Category: The Kingdom Life

The Tenants

9/26/2019

"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
(Matthew 21:28-32 NRSV)

I love the two parables in Matthew 21 regarding vineyards. Vineyards are a also used in the prophets as allegory or parable. A similar use by Jesus can be used beyond theological beliefs and opinions. There are simple truths to be gleaned from these parables, reminders of who we are as believers or followers of Jesus, whether in the context of Israel and the coming and present kingdom, or as we are in Christ.

Jesus is addressing the religious leadership, those who are actually keeping people out of the kingdom. I would like to think at least some of them did so ignorantly, but I am sure others did so with intention. That is what is told here, in the parable of the two sons. The first says no, I will not work in the vineyard today, but later has a change of heart, a repentance. The second, I used to see as a liar, says yes but then also has a change of heart. Where the second was a liar, to me, I now can also see as one who truly desired to do the right thing but was swayed either by others or by the daunting task ahead. We could view both as believers, both see the suffering and sacrifice of the labor. One has some personal issues, taken from how Jesus answers with prostitutes and tax collectors, the lowest sinners, whether or not they are followers of Christ. The second seems to be in good standing.

I am sure in Jesus' day there were sinful followers. Today we are sure of it, though washed clean, we still have our faults. I have come to believe on principle that I can not say some faults are worse than others, in general sense. We all have them. I think this is one area we get in trouble as those who are suppose to manifesting the grace of God. In this first parable the point seems to be clearly made. The ones who first said no I believe to equated with the sinners. They went and worked to bring the harvest. Is sin important? Of course it is, but I see Jesus saying that in this case, it is the labor of the harvest that he is looking for, not the personal failings of the laborers. There is grace here. The second son, or group, is called out simply for not laboring. The apparent 'goodness' is left out of consideration. This no doubt angered the hearers. Jesus is saying that the sinner who labored go in ahead of the 'righteous', or more properly, the 'self-righteous'.

Unfortunately this is a common scene today, as it was then. We have all heard stories of those who are not followers that see the poor witness of a proclaimed follower and therefor are turned away due to hypocrisy. Can you see this parable from inside the fellowship as well? Paul warns of both behaviors as being detrimental to our calling throughout his letters. Jesus is looking to the inside, and warning, hoping for repentance.

As there was grace towards the sinning laborers, we can find grace towards other biblical people as well. Abraham is mentioned in Romans 4, Galatians 3, and Hebrews 11 with praise for his faithfulness, his belief in God and his willingness to follow God. No mention is made of Abraham's failings, of which there were at least a few. God remembers Abraham for his faithful labor. This is the testimony we ought to follow. We should not be questioning others faithfulness based on outward appearances. There is no 'unfairness' involved. The evidence Jesus sought against the religious leadership was self-incriminating, not a position we should ever find ourselves to be in. Serve God as you are able and be thankful for the service of others, no matter your view of outward perceptions.

Jesus mentions John the Baptist as having told both groups, all of the people, as such there is no excuse. I think this statement worsens the entire outlook for the religious and self-righteous. Here, they are told that they saw the others working. This in itself was a indication of what was being called for, the call of the kingdom looked for labor. These folks watched the labor of the first, the sinners, yet did nothing. They were still relying on their supposed righteousness to speak for them. Even though Jesus still calls the first sinners, I wonder if they had changed as they labored, as they grew in their purpose. The growth was not due to rules and regulation, but to experience through labor. Jesus uses their formerly known associations as further evidence of faithfulness and to drive home the parable. Jesus had more to say...

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Our thoughts, our ways

5/5/2019

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Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
(Isaiah 55:6-9 NRSV)

When we read about what the people of Jesus day thought of God's kingdom, we read how the righteous will be in, while the wicked and evil sinners will be out. The people of God were waiting for a kingdom on earth and many thought they had it all figured out regarding their standing towards God and the law. Many thought that their ways were on par with God's ways. Jesus was sure to point out their error. Luke 18:9-14 offers a parable about one who thinks himself righteous, compared to one whom is seen as unrighteous. The parable concludes with which man will enter into the Kingdom. The pharisees and elders found such ideas shocking. In their minds, their thoughts, and according to their ways, only one as righteous as they would enter. Is this what God was thinking? Besides the obvious lesson of how we judge others, I believe there is more to this parable, and what the LORD claims in Isaiah 55.

