This last sermon is all glory to God for 3 things I have learnt about Him through my experiences with Chatswood Church. It goes without saying that I will never be the same.

Sue Redman – November 28, 2009

This last week I booked my car in for a service which I have to confess is something I’ve been meaning to do ever since I got back from Singapore in June. I usually book my car in around May and November every year, but when I came back from holidays mid-year, I hit the ground running with Jesus. All about life as you know, and for one reason or another there always seemed to be more important things to do.  

I realised this week however, that I simply couldn’t put off a service any longer, because hello, it’s been 12 months since the last one. So I called my mechanic on Monday and arranged to take my car in on Tuesday because I knew I didn’t need it Wednesday either and I figured there’d be a few things to do.

When my mechanic called me Tuesday afternoon to tell me all that needed to be done, he seemed surprised that I wasn’t shocked by how much it would cost. What I was shocked by however, was what he told me the next day when I went in to pick up my car, and that was that he couldn’t believe my front tyres had literally not fallen off!

I’m still not sure of all the ins and outs, but as I understand it, the threads on the front tyre nuts were so bare that they actually fell into his hands when he went to screw them off. Apparently the wheels could almost “flap” so to speak, because they were so loosely connected to the car, they were able to move sideways.

Of course all this makes me think I give female drivers a bad reputation. And there might be some truth in that. But more profoundly, and for purposes of this sermon, this experience teaches me something about God. I’m still not sure if my mechanic would call himself an atheist, but his only explanation for my tyres still being attached to my car was pure luck. After going on and on about how lucky I was, he told me to go and buy a lottery ticket.

My explanation of course is different. Whether God prevented my tyres from falling off, or He prompted me to take my car in for a service before they did, I don’t know. And it doesn’t matter. Either way I fully believe God protected me and while I can’t explain why He doesn’t protect me from other things, or why He doesn’t protect other people from the same thing, this experience tells me something about my God and this morning, in a similar way, I want to share three things my experiences with Chatswood Church over the last six years have taught me about our God.

I think most everyone knows that I didn’t move to Sydney in 2004 because I wanted to. :) I came here solely because I believe God wanted me to and for those of you who haven’t heard this story . . . one night towards the end of 2003, I was asking God about His will for my life in 2004, and that was when a freakish impression came over me. An impression that I would be called to Chatswood Church but I – who had never wanted to be a pastor let alone a sole church pastor – needn’t be afraid because God would be my Senior Pastor and I His assistant. I think I’ve spoken about God’s faithfulness to this promise once before but I want to illustrate the same example again because at least two thirds of our congregation weren’t here at the time.

This story took place on Sabbath, July 24 in my first year, and the long story short is that a guy we didn’t know came to our church that day with a strange request. I remember seeing him at the welcome desk and asking him if I could help him with something, and I think he just said he was looking for something to read. About an hour or two later however, I was in a meeting when someone came in to ask for reinforcements. Apparently the guy had not long been released from prison and having used his own newspaper clippings to prove he’d been one of Australia’s Most Wanted, he’d tried to coerce one of our church members into making an arrangement with him.

In all honesty I had no idea what to do with this at the time. I wasn’t sure if the guy’s salvation might be at stake if we didn’t do what he was asking, or if our lives might be at stake if we did. So on my way home that day, I told God, my Senior Pastor, I needed Him to tell me what to do, and that was when I felt impressed to have nothing to do with the man. Because I was still skeptical about impressions back then however, I told God I was sorry but I needed Him to confirm the impression in black and white and that was when the words, “Exodus 23:32” came into my head. As I said, I was driving at the time so I had to wait until I stopped to find out what Exodus 23:32 said and it couldn’t have been more profound. As it reads, “You shall make no covenant with them or their gods.”

This is just one example of many examples of God’s faithfulness as my Senior Pastor over the last six years. And its experiences like this that have taught me the first thing I want to share about God this morning and that’s that I’ve learnt to trust Him in a very new way. God’s faithfulness these last six years has taught me that I can completely trust Him and because I can completely trust Him, I’m willing to obey Him in a very new way. This is what the life of Jesus also teaches us and for every illustration I share from my own life this morning, I will share one from the life of Christ’s.

In his book, The Good and Beautiful God, James Bryan Smith says we can learn something amazing about God simply from what Jesus called Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. During the final hours before Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus called God “Abba,” which is apparently best translated, “Dear Father.” Abba is a term of intimacy, Smith says, but it also contains a sense of obedience. The fact that Jesus called God “Abba” says that to Jesus, God was intimately involved in His life and as C F D Moule says, “The intimate word conveys not a casual sort of familiarity but the deepest, most trustful reverence.” (1)

It has to be said that Jesus called God “Abba” while facing the most difficult hour of his life. In Mark 14:36, Jesus said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” At this point Jesus is facing torture and death. In Luke 22:44 we are told, He was so anguished, “his sweat became like drops of blood falling down on the ground.” Yet still He prays, not what I want, but what you want. How could Jesus call God “Abba” at such a difficult time? How could He trust Him? (2)

Thomas Smail puts it this way, “The Father that Jesus addresses in the garden is the one that he has known all his life and found to be bountiful in his provision, reliable in his promises and utterly faithful in his love. He can obey the will that sends him to the cross, with hope and expectation because it is the will of Abba whose love has been so proved that it can now be trusted so fully by being obeyed so completely. This is not legal obedience driven by commandment, but trusting response to known love.” (3) And this brings me to a second thing I’ve learnt about God during my six years with Chatswood Church.

If there’s something else God’s faithfulness over the last six years has taught me, it’s the extent of His love for this church and I realised this afresh on February 1 of this year. February 1, for the sake of our visitors, is the first day of our new church year and as such, I was on my knees praying for wisdom which I tend to do more intensely at the end of every year and beginning of the next. I can’t say anything profound happened while I was praying that day but as soon as I’d finished praying, I picked up my Bible and it fell open at 2 Chronicles 1 where verses 10-12 were underlined. 2 Chronicles 1 is where God promises to give someone else wisdom to lead their people and let me read it to you in context . . .

“That night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, ‘Ask what I should give you.’ Solomon said to God . . . ‘Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of yours?’ God answered Solomon, ‘Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honour, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may rule my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you.’”

Of course we could all speculate that my Bible coincidentally fell open at 2 Chronicles 1 that day. But even if it did, what I can’t put down to anything but the Holy Spirit is how deeply these verses impacted me. The thought that God might give me, us, the same promise He gave Solomon and his people overwhelmed me. What this promise demonstrates overwhelmed me. How much must God love this church that He would be so close at hand, maybe even waiting to respond to my humble pleadings for help? How much must He love Chatswood Church that He would promise to provide what we needed?

We don’t have to look far into Jesus’ teachings to learn about the extent of God’s love for His sons and daughters. The parable of the prodigal son illustrates this perfectly of course. James Bryan Smith says that this parable should really be called the parable of the prodigal father however, because the word “prodigal” means “recklessly extravagant” which is what we usually think of the son because he spends all his inheritance on sinful living. But it is the father, Smith says, who is the most recklessly extravagant. He offers his wealth to an ungrateful son and then lavishes love upon him when he returns. (4)

“But while he was still far off,” Luke 15:20 says, “his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.” This verse makes it sound like the father has been waiting for his son to return. And when he finally sees him coming he is “filled with compassion,” which tells us about the very heart and character of God. God looks at His sons and daughters with compassion even when we’ve done the worst things we possibly could. (5)

In Jesus’ day the prodigal father would have had every right to take his son before the elders and have him stoned, perhaps even to death. No-one would have questioned his action. Justice would have been served. But instead the father hugs his son. Kisses him, which is a sign of forgiveness. And throws him a welcome home party. Who does that?! This parable is not so much about a sinner getting saved, Smith says. It’s about a God who loves even those who sin against him. And that brings me to a third thing I’ve learnt about God in my last six years with Chatswood Church. (6)

If God’s faithfulness as my Senior Pastor has taught me about His love for this church, His faithfulness has also taught me about His love for those who are not yet part of His church. During the last six years we have waited on God to reveal His vision for Chatswood Church and His vision has been clear. “I care nothing for self-centred religion,” God says in Isaiah 58. So confess your hypocrisy. Integrate your spirituality into more than one day a week. Refrain from pursuing your own interests on my holy day and offer your food to the hungry, clothe the naked and satisfy the needs of the afflicted. Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the bonds of injustice, undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free?

