Mark 10:32-52 Serving the servant King means dying to live

Mark 10:32-52

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Previously on “Mark: the Gospel”….

Jesus of Nazareth has burst onto the scene and created quite a stir. He’s been doing massive miracles left, right and centre, healing people, casting out demons, walking on water, making food appear from thin air – enough to feed over 5000 people, and then again 4000 people, and even raising people from the dead! He is no fake. Even his critics cannot deny his power! They accuse him of being from the devil instead. (Dirty politics 101: If you can’t beat them, throw mud at them and hope it sticks!).

And these stories really happened. People were there with Jesus. They SAW him do these things. And these weren’t primitives! We are often so arrogant assuming that people who lived long ago were somehow stupider than we are. That they would be fooled by simple magic tricks. Have a look at this sculpture. Made of marble. In 45BC. The society Jesus lived in was complex and sophisticated. They were part of the Roman empire. There was trade, business, long distance travel, courts of law, police, large cities, running water, roads, schools, reading, writing, in fact university-level mathematics, and philosophies that are still in use today (and being heralded as “new”! It was an advanced civilisation! )

So if Jesus had been just a magician (and there were magicians in those days, just like now, it wasn’t something they’d never seen before) he would quite quickly have been exposed for his trickery. Or people would have been entertained, like now, but any claims to divinity would have been met with mocking laughs, just as if a TV magician today suddenly claimed to be God.

But what if the disciples added to what Jesus did to make it more dramatic? The miracles were added in later.

Problem is, people were still alive then. If I went on NRK today and said that during the 1970’s fuel crisis when King Olav took the tram, after he got out of the tram he launched himself into the air and flew to the top of the mountain, melted some snow with his laser eyes, and then skiied down so fast he broke the sound barrier, I’d be laughed at. No-one would believe me. People remember what happened. That didn’t happen.

But maybe they did it later? No can do, since the church had already spread around the world within about 30 years! But even if we suppose that they did, no-one know how to write like that. Myths were written as myths and history as history. The genre of historical fiction was only invented 1800 years later. Before that time it was never even conceived of to write fiction as if it were history, fact. Again, there is no evidence for this, just wild guessing.

We’re driven to this because what happened was so fantsastic, so remarkable. But that’s what we find in the gospels. No-one just believes it. People would be reluctant to say it happened, because it’s so fantastical. They only agree that it happened because they cannot explain it away by any other means.

The disciples saw Jesus do his miracles with their own eyes – and it still took them over two years before they were able to believe the evidence before their eyes and say “You are the Christ”. And were still getting it all wrong as we see in tonight’s passage. They didn’t understand fully, didn’t understand that he was God in the flesh, in person, until his resurrection. That blew away all doubts! Jesus could do the impossible! But they didn’t believe it when he first said it.

1. The Servant King will die and then rise from the dead.

Mk 10:33 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. 34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”

The disciples just nodded. They didn’t understand. Look at verse 32 They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear.

Why is he going to Jerusalem? Doesn’t he know what they will do to him? Yes he does, he who is the first, the top, the best, the good - will become last, a sinner. He will pay the punishment our sins deserve – all of our sins, even those we haven’t committed yet – by being betrayed, by suffering and then dying on a cross. His death will cover our sins.

See, Jesus came to serve. He came to serve because if he did not, no-one could be saved. There would be no church, no testimonies of changed lives, no joyous forgiveness, no mercy, no grace. It would be impossible for anyone to be saved. That’s what Jesus says in v27. Mk 10:26 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. 27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible.”

You see, he’d just spoken to two groups of people: one, a small child, helpless, dependent – and Jesus says “be like this”. The other a powerful, rich, morally upright man, who relies on his self-righteousness, his own goodness – and when challenged by Jesus, he turns away. The disciples were astonished because they thought that good people get saved.

No, says Jesus, people who recognise their need for salvation, people who come like children get saved. Why? For salvation cannot be earned, it must be given.

V 27 it is impossible for man to be saved. 27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. Have we got that? We cannot save ourselves! No amount of religion or good works or sacrifice can ever bridge the gap between us and God. Because God has said the only way to me is through Jesus, when we try any other way we are saying “ Hey God, I’m ignoring your word, disobeying you by trying my own way – are you impressed yet?” We’re just like Israel, told to only worship at the Temple, and never to make an image of God – what do they do? Set up two statues of God, not at Jerusalem, and worship those. Was God impressed, do you think?

Humanly speaking, it is impossible.

But not with God. Everything is possible with God.

How is it possible. Only through Jesus. Jesus is about to achieve the impossible. He, the only good man, is walking towards Jerusalem, towards his death.

On Mount Longdon on the 11^th June 1982, during the Falklands War, a Sergeant Ian McKay was pinned down with his platoon. They were suffering heavy casualties, and were in significant danger of being wiped out.
Sergeant Ian Mackay then made a momentous decision to save his men. With complete disregard for his safety he broke cover and charged the enemy position into a hail of fire. Alone, he ran up the hill toward the enemy machine gun nest firing at his men. He primed his grenades and jumped into the enemy machine gun nest. The grenades exploded, the guns fell silent, and Sergeant McKay saved his men.
Sergeant McKay, however, was killed at the moment of victory.

In that platoon there were probably some people who disliked Ian McKay. Many probably didn’t even know him. Some may have been his friends. Either way, after that night in 1982 their view of him was forever changed. He had saved them. He gave his life so they could live. They knew his name. They honoured him. They were grateful to him.

Jesus faced our undefeatable enemy – and won. We don’t need to face sin and death – Jesus has already paid the price. He gave his life to save you. So what do you think about Jesus? Perhaps you’re like the men in Ian McKay’s platoon – you don’t know him, or you don’t like him, or maybe you do like him. How does knowing that he saved your life change your response to Jesus?

He is the Servant King who died to save us – and we are called to follow him.

2. We are servants too, called to die to self, and life for Christ.

43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

What kind of boss would you like to have? What do you think makes a great leader? Most of you are probably thinking along the lines of someone who cares for you as a person, not just a cog in a machine. Someone approachable, not distant. Someone who listens to other people’s ideas, not who rules with an iron fist. Something like that? I doubt many of us thought of an autocratic dictator as good leaders. Most people in history, and many people in the world today, however, would disagree with you.

In a survey of leadership throughout world history an interesting pattern emerged. Most societies viewed compassion in a leader as weakness. Leaders were strong, exercising authority over people, and lording it over them. People were there to serve the leaders. This was across the board, even to the level of fatherhood. Many fathers believe that their authority was given them in order to please them instead of to serve others. But as Christianity started to spread, there was suddenly a totally different model of leadership on display: compassionate, servant-hearted, looking out for the interests of others. Now Jesus wasn’t the first (or the last) to proclaim such ways of leading, but he was the only one who truly embodied it, washing his disciples’ feet, dying on the cross for his followers, and commanding us to do the same.

This is God’s way of leading. Leading through service. And he’s demonstrating it at this very moment, walking to Jerusalem, walking to his death, explaining along the way.

And the disciples get it completely wrong!

You’ve really got to feel sorry for the disciples here – getting it wrong AGAIN! This is a repeat of 9:33-37 isn’t it? Jesus predicts his death, the ultimate act of service from the greatest person in the universe, and the disciples? Well, they were v34 “arguing about who was the greatest”!
And it’s a repeat of 8:31-33 where Peter, who has just declared Jesus as the Christ, then gets it completely wrong and rebukes Jesus for suggesting he should die – but that’s exactly why Jesus came! This is a rescue mission.

Doh! But thank God for the disciples. Because they really screw up – and Jesus sticks with them. He doesn’t leave us when we mess up. That’s why he came. We are spiritually small children, not rich young rulers. He will not leave us. He sticks with us like he sticks with his disciples.