Not God's Ways

What are the ways of humanity? What is the wickedness and evil that pushes us away from God? I believe that, as both Jesus and Paul summed up for us, all of the law boils down to two principles, love God with all your heart (think about what that even means), and love your neighbor, all of your neighbors. Over and over in the old testament we read of humanity, mainly Israel, doing the complete opposite. It started with Adam and Eve, and continues right through today. To love God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor, is justice.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.
(Matthew 23:23 NRSV)

The pharisees lack the same three things that their ancestors lacked; justice, mercy, and faith. Exactly what is justice? When most people think of justice, they think of the law, they think of retribution, a long prison sentence, or even the death penalty. I think of the old west, justice often meant 'swinging from the end of a rope'. The term 'kangaroo court' comes to mind. Is this how God views justice? What are God's thoughts and ways concerning justice?

I will offer one example, and then examine a few passages regarding Israel of the old testament and justice.

Sodom and Gomorrah

The example I will use is of Sodom and Gomorrah. Most of the time when I read what others say about the destruction of these incredible cities , it has to do with sex. Mainly, homosexual. This seems to be the primary worry of Lot, and Lot does what seems right to do in Sodom, he offers his virgin daughters to a mob. Rarely do I hear anyone condemn Lot for offering up two innocents, to be raped, in general is that the mob wanted the men, who happened to be messengers, or angels. Certainly there is a complete lack of justice in this scene. Take care of the aliens in your land, Exodus 22:21, Exodus 23:9, Leviticus 19:33-34, are just a few examples out of many. Taking advantage of the alien in these cities was common place, possibly even the law.

Josephus, in his Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, said of Sodom, "they became unjust towards men, and impious towards God: insomuch that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from him: they hated strangers, and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices." Now, a Sodomitical practice is not a reference to what we call sodomy today, Sodomitical simply means what the people of Sodom practiced. They were unjust towards others. They hated strangers, not only that, but they were also unjust towards each other.

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
(Leviticus 19:34 NRSV)

So, God expected Israel to take care of the alien in their land, the expectation even covered what laws covered the citizen and the aliens; the law was the same for everyone. God also expected them to love their neighbor, which includes aliens, as themselves. Did God expect the same from the nations? Yes. God heard the cry of injustice coming from Sodom and Gomorrah, and the towns that surrounded them. Have you ever stopped to think who the cry was coming from? It was not from those of the nations such as were among the Canaanites, and others. God was hearing from those that Israel was to claim the promised land from in the future. God cared about all of humanity, God sought justice from them as well. The land Israel was to eventually to settle lacked justice. The lands surrounding Israel lacked justice. Israel would be a beacon of hope, a land of justice, as an example to the world. God would work through Israel to bring justice.

It is interesting now to read what God said about Sodom in Ezekiel. Anything about homosexuality is absent, though you might be able to put it under the heading of abominable things.

This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty, and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.
(Ezekiel 16:49-50 NRSV)