This picture of God’s love, as we know from our Jesus. All about life sermon series, can also be found in the New Testament and it comes as no surprise in light of John 3:16 and 17. John 3:16 and 17 are probably the most famous verses in all of the Bible because this is where Jesus tells us the reason for His mission: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

As James Bryan Smith says, Jesus does not say here that God so loved “a few” or “some” or even “many.” He doesn’t say He loved the good people, the righteous people, the religious people. Jesus said, God so loved the world. The whole sinful world. And He not only revealed this love in His stories like the parable of the prodigal father, He also reflected this love in His character and actions. (7)

In Matthew 9:9-13 we find the story of Jesus calling Matthew the tax collector. “As Jesus was walking along,” verse 9 says, “he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’”

Of course the irony here is that the Pharisees were just as sick as the tax collectors but let’s stick with those who are willing to admit they are sick, be they tax collectors or prostitutes or corporate executives or used car salesmen or pastors or whoever. God so loved all sinners that He sent Jesus into the world. And more than that. He also told Jesus to send us into the world. Those of us who have already been saved are also called to reveal and reflect God’s love to those who still need to be saved. To testify of God’s faithfulness, the extent of His love for us, the extent of His love for them. (Matthew 28:19-20)

In John 13 Jesus shows us how. “Now before the festival of the Passover,” this scene begins, “Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from the world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.” (John 13:1-5)

Knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, Jesus got up and began to wash His disciples’ feet. Knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands . . .  This verse does not say, “Knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, Jesus still got up and began to wash His disciples’ feet.” It says the very reason Jesus got up and began to wash His disciples’ feet was because the Father had given all things into His hands. Or as the NIV puts it, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power . . . so he got up . . . and began to wash his disciples’ feet.” This is the humility of our God. The love of our God.

“And after he had washed their feet,” verses 12 and 15-17 say, “had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done for you? . . . I have set you an example that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.”

Chatswood Church. Friends. This is where I leave you. With a reminder that God’s love for you, as demonstrated by His faithfulness to me, to us over the last six years, calls for a response. With a reminder that we, the messengers of Jesus Christ, are not greater than He who has sent us and we too are called to serve. As you may know we have an opportunity to serve one another by washing each other’s feet this morning. But beyond this morning, beyond today, we have been called to share the love of God with those who do not yet belong to this fold, as Jesus put it. And whether we do or don’t will ultimately determine which Kingdom we will belong to.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,” Matthew 25 reads, “and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of those who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

_ _ _ _ _

1 James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God, (IVP Books, 2009), p 58.

2 Ibid, p 58.

3 Ibid, p 65.

4 Ibid, p 99.

5 Ibid, p 100.

6 Ibid, pp 100-101.

7 Ibid, pp 98, 96.

Another famous oak tree is Bartek Oak in Poland. Bartek Oak is only 625 years old but it out-heights and widths Major Oak in that it’s approximately 30 metres tall and has a 13.5 metre waistline – a little wide for tree-hugging. Bartek Oak’s crown spans 40 metres and it’s under this tree that King Casimir III was pictured holding his court.

The next oak (see ppt), The King Oak in Denmark, is estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000 years old. It lives on an island I don’t know how to pronounce  (Sjaelland) and is thought to be the oldest living organism in northern Europe.

The oldest living oak in Lithuania is Stelmuze Oak which is believed to be 1,500 years old. Stelmuze Oak is approximately 23 metres tall, as much as 3.5 metres wide and spans 13 metres at its crown. (1)

Is it any wonder that the oak tree is considered to be one of the most magnificent and significant of all trees? Oak trees were rated higher than any other tree by the Romans, Greeks, Celts, Slavs and Germanic speaking people. They are written about in poetry, sung about in songs and are even spiritual symbols for longevity, wisdom and strength. Oak trees it is said, stand the test of time. (2)

During the Day Visible from Afar,
At Night Flirting with the Stars,
O’You Grand Oak Tree.

Your Mighty Stature Sought by All,
For Matters, Thousands, Big or Small.
O’You Magnificent Oak Tree.

Don’t Mind the Lightening, Don’t Mind the Thunder,
You Will Still be Standing as a Daunting Wonder.
O’You Royal Oak Tree.

You Have Been Here Long Before,
As You Will be Here, for Many More,
O’You Mighty Oak Tree. (3)

As I’ve learnt more about oak trees this week, I have to say I’ve come to a new appreciation for Isaiah 61:1-3 and I’d like you to just listen as I read this passage to you this morning. If you’ve been with us at least once in the last six weeks you’ll know we’ve been exploring this passage along with Luke 4 which is where Jesus says He came to fulfill it. This morning I’m reading from the Amplified Bible.

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favour] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion – to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit—that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Oaks of righteousness. Lofty, strong and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice and right standing with God, that He may be glorified. As I think about this image I can’t help but contrast it with the images that go before it – the ones we’ve explored in detail over the last six weeks.

In our first sermon, Peta spoke about Jesus the I AM and how He came to give us, the I am nots abundant life. Before sin, the magnificence of God as revealed in Creation was a perfect revelation of God’s love. Since sin however our ability to see God for who He is and ourselves for who we are in Him has been destroyed and we’ve come to believe that we’re insignificant. Nobodies. We mean nothing. We are nothing. Contrast that with “lofty, strong and magnificent” oaks of righteousness!

When James spoke, he spoke about Jesus the I AM Good News and reminded us of what happens when we think we’re insignificant. When we think we’re insignificant we naturally start clamoring for significance and in Jesus’ day that meant trying to keep the law perfectly and in our day it means trying to keep up with the Jones’. When we’re not aware or we’ve forgotten that we’re “saved” by faith not works, at best we ignore, at worst we oppress the poorer, the weaker, the “anyone” who doesn’t cut the mustard. Contrast that with oaks of righteousness “distinguished for uprightness, justice and right standing with God.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

In my sermon about Jesus the I AM Healing, I shared the story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who was healed by Jesus on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem. When Bartimaeus realised it was Jesus walking past him he started shouting and I mean shouting with the kind of desperation that you and I might shout if we too had been born blind or had a chronic or terminal illness. The kind of desperation we sometimes feel when we’re confronted by someone we love’s mortality or their lesser quality of life. (Mark 10:46-52)

This image could be compared with an image Scott spoke about when he spoke about Jesus the I AM Delivering and shared the story of the demon-possessed man who lived in a tomb. This man spent his all day every day screaming and cutting himself to pieces. He could not be subdued, Mark 5:1-18 tells us. Even when he was bound he would tear the chains that were meant to bind him apart. He would break the bonds on his feet. And that’s because the power within him was a power to destroy, not deliver.