It must have been so frustrating. After Jesus’ third proclamation of his death, his ultimate service… they completely ignore what he’s said “There, there Jesus, that’s very nice and all, but you’re not really going through with this – when we’re in Jerusalem you’ll flex your muscles and show them who’s boss, and we, well we want to be right beside you telling people what’s what and who’s who.” 37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honour next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

Why do we all want to be rich and famous? It’s not because we want to run around serving people is it? No! It’s so we can get people to serve us. At our heart we want to be God, we want to be the one calling the shots, shaping our life to be the way we want it to be.

We want to be important. And Jesus warns them: 38 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”

Are you willing to suffer like I will, to drink the cup of God’s judgement, to die to save a sinful world?
And they answer Oh yes, we are able.
Not a clue!

And the other disciples are no better, all indignant because they didn’t think to ask Jesus first, like children arguing over who gets to sit where.

No says Jesus, But among you it will be different (v43). You disciples, and all who follow me, are called to pick up your cross, deny yourself, and follow me. Put your pride and ego and arrogance to death. In humility to almighty God, go where you are sent and do what you are sent to do.

Let me tell some of the story of Asif, a Muslim in Pakistan. But one day Asif had a motorbike accident and broke his leg – and a Christian lady prayed for him and his leg was healed!
This made Asif angry – how dare she pray to Jesus – but also set Asif to thinking. This thinking lead to investigating, lead to reading the Bible, and to him asking questions of the local mulvi (the Muslim religious leader). Who saw the danger signs so tried to poison him before Asif could accept Jesus! So Asif accepted Jesus. He was thrown out of home. Beaten. Arrested. And carries on preaching the gospel to anyone who will listen. Asif’s story is not unique. He serves, no matter the cost. He follows Jesus on the path to Jerusalem.

We are servants too, called to die to self, and live for Christ.

But after reading something like that I just feel guilty. Who can live like that? If you’re anything like me your heart is always loudly demanding its rights and sulking and being put out when it doesn’t get its way. I get angry when I’m put out. I’m so selfish!

Jesus, the way of loving service is impossible! I can’t do it!

Exactly. Doing this – following Jesus - requires Jesus’ miraculous power at work in us.

3. We need to be served by our King so we can serve him

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

The man was healed, then he FOLLOWED Jesus.

I’m so happy that this miracle is placed right here. Because I can’t do this! I need Jesus’ power to live for Jesus.

The first in blind man miracle in 8:22-26 showed us that we cannot recognise God without God’s power to open our eyes. So pray for those who don’t know Jesus as Lord and Saviour – that’s the most important thing you can do for them. And then tell them, invite them to church or Bible study, and keep praying.

But this miracle is for Christians. Because this section is all about how do you follow Jesus. And just when the disciples are getting it all wrong, again, Jesus opens the eyes of a blind man. We need God to open our eyes to see Jesus. And we need God to open our eyes to keep following Jesus.

Just like the disciples, this blind man knows who Jesus is. And just like the disciples, this man cannot follow Jesus because of his blindness. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Son of David – the rightful King. The one who fulfils God’s promise to David in 2 Sam 7 of an everlasting descendant who will rule over all Israel in righteousness and justice and peace forever. It is this blind man who first acknowledges Jesus as King of Israel. And he cries out for mercy.

Jesus hears his cry and opens his eyes, and the man immediately follows Jesus. He leaves behind his coat, probably his only possession, and instantly takes off after Jesus. He sees Jesus, and follows him. This beggar, this lowest of the low, sitting in the dust, a nothing. Suddenly is lifted up by the King. He stands face to face with Jesus, and he serves him by hgealing him. The first thing he sees is his saviour’s face. What a sight. His whole life is transformed. No longer a beggar in the dust, but a servant of the servant king. A new identity and a new destination.

Jesus gives us a new identity. See, Jesus could be humble, could serve willingly, even to death, because he was secure in the knowledge of who he is. He knew he was the King, so he had no need to prove it.
But when you are trying to boost yourself, stroke your ego, constantly aware of who’s looking at me, what do they think – you cannot serve. What would people think?
Bit when you are secure in who you are, a child of God, seated in Christ at the very throne of God, declared innocent, with a perfect record of obedience already proclaimed from now until the day you die – wow. Then your sensitive ego can be shut up while you throw yourself into whatever task God has given you, however small or difficult or demeaning (low) it is. Because then you are following in the footsteps of Christ, secure in his love.

Isn’t the gospel amazing? Isn’t it just the most wonderful news you’ve ever heard? Isn’t this something we just want to run out and tell people? New life! New life! And given as a free gift! Jesus can save. He is the Servant King, and he calls us now: “Follow me”.

We live to serve, because that’s what Jesus does. He is the Servant King who dies, and then rises from the dead.

So come to the King, he is gentle and kind, powerful to save, a servant King. Come to him you who are rebels against him and find forgiveness. Come to him you who belong to him and find strength to follow in his footsteps. We do NOT do this alone, for He is with us. He must open our eyes to see him, and then we will follow him.

15 mind-blowing verses about the Servant of God that you won’t believe!

When I got to verse 6 I was stunned!

(Isaiah 52:13-53:12)

Read from Isaiah 52:7-53:12

 

66 chapters. 1292 verses. 22 sermons – this is number 23. And so far 8 months. That is this magnificent book of prophecy: Isaiah. And today, today we come to the most significant, the most important, the central prophecy of the whole book. It is today that out of the backdrop of sin and judgement and misery the mysterious “Servant of God” emerges. The one who is like a king but isn’t, the one who is loved by God but will suffer, the one who is powerful beyond belief but so weak, the one who will rescue his people but will die – today is the day when he steps out of the shadows and we see him for who he really is.

Jesus.

Jesus, promised so many times in so many places, but here in Isaiah promised so clearly that many Jews today refuse to read this chapter because it shouts so loudly “Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah (the Rescuer)”.

This is what I’ve been looking forward to preaching for 8 months! Because here we see the heart of God. Here we see hope. Here we see our sin dealt with. He took our punishment upon himself.

You see we have a problem. We all know there is something wrong with the world. Look around us and what do we see? Turn on the news. Injustice, war, famine, lying, cheating, hurting, ignoring people, abandoning people. Look around in our own lives – how much we have been hurt by others – and to our eternal shame how much we have hurt other people.

There is something wrong. And the Bible says it is because we were made to know God – but we have turned our back on him and rejected.
That is what the Bible calls sin. Our relationship is broken. And when that central relationship is gone, like the foundation of a building, the rest comes tumbling after. Because of sin, we sin. Because we are broken within, we act like broken people.

Oh, we’re not all bad! Much of the divine image is still in us. People do great things! Wonderful things. But we also do terrible things. And that’s why Jesus came. To restore us. To make us whole. To deal with our sin and make us right with God so that we can know him and love him like we were made to.
Joy and happiness! That is why he came.

So we echo v7 7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!

There is news of restoration and it’s for us too: as we read we see it is more than just for Israel, more than just for Jerusalem in 538BC – it is for you, it is for me, for all people everywhere. As we read a few weeks ago, It is too small a thing for God’s servant to just rescue Israel. He will be a light to all nations.
How beautiful this message. Peace and salvation, the news that God, the only God, reigns.

In Christ Jesus our status is changed. We are moved from sinners under God’s anger – God’s enemies - to beloved children of God. Yes we may sin, but it is something that doesn’t belong to us anymore. As someone put it “I can’t sin properly anymore.”

WE are loved perfectly. Relationship with God, our Heavenly Father, satisfies at the very deepest level. Our longings for eternity are met in him. Our longing to be known intimately, perfectly and loved are met in Him.

We are beloved children of God.

