Tis no joke

“25 And behold, a certain legal expert stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do so that I will inherit eternal life?”
29… “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10)

A priest, a Levite and a Samaritan walk into a bar.  Or if you prefer, a pastor, a deacon and a taxi driver.  The pastor orders a drink, the deacon orders a drink, they find a table by themselves, comment on the sad state of the man passed out drunk and the sad commentary he is on society as a whole, “hell in a handbasket,” they mutter and start watching the game on tv.  The taxi driver pays the tab of the man passed out drunk on the floor from his own pocket; finds the man’s address from his license and his keys; picks him up; carries him to his cab; takes him home, for which he collects no fare; carries the man up to his apartment; puts him to bed; goes and cleans out the vomit from the back seat of his cab and shirt and continues on with his night.

“36 Which of these three do you suppose became a neighbor of the man…?”

Became…the taxi driver, our Samaritan, was not a neighbor of the man by geography, brotherhood or affinity, if stereotypes are based on empirical data, there’s even a good chance they aren’t neighbors by religion.  He became a neighbor through compassion.  Compassion on a man who could do nothing for him!  Compassion on a total stranger.  “Love your neighbor” is a dual commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself and make all men in need your neighbor through love.”

Just one chapter ago Jesus had an agenda: rest and retreat time for him and his posse.  He made an effort to pull his boys back from the mission field to spend some quality bonding time and to hear of their time afield.  But when he came to the shoreline, the crowds had rushed ahead of him and were waiting.  He could have started singing Styx to Pete, “I’m sailing…awaaaaaay”.  He could have “passed through their midst” as he did on other occasions but he stops.  Heck, he could have hopped out of the boat and booked it across the lake on foot if he wanted but he doesn’t.  Why?

“34 And getting out of the boat he saw the large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd,” (Mark 6)  Compassion.  Mercy.  They are the mark of Christ as they are the mark of His Father, ““Yahweh, Yahweh, God, who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding with loyal love and faithfulness,” (Ex 34).  This is how God describes Himself and He cannot lie.  This should be the mark of his followers.

“44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, because he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not the tax collectors also do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing that is remarkable? Do not the Gentiles also do the same?” (Matt 5)

“32 “And if you love those who love you, what kind of credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what kind of credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same! 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive back, what kind of credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may get back an equal amount! 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting back nothing, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful!” (Luke 6)

“42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will never lose his reward.” (Matt 10)

“34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world! 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me as a guest, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you as a guest, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ 40 And the king will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.’” (Matt 25)

“34 “A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another—just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.” (John 13)

“Become kind toward one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as also God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4)

“12 Therefore, as the chosen of God, holy and dearly loved, put on affection, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, 13 putting up with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone should have a complaint against anyone, just as also the Lord forgave you, thus also you do the same. 14 And to all these things add love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And the peace of Christ must rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God, 17 and everything whatever you do in word or in deed, giving thanks for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus to God the Father through him.” (Col 3)

Nuff said.

Who's yer daddy?

“5 And into whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace be to this household!” 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him. But if not, it will return to you.” (Luke 10)

Peace.

The word itself is powerful.  Peace.  Sitting outside as the world wakes up and the birds take up the song from the crickets and the sun comes peeking over the trees in the East (peace) it has a force like a distant church bell, like a velvet hammer kissing a sea of silver, stilling, calming, ripples fading, laying down to a mirror.  Rest.  Harmony.  Everything sweetly secure in its place.

Peace.

Absence of war.  Freedom from violence.  From strife.  From calamity.  From harm.  From disturbance.  From shame.  From guilt.  From fear.  Tranquility.  Serenity.  These are not peace… these are the signs of peace.  The evidence of residence.  For Peace is not an emotion, a state of being, a feeling or goal.

Peace is a person.

“22 And Gideon realized that he was the angel of Yahweh; and Gideon said, “Oh, my lord Yahweh! For now I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.” 23 And Yahweh said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not fear; you will not die.” 24 And Gideon built there an altar to Yahweh, and he called it “Yahweh is peace.” (Judges 6)

“7 Show us, O Yahweh, your loyal love,


and grant us your salvation.