Just last week, Peta spoke again and this time about Jesus the I AM Comforting and the story of the widow at Nain who’s only son had died. When Jesus and His disciples happened upon this woman they were walking in through the town’s gates as the funeral procession was walking out. In my mind it is far too easy to picture this image. I can hear the woman’s loss. Her loneliness. Her fear. It is no wonder Jesus was moved with compassion. (Luke 7:11-16)

These images, these people represent you and me church. They represent you and me before Jesus, without Jesus. Without “Jesus the I want to plant you as a mighty oak of righteousness!” These images of insignificance, desperation, craziness and grief, they are all images that “Jesus the I love you” came to restore. Could it be that you need to be restored - maybe again? Listen to what Shawn McDonald has to say about this . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3CZIoJZ56Y

Have you ever? (4)

Have you ever wanted to be someone else
Have you ever wanted just to be someone
Have you ever wanted to reach your dreams
Have you ever wanted life to be more than it seems

I have tasted of a love so wide
That it stops all my time
I have tasted of a love so deep
That it blows my mind

Have you ever wanted to reach up and touch the sky
Have you ever wanted to pack it up and say good-bye
Have you ever wanted someone to care
Have you ever wanted someone to be there

I have tasted of a love so wide
That it stops all my time
I have tasted of a love so deep
That it blows my mind

He is sweet, He is sweet
What you’re looking for
Is my sweet, sweet Jesus
What you’re looking for
Is my sweet Lord

Is he right? Might it be Jesus who you are looking for? Could He somehow be the answer to your current depression, sickness, oppression or grief? In what way do you need Him to encourage, heal, deliver or comfort you? Do you believe He could plant you as a Major Oak? A mighty oak of righteousness?!

If your answer is yes, I need to warn you that post-Creation, Major Oaks don’t just appear. Just like any tree starts with a seed, when Jesus plants us as an oak of righteousness, He plants us as a seed and if we want to grow, we will need what all seeds need to grow - light, water and food. I guess it comes as no surprise then that it was Jesus who said, “I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46) “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.” (7:37-38) “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” (John 6:35) Come. Come. Can you Him say, “Come?” That’s every day. Not just today. Every day coming to the source of light and water and food. Every day walking and talking with Him. Every day spending time in His Word. That’s how we become mighty oaks of righteousness.

A second warning. This still won’t prevent disease. Even with light and water and food, trees are still vulnerable to disease and unless we’re living according to the Word we’re reading, we too will be vulnerable. “Guard your heart more than anything else,” Proverbs 4:23 says, “because the source of your life flows from it.” “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, that yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do they prosper.” (Psalm 1:1-3) If we want to guard against disease, we’re going to have to guard against sin.

A final warning. There will still be storms. Even though we’re planted by the One who stills storms, there will still be storms for the One who stills storms to still. Did you get that? What I’m saying is that as oaks of righteousness we’re still going to have to weather storms. But how well we weather these storms will be determined by where we put our trust. “Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places in the wilderness, and in uninhabited salt land. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:5-8) (5)

Do you believe it? I can promise you it’s true! No I definitely haven’t arrived but I can testify that I’m a significantly different person today than I was ten years ago. And that’s only because Jesus has been my Good News, my Healer, my Deliverer and my Comforter. It is Jesus who is enabling me how to be an evergreen, to not get anxious, to bear fruit.

I don’t know if this has also been your experience or where you’re at today. Maybe you’re a seed and you’ve realised you need to give your life to Jesus in order to become a Major Oak? Maybe you’re a sapling and you’ve realised you need to spend time with the source of light and water and food every day? Maybe there’s something coming between you and God,and you’ve realised you need to repent, to ask for forgiveness? Or maybe there’s something you simply need to trust God with?

No matter where you are on this journey, I want to encourage you to commit to the next step by showing you what’s possible with the great I AM. Take a look at these pics and see how God is enabling these people to live out the words to this song . . . (see ppt)

And now my lifesong sings (6)

I once was lost, but now I’m found
I once was lost, but now I’m found
So far away, but I’m home now
I once was lost, but now I’m found
And now my lifesong sings

I once was blind, but now I see
I once was blind, but now I see
I don’t know how, but when He touched me
I once was blind, but now I see

And now my lifesong sings
And now my lifesong sings
And now my lifesong sings

I once was dead, but now I live
I once was dead, but now I live
Now my life to You I give
Now my life to You I give
Now my life to You I give

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Let my lifesong sing to You

_ _ _ _ _

(1) http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/history/famous-oak-trees-in-the-world/

(2) http://ezinearticles.com/?Key-Facts-about-the-Oak-Tree&id=313537 

(3) An Oak Tree by Zalmai Roashan (verses 1, 2, 9 and 11)

(4) Have you ever? Shawn McDonald: Live in Seattle

(5) http://www.youversion.com/contributions/46378/trees-of-righteousness

(6) And now my lifesong sings Mark Hall, Casting Crowns: Lifesong 

Sue Redman – October 17, 2009

It was February, 1986 and it was my older sister’s birthday. For some reason we were only allowed to have birthday parties with more than one friend every seven years as a kid, so being my sister’s 14th birthday, this meant a grand occasion. Grand occasions on wheat and cattle properties usually meant things like Dad teaching our friends how to ride the horses. Or building bonfires and cooking damper on sticks. Or making cakes together and leaving half the mixture in the bowl so everyone could eat the leftovers while the other half cooked.

In all honesty I can’t remember a lot about this particular party and that’s probably because there’s a bit of a gap in my memory. I can still remember being on my brother’s BMX and wanting to race him and the boy next door home. But I also remember there being a slight problem in that they were riding a motorbike and I a push bike. The next thing I remember is lying on the front patio and looking up and seeing people all around me.

The long story short is that I fell off Neil’s bike that day. I hit my head on the handlebars and fractured my skull, and unbeknownst to us for almost a week, my brain haemorrhaged. Of course this was the butt of many jokes for years to come. My head injury was blamed for every dumb or ditsy thing I did or said,  but for many years, this injury was also blamed for my subsequent poor health.

By the time the next year was out my parents had taken me to every kind of doctor, specialist, naturopath, osteopath, chiropractor that they could think of. I was no longer excelling at school. I was tired all the time. My anxiety levels were through the roof. No-one seemed to have the answer however, and the best advice I got was to simply remove sugar and dairy products from my diet which I did for the next five years as if my life depended on it.

When I got to dorm life at Avondale College however, every form of discipline I’d ever practiced went out the window. Diet. Sleeping habits. You name it! By the time I got to 3rd year I was living a crazy life, attempting 20 hours of work each week to pay for my fees, overloading subjects, and committed to something like 6 or 8 extracurricular activities. In this context I guess it’s no wonder my body crashed. At that point I had to withdraw from my studies and for the next 18 months I did little to nothing except work an hour/day at a private retirement village in exchange for food and accommodation. You heard me right. I’ve lived at a retirement village!

At the end of that 18 months I fully believe God opened the door for me to go back to Avondale but for now as an Office Administration student because I still wasn’t ready for Theology. When I did return to Theology the next year, I lasted one semester before I had to take another off. And it was at the beginning of the following year, when I was at Yarrahapinni Summer Camps where my parents were the caretakers, that I asked to be anointed. I was so frustrated by my lack of energy and so moved by a call to mission one Sabbath that I thought surely God would want to heal me for such a purpose.

Pr Wayne French and Wes Tolhurst were the Youth Directors at that time and we had a special anointing service during closing Sabbath. For days, weeks afterwards, I did not want to doubt that I had been healed. I knew it only took the faith of a mustard seed to move a mountain and I would do anything to have that mountain moved.

