Author: Wes White

The Restoration of Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:1–20)

Post author By Wes White
Post date January 20, 2021
No Comments on The Restoration of Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:1–20)

[Listen to an audio version of this sermon here]

As we begin a new year, it’s easy to look back and see our failures. We may look back and see that we’ve really blown it. We may look back and find that we’ve wasted so much time or even done worthless or evil things. How do we deal with the guilt and sense of less? More importantly, how do we move forward and begin moving in the right direction? That’s what the Bible is all about! Today, we consider the story of Manasseh who lived 2,600 years ago. His story can still encourage us and empower us to move forward from wherever we are.

Two Key Background Notes
There are two important things to note in order to understand King Manasseh’s story. The first is that he came from good stock. His father was Hezekiah. He was one of the best kings Israel or Judah ever had. 2 Kings 18:5 tells us, “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.” He removed the idols. He restored the temple worship. He celebrated the Passover. He led the people back to the Lord. He trusted the Lord in all things. He worked diligently for the justice and defense of the people. There was no king quite like him.

The second thing was the Assyrian threat. The nation of Assyria formed an empire that conquered the nations around them and brutally subjugated them to its will. This was the first of a series of empires in the Middle East: Assyria then Babylon then Persia then Greece and finally Rome.

Hezekiah had to deal with the Assyrian threat. At one point, Jerusalem was surrounded by a huge Assyrian army. Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. The Lord sent an angel to wipe out much of the Assyrian army. The Assyrian king, Sennacharib returned to Nineveh in disgrace, and two of his sons killed him.

The key thing I want you to note here is that Hezekiah lived in a very anxious time in which his life and kingdom was threatened. Anxiety is not in itself sin. It is the emotion that leads us to prepare for threats. The question is what we do with it? Do we seek the Lord, or do we seek our own solution? We seek our own solution to anxiety in two ways. We either withdraw from life or press forward to find our own solution without seeking God. So, the question that confronts us here is, what do we do with the challenges of life? What do we do with the anxiety of life? Do we seek to solve it ourselves or go to God with it?

The question for Hezekiah was, what would he do in this anxious time? Would he turn to his own strength? Would he seek out the gods of the nations around him? Would he seek the Lord? Would he rely on his God?

Hezekiah let his anxiety lift his heart to the Lord. In Hezekiah’s case, he responded to anxiety by seeking the God of his ancestors. In this way, he prospered.

Manasseh’s Awful Reign
The situation was very much the same when Manasseh took the throne. Assyria still threatened. Anxiety was still high. The question is, what would Manasseh do with it?

Whereas Hezekiah was one of the best kings, Manasseh was one of the worst. Listen to all the things that he did.

He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. . . . He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple . . . (2 Chronicles 33:2–4, 6–7).

In other words, he was really bad. The result of his bad leadership and example was that he led his nation into evil: “Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites” (2 Chron. 33:9). Things were getting very bad in Judah.

God did not let all this go without a response. “The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention” (2 Chron. 33:10). They added to all their sins the sin of rejecting God’s warnings.

Now, I want you to notice something here. Manasseh did the wrong things, terrible things. But why did he do all this? He was anxious about the Assyrian threat. He felt desperation to act based on the difficulty of his situation. While no doubt Manasseh should be condemned, there is also something that should elicit our compassion. Just like us, he was facing a very difficult situation. He was anxious. The question was, what would he do with this anxiety? He chose the wrong things in the extreme.

This year has been an anxious time, and this year promises more of the same. What will we do with it? Will we drown ourselves in things that make us escape from it all? Will we furiously try to solve things by our own power? Or, will we bring it before the Lord? This challenge is all based on our ability to see the big picture but also our inability to change most of it. We have to trust the Lord and respond in faith and then work out of that faith where God has put us. That is the proper response to anxious times.

Manasseh’s Wonderful Restoration
In spite of all he did to escape the Assyrian threat, seeking all sorts of gods and illicit guidance, what he feared finally fell upon him. “So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon” (2 Chron. 33:12). Assyria came in and captured him, most likely for not honoring them in the way they thought Manasseh should.

At this point, Manasseh finally listened. “In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors” (2 Chron. 33:12). He gave up on doing it himself and finding his own solution. He returned and sought the God of his fathers. His deep distress finally lifted him up to the Lord.

The Lord heard Manasseh in prison. “And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea” (2 Chron. 33:13a). God is always ready to move toward those who move toward Him. He is the gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love.

That’s why we should be encouraged. Whatever we’ve done, wherever we’ve been, however much we’ve failed, “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Is. 55:7). We should not let our past failures keep us from hope. The door is always open. God is ready to receive us.

Now, Manasseh had let the altar of the Lord deteriorate, but the altar of the Lord always pointed to the fact that whatever Israel or an Isrealite had done, there was atonement and forgiveness. That altar pointed forward to the cross. As often as we see our failures, we need to see the cross of Christ. It always beckons us to return, to confess our sins, and to find forgiveness and healing. Come unto me, whoever you are, wherever you are, Jesus says.

But this message should not only encourage us concerning ourselves. It should also encourage us as we think about other people. We all have those people who are Manassehs in our lives, people who knew the Lord and his ways but walked away from it. People who have gone in the totally wrong direction and need to return to the Lord. Let us not give up on them, and let us not give up praying for them.

After this, God “brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God” (2 Chron. 33:13b). God brought a great restoration in the life of Manasseh.

The restoration not only brought him back physically. It brought him back to where he needed to be in his heart. He started doing the right things. He began to do his duty as king. “Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel” (2 Chron. 33:16). He led the people in the right way.

And that’s what we can do, too. If we’ve been doing the wrong things, we don’t need to stay there. We can turn around. We need to turn the Lord and, then, by His grace, start doing the right things. That’s repentance.

What have you left undone that God is calling you to return to? Don’t let the past failures burden you. God is a God who restores. Go to Him and find a God who is gracious and compassionate. Then, go in his power to do what God has called you to do. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. Let all who seek the Lord be encouraged, for all those who seek will find Him. That’s the glorious lesson we can learn from King Manasseh. Amen.

Tags Anxiety, Assyria, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Restoration

Sermons

The Tragedy of King Asa (2 Chronicles 14–16)

Post author By Wes White
Post date January 14, 2021
No Comments on The Tragedy of King Asa (2 Chronicles 14–16)

[Listen to an audio version here]

It’s a new year. Even if you haven’t thought about it yet, you have a whole new year ahead of you to do good. Let’s not waste it.

As we turn to the book of 2 Chronicles, we find the stories of 20 kings of Judah and King Solomon. Each story is different. As the reign of each king began, they had a fresh start. Some had a godly father and a good example to follow. Others had an evil father and a terrible example to follow. At the beginning of each reign, each king had to ask, what am I going to do with my reign? “I am in charge,” they might say, “and I have responsibility to do something for my kingdom.” What would they do? A whole reign in front of them. How would they rule? A whole year in front of us, how will we live it?

The Background of Asa’s Story
The story of 2 Chronicles begins with a united kingdom of Israel under the reign of King Solomon. In many ways, the reign of Solomon was full of splendor and wonder. It was a brilliant reflection of the glory of the future reign of Jesus Christ.

On the other hand, Solomon’s reign had some real problems. It was oppressive and demanded a lot from the Israelites. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam took the throne. The people asked him to lighten their load. Rehoboam had a choice to make. The ball was now in his court. What would he do? How would he rule?

The older counselors from Solomon’s time urged him to listen to the people. The younger men with whom he had grown up with said that he should not. He listened to the younger men, and the result was that the northern tribes revolted from the house of David. Instead of one kingdom, there was now two. The northern kingdom was called Israel. The southern kingdom was called Judah. The house of David reigned over the land of Judah, and the book of 2 Chronicles tells the story of this kingdom from the reign of Rehoboam in the 10th century B.C. until the fall of the kingdom to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 587.

One thing Rehoboam had going for him was that he had the temple and the true worship of God. Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, set up an alternative temple with a golden calf and his own priesthood. As a result, many people emigrated from the norther kingdom, Israel, and came to live in the southern kingdom. We read, “They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time” (2 Chron. 11:17).

Then, things turned around. “After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord” (2 Chron. 12:1). The book of 2 Kings tells us that “Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. By the sins they committed they stirred up [God’s] jealous anger more than those who were before them had done” (1 Kings 14:22). So, Rehoboam had the temple and the true worship, but it did him no good because he did not embrace it with faith.

Rehoboam’s son Abijah reigned in his place. The book of 2 Chronicles does not make a pronouncement about him, but the book of 1 Kings tells us, “He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been” (1 Kings 15:3). Abijah and Rehoboam both did some things right, but their reigns were not characterized by seeking the Lord.

The Good Part of Asa’s Story
The next in line was Asa, the great grandson of King Solomon. What was Asa going to do? Would he go back to the ways of his Great-Great Grandfather David, or would he follow in the ways of Rehoboam and Abijah?