But how? Why?
Because of the work of the Servant of God. Because of the work of the King of Kings. Because of the work of Jesus.

So far in Isaiah we’ve read three of these “servant songs” as they are called: prophecies about this coming servant, made 700 years before Jesus was born. Today we look at the fourth, final, and greatest Servant Song. 15 mind-blowing verses. Shall we begin.

13 See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. 14 But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.

Nothing we read about this servant makes any sense. He will prosper – but he will suffer. He will be highly exalted – but he is disfigured, scarcely looks human, because of the piercings and beatings and whippings he endures in v5. That doesn’t sound to me like being exalted!

Hey, come here, let me exalt you, lift you up (great!) by beating you until you’re unrecognisable. Ha-ha, no thanks.

It goes on: 15 And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about. Is 53 Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?

In other words, there is something so strange, so remarkable, so amazing that no-one will believe it.

If Isaiah were writing this today he’d probably call it “15 mind-blowing things you wouldn’t believe about the Servant”. With the little tag-line “I was stunned when I got to v6”.

But unlike the mildly amusing distractions that people call “mind-blowing” these days (oh, a baby pulling a face, oh, a cat falling off a curtain, wow) – this really is mind-blowing. Kings will shut their mouths, utterly speechless.
Whole nations will be startled. What? Can this be true?

The message is simply unbelievable. Remember that God has promised in earlier chapters that he is going to show the world who he is by doing something new, something different, something only he knows about. A unique thing that no-one could ever guess. “Ask your idols, your false gods, your fortune tellers, to tell you what I will do” God has challenged again and again. And here is the revelation of God’s powerful arm of rescue, his amazing message of rescue. And it’s just unbelievable.

What is it? What is God going to do?!

By this stage those crowded around Isaiah would be shouting that. “What’s going to happen? How will God rescue us?”
They had been listening to the terrible news that Babylon, a nation they’d only just met, would very soon come sweeping in and carry them all off into captivity, and leave Jerusalem, the beloved city, in ruins. And all this because of their sin!
And you can imagine those living in Babylon, about 150 years later, listening as Isaiah’s prophecy was being read. Oh, they knew that the first parts had come true. Look around, we’re in the enemy city. Jerusalem is in ruins. And, yes, it was because of our sin. So imagine the excitement in hearing these words read out. God’s unbelievable rescue plan!

Is 53 Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?

What’s going to happen? Massive heavenly armies. The earth opens up and fire rains down from the sky as the thunder rolls and GOD RESCUES HIS PEOPLE?

No. v2 My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground.

What? A man? Just one man? Well, maybe there’s something amazing about him. Like Samson – the strength of hundreds, or the Hulk or something.

No, v2 continues There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

What? God’s great plan is… this? Some rejected dude?

Yes. This is the unbelievable plan. God will send a man, a man born in poverty. A man born to an ordinary nothing family. Born to be rejected. To be hated by his own people.

Why?

4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

God is sending someone to be a substitute for us. You know in football, when someone’s tired or playing badly they substitute him. They swap him out with someone else. Someone else takes his place.

That’s what this servant will do for us. He will take our place.
He, Jesus, swaps places with us. He takes our place, we get his place. It’s like we’re crossing the road and we don’t see the truck hurtling towards us. Jesus is the guy who rushes over and pushes us out of the way into safety, while the truck slams into him. He was in safety, but he took our place in danger, to get us to safety.

6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

This my friends is the very heart of the gospel: Jesus, our substitute. The one who took our place. The one who took our punishment. The one who gave his live so that we could live. And Jesus was his name.

Jesus of Nazareth. Born to a nothing family in a nothing place. When people heard Jesus was from Nazareth they said “Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46).

Who was this carpenter’s bastard son? This nobody who claims to be a King? It seemed like a joke. Oh, he had powers, amazing powers. And he could teach! But it was just too unbelievable. This… nothing – the Messiah, the Christ, the promised Rescuer?

And so his own people rejected him, just as v 3 predicted.

Jn 1:10–13 [Jesus] came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn.

How? Because he was a man of sorrows as v4 says.
Not because he was filled with sorrow, but because he took our sorrows upon himself. As we saw last week, remember Jesus drinking the cup of judgement himself instead of us. Remember his words in the garden: Matt 26:37b [Jesus] became anguished and distressed. 38 He told [his closest disciples], “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Willingly he went to die. Father, your will be done. And after praying Jesus stands up and says to his disciples “Get up, the time has come. My betrayer is here.”

7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away.

After Jesus’ arrest he was brought before the leading priests and the high council. Mt 26:62–63 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.

A few hours later the council brings Jesus before Pilate, the Roman governor Mt 27:11–14 “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate, the governor asked him. Jesus replied, “You have said it.” 12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13 “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14 But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.

7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away.

Unjustly condemned. Pilate’s wife says about him “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.” (Matt27:19)

Judas, his betrayer, realises he’s made a terrible mistake: Matt 27:3 When Judas…realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”

Pilate declares him innocent. Even the King of Israel at that time, Herod, examined Jesus and said he is innocent.
He was an innocent man, found guilty simply for claiming to be who he was and is: the Messiah, the King of God’s people.

So they lead Jesus away, and whipped him with a lead-tipped whip. Beat an innocent man until he was almost dead. Then they dragged him outside the city of Jerusalem and there his hands and feet were pierced as they hammered nails into him in one of the cruellest deaths ever imagined by humans – and we’re very good at imagining cruel deaths.

5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

Jesus, on the Cross, for you and me. His life was cut short because of our rebellion. Because of your rebellion. Because of my rebellion.

It was my hand that hammered the nails in. It was my voice that called out in the crowd “Crucify Him”.
And it was yours.

Imagine this Bible contains a list of all my sins – things I’ve done, said, thought, left undone, and the sins I will do in the future. If it really did it would be bigger, much bigger. Now this is me. My sin blocks my access to God. I cannot reach him. I cannot know him. I cannot break through. What Christ did on the Cross is this. He took my sin upon himself, and gave me His perfect access to the Father.

All that I have done and ever will do that would cut me off from God is dealt with once and for all by Jesus on the Cross. He takes my place. And I get His.

10 …it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. (that’s you and me. Everyone who trusts in Him.)
He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. 12 I will give him the honours of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Brothers, this is what Jesus accomplished, just as predicted 700 YEARS before it happened. Christ Jesus was counted as a rebel, a criminal. Though he was innocent he went to the Cross for you. And he went to the Cross for me.

He, the righteous servant, has made it possible for me, the unrighteous, to be counted righteous, for he has borne my sin.

Father, thank you for this incredible vision you gave Isaiah of the work of your son, our Lord Jesus, 700 years before it happened. Thank you for this unbelievable message, so startling, so amazing that we stand speechless. No-one could make this up. That God himself would come down and suffer. That the great king of heaven would give his own life – for me. It’s ridiculous. It is unbelievable. Thank you Father, that it is true. Thank you that you are so full of mercy that anyone who turns to you, no matter what we’ve done, can receive it forgiveness. Thank you Jesus that through your suffering, death and resurrection, that we can be declared righteous, and be called children of God.
You might be here this morning and wanting to experience this forgiveness. If that is you now, while every eye is closed, raise your hands to say yes I want to be made right with God.

Isaiah 41-42:17 Who’s on trial?

MP3 Link

Isaiah 41:1-42:17

Is 41 “Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.

I’ve never been to court, but I’ve certainly seen enough court cases on TV. The prosecution makes their argument. Then the defence. Then the judge delivers a verdict: guilty or not guilty.

That’s what we’ve got going on here. The weird thing is, is it’s not God doing the judging. No, he’s asking US to be the judge, to answer the question: who is God? Is it the Lord, the God of heaven’s armies? Or is it the idols?