I managed to finish my Theology degree that year but as most of you know my health has never fully recovered. I guess this is why I was somewhat confronted a couple of months ago when I heard that someone else who had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was actually healed. I knew this person had asked for anointing before she was anointed but I was sceptical about the results. After all, why would God heal her and not me? Months later however, I’m still hearing stories from her mother and cousins and friends about how she went for a jog the next day and as I understand it, hasn’t looked back.

I guess this is a John the Baptist kind of story. Some of you may remember that it was while John the Baptist was in prison that he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the One or if they should wait for another? Would Jesus really leave His forerunner to suffer at the hands of Herod if He was the Messiah? Listen to Jesus’ response. It’s in Matthew 11:4-6,

“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

In The Ministry of Healing, Ellen White says that when John’s disciples came to Jesus, Jesus didn’t actually answer them right away. While John’s disciples stood there, waiting for an answer to the question, the blind, the lame, the lepers, the deaf, they all came to Jesus for healing.

“The voice of the Mighty Healer penetrated the deaf ear,” Ellen White says, “A word, a touch of His hand, opened the blind eyes to behold the light of day, the scenes of nature, the faces of friends, and the face of the Deliverer. His voice reached the ears of the dying, and they arose in health and vigor. Paralyzed demoniacs obeyed His word, their madness left them, and they worshiped Him. The poor peasants and laborers, who were shunned by the rabbis as unclean, gathered about Him, and He spoke to them the words of eternal life.

Thus the day wore away, the disciples of John seeing and hearing all. At last Jesus called them to Him, and bade them go and tell John what they had seen and heard, adding, ‘Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me.’” (1)

John’s disciples took this message back to John and apparently it was enough. He remembered the prophecy of Isaiah 61 (verses 1-2),

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour . . . to comfort all who mourn.”

“Jesus of Nazareth was the Promised One.” He was recognised as the I AM by His healing. (2) Jesus the “I AM Healing” had come to take infirmities and bear sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). Jesus the “I AM Healing” had come to restore what sin had destroyed.

“During His ministry, Jesus devoted more time to healing the sick than to preaching,” it says elsewhere in The Ministry of Healing. “His miracles testified to the truth of His words, that He came not to destroy, but to save. Wherever He went, the tidings of His mercy preceded Him. Where He had passed, the objects of His compassion were rejoicing in health and making trial of their new-found powers. Crowds were collecting around them to hear from their lips the works that the Lord had wrought. His voice was the first sound that many had ever heard, His name the first word they had ever spoken, His face the first they had ever looked upon. Why should they not love Jesus and sound His praise? As He passed through the towns and cities He was like a vital current, diffusing life and joy.” (3)

“Land of Zebulun,” Matthew 4:15-16 says, “land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

Some may wonder how John the Baptist was able to reconcile his own suffering with the healings that were taking place elsewhere but I think I’m starting to get it. Just a couple of months ago I was meeting with our Conference President, Secretary, Ministerial Secretary and Union Ministerial Secretary (yes it was a big meeting ), and they asked me about my health. I have to say I usually hate talking about my health, especially with my employers or you, my church, and I guess that’s because I’ve thought of it as a weakness.

But that day I was finally able to tell these men that I’ve come to believe my weakness truly is God’s strength. For so long I thought God would surely want me to have more energy, to be able to work more hours, to help save more people. But what I’ve realised is that if I did have more energy, if I could work more hours, I would be too busy. Too busy to pray. Too busy to spend time with God. Too busy to eat of the Bread of Life and drink of the Living Water. And without these things, I would have nothing of the passion and conviction and zeal I have. And without the passion and conviction and zeal, would I even want to be in ministry?!

“Human effort will be efficient in the work of God . . . according to the consecrated devotion of the worker,” I recently read. “God can use every person . . . in proportion as He can put His Spirit into the soul temple.” (4) The big deal for God, I am learning  (and not just in theory but in practice), is not that I am physically well but that I am spiritually well. The big deal I am learning is that I am spiritually well and therefore able to help others become spiritually well.

A closer look at the Gospels actually reveals that Jesus often discouraged, even forbade people from making a big deal about His healings. To the leper, Jesus said, “See that you say nothing to anyone.” (Matthew 8:4) To the two blind men, “Jesus sternly ordered them, ‘See that no-one knows of this!’” (Matthew 9:30) After healing a multitude, Jesus “ordered them not to make Him known.” (Matthew 12:16) After raising Jarius’ daughter, Jesus ordered her parents “to tell no-one what had happened.” (Luke 8:56) When Jesus healed the deaf man with the speech impediment, He “ordered them to tell no-one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” (Mark 7:36) (5)

What Jesus knew, Ron Dunn says, is that people would get overly excited by His miracles and assume, incorrectly, that He was setting up an earthly kingdom. In Mark 1:45 we read that the cleansed leper ignoring the warnings of Jesus, “went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country,” and still the people came to him from every quarter. On the contrary, we find in Mark 5:19 that Jesus told a man who had been demon-possessed to “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you,” because this man was from Decapolis and there was no danger of a popular uprising there. In fact, the people from that region had a negative perception of Jesus and He wanted to correct it. (6)

These stories tell us about the “I AM Healing’s” compassion and power but they also tell us about His primary mission. Philip Yancey puts it this way,

“Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he did meet skeptics he could not convince and sinners he could not convert . . . Jesus knew that spiritual dis-ease has a more devastating effect than any mere physical ailment. Every healed person ultimately dies – then what? He had not come primarily to heal the world’s cells, but to heal its souls.” (7)

Please don’t get me wrong. I am a believer in the continued gift of physical healing. But I no longer presume God wants me physically well whilever I’m on this earth. I no longer presume God wants anyone physically well whilever they’re on this earth. The only thing I presume is that God wants us spiritually well – that He will always answer our prayers for spiritual healing – so my simple prayer these days is that God will do whatever it takes to bring us to our knees. Whatever it takes to enable spiritual healing in our lives. And this is my prayer for each of us this morning.

I don’t what area of your life needs healing today. I don’t know if something has happened to break your trust in God and you need Him to restore it. I don’t know if a relationship with someone else has been broken and you need God to heal it. Maybe you need to confess something to God, to repent and seek forgiveness. Or maybe you need to forgive someone else? Maybe you do need physical healing? Or emotional healing? Maybe you’re afraid of something and you need God to remind you that He is in control?

Whatever you need, what I want to encourage you to do right now is to close your eyes while I tell you a story. (8) I want you to imagine that you are living in Jesus’ time and that you are a friend of blind Bartimaeus. My hope is that you too will be healed . . .

It is early morning. There is a golden glow in the sky and already you can feel the warmth of the morning sun. Today will be like most every other day you imagine: hot, dry and dusty. Another day when you will need to leave Bartimaeus in the shade of an olive tree.

For a number of years now, you have been guiding Bartimaeus to the same place on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem where you leave him to sit and beg his days away. It’s the least you can do and you know it.

As you reach the usual grove of olive trees, about 500 m from the city gates, you hear the voices of a group of people behind you and you turn to see who it is. Immediately you recognise that the group includes Jesus of Nazareth and beside him walks his keenest followers. You begin to wonder what it would be like to meet this man. “Who is He?” you think to yourself. ”What could He possibly do for me?”

Bartimaues interrupts your thoughts. “Who is that?” he asks. “Who is that making such a commotion at this time of the morning?” “It’s Jesus,” you reply, “Jesus of Nazareth.” “Jesus . . . Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy on me!” You shrink. “Quiet Bartimaeus. Quiet.” But he ignores you. “Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy on me!”

Jesus obviously heard Bartimaeus because He stops in his tracks. “Call him here,” He says to some of His followers and you watch as two of the group come toward you and gently say to Bartimaeus, “Take heart, He is calling you.”