The name Asa means “doctor” or “healer,” and he brought healing to the land. “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God” (2 Chron. 14:2). Asa did what was right and good in the eyes of the Lord. What does that entail?

1. He devoted himself to the worship of God. “He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles” (2 Chron. 14:3). Because of the proliferation of idols in Judah, the temple of the Lord had fallen into disrepair. “[Asa] repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple” (2 Chron. 15:8). Note carefully that he repaired the altar. This was a recognition that they needed an atoning sacrifice to seek the Lord. Whenever we read of the temple, we need to think about Christ and His sacrifice because that is what it pointed to.

2. He devoted himself to the community of God. Notice that he did not simply think about himself. “He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands” (2 Chron. 14:4). When he repaired the temple, he gathered everyone together to renew their commitment to the Lord. “They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul” (2 Chron. 15:12).

3. He devoted himself to the duty given by God. He was called to be king. This meant he was supposed to lead the people in the right direction. He was also supposed to defend the nation from its enemies and give them deliverance. The land had rest from enemies during most of Asa’s reign, but he did not waste the time given to him. He said, “Let us build up these towns and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars” (2 Chron. 14:7). In addition, he equipped his army “with large shields and with spears . . . [and] with small shields and with bows” (2 Chron. 14:8). “So, they built and prospered” (2 Chron. 14:7).

4. He relied on the power of God. Even though he built up the army and built walls around the cities, he did not rely on them. Inevitably, an enemy came to attack Judah. In this case, it was Zerah, the Cushite, from Africa (2 Chron. 14:9). When the enemy came upon him, he prayed, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you” (2 Chron. 14:11). The Lord heard him, and “they were crushed before the LORD and his forces.” Asa had strength, but he relied on God as his ultimate hope.

At that point, God sent a prophet, Azariah son of Obed, to encourage Asa. He said, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him he will forsake you” (2 Chron. 15:2). What this meant was that Asa should not give up doing what He was doing. Even if they had sinned against the Lord, they could humble themselves and find grace and forgiveness. Asa was on the right track, so God told him through Azariah, “as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (2 Chron. 15:7).

The Tragedy of Asa’s Story
The words “do not give up” turned out to be rather poignant. Unfortunately, Asa’s very good start was not the end of the story. Asa did many more good things, so much so that the text can say that “he was committed to the Lord all his life.” Now, by “all his life,” the text clearly means, “consider the whole of his life.” At the end, Asa had a total breakdown. He did give up. What happened?

Baasha, King of Israel, began to prepare for war and stop people from emigrating to Judah. Asa began to feel anxiety. There is a close connection between anxiety and sin. Much of our sin is rooted in anxiety. Now, let me be clear here. There is nothing wrong with anxiety as such. Anxiety is the emotion we get in the face of a threat. The question is always, what do we do with our anxiety?

In this case, Asa did not turn to the Lord. Instead, he sought the help of Ben Hadad, King of Aram, modern day Syria. The result was apparently successful. Ben Hadad attacked, and Baasha withdrew. However, success is not always success. It is not enough to get the right result. We have to do it the right way. God sent Hanani the seer or prophet to him and said,

Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a might army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war (2 Chron. 16:7–9).

Asa had done so well, but he did not continue doing good unto the end.

After that, things got worse. Asa did not humble himself. At the end, Asa got a disease in his feet. Even this did not humble Asa, “Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians” (2 Chron. 16:12). Notice that it does not say that it was wrong for him to seek the physicians. Rather, it was wrong to seek the physicians and not “seek help from the Lord.” The next year, Asa died.

Lessons from Asa’s Story
What are we to make of this story? First, we should see these kings as pointers to Christ. David had intended to build a house for God’s name, but God had told him that his son Solomon would build the temple:

. . . you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever (2 Chron. 22:9–10).

Solomon did build the temple, but this passage clearly refers to someone greater. It refers to the one who will reign over the house of David forever, which Solomon did not. This passage ultimately refers to the one whom the angel announced to Mary as King whose kingdom would have no end. 2 Chron. 22:9–10 shows us the connection between these kings and the great future king, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The evil kings show us our need for a better king. The good kings show us something of the goodness of the reign of Christ but in their weakness and death make us long for that coming king.

Consider Christ in relation to Asa. Christ seeks the Lord all his life. Christ defends His people from enemies. Christ walks before the Father and seeks Him. Christ renews His people in the worship of the Lord. Christ provides an altar and a sacrifice for His people by sacrificing Himself. The good in King Asa points to Christ.

However, though Asa in some ways points to Christ, he also points to us. We need to learn lessons from him about how live our lives. What are they? First, are we committing to seeking the Lord? What labor and effort are we putting into our relationship with the Lord? Is it a priority? When we seek the Lord, we will be found by Him.

Second, are we walking in humility before the Lord? One thing that Asa should teach us is our need for humility. We are dependent on God. Even our seeking of God is dependent on God. We need His help. Are we relying on ourselves for success in our homes, our business, our finances, our work, our community, our politics, or are we walking before the Lord in humility and seeking his blessing? As the Psalmist puts it, we need to build the building but always remember that unless the Lord builds the house, he labors in vain who builds it.

Third, what are we doing with anxiety? Why did Asa fail to persevere in seeking the Lord? He let anxiety control him. Anxiety is inevitable, but what are we doing with it? Are we bringing it before the Lord? Are we seeking those who will encourage us? Or are we seeking our own solution to it independent from the Lord or simply withdrawing from life? We’ve got to watch our fears and keep them continually before the Lord.

Fourth and finally, are we letting good times and success go to our head? After we experience success over a long period of time, it’s easy to think we are the source of it. That’s what Asa did. Moses warned the people about this:

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God . . . You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today (Dt. 8:10–11a, 17–18).

If times are going well, if you are feeling like you’ve succeeded, watch out! You may forget the Lord your God. Hard times produce many temptations, but good times often produce many more.

And so, as we begin this new year, let us recommit ourselves to the Lord, to continue seeking him. Let us not grow weary in doing good, for we shall reap a harvest, if we do not give up.

Tags Asa, Chronicles, Kings, Perseverance, Seeking the Lord

Sermons

Josiah (2 Chronicles 34–35)

Post author By Wes White
Post date January 7, 2021
No Comments on Josiah (2 Chronicles 34–35)

[Note: you can listen to an audio version here]

It is a new year. We have the opportunity to start new. We have a whole year before us. Where should we focus our energies? Today, we go back 2,600 years to a king in the land of Judah, and we will learn what is most important. King Josiah gives us guidance on the most important resolutions we can make.

The Reign of King Josiah
Josiah was born into the royal household of the Jewish nation. The Jewish nation was the unique recipient of God’s revelation. They received the light from God so that they could be a light to the world.

That light had shown brightest under Israel’s two great kings: David & Solomon. Solomon’s reign involved some real problems, and Rehoboam, his heir, refused to do anything about them. As a result, the kingdom split in two. The northern kingdom was called Israel. The southern kingdom was called Judah. The book of Chronicles tells the story of the southern kingdom, Judah.

All of the kings of the northern kingdom did evil in the sight of the Lord. The kings of Judah were a mixed bag. Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh, was one of the worst. His father, Amon, was close behind. Amon followed the path of his father. They did not follow the Lord, and he turned to other gods. They did abominable things. The people got so fed up that they assassinated him. That was the legacy into which Josiah was born and in which he was raised.

Because Amon was so young when he died, Josiah became king at 8 years old. Josiah did not follow the path of his father. He took a different route. “In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David (2 Chron. 34:3).” Even though he was young, he devoted himself to the Lord. Still, the land was full of idols. You can imagine that this vexed his spirit. Eventually, he felt strong enough to make his move. “In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols” (2 Chron. 34:3b).

Because of the reign of his grandfather and father, the temple, the place where God had said He would dwell and meet with the people, had deteriorated. And so, Josiah put his heart and soul behind repairing the temple. “In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God” (2 Chron. 34:8). They began the work in earnest.

As they were repairing the temple, they found something very important.

While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan (2 Chron. 34:14–15).

“I have found the Book.” God had not only given the temple, He had given His very words to open up the keys to the universe and the way to eternal blessedness. In Judah, where it should have been valued as their greatest treasure, it had been lost.

They brought the book to the king and read it to him. When he heard it, he tore his clothes because he realized that they had departed from the Lord in so many ways and that the Lord had promised disaster if they took His name upon them and yet lived like the pagan nations around them. Josiah, however, humbled himself before the Lord.

The Lord responded by sending him a prophet. He said: “This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people” (2 Chron. 34:24). However, God was going to relent:

Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord (2 Chron. 34:27).

The Lord is merciful and gracious and full of kindness and compassion. He opposes sin, but for those who seek Him, He will be found. As David told Solomon, “If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever” (1 Chron. 28:9).

At this point, the king knew that they needed a fresh start. They needed to renew their resolutions to follow the Lord.

The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors (2 Chron. 34:31–32).

