050327 Easter

Easter 2005
As a teenager, I vividly remember rappelling down the side of a cliff for the first time.
You’re secured by a series of ropes and carabineers.
As you walk backwards off the face of the cliff, your immediate instinct is to hug the mountain. But if you try to hug the mountain, you’ll find yourself slamming into the side it, scraping your knee and maybe elbows and chin…
The only way you can really descend smoothly is to lean back as far as you can and look up at sky, so that your legs are at right angles to the cliff. It's counterintuitive, but it's the only way to go down.
When we follow Christ there are times he calls us to move in a direction that seems to run in the face of common sense. Jesus said if you want to become great you must become a servant, he said it’s through giving that we receive, and most dramatic of all he said it’s through dying that we live.
Jesus words about how dying leads to a new life weren’t simply hot air. He proved them on very first Easter Sunday, as he rose from the grave.
On this Sunday Easter we’re going to explore what it means to live through dying.
If you have your Bibles please turn to John 12. Less than a week before Jesus was crucified, Jesus predicted his death and show us how our true life comes through dying:
23Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25The man or woman who loves his or her life will lose it, while the man or woman who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Jesus says in vs. 23 that the time has come for me to be glorified.
The Jewish people of Jesus day were expecting that God would reveal his glory through a kind of “symphony of fire” in the skies, but instead God shows us his glory through the ultimate sign of his love for us, his dying on the cross for us in Christ.
In verse 24 Jesus says, I tell you the truth (in the Greek this phrase literally reads “amen and amen”). He begins by saying what he’s about to say is trustworthy and true because what he’s about to say will seem outrageous.
He says the only way to experience real life and fruitfulness is through death.
He says that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground it remains just a seed, but if it dies it produces many seeds.
This truth, of course, was modeled by Jesus in the ultimate way. Jesus was nailed to a cross and after several hours on the cross, he releases his life with the prayer into your hands I commit my spirit… his death opened the door for him to be ushered into a new life…

We tend to think and hope (subconsciously) that this pattern of dying and rising to a new life is applicable only to Jesus.

But in the following verses, Jesus points out that this pattern also applies to us.
In verse 25 Jesus says, 25The man or woman who loves his or her life will lose it, while the man or woman who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Eugene Peterson in his translation called The Message puts it this way:
Anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal.
The path to true life and fruitfulness come through the gateway of “death.”
Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 15 that resurrection cannot occur without death…
Canadian writer on the spiritual life Ronald Rolheiser says that if we try to hold onto our life the best we can hope for is a resuscitated life, but if we “let it go” we can have a resurrection life...
But letting our life go either at end of our life or by “dying to” various things while we live is scary and difficult.
So where do we find to courage to able to “die” in order to live?
This is where Easter comes in.
What if Christ rose from the dead? This could change everything for us.
It changed everything for those first disciples. As you may recall, if you’ve read the Gospels, when Jesus was arrested, tried, and later crucified his disciples--out of fear for their lives--went into hiding.
They were crushed when their hero was killed and were afraid their fate as his followers might be the same.
But just a few weeks later… these cowering disciples became some of the most courageous people the world has ever seen.
Most of these disciples ended actually dying for their belief in that Christ had risen.
What could have explained their dramatic transformation?
Some people have suggested that Jesus in the cool, damp tomb, revived… he got up, busted free from his burial bandages, moved up the 1 and half ton stone, like Mr. Incredible overpowered, the Roman guards (or 16 highly disciplined, fighting men)… and then claimed he rose from the dead. If this was true, Jesus would have looked worse that Rocky after he fought Apollo Creed in Rock I or Rodney King after he was beaten by the LA police. He would not have inspired a revolution--he would have evoked pity!
But they and many others were convinced that God had raised Jesus from the dead and so they were able to live their lives with abandon knowing God could raise the dead.
No one is more dangerous (in the good sense) alive than the person who is not afraid to die…
If we believe that God can raise the dead, we can let go not only at the end of our lives and believe that we will experience resurrection… but we can “let go and die” throughout our life and experience new life, believing that God can raise the dead.
We’ve been going through a series on Abraham’s journey of faith. In Hebrews 11 we read that 17It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18though God had promised him, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. 19Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
Abraham as we see was able to “let go” when God called him to literally give up the life of his son because according to Hebrews 11 he believed that God could raise him from the dead.
When, like Abraham, we believe that God can raise dead, we can “let go” and experience new life—resurrection, greater fruitfulness.

"Is there something we must let go of or “die to” in order to experience resurrection and become a more fruitful person?”

Today (in the second service) Hanako Fuji is being baptized. This week, Sakiko I explained that turning to God, repenting, is the act of turning to God and by turning to God we are turning away from other things. By turning to God, we die to turn from and“die to” some others things, but in that turning and dying we experience a resurrection.

Turning to God involves a big death that leads to life, but throughout our journeys there will various things we must “die to” in order to experience life, various Good Fridays we must face in order to experience resurrection Sunday.

For some of us here, perhaps the thing we must let go of and die to is something in our past that has grip on us.

Ken Nixon is a member of this congregation who works closely with me. He has Ph.D and has taught in dept of education at UBC, U Vic, and in Australia. He’s also served a senior administrator for the government of Alberta.

He’s a accomplished a lot in his life. But his origins are quite humble. He grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan. His home had no running water… He went to a one room school. For most of the year, he didn’t where shoes. If there was a poor harvest his family barely eked out an existence.

Some times people who grew up in kind of humble environment and then became a success are ashamed of their upbringing. They try not to make references to their past. If they refer it at all they may describe it as a “God-forsaken, rat hole.” But others, like Ken Nixon, allow there humble background to bless. They’re not afraid of hard work. They’re not above “humble work.”

Sometimes there are things in out past that we are ashamed of.

We may be bitter that we didn’t have certain rights and privileges… the “advantages” that others had… or perhaps we are angry because something we experienced was darker and more damaging than economic hardship in our childhood... We need to mourn and grieve and process that, but there’s come a time where we let it go the anger and bitterness and to die that and let the loss actually rise up and blessing us…by making us deeper, wiser, more compassionate people.

For others of us what we may need to let go of is what we perceive to be the ideal race or ethnicity… I was born about, grew up in white anglo-saxon protestant sections of London, England and Greater Vancouver…. I had friends… but there were times when I thought if I wasn’t Asian, if I was white… life would be smoother, I’d be more popular with girls… At times as a young minister… I thought, gee, if I were white I would be more “successful in worldly sense.”

My friend Elizabeth Archer Klein who lives in Seattle says America is the one country of world where a black man can become a white woman (thinking of Michael Jackson, but that’s not really an option for me and for most of us).

As a young adult, going to back to the county of my origin between my junior and senior year in college, I was able to begin to release the ideal of the particular race and ethnicity and embrace the richness of the past that God in his sovereignty choreographed for me.
For some us here need to die to the ideal of race, ethnicity, perhaps a gender we thought we were “supposed” to be and invite God to resurrect our identities.

It’s as we believe that God can raise something from the dead that we are able to let go of something, a hardship in the past or an ideal and let God resurrect something in our lives.

Some of us need to let go of our die to a dream.

When I was 12 or 13 I was a big B.C. Lions fan. I had a far fetched dream of being a professional football player. I was a reasonably good football player as a teenager. One year I was a starting wide receiver, another year I was starting quarterback on the football.

But I knew I was too small to play at large college—which is really the route almost everyone goes to become pro. I used tell my younger sister who’s a formidable martial artist and a great athlete, and a little on stocky side, “If I had your body, I could be a linebacker in NFL. She’d say, if I had your skinny legs… I could be a run way model…”

For some me it was pipe dream, for some it it’s serious… Boobie Miles was a football player with Permian Panthers, featured in the movie based on the true story Friday Nights Lights. Boobie has incredible speed, quickness, strength… If the movie portrayed him accurately, he moved with a kind agility reminiscent of Michael Vick or Barry Sanders…

He was getting scholarship offers from NCAA division I schools like USC and Florida… he had NFL all over him… But during the first game of the season his senior year for Permian, Boobie took a pitch ran student body right and a defender tackled him on the side of his knee crushing it… he never fully recovers.

In the car with his uncle who’s raising him, Mr. tough guy realizes his dream is gone… He breaks down and says what we gonna now? What we gonna now—I can’t do nothing but play football…

I don’t know what Boobie Miles ends up doing, but if wants to live there must mourns the loss of his dreams… but then it let go so he can experience resurrection…

But, if he holds on to a dream that cannot be--at the very best he experiences a resuscitated life, but not a resurrected life.

Sometimes dying has to do with letting for a relationship…

In Brian Moore’s novel the Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, Moore describes a woman in Dublin named Judith. She’s bright, gifted, attractive and has a successful career and is well connected to friends and family.