8 I will hear what God, Yahweh, will speak,


because he will speak peace
 to his people,

 even his faithful ones,


but let them not return to folly.

9 Surely his salvation is near for those who fear him,


that glory may abide in our land.

10 Loyal love and faithfulness will meet one another;


righteousness and peace will kiss.” (Ps 85)

“6 For a child has been born for us;


    a son has been given to us.


And the dominion will be on his shoulder,


    and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,


        Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Is 9)

Yahweh is Peace!  Jesus is the Son of God, the Prince of Peace.  The bumper sticker is right, the only way to know peace is to be in relationship with God.  The only way to be in relationship with God is through His son!  “5 Therefore, because we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” (Rom 5) 

Yes, we are no longer enemies of God!  Yes, we are no longer under condemnation and wrath for our rebellion!  Yes, we have what you might call a political peace with God.  A cessation of hostilities.  (Not that one could honestly say God has been hostile to us, since His blessings never ceased even while we were enemies!)  Yes, this alone is cause for rejoicing and celebration in the streets but it is so much more than this!  This is such an anemic understanding of Peace.

It fails to understand, there can be no peace without love!  Peace isn’t just the absence of ill will.  Apathy could be the absence of ill will.  Peace is the desire for your good!  It is the desire for good will!  “11 For I know the plans that I am planning concerning you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘plans for prosperity and not for harm, to give to you a future and a hope. 12 Then when you call me, and you come and pray to me, then I will listen to you. 13 When you search for me, then you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart. 14 And I will let myself be found by you,’ declares Yahweh…” (Jer 29)  “13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,


    and on earth peace


    among people with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2)

All of God’s promises to us; all of Jesus’ promises to us; forgiveness; eternal life; a place where he is, in his house; to guide us; to give us the Holy Spirit; come down to this, “27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you—not as the world gives, I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14)  Why aren’t we to be troubled?  Why aren’t we to be afraid?  Because all is going positively swimmingly for us?  Because nothing bad can or will happen to us?  Because we are rich, beautiful, young, healthy and successful in all we put our hands to? 

Well, maybe you are.  But for the rest of us, the answer to most of that is, “Nooooo, no, not so much.”  Then why?  How can we be at peace?  How can we be untroubled and unafraid in an increasingly unstable world?  In an environment that seems ever more hostile to us with each passing day?  How if recession becomes depression?  How if those we love have cancer?  How if the hurricane is pressing in on us?  How if war, famine, pestilence, death and anti-christ ride to and fro upon the earth?  How can we have Peace?

“32 Behold, an hour is coming—and has come—that you will be scattered each one to his own home, and you will leave me alone. And I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction, but have courage! I have conquered the world.” (John 16)

“21 At that same time he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to young children. Yes, Father, for this was pleasing before you. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wants to reveal him.” (Luke 10)

How?  Because we know who our Father is.

Who's in the boat?

“22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” (Luke 8)

Whew!  Tense!  Glad we’re not in that boat!  Or are we?  In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m mildly obsessed with the question, “What are we to do?”  Jesus has done all required for us to be saved.  We have his righteousness.  Nothing we did to save ourselves mattered.  Only by falling on His mercy can we enter into the Kingdom of God.  It is finished.  Done.  Put that baby to bed cuz it’s passed out on the couch… or the back of the boat.  So maybe it isn’t so much, “What are we to do?” but “What are we to do NOW?”

“19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  ...” (Gal 2)  Something significant happened the day I believed.  The day I chose Jesus’ righteousness over mine, I died and was raised again as something wholly, holy different… on the inside.  This I think is one of the problems the world has with ‘born again’ Christians.  They don’t SEE a difference.  We don’t glow.  We don’t change color or shape or size.  We are sealed by God, “13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Eph 1) but it is a seal like those at the amusement park; no one can see it until it fluoresces under Holy light.  It is a guarantee of a future inheritance.  We are royalty!  We are rich!  We are immortal!  We are holy!  Trust me, you just can’t see it yet.

Unless we have deeds.