The court is ready, let us hear the arguments, and let us judge.
First, the case for the Lord; second the case for the idols; and third what is God going to do: call his servant.

1. The case for the Lord: sovereign, real, in control

2 “Who has stirred up this king from the east, rightly calling him to God’s service? Who gives this man victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot? With his sword, he reduces armies to dust. With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind. 3 He chases them away and goes on safely, though he is walking over unfamiliar ground. 4 Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he.”

The first evidence God gives is that he is calling forth a “king from the east”, calling him to God’s service. A powerful king, a brutal warrior is coming.

Now remember the background for chapters 40 to 66. Even though God had warned his people to repent through Isaiah, even though he’d miraculously rescued them from the Assyrians, Israel did not repent, Jerusalem continued to sin. And so what God had warned would happen, happened. Judgement fell. The Babylonians came and destroyed Jerusalem and took everyone away to Babylon.
Now, Isaiah speaks to those in Babylon, grieving over the loss of their land, and the defeat of their God. Isaiah speaks to them to remind them that God is not dead – no, he was the one who caused this to happen. And he is still in control, he is still with them. And he warns them not to forget God, and run after idols! I mean, what happened to Jerusalem should be a warning!

And now he warns those in Babylon – I am raising up a great king from the east. A mighty warrior is coming. Does this sound familiar? It’s similar words used to describe Assyria. And they swept through the lands like a mighty flood. Unstoppable. Why? 4 Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he.”

When they hear these words, how do the people respond? 5 The lands beyond the sea watch in fear. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war. In fear they run to their false gods! 6 The idol makers encourage one another, saying to each other, “Be strong!” 7 The carver encourages the goldsmith, and the moulder helps at the anvil. “Good,” they say. “It’s coming along fine.” Carefully they join the parts together, then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over.

We don’t even need to read further, do we? God does not fall over! He calls forth, he makes things happen. The case for the Lord is strong. Trusting in idols is stupid.

2. The case for idols: nothing

21 “Present the case for your idols,” says the LORD. “Let them show what they can do,” says the King of Israel. 22 “Let them try to tell us what happened long ago so that we may consider the evidence. Or let them tell us what the future holds, so we can know what’s going to happen. 23 Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead. Then we will know you are gods.

Many people nowadays have a Buddha statue in their house. Or they have a Lucky Frog in the corner. Or crystals. Many worship false gods: Krishna, the Hindu pantheon, ancestors – some even worship saints, praying to them as if they were Jesus himself. And if you do this – stop it. You do not need someone between you and Jesus, whether it is an ancestor or a priest or a holy man or a saint, or even an angel. As we saw last week, Jesus Christ has opened the highway to heaven. We have access to the very throne room of God. In Christ we are sons of God. No more idols.

For idols, whatever form they take, cannot even tell you what’s already happened, never mind what’s coming in the future. New idols such as the state, NAV, or business – they don’t know what’s going ot happen tomorrow. Oil prices drop, wars happen, refugees arrive on our doorstep – all this has taken us by surprise. Why put your faith in the state, in politicians, in money, in business, when they don’t even know what will happen tomorrow!

In fact, v23 carries on, In fact, do anything—good or bad! Do something that will amaze and frighten us. 24 But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Those who choose you pollute themselves.

Idols are dead and bring death. God’s way brings life because he alone knows the future. He alone brings it about. No-one else even knows the future, let alone controls it! 26 “Who told you from the beginning that this would happen? Who predicted this, making you admit that he was right? No one said a word! 27 I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look! Help is on the way!’ I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news. 28 Not one of your idols told you this. Not one gave any answer when I asked. 29 See, they are all foolish, worthless things. All your idols are as empty as the wind.

It is said that those who do not know or do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. One of the most repeated commands in the Bible is “remember”. Remember what has happened. Remember what God has done in the past. Remember what he has promised to do.

So remember how these idols had no idea what God was about to do. No-one in Babylon knew that a king from the east would come from the north and capture them. If they did, they would have been ready! But the idols of Babylon, the false gods, were as empty as the wind. We know what happened because history tells us. Just as Isaiah predicted, about 80 years before it happened, in 538 King Cyrus of the Medes and Persians, from the land east of Babylon, swept down out of the north and Babylon crumpled like a piece of paper.

Did any of their idols warn them? No, only God knew, only God said in advance what would happen.

What idols do I worship? What is it that we put our trust in instead of God? Where do I find my deepest identity: in him? Or something else? What could I not live without? Him? Or something or someone else?

Even good things can be idols. Wife, family. They can be idols if they come before God. No the church, but God. For even the church, religion, religious performance, can be an idol. Exercise, going to the gym can be an idol – if we get our significance, our security, from how big and strong we are! All good things – but never let the good be the enemy of the best. God is the best – He is above all things. We I must bring everything else I do under Christ’s rule, under his lordship. He is the Lord. I am his servant, his son, his creation. And in him I am secure. His way brings life.

Idolatry brings death, destruction. Many of us know this. We live with the pain of past sin. Jesus’ work on the cross can forgive our sins, but we often still have the consequences to work through. And that’s tough. But now He is with us as we deal with the consequences, the results of our sin. And he helps us to rebuild.

Idols are worthless because they know nothing. God is in control of the future, and he is going to do a great thing.

3. What will the Lord do? He will send his servant

Is 42 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or raise his voice in public. 3 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. 4 He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

Ok. The first question is who is this servant that God will send? In 41:2 he calls the king from the east (Cyrus) his servant (“called to God’s service”). But it doesn’t seem to be him. Cyrus is called to be the rampaging warrior, trampling kings underfoot, crushing them like pottery. But this servant will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.

Well, maybe it’s Israel? 41:8 “But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend, 9 I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.

Well, that is certainly their calling, isn’t it? This is what they were supposed to be: a light to the nations, bringing justice, showing people God in all his glory. But we know their track record, what they’ve done in the past, and it’s not good. I mean they’re in Babylon for a reason. And next week’s passage starts like this 19 Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the LORD?

It seems to be someone who will call Israel back to the Lord. A faithful servant. Perhaps, as Isaiah spoke these words, he thought it could be him. But no, his message was going to fall on deaf ears – God had told him this in chapter 6 – but this servant will not lose heart until the whole world has heard!

So who is this servant? Well, we get a hint in v1: This servant will be anointed with God’s Spirit (v1). This only happened to kings, prophets, and priests. Now hang on, in the first part of Isaiah we met a King. A great, eternal King who would rescue God’s people. A child would be born to a virgin. A child who would be called wonderful counsellor, everlasting God. God himself would visit his people and would save them! Could this “servant” be God himself? But why is he called servant.

This is why for the Jews from Isaiah’s time to Jesus’ time, they thought of them as two different people. The Victorious King. The suffering servant. Because we read on, we find out more about this gentle servant who will bring justice to the nations. He will do it through great suffering, even, in chapter 53, giving his own life. Now that doesn’t sound like a victorious king, does it?

Only when Jesus came did we see ah, the King IS the Servant. He is the all powerful King – but he will use his power to save, not to condemn. He will lead people not by v2 shouting or raising his voice in public, or crushing the weak – no big political rallies, no manipulation, no use of force to make people obey. Nothing like normal politics. This Servant is a different type of leader, one who will bring justice – that sentence literally means proclaim or declare justice – God’s right judgement – to the world. And look how the verses continue: 6 “I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.