We need God’s grace to fulfill our commitments to the Lord, but it’s important that we make them. Josiah realized this, and He took the lead. He led the people of Israel to do the same.

Then, he led the biggest celebration of the Passover in Judah’s history. “The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem” (2 Chron. 35:18). This feast was established by God to celebrate the victory of God over the Egyptians that brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. However, they always remembered that they were liable to death just like the Egyptians. The blood of the lamb had saved them from the angel of death. This was re-rooting their story in the good news. Josiah made sure everyone could celebrate: “Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle—all from the king’s own possessions” (2 Chron. 35:7). Everyone could rejoice in what God had done.

Thirteen years later, Josiah’s life ended tragically. Somewhat ironically, Pharaoh came up to fight along the Euphrates. Josiah stood against him. He even disguised himself to make sure he wasn’t targeted in the battle. It didn’t save him. He was killed. The people wept over such a good king. “Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers commemorate Josiah in the laments. These became a tradition in Israel and are written in the Laments (2 Chron. 35:25).

Applications
I want you to consider Josiah’s life and reign from the standpoint of God’s redemption and from the standpoint of our renewal.

Application to Our Redemption
As we read through these passages, we need to see them as teaching us about God and His redemptive work. God told the Israelites that after they turned away from Him, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (Dt. 30:6). This passage represents a fulfillment of this promise and His gracious work.

This is also a fulfillment of the prayer of David. When the people gave willingly for the support of the temple, David prayed, “Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you” (1 Chron. 29:18). God heard that prayer and answered it again and again by putting it in the hearts of the people to give willingly to the work of worship.

We should also see these kings as pointers to Christ. David had intended to build a house for God’s name, but God had told him that his son Solomon would build the temple:

. . . you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever (2 Chron. 22:9–10).

Solomon did build the temple, but this passage clearly refers to someone greater. It refers to the one who will reign over the house of David forever, the one whom the angel announced to Mary. They are a pointer to Christ.

The evil kings show us our need for a better king. The good kings show us something of the goodness of the reign of Christ but in their weakness and death make us long for that coming king.

Consider here what we see about Christ from King Josiah. From a young age, Christ seeks to know His Father. Christ confronts and opposes the idolatry of the land. Christ rebuilds the worship of the Lord and establishes a house for His name in the church. Christ loves the will of the Father, and His heart is tender to His Word. Christ provides the Passover for the people, not through providing thousands of lambs but through the sacrifice of Himself, the true Passover lamb. Christ loves His people and does all that He does not merely for Himself but for the sake of others. Christ dies and is lamented by His people, but He does not stay dead. He rises again to reign over the kingdom forever. A King like Josiah but far better!

Application to our Renewal
The kings, however, point not only to Christ. They point to us. There is no question that one purpose of the writing of this history of King Josiah was to encourage the people to be like him. The prophets wanted the people to seek renewal, revival, and reformation just like Josiah did.

As we think about renewal, there are some important considerations about his context. Families set patterns for us that are deeply rooted in our minds and heart. However, we do not have to let these things determine us. We can create new patterns. We should not look at our old life or the pattern of our families and think we are stuck. There is redemption from bad patterns. We should not wait on our families or our country to fix their problems. We need to seek the Lord. Now is the time.

Josiah also began when he was young. We should not wait for the future to seek renewal. Josiah began while he was still young. Now is the time.

Josiah also did what was hard, even though it was hard. We can always put off difficult things. We easily walk around them and look at them. But now is the time to do the hard thing that the Lord is calling us to do.

Josiah also knew that the future would not be easy. He did not let that keep him form seeking the best for this time. He still sought to build something, even though he did not know how it would turn out. Now is the time.

And what did he commit himself to do that we should do?

First, he committed himself to gospel-centered worship. He said that the worship of God in the temple and in his own life was a priority. This is what we are made for. We are made to function well in God, and nothing is right until we are centered in Him. We should resolve to live each day out of a deep sense of the loving providence of the Father, the perfect sacrifice of the Son to pay for all our sins, and the ever present power of the Holy Spirit. This is living out of our baptism and renewing it regularly through the Lord’s Supper. We should make this a priority. There is nothing we have to do that is more central to who we are than this.

Second, he committed himself to help the community. He did not just think about himself. He thought about those around him. At the age of 20, he made an extraordinary effort to clear the land of idols! So, we can pray with people. We can encourage people. We can tell them about Jesus. We can show His love. What can we do for others? Who are the people in our lives? That’s the question Josiah paid attention to. He wasn’t content to simply think about his own spiritual life.

Third, he committed himself to obeying the Lord. To obey the Lord, we need to know what He wants us to do. To do that, we need to know the Lord. Do you need to clean out your room and say, “I have found a book”? Is your Bible buried under a mass of other things? A commitment to obey the Lord begins with knowing His Word, reading it and meditating on it. I call on you to take it up with the intent of doing what it says. That’s what Josiah did, and his example led the whole land back to the Lord.

I read an article that says that many millennials believe that 2020 was basically a wasted year. We don’t need to have any more wasted years, if we will commit to renewal by God’s grace in this coming year that will lead us to worship Him and obey Him and impress this upon the communities of which we are a part. Amen.

Tags Christ, Chronicles, Josiah, Renewal, Worship

Sermons

What Will You Do with Your Freedom? (Galatians 5:13)

Post author By Wes White
Post date December 31, 2020
No Comments on What Will You Do with Your Freedom? (Galatians 5:13)

[Listen to an audio version here]

Booker T. Washington in his book, Up from Slavery describes what it was like for black slaves at the end of the Civil War.

Finally the war closed, and the day of freedom came. It was a momentous and eventful day to all upon our plantation. We had been expecting it. Freedom was in the air, and had been for months. . . . As the great day drew nearer, there was more singing in the slave quarters than usual. It was bolder, had more ring, and lasted later into the night. . . .

The night before the eventful day, word was sent to the slave quarters to the effect that something unusual was going to take place at the “big house” the next morning. There was little, if any, sleep that night. All was excitement and expectancy. . . . The most distinct thing that I now recall in connection with the scene was that some man who seemed to be a stranger (a United States officer, I presume) made a little speech and then read a rather long paper—the Emancipation Proclamation, I think. After the reading we were told that we were all free, and could go when and where we pleased. My mother, who was standing by my side, leaned over and kissed her children, while tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She explained to us what it all meant, that this was the day for which she had been so long praying, but fearing that she would never live to see.

What an amazing scene! The glory of freedom! There is an amazing joy in the releasing of the captives and the slaves to glorious freedom.

And it is just that sort of freedom that the good news about Jesus Christ proclaims to us. We are free. Paul says, “For freedom you have been set free!” “You are called to freedom!” The Apostle Paul says in Gal. 5:13. If you have put your trust in Christ as Savior, then you have been freed! You are free! You should rejoice like the slaves rejoiced to be set free after the Civil War!

The Meaning of Our Freedom
What does it mean that we have freedom? From what does Christ set us free? Consider these seven ways that Christ has freed us.

1. Christ has freed us from guilt. Our sin has incurred guilt before God and feelings of guilt within ourselves. We are rightfully under the curse of the law because of our sin. The glorious news is that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us . . .” (Gal. 3:13). We stand justified and accepted before God’s throne. We no longer need to feel the crushing weight of guilt because of our sin. We are free.

2. Christ has freed us from old habits. The old habits of sin no longer have dominion over us. We may experience the presence of sin, but we don’t have to live under its power. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24).

3. Christ has freed us from anxiety. We may feel anxiety, but we don’t need to let it dominate our lives. Why? Because Christ has given Himself for us, we do not need to be anxious about the future! We can trust that the Christ who gave Himself for us will subdue all things for our good.

4. Christ has freed us from bondage to old wounds. We all have those things that have hurt us, but we don’t have to live in bondage to them. Christ’s assurance of blessing tells us that these wounds do not describe our destiny. In addition, Christ’s power within us frees us to forgive and so release ourselves from the bondage of those who have hurt us.

5. Christ has freed us from the power of bad relationships. Why do we remain held in the bondage of bad relationships? Christ frees us to find what we need in Him. When we do that, we don’t have to bargain our well-being away in bad relationships while eating the scraps of acceptance that people are willing to throw to us. We are freed to love and serve those around us while also maintaining legitimate boundaries.

6. Christ has freed us from idols or wrong centers. When an idol takes over our life, we look for life from it. This causes us to sacrifice everything for the sake of it. For example, work becomes an idol for us, and we sacrifice our family, health, and children to it. Christ frees us from this because He delivers to us the status and security we were looking for in our work and that our work promised but could not deliver.

7. Christ has freed us from the fear of death. Death has lost its sting. It will not win in the end. We know that when we die we will be with Jesus. When He comes again, we will rise to new life. We know that He will take care of those we love. We do not need to cower before death the way our society does. Christ has freed us!

There is literally nothing more important that you can do this year than to take these facts in deeply and learn to rejoice in your freedom. A greater sight of these things will change everything for you.

