us. In our world today, we measure everything with some form of achievement. Everything we do in school seems to be either graded, timed, or measured in some fashion. It doesn’t get much better when you get out into the work-world either. What title do you have, how many contracts did you sign, how many deadlines have you met, have you been promoted faster than your co-workers. Even our personal lives are achievement oriented. Do I have the latest electronic device? How many followers do I have on social media? How big is my bank account or how flashy is my car or how many rooms does my house have…. It goes on and on! We are so accustomed to living this sort of life that it can creep into our thinking when it comes to our relationship with God, too. Maybe that relationship has started to become based on what we are doing for Him instead of on what He has done for us.
SECOND – Faith itself has no power. Instead, the power comes from the one in whom we place our faith. Abraham recognized God as the one who has the power to deliver on His promises. It wasn’t Abraham’s faith that had that power, but it was the God in whom that faith believed who does. Sarah was barren. They had no children and they were already getting old and well-past the time when children were to be expected. Yet, God promised Abraham a son and Abraham believed He could do it. And He did. You and I with our faith really don’t have the power. Instead, we look to the power of God to fulfill the promises that He has made.
THIRD – Faith is based on God’s Word. It is not based on the evidence gathered through our senses. Again, Abraham had no reason to think that he would ever have a son – except that God SAID HE WOULD. Even when we don’t see how in the world God is going to pull this off, we remain strong in our faith that He will. Abraham was put to the test a little later when God ordered him to take Isaac (that son that was promised) and offer him as a sacrifice. Even then, Abraham had faith that God could still keep His Word and fulfill the promises. Having passed the test, God rescinds the order and provides a ram to sacrifice instead. Some people have described Faith as “a leap in the dark” but this isn’t really accurate. Abraham didn’t blindly or arbitrarily put his faith in God. Abraham had God’s word to hold on to even when it wasn’t clear how that word was going to work out. We have God’s word written in Scripture. We also have God’s living Word in the person of Jesus. We even have God’s Spirit dwelling inside us and if we listen He will guide our steps.
Faith can be hard to hold on to. Jesus talks about the Gospel being like seeds scattered. Some lands on good soil and grows. But some lands on rocky ground and the faith that grows initially doesn’t have deep roots and withers away when things get hard. Some lands among thorns and while their faith tries to grow strong, it gets choked out by worries and chasing after worldly things. Some seed lands on the path and is snatched away quickly. So, yes — do the things. Tend your soil. Take out the rocks. Get rid of the thorns and weeds. Do the things you need to in order that your faith has a chance to grow. But remember that ultimately what really matters is who you place that faith in to begin with.
Receive His gift of grace. Recognize that the power belongs to God. Remember to listen to His Word wherever you find it.
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
~ Matthew 4:12-23
This passage, which comes after Jesus’s baptism and testing in the wilderness, starts with Jesus receiving the news about John the Baptist’s imprisonment. At first glance, it might appear that Jesus is withdrawing to Galilee because he wants to avoid the same fate. In reality, Jesus is heading into the center of the storm — not away from it. Galilee is where we find Tiberias, the city that Herod was building on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Pilate rules for Rome down in Jerusalem, but Herod calls the shots in Galilee, and it was Herod that John had upset so much.
Matthew reminds us of the true reason that Jesus returned to this region. This fulfills the prophecy found in Isaiah Chapter 9. More than just fulfilling where Jesus was going to appear, the prophecy gives us some insight into how Jesus would appear. Isaiah describes it as people who live in darkness suddenly seeing a great light. He even describes it as a “land of the shadow of death.” This is metaphorical, of course. This region of Galilee is some of the most beautiful land in all of Israel. The waters of the lake are clear, the valley around the lake is mild and pleasant for much of the year, and an abundance of streams join with the Jordan River to provide optimal conditions for raising both crops and livestock.
For many in Israel, though, the land has indeed turned dark. After the Northern Kingdom of Israel was decimated by Assyria many years before, they never returned. In fact, Assyria brought Gentiles from other places and settled them in the land. The Southern Kingdom of Judah and Benjamin survived Babylonian exile and returned to reform Israel in Jerusalem again, but in Galilee things were not so easy. For the Jews in Jerusalem, Galilee seemed a very Gentile sort of place and darkness was one of the ways they described it.