She has one problem, she’s approaching menopause and she is unmarried without children.

All the other successes in her life seem meaningless in light of the fact that the one thing she really longs for is denied her: husband and children.

She ends up meeting this man from America. She falls in love with him, but he is not interested in her romantically. He’s only interested in her because of her money and is hoping that they can open a restaurant together.

But Judith is desperate and one night after a date, Judith takes the initiative and proposes. He turns her down.

She goes on an alcohol binge and then has a nervous breakdown and ends up in hospital. She receives good care in the hospital and recovers.

But just before she is to be released from hospital, she receives a visit from her American friend. He’s there with roses, he tells her he was wrong and offers her the roses and he proposes.

But she hands back the roses and says…

Thank you, but no thank you. I am not interested in marrying you and, to tell you why, I need to tell you a story. When you are a little girl you dream about the perfect life you will have. You will grow up to have a beautiful body, meet the perfect man, have wonderful children, live a wonderful home in a wonderful neighborhood. But then when your dream doesn’t happen, you start to revise your dream downward, “He doesn’t have to be perfect” and downward more until you get to point where you’re so desperate you’d marry anyone even if he’s as common as dirt…

Well I learned something by losing myself and re-finding myself. I’ve learned that if I receive the spirit of who I am, it’s doesn’t matter whether I am married or single, I can be happy either way. My happiness doesn’t depend on someone outside me, but upon being at peace with what is inside me.

The story ends with her leaving the hospital, strong and happy and making a paper airplane out of the man’s business card in the cab and throwing it out the window…

She dies, to something and let go and is able to experience a kind of resurrection…

If we are able to die and let go, we too can experience resurrection.

Perhaps the final thing we let go of is our youth and health…

Frederick Buechner, pastor and author from Vermont says when his mother lost her youthful beauty, she was like a millionaire who went broke, she got a unlisted number, holed a herself up in her apartment, leaving only when she absolutely had too… Many people find aging difficult…

Tuesdays with Morrie is about a driven young man, in his late 30s, named Mitch who reconnects with his old professor Morrie Schwartz who’s dying of Lou Gerhig’s disease.

One Tuesday they talk about aging.

Mitch says don’t you wish you were young again? Morrie, who’s 78 says, no. Mitch, says but you never hear people say I wish were old.

Morrie says you know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Because if you’ve found meaning in your life--you don’t want to go back.

He says, but I’ve been 22, 32, 65, it was good to be those ages, but now it’s time to be 78.

He’s let go of his youth and health and so even at 78 and confined to a wheelchair because of Lou Gehrig’s, he’s able to really live.
Morrie Schwartz says in Tuesdays with Morrie that once we learn how to die, we learn to live.
Then we come to that point in our lives when we trust God, let go and die and if let go and our lives are tied Christ it’s not truly over it’s just a beginning of something far greater…

D. L Moody, one of the best know ministers of the 19th century, the kind of Billy Graham figure of his day, said one day you’ll read in the newspapers that D.L. Moody is dead, but don’t you believe a word of it…. on that day I’ll be more alive than I’ve ever been before.

When we die in Christ, whether a death within our life or death that terminates our life, if that death is in Christ, we will discover that Life has the final word.
Pray:
Is there something we need to trust God and die to in order that we might experience life?
Let it go… and receive the spirit of a new life.

Benediction: (ALPHA: announcement)
Christ is risen? He is risen indeed!
May the risen Christ bless you and keep you and cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he lift up his countenance toward you and give us your peace.

050320 Abraham

Abraham M4 Transforming Worship

On Saturday October 1 of last year baseball fans from around the world were watching the Seattle Mariners play the Texas Rangers. Ichiro led off the third inning. The count was 3 balls, 2 strikes. The Texas pitcher wound up threw and Ichiro hit the ball up the middle for single--his 258th hit of the season, breaking the 84 year old record for hits in a single season.
Ichiro has been described as one of the most consistent hitters of all time.
What are the dynamics make him great?

Ichiro is not very large professional athletic standards, he’s about my height, he’s slender. What is it that makes him a great batter?

Part of what of what makes him great is the way he has trained his eyes to see the ball. Sports commentator have said no one is baseball sees the ball better than Ichiro.

Abraham is a great man of faith; he’s greater in relation to faith, than Ichiro is to baseball.

Abraham occupies the most space in the famous Hall of Faith chapter in Hebrews in 11. In that chapter he is described as a man who is looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. In Romans 4 we are told that Abraham did not waver in unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. At various points, in the Hebrew Scriptures, God will approach someone and say I am blessing you for the sake of my promise to your forefather Abraham, who was obedient and faithful to me.

What are the dynamics that make Abraham a great man of faith?

Today we’re going to look at one of those central dynamics that enables Abraham to become a great person of faith.

We get a window into this dynamic in Genesis, 12, 13 as we see Abraham building altars to the Lord.

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 12:6-8.

Abraham has been called out of Ur and Haran with his wife Sarah… and we read
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD , who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
Then he went to Egypt and was afraid men would kill him to get his wife Sarah and he caves in. He doesn’t trust God to protect him, he doesn’t build altars, he doesn’t call out to God.

But God miraculously delivers him and his wife Sarah from the clutches of pharaoh and he returns to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram calls on the name of the LORD.

In this place we see Abraham following God again and as we see in chapter 13 vs. 18 Abraham, he again builds an altar to the LORD .

According to respected Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke says the key to Abraham’s spiritual triumph is his building of altars. Waltke argues that Abraham’s worship of God and his calling out is what makes him a spiritual giant.

What is that causes Abraham to build these altars and worship God and call out to God?

In both chapter 12 we read of the Lord appearing to Abraham and saying I will give you this land and multiply your offspring. Then we see Abraham builds an altar and worships God. Then in 13 chapter after Abraham allows his nephew Lot to take the best, most fertile land, God comes to Abram, after Lot leaves, and says do a 360 degree turn, I will give you all of the land you see.

And in the next verse we see Abraham builds an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him.

We see that Abraham builds an altar and worships God in response to discerning the presence and the voice of God.

We also see this pattern in the lives of his son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob. God appears to them in some way and they build altars and worship God.

True worship occurs when we discern the presence of God in our lives, in the world and respond to God by acknowledging his greatness and calling out to him.

In order to become worshippers of the living God, we must become people who are able to discern the presence of God…

What makes Ichiro a great batter is his ability to see the ball, what part of what will make us people of greater faith is learn how to perceive the presence of God in our lives and in the world and learning to respond in thanksgiving and worship.

We see in Scripture there are times when God is present, but people haven’t perceived God.

We read about a young boy named Samuel (in 1 Samuel). God calls out him several times, but he has no idea it’s God whose calling out to him and then with the help of his mentor Eli, he’s able recognize God’s voice.

Abraham’s grandson Jacob had a dream in which God appeared to him and Jacob wakes up and says surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it.

There are have times in my own, life when God has spoken to me and I was not aware of it at the time. One Sunday when I was about 20 years old, I attended a worship service here with my sister. I remember the sanctuary was sparsely filled with mostly senior citizens. At that time I was not planning to be a pastor. But as sat here, I had strong impression that one day, I’d be back as senior pastor. I thought, “yeah right, what a strange idea.” Now in looking back, I see that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me.

It’s possible for God to speak to us and for us not be aware of it.

How can we become people who learn to listen to God’s voice?

Exploring the answer to that question could easily be a sermon series in and of itself.

There are many things that could be said, may I list one.

Slowing down. Believe me, I say this as much to me as to anyone here.

A professor I’m acquainted with named Mary-Kate Morse points out a phenomenon described by the scientists as “inattentional blindness.” Scientists have wondered how people can miss seeing something plainly in front of them.
Often after an accident preoccupied with the next activity or a cell phone conversation will say, “I never saw her step out in front of my car” or “I didn’t see the cyclist on the side of the road” or “I never noticed the stop sign.”
“Inattentional blindness” occurs when people are so focused on one task that they miss some obvious event occurring in front of them.
This apparently is actually very common. Scientists taped a video of a team of persons passing a ball between themselves, and at some point in the video another individual dressed in a gorilla costume would walk through the middle of the players. This experiment and others like it found that 25-50% of observers would miss the gorilla. By attending to one group of stimuli, the eyes often do not see other obvious stimuli even in the same field of vision.
Whatever we focus on becomes the center of our reality. If this is the case it is easy to see how we could miss God’s presence in our lives.

Part of what it means to live by faith is learning to see… learning to pay attention to God…

The French mystic Simone Veil has that attention is the only faculty of the soul that gives us access to God.