Bartimaues throws of his cloak and springs to his feet. Running towards the direction of the voices, he stands before Jesus. “What do you want Me to do for you?,” Jesus asks. “My teacher, let me see again!” Bartimaeus sobs. Jesus replies, “Go, your faith has made you well.”

“What?!” you wonder, but before you can wonder any longer it becomes obvious that Bartimaeus can see. He is dancing all over the place, shrieking with delight. He is hugging Jesus, the disciples are hugging each other. But you are still bewildered. It’s hard to believe what Jesus has just done. You’ve got nothing to say.

And so you sit, back up against the trunk of the olive tree, and you watch as Bartimaeus pulls himself away from Jesus and runs back towards Jericho. You sit and you watch as the group recommences their journey towards Jerusalem. But then you catch the eye of Jesus. He is looking at you. He is alone. You are alone. As you look into Jesus eyes He says to you,

“What do you want Me to do for you?”

- – - – -

(1) Ellen G White, The Ministry of Healing, pp 34-35.

(2) Ibid, p 35.

(3) Ibid, pp 19-20.

(4) Ibid, p 37.

(5) Ron Dunn, Will God Heal Me, pp 134-135.

(6) Ibid, p 135.

(7) Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, pp 100-101.

(8) See Mark 10:46-52.

Brad’s Sermon from Chatswood Church on Vimeo.

What follows is a copy of this sermon which is all about the keys to spiritual Israel’s success, not in fighting against the nations in order to inherit the Promised Land, but fighting for them! Be of courage, I say, and see below for what makes this possible!

Sue Redman – September 5, 2009

This morning we’re going to start with a story from the book of Joshua in the Old Testament but before we go there, let’s set the scene:

Does anybody know where we are when we open the book of Joshua; where the Israelites are camped?
- On the plains of Moab (Deut 34:8)
- At Shittim, which means “Acacia Trees” (Josh 2:1)
- About 11 kms east of the Jordan

Does anybody know how long the Israelites have been there?
- For some months

What about some of the things that have happened since the Israelites have been at Shittim?
- This is where the Israelites were numbered with a census (Num 26:1-4)
- Saw Joshua invested with Moses’ authority (Num 27:18-23)
- Heard Moses recite the history of the people and the laws of God (most of which are contained in the book of Deuteronomy)
- Watched as Moses climbed to the top of Mt Pisgah to see (but not enter) the Promised Land, then die at the age of 120 (Deut 34:1-4)
- Buried Moses in Moab (Deut 34:5-8) (1)

Okay, you might like to open your Bibles with me to Joshua 1 and we’re going to be reading from verses 1-9. Joshua 1:1-9,

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, ‘My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’”

Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about the coupling of these virtues before but in my Bible, which is the New Revised Standard Version, there are thirteen references to being strong and courageous or being strong and very courageous or of good courage or bold or valiant, and eight of these thirteen are within the context of Joshua and the Israelites crossing over to the Promised Land (Deut 31:6, 7-8, 23; Josh: 1:6, 7, 9, 18; 10:25).

Be strong and courageous. Why did Moses have to tell the Israelites to be strong and courageous just before they entered the Promised Land? Why did Moses have to tell Joshua to be strong and courageous just before he put the people in possession of their land? Why did God tell Joshua at least five times, and Joshua tell the people at least once, and the people tell Joshua at least once, all in relation to entering the Promised Land?!

It goes without saying that something huge is happening here. Something so huge that a whole generation of people who had not only seen all the signs that God had performed in Egypt but had crossed the Red Sea on dry land, been guided by a cloud by day and fire by night, eaten manna from heaven and quails when they’d complained, even these people had thought taking possession of the Promised Land impossible so it’s no wonder that God and Moses and Joshua and even the people in this story are all encouraging Joshua and/or the people to be strong and courageous.

Be strong and courageous. I know I am no Joshua and Chatswood Church is not the equivalent of two and a half million Israelites but I believe something huge was not only happening there in Shittim but is happening right here in Chatswood. In fact I believe something huge is not only happening here in Chatswood but for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in general and Christianity at large; and what I believe is that Jesus Christ is coming again soon and that He is right now calling us, spiritual Israel, not to go up and fight against the nations in order to take possession of the Promised Land but to fight for them!

Unlike the Israelites of old, spiritual Israel has been commissioned to fight for the nations in order for them to see Jesus and I know this can be as equally daunting as fighting against them. When the twelve spies came back from Canaan to report about the land, it’s people and their towns, ten of the spies told Moses that the people were too strong, their towns too large and fortified; that Israel would be devoured if they went up against them (Num 13:28, 31-33). In the same way, we, spiritual Israel, can shrink back from the nations we have been called to fight for. Who are we to take on the people of this land, we ask ourselves. We are so few in number. Or who am I, we might ask. Who would listen to me?

These are very relevant questions for Chatswood Church in the face of our Jesus. All about life campaign. As of today we are starting our official three weeks of preparation which will flow into four weeks of campaign which will flow into six weeks of follow-up. Three months in total we have committed to this campaign, along with an estimated $8,000 so I hear you when you ask, what if we put our feet into the Jordan River and the waters don’t part? What if we get across the river only to be captured by the inhabitants of Jericho?

Be strong and courageous, Moses told the people. Moses told Joshua. Joshua told the people. The people told Joshua. Be strong and courageous, God told Joshua; but that wasn’t all God said.

I think it’s very interesting that God leaves no room for presumption in the passage of Scripture we’ve just read. While He was obviously intent on encouraging Joshua to be strong and courageous because He said it three times; He was also intent on Joshua knowing the basis for his confidence/the keys to success and I want us to go back to this passage because I want us to identify or be reminded of the keys to Israel’s success in fighting against the nations which I believe will be the keys to our success in fighting for them.

The first reference we find to God providing Joshua with the basis for his confidence is in verses 5 and let’s read it again,

“No-one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.”

Here we find God promising Joshua two things which in effect go hand in hand. The first is His presence: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” And with that comes His power: “No-one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life.” This same promise is repeated in verse 9,

“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Why needn’t Joshua be afraid? Simply because God would be with him. And how would Joshua know God was with him? The answer is in verses 7-8,

“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful.”

I don’t know if the same thing just struck you while you were reading these verses as struck me while I was preparing for today’s sermon but I think I now understand why God told Joshua to “very courageous” in this context. Of the three references to God encouraging Joshua to be strong and courageous in verses 1-9, it is here in verses 7-8 that God encourages Joshua to be “very courageous” and there’s no denying that acting in accordance with God’s law takes extra courage. Sure it takes courage to believe God is with us, that He is working His power for us. But it takes extra courage, I believe, to act in accordance with His law or to preach or teach about keeping His law or to go so far as to say this is ultimately the key to success. But popular opinion or not, this is what I believe God is saying here. That keeping His law is ultimately the key to His presence and power; and His presence and power, is ultimately the key to our success.

Now of course I’m not saying we need to keep the laws Israel kept in order to be successful. And neither am I saying we need to keep the greatest and second greatest commandments Jesus spoke about perfectly in order to be successful. What I am saying however is that unless we’re committed to walking in the ways of God and unless we are covered by the blood of Jesus when we fall short, there is no point us going up to fight for the nations. The key to Israel’s success in the conquest, Thomas L Constable says, was Israel’s fidelity to the book of the law. (2) The key to spiritual Israel’s success in the Great Commission, Sue says, is their commitment to walking in His ways. Unless we are walking in the ways of God it would presumptuous for us to be strong and courageous . . .

This is the very reason we have chosen to start our Jesus. All about life campaign here at Chatswood Church with Week of Prayer. So we can not only pray corporately that God will go before us these next three months, that He will pour out His Holy Spirit upon us. But so we can also reflect individually on where we are in our own journeys with God and if necessary we can recommit to walking in His ways.

I’m presuming most of Chatswood Church now know our plans for this week but in case you don’t you will find an outline of who is hosting what Prayer Meeting where in this week’s bulletin and you are most welcome to attend any or all of these meetings. As part of our Jesus. All about life preparations I also want to encourage Chatswood Church and anyone else for that matter to participate in the Bible Reading Plan. This reading plan is based on the Gospel of Luke which is the Gospel the Jesus. All about life campaign is based on and I’ve put copies of this on the info table at the back for those who don’t have one as yet.

I also have updated copies of the Jesus. All about life sign-up sheets for those who weren’t here the Sabbath we did sign-ups but still want to be involved and I will hand these out after the program. And I will also hand out these bookmarks I made this week and on one side you will find the list of all our prep, campaign and follow-up plans and on the other side there is space for you to write the names of three friends you would like to commit to praying for during this time. I really want to encourage each of you to commit to praying for three friends these next three months because as always it will be because of relationships, not events and activities, that most people will want to meet Jesus.

I don’t know about you but I’m excited. I’m excited about our Jesus. All about lifecampaign here at Chatswood Church and I’m excited about fulfilling the Great Commission in general. When Joshua told the Israelites to sanctify themselves the day before they crossed over the Jordan River, he also told them God was going to do wonders among them and there’s every reason to believe it could be the same for us. (Josh 3:5) At this stage I can’t tell you what that will look like. I can’t tell you people are going to want to belong to your church or to Chatswood Church, or they are going to want to know about Jesus or accept Him as their Saviour. But I can remind you that God has promised His presence and power to those who are committed to walking in His ways, and if this is us, then I can’t wait to see God’s picture of success for us.

Do you know something happened this week that made me think God has already put His money on us here at Chatswood Church. You may not have realised but there are only a handful of Adventist churches in Sydney doing the Jesus. All about life campaign and having no awareness of who these churches are, Lee Dunstan, the Managing and Marketing Editor for Signs of the Times, decided this week that of all the suburbs in Sydney, every home in, you guessed it Chatswood, is going to receive the October Signs of the Times this year, which is all about, you guessed it, Jesus. All about life. I’m talking 18,000 magazines with Jesus. All about life on the front cover and right throughout the magazine going into all the homes in Chatswood during the Jesus. All about life campaign. 18,000 magazines which is the equivalent I think, of $36,000! We had thought we’d put $100 towards Signs of the Times – and I still haven’t made that order – but someone else has just added $36,000 to our $8,000 Jesus. All about life budget which brings our total budget to $44,000!

Rest assured Chatswood Church and friends, God is with us. His power is already at work for us. Be strong and very courageous I say, and let’s all see what happens when we commit all of our ways to Him!

Endnotes

(1) Dr Ralph F Wilson, “Be Very Courageous, Studies on Faith in Joshua” in Jesus Walk Bible Study Series, http://www.jesuswalk.com/joshua/lesson1-ex.htm.

(2) “A Theology of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth,” in A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, ed. Roy B Zuck, p  97.

I don’t know if you are like Adam and Eve and me and you sometimes find yourself covering up the parts of yourself that you wish weren’t there; parts that make you feel unacceptable or like you don’t belong somewhere. Unfortunately the Bible tells us this is not a long-term solution. When we cut ourselves or just a part of ourselves off from God and others, these parts can never heal; we can never become whole.

That’s why this sermon is all about our need for confession or simply presenting our real selves before God and others. It goes on to suggest who to confess to and how to confess if you are hiding because of sin, and if you are hiding because you feel inadequate, it encourages you to allow the grace of God to cover you and along with Jenny, find a safe person with whom you can walk out of the woods and towards home.

Sue Redman – August 15, 2009

It is for this reason, Sequeira says, that no other book of the Bible or passage of Scriptures explains the plan of salvation – the teaching of righteousness by faith – as clearly as Romans does, and during the next few months I will be facilitating a series of Bible studies on this book and topic on location at Chatswood Church from 9.45am-10.40am, Saturdays. By way of introduction to these studies we had a discussion during our Worship Service this morning based on Romans 1:1-17 and I have uploaded the introduction, passage of Scripture and discussion questions for you to explore. May God ever increase our understanding and experience of what it means to be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ!

Sue Redman – July 18, 2009

It is approximately AD 57 and the world is ruled by Rome. One in four people living between England and Africa, Syria and Spain, are living under Roman law and you are one of them.

As with many cultures, a person’s quality of life in Rome depends upon their rank and because you are wealthy, your life appears good. You live in a beautiful house in the hills outside Rome and you enjoy an extrvagant life surrounded by servants and slaves. As with all classes you make a point of visiting the baths each day and until more recently you have also enjoyed popular entertainment like watching chariot races or gladiators fighting for their lives, fame and fortune.

Something else you have done until recently is seek the blessing of Roman gods like Jupiter and Mars which required stringent religious rituals. Jesus Christ has put an end to all that however. Although Jesus was executed by Rome at any early age, He continues to have a massive impact and since His death His message of hope and eternal life has spread across the empire with missionaries like the Apostle Paul whom you have never met but you have recently read a letter from him that he sent to your church.(1)

Your church is a mixed community of Jews and Gentiles and truth be told there has been a lot of conflict between the two groups. The conflict has not been over ethnic issues as one might expect, but theology. The Jewish Christians have been proud of their favoured status before God and the Gentile Christians of their freedom from the law. Paul wrote his letter to your church to try and reconcile the two groups and he did this by developing two themes and interweaving them together.

The first theme is the justification of guilty sinners by God’s grace alone in Christ, irrespective of status and works, and this is the most humbling and equalling of all Christian truths. The second theme is that the people of God are no longer defined by descent, circumcision or culture but according to faith in Jesus, so “there is no difference” now between Jews and Gentiles (Romans 3:22).(2)

On that note maybe you would like to open your scrolls/Bibles and read the introduction to Paul’s letter to your church with me. Romans 1:1-17,

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, asking that by God’s will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you. For I was longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gifts to strengthen you – or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish – hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’”

At this point I would like to invite you to return to 2009 and participate in a Bible study type discussion with not the church at Rome but the church at Chatswood. Over the next few months I will be facilitating a similar discussion at 9.45am on Sabbath mornings and this Bible study is not meant to detract from our current Bible study class but simply be an opportunity for those who want to explore Christian beliefs further or those who aren’t sure they truly understand or experience what it means to be saved by grace through faith.

If you happen to be one of those people, no book of the Bible or passage of Scripture explains the plan of salvation – the teaching of righteousness by faith – as clearly as Romans does. That’s why Martin Luther described Romans as the “clearest Gospel of all” and some of you may know that it was through Romans 1:17, the last verse we just read, that Luther was delivered from the bondage of legalism and subsequently became the leader of the Protestant Reformation. As a result of Luther’s teaching, John Bunyan, who you may know as the author of Pilgrims Progress, was later converted, and John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, birthed the revival in Britain in the 18th Century after hearing Luther’s teaching.(3)

According to Jack Sequeira, a retired Adventist pastor, Romans has been the basis of most revivals in the history of the Christian Church and he says there are two good reasons for this. The first is a general reason and that’s because Romans was written by Paul, the theologian of the New Testament; God’s chosen vessel for expounding the gospel to the world. The second is a more specific reason and that’s because unlike every other letter Paul wrote, for example his letter to the Corinthians or Ephesians, Paul had neither established nor visited the church in Rome before he wrote this letter which means when he wrote it he had to spell out the gospel in such a way that it made sense to people who had never heard the gospel before.(4)

This of course is why it’s easier for us to understand righteousness by faith from Romans today than from any other letter Paul wrote and to help us do that this morning I’ll be using a Bible study guide John Stott wrote called Romans: Encountering the Gospel’s Power.(5)

To start us off, I’m wondering if there might be a few people who are willing to share when and how they first came into contact with the power of the gospel . . .

