This morning we are continuing on with our Sermon from a Sack theme. Visual aids can be helpful in connecting physical concepts, tangible things…with spiritual things. We see the physical all day long, but behind it, there is the spiritual. There are the greater, deeper things that God wants to get across to us. So each message I’m pulling out an object that relates to the story at hand. We’re also continuing to look at passages in Jeremiah. God was so good to give Jeremiah explicit instructions on what object lesson to use. He didn’t have a book on creative sermon illustrations. He just had God and his willingness to do what God told him.

Today we will read the scripture as the story unfolds. 

Let’s begin with verse 1-2

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.”

Jeremiah 18:1-2 NIV

Jeremiah receives a direct message, a personal message from the Lord. “Go to this specific place.” God doesn’t tell Jeremiah everything. The only other detail is that that location is where he will get the Lord’s Message.

Have you ever gotten a sense you needed or wanted to go to some location?

Maybe you knew it was a place you could draw near to hearing from God, maybe you didn’t until you were there. What was that place? __________________

For me, there were various places. In college, I would go to the small music practice rooms in the Fine Arts Building. I am not skilled at piano by any shape of the imagination, but I know notes well enough to play a little by ear. So in my times of stress, distress, and confusion I would go into that closed room, lock the door and pluck away at those keys. It opened my heart and gave me time to deal with whatever I was facing.

Maybe the place you go is your favorite chair or couch, with bible and notepad in hand. Maybe a pen and paper to write down what you hear from God. Maybe a cup of coffee, tea, or soda by your side as well. I think we all need some time alone with our thoughts and with God. Surely he can speak to us in the midst of a crowded area, but there is just something clarifying about being isolated from distractions. It can help take away the question of “Is God really saying that to you?” In the quiet stillness, there is very little doubt when God speaks.

So Jeremiah is told to go and  in verse 3 it says:  

3 So I went down to the potter’s house,

Jeremiah follows those instructions. The interesting thing about a word from God is when he gives you specifics, i.e. where you will receive a word from Him…you CAN’T force it anywhere else. I know this as it relates to me and sermon writing. I know when I’ve plowed on with a theme passed when God has said “That’s enough” or “Your choosing entertaining topics over biblical ones. Not a great call.” I find I hear that when I hit “A Wall.” I can’t seem to go any farther with a topic and the instruction or information from the passage doesn’t even make sense to me…the communicator! Why should I pass it along and make others even more confused. That’s usually when I stop, pray some more and try reading other passages.

We find clarity when we go where God wants us to go.

Verse 3 continues with Jeremiah’s observations:

“…and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Pottery 101

Here’s the moment you probably saw coming. I have in the sack today: clay. We found several fun colors of oven baked clay at Hobby Lobby the other day. They have all kinds of clay for different artistic pursuits. Air Dry, Never dries out clay, oven baked and the kind that we are most likely familiar with when we see pottery at the store is kiln-fired pottery. We will talk about baking the clay here in a few minutes, but let’s start where the potter starts: A plain hunk of clay.

There’s nothing really special about this clay. Sure it has color, but other than that…if I put it in the oven right now, it could become a paperweight, and that’s about it. But if I pitch, and squish, and smoosh…I can form it into something other than a paper weight. Jeremiah sees the potter making a pot. There are a few techniques in making a pot or a dish. You can get a wheel to spin the clay on, get it nice and wet and hold your fingers and your hands just right so the pot begins to form through pressure and centrifugal force. Another technique is the coil method. You roll long strands of clay, (like a snake or french fry) and you use some of your other clay to make a flat, round base. Then you start wrapping the coil along the outline of the base, going back over the previous piece of coil as you get to it. As you go along, you’ll want to score (or make hash marks on the clay so it sticks together, also applying a little moisture.) This helps bond the pieces together when they are baked. 

The Key thing about pottery is that you are making something useful or pretty out of something that is not.

Sometimes when you begin making a piece, you discover “Something’s not quite right.” I would venture to say that most times when this happens is because something structural has gone wrong. The problem with a structural problem in a piece of pottery is that no matter how much you work with it, shaping it to counterbalance that weakness in the structure…the weakness still remains. 

Clay has some amazing properties. Until it’s dried and hardened, it still has hope of being remade. The potter Jeremiah watched working in this chapter takes that pot he was working on…this shaped, unfired clay, and smashed is back down into a hunk of shapeless clay. Then he makes something new. He doesn’t try to make the same pot, but a new one! And the scripture says he shaped “it as seemed best to him.” 

That’s what potters do. They pull the potential of a pot or cup or container out of a lifeless hunk of clay. Let’s look at verse 5…it says: 

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.

Jeremiah 18:5-6 NIV

Israel…can’t I do the same with you? Remake you, make you a new as it pleases me? It’s important to note: He says “…clay in the hand of the potter.” In the Hand. A hunk of clay just sitting there isn’t going to become anything except dried out. But if the clay is in my hands, I can do something with it. God says the same to Israel. If you are in my hand I can make you and mold you how I see if. If you are just sitting there, outside my will? You’ll just dry out. At best, you’ll be a paperweight. Let’s read on starting with verse 7.

7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

Jeremiah 18:7-10 NIV

We need no more evidence of this than the story of Jonah and Nineveh. Jonah knew God would be merciful, that’s one reason he didn’t want to go to Nineveh. He wanted the people to be destroyed for their great wickedness. But when Jonah finally declared to the city that they would be destroyed, they repented and God relented. He didn’t bring on the destruction he’d planned. The flipside is very evident in scripture as well. Israel and Judah didn’t honor God. They worshipped useless idols and sought after gods rather than Yahweh. Though God had planned and proclaimed good things for them, they were led into slavery, captivity, and exile. Everytime the people of God don’t follow God’s plans, they are like a pot telling the potter, “No a little more off the side.”

The Potter doesn’t need feedback from the pot he is forming.

He can smash it to a formless hunk and start over again.

11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you.

Jeremiah 18:11 NIV

WE’RE TOAST

STOP. So if that’s all the people Jeremiah spoke to heard, they’d say “OH NO! We’re doomed. Let’s just keep on sinning. Keep on getting deeper into evil. However, If they actually listened to the previous statements concerning how God operates…Being merciful to those who repent, reconsider giving out promised blessings when blessed nations go sour… They would not be surprised by his next words. Let’s continue with verse 11.

So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’

Jeremiah 18:11c

God is telling each individual: You need to change. Not some systemic, societal thing…but each individual taking responsibility to say “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I will change my ways and actions.”    Sometimes knowing the inner workings of the heart is a blessing and a curse. Here God knows exactly how they will respond. Verse 12:

12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.’”

Jeremiah 18:12 NIV

Ok. This is God being very “on-the-nose.” Nobody proclaims they are stubborn. Stubborn people usually say, “I’m not stubborn, you’re stubborn.” Or “It’s not being stubborn because…I’m right and you’re not!” Here, God wants to make a point. By their actions and attitude of their hearts, they are saying “I desire what I want and nothing’s going to change that.”