Part of what enables us to pay attention and see is slowing down…
Not long after moving to a newcity, Pastor John Ortberg called an older wiser mentor to ask for some spiritual counsel. John described the hectic pace of his life and work. John told him about the condition of his heart, as best he could discern it. John asked, “What do need to do, I asked him, to be spiritually healthy?”
Long pause.
"You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life," he said.
Another long pause.
"Okay, I've written that one down," John said a little impatiently. "That's a good one. Now what else is there?"
Another long pause.
“Nothing else. That’s it.” His mentor said.
John says he’s come to believe hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. Hurry destroys souls.
Thomas Merton has said the most a pervasive form of contemporary violence is overwork. The rush and pressure of modern life is most common form, of its innate violence.
The Chinese character for busy is the figure of a heart along side the symbol for destroying. So busy literally means the heart is destroyed.

The rush of our busy lives can numb our hearts so that we unable to discern the presence of God. Many of us must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives.

In bygone eras, there were church bells as we see here in famous painting the The Angelus caused people to actually stop and pray.

Part of what it means to slow down is to establish a rhythm for our lives that allows us to create “bells” in our life to slow down enough to focus on God.

I try first thing in morning and before I go to bed to pause and focus of God: as kind of bookends to the day. Part of what I use to do this in addition to Scripture is John Baillie’s little book Diary of Private Prayer. I want to add one more “pause” during the mid-day.

In the Benedictine monasteries, monks are called by bells to pray at various times throughout the day to pause and worship God. Most us are NOT likely to end up in a monastery, but Corinne Ware in her wonderful book Saint Benedict on the Freeway has written how we can incorporate these Benedictine pauses in the rush of our modern everyday lives (Show the book).

As Abraham perceived, God’s presence and God’s voice… what he did he do? He built altars and worshipped the living God and called out to him.

It’s as we slow down and establish the kind of rhythms in our life to enable us to perceive the living God that, like Abraham, we can become people who worship God.

As this happens our heart will grow closer to God and as heart grows closer it will be transformed.

Slowing down and focusing will help us better perceive the presence of God, but that doesn’t necessarily always result into gratitude and worship.

Jesus healed 10 lepers. Out of the 10 only one came back and gave thanks to him. At the risk of sounding cynical, I’ve notice over my life time that there are certain people who will make contact only when they need something and then they get what they want and there’s no acknowledgement or thanks for the help. It’s that they are bad people, they have a need, they surface, but they’re busy and so they dive into their busy lives and they don’t have the time to say thank you.

Expressing gratitude and worship is not something that comes naturally to most of us. It is something that must be learned and cultivated.

When I was growing up one of the things my mom forced us kids to do was to say thank you. Whenever my dad would drive us somewhere, my mom would ask, “What do you say?” Whenever as kids we got a gift from our grandma—whether a toy or cash gift before we could play with the toy or use the money, my mom make us sit down and write out a thank you letter. I remember at the kitchen table as 9 or 10 year resenting the fact that I had to struggle to write out a letter…

As my parents devoted their lives to Christ when I was young person, they encouraged us kids to give the first tenth of the money we got as a way of thanking and honoring God.

I didn’t like being forced to say thank you as child, but as I look back I’m so grateful for my mom inculcating this habit into our lives at a young age.

Last month, when I was in Hawaii teaching at our U.S. partner church, I called my Aunt and Uncle who live in Hawaii. When they found out exactly where we staying, my uncle and aunt, said we want put you up somewhere nicer. I said, where we’re staying is fine for us. I said I’m a missionary, sort of, I can stay anymore, the place is fine. A day or two later, my aunt and uncle told it, we’ve found a place, it’s all paid for, you’d offend by not staying in this place. They ending taking to hotel in Waikiki with big Rainbow painted on the side, called Rainbow Tower in the Hilton Hawaiian Village. As we rolled up, Sakiko said this is hotel our family stayed at during our one vacation here as child. We ended up room near the top of the tower over looking the ocean and Diamond Head mountain…

When I got home, I had a lot of calls to respond, 200 new emails, a lot of catch up. One first things we did was to take time to write my uncle and aunt as we did that a new sense of gratitude and connection to them and God…

As we perceive the work of God and learn to give to thanks to God… we connect more deeply with him.

Some of you may be saying, “If I had been Hawaii, had my aunt and uncle put in best rooms in the Hilton on Waikiki Beach…” I’d be willing thank God to, BUT my life SUCKS!

I really while, it can be more natural to thank God blesses he blessed in overt or forgives our sins, but in terms of spiritual health, it may be more important to learn to thank God in hard times.

When Gordon Smith (who was pastor here while he was teaching at Regent College) was living in the Philippines, he was went through a depressing season he decided he need to thank God anyway. So he cup of coffee walked about the block and named10 things he was thankful to for (one was the cup of coffee), and then he had another cup of coffee and walked around block thanked God ten more times, cup of coffee being one and he did a third time—which became difficult… to find 10 more things that he was thankful but he did it…

The prophet Habbakuk in time of real desolation and doubting God prayed in Habbukuk 3
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD ,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
We want people become people of enduring faith like Abraham, we must slow down enough to see God, and learn to praise him in both good and difficult times…

Knowing that today would be Palm Sunday, this past week flipped over to the New Testament to read about what Jesus did on Palm Sunday… I read about Jesus’ triumphal entry in Jerusalem on a donkey and how Jesus then entered the temple and turned over the money tables in anger and drove out the sellers and buyers and “My father’s house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of thieves.” Jesus is very gentle, so when you see him getting really angry it’s a clue to what’s most important to him. There were many things that were really important to Jesus: he was concerned that poor and oppressed would be treated with justice, he was concerned that people would understand the mystery of the Kingdom of God that was being ushered in through his personhood... But the place he gets most angry is in the temple, when people have converted the temple from a being a place of worship to a house a place of commerce…

Jesus is passionate about many things, but perhaps the one thing he is supremely passionate is the worship and honor of his Father…


Paul tells us that as we enter into the presence of the living God that we transformed into his likeness, with an ever increasing glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Being transformed into the likeness of God, doesn’t happen so much as we “try through self-reformation or self-help” to become like God…

It is as we slow down enough to see God and consciously enter His presence in worship and adoration that our hearts become like His.


Benediction:

Encourage people to focus on the cross…. Mention Darrell’s class:

Evangelism: A Work in Progress [ROUGH DRAFT]

Evangelism: A Work in Progress [ROUGH DRAFT]

Some time ago, I was walking through Vancouver’s Stanley Park with a former seminary professor from Gordon-Conwell. He asked me, “How have you developed theologically since leaving seminary?”

“I haven’t read a lot of theology as of late,” I said, “but some theological truths that I learned in seminary have taken color in the ‘field of ministry’.”

Prevenient Grace

One of those truths is prevenient grace, the doctrine which says that God has been at work in a people’s lives long before they were consciously aware it. Philippians 2:13 tells us that it is God who works in us to will and do according to his good pleasure.
Jesus taught (John 5:17, 6:44) that no one will ever respond to God unless that person is first drawn by God.Jonathan Edwards and Puritans viewed conversion as something God was doing to them, rather than something they were initiating, conversion was more a recognition of God’s sovereign working in their lives, than a “decision” for Jesus.

As Steve Eason said, “God is the one who ‘flips our lid and connects the wires’.”

When it comes to evangelism, I used to be much more concerned about having to say things the right way, getting through a 4- point outline… I used to experience more neurotic stress about people “responding to the invitation” because I felt the leverage point of a Gospel presentation lay in my ability to persuade.

I now see conversation as much more of a mysterious “work of God” in the life of a person, which began long before I arrived in his or her life, and which will continue long after I’m out of the picture.

People’s movement to God is not typically a majestic Lebron Jameseque arcing leap to the hoop, but more like a series of little steps.

I think of my friend Alex.

Alex had been a successful financial investor but found that the business world left his soul empty. As a teenager Alex had been recognized as an outstanding artist. He had been admitted to one of Canada’s finest art schools, but because of financial difficulties that his family was facing, he pursued a business career. However, after he became successfully established in business, he decided to leave the business world and (to use his words) “follow my bliss.” He turned to Buddhist writings. But he sensed a yearning for something more, and then through a friend he was led to our church. After about a year, his friend and people in the church community helped him to see that God’s hand was upon him and that he was being drawn to Jesus. Alex’s experience of business leaving him feeling empty, his pursuit of beauty through art, his dabbling in Buddhist helped prepare him to be brought closer to Jesus.

