Advent 2020: Peace

December 7, 2020                     NOTES NOT EDITED
Peace At All Times
Luke 2:14; Isa. 9:7; 26:3 

SIS: God’s grace gives us peace throughout the course of our lives. 

Let’s read our main text this morning:  Luke 2:14. 

Our primary text this morning records the annunciation of peace from a Heavenly Host. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!” (Lk. 2:14)

One of Israel’s prophets gives us a prophetic description of the Messiah centuries before Jesus was born: Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah will go on to talk about “peace” 28 more times as Heoutlines the ministry of the Messiah.  One of those 28 times is  Isa 26:3:  You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.

There is no doubt: If we keep our minds fixed upon the Prince of Peace we will have peace in our lives all the time.  Yet, we all know that much of our life—perhaps even most of it—it characterized by conflict, not peace.  The apparent contradiction between what God promises and what we experience has to do with a misunderstanding of what “peace” in the Bible means. 

The Peace that Jesus gives is not the absence of trouble, but is rather the confidence that He is there with you always.  Biblical peace is not the absence of trouble but the Presence of God.

God promises peace but we experience near constant conflict of some type.  It may be global conflict, as in war, or personal, as with some other individual.  We come face to face with the great irony of human existence; peace is highly valued but seldom experienced for long. I once read that in the entire history of the world there has only been a total of about 200 years of peace.

Conflict, not peace, is the default setting for humanity.  A close examination of Luke’s verse elucidates the fact that the Bible recognizes the human predicament—a strong desire for peace, but a near constant experience of conflict.  The resolution to this apparent contradiction is to understand the biblical word, “peace.”

The Latin word for peace, “pax,” has the meaning we most commonly associate with peace—the legal or political agreement for two or more parties to cease from war. The English word for peace comes from Latin through Middle English and carries this same meaning—a cessation of conflict.

The Greek word, eirene (eh ray nay), in Classical Greek has a similar meaning to the Latin word, pax.  But, when this classical Greek word gets Baptized into the Christian text, it has a different focus. It does not primarily refer to a legal or political relationship between parties, but an “all-encompassing sense of well-being about life.”

The different focus of eirēnē in the N.T. comes from the influence of the O.T. word, shâlōm (shaw lome).  Eirēnē is used to translate shâlōm in the Greek translation called the Septuagint.  Scholars recognize it is an inadequate equivalence (as most translations are).  Eirēnē and pax both describe a cessation of conflict.  Shâlōm focuses on a state of well-being resulting from a relationship with Almighty God.  Shalom can include the idea of a cessation of conflict. Shâlōm can also emphasize the prosperity that can arise from peace.  Unlike eirēnē and pax, however, shalom focuses more on a state or sense of well-being wholly independent of circumstances.  Shalom focuses not on circumstances but on a “covenant of peace with God” (Isa 54:10). So, eirēnē, peace as used in the N.T., focuses on one’s relationship to Yahweh, God, more than on one’s circumstances. 

Perfect peace is not about perfect circumstances—Joseph and Mary’s circumstances were far, far from perfect—but on a relationship with the Perfect Prince of Peace.  We can be in a state of peace, even when war rages all around us.  I’ve taken a great deal of time to outline how God’s peace is more than the absence of conflict, because this is so important to our well-being now, and in eternity 

I want to move through the Word of God and demonstrate that at every stage of our lives, regardless of circumstances, we can have peace, if as Luke declares, “God’s favor rests upon us.

1.  If God is with you and His favor rests upon you, you will be at peace IN THE WORKING TIMES of your life (Haggai 1:1-6

1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: ² “The Lord of Hosts says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.” ³ The word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” ⁵ Now, the Lord of Hosts says this: “Think carefully about your ways: ⁶ You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to become drunk. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.” 

So many people are filled with stress and dissatisfaction in regard to their work, or vocation in life because they focus on worldly success instead of the Savior of the Word.  Many sweat and strive, but never get ahead. Money disappears like coins dropped into trousers with a hole in the pocket.  Many people feel they don’t have a “piece”of the pie and so, they have no peace in their lives.

Nothing is more frustrating to our peace of mind than to strive and work hard but seem to make no progress.  But peace is about a personal relationship with God, not our productivity index at work. Many, most people actually, think peace can be found simply by staying ahead of all the other “rodents in life’s rat race!”

 A first– grader by the name of Angie came home from school one day proudly wearing a blue ribbon pinned to her shirt.  She had won “first place” in her class’s natural history contest.  She drew a giraffe with “three legs.”  Her Mom (having not been trained by HeadStart) questioned the little girl’s picture: “But, honey, your giraffe only has three legs.  A giraffe has four legs.”  Not deterred, the little girl spoke brightly, “Yeh, I know.  But I was the closest one in the class.”

That is a sweet story but at its core is the rotten philosophy of modern success: the modern mindset tells mankind that success is merely staying ahead of the next guy. When we do this, even being top rat in the race will not bring us peace.  Productivity without a personal relationship with God will make the “working times of our lives” bitter, disappointing, and full of conflict. We must dedicate even our “working times” to God to be at peace.  The Bible tells us, 

Col. 3:23 ²³ Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men.  

