Hope WesleyanText Box: Don’t forget to Check the Kat(e)list

A Wesleyan Methodist Church
Text Box: The three sixteens of Pauls Epistles Intro: Last week we looked at the “3:16’s of the Gospels”… and I think it was a good journey for us to take. Matthew 3:16 opened up the question of “Who is Jesus” to us, Mark 3:16 opened up the question of ‘who’s following’ Jesus (or are we just fans), Luke 3:16 confronted us with the gift of the Holy Spirit to the life of believers and John 3:16 answered our BIG question: ‘What Happens When we Die?’ Tonight we go to the Epistles of Paul and again we look at the ‘3:16’s’ - We start with Galatians … Galatians 3:16 -“God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.” The NIV reads.. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. A BIG PROMISE. This passage examines the Covenant God made with Abraham way back in Genesis and it’s important to Paul to combat the popular Jewish interpretation that the promise was exclusive to the Jews and received by obeying God’s law. So we find Paul’s argument for grace culminating in the definition of the term seed.  Paul explains, is not plural but singular. Therefore the covenant designated one person, not many people, to be the recipient of the promises. That one person, says Paul, is Christ. Paul's definition of seed contradicted the Jewish nationalistic interpretation. Jews were convinced that the term seed referred to the physical descendants of Abraham, the Jewish people. Therefore they believed it was absolutely necessary to belong to the Jewish nation to receive the blessings promised to Abraham. Paul argument is that it is not necessary to be in the Jewish nation to receive the promises; but rather it is necessary to be in Christ. He argues that since Christ is the heir of the promises, all those and only those, who are in Christ by faith are the intended beneficiaries of the covenant promises God made to Abraham (v. 29). We can’t give this topic or Paul’s argument justice in the time we have tonight, but suffice for us to acknowledge that this battle between law and grace is still fought today. Ask anyone on a Sydney street today why they might expect to go to heaven when they die, and you might get any number of answers.. but I can almost guarantee that amoung them you will hear something like.. “well I haven’t really done anything wrong”. By this they mostly mean “I haven’t murdered or raped anyone”. They live life with the philosophy of “how much can I get away with and still go to heaven”. The Jews believed they alone received the promises of God simply by being Jews, and obeying God’s law. Paul says they are wrong to believe that, and that the real descendants of Abraham are those who believe. “11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” John 1:12 also bears witness to this truth also by declaring: “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Ephesians 3:16 - “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.” A BIG LOVE. But we can’t start there… In Verse 12.. Paul declares.. “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” Salvation reconciles us with God. This is no small thing. By the actions of Christ on the cross, we are redeemed from a Selfish and Godless existence.. to be ‘friends with God again’. Even more than that, to quote John again.. “the right to become children of God” (John 1:12) Again.. no small thing. Paul goes on to say.. “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is”. Paul is describing, and not in detail.. the life that believer’s are called into. A life that the God who calls us, also resources. A life where we grow to resemble our Saviour in character, in heart and in the very depth of our being. This life is resourced by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. And further, the dawning realisation for us as we lean on Him, and allow our roots to dig deep into this fertile soil, is of LOVE! The same Love that carried Christ to the Cross, and is now a living reality in our lives. Paul is right. How can we NOT “fall to our knees”? Philippians 3:16 - “Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.” A BIG DANGER.  “12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[d] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.” Paul describes his Christian life as a yearning to gain/know Christ, together with a confidence is the glorious inheritance that waits for him in heaven. He appeals to the Philippians to adopt this mindset also… but then comes the Rude awakening… we suggestion that we can be separated from God which is inferred in his entreaty to HOLD FAST! We don’t lose precious ‘spiritual ground’ necessary by direct disobedience or a deliberate turning away, (although that is possible for us), but more often it comes by drifting and neglect. We start to take for granted the great rescue God has made of us.. we take for granted the love He showers on us and the promises he has made toward us. We neglect His word and His ways, and soon we realise we have drifted