13 Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“Inquire among the nations:

    Who has ever heard anything like this?

A most horrible thing has been done

    by Virgin Israel.

Ask around! Have you ever heard of a people so stubborn they would say “I’m so stubborn, I’m not going to change my ways, even given the chance!” He continues ins verse 14: 

Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Do its cool waters from distant sources ever stop flowing?

Jeremiah 18:14 NIV

If you didn’t figure it out, there are a LOT of rhetorical questions by God in the Bible. This is one of them. “Do mountains have snow? Does water flow?” Basically asking, “does the water cycle in Lebanon cease?” The answer: NO. It’s Consistent. Dependable. If that force of nature is dependable…what is it compared to? Let’s look at verse 15.

15 Yet my people have forgotten me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths.

They made them walk in byways, on roads not built up. 16 Their land will be an object of horror and of lasting scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will shake their heads. 17 Like a wind from the east, I will scatter them before their enemies; I will show them my back and not my face in the day of their disaster.”

Jeremiah 18:15-17 NIV

This last part really hurts. “Show them my back” makes me think of the expression to “turn your back to someone.” It’s this idea of disowning them. Perhaps the more important element here is what they are missing out on:“I won’t show them my face.”

God’s Blessing

When I was at Olivet, I sang in Orpheus Choir. It was our tradition to finish each and every concert with the song “The Lord Bless You and Keep you.” It’s based on Numbers 6:24-26.

24 ‘“The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace.”’

Twice in those 3 verses God’s face being toward or on someone was a GOOD thing. Something to bless someone with.

You know the feeling of disrespect. Someone looks away from you when talking to you. Perhaps mutters something as they leave the room and you just know it was about you. God’s great grace and peace come through the venue of his wonderful face upon us.

The people Jeremiah delivers this message to receive no such blessing. Jeremiah 18:18

18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”

Jeremiah 18:18 NIV

The first part is easy enough to digest. Let’s plot against Jeremiah. We disagree with him and the judgement he’s heaping on us. But that last part:

“Let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.” It’s a bit confusing to think of someone verbally attacking another because of the things they say…all the while ignoring the things he said.

Here’s what I think there saying: 

Let’s not give credence to his warnings and judgement. They can’t be real because they just can’t…   Let’s instead attack him personally. His Character. Not the ideas or the word from the Lord, but Him personally.

I’m sad to say, ladies and gentlemen, the world hasn’t changed much since these hooligans struck back against Jeremiah. 

It seems most people are not able to properly, intellectually debate ideas, but rather they attack the people with the ideas. They attack the people themselves. They attack their character. We see perfect examples of this every election cycle and it has gotten into our daily thoughts and procedures. Always thinking the worst of people.

Conclusion

Well Jeremiah’s story doesn’t end there. We will look at another passage next week and another item from this brown paper sack. But I wonder how it must have felt to be Jeremiah. Here’s God calling you to give an important message to the people He loves…and the message is not heeded? In fact, instead of responding to the message with repentant hearts…they take extra effort to destroy Jeremiah with their words. And these are religious people leading the charge!

It was true in Jesus’ day too. He was well received by people far from God because he presented a message that would draw and graft them into His promise. But those who did not think they needed to repent, the religious folks whose practices and rituals would “save” them…They more often than not…missed the boat.

We will see how this further plays out next week, but I want you to ask yourself this question:

On a scale of 1-10 how much do I trust the Potter with my life? (1 being no trust at all, 10 being complete trust) God is the Potter whether we approve of his craftsmanship or not, however we do have a role to play.

“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14

⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Proverbs 2:7-8 NIV

If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m just doing selections from the chapter in question. Whatever speaks to me, makes me think and makes me curious. These two verses did that for me today.

Have you ever held a shield before? I’m sure if you hang out at many renaissance festivals or historic reenactments you’ve seen them. I’ve been to Medieval Times twice and viewed some choreographed battle scenes. The shield is a very important battle tool. Generally speaking, it is only used for defense. Sure some modifications can be made to make it a type of melee weapon, but typically it’s there to protect its user. Different shields have positive and negative qualities. Large, bulky shields are very good at blocking projectiles, but they take a lot to move around. Light weight shields can deflect but not stop arrows, spears and javelins. The user, however can run with that shield at a fast clip.

In verse 7 it says “He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,” Solomon is talking about the Lord. Verse 8 gives more context. “He guards the course of the just…” It’s simply put, the course of life centered around God is one that is protected by God.

If you think about that, it makes sense. A “faithful one” is someone walking in God’s way, a person who is just by God’s standards. Why wouldn’t he protect and shield that person and their life?

That isn’t to say a just and righteous person wouldn’t have troubles and struggles in life. In fact Jesus says in John 16:33

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 NIV

The blessing we have is our shield has overcome the world! The path he has for each of us is of course, guarded by the overcomer.

Thanks for joining us for worship this morning. If you’ve got your bible with you, you’re going to want to be in the book of Acts 15:36-41. We’ve traveled through stories of the bible, from the Old and New Testaments and asked the question: “What If I Stumble?” Perhaps we can learn what we might expect from others around us by looking at the way “stumblers” were treated in the scripture. What did the early church do when people clearly fell off the Path? What did the person who stumbled or fell do? Up until this point we have addressed individual’s sins and stumbling mainly against God. 

With Peter, he betrayed Jesus…yet he accepted the fresh start presented to him and he became a leader of the Early Church. For Judas, he tried to obtain a fresh start by merely returning his blood money, rather than changing his heart. He trusted in the religious to solve his guilt problem for him and didn’t trust in Jesus to do so. He died not accepting forgiveness. In the Old Testament, Samson was so full of himself it was a wonder there was any room left for God to work in and through him. But with his final moments, he commits his life and death to Yahweh and to the destruction of his enemies. 

Last week we bounced back to the New Testament era to explore a potential turning point in the faith: what would happen if someone successfully faked holiness? Ananias and his wife Sapphira lied to God, pretended to be “all in” with Jesus when they were NOT and they fell down and died right in front of Peter. Because their imposter status was exposed, great fear of the Lord broke out…even among the faithful. People outside the church began to look in and wonder. These people serve a God who doesn’t mess around.

Today we are staying in the New Testament. There’s one conflict that baffles me, and perhaps it baffles you too. It is the conflict between Paul and Barnabus. In a moment I’m going to present to you a short skit highlighting bits and pieces of the story taken from Acts 15. You see, anytime there is conflict, no matter the severity, some people will always try to make it worse. But the main question I want to ask is, “Can Christians agree to disagree…and it not be a sin?”

Go with me now, to a place of roving reporters and anxious anchormen, and a bible character who’s never been on TV before.

——

New Testament News

SKIT: News report – Characters: Anchor, interviewer on the scene, Paul.