What I read here is injustice against human beings. I want to include some writing from the book of Jasher. Yes, it is an extra-biblical book however, it may be useful for social and cultural historical understanding. This book is mentioned in scripture, twice. Whether or not the book of Jasher we have available today is the original is not in question here. There is truth as to how these people treated others. The following is highlighted to show the injustice done in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Jasher 19
And the cities of Sodom had four judges to four cities, and these were their names, Serak in the city of Sodom, Sharkad in Gomorrah, Zabnac in Admah, and Menon in Zeboyim. And Eliezer Abraham's servant applied to them different names, and he converted Serak to Shakra, Sharkad to Shakrura, Zebnac to Kezobim, and Menon to Matzlodin. And by desire of their four judges the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had beds erected in the streets of the cities, and if a man came to these places they laid hold of him and brought him to one of their beds, and by force made him to lie in them. And as he lay down, three men would stand at his head and three at his feet, and measure him by the length of the bed, and if the man was less than the bed these six men would stretch him at each end, and when he cried out to them they would not answer him. And if he was longer than the bed they would draw together the two sides of the bed at each end, until the man had reached the gates of death. And if he continued to cry out to them, they would answer him, saying, Thus shall it be done to a man that cometh into our land. And when men heard all these things that the people of the cities of Sodom did, they refrained from coming there. And when a poor man came to their land they would give him silver and gold, and cause a proclamation in the whole city not to give him a morsel of bread to eat, and if the stranger should remain there some days, and die from hunger, not having been able to obtain a morsel of bread, then at his death all the people of the city would come and take their silver and gold which they had given to him. And those that could recognize the silver or gold which they had given him took it back, and at his death they also stripped him of his garments, and they would fight about them, and he that prevailed over his neighbor took them. They would after that carry him and bury him under some of the shrubs in the deserts; so they did all the days to any one that came to them and died in their land.

How much does God love justice?

Notice how Israel is the sister, and that Israel has won the illustrious title of 'winner in the category of injustice' over Sodom. All of the commandments can be brought under two, love the Lord God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Why was Israel sent into captivity? Injustice. See Isaiah 10:1-2 for just one passage, then seek out others throughout the prophets. In Jeremiah 22 word is brought against Judah, they are implored to help the oppressed, the widows and orphans, and to not bring violence against the alien. In Jeremiah 22, other people who pass the land will wonder why the LORD has punished them; the answer is that they did not worship the LORD or keep his covenant, which included justice towards others (verse 3).

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah 6:8 NRSV)

The word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying: Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
(Zechariah 7:8-12 NRSV)

God's ways and thoughts as given to us in the scriptures are clear. They were clear to Israel. Israel was not a beacon of hope to the world. Israel was worse than the world around it and after many warnings were finally dispersed. In God's kingdom are justice, mercy, and faith. We have the faith, as given to us by Jesus Christ. We are to be merciful as he was merciful to us. We are to seek justice as described by God in the prophets and throughout the Gospels and Paul's writings, loving one another, taking care of the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the alien. This is not a political statement, the politics of the world do not lead to justice, God's people should lead to justice. God's thoughts and ways should be ours. Paul says in Ephesians that we were made for good works.

See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.
(1 Thessalonians 5:15 NRSV)

To always seek the good of others is work. It may be easy at times, it may be exhausting . We may never see the fruits of our labor. But, it is what we are called to do. It is necessary to be prayerfully mindful, continually, of how we are perceived as children of God in the world. The great thing is, when there is less of us and our ways, and more of Christ and God's ways, there will be fruit, you can be a beacon of hope.

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The Lamp and the Kingdom

4/28/2019

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Matthew 5:14-16 NRSV
"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

These familiar verses from the sermon on the mount tell a truth we probably hear often as followers of Jesus Christ. The purpose of a light is generally to shine in darkness so we can see. This seems fairly simple, walk into a dark room and turn on the light, it is no longer dark. The world is in darkness, we have the light and should be letting it shine, continuously. Jesus is asking that the listeners shine, everywhere.

Since I was very young, I have always been fascinated with the glow of towns, villages and cities at night, from a distance. Sometimes when driving at night, I make the painfully obvious observation that the glow of different towns are far apart but as I come closer to a town the light drowns out all of the other towns and villages. I do not know why this is such an attraction for me! But, it is exactly what Jesus was speaking too, on a grander scale perhaps. Jesus speaks of the city on a hill, you can not hide it, especially at night in our modern electric day. The light shinning from that city is so brilliant that it can not possibly hid from view. Jesus says that they are the light, to all the world.