further than we ever intended to from His heart. Paul encourages us to “Hold Fast”, “Hang on Tight”… to what we have already attained. One way we do that is found in … Colossians 3:16 -  “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” We can never underestimate the power of God’s word to enrich our lives, and grow us in faith. But according to this verse… it’s also good for correction, wisdom, worship, encouragement. We cannot help but acknowledge the importance of our family of faith. We have a BIG ROLE to play in each other’s lives here too. We are called to TEACH, ADMONISH, GRATEFULLY SHARE our faith with and ENCOURAGE each other. In Philippians we heard how important it is to protect our relationship with God. Here in Colossians it’s not a big stretch for us to say how important it is to also protect our relationships with each other also. Make sure we are a people who “Build each other UP!” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” And even when we have cause to “ADMONISH”… it is to be done in a humble, loving and redemptive way. Finally, (as Paul might say) Remember when we call ourselves “Christian”… we are wearing the name of Christ. So Paul extols us to wear it well! Represent Him, and Resemble Him. “17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father” HMW The three sixteens of the gospels There is treasure to be found when we make a quick visit to Chapter 3 and verse 16 of each of the Gospels? Matthew 3:16 “And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” The most contentious issue for unbelievers. Who is Jesus? There are so many passages we could look at as we consider this question, but perhaps the clearest and most concise is John 14:6 “I am the Way, Truth and the Life.. no one comes to the Father, but by me”. Pretty much everyone agrees Jesus is a Great Moral Teacher… but he did claim deity. According to well known Christian apologist, Josh McDowell we have 3 choices when it comes to Jesus’ idenitity. Lunatic – deluded in thinking he is God. Liar – knew he wasn’t God when he claimed to be so, and therefore lying. Lord – is who He claims to be. Each of us will have to answer for ourselves the question Jesus himself asked Peter: “Who do you say I am?” and there is a lot hanging on our answer as we will see as we travel through the “3:16’s” Mark 3:16 “So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter)…” The most contentious issue for believers… who’s following and who is just a fan? A Fan is someone who… ‘likes’ the one they are a fan of. I like Coldplay… I’m a fan. Being a fan doesn’t cost much (facebook). It is possible for a FAN to transition into a FOLLOWER. We call them fanatics. A Follower is one who… aligns their beliefs with the one they follow to imitate the life of that one. Being a FOLLOWER requires belief, that results in change. For the Follower of Christ it means the beginning of a journey that results in “being conformed to the image of Christ” Rom 8:29. Jesus had multitudes of fans.. they gathered in the hundreds to hear him speak, to bring their sick for healing, to be fed with bread and fish. But a small band of ‘fans’ also became ‘followers’. These are the ones we find at the foot of the cross and gathered in the upper room. These are the ones who’s lives had been altered by their faith in Jesus, and their love for Him. Following Jesus will result in service and sacrifice. Where do you fit? Luke 3:16 “John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’ “ The most precious Gift – the Holy Spirit (described here as fire) This extraordinary gift to all believers… the indwelling Holy Spirit. Why is this gift so important to us… especially those who follow Him… here are some of the reasons why this gift to believers is so very precious:- Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth.. In John 14:16, ‘Jesus made this promise when he said “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.” Holy Spirit is our best expression of God’s presence in our lives.. Ephesians 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Holy Spirit intercedes for us… Romans 8:26 states that “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Holy Spirit will produce fruit (Galatians 5:23) and dispense gifts .. Hebrews 2:4 “And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spiritwhenever he chose.for kingdom life and service” We need to “fanintoflame” the gift that is in you. (2 Tim 1:6) John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” The most precious Truth. John 3:16 leads us to two precious truths. We learn that God is motivated by LOVE. And secondly, we learn the answer to our biggest question: ‘what happens when we die?’ God is motivated by love, and when we become ‘His’… this should be our mark too. In it’s simplest terms, Jesus himself reduced all of the law to two simple instructions: to Love God, and to Love Others as we love ourselves. LOVE is the mark of a true believer. This should be the greatest change we see in the life of the believer. We were created to love and be loved… and that’s the purpose of our redemption also. Secondly, we learn about the ‘afterlife’. The answer to the question “What happens when we die?” Just as life is a gift from God, so is ‘life after death’. Mark 8:38… 3” If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” This scripture may sound a bit harsh when we first hear it, but what it is really saying is that we get to choose. The place we give Jesus in our lives during this lifetime, is the same one He will give us in the next. If we ignore Him now, we choose also for Him to ignore us “when it matters most” God offers, but it is our answer – yes or no – that determines our eternal destiny. CONCLUSION: 1 John 3:16 - “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” Most Precious Proof and a Clear Calling to love, give and go. No selfish life for the true believer, the follower of Jesus. Imitate the saviour… and give your life in service to God and others. We are called to be FOLLOWERS, not just ‘fans’. REFLECTIONS: Consider the Difference between being a FAN of Jesus, and being a FOLLOWER of His? Which of the 3:16s of the Gospels, speaks most to your current needs at this moment? In the light of this teaching, are there any changes you ought be making in your expression of faith right now? Hmw Do You Love Me? There was once a couple who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and later that night the wife asked her husband why, after all the years together, he had never told her he loved her.  He said, “I told you I loved you on the day we were married, and if that ever changes, you’ll be the first to know.” Do you love me?  What a question.  What words.  We sometimes hear that question when someone wants assurance from us that we love them. We ask that question when we need assurance that we are loved. The question is so basic: Do you love me? It had been a long time since I’d seen the movie "Fiddler On The Roof". So I hired it the other day and watched it again. For those that may not have seen it, it is a classic story.  The main characters are an old Jewish man by the name of Tevye and his wife Golde (pronounced Golda).  They have been married for twenty-five years, and have gone through so much together in Old Mother Russia at the turn of the century.  But does she love him? Let me play an excerpt from the movie and we’ll see. OK so bearing this in mind let’s look at the gospel reading for today in which Simon Peter, the big fisherman and the leader of the disciples, is asked that same question by Jesus three times.   Do you love me? Jesus wants to know about Peter’s love. Do you love me?  This question gets right to the heart of the matter. It deals with the central issue in our relationship with God.  God doesn't ask what church we belong to or what church activities we are involved in.  God doesn't want to know if we are theologically conservative or liberal. God doesn't even question the amount we give to church appeals.  Though all of these are important, they are not the most important.  Rather, God focuses on our hearts.   He asks if all that we do, and say, and are, flows out of our love for Jesus. He is feeling our pulse for a passionate, burning devotion. He wants to know, "Do you love me?" The text of this chapter of the Gospel is powerful.  A seaside, post Resurrection conversation between Peter and Jesus just after dawn by the Sea of Tiberias.  It takes place as the fire from the meal of fish and bread is dying down.  Andrew, James, John, Thomas, Nathaniel, and the two others were probably lying back and relaxing after being up all night and having just enjoyed a big breakfast.  Jesus knew what Peter had done, just as he knows what we do. But Jesus also knew Peter's heart, just as he knows our hearts.  He knew that Peter was afraid of death, just as those who have no hope fear death.  But because of his love for Peter he pardoned his cowardice and began to work with Peter's faith. I’m pretty sure we all know why Jesus asked Peter this question three times. The reason goes back to what happened by another fire in the high priest's courtyard after Jesus was betrayed and arrested.  Three times Peter was asked if he was one of Christ's disciples.  Three times Peter denied even knowing him because he was afraid: he was afraid that what was happening to Jesus would happen to him; he was afraid he would be arrested; he was afraid he would be slapped and beaten; he was afraid he would be condemned to die by crucifixion. But notice what Jesus does:  not once does He bring up Peter's fear and denial; not once does He remind Peter He had predicted this would happen.  You see, Jesus is not interested in the fruit of the denial tree; rather, He is interested in its root.  So Jesus does not ask, "Simon, why did you deny me?"  