As I enter into my 7th year here, there are really two things that I want you to see through my ministry here. The first is to have a greater vision to see how great Christ is and how utterly sufficient all that He has is for you. This is the first thing, not what we do but what Christ has done, is doing, and will do for us and in us.

Get that in view! Meditate daily on it. Listen for it in the sermon. Experience it in the sacraments. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enable you to see it. Remind each other of it. Pray for each other that we will be able to see like never before how totally sufficient Christ is for everything we need. Pray that we will see how secure we are, how accepted we are, how empowered we are, how valued we are, how free we are! I can’t say it enough or too often. We have everything we need secure for us in Christ. You are free! You are called to be free, to experience this freedom.

What We Should Do with Our Freedom
The second thing is that when you are filled with joy because by faith you see the wonders of what Christ has for you, use that glorious freedom to work as hard as you can to serve others, do good, and glorify God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of a human being?” It answers, “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Those are the two key things I want to teach. I want you to find your joy and fulfillment in God. Being filled, I want you then to do all that you can to glorify God to the highest degree you possibly can.

Enjoying God and glorifying God are interrelated. Sometimes we need to press forward when we do not feel like it. However, many times what we need to do when we don’t feel like serving is to go back to the root of faith. Ask yourself: Am I experiencing the freedom that I have in Christ through faith? Am I, through fellowship with Him, being empowered to live a new life and enlightened to see the greatness of His power and love for me? It is faith working through love. In order to work through love we need to grow in our faith. When we grow in our faith, we can and will work through love.

If you feel like you have nothing left to give right now, then give attention to yourself. Get the help you need. Tend to your wounds. Get healthy. Get your spirit right. Take a rest. Take a break. Let your heart heal. God does not need our service or His own gifts (which is really what we are giving back to Him). The kingdom will make it on OK without you, and you will come back much better equipped to serve. Make no resolution to do anything except take in God’s goodness until you feel empowered to move forward.

If you feel like you have nothing left to give, then give attention to what you are doing. Do you really need to do all the things that you are doing? Are there things that you are holding onto that you don’t need to? Are there areas you are spending money where you could stop? Are there relationships that have moved on, but you keep holding on to them? And do you need to think so much about all the things that society tells you that you need to think about? I mean, whether you love him or hate him, does Donald Trump really deserve as much of our emotions and head space as we have given him (and no, he’s not going away)? You need to spend lavishly, but you need to spend lavishly on those things most worthy of expenditure!

If you feel like you have nothing to give, work on increasing your faith, but also work on increasing your love: “through love serve one another.” Yes, you can do this. Learn to see the world and people as God sees them. When it comes to believers, we have all trust in Christ and resolved to live for Him. What an amazing thing we have in common! But what about outside the church? The Apostle Paul says, do good until all, especially those of the household of faith. Every person you meet is a human created in the image of God and made for society! The world is full of friends, in spite of its sinfulness. We are made for community! But what if they do us wrong? Then, they harm themselves. If someone is unjust, they are acting contrary to their nature. It’s as if they were breaking their own bones. This deserves our pity as much as our condemnation! We can learn to love because God will teach us how to love, even our enemies, even in our darkest days.

So, you may not feel that you have much to give. Then, give attention to what is going on in your heart and life. Find ways to reconnect with the freedom in the Gospel. However, if you feel the freedom and joy that God gives through the Gospel, then push forward to serve others. Push forward, and push forward hard. Give it all you’ve got. Do all that you can. What should you do with your freedom? “Do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

At Thanksgiving, we learned that we should see the blessings that God has given us innumerable ways without ignoring the bad. At Christmas, we learned that there is a joy that transcends all our circumstances. At New Year’s, we hear the good news of a fresh start. A whole year is before us! What are you going to do with it? How are you going to serve this year? Make your resolutions as big as you can and as attainable as you can. Resolve to do something that will equip you to serve better. Resolve to do something that will bless those around you. Resolve that in some significant way or many, you will serve others in love.

When you do, expect opposition. Expect resistance. Benjamin Franklin said: “Mankind are very superficial and dastardly: they begin upon a thing, but, meeting with a difficulty, they fly from it discouraged: but they have capacities, if they would employ them” (cited in Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life, 1081). The Apostle said concerning the Christian life, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9). What is true of the good of the Christian life is true of all good things in this life. There will be opposition to doing them, inside us and outside us. We have to accept that in order to accomplish anything good. Your family or church or class will not applaud your efforts to change things. Practicing an instrument or reading a difficult book will always be hard. Engaging in society involves the clash of political opposition. We’ve got to accept this reality and still move forward. Through love, serve one another, and don’t give up!

Conclusion
So, what are you going to do with a year? Maybe you need to take the whole year off from serving and just get mentally and physically healthy. That’s fine. Your standing with God is not based on how much you serve this year. You are justified in Christ, on the basis of His perfect service, not yours.

But if you’re in good shape or even decent shape, if you feel that you can serve, then whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Use the joy of the freedom of your spirit to serve one another in love! Push forward. Push hard. Don’t take the path of least resistance. Whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord. Keep breathing in deep the freedom you have in Christ, and aim for something greater this year out of a great sense of love for Christ and the power of Christ.

Whatever this year brings, let’s aim at something. Let’s try to do something significant. Let’s have no wasted years. Let’s do things that will bring us satisfaction. Let’s do things that will glorify our God and Savior. Let’s do things that will impact our communities. Let’s do things that will bless our church and the broader church. Let’s do it for the love of others and the love of our great Savior who loved us and gave himself for us that He might free us to be a people for Himself, zealous for good works. Amen.

Tags Freedom, Galatians, Good works, Gospel, Jesus, Justification

Sermons

How to Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy (Matthew 2:1–12)

Post author By Wes White
Post date December 23, 2020
No Comments on How to Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy (Matthew 2:1–12)

[Listen to an audio version here]

What empowers us to give gifts to others? I’m not talking here about the things we give out of fear, out of duty, or out of desire for response. I’m talking about that spontaneous giving that flows into other people’s needs and brings help and healing.

I think that Ralph Waldo Emerson had the idea in his helpful book, The Conduct of Life:

The first wealth is health. Sickness is poor-spirited, and cannot serve any one; it must husband its own resources to live. But health or fulness (sic) answers its own ends, and has to spare, runs over, and inundates the neighborhoods and creeks of other men’s necessities (972).

When we are unhealthy in body or spirit, we have very little that can flow over into others. When we are healthy in body or spirit, then we flow into others. So, our first priority is to get ourselves healthy and right.

But how do we do that? How do we find something that will cure our anxiety, our frustration, our despondency, our bitterness, our envy, and our lusts? How do we get ourselves on the right track in a way that will lead us to joyous giving?

We find the answer in what happened 2,000 years ago, when several wise men took the long trip from Babylon (modern day Iraq) to Jerusalem looking for a baby.

The Wise Men
Who were these wise men? Another name for them is Magi, but that doesn’t help that much. They were scholars. They were astronomers. As Charles Strohmer put it in his article on the star of Bethlehem, they “were learned in religion, diplomacy, literature, divination, esoteric wisdom, magical practices and the zodiac” (see his article here).

We find these “magi” already in the Bible in the book of Daniel. In Daniel 2:48, we read: “Then the king [of Babylon] placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.” The wise men of Christmas were probably the intellectual heirs of Daniel’s wise men.

These wise men were looking for “the Messiah” as well. They were looking for the ruler who would come and reign over the world and bring in universal peace. We know this because we have a huge collection of the ancient documents of these wise men written in stone in what is called cuneiform writing. One scholar commented on these tablets that throughout these tablets we have statements like the following: “when this or that occurs, a great king will arise in the west; then justice and righteousness, peace and joy will rule in all lands and bless all nations” (cited in R.C.H. Lenski’s The Interpretation of Matthew,).

So, what caused these wise men to actually come looking for that king at this time? They saw a sign in the sky, a star in the west.

It’s almost impossible for us who have electric light to appreciate the significance of the lights in the night sky for people who lived before electric light. All societies looked to the stars. In Babylon, they made this one of their most important studies. When a unique phenomenon appeared in the sky, they would have stood up and taken notice. This “star” was so unique that they made the long journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, Israel, following the star and looking for the newborn King (if you have interest in the “star,” I would refer you to Charles Strohmer’s article linked above).

Herod
So, where do you go, if you are looking for a newborn King? You go to the palace of a king. That’s just where the Magi went. They came to King Herod who was reigning in Jerusalem.

When he heard what the Magi were saying, he was disturbed, and, note, “all of Jerusalem with him.” If Herod was troubled, this was bad news for everybody. Herod was called Herod the Great because he was such a great builder. Many of his buildings stand today, and you can go see them if you go to Israel. They are impressive. However, Herod was also ruthless, as the rest of this chapter reveals. It reminds us that Jesus was born into a world of real sin, real problems, and real people.