An Investigative journalist tries to find and stir up a conflict that’s…not there.

Anchor Manny El: Good evening and welcome to New Testament News. Formally “Today’s Torah Tidbits.” I’m your host, Manny El and boy do we have a doozy of a top story. Tonight we get into the most heated disagreement of its time: Paul vs. Barnabas. Paul, formally known as Saul of Tarsus, a.k.a. Saul the guy who wanted to kill or jail all the Christians. Paul, you may be aware of this, had a radical experience with the Lord and it changed the direction of his life. Or did it? To see if Paul is up to his old Saul like tricks again we’ve got our “man on the street” reporter, Owen Lots ready to interview Saul…er…Paul in Cilicia.

Owen Lots: Thank you Manny. It’s a hot night and I’m just outside this home. Now authorities in the area know that a group of believers meets here quite frequently, but presently they are not beating down the doors. Presumably because the hosts invited them to the meal and time of worship each week. We’re waiting outside for the service to finish to see if we can get a word with….yes…Here he is.. Paul…of Tarsus. Man formerly known as…

Paul: Ok ok. You don’t have to do all the names everytime. What can I do for you?

Owen: Well I’m Owen Lots for “New Testament News” and I’d like to ask you about your “sharp disagreement” with Barnabas.

Paul: why’d you put it in “air quotes”? 

Owen: I just sense there’s something more than just a “Sharp Disagreement.”

Paul: We’ll, you’d be wrong. The situation is so very ordinary. I’m sure your…”viewers?” wouldn’t care about a disagreement between a couple ministers.

Owen: Oh, please indulge us. I heard you haven’t seen or spoken to Barnabus since he left with that other guy…

Paul: John Mark

Owen: Yes, John…Mark. JohnMark…If that’s his real name. Wasn’t he the cause of all this kerfuffle? 

Paul: Sort of. You see John Mark was a good helper on our first missionary journey…while he was there. But at a certain point he decided to leave. Just up and abandon us. 

Owen: I bet that made you furious! Here you are risking your life to bring the gospel to people and there goes John Mark, abandoning you.

Paul: I wasn’t shocked by his departure. I had seen signs of his wavering but he stuck with us until one day in Pamphylia. We continued the rest of that journey without him. 

Owen: And you say “we…” who’s “we” again?

Paul: Zacchaeus.

Owen: Seriously?

Paul: No.     The missionary leadership consisted of myself and Barnabas.

Owen: Let’s get back to that “Sharp Disagreement.”

Paul: Again? “Air Quotes?”

Owen: The Sharp Disagreement was about John Mark…but from your story, he was long gone.

Paul: Yes. I hadn’t wished he left us but he did. Barnabas and I came to Antioch and sometime later started planning another mission journey. 

Owen: And that’s when the trouble began between you and Barnabas.

Paul: You could say that. You see Barnabas wanted to give John Mark another chance at joining us on the journey. I was not exactly “keen” on the idea.

Owen: ehh….”Air Quotes”

Paul: I had nothing against either one of them. I just did not think it wise to bring John Mark with us. What’s that expression? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool Me twice, shame on me? John Mark left us and didn’t continue the work. I was not interested in inviting that kind of person on another missionary journey.

Owen: Why do you think Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark? I mean, he left you both.

Paul: You’re going to have to ask Barnabas for sure, but He is a bit more trusting and forgiving when it comes to these things. They also are family, so there’s that.

Owen: So what exactly did you say in this “heated discussion?”

Paul: I believe you mean sharp disagreement. I honestly don’t remember. I probably reminded him of how if John Mark left us once, he might do it again. Barnabas reminded me that we are to be forgiving and that he trusted John Mark. In the end, we decided it was best if we went our separate ways.

Owen: Sounds spicy! To forgive or to be wise…which one of you was right?

Paul: I think you’re missing the point.

Owen: Oh, I’ll get to the bottom of this “Furious Argument”….

Paul: Sharp. Disagreement.

Owen: Whatever it is…I’m going to uncover the truth. Reporting from Celicia, I’m Owen Lots with New Testament News. Back to you, Manny.

Manny: Thanks Owen…that was very “informative.”

[THE END]

—-

Ok, so just in case you missed some of the details, let’s look at Acts 15:36-41. 

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Acts 15:36-41 NIV

What was the Conflict?

The first thing we come to is that Paul and Barnabas have a disagreement. Barnabas wants to take John Mark, Paul doesn’t think it wise. It says in Acts 13:5b that “John was with them as their helper.” What a nice thing to have people who assist you in doing ministry. We have that here of course. 

I’m grateful when my daughters are able to help with the computer, playing our digital music. I’m grateful for our Sunday school teachers, Donna and Bev. I’m grateful to Jacki who does so much to make sure our church yard is well kept. Right now we are surely grateful to our contractor, Randy. He’s such a blessing to us and a help in ministry right now. I’m thankful for each of you here today. Sharing a message from the Lord and leading worship in song is so much more enjoyable with others to participate in it. Helpers. Look for the Helpers. 

John Mark was a helper.    Until…he wasn’t.    

We don’t know why he left, but it didn’t seem to sit well with Paul. Paul wasn’t interested in traveling with someone who might leave them again. 

Some of the reading I was doing this past week on this story suggested Barnabas was partial to and forgiving of John Mark because they were related. The scripture doesn’t say any of that, only that Barnabas and Paul have this sharp disagreement

Who do you think was right? What do you think you would ask Paul or Barnabas if you could go back in time and question them about this split? What do you think they might say?

There’s no way to know, but I wonder how heated the disagreement became? It’s important to note that Paul and Barnabas never saw each other again. They selected their new ministry partners and off they went. Barnabas took John Mark, of course. Paul takes Silas. They all went separate ways. 

A Case for Biblical Reliability.

We don’t know who was right or wrong. We don’t know if there was a right side at all. But one thing is clear because of this interchange: it reinforces the bible’s reliability. “How’s that?” you say…

If Luke were attempting to give a rosy picture of the church, shiny PR material to get people to sign up…he would have left this argument out. “Everyone agreed on the right thing to do and so they did it.” This conflict between the two church leaders actually highlights their humanity. They aren’t always so quick to forgive. They aren’t always shrewd and cautious. 

They had a disagreement and it didn’t get cut from Luke’s early church history. They never resolve the conflict, so far as we know, it just motivates them to start a new chapter in their ministry story. New partners in the work and new locations to travel.

I would suggest that this split between Paul and Barnabas was actually a good thing for the gospel. Beyond the biblical reliability, it forced these two powerhouses of ministry to spread out.

Who Was Right?

The parting of ways between Paul and Barnabas should be a reminder to us that just because someone disagrees with us, it doesn’t make them wrong and a sinner. It also doesn’t make us right and a saint. They each made a judgement call and then stuck to their convictions. It’s important to note that this is NOT a disagreement about theology. This was a simple administrative disagreement. A Judgement call.