Rather, He asks, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" Jesus is not the accuser. He doesn’t want to prosecute. He wants to redeem and restore. That’s what he came to do. I think it’s interesting that at the beginning of John’s gospel when Jesus call’s Simon to follow him, he changes his name to Peter – the rock!. But now he calls him Simon son of John. He’s lost the title of “the rock”, the solid tough guy – he’s now just Simon and maybe his nick name should be mud or sand. He’s a bit soft and wishy-washy. But Jesus wants to restore him to being the rock again. So he doesn’t say “Why did you let me down Simon?” he just says “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” The lesson here is obvious: Jesus is telling Peter (and us) that all moral failures point to a collapse of love.  Faulty behaviour, wrong behaviour, immoral behaviour, disobedient behaviour, all reveal an imperfect love.  Pick any saint and any sin.  Think of Moses striking the rock with his stick out of anger and frustration – disobeying God’s instructions.  Think of Samson and his relationship with that heathen woman, Delilah.  Think of David and his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband.  Think of Paul's persecution of the church.  Every one of their failures, every one of your failures, every one of my failures, points to something lacking in love for God and Christ. If our love is lacking, then we are bound to fall. But there is also another lesson here. If, all moral failure points to a collapse of love, then all moral triumph points to a flourishing of love.  Pick any saint and any moral triumph.  Think of Joseph as he faced Potiphar's lonely but lovely wife.  "Come lie with me," she said.  Joseph got out of there before he sinned against God and Potiphar.  Think of Daniel praying to God at the open window facing Jerusalem even though such prayer was against the law.  Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego remaining on their feet while everyone else bowed before the golden statue.  Think of Elijah and the 7,000 who refused to worship Baal.  Think of King Josiah who repaired the Temple, re-established the Law, and restored the priesthood. In each and every case their moral triumph indicates that their love for God was alive and real and flourishing. If your love is flourishing then you are bound to lead the victorious Christian life. Jesus asks us "Do you love me?"  What happens when we answer: "Yes. Yes, Jesus, I love You."  What happens?  Notice the final two words Jesus says to Peter: "Follow me!"  Do you see the connection?  I can follow Jesus only when I love Him.  I can be His disciple only when I love Him.  I can deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Him only when I love Him. Have you ever wondered how fans can stand in line for hours to buy tickets to a rock concert or a football game?  It is because they love the band or the football team.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we had people doing the same thing to get into church? Love makes sacrifice a privilege, service an honour, suffering a joy.  We see that in the life of the Lord Jesus.  We see that in the life of the disciples.  We see that in the life of the Apostle Paul.  We see that in the life of the first century Christians.  "Do you love me?" The bottom line is this: the Lord Jesus wants our love.  Think of the Great Commandment that God gave and recorded in the Old Testament: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength." God, in Christ, wants our love.  And, He wants our love no matter what.  He wanted Peter's love, even though Peter denied Him three times.  The Lord Jesus wants your love: no matter how faithful or faithless you have been, no matter whether you denied Him or professed Him, no matter how strong or weak your faith may be, no matter how you have fallen into sin or practiced righteousness, no matter what! Remember love is a choice, love is a commitment. It’s not some warm fuzzy feeling – that’s just infatuation. Real love flows from a decision. We are commanded to love God and we can choose to obey or we can choose not to. "Do you love me?" What is your answer? Let’s look at this another way.  Whenever I start my computer it does a self-test.  It checks that everything is working before I can start working on it.  It checks the memory, the hard-drive, the graphics card, the controller and drives, the internal clock.  They all have to work before the computer will proceed.  In the same way I need to do a self-test to make sure that all systems are go.  I need to do a self-test to determine my answer to Jesus' question: "Do you love me?" What do I look for?  What self-tests should I give myself?  How do I know if I love Him? The first part of my self-test is the Peter test: do I confess Christ before men or do I deny Christ before men?  There is a reason Jesus asked Peter the same question three different times: Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me? Jesus didn't have to remind Peter of the awful thing he did.  The three questions mirrored the three denials in such a way that Peter was cut to the heart.  