What information do we find about the gospel in verses 1:1-7?

In verse 5 Paul speaks of “obedience that comes from faith.” Is there someone who can tell us how obedience and faith are naturally connected?

What do we learn about Paul in verses 1:1-7?

. . . about the Romans?

Paul says in verse 6 that through the gospel we are “called to belong.” How have you experienced this sense of belonging?

Have a look at verses 8-17. In what ways does Paul express his affection for the Romans?

Paul is obviously aware of the reciprocal blessings that come with Christian fellowship and although he is an apostle he is not too proud to acknowledge his need for it. In verse 12 Paul says that he hopes that he and the Romans will be “mutually encouraged by each others’ faith.” Why is mutual encouragement so valuable to Christians?

What do verses 8-17 reveal about Paul’s relationship with God?

Look at Paul’s declaration in verses 16-17. What do these verses reveal about the power of the gospel?

In his Bible study guide, Stott says he once heard James Stewart make the perceptive comment that “there’s no sense in declaring that you’re not ashamed of something unless you’ve been tempted to feel ashamed of it” so Paul obviously knew this temptation. How do you think Paul overcame/we can overcome the temptation to be ashamed of the gospel?

How do we know this?

How have you seen the power of the gospel in your own life?

How would you like to see the power of the gospel in your own life?

Paul says in verse 15-16, “I am so eager to preach . . . I am not ashamed of the gospel.” What could you do that expressed a similar enthusiasm for Christ?

Endnotes

(1) www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/index.html

(2) Stott, John. Romans: Encountering the Gospel’s Power (Intervarsity Press, 1998): pp 5-6.

3) www.jacksequeira.org/romans01.htm

(4) Ibid.

(5) Stott, pp 10-12.

Sue Redman – July 27, 2009

If I was to ask you if you approach knowing God more like a Greek or a Hebrew, and there has to be a Facebook application for this , what would you say? Do you think you have been more influenced by Greek or Hebraic thinking when it comes to knowing God?

To help you answer that question, let me ask you some other questions . . .

How did the Greeks approach knowing anything?
- reason and analysis
- systems and theories

Were the Greeks more concerned with theory or practice?
- theory

Who were the most esteemed in Greek communities?
- those who knew the most
- those who could teach the best

 In what ways do you think the Christian Church may have been influenced by Greek thinking?
- replaced an emphasis on faith and obedience with reason and analysis
- replaced an emphasis on a living relationship with God with knowledge about God
- esteemed those who knew the most about God and could teach the best instead of those who had a living relationship with God and were being changed into His likeness

I don’t know about you but from what I’ve read I’ve come to believe the Christian Church has been hugely impacted by Greek thinking and the reason I bring this to the floor this morning is because I want us to think about how we come to know God and whether or not our understanding of this is actually biblical.

“After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on the mountain that I shall show you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had showed him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.’ Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘Father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ He said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together.

If you haven’t already given your life to Jesus, can I encourage you to think about it. If you have, can I encourage you to seek out and do His will in every area of your life!

Endnotes

(1) Blackaby, Henry and King, Claude V. “Experiencing God,” (Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1994). This book is available from Koorong or Adventist Book Centres.

In the sermon attached to this blurb you will find my funny train story along with the essential ingredients for spiritual growth and the amazing reason I have given my life to helping people grow. I hope you’re blessed!

Sue Redman – February 7, 2009

The day before my parents moved me to Avondale College to start my Theology degree, we caught a train from Wyong to St Leonards so I could see a medical specialist. I’m guessing we made the appointment for that time because it made sense. My family were living in Narrabri at the time, which is 500 kilometres north-west of Sydney or about six hours drive, so mum and dad would have been making the most of the trip; killing two birds with the one stone.

Having grown up on rural properties in South-East Queensland and North-West New South Wales, I have to admit that my familiarity with public transport had been pretty much limited to the school bus until that time. Train rides were usually reserved for cotton and wheat that far west, so it was rather novel to board the train at Wyong, swap to the North Shore Line at Hornsby, then arrive at St Leonards.

With all that done and my appointment over, it quickly came time for our return trip which went just as smoothly until we got back to Hornsby. When we got back to Hornsby it was peak hour and the platform was packed. Trains were pulling in and out and all over the place, and it was all so confusing. Finally our train pulled in and breathing a sigh of relief, I waited patiently at a carriage door with my mum and dad, while most every passenger, it seemed, got off. In fact, what we discovered as we entered the train was that we were the only ones travelling back to Wyong that afternoon.

As embarrassing as it is to admit this, we seriously thought, “Wow, a carriage to ourselves. Nice.” Then we noticed another lady get on. She sat not from us for a few moments but seemed concerned about something. Finally she said wasn’t sure she was on the right train and she got off. As we watched her leave the train and walk along the platform we noticed that lots of people on the platform were watching us. “Mm, do all city people stare like that?” I wondered.

As we pulled out of the station my parents and I started to make ourselves comfortable. Hornsby to Wyong; we had time to relax. We were only about 500 metres down the track however, when the train stopped again. I looked around to see what station we were at but I couldn’t see one. In fact I couldn’t see much at all. Just rows and rows of train tracks. I immediately wondered why we had stopped and then my mind started to race. Maybe there had been a hold-up in the control room. I had heard things like that happened in the city. Maybe I would be a witness. Maybe I would die.

Well, we waited. And we waited. There were no announcements. No attendants to tell us what to do. Finally mum and I decided that dad should go and find out what was happening, and that was when he concluded we’d done the obvious, caught a terminating train. What to do next wasn’t so obvious however. We thought we would just get off the train and walk back to the station but it wasn’t that easy. The doors were locked and the windows were too small to jump out and there were no mobile phones back then. After much pushing and pulling however, dad finally managed to prise one of the doors open and jumping down onto the tracks, he helped mum and I do the same.

As my feet touched the railway tracks that day, I remember glancing up at the platform where the multitudes were still gathered, and wondering how I was ever going to maintain my dignity. Thinking I had no option but to fake it, I stepped very deliberately/confidently across each track, one after the other, and continued to walk with utmost poise and precision until we reached the platform again and I could lose myself in the crowd . . .

As we stand on the brink of a new church year at Chatswood Church, my simple message this morning is if we want to get to where God wants us to be, we will have to know what we are doing. If we want to pursue God’s vision for our church, His mission, we will need to be intentional. If we want God to accomplish His purposes in and through us, we will need to commit. There is no new vision for Chatswood Church this year. No new revelation or word from God. Just an opportunity for each of us to recommit to what we already know God has called us to, and to rethink what it might take for us to get there.

What it might take for us to get there. Before anyone can determine what it make take to get somewhere, they first need to know where they are, and that is my first question this morning: where are we? Where are we, Chatswood Seventh-day Adventist Church, up to as at February 2009? How are we different from where we were in February 2008? 7? 6? 5? 4? Are we any different? Are we where we hoped we would be? My guess is that there will be as many different answers to these questions as there are Chatswood Church members in this room, and to illustrate, let me share three different perspectives about where Chatswood Church is up to, as shared by three different people I’ve had encounters with in recent weeks.