Just as last week we saw the Lord in all his power and glory come like a shepherd carrying his sheep to safety, today we see Jesus, the promised King, God almighty himself, come as the Servant. And as we see Jesus on the cross, the King of the Jews said the sign above him, we see a proclamation of God’s right judgement on sin – as Jesus took it all – all our sin – in his body. Sin will be punished. And we see a proclamation of forgiveness – we are the battered reed, the flickering candle – and he does not put us out, but strengthens weak arms, and weak knees and gives us new strength. WE are made new, made to be like him to follow him, and we shall soar on wings like eagles. We are those with blind eyes who will now see. We who are prisoners of sin are now free, because of what Jesus has done. If we are in Christ – if we belong to him, put our trust in him,. Obey him - we are a new creation. A new man. And all the power of heaven is within us by the Spirit.

8 “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. 9 Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.” 10 Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands. 11 Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops! 12 Let the whole world glorify the LORD; let it sing his praise.

This is the great future which God promised his people. Cyrus was a great rescuer, yes, but there was a greater rescuer, a greater King to come. Isaiah was a great prophet, yes, but a greater prophet, the Word himself, would come. Israel was a great nation, and blessed the world in many ways – but Jesus, he was the perfect son of God, the righteous servant who did not sin. When Israel stumbled he did not. No idol worship in Jesus. He is the righteous one.

So what is our response?

1. We praise God! In the way we live we praise God. Have you thanked God for his great salvation? Do you sing his praise on the way to work? Do I fill my mind with his glory and wonder and say to him “wow, you are great!”?

2. Understand that we live in Babylon (or sinful Jerusalem). We live in a country that worships idols. Greed drives our society. We run after pleasure, the idol of the “good life”. A big house, a cabin in the mountains, a boat, maybe a motorbike. It is deep within us. The idol of pleasure affects our relationships. You don’t make me happy - I’ll drop you. No thought of service, of sacrificial love. We’ve got a few families in the pregnancy and young baby stage of life. That’s a hard stage. And certainly reveals how sinful we are. Lean on the Lord, pray, ask him to help you not be selfish angry, snapping at your wife (or husband). The Holy Spirit does not leave us when we are pregnant (or married to a pregnant lady).

3. We need to repent of our idols. How stupid we are to trust on our idols. Things that will fall over. All our wealth can be lost in a moment. Cabins need to be repaired, and boats eat up our time. A waste, sacrificing our lives to THINGS. Idol worship is dumb. Yet we do it. Sacrifice our family on the altar of career. Ignore our kids because we’re too busy packing fruit in a shop because society says to us that’s the woman’s role. Wife? Mother? No, not important. What your kids really need is to be looked after a stranger and YOU are needed to pack fruit in a shop. It’s rather stupid isn’t it? The idol is wobbling.

4. If we claim to follow God, our lives should look different. Like Israel, we are God’s servants. We are chosen by God. How should we then live?

Well it’s not by wearing different clothes or having a big cross around our necks or wearing funny hats. None of those things mean anything. But it is a heart change. How we treat other people. How we see strangers, foreigners. How we use our money, our time.
And it’s seen not in grand gestures or public displays of being good or religious. It is how we are at home, in private, when only God sees us. For example, how we treat our wife (or samboer, if you haven’t repented yet and married her!). Do we love her like Jesus? Are we committed to her? Are we concerned about her relationship with the Lord? With her godliness? Are we willing to say “no” to things that would get in the way of being godly? And “yes” to things that will help her be godly? Will we lead our family in reading the Bible, in family prayer? In getting everyone off to church. In making sure we go to Bible study, even if our wife says “oh, honeeyy, do you have to go out and bats her eyelashes at us....”

Do we run after idols like “I deserve to happy, it’s because I’m worth it”. Or do we follow the Lord “I will love, no matter what the cost, because He has loved me”.

Is that hard? Yes! But we are not alone. 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Many of us know the pain of running after idols. Of living the world’s way instead of God’s way. But those idols always come crashing down at the worst possible time.

Brothers, let us follow Christ, no matter the cost. Even though we, like Israel, may feel like a lowly worm, unworthy before God v14 Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the LORD, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.’

He is our saviour, and his salvation is secure. He knows our future and it is good because we are with Him.

Romans 12 (David Cook)

Here is the "highlights" of Romans 1-11 plus the reading of chapter 12: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-DSjRONViGJVUJfLWFiQXZGNG8/view?usp=sharing

Click this link for the sermon. 
http://youtu.be/KGqkldOxb14
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The following are the notes I (Daniel) took during the sermon when we heard it live at Word Alive in Wales (Easter 2015):

Romans 12 The renewed mind – David Cook

Muller – 10 000 children in orphanages! Muller “In my judgement it is the first daily duty, supreme and ultimate importance secret of effectual service; to see your souls happy/healthy in the Lord.”
Pray (Adam stopped talking to God, Christ brings us back)

Paul begins with the gospel...
What do I tell myself every day
No-one speaks more to me than I do. Lloyd Jones: Christians need to talk to themselves .
JI Packer pg 256:
“I am a child of God,
God is my Father,
Heaven is my home,
every day is closer to heaven,
my Saviour is my brother.
Every Christian is my brother too

Rom 5:1 the first great therefore of Romans: THEREFORE
Rom 8:1 Therefore now no condemnation
Rom 12:1 THEREFORE I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy.

Ch 1-11 in view of Gods MERCIES (plural) – in view of salvation, propitiation, Holy Spirit leading you in battle against sin nature.
Illustration: Archbishop’s sermon on Rom 12 on Royal coronation. We were urged to be servants like the Queen. But both failed – both missed part 1 “in view of God’s mercies” in view of what God’s done for us in Christ.
Illustration: Why Johnny can’t preach – ethical exhortation must never be divorced from redemptive context. God never does that. He never tells us what to do without telling us WHY.

We are in perfect relationship with God. Therefore you are to offer YOU as a LIVING sacrifice. The death of Jesus makes the whole OT sacrificial system redundant – but it has been replaced with living sacrifice
What should I say to me about me: “God has been merciful to me. Therefore I live for him”
cf 2 Cor 5:14-15 Chris died for all so that all who live might no longer live for themselves but for him
One outworking 1 Cor 6:18 Flee because YOU do not belong to YOU, you belong to the one who redeemed you. I am not mine, I am his.
You, because of God’s mercies, no longer belong to you.
This is your spiritual worship – the word spiritual is actually the word LOGICAL. It is a reasonable response. CT Studd “If Jesus Christ be God and died for then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him” (as he left all his estates in England to go as missionary)

Resist the world. Do not allow the world to press you into its mould. Adam: Serve self, divorce God. But rather (passive) be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Does not say by the renewing of your emotions. Reasonable rational.

Be driven by right thinking. Early Christians were the best thinkers of their age. Betrand Russell “most people would rather die than think – and most people do”

As Christian we properly use our minds

Turn over Rom 1:25 – the great exchange. We swapped out God v28 depraved mind.
How could people do such things? Because they worship the created instead of the Creator
Rom 12 we no longer have that counterfeit mind. We have a new mind. 12:2 is able to test and approve God’s will. Not given over to perversion. To a mind that now reverences God.
Transformation springs from a new mind that can make proper moral choices.

1min read Bible 4min think about what you read! Cultivate your mind.
Be lead by your brain, not by other parts of your anatomy!!!

Now Paul takes this up and applies it
v3-8 how you think about yourself
Not more highly than you ought. You don’t have all the gifts you need, but you do have some of them. Be interdependent. You are not the body, but you are part of the body. You need to serve.

How am I going to respond to my fellow believers?v9 -11
How does enthusiasm and vigour come? By service!
How do we get joy? Through prayer (not singing and dancing)
Practice hospitality with great vigour. (Here’s some money – no! feed them, give them shelter in our home)

How do I relate to the world that hates me v15
BLESS them, and do not curse them.
rejoice with my enemy who’s rejoicing

no class structure in the church

don’t take revenge but leave room for God’s wrath. So contrary to the world.