Jesus didn't say it, but Peter certainly was left thinking, "If I love Jesus how could I deny Him three times?" If I love Jesus then I confess Him and do not deny Him.  I think of what Jesus says in Matthew 10 (verses 32-33).  "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Those who love Jesus are not ashamed to confess Him before men.  If we love Jesus, if we truly love Him, then we do not deny knowing Him the way Peter did.  If we love Jesus, if we truly love Him, then we stand before the world and the church and say: "I believe in Jesus. He is my Saviour and my Lord." How do I know if I love Jesus?  The second part of my self-test has to do with good deeds.  Do I have a history of good intentions, warm fuzzies, and spiritual feelings?  Or do I have a history of real deeds?  Are my good deeds left undone or do I actually reach out in love?  We have heard the saying that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” In one of his books, Max Lucado illustrated the kind of love taught by Jesus by relaying this experience: He said, “The best example of love that I can think of occurred at the death of my own father.  I remember a lady who was a distant relative of our family.  She drove six hours to get to the funeral.  She walked in the house and went immediately into the kitchen and began washing dishes.  I didn't even know she was there.  She straightened up everything and helped prepare for the meal.  She came to the funeral.  After the funeral, she came back and did the dishes again, got in her car and went home.  As far as I know, she never said a word.  She never introduced herself.  But when I looked around, I realized that love had been in our house.” How do I know if I love Jesus?  The third part of my self-test has to do with obedience. Jesus says in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." I think here of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis because of his testimony.  Bonhoeffer was willing to follow Jesus, even if it meant death. How do I know if I love Jesus?  The fourth part of my self-test has to do with priorities.  Who or what do I love best and most?  Am I first?  Is it money?  Is it things?  Is it food? Or, is it Jesus?  Those who love Jesus love Jesus first: not weakly, faintly, and intellectually but passionately, personally, and devotedly.  Their love for Christ overwhelms every other love of life. That is what Christ demands of us.  Our love and devotion for Him must be so complete that the deepest love we have for anyone or anything else fades in comparison.  Do you love the Lord Jesus like that?  If you don't – or aren't willing to – you aren't really His disciple.  If you don't – or aren't willing to – you do not really love Him. How do I know if I love Jesus?  The fifth part of my self-test has to do with feeding and caring for sheep and lambs. Doesn’t mean he wants us to be farmers. Three times Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?"  Three times Peter answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."  Three times Jesus responded,  "Feed my lambs ... Take care of my sheep ... Feed my sheep." There is a connection between loving Jesus and feeding His sheep.  Every time we reach out to feed and care for the sheep and the lambs we are loving Jesus.  If we love Christ, we will find a lamb and feed it. In Matthew 25:40 Jesus says: “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” That's the way we show our love for God: by feeding the sheep, by encouraging our brothers and sisters, by bringing the good news to others. Jesus also indicates in our passage the kind of death Peter would die for the Lord.  We know from church history that Peter died like the Lord: he was crucified.  Imagine that: the one who loudly denied the Lord ended up gladly dying for Him.  There is no doubt that Peter died loving the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. "Do you love me?" Jesus knew the answer.  He knew Peter loved Him.  And the apostles knew that too because Peter – fallen Peter – ended up being one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church.  Here is a lesson that within the grace of God even the greatest of saints can have horrible sins and yet be a leader in the church. "Do you love me?" God stops us in our tracks with that question.  In our headlong rush through life He wants us to look at our hearts, to run a self-test. "Do you love me?"  I hope your answer is "Yes.  Yes, God, I love You. Yes, Jesus, I love You. Yes, Spirit, I love You." But, no matter how much we love Him, we can never love Him enough.  Our love for Him can never match His wondrous love for us, a love which led Jesus to die on the cross and be buried in the grave. We love Him because he first loved us 1John 4:19. Jesus asked three times, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’  The story is classic. Jesus is persistent.  Three times Jesus asks the same basic question that Tevye asked of Golde and we sometimes ask of each other.  I loved that musical, "Fiddler On The Roof."  When Tevye said with his gravely voice, “Do you love me?”  