Herod was an Idumean, a descendant of Esau. However, Judas Maccabeus, whose family had fought and won Jewish independence from Greece, conquered the Idumeans. They forced them to adopt the Jewish religion. So, Herod followed the Jewish religion. Consequently, it is not surprising that when the Magi arrived, he had a group of Jewish religious scholars at his court. They would have advised him on a variety of issues.

They all knew that the Scriptures prophesied a coming King. The Scriptures even told where he was going to be born. 700 years before Jesus came, the prophet Micah wrote, “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel” (Mt. 2:6).

And so it is to Bethlehem that the wise men went.

The Exceeding Great Joy
The wise men set out on their way. As they went, the star they had seen went ahead of them and led them to the place where Jesus was.

I want you to note that they were overjoyed when they saw the star. The original language uses four words to describe their joy. The old King James has captured it well: they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. They are ecstatic that they have found the star.

Why were they so overjoyed? Because they had a clear sign that the king that they had been looking for was coming.

But why did this give them such joy? We see this on a small level when a new coach, a new pastor, a new manager, a new president, or any other new leader comes to town. There is a hope and expectation that now things will be made right. Sometimes, they bring renewal and restoration. The new leader may be a Dan Mullen who brings the team to the SEC title game and competes. Or, he may be a Jeremy Pruitt who does, well, less. Either way, the new leader always disappoints in at least some ways because no leader can fulfill all our expectations for good.

King Jesus is different. This King is one who is going to make everything right. He is going to restore all that was lost. In the words of Dostoevsky, “something so precious will come to pass that it will suffice for all hearts, for the comforting of all resentments . . .” That’s what leads people to rejoice with exceeding great joy, even in the midst of all the humiliating absurdities of life. That’s what true joy is. It is the elation of spirit that arises from the firm expectation that all things will turn out well. This is the assurance our King brings. This is why the wise men rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

And what did that lead them to do? “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). It led them to give. They brought expensive gifts to the child and Mary and Joseph.

And that’s what joy does. It “runs over, and inundates the neighborhoods and creeks of other men’s necessities.” That’s what happens to us when we are rooted in faith in King Jesus that causes us to rejoice with exceeding great joy. We give.

Our text tells us the way to joy. We’ve got to “see” the star and “see” the King. We do this now not with the sight of the eyes but with the sight of faith. As Peter put it, “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Pet. 1:19).

That’s why I make it my goal each morning, whether for a long or short time, to meditate on the truth of the reign of King Jesus and the assurance that He is working all things together for my good and that not a hair can fall from my head without His will.

That’s the star that’s always shining for us. Each day, we can look up and see it. When we see it with the eyes of faith, it will cause us to rejoice with exceeding great joy. This joy will flow over in gifts to others. In this way, the reign of King Jesus will be evident in our lives and shine like a star that will lead others to Him. That’s what God is doing in the world. It is a foundation to enable us in all times, in every place, and in every circumstance to find a joy that can rejoice with exceeding great joy. It is a joy that can exist in a disappointing year and in a world with real sin, real problems, and real people. Amen.

Tags Christ, Herod, Magi, Star, Wise Men

Sermons

A Cause of Great Joy for All the People (Luke 2:8–20)

Post author By Wes White
Post date December 23, 2020
No Comments on A Cause of Great Joy for All the People (Luke 2:8–20)

[Listen to an audio version here]

The Shepherds Encounter
About a month ago, my wife and I visited Georgia’s park at Stone Mountain. Besides climbing the mountain, we visited some of the tourist attractions. One of them was a 4D 12 minute presentation of the film The Polar Express. It was quite an experience.

One thing really struck me about the movie. We have the Hero Boy living his normal life. All of a sudden, something from beyond comes into the normalness of life. The magic of the world beyond has broken through. There, in the middle of the street, is a huge train, heading to the North Pole. Audiences give this movie a rare A+ and consider it a classic in part because it captures that magic of Christmas so well.

That movie captures something of what happened on Christmas night 2,000 years ago. The Polar Express is an imaginative, made up story. This story, the story of the angels and the shepherds and the Christ child, is real. It’s all true.

On a night like so many others, the shepherds were watching over their flocks. All of a sudden, an angel appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord filled the place. The angel said to them: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”

God created human beings to be a joyful people. Joy is our natural state. This joy was rooted in the fact that human beings would submit to their place under God, rejoice in His love for them, receive His gifts, and take their place among the human community.

However, we all know that this is not the way we find humans. Alienated from God, we find them anxious and wandering. Alienated from God, we find them frustrated and taking on the weight of the world. Alienated from God, we find them trying to find joy by escaping into a smaller world through addictions to drugs, work, sex, or people. Alienated from God, we find them alienated from one another. Alienated from God, we find them under His judgment and ultimately sentenced to death. So, joy escapes them. Joy escapes us.

But the angel announces great joy, mega-joy, to play off the word in the original language. Why? Because, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” The Savior has come. It is the eternal Son of God come to earth. He is bringing us back to great joy. He restores us to God by taking on human flesh, suffering on the cross, and rising from the dead having defeated death. He is the Messiah, the one God promised who would destroy all the works of the devil and bring everything back to what He intended. He is the Lord, the great King, who is bringing in a new reign of joy and peace in the lives of people. Well, then, did the angels sing to God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).

The Shepherds Tell
After the angels left them, the shepherds immediately went to see the Savior. “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about” (Luke 2:15). They said.

The angel told the shepherds that they would find the baby. “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).

And, sure enough, it was just as the angel said. They found the baby. The sight of this baby Savior filled them with such great joy that they went and told everyone.

That’s what happens when we are filled with great joy. We want to share those good things. We are made for community, and we want to share our lives with others. That’s what the shepherd did. If we take in the great joy of Christmas deeply, that’s what will come out. When we find a great joy that transcends all our circumstances, we cannot but tell about it. This spreads the emotions of great joy. They are contagious!

I experienced this Sunday. Several folks from our church went Christmas caroling. We sang for those who have been watching our services from home. One of these families encouraged us to sing to their neighbors. One man came out as we sang. His ailing wife remained inside. As we sang, you could see he was deeply moved. Tears came to his eyes. His emotion brought tears to my eyes. I was moved by the wonder of the fact that we can spread the joy of Christmas by reaching out to those who are isolated and need a touch. This is something that I want to remember throughout the year and let the tears in the eyes of that man lead me to others who need the touch of Christmas joy throughout the year.

The Shepherds Remember
And that’s the key. To become people of great joy, it’s not enough simply to encounter the angel and the Christ child. We’ve got to actively remember what we experienced.

In the movie, The Polar Express, the Hero Boy recovers a bell from Santa’s sleigh. Santa gives it to him as the first gift of Christmas. However, he loses it because it goes through his pocket that the train had ripped at the beginning of the movie. He awakes on Christmas day to find the bell in his house. This is another confirmation of his supernatural experience. The key thing, though, is that he continues to listen to that bell throughout his life. That one experience and its reminder shapes his life and thinking for years to come to make him one who truly believes.

And that’s precisely what had to happen for the shepherds. They experienced a supernatural encounter that could change their lives forever. But they had to remember it. They had to keep it alive in their hearts and minds for it to become the story that changed their lives.

We get a hint of that from what it says about Mary. “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered thhem in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Through her memories, she experienced them again and again.

And that’s what we can do. As Ebenezer Scrooge said at the conclusion of A Christmas Carol, “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” Like the shepherds, we can encounter the great joy of Christmas, but we can also let it shape our lives by treasuring it up in our hearts like Mary. Then, each day throughout the whole year, we can tell everyone about it and go about glorifying and praising God for all the things we have seen and heard. Merry Christmas. Amen!

Tags Angels, Christ, Christmas, Joy, Mary, Peace, Shepherds

Sermons

He Fills the Hungry with Good Things (A Sermon on Luke 1:39–56)

Post author By Wes White
Post date December 16, 2020
No Comments on He Fills the Hungry with Good Things (A Sermon on Luke 1:39–56)

[Listen to an audio version here]

“Joy to the world!” I can’t hear those words without hearing Clark Griswold singing them as he flips the switch that will turn his house into a joyful luminous display for the entire neighborhood. Only it doesn’t. The lights don’t come on! And that’s what this year has been like. We flip the switch, but the joy doesn’t come!

2020 has shown us that we need to build our joy on a better foundation. Many things on which we relied for joy have been altered or removed. The result is greater anxiety and frustration or even depression or worse. How can we find a foundation for joy that can weather the storms of a year like 2020?

God has an answer for that: Christmas. Christmas is all about joy. It is about a source of joy that transcends all our circumstances.

A month ago, My Dad sent me the Advent resources of the Wesleyan Church. The first item was a banner, and it had the words from that Christmas classic, “O Holy Night”: “The Weary World Rejoices.” I thought, “Wow! They really captured the sentiment of Christmas this year!”

In the next three sermons, I want you to see how Christmas provides a foundation for joy that the world cannot take away. I want to tell you why a weary world can rejoice. I also want you to see how we can make that joy a greater part of our lives all year long. In Mary’s encounter with Elizabeth, we discover the joy that Christmas brings.