If you want to experience “peace” in the working times of your life, you must keep God in the equation of what it means to be “truly successful.”  We may work “at” the factory, but we work “for” the Lord.  That’s the key to peace in the working times of life. 

2.  If God is with you and His favor is upon you, you will have peace IN THE WAITING TIMES of your life (Psalm 27: 1-3, 14) 

Psalm 27:1–3 ¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom should I be afraid? ² When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. ³ Though an army deploys against me, my heart is not afraid; though a war breaks out against me, still I am confident.
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¹⁴ Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord.

The word translated “wait” in this passage means “to bind together, or gather.”  There should never be a wasted or useless moment in the life of a believer.  It is very frustrating and disturbing to think that any of the precious few moments of our lives are being “wasted by useless waiting.”  Wasted waiting destroys one’s peace of mind.  Like the Psalmist surrounded by enemies wanting to “devour his flesh,” our circumstances may scream, “Run, run,” but our Lord says, “Wait.”

I’ve read where we spend literally years of our lives, “Waiting. . .” at the bank; at the grocery store; at the doctor’s office; for our kids to come home; for our “babies to be born.” . . . ;  or, for a prayer to be answered.  Wait, wait, wait.  So much of life is “waiting.”

We can’t get around “waiting times” in life. It begins very early in our development.  A teen-aged boy decided to ask a girl to the Winter Dance. She agrees, and he decides to rent a suit. The rental has a long line, so he waits and waits in line, and finally he gets his suit. He decides to buy flowers, so he goes to the flower shop. The flower shop has a long line, so he waits and waits, until he finally buys flowers. He picks her up at her house and they go to the dance. There is a long line into the dance, so they wait and wait. Finally, they get into the dance, and he offers to get the girl a drink of punch. So he goes to the drink table where the punch bowl was . . . . . . . . . now, YOU ALL have to wait . . . there is no punch line. 

Remember, the Hebrew word for wait can mean, “to gather.”  When we wait on the Lord as the Psalmist instructs us, we are not “wasting our time,” we are gathering our strength and collecting our spiritual resources. 

Waiting, when God is in it, is not a wasting time but making the best use of time.   The greatest waste of time is not “waiting on God,” but going on ahead without him. 

God does indeed have great blessing in store for us – but we must wait—but, when we have the assurance and hope of better things to come, we can have “peace in the waiting times of life.”           

Do not move a muscle or move ahead one inch in your life until you are certain that God is with you and His favor is upon you. If you do not wait on God, you will not have peace in your life.

3.  If God is with you and His favor rests upon you, you will have peace IN THE WORRYING TIMES of your life (Phil. 4:6)

⁶ Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Everyone worries.  Some people even worry when they have nothing in their life to worry about.  It is human nature.  The Nativity Story is full of circumstances that could cause great worry and anxiety.

Joseph had plenty to worry about.  His wife was pregnant—with the Son of God, no less!  She was ready to give birth and all the rooms in town were full.  Mary had more than enough to worry about.  She knew that Joseph was worried.  Nothing worries a wife more than knowing her husband is worried.  This was Mary first child.  She was young and no doubt scared.  Everyone in Bethlehem had reason to worry.   They were all on their way to a TAX AUDIT!  Life will never disappoint you by leaving you with nothing to worry about. 

Life does not have to be perfect for us to live in perfect peace. 

One of my favorite authors wrote a book with a great title.  Barbara Johnson knew great trials in life.  She wrote a book titled, “Pain is Inevitable But Misery Is Optional, So Stick a Geranium In Your Hat And Be Happy.” Worry is optional.  You can either choose to worry, or choose to pray—but the human spirit cannot do both at the same time.  Paul says (Phil. 4:6),

6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6).           

When you are worried, turn your problem into a prayer. Cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you. We can have peace in times of worry when we know God’s favor rests upon us. 

4.  If God is with us and His favor rests upon us, we can be at peace IN THE WANING TIMES of our lives (Lk  2:25-30; 36-38)

²⁵ There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, ²⁸ Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God, and said: ²⁹ Now, Master, You can dismiss Your slave in peace, as You promised. ³⁰ For my eyes have seen Your salvation
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At that same time, there was an elderly prophetess name Anna, who had lived in the temple for 50 to 60 years without ever leaving, spending her life in fasting and praying.  She saw the child, Jesus.  Look at verse 38 At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about Him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

 I’ve preached this text about these two old people for over 40 Advents.  Now, I’m living the story.  If you live long enough, you will get old. And, if you get old, your strength, your health, and your wealth will wane – which means “lose strength or power.”  I know all the clichés like, ❶“you are only as old as you feel.”  Well, somedays I feel 64!  And, there’s that one about ❷“age is just a number.”  Yep, it sure is, and the larger the number the greater the challenges in regard to strength and health. 

Even cars wane, or lose power.  Mechanics call it low compression. You don’t have the same “punch in your pistons.”  You don’t have enough “carbs” in your carburetor. I know some of you youngin’s don’t believe it, but sooner than you think, you will find your “get up and go done got up and left!”