And again, “Do you love me?”  And again, “Do you love me?” The persistence of those questions has always remained with me. And that is the persistent question that Jesus asks of his disciples. Do you love me? DP "Walking Humbly with God" - Micah 6:8  Following on from our recent emphasis on “Doing All the Good We Can” (November/December).. I want to turn our attention to a favourite scripture from the book of Micah tonight. “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” --Micah 6:1-8 Micah has delivered a stinging rebuke of the sins of Israel’s people and its leaders: idolatry was rampant; wicked leaders were leading the people astray; the wealthy were oppressing the poor; the wealthy were becoming so through dishonesty and deceitfulness. In this context, Micah delivers the three-fold Word of God in answer to his own question, “What does God want from me?” The answer is still relevant today. According to Micah, Our walk with God will be marked by:- Acting Justly… What characteristics are necessary to the ability to Act Justly? Integrity – “walking straight” yourself. If you love a crooked path, it will not be possible to be just. That’s what had happened to Israel. Idolatry, selfishness and greed had taken hold amoungst them to the point they even doubted and questioned God. Honesty – in all things. No lying, no stealing, no exaggerating our own importance as we re-tell the events of our day, our lives. No exaggeration as we re-tell the wrong we have suffered at the hands of others. Good sense of Right and Wrong. A passion to be fair, to treat others well, to treat others right. Starts at Home. Fair with our kids, our spouses… the people closest to us. If we can be fair with them, we’ll be fair to our neighbours, our workmates, our bosses. This will spill over to fairness in all our dealings. Fairness. Especially in our relationships. What questions does a Lover of Justice ask? Of all my options, what is the most fair response I can make? But if JUST was all we were called to exhibit in our walk with God… things would become pretty ugly, pretty quickly I believe, and we might never get to resemble God at all. For justice is not the thing that makes us most like Jesus. But maybe the next quality Micah mentions will help us here. Loving Mercy… What characteristics are necessary to the ability to Act Mercifully? Empathy (the ability to put yourself in the other person’s shoes). The ability to see things through their eyes. (Ron Oakley and Judy Selvaggi) A ‘Second Chance’ mentality – the belief that people will do better when they know better. The desire to see people get up again after a fall or a failure. The knowledge that if someone hadn’t given us a second chance we would not be where we are now… should help compassion and mercy prevail when we have the opportunity to extend it also. (Racist lady at Riverstone Shops- my first response… then my second response) The ability to see inner potential. The Desire to ‘give a hand up’. What Questions does a person who loves mercy ask? How would I like people to respond if it was me in that situation? “I know you can do better, I know you can be better than that?” Walking Humbly with God… The Bible talks a lot about our ‘walk with God’ Walk in obedience—“Blessed are they, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Ps 119:1). Walk in wisdom—“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside…” (Col 4:5). Walk in the light—“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Walk in the Spirit—“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). Walk in love—“Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” (Eph 5:2). All of these ought mark the walk of a believer… But Micah starts at the beginning… and reminds us that our walk with God begins with Humility. It is only as we “humble ourselves” before God, that He can receive us. The knowledge that we deserve rejection for our sinful rebellious ways, coupled with gratitude that we receive mercy and forgiveness instead. The best posture in the presence of God will always be HUMILITY. 1 Peter 5:6 “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour.” It also serves us well in our relationships with each other. Ephesians 4:1,2 “1 Therefore I beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, 2Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love” Jesus exemplified humility to us:- Phil 2: 6-8.. “6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” And he calls us to an attitude of humility as we walk together and with God as His redeemed ones. Phil 2:3-5 … “3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.  