Mary’s Doubts
There is a similarity between Mary and Zechariah in Luke 1. They both encounter an angel. They both did not expect a child. They both respond to the angel’s birth announcement with a question.

In the account of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, his question is an expression of doubt. The result is that he is unable to speak until the child is born.

The angel told Mary that she would conceive and give birth to a son. I also think Mary has some doubts and apprehensions. She responded with words similar to those of Zechariah: “‘How will this be,’” Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?'” (Luke 1:34). Her first response was a question, not rejoicing.

After she thought about it, she might have had a great deal of anxiety about the situation. After all, being pregnant without being married in that society was no minor problem. Her society would have rejected her and shamed her. Mary’s situation would have been very difficult, if not dangerous. And, what would her fiancé think?

These fears came to fruition based on what we read in Matthew 1. Joseph, upon learning of Mary’s pregnancy, resolved to end their engagement. It took a visit from another angel to convince Joseph that what Mary said about her pregnancy was true.

So, it is not surprising that her response to the angel is rather muted. “‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled'” (Luke 1:38).

We should not underestimate the fears and apprehensions that Mary would have faced. The announcement of the angel did not lead Mary to a firm confidence that God would fill her with good things. The announcement did not lead her to rejoice. Instead, it may very well have caused greater anxiety.

And where are you, this morning? Are you filled with anxiety? Have you lost your confidence that God will fill you with good things? If so, you are not alone. Every saint who has experienced the triumph of assurance has had to first do battle with the anxiety of uncertainty. Life is hard, and it is a struggle. We face many challenges to living a good and joyful life of service to the world. It will only come after many experiences of God’s grace and the ensuing struggle to make it part of our hearts and lives. Anyone who tells you otherwise is misled and misleading.

Elizabeth’s Assurance
But God did not leave his maidservant in this position. After she heard this announcement, she went to Judea to the home of Elizabeth, a relative of hers.

She greeted Elizabeth, and the baby, John the Baptist, leaped in her womb for joy. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she said:

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her! (Luke 1:42–45).

God gave Mary this miraculous confirmation of His word. The angel had spoken, but the face and words of Elizabeth and the baby John the Baptist leaping confirmed it in a powerful way. It confirmed the truth that God was going to fill Mary with good things and through her the whole world!

And that’s what Christmas is all about. It is about the transcendent God breaking into the world in a way that will cause joy for all people. The joy of Christmas reminds us that there is an assurance of good things beyond the touch of the world. It is a joy that goes beyond all that is in us and all that is in the world that would cause us to doubt it.

That’s the sort of assurance that Elizabeth gave Mary. I want you to notice something that I never noticed until I started preparing this sermon. Mary’s response to the angel is one of faith but it is not really one of joy. It is only after she encounters Elizabeth that she is filled with joy.

And this demonstrates the role that we can play in each other’s lives. We can know of the miraculous work of God, but we often doubt that God will fill us with good things. When we speak to each other of the good news of God’s grace and goodness, then we can help each other to rejoice in God our Savior. We need to share our experiences of God’s love and joy with each other. That is also a big part of the Christmas story, sharing God’s love with one another!

Mary’s Song
What is it that keeps us from joy? It is the stories that we tell ourselves. The stories that we tell ourselves shape our emotions.

Here are some of our storylines. No one cares about me. Evil always triumphs. I don’t get to and won’t get to enjoy good things. I don’t have support. Have you told yourself any of these stories this year? I know have. Many times. And these are the stories that rob us of joy.

What Mary did was tell herself a different story. That’s what her song is all about. Instead of “no one cares about me,” she says, “he has been mindful of me” (Luke 1:48). Instead of “evil always triumphs,” she says, “he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts” (Luke 1:51). Instead of “I don’t and won’t experience good,” she says, “He has filled the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:53). Instead of “I don’t have support,” she says, “He has helped his servant Israel” (Luke 1:54). It is the clear sight of these promises that lead her to say, “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46).

Those storylines have the power to change the way we view all of life. If we can get different stories into our heads, we will start to feel joy. I want to tell you, though, that this does not come easy. The old stories readily dominate our heads and hearts, especially when our anxiety goes up. We have to battle for joy.

That’s why Mary puts it into a song. It helps her to remember. In order for something to become a part of our hearts and lives, it has to be repeated over and over again. It has to go deeply into our hearts and minds through constant communion with it. It has to be applied to new situations. It’s not enough to learn and hear it once. You’ve got to make it part of you through meditation. That’s why the Bible says to meditate and not simply to read. Memorizing and songs can help us change the way we think about the world. They can get the messages into our hearts that will give us the joy that the world cannot take away.

Conclusion
This has been a hard year. I wish I could say that the church in this country has been at the forefront of being an agent of hope, of service, and of joy. But I do not think it has been. That’s not to say that there has been no light, but it’s not the light that we could have shone on this world.

Too often we have simply joined in the way of the world. We have been more ready to accuse than to listen. We have been paralyzed rather than reaching out. We have given in to despair rather than digging deep into the joy of the Gospel.

Christmas is an opportunity to reset. We can only really serve well when we have joy in our hearts. We are made for joy, and we are made to serve. We should ask, what is keeping us from our joy? What has kept us from joy this year? Why has it? What could we have as a better foundation? Another way to get at this is, when have I not been able to serve? What has kept me from that? That’s where we can dig deep.

Christmas is an opportunity to reset our joy, if we will take it. We can replace the song of 2020 with the song of Mary. We can see that whatever happens to us in the world, the truth is that God fills the hungry with good things. That’s the opportunity of Christmas. It will be a hard fought victory, but with God’s grace, thoughtful reflection, helpful friends, and God’s word, we can learn to sing from the heart, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:47).

Tags Angel, Anxiety, Doubt, Joy, Mary

Sermons

Priscilla & Aquila (Acts 18:23–28)

Post author By Wes White
Post date November 18, 2020
No Comments on Priscilla & Aquila (Acts 18:23–28)

[Listen to an audio version here]

Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay on self-reliance explains that what is most unique about each person cannot be taught to that person. He writes:

Where is the master who could have taught Shakspeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? Every great man is a unique. The Scipionism of Scipio is precisely that part he could not borrow. Shakspeare will never be made by the study of Shakspeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much.

I think there is something to what he says. We all have a uniqueness that can blossom under the right circumstances.

However, in other ways, what Emerson says is not quite right. Shakespeare was part of a group of dramatists. He did not “go it alone.” Washington reflects the Virginia aristocracy. Scipio was the general who defeated Hannibal, but he defeated him by using strategies other Roman generals had thought of but not put into practice. He came from a family and a nation where the citizen trained for war. In other words, Scipio could not borrow his Scipionism from anyone else, but he also would not have been Scipio without a host of support characters.

This is not something we should take for granted. Many people have made a contribution to our lives, and we are what we are because of the general contribution of millions and the special contributions of a few.

In our passage, we have a beautiful example of this. We have a great man, Apollos, and we have the people who contributed to his life, a husband and wife team, Priscilla and Aquila. They provide a pattern and example of one way we can join what God is doing in bringing redemption and restoration to a fallen world.

The Mentee
In the book of Acts, we meet Apollos in the context of Paul’s third missionary journey. Apollos began his work during that time.

Apollos was Jewish, but his family leaned toward the Greeks or Hellenism. He is named after the Greek god Apollo! One reason for his Hellenism was that he was from Alexandria. Alexandria was a city founded by Alexander the Great. There was the ancient library that was one of the wonders of the world. There was a large Jewish community. There the Jews translated the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek. It is not surprising that such a community would produce a learned man like Apollos, a Jew named after a Greek god.

Our text tells us that he knew the Scriptures thoroughly. He had also been instructed in the way of the Lord. The result was that “he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately . . .” The only problem was that he based all his teachings on the teaching of John the Baptist. He did not have the fuller teachings of Paul the Presbyterian (that’s a joke).

It seems like there were quite a few people who followed Jesus because of the teachings of John but had not yet encountered the fuller teachings of the Apostle. You can read about this in Acts 19.

Like the Apostle Paul, Apollos began to speak in the synagogues. He powerfully preached the way of Jesus.

The Mentors
Priscilla and Aquila were tent makers like Paul. They had left Rome because of persecution. They were able to take up their occupation in new places.

They must have been very impressed with Apollos. They must have been greatly encouraged to see this man with such gifts proclaiming Jesus.

However, they saw that he needed some help, some encouragement, and some guidance to be what God intended him to be and to do what God intended him to do. So, they invited him to their home.

That’s what we can do, too. We can reach out to those who need encouragement and guidance. We can share what we know. We can help them get where they are going faster.

It begins with a willingness to build a relationship. They invited him into their home. That’s where it always starts. It means that we take an interest in people first. The best mentors are those who are more interested in knowing the person they are mentoring than in imparting what they know. They help Apollos develop his Apollonism. They don’t turn him into Priscilla or Aquila.