In Traveling Mercies Anne Lamott speaking of her own journey writes:

My coming to faith did not start with a leap, but rather a series of staggers from what
seemed like one safe place to another. Like Lily Pads round and green, these places
summoned me and held me while I grew. Each prepared me for the next leaf on which
I would land, and in this way I moved across the swamp of doubt and fear. When I
look back on some of these early resting places—boisterous home of Catholics, the soft
armchair of Christian science mom, adoption by ardent Jews—I can see how flimsy and
indirect a path they make. Yet, each step brought me closer to the verdant and path of
faith on which I know stand.

Some years ago Leighton Ford was listening to author Anne Lamott speak some here in North Carolina. She described God being like her cat following her around the house. Into her the kitchen, in her bedroom, wherever she would go her cat would follow her. Anne finally said to God, “ah F_____ come one in.”

The doctrine of prevenient grace shows that God has been at work in a person’s life long before we got there.

Perceiving

If God is already at work in a person’s life, our calling as a “friend on the journey” is to help a person discern God’s work in their life. Evangelism is very similar to spiritual direction as we gently help another person discern the movements of God in his or her life . According to Paul in 1 Cor 2:14, a person outside of a relationship with God will have difficulty in perceiving the things of the Spirit. Our role is help a person discern how God is at work in their lives (which they themselves may not recognize).

Some time ago, I was traveling from Vancouver to LA. I been in a long meeting, and I was tired. But as I got on the plane, I prayed, “God if you want me to talk to someone I’m available, but if you don’t, I’m very OK with that, too.”

I had an aisle seat and no one beside me (the plane was far from full). I was about to doze off when at the last minute a tall young man walked onto the plane. Though the plane was relatively empty, he ended up sitting beside me on the window side. He reaches into his duffel bag and pulls out a copy of Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl.

I thought, “ Lord, maybe you want me to talk to this guy.” We got into a conversation. He was coming up to Vancouver to see the NHL All Star game. He had gotten tickets from Wayne Gretzky’s agent.

I found out he was an actor. When he discovered that I was a minister, he said “I’m really glad I sat beside you.”

He started telling me his life story. He told me he grew up on the East Coast of the U.S. and ending up studying business in the Boston area. After graduating from college, he had pursued a business career for a few years, but found that unfulfilling and meaningless. He said he then decided to go to Hollywood and pursue acting.

He said, “When I told my uncle at a party that I was leaving the marketplace to pursue an acting career in Hollywood, he laughed in my face… But now I’m getting a fair of number of acting roles… and I’ve met a number of the top twenty actors and I’m still empty and I know if I’m ever make it in the top 20, I’ll be empty, too.”

I listened, then I simply pointed the ways I sensed God’s work in his life, awakening a desire in him to connect with something greater than himself.

There is someone I know from the gym who doesn’t believe in a personal God, but in a kind of impersonal higher power and has a kind of anti-Christian bias. Recently, while riding his bike in Vancouver, someone suddenly opened a car door in line with Steve’s front wheel. Unable to swerve, Steve’s front tire hit the door and he went flying into the air and landed in the middle of the street. A truck screeched to halt a few feet from Steve’s prostrate body.

This experience has awakened Steve to the gift of life and I sense has drawn him a little closer to the mystery. I feel I am in his life, in part, to help him become of aware of the mystery that is already at work in him.

If God is already at work in people’s lives then, a large part of our role is to listen and help them discover that. If conversion is primarily the work of God in a person’s life and our role is to help them discover God’s work in their life, then the best context for evangelism is a relationship.

Personal Relationship

Gary Davis rightly points out the best context for evangelism is not confrontation, but safety--the safety of a relationship.

Gary Davis says, “Get out and love the hell out of people.”
Someone from a New Age background gave me a birthday card some time ago and wrote something I won’t forget. This person, wrote, “I thank God that he brought someone into my life that I could trust enough to lead me to Christ.”
I don’t know that I am that kind of person, but I want to become that kind of person. The kind of person who in the context of a relationship someone can trust enough to allow him to point in some way to Jesus.

My wife Sakiko leads a small group Bible study in our home for Japanese-speaking people. A couple are new believers. A couple are on their way to Jesus from Buddhist backgrounds. One is clearly a sceptic, but likes the chance to relate to people in her native language.

But it is not a just a group where people study the Bible, it’s a micro community where people share their lives with each other both at and outside the context of the small group.
Because we have relationships with each other and are able to share about our lives with each other, it’s an ideal context where we can see how God is at work in the lives of different members.

In the old paradigm, a person made a decision to believe, maybe at a crusade and then they were “followed up,” and hopefully came to belong in a church. Generally speaking, “Believe and belong” was the older paradigm.

The current paradigm is that you first belong, and then believe. You belong in a relationship with a person who knows God, or you belong to a community of people, some of whom know God, and then you come to believe.

Prayer

If spiritual awakening is primarily the work of God, then it makes that sense that best context of our evangelism would be personal relationship, but the greatest power is prayer.

In Ephesians 1:17-18, Paul earnestly prayers people’s hearts would be enlightened with the reality of God…

Bob Logan the church planting guru says, “Prayer is not preparation for the work, prayer is the work.”

Mother Teresa says, “We pray the work.”

In C.S. Lewis’ wonderful story, The Silver Chair, the young girl Lucy enters this magical land… and meets Aslan the Lion, the Christ-figure.

Lucy says, “I met you because I called out for you.”

Aslan replies, “You would have never called out to me unless I had first called out to you.”

Some people describe themselves as being on some kind of spiritual quest, but no one ever seeks God unless God has first been seeking that person. When we pray for people to come to know God, it seems that God seeks them out with greater intensity…

Think about your own story and conversion. I bet that people were praying for you.

As a teenager, I was getting involved in drug use, shoplifting, joy riding, etc. My dad as a conservative Asian was VERY concerned about me and took me on a “field trip” to visit a local prison. He later said, “I just wanted you to see your future home.”

My mother went to a prayer meeting at church and expressed her concern for me. A man named Walter Fender, an elderly prayer warrior, offered to pray for me every day. A few months later I was caught shoplifting and through that experience of being busted God began to prepare my heart for him.. Several months later I heard the Gospel, and gave my life to Christ.

Through prayer, God begins to call out to people and create the kind spiritual atmosphere in people’s lives where they are more likely to respond to God.

Each Monday I pray for family and relatives most of whom do not a have a relationship with God. In the last year or two, I’ve seen some make movements toward God.

I have a cousin in the Tokyo area whose parents don’t believe in God and are hostile to Christianity. Materially they have everything they could want. Within the last year this cousin committed her life to Christ and followed Him through the waters of baptism. The first in her immediate family of 7 to do so.

I have another cousin from a nominally Buddhist family in Vancouver. She also has given her life to Christ. A year ago last Easter she was baptized (the first in her family of 6 to do so), and in May of this past year she married a Christian.
There are a number of people in my life whom I’ve been praying for where there is NO clear visible movement toward God, but I believe that praying for someone does create the kind of spiritual environment where the person is more likely to believe.
If conversion is primarily the work of God, we are called into relationship with people. We are called to pray for God to work in their lives and we are also called to “read” the movements of God in a person’s life. To best do that we must be pure.

Purity

If God is at work in people’s lives, our primary role in helping people enter a relationship with God is to help them discern how God is at work in their lives; and to best discern the work of God in a person’s life we must be pure.

Jesus said, “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

C.S Lewis said our bodies are the telescope through which we see God…

The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man’s (or a
woman’s) self is not kept clean and bright, his (or her) glimpse of God will be
blurred--like the moon through a dirty telescope.

We see God through our whole selves and so we ask God to purify the lens of our heart.

The ancients believed that there was a direct connection between our ability to know, i.e., with epistemology and our character. So they valued purity of heart and a certain kind of “virginity.”

People today don’t value purity of heart—we’re addicted to information and experience!
People in our culture are not anxious about keeping their heart pure, they concerned about “missing out” on some kind of experience.”

But if we want to be able to read the movements of God in a person life, we will seek to be pure and set apart for God because we see God through the lens of our whole self.

One of the greatest motivations for purity in our lives is not to avoid zap judgment from God, but so that we have a clearer life lens to discern the work of God in the lives people.


Post-modern Parables (or motifs)

This past Christmas, at our Sunday services before Christmas, I did dramatic monologue acting as if I were a Magi who was granted the privilege of coming back to earth.

As we know, Scripture is the primary and the most powerful medium that God uses to draw people to Himself, but as the story of Magi illustrates, God can and does also use other means to draw a person to closer to himself. In the case of the Magi, God used a star. He used what 1st century Jews (and we) would consider as the idolatrous practices of astrology to invite the Magi to the birthday party of his son.

God can use the “messages” that he encoded in creation to prepare people’s hearts for the Gospel. As friends on the journey we can use the motifs and storylines already present in people’s lives as a bridge to the Jesus.

