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"What Does God Want?"
Isaiah 58:3-9
Matthew 5:13-16
Throughout the centuries people have tried to figure out what God wants.
Ancient people's came up with all kinds of rituals and ceremonies designed
to please their gods. Archaeologists have uncovered proof that many ancient
civilizations practiced human sacrifice to please their gods. Those who
didn't practice human sacrifice certainly practiced animal sacrifice. And
that wasn't the only kind of sacrifice there were also personal sacrifices.
Fasting is one example: a person forgoes eating or drinking or sleeping
in an attempt to demonstrate their devotion to God.
Ancient Israel was much the same except the God they sacrificed to was
the real God not an idol. They practiced animal sacrifice and fasting in
an attempt to please God. The story of Abraham offering up Isaac shows
us that they had the potential to sacrifice humans. It took that drama,
orchestrated by God, to show them that human sacrifice was not what God
wanted.
But is that what God really wanted - sacrifices and fasting, rituals
and ceremonies? No! At least that is what God's prophets said over and
over again. But didn't God instruct them to offer sacrifices? Yes, if you
read the Bible you will see that their elaborate system of sacrifices was
instituted by God. But God Almighty in heaven has no use of fatted calves
and rams. God is already the creator and owner of every animal. It wasn't
the burnt carcass of an animal that God desired. God could create as many
living rams as he wanted why would he desire a dead one. What God really
wanted was the hearts of the people. The rituals and sacrifices and fasting
were only meant as a means of leading people to devote their hearts to
God.
By the time of the prophets the people had lost sight of that truth.
They thought God was like some genie in a bottle. If they rubbed it with
the right sacrifices and words they could get what they wanted. So they
fasted, and on the same day they oppressed and mistreated their workers.(Isaiah
58:3) They offered food to God, but failed to feed the hungry here on earth.
So God sent them prophets to teach them and help them get their priorities
straight. Micah declared, "What does the Lord require of you but to
do justice to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."(Micah
6:8) And Isaiah said "This is the fast that God requires: to loose
the bonds of wickedness, to let the oppressed go free, to feed the hungry,
to bring the homeless into your house, to cloth the naked."(Isaiah
58:6-7) "Then," said the prophet, God will be pleased.(Isaiah
58:8-9) Isaiah wasn't saying that the people of his day should stop making
sacrifices to God. He was telling them that devotion to God and righteousness
toward their sisters and brothers was what mattered. Without that devotion
and righteousness all their sacrifices and rituals were empty and meaningless.
God no longer asks us to sacrifice animals. I see that none of you brought
any fatted calves this morning! Christ is the sacrifice for our sins. We
could not buy our salvation with any act of devotion. There is nothing
we possess that could repay God for the injuries our sins have caused.
So God graciously gave us a suitable sacrifice: his only Son. And Christ
gave himself over to the wicked to have his body broken and his blood shed
for our salvation. Jesus became the lamb of God slain for our salvation.
God no longer asks for fatted calves and rams to be sacrificed on the
altar. But God still wants our hearts. God wants us to offer devotion and
worship that grows out of a genuine faith. God wants us to give a sacrifice
of love for one another. We still perform rituals and ceremonies and make
gifts and offerings to God. But those actions should be expressions of
a deeper devotion. All our rituals and gifts are meaningless if our hearts
are not right with God.
Perhaps I should put all of this in a different perspective. Did you
know that we practice human sacrifice in our society? Every day we sacrifice
our neighbor on the altar of some pagan god. Every day people are sacrificed
on the altars of greed and wealth. Love Canal wasn't the first example
and a dare say it will not be the last. Every day corporate America endangers
the lives of others in order to save a buck. Every day our children are
sacrificed on the altars of prejudice and hate. Why do so many black youth
die in our inner cities to gang violence and why is a black man more likely
to go to jail than to graduate college. Because we teach our children the
same lies that our parents taught us. Lies of hatred and prejudice that
perpetuate hatred and mistrust and lead to violence and death. Every day
countless women and men are sacrificed on the altars of lust. The pornography
industry is only the tip of the iceberg. The portrayal of people as object
and the images of sexuality in popular entertainment demean all human beings
and contribute to the continuing growth of violent sexual crimes in our
society. And every day people are sacrificed to the gods of "I don't
care" and "It's someone else's problem." People freeze to
death in the streets because there is no place to stay. Others drink or
drug themselves to death because there is no funding for rehabilitation.