As you think about this, don’t get too stuck on the “inviting him into their home” issue. The point is that they got together with Apollos. They reached out and connected with him. I know it’s somewhat challenging in our current context. However, we can get together with people. We can do it outside. We can wear masks. We can distance, if we are concerned. We can take the extra steps. If we’re in a group, it’s a lot harder, but it’s not impossible or even really that difficult. It just may be a little annoying or a little cold. People still need us, and we still need people!

When they got together, they “explained to him the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:26). They explained to him most likely what had happened at Pentecost and helped him understand the power of the Holy Spirit. They shared what they knew.

That’s what we can do, too. Think about what you know, and share it. Make it known. The best context is getting involved the lives of people. If you feel like you connect well with someone, you can meet with them on a regular basis, every month, every week, or every day.

Where did Priscilla and Aquila get this idea of helping someone grow by spending time with them? It is all over the book of Acts. When Paul and Barnabas went on their missionary journeys, they took younger mentees with them whom they mentored. They shared their lives and their work. Three letters in the Bible are about this: 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. And where did they get the idea to do this? They got it from Jesus. He invested his life in 12 men, 11 of whom spread the Gospel all over the world.

So, who is your Apollos? Who are you inviting into your home, and to whom explaining the way of the Lord more adequately? Who are you helping to grow and learn? You may not be able to stand up and powerfully refute the opponents of Christianity, but you can encourage those who have such gifts. You can invite them into your homes. You can call them. You can encourage them. You can take them out for a meal. You can share what you have learned. That’s how you can participate in what God is doing in bringing restoration and redemption to a fallen world. You can get involved in encouraging others.

The Result
And what will be the result? You will make an impact. After receiving love and instruction from Priscilla and Aquila, he kept going, stronger than ever before. “When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed” (Acts 18:27).

He made a greater impact on others than Priscilla and Aquila ever did or could, but he could not have done it without Priscilla and Aquila. Those believers in Achaia were encouraged through Apollos who had been encouraged through Priscilla and Aquila.

You see, God is raising people up to do the work, but he wants you to join in His work of building people up. You just have to get the margin to get involved in people’s lives. That’s what it takes. When you do, you can make an impact.

We have seen in the book of Acts that God is willing to use anybody. He will take the person who has opposed him more than anyone else and turn them into His partner and friend in the work of redemption in the world. He will then use such people in a variety of ways. He will use those who are open to talking to someone new, like he did with Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. He will use those who are willing to meet other people’s needs like Tabitha did. He will use those who are willing to cross boundaries like the men from Cyprus and Cyrene did. He will use those who are willing to support the work of the kingdom of God like Lydia did. He will use those who those are willing to encourage the young person who is struggling to use his gifts like Priscilla and Aquila did.

We have a great example of this in our own congregation. Dennis and Shanna Fuller are a sort of Priscilla and Aquila. They have a great gift of connecting with young men and women and helping them know the way of the Lord more adequately. They have invited dozens and dozens of people into their “home” and helped them to be better equipped to serve the Lord.

One of those people who Dennis and Shanna helped was Alex Profitt. He came to Discipleship Focus where he met them. They connected, and they helped Alex, even after he left. They mentored him while he served as Young Life director in Massachusetts. When Dan Ott left this summer, they helped bring him down here. Now, he is encouraging those who are down here with the grace of the Lord, and he is helping them to know the way of the Lord. He is their Apollos.

That’s what we can do, too, if we will get involved with people. Jordan Peterson remarked, “People need so little encouragement.” He was amazed at how such a little bit of encouragement can help people go a long way. That’s the gift we can give, not only in the work of creation, but in God’s work of redeeming the world and bring restoration and wholeness to it. We just have to step out in faith and join Him by getting involved in the lives of people. God will do the rest, and we will be amazed at the results. Amen.

Tags Apollos, Aquila, Encouragement, Mentors, Priscilla

Sermons

Lydia (Acts 16:6–15)

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What do the world of business and the kingdom of God have to do with one another? Is business a totally secular realm, different from the kingdom of God? If I go into business, how can I see God in the midst of doing the difficult and challenging work of competing in the market?

Business is simply helping people make use of creation. Peter Drucker (surprised to quote him two weeks in a row!) says that business is not about profit. “If we want to know what a business is, we have to start with its purpose. And the purpose must lie outside the business itself.” He goes on to say that there is only one valid purpose of a business: “to create a customer.” In other words, the purpose of business is to get things of value to people who do or would want them.

When God created human beings, he did not want them to sit passively and watch the fruit grow on the trees. He said, “Fill the earth and subdue it!” As humans increased, some method of exchange would have been necessary. Thus, business as described here would have been a necessary part of the creation order. It is not evil, even though people can misuse it just as they do other good things such as eating, religion, sex, and relationships. Obtaining resources and pooling them together is in itself a good thing.

This is how the Apostle Paul wanted people to think of their work and their businesses. He said, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col. 3:23–24). This means that all honest labor is in itself good. It is work for the Lord. If you are running a chair lift in Gatlinburg, repairing a go cart in Pigeon Forge, or monitoring a water slide in Sevierville, you are doing God’s work. All honest labor is in itself valuable to God. He loves things that bless others and make the world productive for human enjoyment and service.

All that said, there is another reason why business is important. We learn about this from a woman named Lydia. Consider in this text Paul’s mission, Lydia’s conversion, and Lydia’s support.

Paul’s Mission
The Apostle Paul traveled throughout the Mediterranean world to share the good news that Jesus was raised from the dead and exalted to bring forgiveness and new life to the world. He established communities or churches that were committed to seeking the God of Israel through Jesus Christ.

He made several journeys. We read about the first one in Acts 13–14. Luke recounts the second of these journeys beginning with this chapter. Up until this chapter, Paul had traveled through the continent of Asia (not to be confused with the Roman province of Asia). Luke writes:

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas (Acts 16:6–8).

As you read in the text, God was moving Paul toward Troas. The map below shows how this move toward Troas moved Paul closer to Europe.

While at Troas, Paul had a vision. “During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us'” (Acts 16:9). Immediately after that, Paul crossed the Aegean Sea and wanted over to Macedonia in Europe, concluding that God had called them to preach the gospel there.

Once he set foot on European soil, he made his way along the Roman road to a town called Philippi. Philippi was the central town in the region. It was a Roman colony. This means that it was a town that followed a pattern that was used throughout the Mediterranean world and designed by the Romans. It was populated with former Roman soldiers and consisted of Roman citizens. Like most Roman colonies, it was intensely patriotic toward Rome.

Lydia’s Conversion
There were Jews in this city but not many. Paul’s practice in each city he visited was to go to the synagogue on the Sabbaths and there, as a celebrated Rabbi and teacher. It would be sort of like Tim Keller or John Piper dropping in. If they were willing to speak, we would invite them to preach. Once there, he would proclaim the good news of God’s grace, love, and renewal through Jesus Christ.

However, in Philippi, there must not have been a synagogue. Instead, some Jewish women gathered by a river for prayer. Paul met with them and shared with them the good news about Jesus.

Among these people was a woman who had come to Philippi from Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer “in purple.” It is not surprising that Lydia was from Thyatira. Thyatira was a place in Asia Minor where people had learned the art of dying, that is, coloring cloth, as we learn form Homer and inscriptions from the town.

Purple dye was very expensive and usually found only on the robes of rulers or the rich. Purple dye was generally derived from shellfish. So, it appears that Lydia was a well-to-do business woman.

When Lydia heard the message, she responded to it. We should note how the text explains this,”The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message” (Acts 16:14). Why do people respond to the message of Christ? It is because the Lord opens their hearts. It is a work of divine grace. It is a gift. So, when we go out and tell people about Jesus, we should not think it is all up to us. It is God’s work to open the hearts of people. We give the message; God opens the heart. And so, Lydia became one of the first, if not the first convert to Christianity in Europe.

Note that Lydia believed, and the members of her household were baptized. Baptism is an outward sign of our commitment to Jesus. It is also God’s assurance that He forgives us and accepts us as His sons and daughters. Here is an instance where the household was baptized. You will find this sort of “household” language in the book of Acts. I believe that it points back to the Old Testament pattern of whole houses being devoted to the Lord. It is one reason why we practice the baptism of infants of young children. Just as in the Old Testament, whole households, including infants, received circumcision, which Paul calls the seal of the righteousness of faith, so God wants baptism, which is the new seal of the righteousness of faith, to be given to the children of believers.

Lydia’s Support
At any rate, Lydia responded immediately with a desire to bless others in the same way that she had been blessed by turning to Christ. She said to Paul, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord . . . come and stay at my house” (Acts 16:15). In that way, she gave support to the Apostle Paul and to the work of the Gospel.

There is an interesting follow up to this point in the book of Philippians. Philippians is a letter that Paul wrote to this very group some time later. He wrote a letter to the church in Philippi that included Lydia and the Philippian jailer.