Through the history of Christianity, we see this. For example, a several years ago, I had the privilege of going to Ireland to study Celtic Christianity as part of a group under Leighton’s guide. One of our guides, Rev. Chris Pemberton, pointed out that when Christians first arrived in Ireland the people there were worshipping the sun and the moon. The people had set circles throughout the land as symbols of the sun and moon. The Christians took the circle and used it to teach people that God was eternal. Our guide explained that Christians attached the circle to the cross and explained that the cross symbolizes death, but the circle represented Christ’s victory over death. Celtic Christians believed that pagan religions, while misguided, were a sign of spiritual interest and could be used by God as a bridge to point people to Jesus Christ.

J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings, when trying to reach friends like C.S. Lewis who were steeped in fantasy literature, argued that the death and resurrection of Christ was not just a myth—but THE MYTH, the myth that all the other myths pointed to, the myth that actually happened.

Tolkien argued that the pagan myths of the gods dying and reviving (e.g. the myths of Balder, Adonis, Bacchus and others) were simply glimpses of the truth and reality that were fulfilled in Christ. The story of the God who created us, then dies for us, and comes back to life, is the great myth, the myth that came true at a particular time 2000 years ago, under a particular leader, Pontius Pilate.

We can use the motifs in our culture to point people to God.

Curtis Chang, a pastor and former Inter-Varsity staff worker in the Boston area and author of Engaging Unbelief , points out that across the history of Christianity there have been different parts of the Gospel which have been emphasized. In early church the Gospel people were familiar with sacrifice so the Gospel was often explained by sacrifice of the Lamb of God. In the medieval times, where people were culturally familiar with the feudal system of Lords and serfs as well as the practice of buying the freedom for soldiers captured in combat, the Gospel was often presented as ransom and redemption.
In the modern era, with its consciousness of universal principle truths and justice, the Gospel has often been explained with court room scene of judicial satisfaction.

Each of these images contains important truths of the Gospel and, as Chang notes, (and) should not be discarded.

Curtis Chang, however, explains how he trains his students for evangelism by teaching them to compose a 3-minute story. But when they get to the point where they are to talk about why Jesus had to die, he says they tend to stumble trying to present a courtroom story about sin’s penalty and death with God as the judge and Jesus as the one who will bear the penalty.

Curtis Chang points out that in his own experience… he could pique a person’s interest of the possibility of a wider reality… but then he’d take the card of “judicial satisfaction” and fling it hurriedly in the person’s direction.

He argues that we need to use motifs that relate more meaningfully with the people we are connecting with.

A couple that I think are relevant in my context are motifs of “homecoming” and “freedom.”
Motif of Homecoming
In my context, many people are marginalized or come from broken homes so the Jesus’ metaphor about the Gospel as home-coming is one that connects.
The central purpose of a human being is to know the living God. And when we are able to show people their way back to God, we’re helping them discover the central purpose of their lives, we help them experience home-coming.
This past summer, I saw a TV story about how the Japanese army invaded Manchuria, China, before World War II. During the war when the Japanese were driven out, hundreds of Japanese children were left orphaned. Some of them were institutionalized, some were adopted, but because they were the children of the “enemy” they were all marginalized. Many became de facto slaves. A Buddhist priest decided to go to Manchuria and to find these people (now adults) who had been separated from their biological families during the war and bring them back to Japan to reunite them with their biological families (their parents were often dead so they were often reuniting with brothers, sisters, and cousins). The Japanese do not show affection or emotion, but as these “lost” adults were reunited with their families… they wept and embraced publicly.
Like that priest, when we help people reunite with a God from whom they have been estranged, when we help them discover their Father and maker, we offer them the greatest homecoming.
Jesus’ teaching also offers brings healing and freedom:

Motif of Freedom

Some people view Jesus’ commands as restrictive--but they are ultimately freeing and healing. Jesus’ teachings bring healing because they are consistent with who we are.
When you stand beside a 747 jet on the runway, its massive size weight makes it seem incapable of breaking the holds of gravity. But when the power of its engines combines with the laws of aerodynamics, the plane is able to lift itself to 35,000 feet (higher than Everest) and travel at 600 miles per hour. Gravity is still pulling on the plane, but as long as it obeys the laws of aerodynamics, it can break free from the bonds of earth. So it is when obey the teaching of Christ… we can fly.

Proclamation

God is at work in people’s lives. The best context for evangelism is relationship and the most powerful force is prayer. Our role is to help a people discern God’s work in their lives. We help people connect with the Gospel through “God messages” encoded in the culture, but we also do it by actually proclaiming the Gospel.

I remember Bill Bright sharing the story about an upright Christian man who decides he would just preach the Gospel with his life. One day one of his colleagues approached him and said, “Bob, I’ve noticed there’s something different about you (and Bob thinks it worked!), you’re not like the rest of us (Bob believes this is “my moment”), there is something you unique about you… Bob, Are you a vegetarian?”

We enter into relationships with people, we pray for them, we help them see how God is at work in them. But there also comes a time when we share the Gospel either one on one or in a group setting.

Before going to seminary, I worked in Tokyo, Japan, for a couple of years for a secular corporation. My roommate, a native Japanese, was a prep school teacher and Christian. He suggested that we have a Christmas Crusade… I said that was a great idea… he said, “I’ll organize it if you preach.”

I said, “Give me one good reason why I should preach, instead of you.”

“Because you remind me of Robert Schuller. Besides, you’ll look good in a blue robe.” (He actually got a old blue choir robe for me… I think that was the only time ever I’ve ever preached in a robe.)

A few days before our Christmas outreach, my roommate sat me down in his room, looked me in the eye, and gave me instructions on how I should preach. He said, “The students who come from my high school will not have been to a church before. They’re only coming to experience the mood of Christmas.” Then he looked me in the eye and said, “So whatever you do—don’t try to convert them!”

On the Saturday night of our outreach, we wondered if anyone would come to our tiny chapel. About 55 high school students did come. They filled our little chapel and as we looked out at the faces from my seat on our little platform, I saw students looking around the chapel, fidgeting in their seats--it was clear that these kids had never been to church before and would likely not be going to the church in the future (it isn’t part of the Japanese culture for people to go to church).

When I realized that for these kids this night would be the first and last time for them to hear the Gospel, a wave of fear swept over me--as I thought about how these young people were facing a Christ-less eternity… I thought about how at the end of the evening, I would have to answer my roommate for what I said, but how at the end of my life, I would have to answer to God…

So I began my message by sharing stories of Christmas in Canada, about making snowmen and my belief as a child in Santa Claus. I then began speaking of their impending university entrance exam which would literally determine their career and life destiny. I then talked about the exam they have before God at the end of their lives (communicating parts of the Gospel using their motifs, their stories). Then I pointed out from Scripture that God took that exam for them in Christ. At the end of the message I gave an invitation for people to receive Christ and about 15 kids raised their hands…

I thought, “This can’t be happening in Japan.” So I said, “Put down your hands.”

I re-explained the Gospel… the cost of following Christ. I said, “Your life is going to be harder if you follow Christ” and gave another invitation. This time about 20 kids raised their hands… The church had no youth group at the time. The church now had an instant youth group…

As Don Posterski points out in the Brian Maclaren article we read, we need to avoid “microwave” evangelism like the plague. There are occasions, however, where the Holy Spirit moves in such a powerful way, he accelerates the normal pace at which a person typically comes to God.

We love people in relationships, we pray, we help discover God’s work in theirs, we point to analogies in the culture that offer glimpses of the Gospel, but as the Spirit of God also provides opportunity, we proclaim Christ.

Passion

In Luke 15 Jesus says that there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents more than over 99 who need no repentance. Billy Graham was preaching in Anaheim some years ago. During the time of invitation, which is typically solemn and reverent, people were breaking out in applause. As people were coming forward, people in their section started to clap and cheer… Mr. Graham thought people should not clap, as this is a “holy moment.” Why were people clapping during the invitation?

People at the stadium were seated according to their languages to help best facilitate interpretation. There was a Chinese section, a Spanish section, a Punjabi section, etc.,and as people responded from their sections, i.e., when their people would stand and respond to the invitation to receive Christ, they would cheer and clap.

When Billy realized what was going on, he said, “We’re in Angel stadium and the Bible says that the angels rejoice over one sinner, so go ahead and clap.”

When I was working in Japan, my grandmother heard a rumor that I was preaching. She remembered me as a little brat who’s favorite book was the Sears Christmas catalog, and she recalled I used to always ask her, “Grandma, how can I be rich when I grow up?”

She found out that I was preaching from time to time at this little church in the Northwest corner of Tokyo. She was both intrigued and amused, so she decided she would come and hear me preach. She had not been to church in over two decades, but on this cold, wet February morning she rode the Tokyo subway and buses for an hour to come to our church.