Sometimes we make it a matter of sinner and saint and we become the former while believing we are the ladder. 

The classic “Disagreement about the color of the church carpeting” is just that…a simple, administrative-like disagreement. It’s about flooring! But when a person stews over that disagreement, starts to believe the worst in the one who opposes them…(rather than trying to see it from their point of view) it becomes a spiritual matter. The person who is stewing on hurtful thoughts about another’s spiritual status just because they disagree…that person is missing out on the blessings of God.

What was the result?

Back to Barnabas and Paul…What was the result of their split up?

Barnabas, as we learned last week, is the name given to someone and it means “Son of Encouragement.” He was an encouraging partner to Paul as they ministered together. He encouraged and gave John Mark another chance to minister to others with him.

John Mark goes on to write what is believed by many scholars to be the earliest written account of the ministry of Jesus. He wrote what we know as the Gospel according to Mark. Even though he wasn’t a disciple himself, tradition holds that he was present when Jesus was arrested. 

“A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.”

(Mark 14:51-52 NIV)

Because this detail is only in Mark’s gospel, it has led us to infer he was talking about himself…he was the young man.  Again, embarrassing things happening to people show their humanity and give weight to the accuracy of scripture. 

–

Paul and Silas have a real Jailhouse rock! Not only do they go around strengthening the churches in Syria and Cilicia, when they are prosecuted and jailed, God works a miracle. They sit in the cell, worshiping in chains, an earthquake shakes all the chains loose and opens the jail cell doors. The Jailer tries to kill himself but Paul reassures them no one has left the jail. The Jailer and his household are baptized into the faith that very night.

They had many other exploits, but that one sticks out in my mind. 

In 2 Timothy 4:11 Paul is at the end of his career and he seems to know…the end of his life. He calls for Mark to come to him. 

“11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”

2 Timothy 4:11 NIV

This Helper who was helpful until he took off…became helpful again in Paul’s eyes.

Communion

Unity and Peace with others is so much more than never arguing. If you never disagree or argue, chances are you don’t care much about anything enough to voice your opinion and thoughts. In the church, we are made of imperfect, human people. There’s no need to hide our flaws. No benefit to sweeping them under the rug. Just as those things are evidence of scripture’s reliability, we are regular examples of why Jesus died on the Cross. 

He died for even me. With all my imperfections. My opinions. That very well might lead to “Sharp Disagreements” or “heated arguments.” 

He died for you. With your thoughts on the best way to do ministry. Your ideas of grace or your ideas of caution. He died for you, even when you insist you are right, even if you might not be. He died for you.

Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross brings us together. The ancient practice of partaking in the Lord’s supper, as a reminder of what he did for us. And what he continues to do, even in spite of us. And what he desires to do in the world through us.

We may not always agree on everything And that’s ok. But we can agree on this: Christ died to set us free from sin.

Acts 4:30-5:11

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We’re continuing on with the series “What If I Stumble?” It’s a question you might ask in the community of faith, in your group of friends or your family. “What if I screw up? What if I make a choice that is the worst possible choice imaginable? Will you still love me? Can I be redeemed?” We have looked at stories of Peter, Judas, and Samson. For Peter, he got his opportunity at redemption and he accepted it. Judas tried to make things right, but trusted in the religious people for absolution instead of Jesus himself. And Samson led a life for himself, though God still worked through his imperfections. At the end of Samson’s life, he recommitted to God’s purposes. His last act was destroying the enemies that God wanted to confront in the first place. Today we take a look at an odd couple, so to speak. Their names: Ananias and Sapphira. I’ll talk in a bit about their shenanigans, but there are 3 things I want to focus on in relation to them. They….

1. Were not fully committed believers
2. Conspired to hide the truth (to deceive)
3. Died unrepentant

Before all that, I’d like to present today’s dramatic interpretation of their Big Fall from the perspective of a young man who was there. He’s never named in scripture so bare with me as I take some creative license as he tells us the story of the death of a couple imposters.

[If you’d like to listen to the recording of this message, CLICK HERE or use the Spotify player at the bottom of this post.]

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Dirt. Soil. Ground. Earth. 

Call it what you will, but it is essential for grow plants for food. I know a bit about that: I grew up the son of a farmer from a farming family. We’d plant grain and other crops over the years, but no matter the crop – Harvest Time was the most fun! We’d go about the field seeing this plant that we grew from just a small seed and then we’d harvest it.

I don’t know…I don’t believe plants have feelings or anything, but I always felt grateful to the wheat as I cut it down. I know Yahweh provided it and I was always thankful to Him for His blessing. But I’d look at the grain and be thankful just the same.

It was our family’s practice to only do one pass of the field. We wouldn’t pick up every last bit of grain, but leave the leftovers for the poor and the widows. They could come and get whatever they could harvest. Kind of reminds me of the story of Boaz and his wife Ruth.    But I’m getting off topic. Dirt is great for growing things, but also for burying things. And sometimes, those things happen to be dead people.

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I was just outside the house where many believers were staying. I wanted to make a small vegetable garden to provide for the believers. We had a stream that ran near the house, providing water for the plants. Then I hear Brother Peter call out for me. Me? Did I do something wrong? Was I not supposed to dig up this part of the yard? I was a little worried. My fears only multiplied when I came into the house and saw a man lying face first, flat on the ground. Was he asleep? NO…he was dead. 

Peter looked at me. There were 3 others around my age that had left their family to join The Way – This movement of the Messiah, Jesus! These guys, just like me…could never go home. We were rejected by our parents for following Jesus and the disciple’s teachings. 

I looked back at Peter and I knew what he wanted me to do. I told one of the other young men, “go get some cloth to wrap the body with.” I began to roll the body over and I gasped! Ananias! I used to sell vegetables to him in the marketplace. Everyone knew he owned property and that’s how he made his money. I wondered how or why he died.

As the other guys held the body, I began to wrap him in the cloth, preparing him for burial. Normally, we would take him to his family tomb, but I wasn’t aware he had one.

We took him outside and found a nice deep spot near the garden. It took an hour or so to dig it up and place him in it. Less than that to cover him over again. It was strange, There was a decent amount of space between the garden and where we buried Ananias. At the time I didn’t know why, but I pictured a second hole there.

After all that work, I was dirty and sweaty. I stood in the doorway with the other young men who helped bury Ananias. “Do you know how he died?” one of them asked. I shrugged.

“I’d like to ask Peter but I’m all grimey and such,” another one stated. He continued, “fellas, you realize we are going to have to undergo the purification rights for becoming clean after touching a dead body now, right?”

The one who wanted to ask Peter about how Ananias had died seemed a bit indignant about purification. “You serious? I thought once we followed The Way, that old stuff my father taught me didn’t matter.”