How would a royal, beloved prince of the only all-sovereign King of the Universes, secure in his throne, not because of anything he had done but strictly and only because of who his father is, surrounded by legions of loyal, all-powerful bodyguards act?  How would he treat the lowly?  How would he treat his brothers?  How would a woman, rich beyond her wildest dreams and perfectly secure in all her future incomes, with so much wealth coming in, she can’t even contemplate savings because no vault could hold it for even a minute, how would this woman in a waterfall of wealth, handle finances?  Treat the poor?  How would a man who could not die, feel about death?  What would he fear?  How would a woman, stolen as a child, beaten, abused, raped and used, bought and sold until she learned to beat, abuse, rape and use, buy and sell others, who then is rescued and washed, healed and loved, pampered and restored to utterly blinding, ravishing beauty and glory by a husband fairy-tale perfect, spend her time?  Her money?  Her love?  Her forgiveness?  How would a people with the greatest message in all of time and space spend their few, short years in time and space?

I’ll tell ya how: in a boat in a storm.  Look at this story from Luke 8.  Jesus has come and done all he thought he needed to do.  And it was a lot.  Read over the list of miracles, crowds, long nights spent in prayer and walking he has done.  He’s crashed.  He’s sleeping the sleep of the honest innocent in the back of the boat.  Arrayed in front of him are his handpicked, chosen men, fully invested, fully devoted followers… fighting for their lives!  At least half of them are fishermen from this very lake, probably as the balladeer sings, sons of sons of sons of sailors.  They know how to do what they are doing.  They’ve done this before.  Tonight however, their ticket is punched.  Their luck has run out, they’ve done all they can and it wasn’t enough.  They have been weighed, measured and found wanting.  And it irks them that the guy responsible for them being here is asleep for it.  So, darn tootin’ they wake him up! 

“And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?””   Luke sugar-coats it, we can forgive him, he wasn’t there.  Matt and Mark, who I’m told, got the story direct from Peter, record Jesus’ words a bit differently, “40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”” (Matt 8, Mark 4)  It sounds harsh until you realize even Jonah, the hardhearted and wayward prophet of fish food fame, knew his God well enough to sleep during storms and was completely confident in His ability to still them as well. 

So what do we learn?  How does this answer my burning question?  “What are we to do now?”  The story tells us.

Secondly, we obey.  (Yeah, I know, stick with me.)  Jesus said, “Let’s go”.  They went.  Some storms come because, like Jonah, we don’t obey.  We who are his, need to read the Word, pray to the Word and listen to the Word and see where the Word is telling us to go.  Third, go.  Action.  Jesus wanted to go across a lake.  They did not sit on a beach and pray for a miracle.  They did not step onto the water and expect it not to give.  They went and got a boat and sailed and when the wind became too dangerous, they rowed.  They worked.  They did what they knew how to do.  Some of them, like Matt the accountant, had to learn new skills.  And that’s it.  Pretty simple, huh?

If we do the first thing first: have faith.  Faith, as I’ve tried to show ad nauseam, is knowing.  We need to be with Jesus.  We need to have Jesus in the boat when we go.   But most of all, we need to know. Who. Jesus. IS.  We don’t bring Jesus with us, we are with HIM.

On the surface, these men were faithful.  They were obedient.  They were following Jesus.  In their hearts however, they had no idea who Jesus is.  They were following what they saw.  Jesus leads them right into a storm.  Following Jesus doesn’t mean life will make sense, today.  In this story, as in Jonah’s, the boat and the sailors are saved.  In Acts 27, Paul’s boat is lost but everyone on board is spared.  Paul lives… to finish going to Rome where he is beheaded.  Following Jesus doesn’t ensure a happy ending…that the world can SEE!  Everyone Jesus healed, died.  Everyone Jesus raised from the dead, died again.  If we live for what we can see, we will die.  If we die, living for what we cannot see, what we know without seeing, we. Will. Live!  And maybe, just maybe, someone else will see THAT and believe!

“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1Pet 1)

Run Otter. Ruuuuuunn!

“33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;


    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Rom 8)

Close your eyes.  Wait.  No, open them again.  That only works when you can hear me speaking.  Pretend your eyes are closed.  Take a deep breath.  Innnnnn.  Hold it. 

Now sloooooooly let it out.