She sat in the second to the back row on the right (and)I got up and I gave a short message on the work of the cross from Galatians chapter 2 and sat down. The 80- year-old pastor came up to the podium and said, “Brother Shigematsu, after that kind of message, you should have given an invitation.” He continued, “Come up here and give an invitation.”

I was unprepared and embarrassed. The mood in the little chapel grew tense and awkward, but I had recently watched Billy Graham on video--so I just plagiarized him.

I said, “If you are here and don’t know Christ, if you need to make your commitment or re-commitment to Christ, I want you to stand up and come… by coming you’re saying in your heart, ‘I commit myself to Jesus’.”

As we sang the closing hymn I looked up after the first stanza, no-one was coming. My heart sank. We sang the second stanza, again no one moving. After the third stanza, one woman began to slink her way to the aisle and came… We sang the final stanza, I closed the hymnal. I looked up and there were 17-18 who had come forward… my grandmother was among them.

I jumped off the platform to see if she was okay. With tears streaming down her face, she said, “This is the happiest day of my life. I’ve been a Christian my whole life but today for the first time, I understood why Jesus Christ died on the cross for me.”

I often that think of that day—one of the greatest days of my life--because it was the day my grandmother experienced peace with God.

When we point someone to Christ it may be not be our grandmother, but it somebody’s grandmother, somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister, somebody’s dad, somebody’s “person.”

We share in God’s passion and joy as people. We proclaim Christ and people are drawn to Him.

At my ordination service, Leighton said, “Sometimes the fire will be burn high; at other turn it will burn low. Pray that it will burn on!”

We have the greatest privilege in the world, the privilege of helping people discover the God for whom they were made.

050313 Abraham

Abraham M3 Real Wealth

Keep structure simple

A wise man from China had a who horse ran away and his neighbors said, “What bad luck.” He says we don’t really know if it’s bad luck or good luck. Then one day the horse comes back with another stallion and all his neighbors say what "good luck." The man said, “We don’t if don’t if this is good or bad luck.” The next day the man's son was out riding his newly found horse and this new horse threw him, breaking his leg. Again, the neighbors came by and expressed their sorrow for the bad luck. But the man said, "We’d don’t whether this is good or bad luck.
Now there was a war going on in the land and the king ordered the conscription of all the young men, most of which were being killed in battle. But when the soldiers came to collect the man’s son, he was excused because of the broken leg, which probably saved the young man's life. The son ended up caring for his father into his old age.
Sometimes what seems like a “blessing” is a curse and sometimes what seems like a “curse” is a blessing.

This morning we’re going to be looking at a man who chooses what seems to be “blessing” but turns out to be curse. We’re going to be looking a man chooses what seems a “loss” but turns out to be a blessing.

We’re going look at character of kind of person who is chooses the road that leads to ultimate blessing.

If you have your Bibles please turn to Genesis 13:
Abram and Lot Separate
1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD .
5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.
8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."
10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD .
14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."
18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD .
The text begins by telling us that Abraham went up from Egypt and traveled north to the Negev with his wife and everything he had, and his nephew Lot.
From the Negev he went from the place to place until he came to Bethel and Ai where he and Sarah and Lot and their people had sent up camp earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Abraham and Sarah and Lot have come from Egypt. If you’ve read this text or been here the last couple of weeks you know that Abraham fails miserably in Egypt. In Egypt he senses that certain powerful men will be attracted with his beautiful wife Sarah. He sense that some may kill him to get to her. Afraid for his life, Abraham lies and says Sarah is my sister (a technical half-truth, but with the intent to mislead, which is a lie) and Sarah is taken in the Pharaoh’s harem as one of his wives. Because of his lie Abraham exposes his wife to possibility of being forced into an adulterous relationship with a stranger, real psychological and spiritual distress. And He endangers God’s plan to bless the world through his and Sarah’s future offspring, by giving his wife away.
Why does Abraham lie? Because he’s not trusting God to deliver him. He’s leaning on himself. But God intervenes. He sends a plague on pharaoh’s house and rescues Sarah and Abraham.
But as he comes out of Egypt into the Negev and then in between Bethel and Ai, which is interestingly the very last place he was following and obeying God. He builds an altar and worships and calls out to God.
Abraham’s attention is directed at God again.
There’s a huge contrast between his throwing himself on himself in Egypt in chapter 12 and his throwing himself on God in chapter as we’re about to see here in chapter 13.
It may well have been that Abraham was so grateful God’s merciful intervening to save him and Sarah in Egypt that he turns his heart back to God. The book of Romans in the New Testament part of the Bible tells us that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance.
This chapters shows us that we can change. There’s part of us will likely never change or at least not change much. If we are primarily energized primarily by people rather than by being alone or vice-verse that will likely not change much about us. If we tend to process things primary through our mind rather than through our emotions or vice-verse that part of us will likely not change much.
But we can change by learning to lean primarily on God, rather than ourselves.
Abraham learned to lean on God and so can we.
(Transition) When we become people who lean primarily on God we live with a sense of spiritual abundance.
When we live with a sense of spiritual abundance we will not be DRIVEN to accumulate material wealth, or power, or fame or series of groovy experiences.
And we see this Abraham.
Abraham and Lot come into Egypt…with much livestock: cattle, sheep (CHECK) etc., with considerable wealth, but as we see in vs. 6 the land did not have enough pasture and water to support them both…and Abraham and Lot’s people end up in conflict with each other.
So Abraham says to Lot, "Let's not have fighting between us, between your shepherds and my shepherds. After all, we're family. Look around. Isn't there plenty of land out there? Let's separate. If you go left, I'll go right; if you go right, I'll go left."
Lot looked. He saw the whole plain of the Jordan spread out, well watered (this was before GOD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah), like GOD's garden (like what he imagined the Garden of Eden was like), like Egypt, and stretching all the way to Zoar. 11Lot took the whole plain of the Jordan. Lot set out to the east.
If you go to place where Abraham and Lot were, you can see it’s a very dry part of Canaan, but if you can actually look out for about 30 kilometers because the land drops 3000 feet to the plain where the Jordan comes down into the dead sea and it’s green, fertile, it’s well watered and lush, and Lot looks at this and he sees that the whole plain of the Jordan is so rich and says that’s where I’m going to go!
The place there were they were in Canaan was quite dry and arid, but the part the Lot picked was the only place that was lush and well watered, the only place where he could he could become more wealthy because the rich pastures and waters would cause his livestock to flourish. It was the one place where there was significant possibility of growing his portfolio.
He moves just outside of Sodom. He thinks that this is the one place where I can get rich. He chose this. Lots ends living near Sodom and place, a wealthy community, but filled with wickedness and sin. Lot’s into a well to do neighborhood, but he ends us sinking spiritual manhole. Like parable of the Chinese man, what’s seems like a blessing becomes a curse for Lot and his family.
Abraham on the other hand chooses what seems like a loss, he takes the more arid, less fertile land, but it turns out to be a blessing.
In this patriarchal culture as the older, higher status male Abraham has the right to choose the land he wants, but he ends up dividing and the land and turning to lot and saying, “I’ll cut, You choice.”
Why? Is Abraham free to make such an unconventional choice? He has thrown himself on God and therefore have this sense spiritual abundance and because of this sense of spiritual abundance, he’s not driven to accumulate material wealth.
Lot on the other hand was NOT leaning on God with weight of being. If you don’t lean on God with weight of our being we’re NEED something else. It may be a lot of money, or a successful career, it maybe Mr. right or Ms. right, if may be approval of others, it may be pleasure—but we need something to the fill void within.
But if we lean on God and we experience the spiritual abundance from leaning on God, we are not desperate for others things.
Like Abraham, we’ll be free to give up certain things and rights…
Like Abraham, we’ll be free to give up certain things to stay in the will of God, we’ll be free to give up certain thing to generously bless others.
Here at this place between Bethel and Ai… Abraham as one commentator puts it has a choice. He realizes he cannot stay in the will of God by 1) remaining of Canaan, 2) continuing to grow his wealth, and 3) he have a relationship with Lot.
He can’t have 3; he can only choose 2. If chooses to remain where God has led him and if chooses best land, he loses Lot because Lot because is so ambitious, he’ll resent his uncle Abe choosing the best land. If choose to let Lot have the good land and chooses to move out of this region to a more rich fertile area, like the Tuscany wine country of Italy he keeps his relationship with Lot and he become rich, but leaves the place where God has led him, he loses the will of God.
He can only choose 2 so he chooses to give up material wealth to stay in the will of God and to stay in a relationship with his uncle AND he can make this choice, because he’s has this spiritual abundance that comes from leaning on God….
When God we lean on God, when God is our foundation, when God becomes our treasure, we will live with a greater sense of spiritual wealth and abundance…
Whether they have a lot or a little by humanly speaking, if we have a scarcity mentality… we’ll live tight fisted. Whether people by world standards have a lot or little, if they feel like they have abundance, they’re can give with open handed generosity.
When God is our foundation, we will have a sense of spiritual abundance and will become the kind of who give generously. We’ll even become the kind people willing to give up our rights, our way, access to “the best” (worldly standards) to stay in the will of God and to be able to bless people.
When God is our foundation we can freely out sense of spiritual abundance.
On the surface he seems like Abraham sacrifices his right to be best land to stay in the will of God and make stay at peace with nephew Lot and his people…
But what happens to Abraham when he does this… Look vs. 14…
14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."
When Abraham gave Lot the best land God says, God comes to him and do a slow 360 degree turn and I’m give you this land forever. And you and your wife trying for a long time, I’m make your off spring as uncountable as the dust.
Jesus says when we give up something for his sake, he will repay us in this life and the life to come. Sometimes, it’s a small thing.
When I was working in Tokyo between undergrad and graduate school, I was leaving my home at 7:00 a.m. and coming home just after 11:00 a.m. I was working full time for Sony and teaching part time at a prep school. After being a poor student so long, it was heady time making good money. But felt I was dying spiritually. I felt I was supposed to not work weekends so I could invest more in my local church. As began to work less, I felt some water trickling back on parched soul. I gave us some income, but it came in riches far for valuable. When close friends wanted to know how I was really doing, I’d them my sense of well-being was inversely proportionate to my income.
Giving up a little, to gain a lot.
Another story…My friend James Peterson is a pastor friend of mine who ministers in South Dakota. He knows an elderly woman named Ruth. Ruth is old, frail, godly, spirited woman who loved to play piano. Several years ago Ruth called my friend James and said, “Pastor I would like youand your family to have my grand piano. I’m moving into a retirement center andI can’t take it with me.” She said when I was a little girl growing up in a pastor’s home I remember the day that someone gave our family a piano and the joy of music filled their home. Now, she I want our piano to go to a pastor’s home. James we’d love to have piano, but before we accept it will make sure you communicate with your family your intent to give us your piano. Ruth agreed to do this. The piano arrived in my friend’s home on February 7, 1997. It was an awesome moment. James had grown up in a musical family. Music was a particularly important to him--it was a creative outlet and the place where he most deeply connected with God. About a year and half after they had accepted the piano James received a telephonecall from Ruth’s son, Stan. Stan said, I want the piano. Stan didn’t play, his wife didn’t play, his children didn’t play. But, he said I want the piano. James, said I have a written letter explaining why Ruth wanted our family to have the piano. Eventually, Stan put pressure on his mom and came to James and said my mom now wants our family to have the piano. James went to see Ruth. At round picnic table, under an umbrella, James said, “Ruth, Stan has been calling me and asking for the grand piano.” Ruth said, I know. “Would you like the grand piano back?” Absolutely not. I gave that to your family--it is yours. I could never ask for it back.” At that moment James said he could have walked away with a clear conscience, but the Holy Spirit said, “Ask her if she would receive the grand piano from you as a gift.” So I did and she said, “Yes.” When James arrived home he called Stan when and arranged to have the piano picked up the next day, Saturday. The piano left our house on November 27, 1998. James stood ineffectual and powerless in front of my wife and children as I watched the piano movers take the piano away. The next morning was Sunday. Ruth came into the sanctuary and was crying.“Ruth,” I said, “Why are you crying?” And she said, “Stanley is dead.” “Whathappened?” he died of a massive heart attack. But, the piano was gone. The grief James felt for the loss of the piano was overwhelming. James dealt with his pain, I will not play anymore. His wife Jennifer prayed a lot. She prayed for a grand piano that they could afford. It had been six years since he played piano. On July 16 of last year, he was arrived early for a meeting with 2 elders and opened up a newspaper. He did something, he almost never did. He looked under the musical instrument ad section and saw listed, Grand Piano, $1000. After my meeting I went to look at it and the Holy Spirit nudged to buy it. James didn’t want to do it. The only thing he could remember was how I felt theday the grand piano left my house. He called his wife Jennifer and explained the situation. She’s said I want you to really like it. I want you to be happy with it. James said, I don’t know. It’s really old, that’s not good for a grand piano. Pretty banged up too. Probably need to put a thousand dollars into just to make it usable. But I think God wants us to buy it. So he wrote the check. On my way to back work Jennifer called me back. She said, “We just recieved aregistered letter from the FBI and I think there is a check in it, but I don’t want to open it up without you.” In 2000, Jennifer received a modest gift from her family and we invested in a company. The day the check was cashed the investment company seized by the FBI because it was illegal ponzy scheme. They hoped but did not expect any money to be returned. James got home they open it. The check was just the amount need to buy the grand piano and to cover the cost of it’s repairs. When in response to the call of God to give up something to be in the will of God, when we give up something to bless another person, it will come back to us.
Jesus said, if we seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness everything else we need will be added to us well, now and in the life to come…
If seek first the world, eventually get neither God nor the world… Lot choose wealth instead of God, short term he prospered, but his life ended in disaster.
But if seek God first, his rule, his righteousness, we get God and everything else.
As the wise Chinese man pointed out, life is full of paradoxes. “blessings can really be losses” and “losses can real blesses.”
If seek as happiness as goal of our life, it will elude us, and so will God, but we seek Jesus and his rule above all, if to lose our life for him, we’ll get him, joy and wealth everlasting.