That’s a good point. I wondered and I wondered… But I didn’t wonder for long. Peter once again beckoned us into the house. We tracked mud into the home, which wasn’t that big of a deal since it was a dirt floor anyway. 

There at Peter’s feet was a woman who fell face flat on the ground. Um, is there an illness we need to pray about? I thought.

Peter gestured again. Once more we took the body, wrapped and buried it. Traditionally men only wrap the bodies and bury men, but I guess dirty grave diggers might have been in short supply today. We buried Sapphira right next to her husband. Covered her body with soil and that was that.

We returned to hear Peter explaining what had happened, why they had died so suddenly. They had lied to the Holy Spirit! Well, this set everyone edge, concerned they might do something wrong and incur the wrath of God.

I looked out the door to the garden. I knew the Truth. They may have been imposters who died because of their big lie, I knew the Truth of what God had done in my life. There was no denying it. I knew when I die and am buried, I won’t stay down forever. I recall the words that the believers repeat…words straight from Jesus himself: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;”

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One thing I think we ought to just say and get it out there is that Ananias and Sapphira were…

Not Fully Committed

You might be thinking, “That’s awfully judgemental! Maybe they believed and then just made a really big mistake!” All I can tell you is that’s not how it seems Luke records it here in Acts.

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.”

Acts 4:32 NIV

All the believers were on board. It wasn’t an entry fee, it was evidence. Evidence of the Holy Spirit’s grasp on you as a believer so much that you didn’t think about your own stuff as being your own.

Clearly Ananias and his wife Sapphira did think of their possessions as their own. There is further evidence that Luke does not loop them in with the believers. 

“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.”

Acts 5:1 NIV

If he had been a believer, wouldn’t it make sense that Luke would have said so? He just calls Ananias “A man,” not “A believer.”

What does a believer look like? What does he or she do?

One of the top identifying characteristics if someone is a believer is their love.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John 13:34-35 NIV

So Loving one another is key. Another key point to being his disciple is doing his commands. 

Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

1 John 5:3 NLT

If you love me, keep my commands.

John 14:15 NIV

And of course the opposite is true. 

The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

1 John 2:4 ESV

So if they are not really believers, what are they? They are Wannabees.  They want to buy into this kingdom of heaven thing, but not all the way. 

They do this through an act of deception. Ananias and Sapphira…

Conspired to Hide the truth, to deceive

“With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.”

Acts 5:2 NIV

You might be wondering, “So what? What if he didn’t give the whole amount. No one was making him.” And You’d be right. Peter even says as much in response to the blatant deception. (Acts 5:3-4)

3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

Acts 5:3-4 NIV

So Ananias goes before the Apostles, just like any other generous believer and pretends to give the whole amount for the sale of his property. It wasn’t about deceiving man, but trying to lie to God! As if Ananias was saying “I’m all in with this Way Thing, the Messiah. I feel I should sell my possessions so no one goes hungry in the group.” But he actually does otherwise, with plans to look godly when he is really not.

My wife and I have a parenting tip for you. It’s something we do at home with daughters and it’s kind of a way of life for us as adults. If our girls do something purposeful or accidentally that was wrong or a poor choice, but they came to us and told the truth…they would only get “a talking too.” But if they hide it or lie about it, that compiles the problem and compiles the consequences. 

The only thing that Ananias and Sapphira did wrong was trying to pull one over on God. Giving only 50% of your profits or even just a few quarters…it matters not. It might reveal that the couple has trust issues with those in the faith, but that can be worked through. What cannot stand is someone lying to God. 

That kind of thing would have infected the faith from this very early stage. Here’s what the scriptures say about deceivers:

“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.”

Proverbs 19:9 ESV

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.”

Proverbs 12:22 ESV

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices”

Colossians 3:9 ESV

While evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

2 Timothy 3:13 ESV

They were setting the church up for failure. The whole reason people brought the money was to benefit the needy among them. It wasn’t to buy into the group. It wasn’t a magic ticket to sit closest to Peter at supper time. The example is clear from Acts 4:36-37

“Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”

Acts 4:36-37 NIV

Moved by compassion and the Holy Spirit, people gave to provide for the needy among them. They sacrificed their own rights to their possession to care for their new family. The Family of God.

Ananias did not do that. He pretended and he paid for it because both Ananias and Sapphira…

Died Unrepentant

The book of Acts leaves very little to the imagination. Right after Peter tells Ananias he’s lied to God, verse 5 starts:

“5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.”

Acts 5:5 NIV

We don’t get any last minute pleading for forgiveness from Ananias. He made his decision, it was resolute, it was his final answer. 

“And great fear seized all who heard what had happened to him.”

Wouldn’t you be afraid? Someone suddenly drops dead in front of you, you start wondering if you’re next. Then finding out the reason he died, you might be concerned about lying to God, being an imposter. I can picture this early church youth group passing out wearable reminders of this. Instead of WWJD bracelets, “What Would Jesus Do?” It’s DBLA “Don’t Be Like Ananias.”

So He was unrepentant. But scripture records that Peter gives Sapphira a chance, either to prove she was in the dark about Ananias’ scheme or to solidify her eternal place next to him.

“7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.”

Acts 5:7-11 NIV

How far had the deception gone? Thankfully it stayed just between Ananias and Sapphira. Can you imagine what would have happened if people could pretend to be Holy Spirit filled Christians and never have any natural consequences for that? 

Millstone sized Consequences

This attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit could have been an infection that could have thrown Christianity way off track. We remember this passage from Luke 17:1-2

“1Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

(Luke 17:1-2 NIV)

It was so important that the movement of Christianity not get high-jacked that Christ himself makes this very troubling statement. It’d be better if a person were sentenced to death by drowning than if they lead the next generation astray.

This is most certainly not a call to grab ropes and rocks and necks. Jesus Continues:

So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

(Luke 17:3-4 NIV)

There have been people who’ve stumbled and fallen in the Christian world. There have been big names in history who have led people astray from the true faith, just to fill up their own pocketbooks. This is the greater sin: leading others astray. 

Jesus saw it even before Christianity was established. Rabbis would make converts to a faith they didn’t fully follow themselves.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”

Matthew 23:15 NIV

This is a warning to us just as it was to the early church. Do we want to prevent future stumbling and falling for the next generation? Don’t lead people astray…lead them to Jesus.

Don’t lead people astray…lead them to Jesus.

DBLA: Don’t Be Like Ananias – 3 Tips for avoiding this pitfall

Check your own motives

• Wait…we heard that one last week! It’s still a good application. Most people don’t intend to stray, wander, stumble and fall. It starts a little bit at a time. Check with God about your motives. If you refuse to do so…or won’t listen to what He has to say, chances are they are wrong motives.

Be wary of being led astray

• I think many of us want to trust people. We want to be led by trustworthy folk. But maybe we’ve become jaded and coarse. We need a healthy balance of trust and skepticism.  In many situations the stop-gap between these two extremes is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit can help you sense if someone is phony or the real deal. But regardless if they are the top superstar Christian speaker/author/musician…They still are not JESUS. So be wary of becoming a disciple of man. Be a disciple of Jesus instead.