Before Jesus arrived, there was very little light. The works seen were those of a man-made system, hundreds of requirements put in place by the religious elite. The very elite that were shutting people out of the kingdom with all of their outlandish laws and customs. When did they shine? After Jesus came on the scene. It was very bright, people literally came from miles away to see him. Thousands followed, Jesus. This was a taste, just the beginning of what was told in Isaiah 60:1-3. We can see in the apostle Paul's ministry the light slowly spreading into the world. Jesus is still the light , but today he shines through us. See, Jerusalem benefited from the source of light, and it shined regardless of those who tried to cover it. What about today? Does Matthew 5:14-16 apply? I believe it does, absolutely, with the difference being that the light was not to be hid while it shined forth directly from it's awesome source.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1:9 NRSV

The true light enlightens everyone. The enlightening was making known what we were to be, what humanity could be. Jonathan Mitchell has a very interesting note in John 1:4, Furthermore, the Light progressively came to be the life known as "humanity," and was for human beings; or: Then the life was existing being the light from the humans. This is the very light that we should not hide under a bushel, or under a bed, or in your heart and mind. Do you remember what Paul says? Imitate me as I have imitated Christ? This is the point of the light. If we are not allowing Christ to shine forth, then we are not shinning. We shine when we are step with the purpose.

In Ephesians 5:8-9, Paul shows us how we are to shine, in the Lord. We are no longer in darkness and as children of light we should live as such. Paul states that the light bears fruit, all that is right, all that is true and good. This describes Jesus. In Philippians Paul s writes that we shine like lights in the world. I like to see this as the celestial beings looking down on earth and seeing us shine, but do those in the world see Christ in us?

One final thought on this for now. Matthew 25:14-30 offers a wonderful parable. Some servants are given talents (a lot of money!) to use and invest for the master. One man utterly fails. He hid the talent and the time he had it was wasted, for him and his master. I love how the Message Bible wraps this parable up:
"The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. "'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb.
Matthew 25:26-28 The Message Bible

It is criminal, a terrible way to live, "play-it-safe", to not use what God has given us. The Light has been given to us. A record has been written and preserved to show us how to live as Jesus did. Is it criminal to hide the Light? I know one thing is sure, with you in command it will be hidden. Most of us will naturally "play-it-safe". Jesus desires that we let go, and let him shine. The path he takes on will probably not be a "play-it-safe" path, but it will be the most rewarding and productive in God's ultimate plan for humanity.

"No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It's put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they're going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don't get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room."
Luke 11:33-36 The Message Bible

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Living With Power in God's Kingdom

4/13/2019

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What does it mean to live with power in the kingdom of God today? In concept, it is made simple for us to understand. In practice, it borders on the impossible. Living with power for God does not require a special school, it does not require special gifts or talents, God's kingdom asks for devotion. 100% devotion.

Let's take a look at what 100% devotion looks like. This is very important. It is a big ask and God knows this, which is why we have a ready made plan set before us and no, it is not the bible. Your plan, the blueprint, map, or path, is a living person. If we had lived in the first century, in Corinth, and attended Paul's meetings, we would have had a pretty good person to follow in Paul. Paul shows us this when he says in 1 Corinthians 4:16 to follow his example, to imitate him. Paul urges this imitation. Later, in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul adds the phrase, "as I am of Christ". We are looking for living example, Paul is not living though we can find examples in his epistles of what devotion looks like.

We are going to work backwards, beginning with a hymn sung by some of the earliest believers:
Philippians 2:5-11 The Message Bible
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, —and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

Focus on the phrase, "he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death". Now, can you imagine living a completely selfless life? Seriously, selfless. Never a thought of yourself, ever. Nothing you did was for you. A couple of nights ago I traveled to Buffalo, NY with one of my brothers and my son to a rock concert, which was outstanding. The day before the show my wife asked if I was excited, of course I was, then she asked wouldn't you rather stay home with me? Wow! There is a loaded question. I responded with a half-truth, yes I would, but I also would like to spend it at the show! Is this a good example? I think it is, obviously my wife was not going to ask me to stay home, but when Jesus lived among us the idea of not going to the show was very real. Jesus lived for one being, God. Jesus was completely selfless!

John 5:19 NRSV
Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.