In that letter, Paul says that they had sent him a gift to support him. “I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it” (Phil. 4:10). This church had already been a constant source of support to Paul:

Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need (Phil. 4:15–16).

It’s not hard to believe that Lydia’s generous spirit and resources were behind the generosity of this church.

There is an important qualification that Paul makes in that passage that I think is important for us. He was not concerned so much about the money, which he knew God could supply. What He was interested in was them getting involved in God’s kingdom. “Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account . . . They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:17b–18a). He wanted them to use their resources to partner with God in the work of restoring the world to wholeness.

And that’s what you can do, too. You may not feel that you can speak or refute people who oppose Christ. You may not be able to Pastor, and not everyone is called to that. But you can give. You can partner with God by giving your resources to support the work of the church in the world.

I believe God will supply the needs of Evergreen Church and our new building, but I don’t want you to miss the opportunity to be involved in what God is doing. So, I urge you to give. Many of you do, and I thank you for that. It is a great blessing to see how many “giving units” we have and the generosity of their gifts. Let me encourage you to do so more and more. Let me encourage you who are not giving to partner with God by starting to give.

Let me give you some wisdom in how to do it. One principle of money (as it is of time): you either tell money where to go, or it will tell you where to go. You have to be deliberate. One principle I’ve heard commonly is: “Pay yourself first.” This means, save for the long-term first. Put it away where you can’t get it. I add to this: “Pay God first.” Give to Him a portion of what He’s given you. If you don’t have actual cash, you can give online by going to the main page of this web site.

This is how God wants you to get involved. Choose an amount or a percentage to given, even if it’s $20 or 1%, and start giving. Get involved with what God is doing like Lydia did. That’s how you can serve the Lord. We need people who will work, make money, and give to the Lord’s service. This is one major way that God provides for the work of His kingdom, and He wants to enlist you as part of that.

God is doing a work to bring restoration and redemption to the world, and he’s partnering with people like Lydia to bring that about. That’s what he did with Lydia, and that’s what He will do with you.

If you haven’t given before, it may seem scary. You may not think you can do it. I have found over and over again that you can’t out-give God. He always pays it back. And never forget that it is ultimately God who provides for you. Remember these beautiful statements from the Scriptures: “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:10–11). “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever” (Phil. 4:19–20). Amen.

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Photo by Sean Pollock on Unsplash

Tags Finances, Gifts, Gospel, Lydia, Paul, Philippi

Sermons

Crossing Boundaries (Acts 11:19–21)

Post author By Wes White
Post date November 5, 2020
No Comments on Crossing Boundaries (Acts 11:19–21)

[Listen to an audio version here]

Have you ever been in a restaurant or business where it seemed the people were more interested in each other than you as a customer? Have you ever felt like an afterthought?

Peter Drucker, the famous business strategist and writer, began to realize that this was a general problem in business. Businesses would lose sight of the fact that they were there for the customers and become ingrown. They would become more concerned about their inward process than about their outward purpose.

The same can happen in the church, too. The church becomes inward-focused. It forgets that it is there for a larger purpose: the kingdom. The goal of the church is not the church. The goal of the church is to bless the world and to make an impact in it.

Today, I want to tell you about some brave men who saw with clarity what God wanted to do to expand His work in the world and acted on it. We don’t know their names. We just know what they did and the huge impact it made, an impact that is still with us today.

The Context
The first line in our text reads: “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled . . .” (Acts 11:19). This line hearkens back to Acts 8:4 which says, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

Stephen had preached boldly about Jesus. The result was as negative as it was when Jesus preached. The rulers of the Jewish people, led by Saul of Tarsus, stoned Stephen and killed him. Saul later bitterly regretted it and ended up preaching salvation through the same Jesus Stephen had preached. We know Saul now as the Apostle Paul, but the Stephen was still dead.

However, God knows how to bring light out of darkness. Speaking of Jesus’ death, the Apostles prayed, “They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen” (Acts 4:28). They knew that God was working out a plan. Here God was working out a plan as well. This martyrdom was something God permitted and ordained for His own purposes. You see, the church had gotten stuck. They all stayed in Jerusalem, even though Jesus told them to go throughout the world. When the persecution broke out, they scattered.

The result was that they preached everywhere they went. Our text adds an important qualification, though. They preached, but “they were spreading the word only among Jews” (Acts 11:19). This is what was comfortable. These were people of the same culture and mindset. They could not yet break out of their comfort zones enough to go into all the world and to every people.

This was true in spite of the command of Jesus that was abundantly clear. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). Instead, they only preached to the Jews.

However, we shouldn’t be too hard on these folks. Most Christians are only friends with Christians. Even among Christians, we get comfortable with certain people. Even when we know people, it can be hard to get out of our comfort zone. When it comes to people, we all really like our groups. We build groups with whom we are comfortable, whether these are groups that do the same work, have the same views, participate in the same ministry, are part of the same family, or have the same skin color, etc. It’s just easier to be with those with whom we already feel comfortable. How many of us would act in a much different manner than our fathers in the early church? If we were part of the church at that time, would we have broken out of the mold and stepped out of our comfort zone? What do our current actions teach us? How many people have we shared a meal with who were really different from us and didn’t conform to a particular pattern? No, these were people just like us.

The Action
But there were some brave men who acted differently. They stood out from the herd. “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” (Acts 11:20). Some of them began to speak to the Greeks as well. A few of them were bold enough to cross boundaries. They took Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations seriously. They spoke to the Greeks.

What a powerful lesson for us. When we think about advancing God’s kingdom, we can look to the great figures of Acts such as Peter, John, and Paul, but here were ordinary Christians who simply spoke to those who were different from them. They went to the Gentiles. They got out of their comfort zone. They crossed boundaries.

When I think of someone who crossed boundaries, I always think of my dear and special friend Hennie Vandersluis. As you can tell, she was Dutch. Her father was a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, a church that is by and large ethnically Dutch. However, her father went where most in his denomination would not. He started a church in downtown Kalamazoo among those of different ethnicity, background, and class. Hennie never forgot that lesson. She was a collector of people and relationships. She gathered people together from all walks of life. When she threw a big birthday party and invited all her friends, there was a dizzying variety of people. She simply crossed boundaries. She got out of her comfort zone. She touched hundreds of people. She left a light that shines brightly for all her friends and relatives in the way she loved people so well.

And that’s what we can do, too. Whatever your skills or background, you can cross a boundary. You can speak to people you don’t know. You can talk to people outside your group. You can start small. You can just start talking today to someone you don’t normally talk to. You can talk to a neighbor you’ve never talked to before. You can strike up a conversation in line with someone at the grocery store. After that, you can take another step and start going to places where you don’t normally go and connecting with people you don’t know. Then, you can invite people out for coffee, for dinner, or to your home. It’s rather simple. The only walls keeping us from doing this are inside us, and we can break through them. We have not been given a Spirit of fear but of power! As Jesus said, “You shall receive power.”

Then, you can share with them your life. When you do so, you can share your faith. You can tell them about Jesus. That’s what these Jews did. They told them “them the good news about the Lord Jesus” (Acts 11:20).

That’s what we can do, too. We can tell them of hope in Jesus. We can tell them of the love of Jesus. We can tell them of forgiveness in Jesus. We can tell them of the faithfulness of Jesus. We can tell them of the guidance of Jesus. We can tell them of the leadership of Jesus. We can tell them of security in Jesus. We can tell them of the friendship of Jesus. We can tell them of our purpose in Jesus. Whatever we have experienced, whatever has touched our hearts, we can share.

The Results
And what will happen when we get out of our comfort zones and cross boundaries to reach people for Jesus? “The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21).

The phrase, “the Lord’s hand was with them,” reminds us that the work of restoring the world is ultimately God’s work. It is God who adds to our numbers. It is God who opens the heart. It is God who ordains to eternal life. It is God who causes people to listen. This is God’s work.

However, He does it in a specific way. He opens hearts and minds through people who are open to His leading like the Jews from Cyprus and Cyrene. When we cross boundaries, God opens hearts. When we go, we are not alone. God’s hand will be with us to do great things.

I have observe that whenever people of any denomination or group of Christians get a real vision to reach out, God blesses it. He does not let this vision go unfulfilled. It may not be exactly what they imagine, but God will use it in extraordinary ways.

That’s an encouragement for us. God will bless our efforts just as He did with the people of Antioch. There, they were first called Christians. There, the church thrived. There, the missionaries were sent out. Antioch became a platform for ministry to the rest of the world. And it began with men who were willing to get out of their comfort zones and cross boundaries.

So, what can you do? You can cross boundaries to love people and speak to them about Jesus. You can start talking to those whom you ordinarily would not. This is the adventure to which God calls us, no matter who we are. So, let’s step out. Let’s get out of our comfort zones. Let’s cross boundaries. Let’s do so in the confidence that God’s hand will be with us, and we will be amazed to see what God will do through us. Amen.

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Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

Tags Acts, Boundaries, Comfort Zone, Gentiles, Jesus, Talking

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