5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” CONCLUSION: So what does God want from you? “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” --Micah 6:1-8 REFLECTIONS: Explain your understanding of what it means to BE just, and DO justice? What’s the difference between Doing Merciful Deeds, and Loving Mercy? Why do you think humility is so important to our walk with God? DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN (Wesley) It was John Wesley who said… “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, for as long as you can. ” Wesley, together with his brother Charles was the founder of the Methodist Church which exists all around the world still today. John Wesley (1703-1791) was born in Lincolnshire, England, the son of an Anglican minister. At age six, John was saved from a burning rectory and his life was forever altered. Another of his sayings was… "Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn." As a student of the Scriptures devoted to God, he began a 55-year journal, the basis recording much of his spiritual growth and insights gained along the way. Wesley travelled to America as a missionary, spreading the word in Georgia for two years, another experience that had a huge impact on him. Upon his return to England, Wesley became a passionate open-air preacher and laid the foundations of a Christian movement that was based God's love and the call to holy living. John Wesley had this rule for life: Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, for as long as you can. Last week we discovered that Doing Good is a great theme of the Scriptures… and now we discover it is also a great theme of the people called Methodist. This makes, I believe, a good choice for us to continue to study and reflect upon the call for all believers to “do all the good we can”. In Wesley, we clearly see the legacy of a life lived by these principles. But this idea is by no means limited to the people called Methodist. Abraham Lincoln used to say that he always plucked a thorn or planted a rose wherever he thought a rose would grow. Again, we are able to measure the impact of a life living out this principle. On the streets of Edinburgh you will see a monument to the great scottish preacher, Thomas Guthrie. Guthrie had a favourite poem which he quoted often… this is that poem: I live for those who love me, for those who know me true, For the heaven that smiles above me, and awaits my spirit too’ For the cause that lacks assistance, for the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, and all the good that I can do. It is no exaggeration to call Mother Teresa … a great modern day saint and champion of the poor in India. She is remembered for her selfless devotion to the poor. She said… “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” And also… “Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love.” Again… we are able to measure the impact of a life that lived out this belief. All of these people, and these sayings are worthy of our consideration. But as we continue to explore the call for Christians to be Doing Good - I want us to turn our eyes now to Jesus. Saviour, Redeemer, Friend of Sinners… we know him by many names and roles. But we don’t have to look very far to find that He too teaches us the value of “doing good” as an important expression of our faith. The testimony of Acts 10:38 commends Jesus himself as one who… “who went about doing good”. Matthew 20:26-28 “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus declared himself to be a Servant… and not a King.. and forever changed our perception of what it means to be truly GREAT. Jesus understood that a primary part of his mission involved SERVANTHOOD. He read Isaiah 61:1,2 in the synagogue at Nazareth as he began His public ministry, clearly connecting himself to the image of the servant depicted there. Throughout his public ministry, Jesus created a new way of thinking about ministry and spiritual leadership when He clearly associated himself with the image of the Suffering Servant, who served through great sacrifice that eventually led to death (Isaiah 53:1–9). What Jesus understood about His own mission He clearly articulated as an attitude for leadership in the Church. Following an argument among His disciples about greatness in the Kingdom, Jesus turned common assumptions and values of leadership upside down by declaring that ‘the least’ would be the greatest in His Kingdom. Mark also records this incident in Mark 9:33-35 He questioned the disciples: "What were you arguing about on the road?" He then sat down and called the Twelve to Him and said... "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all" Jesus’ is teaching them that true leaders are devoted to service that focuses on the needs, personal growth, and happiness of others. Jesus’ view of leadership and service informed the early church, and still informs the church today. This teaching brazenly defies modern concepts of power, authority, and control as the highest expressions of effective leadership. His teaching caught fire with the disciples and we find in the Book of Acts a caring church in which leaders and followers expressed a mutual and active servanthood toward one another. We are called to be SERVANTS too. Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) … “16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” The word is given to teach, correct, prepare, instruct and equip God’s people for GOOD WORKS. As an expression of love and obedience… We take up this challenge. Conclusion: We need to remember that just like we are not the audience at worship (God is the Audience… we are the ‘players’). Neither are we “customers” of the Church, wanting and waiting to be served… instead we embrace the truth that Jesus taught us, that we are called to be “servants of God.” We look to the words of Mother Teresa and take up the challenge to … “Give our hands to serve and our hearts to love.” HMW DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN Galatians 6:9-10; Introduction: If we are going to DO ALL THE GOOD WE CAN, What is it that is going to be our motivation? Paul says that it’s important for us to understand that we are saved by grace, through faith, for good works. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). According to Paul (and James)… doing good will never save us, but it is a natural expression of being saved. As the people of God we are saved by grace, through faith, and called to be a ‘better version of ourselves’… to become ‘conformed to the image of Christ’ (Romans 8:29). Being Christian means to be called into a life that is expressed in love, obedience, faith, and GOOD WORKS. Now back to Galatians. In Galatians 6 Paul lists 5inhibitors to us in doing all the good we can. WE CAN BECOME WEARY, DISCOURAGED. There are many things that discourage us. Sometimes we feel that what we have already done was in vain.. failed to impact in the ways we had hoped it would. Sometimes we simply get too busy juggling commitments that fill our lives and we just can’t find the energy to give to anyone else. Sometimes we feel ill equipped and have little to offer others. We’re not as good or clever as others… leave the good works to them. Paul wants us to encourage each other to FOCUS on Christ, REMEMBER our calling, and LIFT our game. WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER TO KEEP ON DOING GOOD. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25). WE LOSE SIGHT OF THE HARVEST. Sometimes we are so busy living our lives that we forget there’s even a harvest going on. We forget to pray for the harvest… We take our eyes off the goal. We get stuck in “survival mode” and we lack patience to wait for and work for the time of harvest. But if we KEEP OUR EYES ON THE LORD, we will be son reminded that He is the LORD OF THE HARVEST. WE FAIL TO RECOGNISE OPPORTUNITIES AND LET THEM PASS. When we are weary, when we forget the harvest, it’s easy to depend on past accomplishments to build some sort of credit for us. We mistakenly think our past contributions are sufficient and we look for rest. It’s someone else’s turn to do good. Yet, Jesus never missed an opportunity to “do good”… we need to develop a similar sensitivity to the opportunities around us all the time. We must be willing to be “interrupted” by God to do good. WE MUST BE SENSITIVE AND READY EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO DO GOOD. WE FORGET GOD IS PLEASED WHEN WE DO GOOD. “A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature reaps destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit reaps eternal life” (Gal 6:7-8). “you who are godly[b] should gently and humbly help” (Gal 6:1) Obedience always pleases God… but especially when it is motivated by LOVE. God was motivated by love when He reached down from Heaven to give us His precious Son as our Saviour. In salvation we are called back to Him, and we are called into a life that resembles His. God is pleased when because of LOVE, we also, LOVE TO OBEY. SOMETIMES INSTEAD OF DOING GOOD, WE ACTUALLY SOW BAD SEED. Sometimes we sow bad seed ourselves. We don’t mean to… we think the absence of the good is just that… but we don’t realise that our failure to do good… can actually translate into “BAD SEED”. When good is absent, the cares of the world grow up around the good seed and choke it so that it can’t mature (Luke 8:14). WE MUST NOT FORGET TO KEEP ON DOING GOOD THINGS. Remember the Caution of James. “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18). James wants us to know that faith results in good works, faith is demonstrated and proven by our actions. GOOD DEEDS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR LIFE IN CHRIST. We were created for and commanded to do good works. 1. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). 2. “(Jesus Christ) who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14). “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good…and I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good (Titus 3:1,8). 4. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18). LET US REMEMBER THAT WE WERE CREATED TO KEEP ON DOING GOOD THINGS. LET US NOT BECOME WEARY IN DOING GOOD, FOR AT THE PROPER TIME WE WILL REAP A HARVEST IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP. LET US KEEP ON DOING GOOD THINGS, SO THAT WE MIGHT BOTH REPRESENT AND RESEMBLE JESUS CHRIST. AMEN. Text Box: