The Bible teaches us that God has used a variety of ways to speak with humanity.  God spoke directly to some people like Adam, Eve, and even their son, Cain.  For other people, God spoke with an angel such as Abraham, Hagar, and Moses.  And still others, God spoke through humans, men and women called out by God to be prophets.  And a prophet was charged to speak to God’s people the words God would give them.  Usually, the words God gave the prophets were a call for the people to repent from their sinful ways.  Prophets did not have many friends.

Today, our Scripture reading is from the prophet, Malachi.  Malachi in Hebrew means “My Messenger,” or “My Angel.”  Much of the book of Malachi is an indictment against the priesthood of Israel.  Immoral behavior, adultery, divorce, falsehood, fraud, and sorcery were rampant with much of the sinfulness coming from the priests themselves. Intermarriage between the Jews and the pagans, something prohibited under the Laws of Moses was regularly occurring.  And the traditions of the people were becoming more important than the commands of God. In Malachi, Chapter 2, verses 7 and 8 speak to the problem, “7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. 8 But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty” (Malachi 2:7-8).

We can well understand that a serious moral problem with the religious leadership, here the priests, does significant harm to the spiritual life of the people.  We know that is true from modern day experiences that have become public.  The sexual perversions of Roman Catholic priests have caused unimaginable pain to their victims and enormous harm to the church and its teachings.  Just this year, a dozen high profile pastors of megachurches in Texas alone, were forced to resign due to improper behaviors leaving behind more incalculable harm to their victims and more damage to the message of the church.

The key message of Malachi was that the religious heart of the nation of Israel had become indistinguishable from the sinful world around it.  In a word, the priesthood and religious life of Israel, had become corrupt.  Once again, we see that when it comes to corruption, no one should say of people, an organization, or a thing that it is only “a little corrupt.”  Something is either corrupt or it is not.  This is why the Bible teaches that if we break one part of the Law, we have broken the whole Law.

Let me give you an illustration of this point about corruption. Let’s suppose you say to me, “I am thirsty.”  And let’s suppose I have a cold bottle of water.  And let’s suppose in response to you saying, “I am thirsty,” I say to you, “Here is a nice cold bottle of water.  Please take it.”  So far, this seems like a reasonable solution to the current conditions.  But.  There is always a but.  But as you begin turning the top of the bottle, you become aware that the bottle, although full, had already been opened.  And so, you ask me, “Pastor, did you already open this bottle?”  And I reply, “Yes, I did.  The bottle was sealed when I received it but the bottle was not quite as full as it could be so I added just a tablespoon of water to make the bottle full.” Seems a bit odd.  But then I add, “And the only water I had available was just a tablespoon that came from the toilet.”  So, you are thirsty, and you have a 16-ounce bottle of water that has a tablespoon of corrupted water from the toilet.  Are you going to drink it?  Of course, not.  Why not? Because once corruption entered the clean water, none of the clean water was clean any longer.  The entire bottle became corrupted, and it is no longer fit to drink.  This was the point of charge in the Book of Malachi against the priests.  The priests were corrupt and were corrupting everything they touched.

In many ways, the situation painted by Malachi seemed hopeless. When something becomes corrupt, it cannot change itself, it cannot clean itself up, because it is corrupt.  What can be done?

God revealed through Malachi His plan for redemption.  Malachi wrote, “3I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty” (Malachi 3:1).  God promised that the pathway to righteousness would be marked by two specific events.  First, God would send a messenger.  This messenger would bring forward the news that a new covenant of God was announced. And once that message had been announced then the Lord Himself would come to His Temple.  In Chapter 4, Malachi explained, “5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes” (Malachi 4:5). Elijah was a prophet of great importance to the people of Israel.  The only other place in the Bible where this Hebrew phrase means to “prepare” or “clear obstacles” is in Isaiah 40:3-5: “3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.  For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 40:3-5).  The imagery being conveyed here is that a roadway has been made level and straight for a majestic king to travel.  And so, God promised a prophet, a messenger, to come to announce the arrival of God Himself.

The arrival of God Himself would be the second event in the restoration of Israel.  But the coming of the Lord was not without a warning.  Malachi spoke, “2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver” (Malachi 3:2-3a).

The arrival of the Lord was expected to be indeed a great event because it would usher in a new covenant and new era with God.  But the arrival of the Lord would not be without chastisement, not without removal of corruption, especially for the priesthood. The priesthood would be refined to remove the impurities from it.  Malachi likened it to putting fire to silver to cause that which is not silver to separate or using a very strong soap to remove the stains from a garment. Continuing with our illustration of the bottle of water, it would be a time when the water and not just the bottle itself would be subjected to treatment to remove the contaminants or the corruption.  Sin, the corruption of all life, would be addressed.

These are the promises of God spoken through his prophet Malachi. A messenger would come in advance of the Lord, a voice calling in the wilderness, “Make way for the Lord.”  Then would come the Lord Himself to refine the priesthood, deal with the spiritual corruption, and draw the people to God. These were God’s words.  And then God went silent.

There were no more prophets bringing God’s word.  Just silence.  There were no signs from heaven.  Just silence.  There was no voice calling in the wilderness.  Just silence.  A year passed.  Then two years passed.  Then ten years passed.  Just silence. Then 40 years passed.  Then 100 years passed.  Just silence.  Then 200 years passed, then 300 years passed, and then 400 years passed.  No prophets.  No voices.  Just silence.

Most people dislike silence because it can feel unsettling. Silence forces us to confront our own thoughts and emotions without the distraction of background noise.  Silence can lead to feelings of anxiety, discomfort, or even boredom, especially in social situations where silence might be interpreted as a negative sign or lack of connection.  Whenever there is silence in a situation, most people tend to fill that gap believing the worst of the one who has suddenly become silent.  But here is the truth.  Silence can also refine us.  Silence can cause us to examine ourselves and see what is wrong with us.

For 400 years, God remained silent.  For context, it was about 400 years ago that the Pilgrims landed in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts and would later celebrate their Thanksgiving Day feast of which we too will participate in on Thursday. Four hundred years is quite a long time. There are different ways to calculate how many generations there are in 400 years.  In general, we would be talking about 14 generations in 400 years. That would mean your (11) great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents were alive when the Pilgrims landed.  Do you know anything about your people from 400 years ago?  Of course we don’t know these people.  Of course, we don’t know what our people looked like or what they sounded like.

In the 400 years of silence, the people and nation of Israel experienced many things.  Of course, there were wars.  Of course, there were dynasties of kings.  There were high priests.  The Pharisees and Sadducees we read about so much in the Gospels came into existence during those 400 years.  The two groups fought with each other and at times killed each other in great numbers seeking to gain some advantage.  But through all this tumult and chaos, through all 14 generations spanning 400 years, one thing remained the same, God’s Word.  The whole story of God and His promise of sending a messenger and the Lord Himself coming to refine and set things straight and true remained the same.

This coming of the messenger and the Lord we now call Advent, awaiting the arrival, is what we will celebrate over the next 4 weeks.  We who are now 86 generations removed from God’s promises still have them before us in the Bible.  The promises of God have not changed except that God broke his silence and sent His Son, called Emmanuel, God with us, as He had promised.

What then do we take away from this encounter with Malachi and all that has transpired since he served as God’s prophet?