The unheeded Christ. Michael Hart – ranks Jesus no. 3 because he does not see Christians loving their enemies or teaching their children to love their enemies.

None of these come naturally to me!
You do not belong to you.

In view of God’s mercies do you see yourself as a living sacrifice.
We cannot claim the benefit of redemption without the implications
Illustration: sold house. Paid for – please give keys. No I want to keep the keys. Impossible to be paid and keep the keys. Impossible to be redeemed but keep living the same way!

I have been redeemed
I no longer live for me
I live for my saviour
I serve my brothers
I respond to an antagonistic world generously.

Exodus 19 Be prepared to meet the Holy God!

Exodus 19:1-20:3

Why are you here?

Why do you come to church?

Because this is what you always do? Because you’re trying to impress God? Because your Dad told you to? Because you must? Because without God’s Word you will die? Because you are desperate to be with the Lord and his people? Because you fear the Lord, and want to avoid his anger?

Why are you here?

Today’s passage is about being ready to face the Lord. Are you prepared? Who is this LORD that Israel is about to meet? Unapproachable. Dangerous. Terrifying. Holy.

The first thing we learn from this passage is that
The Lord will destroy you because you are unclean
The Lord will destroy you unless you have a representative
The Lord will destroy you unless your representative is Jesus – so listen to Him!

1. The Lord will destroy you because you are unclean

Today the rescued people of God, chosen by Him, kept safe by Him, fed by Him, lead by Him, watched over and protected by Him - finally are gathered to hear from Him at His holy mountain. And yet they cannot approach Him. 12 Mark off a boundary all around the mountain. Warn the people, ‘Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Anyone who touches the mountain will certainly be put to death.

21 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go back down and warn the people not to break through the boundaries to see the Lord, or they will die. 22 Even the priests who regularly come near to the Lord must purify themselves so that the Lord does not break out and destroy them.”

Why would the Lord warn his own people that he will destroy them? What’s up with that?

Well, as I mentioned at the start, God is a HOLY God. Holy. What does that actually mean? We talk about the Holy God, Holy Bible that kind of thing – but what does it mean? So I looked it up. And “holy” basically means who God is. It is his nature, his selfhood. These are some of the descriptions of holiness: power, glory, transcendence, uniqueness, exclusiveness, pureness, dangerousness. He is other. He is pure. He is power. He is perfectly good. But that goodness is not a kind of “oh, how nice” goodness – it is goodness like a blade of sharpened steel, goodness like a blazing fire – goodness that will cut through and burn up anything that is not equally good.

And that makes him unapproachable. But God’s holiness is also expressed in his saving work and being with his people. So how can unholy people (that is people who are not-God) meet with the Holy God. Can not-God and God meet?

Well, yes, but only because God has made it possible, and (and this is important) only in the way that he has made it possible. There is only one way to God – His Way. Any other approach will end up with you dead, destroyed by his holiness.

As all of you know, we’ve just got a dog. And she’s great. Dogs are great. They’re such cool animals. Because a dog exists to please its master. That’s what they live for. A dog’s role, a dog’s job description is to serve and obey his master.
But a dog who doesn’t do that, a dog who is disobedient and running wild – a wild dog – is a problem dog, a bad dog, we say. He’s not doing what he should be doing. Instead of a faithful companion the dog becomes a menace, a nuisance, even dangerous to those around him. A bad dog is bad for those around him – and bad for the dog himself. He is not happy, but angry. He is alone, isolated, friendless, snapping at the world around him. Living in fear, anger – ready to attack to defend what little he has.

We were created to please God. He is our master and we were made to please him, to serve him and to love serving him. It’s in our nature. But like wild dogs we have gone astray. Bad dog. Stop pretending to be God (Ex17) and let God be God.

As Christians, we should know better. In everything we are to please God – all of life belongs to him. And yet so often we are like bad dogs, disobedient dogs – running away from our master when he calls, eating rotten fruit or cat poo even when our master is saying no (true story). Weeing on the floor inside (true story). We march around demanding our rights, demanding that he, our master, does what WE want him to do.
Dear friends, I am not God. You are not God. Like Israel we march around demanding water and food and comfort – our rights – instead of trusting him to provide what we need. Dear brothers, we have no rights. We belong to Christ – twice! He made us and he bought us back. We are his. My life is his. Your life is his.

Are you still trying to approach God on your own? Sneak around the back of Mt Sinai. Hide under Moses’ coat as he goes up. Pretend to be a bush. Poof! That’s the end of you. We know what God does to bushes! (Burns them!)

You cannot approach God. You cannot manipulate God. You cannot demand of God. Who do you think you are? Who does your life belong to?

It’s worth us stopping and asking the question: when did I last give my career over to God? Or my marriage (or future marriage)? What if God calls me to give up my career? Or calls me to be single? The key is: it’s not your career. It’s not your future. It’s His. We belong to him.

Have I given up my family? For some of you this is a reality of following Jesus – rejection by your family.

We talk about choice, rights, disappointment with God. This is supremely arrogant. We were created to serve him. That is our job.

And so as the people gather before this unapproachable God, they are gathered to hear from him how they are to live as his people. The next chapters of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and on to Deuteronomy are filled with God’s Law – God’s commands to say “this is how you will live your life”. Because our lives are not ours – they are his. And that’s a good thing because he is a good master and gives us good gifts and looks after us, like we look after Eowyn, our dog, and feed her and keep her warm and give her lots of love and affection. And in return she obeys us. Most of the time.

You see, I am her Master. She is my Dog. God is our Master. We are his people. We are not the same. He is Other. He is Holy. Do not touch the mountain, for you will surely die.

16 On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. 17 Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently.

The Lord will destroy us because we are unclean, like disobedient dogs.

But that’s not the whole story, is it.

2. The Lord will destroy you unless you have a representative

19 As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. 20 The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain.

How is it possible for unholy people, sinful people, to get into contact with a holy God? We need a representative. We need someone to bring us the word of God. And we need someone to clean us – make us ready to meet with God.

10 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. 11 Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch.

Moses could go to meet with God. Why? Because God chose him to be the representative. Remember way back in chapter 4, at the Burning Bush? God says to Moses “Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

Moses’ job was to be the mouthpiece of God. Not to add anything to it, but to simply repeat the words of God. What he heard his Heavenly Father say, he would say.

And Moses’ words, which were really God’s words, could make the people ready to meet with God.

14 So Moses went down to the people. He consecrated them for worship, and they washed their clothes. 15 He told them, “Get ready for the third day, and until then abstain from having sexual intercourse.”

Why sex? I don’t know. Perhaps, like fasting, to control your bodily desires simply to honour God? But they were washed, they were cleaned – and only then were they ready to hear the voice of God. 20:1 Then God gave the people all these instructions: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me.

Moses prepared the people to meet with God, and then they met with God.

What we’re doing today is not so different. We are God’s people, gathered together to hear God’s word. This, in Exodus 19 and 20, is the first church. The word “church” (ekklesia) simply means meeting or assembly or gathering. That’s what church is: the gathering of God’s people to hear God’s word. A gathering of Christians without God’s word is not a church. A Christian by himself reading the Word is not a church. But coming together, gathering together, to hear the word of God –that is a church.

This morning we are gathered together to hear God’s word. We are a church. But we did not wash our clothes or abstain from sex to come here this morning. Because we have been made clean not by Moses – but by the one who is greater than Moses: Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. As we saw last week He does not just bring the word of God – he IS the word of God. To know him is to know God. HE is the wisdom of God. He is the perfect representative of God to man – to see Jesus is to see God. And he is the perfect representative of man to God. And he can make us ready to meet God – cleanse us – so that we can be called the people of God.

He can make the unholy, holy.