Focus on Justification.  Do you see it in this verse from Romans?  See how it’s complete?  You believe Jesus died for you.  You believe He rose from the dead and sits on God’s right hand.  It is finished.  Your sins are forgiven.  You will someday sit with Him.  He has promised.  You are His and He will not lose you for anything.  Right here, right now, you stand before the Holy God, Justified through Christ Jesus. 

Let’s do another breath.  Aaaaaaah.  Justification feels goooood!

Okay, pretend to open your eyes.

“3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.” (1Thes 4)

Roll up your sleeves.  Dust off your Bible.  Find a soft spot for your knees.  This is Sanctification.  This is work.

Both Justification and Sanctification are accomplished by God’s grace through Jesus.  The power for both come from the Cross.  One however is done.  Your status as a son or daughter of God, a co-heir with Christ, a royal prince of the kingdom, is secured.  You are justified.  Like a trophy on a shelf, JUSTIFIED!  No one can take it from you.  Look at it every morning, noon and night and receive joy and strength for today’s race!

When we confuse Justification for Sanctification, we get legalism.  Our standing with God rises and falls with our performance.  We experience God’s pleasure only based upon our own opinion of how yesterday went.  Instead of falling on God’s grace and mercy when we sin, we fall into despair and despondency.  “Will I ever get it right, Lord?”  There is remorse in bucket loads but not repentance.  Conversely, when we think we’ve been getting it right, we are insufferable:  judgmental, arrogant, without compassion on those struggling with sin.  This is Matthew 7: 21-23.  Instead of experiencing God’s grace through prayer, scripture, repentance and good works, we try to earn grace through these things.  We try to buy joy and peace thereby in reality, robbing ourselves of the fruit of the Spirit.  Legalism is a two inch worm stretching out thinking all it has to do to enter God’s kingdom is be a three inch worm.  God’s cocking his head and saying, “Um, no, you have to be an otter.”  Can you make yourself an otter?  I didn’t think so.  So relax, little worm, believe in Jesus, trust Him.  He’s made you an otter.

Sanctification is the race we run today.  The big one’s done.  Our team, through our champion, has already won.  We’re on the podium with Him.  This race will just determine where we stand upon it.  How big a crown we’ll wear there.  How much glory we bring to our Lord when we throw that crown at his feet and we, who the world sees standing upon that podium, honored, glorified, sanctified by the undisputed, all-powerful, all-glorious King of all Universes, step down and fall on our faces before Him.  We don’t run this race for our glory.  We run this race to have something more to offer to Him when we get there! 

This is the Parable of the Talents in Matthew twenty-five.  This is why God is so displeased with the last servant who went and buried his.  This selfish servant said, “Good enough is good enough.  I’ll be happy just being justified.  Sanctification is too much work.  I’m in, that’s all that matters.”  This servant is all about this servant.  He does not love his Lord.  Jesus’ sacrifice is about him.  It does not move him toward Jesus.  Toward love.  The Master remarks there isn’t even a trace of baseline gratitude and obviously therefore no justification either and kicks this jerk to the curb.

When we confuse Sanctification for Justification, we get synchrotism.  Our standing with God cannot change no matter what we do now.  It’s all grace, baby.  Freedom.  So we live however we please.  We’re otters living in the mud instead of in the Living Water.  Instead of bringing glory to our Father, we bring shame.  We abuse our freedom to bring pleasure to ourselves.  We live for ourselves.  We justify ourselves and our own actions.  “Hey, this is how God made me.  Take it or leave it.”  There is no repentance, because very little we do is “wrong.”  How could it be?  I’m a justified child of God.  Obedience and submission are not paths to love; they are dirty words.  Spirituality is supreme.  If it feels good, do it.  Synchrotism is an arranged marriage where the bride-to-be has decided her beau is lucky to be getting “all dis!”  She then takes “all dis!” and sells it on the street corner to buy herself a new Lexus.

We cannot confuse the two; legalism is not love for“21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Gal 3)  Nor is self-justification,  “26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” (Heb 10)  Both trample on the Son of God.  Both treat, as Hebrews says, “as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and [insult] the Spirit of grace”!  That’s not love!  We’ve been called to something so much better, invited by Love, justified by love, into Love so “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer (justifier) and perfecter (sanctifier) of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Heb 12)

Run Otter!  Ruuuuuuun!