Don’t give into Deceit

• Lying, like many other sins, is a slippery slope. First you tell a small one, then a bigger one to cover that one up. However, Paul instructs us in Ephesians 5:13
• “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”
• Nothing stays hidden forever. 

Check your motives, Be wary of being led astray, and don’t give into deceit.

The following post addresses the topic of suicide. If you’d like listen to the audio recording, the Spotify player is at the end of this post. I read the comments on this page and I want to know, have you been close to someone who’s attempted suicide or had thoughts about that? How has it affected you?

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We started last week on a journey through stories of people in the bible. I know, right? Real shocker! A sermon about people in the bible. But this is not just any sermon series. The focus of the “What if I stumble?” series is to uncover and understand times where people who seemed so close to God fell out of relationship with him for one reason or another. My hope is that by examining these stories and the real people with real motives, we can learn how to brace ourselves from falling into the same stumbling area. Also, I think we will be better equipped to help others back up out of their particular pit that they stumbled and fell into. Last week we looked at the story of Peter. [Missed that post? CLICK HERE to listen or read it.] Peter had flip flopped so hard and so quickly and denied he even knew Jesus. Did he do it to save his neck? Perhaps. But the end of the story is that Peter returns to Jesus, to the fellowship of the disciples. He fell, but he didn’t stay down for the count. Not everyone has a redemptive ending like Peter. With that in mind I want to present for you a dramatic retelling, inside the mind of Judas Iscariot on the night he betrayed Jesus.

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The Betrayal – A Dramatic Interpretation

“Here Judas,” I hear Him say to me. Jesus hands me a bit of bread he had just dipped into some oil. I was hungry so I took it. I didn’t say anything to him, I just gave him the nod of appreciation.

I didn’t mean it of course. We could have been eating much better, in better accommodations. But alas, bread is bread…so I took it and ate it. At that moment, something changed in me. I’m not completely sure what was happening, but I felt compelled to do what my heart really desired. No filter. No little “Angel on my shoulder” saying don’t do that, that’s not nice. If he were there, I would have taken my fingers and catapulted him to next sabbath. 

Getting up from my spot at the table, I started for the door. 

“What you are going to do,” Jesus said to me, “do quickly.” 

Oh don’t worry, I thought. Nothing is going to stop me from getting paid tonight.

I had already made an agreement with the chief priests

“What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” (Matt 26:15a NIV)

They counted out 30 pieces of silver for me. They had cash in hand! I had to come through and look for an opportunity so they could arrest Jesus. 

I left the upper room where Jesus and the other disciples were still carrying on, probably arguing about which set of brothers is best in Jesus’ kingdom…or some such nonsense. I headed to the chief priests and elders and let them in on the plan. 

“You want to arrest Jesus from underneath the people’s noses? You got to do it when he’s all alone. No crowds fawning over him. And the disciples will either be absent or be groggy from sleep. They haven’t had much lately, getting ready for the Passover festival. Jesus won’t stand a chance.”

The chief priests and elders thought up a shrewd idea. They whipped up a small mob of people, people motivated either by anger or money. Either way, we all came stamping into the Garden of Gethsemane…at the very right moment. Jesus was bleeding…or was he just very sweaty? I couldn’t tell. I stepped ahead of the gang as they stayed partially covered in shadow. “Rabbi!” I proclaimed. Then I kissed him. This greeting is very much like people would share in their home or with their closest friends. I wanted it very clear, this was the man they were to take.

“Judas.”

Just him saying my name shook my chest cavity something awful. Like when you shake a container to see if there is anything left in it. His eyes never wavered off of mine.

“Judas, you would betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

I didn’t have to answer back. We both knew the answer was “yes.”

Little did I know how much that choice would affect me and the direction my life would take next.

If you’re trying to figure me out, good luck. But I’m not too sure about this betrayal thing. I keep picturing a rope in my future.

Judas Who? – Identifying the Betrayer

We don’t know much from scripture about Judas. 

1. His claim to fame is his betrayal of Jesus. 

So much that anytime someone else was mentioned by the name of Judas, the author feels it necessary to say… “no wait…not THAT Judas. Judas Thaddaeus, or maybe Judas (a.k.a. Jude brother of James)” Though it was long after the gospels, there was also a guy named Judas from Galilee who led a rebellion then got himself killed. The New Testament writers want to be perfectly clear who Judas Iscariot was and not confuse their audience by tossing around the equivalent of “John Smith” when they mean John Smith “the betrayer of Jesus.”

2. Judas or Jude was a very common name, like John Smith.

Calling of Judas

As with Peter, it’s a good idea to look back on the first time we hear about this Judas Iscariot guy. And since the bible isn’t about his back story…there aren’t many details to go on. Luke gives his audience a bit of context concerning who the 12 disciples were, listing them off for all to know of the men Jesus traveled with in the coming chapters and verses of his gospel account.

“12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

Luke 6:12-16 ESV

Unlike Peter’s calling, there is no starting point of Judas’ call. The bible doesn’t record that Jesus found Judas in some seedy place, or in the middle of a scheme and called him to follow him. The Bible doesn’t record that he found Judas in the synagogue praying. He just was one of the Twelve. Just like Luke’s, Matthew’s version of this listing of the disciples, Judas Iscariot is at the end. Matthew’s heavy-handed foreshadowing leaves nothing to the imagination: “and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” (Matt 4:10b NIV)

This one choice, this one decision marked his life throughout history. We don’t know if he was married. Scripture doesn’t tell us where his hometown was. Besides his betrayal, the only other pieces of information we have about him is: 

3. His father’s name was Simon Iscariot and that 
4. Judas had a specific role in the Twelve. 

He held the purse with all the funds used to support their ministry. 

Sticky Fingers – Motives of the Betrayer (John 12:4-6)

If there ever was evidence for the need of financial accountability in ministry, Judas would be the best example by far. Forget Matthew/Levi. What he did pales in comparison to Judas’ little scheme. 

5. I do wonder, which came first? Judas’ desire for money or the role of purse holder? 

Sometimes people seem trustworthy and benevolent. But deep down they just want to get closer to the cash. It’s a harsh way to put it, but it’s true. On the flip side, a person can be easily seduced when managing an organization’s money with little or no accountability. So the other disciples can’t change Judas’ heart or his intentions, but they can protect themselves and him from falling to temptation by creating opportunities for accountability. Well at least they could have. Let’s look at a prime example of Judas’ character on display.

In John 12, we see that Jesus and his disciples are guests of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. They enjoy a meal together and suddenly Mary does something that Judas finds appalling. 