There is someone who belongs to Chatswood Seventh-day Adventist Church who cannot speak more highly of our church. This person tells me over and over and over again that I cannot possibly know how much our church means to them. What it has done for them. How it is helping them grow in Jesus and beside others. This person generously buys me gifts to express their gratitude, and they long to become a more active participant in our exciting and innovative ministries.

Someone else who belongs to our church thinks that we are stuck. That attempts to become all that God wants us to be have not proven very effective and they are frustrated; I would suggest discouraged. This person is wrestling with lost momentum in their spiritual growth and their enthusiasm and commitment, both to their personal walk with God and church ministries, are waning.

Yet another person who belongs to Chatswood Church is also frustrated with our church, but not because they are not growing spiritually. This person has grown so significantly that they now want to be involved in service: in serving those in need, in evangelism, and they are frustrated because they want our church to be providing more opportunities . . . Are you hearing complex?! Seemingly opposing feedback all about the one church?!

The good news for me is that all this complexity actually came together this week when I was doing some research about discipleship for my other part-time role. I was reading about the survey Willow Creek Community Church recently did with over 80,000 Christians and 200 churches, and it was when I read that one of the most important things Christians want from their churches is for their churches to challenge them to grow and take the next step in their spiritual life, that it started to make sense. If Christians expect their churches to help them grow spiritually, it is easy to see why individuals evaluate their church based on where they’re at, on whether or not they are growing. Which means the more helpful question for me to start with this morning may not be “Where are we?” but “Where are you?” “Where am I?”

One of the most fascinating things I learnt from Willow Creek’s study is that there are certain points in a Christian’s spiritual growth when churches actually become limited in their ability to help. From all the data Willow collected, they have been able to identify four broad stages of spiritual growth, along with specific catalysts that help Christians move from one stage to another, and the long and the short of it is that there comes a point in time when Christians will simply not grow any further unless they engage in personal spiritual practices like Bible study and prayer. There comes a point in time when Christians will simply not grow any further unless they become actively involved in serving others and evangelism.

I have to say reading this was a watershed moment for me. Not only did it help me understand the changing role and significance of the church across a person’s spiritual continuum, it also helped me make sense of observations I had already made – like how our Worship Services, while no less satisfying, become lesser important catalysts for spiritual growth as people grow in Jesus. How the role of our Home Groups shifts as people move across the spectrum. How people’s perception of prayer changes from a place where we talk to God, to a place where we talk and listen to God, and why people therefore grow to need help in learning how to hear God’s voice.

As people grow in Jesus, the church’s role and significance has to change, but rest assured that this is no out for Chatswood Church. I believe the commission Jesus gave His disciples, as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20, is very clear. Disciples of Jesus/church leaders intentionally make other disciples of Jesus until those disciples of Jesus are mature enough to make more disciples of Jesus, are you with me? Church leaders are to preach the good news. To baptise. To teach. Like Jesus they are to create places of belonging and facilitate spiritual friendships, and as people grow with the help of all these ministries, leaders then start to walk beside them instead of parenting them. They inspire and encourage them to commit to personal spiritual practices. They facilitate serving opportunities both in the church and community. They engage those who have matured as partners in reaching the lost, and when the lost are found they start the process all over again.

As I said there is no new vision for Chatswood Church in 2009. Our mission is the same as it was 2,000 years ago. We are still called to become “the church you belong to” – the church you and I, our friends, our workmates, our neighbours, the kids in our community, their parents, the hungry, the poor, the homeless, the afflicted, the church all these people belong to. This mission has never changed and it never will change. But what has to change is our understanding of the church’s role in fulfilling this mission; our understanding of our role in fulfilling this mission. What we need in 2009 is not another master plan for how God might accomplish His purposes in and through Chatswood Church. We need ninety individual plans for intentional spiritual growth; plans that will naturally result in the accomplishment of Chatswood Church’s mission. Here’s where the church can help.

Do you know I couldn’t believe it when I read in Willow’s REVEAL study that adult education classes on spiritual topics are one of the primary catalysts for spiritual growth. I also couldn’t believe it when I read about the importance of personal assessments and creating personal plans for spiritual growth. Somehow, short of doing a survey with 80,000 people and 200 churches, praise God, Chatswood Church decided at the end of last year that we needed to compliment our Sabbath morning Bible Studies and Home Groups with Sabbath afternoon programs and activities – opportunities for people to engage in spiritual topics integral to their personal growth, and I would like to invite Alex, our new Discipleship Director, to come and share about this new ministry with us . . .

The second new ministry we would like to introduce this morning is our community Kids’ Club and Parents’ Morning Tea, and I want to invite Ben and Bec, our leaders, to tell us about this new opportunity to serve . . .

It probably shouldn’t come as any surprise that Willow Creek’s study revealed that serving is the most catalytic experience offered by the church when it comes to spiritual growth. It’s even more catalytic than organised small groups, and serving those in need, when compared with serving in the church, tops the list for two of the four stages of spiritual growth. Serving produces spiritual growth and spiritual growth produces serving . . . Let me read you a story. It’s from The Desire of Ages and entitled, “At Jacob’s Well.”

On the way to Galilee Jesus passed through Samaria. It was noon when He reached the beautiful Vale of Shechem. At the opening of this valley was Jacob’s well. Wearied with His journey, He sat down to rest while His disciples went to buy food . . .

As Jesus sat by the well side, He was faint from hunger and thirst. The journey since morning had been long, and now the sun of noontide beat upon Him. His thirst was increased by the thought of the cool, refreshing water so near, yet inaccessible to Him; for He had no rope nor water jar, and the well was deep. The lot of humanity was His and He waited for someone to come to draw.

A woman of Samaria approached, and seeming unconscious of His presence, filled her pitcher with water. As she turned to go away, Jesus asked her for a drink. Such a favour no Oriental would withhold. In the East, water was called “the gift of God.” To offer a drink to the thirsty traveller was held to be a duty so sacred that the Arabs of the desert would go out of their way in order to perform it. The hatred between Jews and Samaritans prevented the woman from offering a kindness to Jesus; but the Saviour was seeking to find the key to this heart, and with the tact born of divine love, He asked, not offered, a favour. The offer of a kindness might have been rejected; but trust awakens trust. The King of heaven came to this outcast soul, asking a service at her hands. He who made the ocean, who controls the waters of the great deep, who opened the springs and channels of the earth, rested from His weariness at Jacob’s well, and was dependent upon a stranger’s kindness for even the gift of a drink of water.

The woman saw that Jesus was a Jew. In her surprise she forgot to grant His request, but tried to learn the reason for it. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”

Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” You wonder that I should ask of you so small a favour as a draught of water from the well at our feet. Had you asked of Me, I would have given you to drink of the water of everlasting life . . . (Ellen G White, The Desire of Ages, pp 183-184).

. . . the Saviour was seeking to find the key to this heart . . . with the tact born of divine love, He asked, not offered, a favour. The offer of a kindness might have been rejected; but trust awakens trust. The King of heaven came to this outcast soul, asking a service at her hands . . .

If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.

Is not this the wonder of our God? A God who asks us to give Him a drink, so He can quench our thirst. A God who invites us to talk to Him, so He can talk to us. A God who calls us to share the good news of His love with others, so we can experience this love. That’s what all this talk about spiritual growth is about. It’s about encounters between humanity and divinity. Opportunities for the Holy Spirit to refresh our hearts and souls and minds. Opportunities for the Holy Spirit to reenergise us with the power and love of Jesus Christ. This is why I long for each of us to become intentional about our spiritual growth in 2009. This is why I want Chatswood Church to become known as the “the church where we grow” to those of us who already belong.