The son, Jesus, could do NOTHING on his own! I believe this was a very factual statement, no tongue-in-cheek joking around. Jesus only did what God was doing through him. That is 100% devotion. Jesus gave it all. Does God require this of us? Jesus gave a couple of clues.

Matthew 16:24-25 NRSV
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 19:16-24 tells the story of the rich young man. He wants to enter the kingdom and is very troubled at Jesus explanation regarding how to enter. Jesus gives some simple commandments which the young man says he has already done. Then comes the deal breaker, give all of your riches away. The young mans riches were his identity, if it was money, his money was who he was. It occurred to me recently that we could put Paul's name (Saul) as the young man. Paul was rich in heritage and in the law. If Paul was the young man, he left hanging on to his identity rather than that of Jesus. If we see this as Paul, he hung on to it so tightly that he eventually became bitter and raged against Jesus by persecuting Jesus' followers. Imagine Paul hearing the news that Jesus was dead and feeling empowered to persecute the mindless followers of Jesus. Then Paul had the visit, I can imagine God remembering the young man's visit to the living Jesus and thinking that Paul would be perfect for the work, after he was knocked down from his high horse. Paul tells of this very fact in Philippians 3. Now I am not suggesting that the rich young man was in fact Paul, but I believe it is an excellent illustration. Give this some thought by putting yourself in the story, what are you rich in? How does it identify you?

So, there are many examples of how we should be living in God's kingdom, but there is just one true ask. It is the one that I said borders on impossible. In fact, right now, it is impossible. We are a work in progress and thankfully we have a God of patience. Can we still live in the kingdom? Yes, I believe we can, in moments of power. The real power is in the total surrender of ourselves for the sake of others.

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The Kingdom of God

3/24/2019

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Recently I begun to think differently about the kingdom of God, or of heaven. Previously I believed that the "kingdom" was for the earthly realm, for Israel and the nations that would someday flock to her. Whenever anyone brought up the kingdom, I turned down the volume. I thought, they do not understand scripture, they think we are the spiritual Israel or even that we are Israel. Even worse, when they said something like, 'we are bringing the kingdom in', oh my. So, what changed? I began to realize that the whole idea of living in God's kingdom meant much more to life than knowing something about the future of God's plan. It meant something for right now. Honestly, there was something missing from my view of what christian life was supposed to be. I found myself reading mainly Paul's epistles, rarely the gospels. The Old Testament was just history and prophecy. Because I believe that we are living in a time (age of grace) covered mainly by the Pauline epistles, this was my scope of life.

What began to really capture my attention was how the word "kingdom" seemed to brighten the eyes and attitudes of those proclaiming it. I decided to study this idea of kingdom life, which drew me into the gospels to a greater point than ever before.

Remember that the topic is the kingdom life, not a dispensational review. As I said, I am convinced that we live in an age which is covered more accurately by the apostle Paul, as revealed to him by God. But, Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews, he knew the Old Testament well. Acts 28:23-31 says that Paul was testifying the kingdom of God and of Christ using the law and the prophets. After the Jewish leaders reject his message, Paul then says that the Gentiles will listen, and for two years he proclaimed the kingdom of God to any who came to him, including Gentiles. According to blueletterbibile.org, Paul refers to the Old Testament 259 times; this includes Hebrew's 86 times. Beside Hebrews, such references are found in Romans, the book of the "Romans road to salvation", 74 times. So, to truly understand what the proclamation about the kingdom Paul gave from his home in Rome, we have to understand what Jesus said about the kingdom, and what the Old Testament writers had to say. Then we can see that what Paul wrote was not different, concerning the kingdom of God.

I have been giving a series of sermons titled, "The Kingdom Is Like...". I am having a fun time with this and would like to begin writing it all down. My hope is that you might find something of interest, even if you are way ahead of me! I am not sure how this will work out from here but I will be back, in less than a year-and-a-half! Until then, may you realize that God has already blessed you far beyond your expectations!

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Mercy, Grace, Kindness, Love

The Tenants

Our thoughts, our ways

The Lamp and the Kingdom

Living With Power in God's Kingdom

The Kingdom of God

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