“3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” ”

6. Judas is disgusted with this lavish use of oil.

Have you ever walked into a room and a perfume or essential oil just wafts off you? I know I have. I love that people smell good but I don’t need to choke on that smell. The scent could have pushed Judas over the edge, but the gospel writers clearly note his motives: He liked to help himself to the money he kept for the group.

So Mary opens up this container to pour it on Jesus’ feet. It says a “pint” or about ½ liter. That last number is important. I love to help give us a concept of the costliness of this gift she lavished on Jesus. If we were to find “spikenard” today, one place it is sourced is in Nepal. It’s made from the spikenard root and is harvested by hand in the hills and mountain sides there. One particular oil company charges $66 for a 5 milliliter (5ml) bottle. I did some math and it turns out there is about 500ml in a pint. So picture if you will, 100 – 5ml bottles of this oil being poured out on Jesus’ feet. One 5ml would probably be enough to knock you off your feet! 

Not accounting for a bulk order discount deal, the cost of a pint of Spikenard oil would be $6,600!

What could you do with $6,600? We’d most likely finish paying off my student loan and start saving for a newer vehicle. What else could you do? You could start an endowment with The Olivet Foundation to help provide scholarships to college students. You could support one of the local community programs like Door of Hope, Bethel Butikk or Living Faith Food Pantry. You could help sponsor a child through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. With that $6,600 at $30 a month, you can support a child for 18 years!

So we’ve addressed this perfume oil was expensive back then and still is today. The price today alone could do a lot of good, just as it may have done back before Mary drenched Jesus in it. But Jesus still looks at this offering and knows that Mary did the best thing with her gift. 

He defends her and her worship of Him. 

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.”

John 12:7 NIV

7. Jesus knew Mary’s heart was full of worship and appreciation for him. He knew Judas’ heart as well. 

It seemed to care only about money, about wealth. This scene gives us this very important insight into the mind of Judas. John writes:

“[Judas] did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” 

If it wasn’t obvious to the disciples before Judas met his untimely demise, it certainly came to light once they opened up the books and shook the money bag. Judas was embezzling and that’s a big no no. 

Judas was known for his sticky fingers. 

8. His main motivation was money.

He desired money so much, he’d take from the offering plate and didn’t tell anyone.

He’d also take it to betray Jesus.

14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Matt 26:14-16 NIV

Just a few verses earlier we read that the chief priests were trying to find some way to arrest Jesus, but they needed to be sneaky or the people of the city may start a riot. Judas must have been aware of this and he comes to them with the proposition. Jesus on a silver platter…for some silver. Seems like a fair trade. Both parties would get what they wanted. 

Jesus is praying in the garden. Judas steps out of the shadows just as Jesus says to the disciples with him, “Here comes my betrayer!” Following a bit behind Judas was a “large crowd armed with swords and clubs.” Judas walks toward Jesus and greets him according to their custom. “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.

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I’ve read this part already today! What else goes on with Judas?! The next time we hear anything about Judas, it’s in Matthew 27. This is where it seems like the betrayer has some buyer’s regret. He looks into his pocket book and realizes it’s full of blood money.

Blood Money – Remorse of the Betrayer

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” (Matt 27:3-4)

First off…let’s stop right there. 

9. Judas had remorse.

WOW. Most of the time we spend reading the bible with Judas in it and think “Oh I don’t want to be like that guy” or “Oh I hate his guts, how he sold out Jesus!” But here he has a genuine, relatable feeling. He is grieved with regret for his actions or at least the outcome of his actions. Jesus would be condemned. 

So not only is he stricken with remorse, but it leads him to try and return the money he got for betraying Jesus. 

10. By giving the money back, he tries to make amends, undo what he did.
11. He also recognizes what he did was sin.

But he turns to the wrong people for help in that area. Those chief priests and elders who wanted Jesus dead. And now Judas has to face the Consequences of his actions.

Death and Consequences – Hopelessness of the Betrayer

They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

In Matthew’s gospel that’s the last we hear from Judas. 

12. He simply gives up. 

He goes to those he conspires with, he tries to at least return his blood money and he doesn’t find any redemption. The religious leaders give him no hope for justification.

And so, with no hope of recovering from being the instrument of betrayal, Judas finds some rope and hangs himself. This last part of Judas’ story I find the saddest. Have you ever thought of this: Judas could have had a story similar to Peter.

Peter, as we looked at last week, denied Christ 3 times, but yet he was forgiven…welcomed back. If Judas, with all his remorse had truly allowed it to motivate him to be repentant he could have been saved. His story could have been one we all looked to and thought “If Judas can find redemption, so can I.” But alas, he stumbles and falls like the song says. 

So he wasn’t repentant and he put his hope for redemption in the wrong people. 

13. He trusted the religious people to absolve him, not Jesus. 

Seeing no other options, he does one last thing: takes his own life. 

I want to just talk briefly about hopelessness and suicide. I believe that’s what led to Judas taking his own life, but for many people there are a few causes that lead people to attempt ending their life. The CDC list the following as Risk factors for suicide:

• Mental illness, such as depression
• Social isolation
• Criminal problems
• Financial problems
• Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
• Job problems or loss
• Legal problems
• Serious illness
• Substance use disorder

Much of these risk factors tie back into the idea of losing hope. A person might lack hope to overcome any of these challenges. They can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. If that’s the case, why keep going?

And for each of these risk factors, there is a strategy that the CDC suggests that may help prevent suicide. 

• If people are socially isolated, intentional community engagement activities are provided to address that need. 
• Treatment and counseling to prevent future attempts of those contemplating or have attempted suicide.
• Maybe it’s just as simple as addressing the financial hardships and helping the individual stabilize their housing and financial needs. 

I’m thankful we have a church who is there for one another. I’m glad I have friends and other pastors I can talk to when things get rough.  Not everyone has that support and that’s why it’s important to be intentional and proactive in preventing suicide.

I wonder how the disciples felt after they got the news that Judas had hung himself? Were they distraught, confused, or worried? If it were me I’d be wondering what I could have done better before my friend Judas went down such a sketchy path. A path that ended at the end of a rope.

I’m sad to say that’s not a hypothetical. I wonder if I could have said something more, encouraged my friend more, prayed for him more, and he wouldn’t have ended his life. I guess I’ll never know. But what I do know is probably the same as the 11 disciples. Let’s not do this again! 

We’ve moved from storytelling to personal profiling of Judas. We’ve gotten in his head and heart. Found greed and then remorse, culminating in hopelessness. But “What If I Stumble” is a preventative question. It’s one that asks “Will forgiveness be there for me? Will someone help me get back up?”

These very questions should guide us as Christians to proactively answer before anyone falls. 

“Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?”

“Yes” should be our response. 

Anything short of that gives birth to and nourishes hopelessness.

So what are some practical ways we can live out our beliefs when someone finds their self in such a state?

Application – what can you and I do to ward off another Judas scenario?