Benediction:
17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4

050306 Abraham

Abraham M2 Lying and Leaning

In the popular novel Life of Pi Canadian novelist Yann Martel tells the story of a young Indian boy growing up in South India in the 1970s. His father owns a zoo. With the increasing political turmoil in India, his family decides to emigrate to Canada. Like Noah, they travel on a ship to North America with their wild animals on board.The ship sinks in the Pacific and Pi finds himself the only human survivor onboard a life raft that contains 450 pound Bengal tiger. Pi ends up surviving for 227 days at sea.
The novel doesn’t explicit say this, but if wasn’t for the presence of the Bengali Tiger on board on the life boat, Pi would have likely died.
The threat of this 450 pound Benagli “saves” him--as Pi is forced to use all his knowledge of zoology and animal behavior to think, create boundaries, and survive.
Japanese restaurants need fresh fish because they love to eat fish raw. So trading companies will import live fish in tanks from North America. The fish, of course, have to be alive when they arrive in Japan. Typically, about half of the fish died by the time they arrived in Japan. But someone at a trading company said I have an idea. Let’s put an octopus in the tank with fish. The octopus is the enemy of the fish. Guess what happened? Some of the fish were eaten, but 70-80 percent ending up living. Because of presence of the octopus experience stress, became stronger and ended up have about 50% better chance of surviving.
There’s a something about facing challenges can enable us to survive and grow as human beings…
When God calls us to follow him, part of that journey will involve tests and hardships because God wants to us grow our character so we will be a blessing others… We’re going to focus on one of Abraham’s tests today… Abraham has traveled from Ur to Haran to Canaan…
Turn to Genesis 12:10-20
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. 15 And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.
17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
To set up the context, we in Genesis 12:1-3 we see that God has led Abraham out of Ur in Southern Iraq and Haran to a land he has promised to his offspring. Through this journey God says he will make Abraham name, i.e. character great and he will make him and his offspring a blessing to the nations.
God calls us to follow him in an in unknown land place. He wants to bless us and make our name and character great and part of the way he does this is by allowing us to go through certain tests and hardships. This morning, we’re going to see Abraham go through a test.
God leads Abraham out of Ur near the Persian Gulf in Southern Iraq and then Northwest to Haran and then toward the Mediterranean into the land of Canaan. But there is a famine in the land--so Abraham goes southwest to Egypt to find food.
In Egypt Abraham faces a difficult test.
Sometimes we assume that if we are in the “will of God” life will be easy for us, but here see that Abram is led by God our Ur and Haran to the land of Canaan (Palestine) and he is led into a famine Sometimes when follow God we are led into a famine… right into place of hardship… Abraham comes into Canaan and he faces a famine, he does what you and I might, he goes to find food somewhere else—he goes to different country, he goes to Egypt. Then he enters into a place of temptation. Now it’s debatable as to whether God led Abraham to Egypt, it looks went on his own, but God “allows” into Egypt. Some God’s a call will bring us into hardship and allow us in temptation.

If you read the great missionaries biographies like Hudson Taylor, a great English medical missionary to China, you’ll see that he was so clearly called to China, but he faced all kind of hardships and temptations and tests of faith.