And some never hear of the love of God because no one ever bothered to
tell them.
And in the mean time we Christians gather in our warm churches and eat
our holy meals. We offer up prayers and praise and countless rituals and
ceremonies while outside people are being sacrificed to the powers of darkness.
Does that please God? No! God doesn't what empty rituals. God wants our
hearts given to him in service and love.
Jesus said that we are the light of the world. It is our job to shine
the light of God's love and justice for all to see. Sometimes it is hard
to tell how to do that. Sometimes it seems that all we can do is pray,
but often times we fail to do that. Pray for the lost and the oppressed.
Love your neighbor both black and white with the same intensity that God
loves you. Feed the hungry and cloth the naked in what little ways you
can. That is what God really wants, and that will please the Almighty.
"Christianity
101"
Matthew 5:13-20
The Sermon of the Mount can be compared to a course in how to be a follower
of Jesus: Christianity 101. Last week we examined the opening of Jesus'
lesson on how to be one of his followers. The beatitudes in a way might
be called the syllabus of the course. Jesus says if you complete this course
you will be expected to be humble, meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness,
to be pure, etc. And before this course is over you will be persecuted
on account on me. If the beatitudes are the syllabus of Christianity 101
then the verses we read today are the first lecture. Having looked at the
syllabus last week, let's begin our course in Christianity 101.
Everyone open your textbooks (hold up a Bible) to the New Testament
page 4. For those of you with other editions of the textbook that is in
Matthew lecture 5 verse 13. Now what is the first thing Jesus says to his
disciples in verse 13? "You are the salt of the earth."
But there is more to Jesus' statement than just flavor. While Jesus
and his hearers might have thought of the flavoring aspect of salt that
probably was not their first thought. You see in Jesus' day, they didn't
have ways of preserving food like we do. And one of the major sources of
protein in Israel was fish. Most of the fish that I have in my house is
either frozen or canned. Back in Jesus' day they didn't have freezers or,
to my knowledge, canning. They used salt to preserve their fish. And the
salt preserved the fish by killing bacteria.
So Jesus and his followers probably thought about the preservative qualities
of salt. Jesus is saying that it is our job to preserve people. It is our
job to put them in touch with God do that they can live forever and not
rot with the Devil. Some would even say that we preserve the world because
only our presence prevents God from destroying this sinful place. But it
is more than just preserving. Here is where the flavor comes in. When someone
comes to Christ, they not only are cleansed of their sins and preserved
for eternal life; they are also given an eternal quality of life. Jesus
spices up their life as well as preserving it. So like salt we should preserve
and spice up people's loves.
Salt was also an important part of sacrifices in the Old Testament.
Remember these students of Christianity 101 had all passed Judaism 101
and probably 201 as well. So when they heard "salt" they probably
thought of the salt added to sacrifices. This was the "salt of the
covenant" and represented holiness. So just as the priests salt sacrifices
to make them holy, we are to spread holiness and salt the world.
What is the next thing Jesus says? Look back in verse 13 again: "if
the salt has lost its taste how can its saltiness be restored?" While
it may be hard for us to imagine, salt can lose its taste. It can become
contaminated so that it is no longer of any use for flavoring or preserving
food. Have any of you seen road quality salt. That is salt that is not
good for human consumption. It looks like granite. It is gray with white
streaks. Because it has other minerals in it, it lacks flavor and would
probably make you sick. It's only use is to throw in the road to melt snow.
In one sense such salt is no longer salt. It's just sand.
In Israel it wouldn't even be good for that because they don't get much
snow in the holy land. You wouldn't want to throw it away in your garden
so you would throw it in the road and use it like sand. That's what a Christian
is who has lost his or her flavor for life. If they are no longer doing
their job they are useless. They are like salt without any salt in it.
So Jesus' first lesson in being a Christian is that we are like salt.
We are supposed to be holy so that we can spread holiness. And by spreading
holiness we purify and preserve the world. And if we aren't doing that,
then we are good for nothing. In a sense, a Christian who no longer lives
Christ is no longer a Christian, at least not in the way they live their
life. They are no longer Christians in the same way that salt which has
lost its flavor is no longer salt.
The second point in Jesus' opening lecture on Christianity is found
in verse 14 and 15. Look in your textbooks. What does verse 14 say? "You
are the light of the world." Many people, myself included, look at
this and think it is saying the same thing as verse 13. And it is close,
but there is more emphasis here on doing.
Jesus goes on to say that you don't light a candle to cover it up but
to place it high so that many can see. In the book of Revelation the churches
are symbolized as lamp stands. The church holds up the light of Christ
just as a lamp stand holds up a lamp. Some people use a lighthouse as a
symbol or metaphor for the church. The purpose of the lighthouse is to
shine a light in the darkness so that ships don't hit a reef or rocky shore.
Jesus says that like a lamp we must shine our light before people so
that they see our good works and glorify God. Jesus is not talking about
showing off. He deals with that kind of false piety later in the course.
Here he is talking about true acts of love and mercy and justice. As Christians,
we should live so that others see what we do and give glory to God.
The final point of Jesus' introduction to Christianity 101 is found
in verses 17-20. Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish
the law or the prophets: I have not come to abolish but fulfill."
Remember, Jesus' first students were graduates of Judaism 101. Was Jesus
teaching them a new way that would mean throwing the old out? No, Jesus
says. What Jesus is teaching is different. But it in no way contradicts
or countermands Judaism. In fact it fulfills it.
It is like a student who takes a class in European or Asian history.
The student learns about periods of time and kingdoms and dates and such.
Then the student takes a class in World history. The content is different
in the second class but it does not contradict but rather fills out what
the first class did not cover. Judaism was a class in how to be God's people
for a particular nation: Israel, Christianity is a class in how to be God's
people for all humanity.
The problem was that many of Jesus' students had poor examples for teachers
in their course on Judaism. The scribes and Pharisees and other religious
leaders talked about the law and the prophets and put on a good show but
they were not really trying to serve God. Jesus was clear about their failure,
but said that his followers should have a righteousness that far exceeds
those other teachers. Sometimes people think being a Christian means being
wishy washy and trying to please everyone. Maybe some thought Jesus was
offering people an easy way out. Jesus said, "No, this is no easy
way out. You don't have to live like the Pharisees. You have to live better."
So that is our introductory lesson in Christianity 101. The points to
remember are this: #1 You are the salt of the earth. It is your purpose
in life to be a holy influence in the society at large and bring others
to eternal life in Christ. If you don't, you are like salt that has lost
its flavor. #2 You are the light of the world. You are supposed to shine
God's light through your good deeds. That way people can see them and be
saved from destruction. #3 Don't forget everything you already know about
righteousness but seek to exceed the righteousness of the teachers of this
world.
Thank you for your time, class. I will see you next week. Don't forget
to read your textbook in the mean time (hold up the Bible). Oh, by the
way, there will be a test on the contents of today's lecture. It begins
right now and lasts for the rest of your life.
"The Ministry of Daily Work"
(written for Labor Day)
Matthew 5:13-16
90,000 - That is a big number. I can't imagine seeing 90,000 of anything.
That is how many hours the average person works in their lifetime. If you
worked from the time you were 20 until 65, 40 hours a week for 50 weeks
of the year you would have worked 90,000 hours. That comes to 3,750 days
or a little over 10 years and 3 months.
Day in and day out most of us go to work, even with the economy as bad
as it is. Our culture sets aside a day, Labor Day, to celebrate work by
taking a day off from labor. A person's work often is used to define them.
When people first meet you they ask, "What do you do?" They are
not asking for your hobbies. They are asking what kind of work you do.
That is why unemployment can be so psychologically and emotionally devastating.