• Identify the hopeless, help bring them hope
  • Don’t turn a blind eye to the hurting, wondering if they will ever be able to overcome their problems, their addictions, their circumstances. Identify them and help bring them hope. Pray that the Lord would burden your heart for them. That you would never be cold to their need for hope.
  • Be there for them to talk to. I know many of us, myself at the top of the list, would like to identify a person without hope and then tell them all the things they need to do to fix it. “Stop doing that! Start doing this and this!” But many times what people need is to be heard. It gives them hope that they are not alone. Helps them know they are known. And consistantly doing so can lead to questions as to why you or I care so much about them. There is the opportunity to present  redemption to them.

Not only do we need to look out for it in others, but we should also…

• Identify your own hopelessness
  • We might not realize it, but there are things in our life that we have chosen not to talk about, not to think about. It brings pain. Maybe it brings temptation. These are the things we are hopeless about. It may not control us to the point of suicide, but to use a medically adjacent analogy: ignoring the symptoms of an illness does not mean the illness will go away. We need to Identify our own hopelessness.
• Seek help for your hopelessness
  • Once we can identify what it is we are hopeless about, we can seek help. If there is something eating at your heart and anytime someone brings up that topic, a flood of painful memories you’ve never dealt with come to the surface, seek help processing those feelings, memories, emotions and desires instead of stuffing them back down and trying to forget them. 

Judas didn’t address his real problem, only his side effect. His real illness was greed and the side effect was that Jesus would be condemned. He tried all he could to fix the side effect but never addressed the illness of greed within him. Where were the other disciples? Many ran scared, hiding for “fear of the Jews” the scripture tells us. They were concerned about their own necks; they didn’t have much left to look out for Judas’ neck. And so his story tragically ends and serves as an example to us. We must answer the question: “Will the love continue?” with “yes.” Can redemption be had by even the worst betrayer? Yes. As we saw last week, redemption is available, you just have to accept it. Peter did but Judas did not. 

Let’s identify hopelessness in ourselves and in others and be there for one another when we stumble and fall.

Please listen to this song to get a better idea of where we are headed with this series.

The song you just heard was originally written and performed by dcTalk. That song gives inspiration to this sermon series entitled “What if I Stumble.” In life, whether you are a Christ-follower or not yet a Christian, you might have turning points in your life. Events that shape the direction of your future, how you react and respond to certain situations. Will you stand up and lead or fall in line and follow? In this series we will look at various people from the bible that had these crisis moments, look at how they got there, where they went next and what truth the scriptures specifically want us to hear concerning failing and falling in our attempts to live our lives for God.

Today we look at the life of Peter and his ultimate crisis of faith. That moment, recorded in the gospels where he denied Christ three times.

[If you’d like to listen to the audio recording of this message, please click the Spotify player at the bottom of the post.]

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Picture the following:

Peter was waiting nervously for safe passage into the inner courts of the high priest. His master was just arrested. A mob of soldiers chained and beat Jesus as they brought him before the high priest. Try as he did, Peter couldn’t stop Jesus from being arrested. He even assaulted someone with his sword, but that didn’t stop the soldiers. 

So here he waits. Waiting for John to come back and bring him into the courts. Maybe they could speak on Jesus’ behalf? Maybe they could testify against the accusations and save Jesus? Maybe they could just …be there for Jesus during this time. Being arrested is a lonely, scary situation to be in after all.

Finally John returns with the servant girl who lets Peter in. She questions him,

“You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” (John 18:17b)

He looked at her, apprehensively… not knowing what she might do if he said yes. So he said, “I am not.”

Anxious and emotional, Peter finds himself out in the cold…literally. His stomach was all tied in knots, not knowing who to trust, what was going to happen to Jesus…and what would happen to him and John. The temperature began to chill those present and a fire was built up to fend off the frigid conditions. Peter warmed his hand around the fire, shoulder to shoulder with servants and officers. All the while, he’s hoping no one asks him again …

“You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” (John 18:25b)

Becoming more and more worried, Peter responded “I am not.” 

A higher ranking servant takes another look at Peter. He looks really familiar. There was someone in the garden that night who had lobbed off his relative’s ear in defense of Jesus of Nazareth. Could this be the man?

“Did I not see you in the garden with him?”  

Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

That rooster was a wake up call for Peter. He looked down in shame. He considered looking up across the crowd to see Jesus…but he couldn’t bear to. He felt defeated and condemned. He had stumbled and fell into denying Jesus 3 times.

The question is, How did we end up here?

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Continue reading “From Denial to Redemption” →

Today is July 4th. This is an interesting day because of course it’s Sunday, but also a national holiday. For our friends all around the world, it is just another day on the calendar, for us it is a day to celebrate the birth of our nation. Now there’s discrepancy as to if it was signed on the 4th or a different day, like the 2nd – this is when the continental congress approved of the Declaration. Regardless of the day we celebrate, this holiday has become a big deal. When you think about celebrating the 4th of July…other than coming to worship on Sunday…

What do you think about? For you, what really “makes” the celebration of Independence day?

Fireworks, Cookouts, parades, community events?

No matter how you celebrate, the idea is that we are taking this day to celebrate…but what are we celebrating? Maybe you’re just looking forward to being off work or getting paid extra for the same amount of work! Maybe this weekend is all about camping and nature for you. As we are grateful for the ability to enjoy those things, it came with a price. That price was sealed with the sending of a formal letter to King George III telling him that the colonies were no longer under British reign. They were united and each colonial area was its own independent state. 

[If you’d like to listen to the audio record of this message, please scroll to the bottom of this post to the Spotify section or find us on iTunes podcasts.)

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Continue reading “Recognizing the Importance of Dependence” →

Genesis 6-9

Today we are looking at a well known story. It’s one of the big 5 or so stories we teach about in Sunday school. Chances are that if you’ve ever found yourself in a church nursery before, images of this story would fill your eyes. Painted on the walls, themed on a bulletin board, made into a Little Golden Book, or even a playset with pairs of animals. That’s right, we’re looking at the story found in Genesis chapters 6-9 and it is the story of Noah’s Ark.

If you would do something with me today, I’d appreciate it. You may be intimately familiar with this story. You may know it backwards and forwards. You may understand the deep meaning behind certain pieces of this story and the vastness of the topics we could cover today. 

But right now, I need you and I to turn our attention to God’s Mercy and Grace as it is showcased in the story of Noah’s Ark.

“Grace and Mercy?” You might ask. “We’re talking about worldwide decimation. The death of many humans, animals and creatures all along the land! How can this be about Mercy or Grace?“

Great question. I’m glad you asked it. Over the next few moments we have together, I hope we can see these very important attributes of God. Moreover it’s my hope for you and I that we not only see it, but are changed by it. Perhaps, we might change something about our life today because of it.

[If you’d like to listen to the Audio Recording of this message, please click the Spotify player at the bottom of this blog post. You can also find us on itunes podcasts. (Search: Viroqua Nazarene)

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Continue reading “The Rain-Bow Connection” →