The text goes on to say that Galilee is where Jesus chose to begin His public ministry. Preaching a message of repentance, Jesus tells anyone who will listen that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. In some ways, this sentence feels like a summary or transition to the verses that come next. Matthew tells us that Jesus approaches two sets of brothers while they practice their livelihood of fishing. We can get a little caught up in guessing what it must have been like to leave their boats, their nets, their jobs, and immediately join Jesus when he calls them. However, if we aren’t careful, we can lose sight of the real focus of the story. Through these interactions, Matthew is trying to tell us something about Jesus. It isn’t apparent in Matthew’s telling, but scholars indicate that these brothers knew who Jesus was before that fateful morning on the shoreline. He had been in Galilee for some time speaking in the synagogue and healing people. So, when He showed up on the shore and called out to Peter, Andrew, James, and John, they were able to give themselves to the Kingdom in an immediate way. They join Him in the work which they see that He is already doing.
Jesus still calls today. Jesus calls these two sets of brothers and they immediately follow him. They drop everything and commit to going wherever He goes and doing whatever He needs them to do. Are we supposed to do the same? One commentator reminds us that this episode is a particular call for a particular task. Not everyone is called to drop their nets and be in full time ministry. One example is of another disciple, Joseph of Arimathea. He may not be one of the Twelve, but he is a believer and follower. He retains his profession, his status, and his wealth, and is able to use them in a precious moment of need for Jesus at the time of His crucifixion. Whatever you choose as your profession, whether it is full-time ministry or anything else, you can do it in a way that announces Jesus. I can’t reach a non-Christian police officer as well as a Christian officer can. I certainly can’t navigate the complex world of corporate finance as effectively as one who lives in that world day in and day out. The people in every vein of life need to hear that the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near, and they are most likely to listen to someone who shares their experiences.
With my background in the Churches of Christ, I haven’t had a great deal of exposure to more ecumenical things such as the Liturgical Calendar. I am, however, awakening to many of the ways such things can be useful in our faith walk. This passage is included in the liturgical calendar, particularly for the Third Sunday after Epiphany (The Great Announcement of Jesus to the World), because it marks a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry: the beginning of his public life and proclamation of the Kingdom of God in Galilee. This passage highlights Jesus’ call to discipleship, his teaching, and his healing ministry, signifying the dawn of God’s reign and the fulfillment of prophecy.
Here are six ways that Jesus is announced to the world in this short passage:
This passage announces Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy. Matthew 4:12-16 connects Jesus’ move to Galilee with the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2, which spoke of a great light dawning in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This passage underscores the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and the arrival of the Messiah. This passage announces the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry. He begins teaching and preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing people. It’s a crucial turning point in his life and the beginning of his mission to bring God’s reign to earth. This passage announces Jesus’s call to discipleship. Peter, Andrew, James, and John, hear His call and decide to follow him. This emphasizes the importance of discipleship and the call to participate in the Kingdom of God. This passage announces the themes of repentance and the Kingdom. Jesus’ preaching in Galilee focuses on repentance and the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven. This theme of repentance and the call to turn towards God is central to Christian faith and is highlighted in the liturgical calendar. This passage announces Jesus’s focus on healing and compassion. Jesus’ ministry is characterized by compassion and healing, as he demonstrates God’s power to restore and redeem. This emphasizes the importance of compassion, mercy, and the healing power of God’s presence. This passage announces the dawn of God’s reign. Matthew 4:12-23 portrays the beginning of God’s reign in a tangible way through Jesus’ actions and teachings. It reminds Christians of the ongoing reality of God’s kingdom and the call to live in accordance with its principles. In essence, Matthew 4:12-23 provides a powerful foundation for the Christian faith and is a fitting passage to be included in this season of Epiphany as a reminder of Jesus’ mission, the dawn of God’s reign, and the call to discipleship. As we consider the beginnings of Jesus’ public ministry and our own journeys of faith during this season of Epiphany, consider the ways that you announce the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. I’m not talking primarily about your words, although words are important. Instead, how does your LIFE announce the presence of this Kingdom of Heaven?
Take a little bit of time to look inward, and a little bit of time to look outward. Look inside and try to identify one way that you announce Jesus with your daily life. It could be the way you conduct yourself at work or school. It could be how you intentionally handle your finances in order to be ready to provide when someone is in need. In so many ways each day, we have opportunity to announce the coming of Jesus in the way that we live. After meditating on this for a bit, take a look outward and think of one person in your life who could use a little more Kingdom of Heaven. In what way could you be intentional in your interactions with them to bring them a little closer to the Kingdom? Again, this is not necessarily done with words. God’s light shines through you and out into the darkness all around through every part of your being. People around you will notice! Then, when you do have the opportunity to speak in a meaningful way to someone, the Kingdom will have already drawn them to respond.
Spend some time in prayer thanking God for one way your life announces the Kingdom of Heaven, and then ask Him to give you an opportunity this week to interact in a more meaningful way with the person you thought of.
Fowlers in Japan 