3. The Lord will destroy you unless your representative is Jesus – so listen to Him!

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you.” Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

Why did God do this? I mean the people already knew Moses spoke for God – after all they’d just had ten plagues when Moses said “God says this will happen!” and it happened. They had the Red Sea, when Moses raised his arms and the sea parted. They fought the Amalekites and Moses raised his arms and they won. It was quite clear that Moses brought God’s word. Duh! So why this extra thing now? Why a cloud on a mountaintop and a voice from Heaven that proves that Moses speaks for God so that the people will always trust him?

Well, those of you who know the gospels will know why! We did Mark last year in this church – and in Mark chapter Mk 9:2–8 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. 5 Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.”

God does this with Moses so that when he does this with Jesus, his Son, we know that HERE is the true representative of man to God. Here is our Moses, the perfect Moses, the greater Moses. (And if you noticed also the true Elijah, the greater Elijah, the perfect Prophet). Jesus is the one whom Moses foreshadowed. Moses was the image – Jesus is the reality.

And just like the Israelites with Moses, the way we need to respond is to LISTEN and then obey what is being said.

With Moses we need stay back from the mountain or we will die. We need to trust Moses to go and be our representative. We need to wash our clothes and abstain from sex for three days to get ourselves ready, trusting God’s word that that will make us acceptable to him.

Some may question “why would that make them acceptable – washing clothes doesn’t deal with sin”. No, it doesn’t. It’s a symbol. It’s saying to God we need you to wash us, we trust that by obeying you in the symbol, in the ritual, you will do the reality. It’s like communion – we just eat a bit of bread and drink some juice. That can’t save us. But we trust the reality behind the symbol, behind the ritual, that God will forgive our sins because of the body and blood of Jesus. We are saying to God we need you to wash us by the blood, we need you to rescue us, forgive us. It is a symbol or ritual of our need for God. It is an act of humility. The symbol cannot save. But the reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection CAN save.

Heb 12:18 You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai.... 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.” 22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering... 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
So...25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!

The Lord will destroy us unless our representative is Jesus – so listen to Him!

I started this morning by asking why you were here. Why have you come? Because if we are coming trusting in anything other than JESUS as our representative, we will be destroyed.

Why? Because we are not perfectly good. We are not holy. Particularly in our culture, raised on the idea of the grace of God, this idea that God will reject us is very culturally inappropriate. But who are we dealing with. Fluffy little God, the grandfather in the sky? The God of the Bible is HOLY. He who dewells in unapproachable light. He is vast and majestic. His voice thunders. The ground shakes. When Christ returns he will not return as the Suffering Servant, but as the King, huge and awesome, body like flaming fire, and a sharp two-edged sword coming out of his mouth. He will return to judge the living and the dead, and if you are not ready you will be destroyed,. Are you ready? Are you ready to face the Living God?

You know, when we talk about sin, we often think about the news stories. And they are a big evidence for that we, as the human race, have sinned against God. But we can often be fooled by the news into a false sense of security – well, I’m not as bad as them, I’m not a sinner like them. And the unspoken idea sneaks in that I’m better, surely God wouldn’t reject ME. I’m... holy. But are you? Am I?

Do I live every day consumed by the glory of God? Do I pursue holiness? Do I seek every day to know God better? Does my life belong to Him – or me? Do I think of MY future, MY reputation, MY career, MY money, MY time.

Well, I know myself. I know many of you. And I know that we don’t live for Christ every minute of every day. Too often we sin. Too often we don’t share the gospel. Too often we are not interested in even going to church or Bible study. We do it if there’s nothing better to do. Nothing better than meeting with God? Spending time with our Lord and Saviour? Yup, that’s how sinful we are. That’s why in the confession we confess as sinful the good things that we haven’t done as well as the bad things we have done.

Like Israel, we are all different people, with different pasts, some good, some bad – but ALL of us are on the outside, barred from God’s holy mountain. God’s holy fire has come down upon the mountain – but we cannot get close. We cannot see God. We are outside.

We need someone to go to God for us. We need a representative. We need someone to clean us, to make us ready to meet with the Living God. Praise God that our representative is Jesus.

Let us use this time now to confess our sins before the Lord. We’re going to have time now to kneel or stand before God in humble confession, and ask him to forgive us for being disobedient dogs. For running away from what he has called us to do. For keeping our career or our money or our friends or our family or our reputation out of his hands. Let us confess our sins to him, and ask him to be Lord of ALL of our life.

And then let us celebrate together the great joy of our perfect representative. The One who went through death and back again to buy us back, to win for us the right to go up on to the mountain, to meet with the Living God like Moses did, and to hear his voice, to know HIM. Our Lord and Master. Our Life.

Ephesians 6:5-9 Working...for God.

Eph 6:5-9

What is your goal in life? For many that’s the same as the next question: What is your career goal?

Is it to gather as much as you can? Get the most out of your place of work before moving on? Is it achieving your maximum potential self-actualisation? Or is it just a paycheck – a place where you go unwillingly in order to get enough money to survive. A drudgery. “I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go.”

And if you’re a mother and think well, I’m at home, so this has nothing to do with me... well, firstly, mothers probably work harder than anyone else (3 under 5’s oh my!), and whether paid or unpaid our attitude to work is what’s being exposed here. Do we marry a rich man and get a nanny so we can avoid work. Do we ignore our kids so we can watch TV all day or drag them to cafés so we can have lattés with our friends the whole afternoon and achieve “self-actualisation”. Do we put ourselves aside for the good of others or not? Do we work like Christians – whether that work is paid or unpaid?

I must admit that when I sat down to prepare this I already had an idea of what I was going to preach. I had lots to say about work and work pressures, and how to be a Christian at work. But as I began reading the text, reading the text in context, I realised my preconceived ideas about this passage were wrong. The longer I worked on it, the more it went off in a different direction to the one I had planned – and into what God actually wrote and what He wants us to understand. Praise God!

Because today’s passage turns the focus off US and onto the LORD – even in work. Work is not about us. It’s not even about our employers. Work is about the Lord.

So we’re going to look at what it means to be slaves of God: we are chose, we are under a new master – and then an implication of that we are slaves of each other. Slaves of God: chosen, a new master, slaves of each other.

1. Slaves of God: chosen

A “slave” is “A person who is the legal property of another”. At the time this was written probably about a third of people were slaves. Slaves were often household servants. They may be slaves for life or they may be for a limited time. However, they were to obey their master in everything, they belonged to him.

And that’s the main point of this passage. We are slaves of God. We belong to Him.

As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
9 remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favourites.

V6 had me puzzling for a while “as slaves of Christ”. What does that mean? Have we seen it before? I’m familiar with the idea from other books of the Bible, but what does it mean here in Ephesians? What’s the context?

I did a search through the text to see if the word or idea of slave or slavery had been used before – and in reading through the book two things jumped out.

Firstly in chapter 1, verse 1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. Paul was completely transformed when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. In one moment he was transformed from someone who persecuted and arrested Christians, and tried to have them killed – to the Apostle to the Gentiles. As Jesus said about him in Acts 9:15 [P]aul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.

He was chosen by God. Appointed by divine decree. He had no choice but to obey. And praise God, he did obey – and the gospel went forth into the whole world! We are here today because Paul was chosen to be – and was - an obedient servant, no matter the cost.

Secondly, in 3:1 and again in chapter 4:1 Paul describes himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles – and continues Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

Chosen. Called. Live like it. Paul is a slave of Christ because he was chosen by God, called by God – as are we. Paul is a slave of Christ because Christ rescued him and turned his life around. Paul owes Christ everything – and he will give him everything, even giving up his body to prison and eventual death. He belongs to Christ.

We are slaves of Christ because we are called by God. And we are slaves of Christ because we have been ransomed (bought, rescued) by God. That’s what chapters 1-3 are all about!