So will we… but he does this to make our name great… so we will be a blessing.

As he’s about to enter into Egypt, Abraham’s senses that men will be attracted to his wife Sarah. His wife is 65’s, but she’s stunningly beautiful and sexually compelling. I know it’s a little hard to believe that at 65 without plastic surgery but she was. She had good genes and she probably ate well.

Abraham knows that if a powerful man was attracted to Sarah his wife, his life would be in danger. In this culture adultery would have been seen as much more serious than in our culture. For a man in this culture to sexually proposition a married woman would have been considered a very indecent proposal. The more honorable way in this culture to proceed would have been to kill the husband and make his illegible wife for him.
Abram doesn’t want to face this possibility of his being killed, so he says to Sarah his wife, Sarai, "Look. We both know that you're a beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you they're going to say, "Aha! That's his wife!' and kill me. But they'll let you live. Do me a big favor: tell them you're my sister. Because of you, they'll welcome me and let me live."
Is this the truth? It’s a technical half-truth. Sarah was his half-sister, same father different mother, but it’s a half truth with the intent to deceive. A half truth with the intent to deceive is a lie.

Abraham is under real pressure here to lie.

Most of us probably have never had a real death threat. Can you imagine what it would be like to have a death threat hanging over you? Over the last few years, I’ve become acquainted with a man named Tom Dooley, a former NFL referee. Tom has refereed a Super Bowl. Last October Tom I was at Tom’s home for dinner with a small group. Tom was sharing how as an NFL referee he had received a phone from an anonymous caller saying he everything is going to go well for his family if such and such a team wins Sunday’s game. Then the anonymous caller mentioned his wife and children by name.

Tom immediately called NFL security and they arranged for a personal body guards for the family and police escorts wherever they went.

I asked Tom, “So what did you do?” Did you let this threat affect your calling the game?

If I knew that my wife and family might be killed, I’d be very tempted to help this person who had a betting interest in the game to win…

Abraham feels the pressure to lie because he might be killed if he’s tells… so he’s willing to throw his integrity to wind… I think we sympathize…

But, he’s also willing to throw his wife to “the wolves” in orders to protect himself. By telling Pharaoh that Sarah is his sister he willing to destroy her honor, her well-being safety, to save his skin… Not everyone is quite ready to sympathize with this…

Male commentators have called Abraham’s actions intriguing and unfortunate…

Female commentators have called his actions, brutal and despicable.

The female commentators are right!

Why does Abraham lie?

Why is he willing to sacrifice his wife’s safety and expose to the real possibility of adulterous relationship…

As we’ve said, he wants to save his skin.

Why do we lie? Why can are we tempted to let others take the “fall” for us? We lie because we want to save something… our skin, our reputation, our business, our interests…

Abraham lies, but the “sin beneath the sin” of Abraham’s lie is a failure to trust God, a failure to throw himself on God for protection.

Abraham isn’t just breaking some impersonal, abstract moral principle, but he’s failing to lean on God, failing to trust God, failing to throw himself on God.

If we lie the sin beneath our sin of lying is a failure to trust God, failure to throw ourselves on God.

Several months ago the Vancouver Sun carried an article on lying and according to this article in a typical 18 minute conversation a person lies 3 times.

They may not be Watergates-type lies, but they are half-truths or exaggerations.

Sometimes we lie in order to make ourselves look better or avoid a potential negative reaction from someone?

The sin behind that sin is a failure to trust God for our identity.

Recently, I faced 3 similar temptations in short period of time.

Sakiko discovered that we had an extra $100 dollars in our bank account. The temptation for me was to NOT bring that up that fact with the bank.

But I reasoned with bank the situation, if I don’t bring this up with the bank, it’s really not only sin against the bank so I much, but it’s a sin against God because I’m saying I can’t trust you for $100, I can trust to provide our financial needs.

As Sakiko getting ready to go bank to explain our situation, I thought this little like tithing, the first tenth is God’s, if were to withhold the first of my income which is God, what I’m really saying in my heart to God, Lord I can’t trust you to take care of my financial needs. In a similar way, if I don’t I’m not to willing give to the bank that is rightfully there’s, I’m saying to God in my heart God I don’t trust you to take care of my financial needs (BTW, if trusting God with your finances is a challenge for you I’d recommend you pick up Darrell’s message or cd Good News for Financial Stress in the foyer after the service. It’s a great message).

But think about all of our temptations: whether to lie, or to worry, or to use illegal drugs, with our resources—at the root of all these temptations is a failure to trust God.

Jesus taught that all the commands of God can be summed in the command to love and trust God and loving our neighbor.

God calls Abraham to a journey of TRUST.

Abraham call was not just to trust enough him to leave his hometown of Ur or Haran and following him into the unknown or just to trust for child and the land… But God wants Abraham to learn to trust God in all the areas of his life so he can make Abraham’s name and character great—so that he can be a blessing.

And God calls us to a journey of trust and will allow us to face various tests and challenges so our trust in God can grow so that he can make our name great and make us a blessing.

The question is will we lean on God or ourselves?

When we learn to trust God, we release an explosion of blessing in the world.

But when we don’t trust, we can release a kind of curse in our world.

What happened because Abraham failed to trust God in Egypt and lies about the identity of Sarah to Pharaoh?

Abraham compromises his own soul and relationship with God.

As result of Abraham’s sin of lying and trying engineer his own safety rather than trusting in God we see that for a long time Abraham doesn’t hear God’s voice, for a long time he doesn’t build altars and worship God.

The penalty for sin is usually not zap judgment, but more or whatever it is we chose… If we chose to not trust, the natural consequence is a growing distance from God…

But Abraham lack of trusting God affects not only him, but others around him.

Abraham lie to pharaoh puts his wife Sarah at risk. Pharaoh takes Sarah into his harem. Sarah could have been sexually defiled by pharaoh. No doubt their marriage is strained because of what happens. If you’re in bar with your wife or girlfriend and some buff dude starts hitting on her… and you say, “She’s my sister--go for it… it would strain on your relationship too.”

Because Abraham fails to trust God… not only does he put himself and wife at risk, but Pharaoh and the people in his household become seriously sick.
Our sins affect non only us but others: when a Father is violent, when a son or daughter uses illegal drugs affects, when a person breaks a promise these sins affect them but also people around them. A man named Randy wrote a letter to himself describing how he would hurt his wife, his children and many friends if he had an affair. And he would undermine his own efforts to help his dad to encourage his dad to come to God (as he his dad thinks Christians are hypocrites). Abraham sin affects those around him as do our sin.

Finally, Abraham endangers God’s plan to bless the world. God has promised to Abraham that he would bless the world through his offspring. The plan was to do that through Sarah’s child. By giving his wife away, Abraham was endangering the plan.

But, when we trust God, he makes our name great, our character great and we can be create an explosion of blessing in the world… When we fail to trust others can be hurt.

But Abraham fails God, but does God fail Abraham?

No, he intervenes.

He cause diseases to break out on pharaoh and his family. Pharoah realizes something is wrong, he discovers that Sarah is Abraham’s wife… he releases her. God intervenes and protects Sarah, brings her back to Abraham and through her Isaac is born and then Jacob is born to Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob has twelve sons would become the nation of Israel and years later one of Abraham and Sarah’s great, great, great children in born… the savior, his name Jesus Christ, the savior of the world..

When Abraham fails, not only does God not give up Abraham personally, but he does not give up on the purposes that he wants to achieve through Abraham and Sarah’s offspring.

2 Timothy 2:13 tells that even when we are faithless, God is faithful.

Our choices matter they really matter, but God is bigger than our choices…

The other day I was cleaning my files so as to free more space for a colleague and I came across a document that made me think what a self-centered jerk I had been during a certain time of my life. I was about with to throw away the document to make more space. But I thought this is a good reminder of what I was like and that God doesn’t give up on me! And he doesn’t give up on his purpose for me!

Like Abraham, we can fail, but God doesn’t fail us. In spite of our failures, God can redeem us and achieve his purposes in us. In spite of our failures, God can make our name and our character so that we will be blessing.

We see this in the ways God related to Abraham, but we see this most clearly in Christ.

When we wandered from God, leaned on ourselves… God became a person in Jesus Christ and came for us…

Isaiah 53:6 says

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
So we could be forgiven and restored into a relationship with.

Jesus lives the life of perfect trust in God, the life that God requires, then instead of receiving his just reward, he took the punishment for our failures to trust God on the cross... When we come to Jesus in our sins are paid for by his death, and 2) his
perfect life record is transferred to our account…

The Lord’s Supper…

On the night before Jesus went to the cross, he took bread and said, this broken for your, broken so that you can be made whole, then he took the wine, this is my blood spilled out for you. As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim my death until I come…