Since work makes up so much of people's lives and is so important maybe
the church ought to say something about it. Maybe we should starts by celebrating
what we do for a living. I asked that, if possible, you could wear whatever
you would wear to work each day. I am going to try to cover all the bases
with some broad categories of work. If you feel your job fits on one of
the categories please stand when I name that group. Those who are retired
stand with the area of work you retired from and those who are unemployed
with the area of work in which you are seeking employment.
If it could be said that you work in the scientific arena, please stand
(engineers, chemists, forensic investigators, lab tech). If you would categorize
yourself as working with food, please stand (food prep, food sales, cafeteria
workers). If you work with plants or farming, please stand (gardeners,
plant nursery workers). If you would consider yourself to be working in
a helping profession, please stand (medicine, customer service, public
safety, childcare, teachers, homemakers). If you work with words or writing
or music or information, please stand (web design, secretary, admin asst,
writer, musician). If you work for the government and I have not already
stood, please stand. If you work in an area I have not mentioned, please
stand.
We have a broad range of arenas and places where we work, and a broad
range of people that we meet on a daily basis. But does that part of our
lives intersect with the Christian part of our lives. One of the realities
of Christian living that we try to embody here at Grace is that being a
Christian is a 27/7 life. We don't stop being Christians when we leave
for work in the morning, or at least we shouldn't. So how do we live the
Christian life in the workplace? In some professions, especially helping
professions - doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, etc., it is easy
to see, but what about the rest of us?
I believe Jesus' Sermon of the Mount speaks to this. Jesus said, "You
are the salt of the earth." The job of salt is to season and preserve.
In Jesus' they didn't have refrigeration so salt was used to preserve foods.
Salt would not just add flavor, but it would kill germs and prevent food
from going bad.
You role of the Christian is society to preserve, sanitize and add flavor.
We are called to bring the good news of Jesus to the world so that people
can gain eternal life, and we are called to share the Joy and Love of God;
to spice up people's lives. When you go to work, even if you are in a cubical
farm, you meet people. You can be a positive influence in their lives.
I am not saying you need to corner your coworkers and beat them with a
Bible. But you can be a good neighbor to them in the office and to the
clients that come into your workplace.
Another thing Jesus says here is "You are the light of the world."
There is another place where Jesus says "I am the light of the world."(John
8:12) I guess you could say that Jesus is the light and we are like little
mirrors reflecting that light. Or rather Jesus is the source of the light
we shine through our lives. Now a light that is kept under a basket is
useless. You can't see anything with it. So as Christians we are to shine
the light of Christ so that all can see.
Sometimes this can be difficult in the work place. But the thing about
light is it is honest and pure. Just be yourself, and the light of God's
love with shone through you. Pray for your coworkers. You spend a third
of your life with these people, get to know them and their needs and pray
for them; the same with your clients.
I know this may be like the fish trying to each the frog how to breathe.
As a preacher I can get away with a lot. People don't mind if I say "Let's
pray about that" on the spot. But just by being yourself in the workplace,
you can shine the light of Christ through small acts of love and kindness.
People will recognize that and it will open up opportunities reach out
in deeper ways.
If you notice on the front of your bulletins I am listed as the pastor
of this church, but the members are the ministers. We have a doctrine in
the church called the "Priesthood of all believers." Basically
we are all representatives of Jesus Christ in the world. Another way of
saying this is that all Christians are "little Christs." We represent
Jesus and serve has his body in this world. No matter were you are you
can be a little Christ. And what better place to be a little Christ than
where you spend almost half your waking hours, at work!
God chose you in Christ and redeemed you through Jesus' blood to be
salt and light for a dark and flavorless world. You don't stop being a
Christians just because you put on your work clothes and head to the work.
God is at work in this world redeeming it one soul at a time. God is renovating
the universe one life at a time. You are on the front lines of that redemptive
work.
So take the day off tomorrow and enjoy yourself. But on Tuesday morning
go to work, or wherever you go, including the unemployment office. Remember
to take your salt and light. And go to play your part in redeeming the
world as you serve God in your workplace!
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