I want to begin with this thought.  In spending some time of silence, I concluded that I was fortune enough to know both of my parents.  Some people are not so fortunate.  Of my grandparents, I only ever met one of them, my maternal grandfather.  The other three grandparents had died before I was born, as was the case with all my great grandparents.  I have only one or two items in my possession once used by my grandfather and nothing from any generation earlier than him, or from any other grandparent, except for one thing.  They all had a belief in God, and they all raised their children to know the God of the Bible, the God of Malachi, the God of the promised Messiah. Was their faith extraordinarily deep or remarkable?  I would not know.  But their belief and faith were strong enough, were vital enough, to want their legacy, the inheritance for their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren whom they would never meet to have the knowledge of the promises of God.  To have the knowledge of God that leads to faith in God, to salvation through Christ whose coming we will celebrate in the weeks ahead.  That is generational wealth, a generational inheritance, of untold riches.  Perhaps the passing on of our faith is the only real inheritance that we can hope will be gifted to our unborn generations.  So, I want to encourage parents, grandparents, and great grandparents here today, to think about the opportunities you have to gift your children and grandchildren.  We all will certainly want to give them something they will enjoy this coming season.  But are we also gifting them our joy in God’s promises?  Is there anything about our faith, our testimony, that we are gifting them that breaks through the noise and chaos of this world and causes them to wonder and be in awe of God?  Are we giving them anything from the promises of this season that they can also gift to their children and grandchildren?  It is popular for Christians to say, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” But is He?

Not everyone been so blessed with generational wealth of belief in God handed down to them.  There are many spiritual orphans.  A couple of years ago, a man, not of my family, whom I have known for many years said to me, “I consider you one of my spiritual sons.”  Why did he say that?  He said that because he had gifted me, had invested in me his faith experience in the hope that I would be enriched by it and that I would pass it on to others, whether the others were my children or not.  Everyone here, whether you are a parent or not, can have spiritual daughters and sons.  You can invest and enriched others with your testimony, with your knowledge of God’s faithfulness and promises.  To do that, we have to make Jesus genuinely the reason for the season.

For the final point, I want to return one last time to our bottle of water, the bottle cannot redeem itself and become pure again.  And we know we are like this bottle because we cannot redeem ourselves either.  We cannot wish for or will away the sin in our life.  Removing sin, removing corruption from our life, can only be done by the promised one of God, Jesus.  And the knowledge of those promises can only be found in God’s Word and made real to others in the living testimony of God’s people.  We have a great opportunity before us to gift others with the joy of the Jesus, the reason for the coming season.  Shall we who have been redeemed do that?  Amen and Amen.

          Our nation is rapidly approaching the day on which we celebrate Thanksgiving. It is supposed to be a day set aside for giving thanks for the blessings and provisions of the last year.  But on Thanksgiving Day we tend to eat so much food the one would think we believe all provisions for the coming year were unlikely. 

We know that the original American Thanksgiving began in Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.  The Pilgrims of Plymouth Thanksgiving was primarily a celebration of a good harvest with enough food to get through the winter.  Harvest time, of course, is a gathering of what has matured from seeds planted earlier.  Harvest is the time in which the fruit of one’s efforts are realized and brought together, hopefully in abundance.

          Our Scripture reading today from the Gospel of John speaks about a harvest in another context.  The scene comes from the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John centers around a water well and focuses primarily as an interaction between Jesus and a Samaritan woman.

          Now at one time, there were no Samaritan people. The people of the region of Samaria were, at one time, all Hebrew who had settled in the lands promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The Hebrew people flourished in wealth and population.  The Samaritans, as they would become known, were primarily descendants of two of the twelve tribes of Israel, namely Ephraim and Manasseh.  The Hebrews or the Jews of Israel were exiled by the Assyrians after the fall of the northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE.  That was true expect for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.  For the most part, those people remained and over time, intermarried with foreigners. These people became known as Samaritans. They held to the first five books of the Bible and worshipped at their own temple on Mount Gerizim.  The people of the other ten tribes of Hebrew people believed Samaritans were essentially pagans because they lacked the purity of God. A feud began between the Hebrews, the Jews, and the Samaritans after the Jews returned from captivity.

Therefore, the Scripture scene of Jesus in Samaria was unusual, unexpected for the original readers.  And this scene in Chapter 4 between Jesus and the Samaritan woman came immediately after a nighttime encounter between Jesus and a Jewish religious leader, a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee, in Chapter 3. The encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus revealed a resistance and unwillingness of the Jews to believe that Jesus was God’s anointed messenger of salvation.

Now, in Samaria, a land considered pagan by the Jews, Jesus met at noontime with an unnamed Samaritan woman. The contrast between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of John could not be greater.  The Gospel writers often used comparative stories between men and women, Jews and pagans, to highlight the principles of faith.

Today, we will start about halfway into the exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman.  Jesus and the Samaritan woman were alone.  Jesus had told the woman all about her background, including her five husbands and that she was living with a man to whom she was not married.  The woman understood and professed that Jesus was a prophet of some sort.  We come now to verse 25, where the Samaritan woman explained that she was aware that God would send his Messiah to set things right.  “25 The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah” (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us’” (John 4:25). The Samaritan woman believed in God’s promise to the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, meaning to both the Jews and Samaritans, that God would send a prophet greater than Moses to set things straight and bring all the people back to Himself.

In response to the woman’s faith, Jesus declared to here, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he” (John 4:26).  Jesus had revealed to the Samaritan woman that he was God’s chosen One, the Messiah who would reveal Truth to all people.  In that moment, we wait expectantly for the woman to respond to Jesus’ world changing words that he is the Messiah. But immediately following Jesus’ announcement, the scene was interrupted by the return to the well of Jesus’ disciples from the nearby Samaritan village.  They had gone there in search of food. 

We read, “27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” (John 4:27).  While words were not spoken, my guess is that the disciples’ body language and facial expressions said all that needed to be said.  This woman should not be here!  Upon the return of Jesus’ disciples, John wrote, “28 Leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town” (John 4:28a).  We do not have any benefit of further conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman because of the interruption of Jesus’ disapproving disciples.  From this point to the end of the story, John then jumped back and forth between Jesus and his disciples at the well and activities in the Samaritan village.

We would read, “28 Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city.”  The woman returned to the city of her home and presumably the city that the disciples had just visited for food.  Continuing with the Scripture, “She [that is the woman from the well] said to the people, 29 ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’  30 They [that is the people she spoke with] left the city and were on their way to him [Jesus]” (John 4:28-30].  The woman had returned to the Samaritans of the town and giving testimony about her encounter with Jesus.  Her words were stirring the hearts of the people, and the people of the Samaritan village began making their way to the well in the hope of seeing Jesus, this Messiah. There is a sense of anticipation among the Samaritan people.  Could it be that at long last God’s Messiah, the one who would come in righteousness to settle all the important questions and usher in a new era with God was finally here?  The villagers could not wait for an answer, and they hurried to the well.

          At the same time as the story of the woman and the villagers was unfolding, the separate story with Jesus and his disciples was unfolding rapidly.  We would read, “31 Meanwhile his [Jesus’] disciples urged him [Jesus], ‘Rabbi, eat something.’  32 But he [Jesus] said to them [his disciples], ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about.’  33 Then his [Jesus’] disciples said to each other, ‘Could someone have brought him food?’  34 ‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work’” (John 4:31-34).  The faces of disapproval that had been on Jesus’ disciples when they returned to the well to find Jesus with the Samaritan woman now showed confusion and being puzzled.  What was Jesus talking about?  Did Jesus have a secret stash of food or had someone else delivered food to him? What is this food that we don’t know about?

          Jesus sensing their confusion offered a parable of sorts.  Jesus said, “35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor” (John 4:35-38).

          Jesus drew on words familiar to his disciples that there are four months between planting the seeds and harvesting the fruit or grains of the earth.  But Jesus said, “Look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvest now!”  I believe when Jesus told his disciples to look around Jesus was pointing back in the direction of the town to see people heading their way, to the well, to see and meet the man their believed was the Messiah.  The same village the disciples had just left without exciting or interesting anyone in meeting Jesus was now emptying out and coming toward Jesus.  Seeing this, Jesus said, “38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor” (John 4:38).  Jesus was making clear the food, the sustenance of life, is not found in the market, it is found in the work done because of God.  And that work is to bring the harvest of souls into the kingdom of God.

So how can we apply this passage to our lives?  I think there are three things for us today.

First, and most importantly, we have Jesus’ testimony that he is the Messiah.  Why should we accept what Jesus said about himself?  Let’s consider this.  Jesus would later be brought to trial before the Jewish religious leaders.  At that trial, Jesus would again give testimony that he is the Messiah.  The trial erupted into an angry uproar at Jesus’ claim and the religious leaders condemned Jesus to death because he claimed to be God’s Messiah.  The religious leaders, the best and brightest in all Israel, believed that in sentencing Jesus to death that they were acting as the guardians of faith, standing for purity, and that God would be happy with their behavior. After Jesus’ execution upon the cross and burial in a tomb, God raised Jesus from the dead.  The resurrection of Jesus was the most dramatic way that God could have taken to affirm Jesus’ testimony that he is the Messiah and declare to the Jewish religious leaders that they were completely wrong about Jesus. So our first point is that Jesus is in fact God’s Messiah.  Of that, we can be sure.

Second, we learn that every person has a longing, a yearning to have an inner peace and wholeness.  This is true for you, for me, and for the woman at the well.  We see through the woman at the well that to make herself feel whole she engaged in marriage after marriage and then with an intimate relationship with a man that she had not married.  But her inner longing was not and could never be satisfied by another person.  The woman’s testimony was that when the Messiah came then things would be made right.  And she was right.  After understanding Jesus was the Messiah, the woman at the well was joyous and understood that Messiah she met at the well knew everything about her.  She was now satisfied, and her inner longing had been met.  You and I have that same inner longing for peace within ourselves.  Some of us have pursued getting that longing satisfied through intimate relationships, through one activity or event after another, through social media, through work, or through the continual and unending accumulation of stuff.  None of it satisfies our inner longing.  Only the acceptance of Jesus as not just the Messiah but as Lord and Savior of our life can bring about the inner peace and satisfaction we desire, we need.  Has your longing been satisfied by Christ?

Finally, we learn from this story that the fields are ready for harvest.  Today, perhaps more than ever, there are multitudes of people, friends, family, neighbors, who may know the name of Jesus Christ but have no real idea of what it means that he is the Messiah.  In that little Samaritan village, those closest to Jesus, his disciples, could only manage to buy food from the people who needed to know the Messiah.  It took a woman, who felt her life changed by Christ, to invite her friends, family, and neighbors to come to know Christ.  People need to know the Lord and they need to know that you love them enough that you want them to share His Good News with them. Invite those who do not know God to join you in your joy for God.  Invite those who have become separated from the church to return.  With Advent approaching, we are entering a time of year in which the hearts of the people are stirred toward God.  Those seeds have been sown and it is up to you to reap the harvest.  Invite those you know to join you at church.  If your food is to do the work of Christ, think how blessed and thankful you will be if God works through you to bring another soul to salvation or to bring a wounded Christian back to church. 

We should rejoice and be thankful that we know Jesus, that our longings have been satisfied, and that we have shared with those people closest to us that Jesus is truly the Savior of the world.  Amen and Amen.

For better or worse, the 2024 Presidential Election Day is just hours away.  We are told that this election is the most consequential election in the history of the nation.  We are told that this election season has polarized the citizens of the United States more than any other election in the history of our nation.  We have been told that this election, regardless of the consequences, the losing candidate and supporters will not likely accept the results and that violence, even civil war, may ensue.  Do you believe what we are being told?  Pontius Pilate once asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Unfortunately, Pilate never waited for Jesus to answer that question.

          What is truth in this election season is that social media influencers, political pundits, pollsters, and the news media have sought to slice and dice the American voters into every imaginable category possible.  Projected voters have been divided by gender, race, ethnicity, age, income, red states, blue states, purple states, education, marital status, religious affiliations, and there are probably some additional categories that have escaped my notice.  What is important here is not how many ways Americans have been divided.  What is important here is that there is a massive effort to divide us.  The effort to divide us has been so pervasive and so unrelenting that people who support Candidate A speak of those who support Candidate B as “they” or “them,” and vice versa.  In the process, there becomes a tendency to passionately and sometimes breathlessly ascribe malicious motive to “them,” those who may oppose a candidate.  I have even heard some pastors speak not only glowing in favor about the candidate of their choice but also critically about the candidate they did not favor.  Why is all this division and divisiveness been accepted by so many Americans, including so many Christians?  I believe the answer is found in the response question of Pontius Pilate, “What is truth?” that Pilate never waited to hear.

          Let’s consider the answer to Pilate’s question about truth applied to today’s circumstances and work our way back to what Jesus’ answer to Pilate likely would have been.  The truth today is that neither Candidate A nor Candidate B in the 2024 Presidential Election represents the truth.  The truth is that neither Candidate A nor Candidate B in the 2024 Presidential Election can put or keep you or me on the proper path of life.  The truth is that neither Candidate A nor Candidate B in the 2024 Presidential Election will ever cause you or me to become and continue to be a person of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  And that, my fellow citizens, is the truth applied to today’s circumstances.  These thoughts are not my thoughts.  These thoughts come from the man to whom Pontius Pilate asked, “What is truth?”  That man, Jesus, had spoken the truth and likely would have said something like this to Pilate.  “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). “I and the Father are one“ (John 10:30). “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9b).  “15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15-17a).  God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is undivided.  Neither Candidate A nor Candidate B is Jesus Christ and therefore, neither one of them represents the truth.  Neither Candidate A nor Candidate B is Jesus Christ, and they are not the way to the Father and are not the pathway to life.  Neither Candidate A nor Candidate B is Jesus Christ who sent the Holy Spirit to guide those who would follow Him by transforming their lives to produce the fruit of the spirit which includes love, peace, and joy.

          “What is truth?”  The truth is our salvation, our indivisible identity, is found in the undivided God who is comprised of three persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  That is the truth.  And the blessing the indivisible identity of God is given to every person who believes in the Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  It does not matter by gender, race, ethnicity, age, income, red states, blue states, purple states, education, marital status, and any other categories of division others seek to try and impose upon Christians.  If we hold firmly to the truth, then differing choices we may make between Candidate A or Candidate B, does not reflect a division in our identity as Christians.  Differing choices between Candidate A or Candidate B should not cause us to speak of another Christian as a “they” or a “them.”

          We know this is the truth because Jesus asked and answered an important question that speaks to our identity.  Jesus asked aloud, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he [Jesus] said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48b-50).  Our identity is that we are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who seeks to do the will of the Father.  That is the truth.  If this is the image we hold, that Christians are united by Christ to do God’s will, then we will not allow space between us for others to divide us into groups of “them” and “they.”

          The goodness found when God’s people claim their identity was also expressed in our Scripture reading today, Psalm 133.  We read, “1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).  Some translations use “brothers” in place of God’s people.  Either of the translations points to the coming together of people who hold fast to their belief in God their highest held belief. And that any other beliefs that they may not share are unimportant.  The historical setting of this psalm also points to it as being a song that worshippers sang as they ascended the steps together into the Temple in Jerusalem. It is a piece of Scripture intended to have motion, drawing people from different corners of the Temple complex into a single group to worship the same God.  The psalm is believed to have been written when there were two kingdoms of the Jewish people, and the psalm reminded both camps how pleasant it is when they were all together before God.  The psalm is not an invitation, like many invitations we receive from the world, to believe that it is good and pleasant to come together with everyone who shares a particular political belief or admiration for Candidate A or Candidate B. The psalm is an invitation for believers to come together and participate in a setting that is completely different from what they are experiencing in the world.  And once the worshippers come together, once they come out of the world of division, they discover that being united with brothers and sisters of faith is the reality of life with God.  It is the truth of what God desires for each of us to discover. The psalm reminds us that pleasantness and goodness begin with worship of God.  We are here today, in part, to keep the pleasantness and goodness in our lives because we are beginning the week with the collective worship of God.

          The psalmist, acting as a poet, described the sensation, the feeling, of goodness and pleasantness with terms that were very meaningful to the ancient Jewish worshippers.  The psalmist wrote, “2 It [that is the good and pleasant sensation] is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.  3 It [the good and pleasant sensation] is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion” (Psalm 133:2-3).  These references do not immediately translate to our lives.  But to the original listeners, to those who sang these words together on the steps of the Temple as they walked into worship, there was great meaning.  A precious oil being poured out was an anointing, was a symbol of being blessed by God.  Here that precious oil is so abundant that it is flowing from the top of the head down the face and into the neck of the outer garment.  But the image of the person being anointed is Aaron, the first priest of the Hebrew people, the brother of Moses.  There would be joy for the singers because they would remember that God brought the Hebrew people out of the slavery of Egypt to be His people learning and worshipping under the guidance of Moses, Aaron, and their sister, Miriam. The dews landing upon Mount Zion of the southern kingdom coming from the snow-capped Mount Hermon in the northern kingdom would remind the worshippers that God had blessed the Jewish people as one and that he was calling them to be united by their worship.  The people would have felt good and pleasant singing these words as they entered worship.

          I have little doubt that there are people here today that support Presidential Candidate A and some who support Presidential Candidate B.  And yet the psalm reminds us that it is good and pleasant here today because we worship the same God.  We sing songs of praise to God together.  We prayed for each other.  We would willingly support the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of one another. Why do we do that?  How could we do that?  The simple answer is we cannot or would not do so one our own expect for Christ.  It is Christ who takes away the tension that might exist over candidate selections and makes us a single body.  The Apostle Paul put it this way, “12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).  27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27).  When we ascended the steps and entered this sanctuary we are reminded of the precious blessing of oil God has poured out onto us and the refreshment we receive from being in the presence of those who love us because we are all part of the same body, the body of Christ.  I always feel refreshed after worship.  I always feel I have been reminded of the blessings of God after worshipping with you. This comes about because of the sensation of how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters, God’s people, worship together.

          Finally, the psalmist wrote, “For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore” (Psalm 133:3b).  It is in worship, not in Washington, that we come to realize that God has blessed us with eternal life.  Knowing that we have eternal life removes from us the anxiousness about the next 4 years, 8 years, or longer.  Knowing that we are united in the present and are forever united with God makes our living in a world that is often conflicted and anxious not only possible but makes it good and pleasant.

          What then should we take away from God’s Word today?  I think there are two things we should keep in mind.

          First, the world does not understand the God’s people.  The truth is for God’s people the ultimate authority for our lives is not found in a political party or at the White House or in any political candidate.  The truth is found in Jesus Christ, his commands, and the acceptance of his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins. That is reality.  Everything else that we may be hit with is just snapshots and sound bites designed to make us like the people of this world anxious about their future.  Hold fast to Christ.  Vote or do not vote as you feel led but do not allow your action or the action of another believer in their choice to separate you into “them” and “they.” Join with each other in worship of the one true God and be reminded of the truth.  That Christ has made your life good and pleasant and that nothing can change that unless you waiver in your stand with Christ.

          Second, the world will try everything possible to divide us, to discourage us, and to make us not want to worship together.  Why is that? Jesus explained it this way, “19 This is the verdict [This is the truth]: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:19-21).  Jesus then said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).  The world dearly wants to put out the light.  The world believes that if the light can be extinguished, then truth can be redefined.  We must hold fast to the truth.  The Apostle Paul put it this way, “14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene” (2 Timothy 2:14-18).  Let’s stay with the truth found in God’s Word.

          Adapting some words from a wedding ceremony, I want to close with these thoughts.  If you wish your life to be touched with lasting goodness and pleasantness, cherish those gracious visions which made spring within your hearts during the days of your first acceptance of Christ.  You must never forget nor deny the vision you once saw in Jesus; you must resolve that it be not blotted out nor blurred by the commonplace experiences of life or the efforts of others to divide your thinking. Be unmoved in your devotion and your worship.  Still remain confident and hopeful. Amid the reality of present imperfections, believe in the ideal of goodness and pleasantness in Christ with your brothers and sisters.  You saw it once. It still exists. It is the final truth.  Amen and Amen.

In many churches across the United States, pastors are expected to preach an annual stewardship message asking the faithful to dig deeper into their pockets to give more money to the church.  In the past, whenever I announced the date of Stewardship Sunday, attendance in church would be low that day.  So, I stopped announcing when I would give the stewardship message.  It has been a while since I gave such a message but today let’s talk about stewardship.  But I am not going to speak about money because God did not call you here so that He could separate you from your money.  God called you here for something far more important, far more eternal, far more valuable.  God called you here because He is interested in your soul, not your wallet. 

You and I only have one soul, and it cannot be divided.  So, God is not interested in a tithe, 10% of your soul. God is interested in 100% of your soul. God does not work in fractions when it comes to your soul.  God is in for 100% of your soul or nothing.  So valuable is your soul to God that God has never stopped working for the soul of every person ever born.  The more I dig into the Bible, it seems more evident to me that God is singularly focused. He created the world and humanity in six days and on the seventh God rested.  But since that day of rest, God has worked continually and with the singular focus to preserve and then save the soul of everyone who was born.  God works tirelessly for our souls because only He and He alone can save our souls.  We cannot.  God works without rest for our souls out of the love of a father for his children because he sees, he knows, his children are in danger.  God knows we are in grave danger of harming our souls.  When it comes to our souls, you and I are like toddlers with a sharp knife running through a house waiting to fall upon that blade or stick the blade into the next available electrical wall socket. Do you know that?  Do you believe that?  It’s true.

God, our father, has worked with the singular focus of keeping our souls safe.  To those who would listen to Him, God removed them from danger and brought them into the safety of his hand.  But we are very much like toddlers.  Sometimes the more you chase after a toddler to remove them from harm, the faster they run away, laughing and screeching thinking you are playing with them.  The state of your soul and my soul is not a joke and God is not interested in playing a game when comes to our souls. There should be nothing more serious to you or anyone else in this world than the state of their soul.  And so, we must be good stewards of our soul.  The state of your soul is central to my stewardship message to you today.

I want us to explore stewardship through the words of the Apostle Peter in his first letter.  Peter was, of course, a disciple of Jesus and he was one of two of Jesus’ disciples who were subject of great scrutiny in the arrest of Jesus and immediately thereafter. The other disciple was Judas Iscariot. Now, when you look at Peter and Judas, there are some remarkable similarities between the two men and one remarkable difference.  How were Peter and Judas remarkably similar?  Here are the similarities:

• They were disciples of Jesus.  They learned from Jesus and saw Jesus perform countless miracles and healings.
• They received power from Jesus.  With that power, each man healed others and drove out evil and demonic spirits from people across Galilee.
• They both participated in the Lord’s Supper receiving bread as the body of Jesus and wine as the blood of Jesus.
• They both struggled with human behaviors.  Peter struggled with pride and Judas with greed.
• Jesus predicted that both men would fail him.  Judas betrayed Jesus into the hands of those seeking to arrest him.  Peter cursed and swore an oath that he knew even met Jesus.
• Both men were sorry that they betrayed and denied Jesus.

But one thing separated Peter from Judas.  Judas was sorry and stopped caring about his physical life and his soul.  Judas gave up all sense of stewardship as he ended his physical life and gave his soul away to be condemned.  Peter was sorry and stopped caring about his physical life as well, but Peter continued to care about his soul.  And that is the key difference between Peter and Judas.  For the sake of his soul, Peter repented, received the forgiveness offered by Jesus, and was restored into fellowship with Jesus, and entered eternity with a clean slate.  Peter was a good steward of his soul. 

It was this Peter, this good steward of his soul, who wrote, “1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin” (1 Peter 4:1).  Let’s look at what Peter started out with.  First, Peter said, “Christ suffered in his body” (1 Peter 4:1a). Christ, Jesus, the man Peter followed, denied, and then repented to, that Jesus suffered bodily.  Peter was being mild in his language here when he spoke of Christ’s suffering.  Jesus, God among us, allowed his body to be savagely beaten, nailed to cross, and then allow his body to die to meet God the Father’s singular plan, singular focus, to save the souls of mankind, including Peter, the repentant denier. Peter said when he accepted Christ the man who died for him and rose again from the dead to prove he was God, Peter was done with sin, and all life became about his soul.  In that moment of clarity and that moment of awe for God, Peter was transformed, and Peter willingly gave up his desires of pride and for sinful behaviors and instead, took seriously God’s singular focus to save souls.  Peter said, “2 As a result, they [this includes Peter] do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2).  What is the will of God?  Jesus said, “40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son [Jesus the Christ] and believes in him [Jesus] should have eternal life, and I [Jesus] will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).  Jesus also said, “14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14).  God’s will, in Jesus’ words, is singularly focused on saving your soul and mine. Peter understood that he had received that salvation for his soul and so Peter’s singular focus became sharing the news of Jesus as savior.

Peter, a steward of his soul, also became a steward of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.  Peter followed Jesus’ example of doing what he saw the Father do in bringing about salvation of souls and Peter became a steward of the Gospel of Jesus.  Peter wrote to his readers, “3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They [pagans] are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit” (1 Peter 4:3-6).  Peter was saying, you who believe in Christ have stopped sinning in the body and now you live according to God in the spirit.  This is the Gospel given to us through Christ.  Cherish it.  Preserve it. Share it.  Why must Peter’s listeners cherish, preserve, and share the Gospel?  Because doing so is what a good steward does in fulfilling the will of God that none, no one be lost, meaning that no one’s soul shall be lost because they did not hear the word of God.

Now Peter recognized that the way he received the gospel and came to fully embrace it was not in a classroom or through piece of paper or through some impersonal means.  Instead, Peter received the gospel and was sustained in his commitment to the gospel through an experience with a community of believers.  First, of course, Peter received the gospel through the person of Jesus and then later sustained in the community of disciples and apostles.  Understanding these facts, Peter said to his listeners that they must do two things as part of their stewardship of the gospel.  First, they must find and become a part of a group of believers.  Second, they must contribute part of their physical energy to sustaining that group of believers so that no one tired needlessly as a steward of the gospel.

Peter wrote, “7 The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray” (1 Peter 4:7).  As part of the community, our first action should be to pray for one another.  Prayer, talking to God, regularly, daily, helps to keep our minds focus on His will and the circumstances of others.  Knowing someone is praying for you is a huge source of encouragement.  So, pray for one another.

Peter then said, “8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).  Nothing changes a person’s life like knowing that someone acted on their behalf in love.  Loving someone makes the presence of the invisible God visible.

To prayer and love, Peter continued, “9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9). Hospitality is the sharing of what you have with others without the expectation or requirement that the other return the favor or even say “Thank you.”  I think that is where the “without grumbling” part comes in.  Hospitality without grumbling helps us to remain humble.

To prayer, love, and hospitality, Peter added, “10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10-11a).  Use your gifts and serve, speak, help, and encourage other believers that they do not needlessly tire in living in this sometimes confusing and depleting world. Make the existence of believers a joyful one and one that is not lonely.

Then Peter said something hard.  Peter said take those prayers, love, hospitality, and service and give to God “the glory.”  Give to God all the credit for anything and everything you do.  Why should you do that?  Because Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14).  In giving the glory to God, we show that the strength for our efforts comes from God and that we do these things for others as an expression of the joy and peace we have because God has saved our souls.

What then do we do with all Peter has said here?  I think there are three things for us to 

First, be a good to your soul and accept without reservation or hesitation the salvation offered to you by Christ.  You cannot genuinely help someone else in life unless first your soul rests in the palm of God’s hand.  Do not guess or wonder if you, your soul, is saved.  Do not wait for a more convenient time to become a good steward. Peter said to his listeners, “The end of all things is near.”  That statement is always true when applied to our lives.  We do not know when our physical life will end.  Do not wait to accept Christ.

Second, be a good steward of the good news, the gospel message, that God through Jesus saved your soul and that your life, regardless of however many years it may be, has been changed to be eternally with God.  In being a good steward of the gospel be willing to share with others what you have done and why you did that.

Third, be a good steward of the talents and gifts you have received to strengthen and enrich the lives of other believers.  Help each other with common burdens of life by praying, loving, offering hospitality, and serving.  Do not make your Christian life about coming to church for an hour a week and then living as though the people in this room are on their own.  Make their burdens your own.

To me, the stewardship message should never be about money.  The stewardship message should be about God and what he has done for us.  The stewardship message should be about the salvation of our souls and being good stewards of that good news by sharing our joy with others.  The stewardship message should be about using our talents to serve and to love others to make our daily burdens bearable.  If we can just be good stewards of our souls, the gospel message, and the care with give to other believers, if we can do that, then are finances will be just fine and will remain the least of our concern.  Amen and Amen.

Last week, we began looking at Twisted Scripture, which are sayings that are accepted by many as from the Bible but are not.  The example of Twisted Scripture that I used last week was a misquotation of the words found in Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth in which people believe that the Bible says, “God will not give you more than you can handle.”  But we now know the actual words of God are, “13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Twisted Scripture.

But Twisted Scripture can also come about by correctly citing the words of Scripture and then applying an twisted interpretation of those words.  The result of a misinterpretation of Scripture is the same as misquoting Scripture. In both cases, an altered meaning is given to the Word of God and spiritual harm follows.

Today, I would like us to explore the Twisted Scripture from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which reads, “1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1).  In many cases, people use a shorthand expression of this verse, “Judge not.” This verse, “Do not judge or you too will be judged,” has become one of the more often quoted verses of the Bible on social media, especially, by nonbelievers.  In case you were wondering, the most often quoted, or most popular verse of the Bible by believers worldwide, remains John 3:16, “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The popularity of quoting Matthew 7:1, “Judge not,” is a recent trend.  Historically, Matthew 7:1 was not well known inside the church and outside the church and was not quoted very often in literature.  But now that verse has become very often quoted.  It is not by accident that the “judge not” verse has been often quoted, it is intentional and reflects a change in social morality. 

A few weeks ago, we spoke about whether human society believed in objective morality?  We might recall that objective morality is the idea that right and wrong exist; that right and wrong are not a matter of opinion.  Atheists do not believe objective morality exists.  Atheists believe that we cannot say that any behavior is right or wrong.  Instead, atheists believe that ever decision is simply a matter of personal preference, including to say that such events as the Holocaust, the killing of millions of people by the Nazis in World War 2, cannot be said to be either wrong, bad, good, or right.  Therefore, the atheists make the claim since right and wrong are a matter of personal preference, then no one can sit in judgement over another.  With a rise in atheism comes the rise in awareness and popularity of the Bible verse “1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1).  Therefore, atheists believe that Christians are being unchristian if anything they say sounds like a judgment and they thus demand Christian remain silent.  And many Christians believe the atheists interpretation of Scripture and are silenced.  And when atheists, those who do not believe in the existence of God, are allowed to interpret the Bible for us, we can be assured that they will create a case of Twisted Scripture.

          But should atheists be allowed to tell us what the Bible says means?  Shouldn’t the Church be able to reject Biblical interpretations by atheists? Seems logical to me that any interpretation of the Bible by an atheist should be rejected.  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  There are people within the church itself who seek to align themselves with atheists rather than holding firm to the Word of God.  For today, we will consider such individuals Progressive Christians who generally believe three things.

1. Christianity is a lifestyle, not a set of beliefs.
2. Social justice is inseparable from Christianity.
3. There is “no one true faith.”

In short, there is probably greater alignment between atheists and Progressive Christians than between Progressive Christians and evangelical Christians.  As a result, we have people outside the church, atheists, as well as people seemingly inside the church, Progressive Christians, applying meanings to God’s Word that were never intended and thus creating many cases of Twisted Scripture and thus spiritual harm.

          The case of Twisted Scripture I want to explore today is the first verse of Matthew 7:1, “1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1).  These are Jesus’ words and therefore we must be very careful to follow them.  But what do these words say?  The atheists and Progressive Christians would say that Jesus was clear that we must never make any judgement, any decision about the conduct of others, that might highlight any behavior on the part of someone else that may be inappropriate, self-harming, or biblically wrong. 

          Following along these lines about judgment, I read an article recently, in which the author said there are five signs that Christians are killing the Church and all of them relate to judgment.  The author said, Christians are killing the church because:

1. They don’t love; they judge.  Said another way, “The presence of judgment almost always guarantees an absence of love.”

2. They don’t help; they judge.  The thought is that people who judge almost never help and people who help almost never judge? 

3. They lack humility.  Judgment is grounded in arrogance.

4. They don’t pray for others; they judge.  You can either judge you or pray for you, but I cannot do both.

5. They don’t evangelize; they judge. If you want to end your witness to nonbelievers, then be judgmental about their behaviors.

There are some parts of what the author said which are true.  But from his observations, the author concluded, “Judgment is fundamentally incompatible with authentic Christian faith.”  Instead, he argued that Christians should come along side all people regardless of the beliefs and behaviors of the other and seek to befriend and ally themselves with others.  “1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1), has been interpreted to mean, “The work of reconciliation should be valued over making judgments.”  Again, there is some truth to this statement, but this interpretation brings a twist into Scripture that was never intended and is spiritually harmful to Christians.

          Now, there is truth in the interpretation that we must value the work of reconciliation because we are called to be reconciled.  For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, the same sermon that Jesus gave us “1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1), Jesus also said if we have something against a brother or sister and we come into worship, we should “24 Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24).  “The work of reconciliation should be valued,” and, in fact, reconciliation, is an indispensable part of the fabric of Christianity.  But does the call to reconcile also mean we cannot judge?

          Let’s go back to the word of God from Jesus’ lips through the Sermon on the Mount.  The sermon is presented in three chapters of the Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5, 6, and 7.  Chapter 5 began the conversation, which is primarily about righteousness, that is living to the principles that underpin the Law, the Word of God.  Chapter 6 then moved into Jesus’ warning people not to display their righteousness as a badge for others to see and applaud their efforts. Jesus said this is what hypocrites do. Jesus said,

• 1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” (Matthew 6:1a)
• 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others.” (Matthew 6:2a)
• 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.” (Matthew 6:3a)
• 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting” (Matthew 6:16a).

Jesus was emphasizing that His disciples must not act like the as religious hypocrites of that day, namely the Pharisees, by putting their righteousness on display for others to see and for others to admire. For religious hypocrites look down on others and elevate themselves.  The key concept to being a disciple of Jesus is not thinking or acting as though you are better than anyone else but that you are better off than anyone else; not better but better off.  Why are Christians better off?  Because Jesus, God in the flesh, who stands as Judge of all, came to us instead as Savior offering all who would belief salvation.  When we accept Christ as Savior we are freed from the judgment of sin and therefore, we are not better a nonbeliever, but we are certainly better off.

          Then in that same sermon, Jesus said, “1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2).  Said another way, “Do not take your righteousness, the topic of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and do as the hypocrites do and judge others as being less righteous than you are, thus turning your righteousness into self-righteousness.  If you do, you will be disappointed because you, yourself, will be judged accordingly.”

          Jesus explained his concern using a humorous parable. After Jesus said, “1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1), he then offered this parable. “3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5).  That speck of dust represents a need to reconcile with God over a way of thinking, speaking or acting that is not in keeping with God’s Word, that is sin.  Jesus’ point was that there was nothing wrong with correctly concluding, judging if you will, that your brother was having a spiritual problem, here described as a speck of sawdust.  But you cannot be so arrogant as to believe you can help your brother reconcile with God when you are separated from God for the same reason, sin, only worse so!  That is what hypocrites do.  Jesus said first, reconcile yourself with God, get rid of the sin, then help your neighbor.  Discerning spiritual problems, making judgements, is not the problem.  The problem is arrogantly pretending to be righteous, when you are not, and judging others for the same behavior for which you are also guilty.

          So the idea that we must not judge, as used by atheists and Progressive Christians, is not what Jesus meant and makes the case for Twisted Scripture.  We must judge what is good and pleasing to the will of God for ourselves.  We must be willing to see others trapped by sin and not walk by to avoid being considered judgmental.  We must offer help without arrogantly condemning people.

          Now you might be saying, “Pastor, I appreciate that you shared your opinion but why should I believe that it is okay to judge without condemning?”  That is a good question, and it is a question you should ask.  I believe the answer is found in the words of Jesus.  Here are a few examples of Jesus calling us to judge.

• 15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). In the same sermon, Jesus cautioned his disciples to judge the words and deeds of preachers to see if they were false in their beliefs.  And today, there are plenty of wolves in the pulpits.
• 15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over” (Matthew 18:15).  We must be able to identify sin and help each other correct our behaviors.  It is a wonderful experience when we are part of the reconciliation of a brother or sister to the Lord but it required judgment to help.
•  24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (John 7:24).  We must be able to make judgments as to what thoughts, words, and behaviors are spiritually and biblically sound and which ones are not.

          Twisted Scripture by misinterpretation can lead us astray from what we are called to do.  We must know God’s Word and we must know what the words mean.  “Judge not,” is a rapidly rising and popular expression because people believe it insulates them from making all choices on personal preference.

          God has not taken away anyone’s free will to make choices of personal preference including the choice to sin.  But we have the truth of God’s Word and we so enjoy it with the most popular Bible verse, “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  This makes Christians better off.  But the fuller quotation of the thoughts of John 3:16 also include these words, “17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:17-18).  God sent Jesus as our Savior because God knows without Jesus we will stand before Him as Judge.  I am sure each of us can judge who among our family and friends have accepted Christ and who still stands in condemnation.  We can and are called to make that judgment.  And once we make that judgment, we have been given the ministry of reconciliation to share with them the good news of Christ, without the arrogance of being better than them, but with love of knowing they too could be better off now and for all eternity.  Let us then do as Christ commands and judge correctly.  Amen and Amen.  

          I wanted to share with you some information about what Americans know about the Bible.  A recent survey showed that Americans generally could not recite the Ten Commandments.  The best was that a slight majority of people were able to name five of the Ten Commandments.  Shall we take the test on the Ten Commandments?

I – You shall have no other gods but me.

II - You shall not make unto you any graven images.

III - You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

IV - You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

V - Honor your mother and father.

VI - You shall not murder.

VII - You shall not commit adultery.

VIII - You shall not steal.

IX - You shall not bear false witness.

X - You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

          The survey also reported that 12% of the people believed that Joan of Arc was Noah’ wife.  Joan of Arc is a national heroine of France, a peasant girl who, believing that she was acting under divine guidance, led the French army into battle in the 1400’s.

          The survey also found that 50% of Americans believed that Sodom and Gomorrah were married. Sodom and Gomorrah were, of course, cities destroyed by God for their wickedness.

          Now the other interesting fact is that the Bible was still the best-selling book in American in 2023 with 88% of all Americans owning one or more copies of the Bible.  The problem seems to be that we don’t open the book often enough and read it.  In not understanding what the Bible says, we become susceptible to others telling us what it says and that often leads to what is called Twisted Scripture.

          One of the most common expressions of Twisted Scripture that I have encountered reads this way, “God will never give you more than you can handle.”  This saying has been said so many times that those words are found in all sorts of merchandise such as greeting cards, coffee cups, t shirts, and wall hangings.  These words are often expressed to people who are grieving the loss of a loved one as a means of encouraging them through grief.  I can tell you almost every grieving person I have counseled has come to hate those words.  And they should hate those words because those words are wrong and are not found in the Bible.  Not only is this saying wrongly attributed to the Bible, but the saying is spiritually destructive to Christians.

          “God will never give you more than you can handle,” comes from a misquotation from the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth.  In that letter, Paul was covering a whole host of topics with one topic being the sin of idolatry committed by Hebrew ancestors. What is idolatry?  Idolatry goes back to our list of Ten Commandments in which the first and second commandments say, 

I – You shall have no other gods but me.

II - You shall not make unto you any graven images.

          Idolatry worshipping and loving anything or anyone more than God alone.

          Paul also addressed the sin of sexual immorality that had been committed by the ancestors of those in the Corinth church.  Paul reminded his listeners that those who engaged in the sinful behavior of idolatry and sexual immorality were punished severely.

          Now from this posture of addressing sins committed long ago.  Paul wrote, “13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). It is from these words of the Bible that we have today the Twisted Scripture, “God will not give you more than you can bear.”  There are here some remarkable differences in what the Bible says and what the Twisted Scripture says.

          Let’s take a close look at what the Scripture, the Word of God, says.  Once again, Paul wrote, “13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Immediately, we notice the subject matter of the Word of God is temptation.  And we immediately notice that the Twisted Scripture phrase, “God will never give you more than you can handle,” does not mention temptation at all.

What is temptation?  There are many definitions of temptation but the one I want us to use today is that “Temptation is the act of being enticed to disobey God’s will, which is to sin.”  We need to use some care here to make sure we remember that temptation and sin are related subjects, but they are not the same thing.  Temptation is not sin, and sin is not temptation. 

As to temptation, the enticement toward sin can come from the world around us, from another person, from within our own self, or from Satan.  Paul said to the church, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.” Said most simply, “Any temptation you and I face has already been faced by your ancestors.”  That was true when Paul wrote those words, and it is true today as well.  It may be easier with the Internet for us to receive some temptations than in the past, but they are not new temptations.  There is nothing unique about the temptations Paul’s listeners would have faced or the temptations we face today.

          Moreover, no one is above being tempted to disobey God.  Even sinless people were tempted.  Eve and Adam, in the Garden of Eden, were sinless people.  One day, while Eve was minding her own business, the serpent, Satan, tempted, enticed, Eve to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Jesus, another sinless person, after his baptism, was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.  There Jesus fasted for 40 days.  At the end of his fast, Satan tempted Jesus first to turn stones into bread for Jesus to feed himself.  Satan then tempted Jesus to jump off the Temple in Jerusalem to prove God’s angels would catch Jesus before he struck the ground.  Then for a third time Satan tempted Jesus by enticing Jesus to bow before Satan and receive in return all the kingdoms of the earth.  Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation, sinned, and lost their state of sinlessness.  Jesus did not succumb to Satan’s temptations and remained sinless.  Everyone is subject to temptation but being tempted does not make you a sinner.

          Let’s go back to Paul’s words again, “13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”  For the moment, I want us to focus on that first phrase of the second sentence of verse 13, “And God is faithful.”  In the Greek language of Paul’s letter, he wrote, “Theos pistos.” “God is faithful.”  Paul’s words here are unqualified, meaning that God is not faithful in listening to prayers, or in caring about his creation, or in helping in times of trouble, or granting mercy, or anything else we might think about.  Paul is saying some beautiful and life sustaining words here, “God is faithful,” without exception or reservation.  Paul’s words are not new here.  These words are found elsewhere in Scripture.  Such as:

• The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
• For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. (Psalm 33:4)
• Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.  (Psalm 119:90)

I just want you to think about those words for a moment, “God is faithful,” “Theos pistos.”  Who is God faithful to?  God is faithful to you and to me.  Let those words wrap around you for a moment and feel the security that those words bring to us.  “Theos pistos.”  “God is faithful.”

          Again, we note that in the Twisted Scripture phrase, “God will never give you more than you can handle,” the idea that God is faithful is never mentioned.  That is just so sad.

In recognizing the comfort of the words that “God is faithful,” we return to the words from Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, “13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”  There should be great joy in these words because what they say is that whenever we are tempted, that is whenever we are enticed to disobey God, then in that precise moment God is there with us.  Why is God with us in temptation?  Because in that moment of temptation, God, who is faithful, is not going to let us be tempted in such a way that we feel we have no alternative but to sin.

          In In 1969, Comedian Flip Wilson introduced to the world, Geraldine, the fictional wife of a preacher. The character, Geraldine, had a catchphrase, “The Devil made me do it!”  The idea that the devil made me do it is unscriptural.  The devil, Satan, certainly tempts us but the devil is powerless to make us disobey God.  Again, why is that?  Back to Paul’s words again, “13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he [God] will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

          All the power, 100% of the power over the temptations that come to us is held by God who stands right next to us whenever we are tempted.  But.  There is always a but.  But God does not use any of that power to make the temptation just disappear.  If a bottle of alcohol represents a temptation to you, God is not going to smash that bottle in front of you to end the temptation.  He could but that is not what Scripture says God will do.  Scripture does not say that God will make temptation go away. Instead, God uses His power to provide us a way out in the very face of the temptation itself.

          The Twisted Scripture phrase, “God will never give you more than you can handle,” mentions nothing about the power of God that is available to us if we would just reach out to God.  Even worse, that phrase says God is the one who has given us the burden to be handled in the first place.  I cannot tell you the number of grieving people I have counseled in the last ten years who have struggled with this expression.  Because they rightly ask, “Why would God burden me by taking away my loved one?”  “Why would God think I can stand losing my loved one because I can’t imagine one more day of this misery.”  “And if God gave me this burden, this death, why would I want to turn to him for healing?” Twisted Scripture is spiritually damaging.  True Scripture, the true word of God, however, tells us God does not give the problem, here, temptation.  Instead, God faithfully gives the solution, a way out of temptation.  And remember we can take comfort that in speaking of temptation, Paul says without qualification, without exception, “God is faithful,” “Theos pistos,” reassuring us that God will be present in all the trials of our life, not to inflict them upon us, not to make them disappear, but to guide us through those trials.

          In the Book of James, we would see this point reinforced.  James wrote, “13 When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:13-15).  Temptation does not come from God.  Burdens do not come from God.  Jesus made this point in when he said, “28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from meL, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).  Jesus does not give burden.  Jesus gives rest.

          “God is faithful.” When we are tempted God will give us a way out of that temptation so that we do not sin.  So, in every temptation God is present.  In every temptation, God provides a way out.  In every temptation from the world, from within ourselves, or from Satan there comes with it a spiritual test from God created by the presence of temptation.  That test is, “Will we trust God by reaching out and take his way out of the temptation?”  Will we grab onto that 100% of the power over temptation by reaching out to God?

          Therefore, for every temptation that comes to us, there also comes with it a test of faith to reach out to God.  James, brother of the Lord, Jesus, wrote, “12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).  Every temptation we face will come to an end. That temptation will end either with sin, because we disobeyed God and followed the temptation, or it will result in coming closer to God because we passed the test and took the path and drew in the power of that our faithful God created for us to escape the temptation.

          Twisted Scripture is spiritually damaging.  To believe that ““God will never give you more than you can handle,” is to believe God is the source of all manner of evil and bad in the world. This is simply wrong because God is faithful to you and to me.  God is faithful.  “Theos pistos.”  God is faithful.  Amen and Amen. 

          What does God require of you?  He has told you.  Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.  We spoke two weeks ago about what it means to act justly and concluded that to act justly one must approach life with an uncorrupted heart seeking to do what is right without regard to favoritism toward anyone.  Last week we spoke about what it means to love mercy and concluded that we must seek, look, for those opportunities in which we can release others from situations they cannot free themselves.  And so we must forgive offenses against us.  We must enter the lives of those who are alone and those who are hopeless.  We must share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who stand at the very gate of hell. All these things we can do if we first love the mercy God has granted us through the salvation we have received through the completed work of Jesus Christ upon the cross.  Today, we will talk about what it means to walk humbly with God.

          These commands of God, to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God come from the voice of a man named Micah, the prophet.  Micah was called upon by God to read a charge against the people of God, the nation of Israel.  God saw that “11 Israel’s leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money” (Micah 3:11).  Israel had become corrupt.  The leaders were taking advantage of their positions of power, judges ruled by who brought the bigger bribe, priests taught but only if they were paid the right price, and prophets of God had become fortune tellers. Israel no longer believed in transcendent morality, that is morality from God.  Instead, Israel had become a nation in which everyone determined for themselves what was right, what was wrong, what was fair, and what was moral.

          Micah’s message to the people was that they must repent and return to the ways of God by returning to justice, mercy, and walking humbly with God.  What then does it mean to walk humbly?  The Hebrew words here are yālaḵ (ya-lack) ṣānaʿ(sa-nawh), walk humbly.  Firstly, the word yālaḵ (ya-lack), from which we get walk, means literally or figuratively to walk on your feet, or to move, to go, or to come.  We can understand this sense of motion because we walk in some manner every day.  Secondly, the word ṣānaʿ(sa-nawh), from which we get humbly, means to be modest and meek.  The word ṣānaʿ(sa-nawh), is used only one other time in the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament, in Proverbs, “2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility (ṣānaʿ(sa-nawh)), comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).  Pride then is presented as the opposite of humble. The combined effect of these Hebrew words, yālaḵ (ya-lack) ṣānaʿ(sa-nawh), is to suggest movement in a gentle and lowly manner not as the leader of the band, loud and proud, but in a reflective manner, waiting for guidance from another as to the next step.  The movement is done with a humility, a profound sense of being in the presence of someone significant.  Who is the someone significant?  It is God, 'ĕlōhîm, el-o-heem'.

          I want to try to give some sense to this expression of walking humbly with God through two related illustrations, both involving being rescued from drowning.  The first illustration will deal with the sense of walking or moving at the direction of another.  The second illustration will deal with the sense of humility.

          The first illustration comes from basic training in the United States Navy.  Part of the basic training involves water survival skills. The recruits, wearing their uniforms, are instructed to jump into a large swimming pool and to make their way from one end of the pool to the other.  This task is challenging because they are wearing their duty uniform.  The recruits are told that should they find themselves exhausted and in fear of drowning, then they should signal the lifeguards along the edge of the pool.  The lifeguards will then extend a long metal pole to the recruit.  The recruit is to grab onto the pole and allow the lifeguard to pull the recruit to the edge of the pool and thus safety.  But if at any time in that rescue process, the recruit pulls on the pole being held by the lifeguard, the lifeguards are instructed to let go of the pole.  The effect is the recruit will again flounder in the water only now holding onto a large metal pole. 

This rescue process teaches the recruit that in moving to safety they must allow the one who is safe to guide the one who is struggling to safety.  This illustration helps us to understand that the command in Micah 6:8 to walk, yālaḵ (ya-lack), must be seen as allowing ourselves to follow or be led by one who is in the position of safety.  We know this sense movement toward safety from the 23rd Psalm, “1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3).  There is a sense that the psalmist is following and being led to safety carefully and thoughtfully by the one who is safe.

The second illustration helps us understand the significance of being humble and, as I said, this illustration also involves a water rescue. Suppose now you are on a boat in the ocean, you fall overboard, and for whatever reason you are not able to swim. Another person comes along, and you grab his hand, and you realize that person, holding on to you is keeping you from drowning.  In that instant of realization, you would then both love and fear the person holding you. You love him because you are being held up by him.  And in the same instant, you fear him for if he lets go, you will perish. 

This illustration helps us to understand what it means to be humbled. To be humble is to have that mixture of love and fear coursing through your body as you are in the presence of one who holds your life in the balance.

And so, to walk humbly with God, is to hold on and allow God to move you carefully to safety as you experience a love for Him as Savior and a fear of Him for his ultimate power over you.  It is this sense that Micah is trying to get across to when he said it is good that you should walk humbly with your God.  Said another way, we need to trust God.

Why then do so many people, including many Christians, walk on their own or want to walk with God and try to do so without humility?  The simplest explanation I can offer is that humanity, including you and me, understand what Eve desired in the Garden of Eden.  Scripture tells us that in the Garden, Eve saw the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  This is the fruit that she and Adam were not to eat.  Eve saw the fruit as pleasing to the eye and good for food.  There is nothing wrong with that.  But Eve also saw the fruit as desirable for gaining wisdom, that is to be just like God.  And so, she ate the fruit as did Adam.  Eating the fruit is like pulling the pole out of the hand of your rescuer. Eating the fruit and believing you are like God is to lose your sense of love and fear of God.  All humility is gone and is replaced by pride.  Pride, the desire to be like God, is at the root of all evil and sin.  Prideful people do not have a desire to walk with God and do not have a love and fear of God because in pride they want equality with God.

And despite humanity’s the lack of humility and the desire to set its own path, God remains good, and God remains faithful.  God had shown what was good, that is to walk humbly with God. He did this through teachings of his judges, kings, and prophets and then he did it through his own son.  The Apostle Paul described Jesus and his relationship to the Father.  Paul wrote, “[Jesus] 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he [Jesus] made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  8 And being found in appearance as a man, he [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient [to God] to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8).  Jesus, who was with God in the beginning and through whom all things had been created, came to earth and lived a life obediently walking humbly with God. 

Jesus went where God wanted him to go and Jesus did what Jesus saw God doing.  Jesus spoke the words that God spoke to Him through the Holy Spirit.  And what was the response from God to the way Jesus walked with God?  God said to those who had ears to here, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).  Jesus was walking humbly with God, following God’s desires and ways.  Jesus displayed perfect humility before God and therefore, Jesus could say, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

Without humility, “there can be no true abiding in God’s presence or experiencing of His favor and the power of His Spirit; without humility there is no abiding in faith or love or joy or strength.  Humility is the only soil in which virtue takes root; a lack of humility is the explanation for every defect and failure.  Humility is not so much a virtue along with the others, but is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God and allows Him, as God, to do all.”  (Andrew Murray, Humility, pg.17).

To walk humbly before God is not an easy thing to do, in part because of our nature, and in part because our culture is awash in pride. The marketing strategy for many products encourage us to buy it because we will be proud to use it.  Higher education uses pride infused words as more knowledge is acquired – master’s degree, doctoral degree.  Society envies those individuals in powerful positions of government because power brings out pride.  Even whole segments of our society claim an entire month to celebrate pride in who they are, with Pride Month.  Every step we take to express pride is one step further away from God.

What then are we to do?  We must come to see ourselves as helpless and powerless, because in the end that is what we are.  I was thinking the other day how we can be so proud of accomplishments and our possessions. Someone might say to you, “Come look at my beautiful car or see my magnificent home.”  And the car and the home can be beautiful and magnificent but does that person really own them?  You see, immediately upon death, that person no longer owns anything. Upon their death we say, “That was their car or was their home.”  All the pride in those possessions evaporates with their last breath.  They are now a spiritual being only and are helpless to control what eventually happens to those prized possessions here on earth. The time we can control or believe we can control things on earth is limited and we are helpless to stop the inevitable end of our control.

We have heard it said, and likely have said it ourselves that, “Life is short.”  And life is short.  In that expression, there is a realization about the brevity of life and there is an acknowledgement of helplessness in that expression.  But perhaps the next time someone says to us, “Life is short,” we ought to say in response, “Yes, I know.  That is why I chose to make my life eternal.”  God has given us the opportunity and done everything necessary for us to live eternally not briefly.  All we need to do is to reach out and hold onto Him.  We must recognize God’s gift and not try to be God, as if we are going to pull the rescue pole out of God’s hands.  We must recognize that the difference between living briefly and living eternally is God and God alone.  We should live life on earth with that odd mixture of love and fear recognizing that it is God’s hand, strong and eternal, that keeps us above the water. It is by God’s hand that we can say, “Life is short.  That is why I chose to make my life eternal.”

This brings us to a deeper understanding that to walk humbly with God is not just a command of what is good to do, it is also a embodies a gift of eternal perspectives and eternal life.  To walk humbly with God is to imitate Jesus by moving through the full range of human experiences with the assurance of God’s presence and then to move seamlessly into eternity when our journey on earth is done.  To walk humbly with God is good.  It is very good.  Amen and Amen.