Eph 1:3–5 (NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Daniel, chosen by God to be his slave, his servant. A divine decree, an eternal purpose: to bring God pleasure, adopted into his family as a son of God. Chosen to be holy and without fault. Wow!

2. Slaves of God: a new master

I have heard it said, often by Christians uncomfortable the mention of slavery, that 1^st century slavery (when this was written) wasn’t as bad as the 19^th Century African slave trade – but there’s very little historic evidence for that. Roman slaves were the property of their master. Female slaves (and indeed male slaves) were sexually available to their master, and could not refuse. Slaves could be killed by their master and seemed to be legal. There’s also little evidence that society as a whole condemned such behaviour. In contrast, it was normal.
In short, life as a slave could be pretty brutal and awful – or could be fantastic, with high honour, depending on your master. Everything depended on the favour of your master.

All of us are slaves of something or someone. As chapter 2 puts it 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature.

We were once slaves to our sinful natures, prisoners of our passionate desires of our sinful nature. I want. I demand. Manipulating to get what we want. Getting the most for the least amount of effort.

Oh, doesn’t that sound familiar. My daughter’s really been struggling with that. She gets so angry when she’s told to do something she doesn’t want to do. She’s angry because she’s been reminded that she’s not God – she does not have the power to bend the world to her will, and make everyone else do what she wants. Her wounded pride (sinful nature) DEMANDS that she does something about it. And takes it out on her poor brother.

And I recognise that so well in her heart because it is the same battle in my own heart – and if you’re honest, in your heart too. We’re just better at hiding it!

We are slaves to our sinful nature – our ego, our pride, whatever it is within us that demands MY rights, MY way, MY comfort. We all agree that the golden rule “love others as you love yourself” is brilliant – but none of us live it! We all want people to treat US that way – but as soon as it comes to me setting aside what I want – as soon as it becomes hard or costly or even inconvenient – oops, that philosophy is out the window and it becomes every man for himself, dog eat dog, etc.

But without Christ we’re not just slaves to our sinful nature. Oh no. We are slaves to the world (peer pressure to look out for number 1, to find happiness in shopping, to live for pleasure, for example), and slaves to Satan. All of us have a Master. And if it is not Christ, it is Satan, it is the world, it is your own sinful nature. Who do you serve?

Because in Christ you can be raised to life Eph 2:4–6 (NLT) But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!). And raised to life for this one purpose: to glorify God in everything we do. Eph 4:1 lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Eph 4:24 (NLT) Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Eph 5:1 (NLT) Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Eph 5:15 (NLT) So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.

We were raised to life to be the slaves of Christ. To serve the very Emperor of the Universe, the King Most High. And that is a good thing, because he is a good King, and a good and loving and compassionate master. Do not be afraid to leave behind the brutal master sin, the world, and the devil. Oh they promise much, but they will spit you out and destroy you. Like the stories I shared with you a few weeks ago, sin has a way of growing until it destroys you. The little “borrowing” money from the company theft ends up in being fired as a thief. The harmless flirting that leads to divorce. Our sinful natures are brutal and merciless task masters. How often have we seen people with “it all” self-destruct and ruin everything. How often have we done things that we knew we shouldn’t but we did or said it anyway – with terrible consequences.

In contrast, Christ demands everything – but gives everything. We have every spiritual blessing in Christ. We are seated with him in the heavenly realms (2:6). We are united into the church – here we are, together, from all over the world – the family of God, the servants of the Most High God.

Do not be afraid to obey your master in everything, no matter what it seems to cost. Because our Master is a good master. Eph 2:10 (NLT) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

We belong to God. He bought us with his blood. HE created us anew. We are his masterpiece, a masterpiece of grace. And we are to do the good things he planned for us to do.

Don’t be afraid. Trust your master. Obey in everything. Live for Christ. How? Read chapters 4-6 again. Serve one another with joy!

3. Slaves of God: slaves of each other

Because we love God. Because we are his slaves. Because his Spirit is within us, changing us, empowering us – we CAN live like we are called! Imitate God. Love each other. That’s the golden rule “love other as you love yourself” or “treat others as you want to be treated”. If you are a master – how would you want your slaves to work? Similarly if you own a business, what kind of employees would you want? People who work hard, gladly, happily.

And what kind of master or boss would you want. Someone who cares for you, who values the work you do, who considers you as a person, not just a “resource”.

And that’s what we see commanded in these verses.

Eph 6:5–9 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. 9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favourites.

Note that it does not say “slaves (or employees) if your master is good and kind, then work hard for him”. There is no exception. Your boss may be awful. But if you drag your feet, and steal things from the office, and send emails making fun of him, and doing things as slowly as possible – where is the nature of Christ in that? Your Christian witness is destroyed, your relationship with your boss is one of hatred and conflict, and he will never want to come anywhere near a church because he’s seen YOU in action and thinks “well, if that’s what Christianity is about I want no part of it”. And that’s tragic because the ONLY thing that can change a person’s heart is…the gospel.

Instead, you obey them, respect them, work hard for them. Win them over with your hard work. And you may even win them for Christ.
Of course, they may reject that, they may see you as someone to exploit, and you may need to respectfully set clear boundaries – as you are called not just to obey your boss, but also to love your wife as Christ loved the church, and to raise your kids in the Lord, and to serve in the church, and you can’t do that if you’re at work 80 hours a week! So be wise in managing upwards. Just like with wives, with children, this is not calling for us to be a doormat, just to do anything we’re told blindly – but it is calling for our heart attitude to change. This is an internal matter, not an external one. Living the Christian life is letting the Spirit change us from the inside out.

Is this hard? Of course! But did you see the motivation there? In every verse we are reminded: Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

At the end of the day, what we do we do ultimately for God. In our day and age we may be “slaves” for a time to a particular job that we have no choice but to do, or a period of life like with little children where life just seems to be an endless cycle of feeding, washing and wiping bums! And you know what – we can do it with enthusiasm, to glorify God. We work for the Lord, not for our bosses, not for our kids, not even for ourselves. We work for Him.

I have worked for nearly four years as an auditor. And I HATED that job. It was boring, soul-destroying work. I had no motivation – I so often just sat in front of my computer wishing the day was over. The only thing that kept me going through those days was this: I work for God. And I prayed, I begged him to help me serve him faithfully. And you know – he did. I worked hard. I got through the days. I did my job well by the grace of God.
You may be in the same situation now. Trust God, trust his word, and obey him with gladness.

Whatever we do, we are to do it for his glory. The reward we work for is not the paycheck at the end of the month (for it is God who supplies our needs, not us through our work) – but v8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

We work for him.

Oh, and if you’re a boss, a master – remember that your slaves are people too, and that you are both answerable to the same master. Note the respect given to slaves – placed equal to masters under God: You both have the same Master. Whether slave or free we are slaves of the Lord Almighty.

And it was this idea of the equality of men before God which eventually brought down the system of slavery in Rome, and brought down the system of slavery in the 19^th Century. It’s brilliantly subversive: not “this is wrong, rise up and fight” (which would have ended in mass executions or even civil war) but “you are equal before God. Treat each other as brothers”. Read Philemon for more on this completely new way of thinking, as Paul writes to a Christian master of a slave Onesimus, who has also become a Christian and basically says: he is your brother, not your slave. Treat him as a brother.

We are slaves of God – because we have been chosen by him, by his mercy and grace, to be rescued, ransomed, turned around.

We are slaves of God – because we have come under new management. No longer slaves to the world, the devil, and worse still, our own sinful natures – horrible masters. But now slaves of Christ, who loves us to the point of death and beyond. A good master.

We are slaves of God, and so we are slaves of each other, seeking the good of our fellow men, whether at work or at home or at church.

5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.