Even something as simple as going to the movies can become a challenge in the “waning times” of life.  Two old guys, Fred and Sam went to the movies.  A few minutes after it started, Fred heard Sam rustling around and he seemed to be searching on the floor under his seat.  "What are you doing?" asked Fred. Sam, a little grumpy by this time, replied "I had a caramel in my mouth and it dropped out.  I can't find it." Fred told him to forget it because it would be too dirty by now.  "But I've got to", said Sam, "my teeth are in it!"

Paul understood the “waning times of life,” but was still at peace.  He declared with great confidence:  2 Corinthians 4:16  Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.   

The legacies of Simeon and Anna can be a great source of “peace” when our waning time arrives. 

Let me sum up what we have learned this morning.  Peace can be our gift from the cradle to the grave . . . . in our Working Times; in our Waiting Times; in our Worrying Times and in our Waning Times if God is with us and His favor is upon us – we can have peace within us, when God’s favor is upon us.

Let’s not just celebrate peace this Advent . . . let’s live it! 

Advent 2020: Love

 

November 29, 2020 (revised)                 NOTES NOT EDITED
Advent 2020:  Love
Luke 2:1-7, et. al.

 SIS—Christmas is about love, especially God’s love, which is the most powerful, transforming force in the universe.

If you google the word, “love,” you will get millions of hits.  “Love” is very popular because love is very powerful.   Here’s what Psychology Today reported in an article: Love is as critical for your mind and body as oxygen. It's not negotiable. ….the less love you have, the more depression you are likely to experience in your life. Love is probably the best antidepressant there is because one of the most common sources of depression is feeling unloved.

There have been many famous love stories throughout time. The Song of Songs detailing the love between Solomon and the Shulammite Lady; Antony and Cleopatra; Romeo and Juliet; The Honeymooners, Ralph and Alice Kramden; Starstruck Lovers in the movie, “Love Story” starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’neal; the somewhat tenuous puppy love between Charlie Brown and Lucy; and of course, the love story we celebrate at Christmas between Joseph and Mary.  All these stories though, pale in comparison to the love story between God and man which reaches its zenith in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That’s what Christmas is all about—a love story between God and man.

Christmas is about love, especially God’s love, which is the most powerful, transforming force in the universe. Love is powerful, but few people really recognize just how powerful and transforming love can be.  Even fewer people understand the “ultimate, transforming power of God’s love.”  God’s love literally changes everything.

The Christmas Story is the “Ultimate Love” story.  It far surpasses the dark love of Romeo and Juliet or the human love of Robert Redford and in “A Love Story.”  God’s love is the “ultimate transforming power” in the universe.  Let’s read of that love in the Christmas Story.

CLIP:  Linus reciting LUKE 2:1-7

Four aspects of God’s love show its majesty and transforming power.  God’s love shows our VALUE.  God’s love gives us PUPOSE.  God love draws us to WORSHIP; and God’s love makes us ETERNAL.

1.  God’s Love Shows Us Our VALUE

Think of the “stuff” in your life.  The stuff that you love the most has the most value—at least to you.  Unfortunately, many people love the “stuff” in their lives more than they do the people in their lives.  But that’s another sermon.  God’s love shows us how valuable we are to God.  In fact, the Bible says this about how valuable we are to God:

God loved us so much that he showed it in this way:  He sent His only Son to die on the cross in our place. (John 3:16, paraphrase).

That’s a pretty special demonstration of how valuable God thinks you are.  I don’t think many people make the connection these days between Christmas and Easter, but they are two sides of the same coin of God’s love.  This reminds me of the verse:

Greater love has no man than this,
but to lay down his life for a friend. (John 15:13)

When I think about how God’s love makes people valuable, I think of the shepherds in the hills that night.  Look at verses 8-15 again:

⁸ In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord  stood before them,  and the glory of the Lord  shone around them, and they were terrified.  ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:  ¹¹ Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. ¹² This will be the sign for you:  You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.” ¹³ Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: ¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!  ^v

We’ve heard that story so many times.  I don’t think we in this modern industrial age, separated from that Bethlehem night by over 2000 years, really appreciate just how marvelous this part of the Christmas story really is.

The contrast between what the world thought about shepherds and what God thought about them is a contrast of cosmic proportions.  Shepherds were part of the lowest rung of society in the first century.  They were held in such contempt that they were not even allowed to be a witness in a court of law.  They were considered, “shady characters with very low morals.”

Also, the Jewish community held shepherds in particular contempt because not only were they “shady citizens,” but their occupation made them ritually unclean because of their constant contact with animal waste, as well as dead and sick animals.

The shepherds were outcasts in society.  Nobody in the community valued the shepherds.  But God valued them.  God valued them so highly that they were not only “witnesses” to what happened, they were the first witnesses.  And, God not only told them what had taken place, but God treated these lowly shepherds to the most glorious choir that had ever given praise on earth.

Perhaps God valued them because He understood that shepherds would have a keen insight to what it meant for Jesus to be, “the Lamb of God sacrificed for the whole world.”

This is a truly remarkable part of the Christmas Story and proves that God’s love makes a person VALUABLE.

2.  God’s love gives us PURPOSE

⁴ And Joseph also went up . . . with Mary. 

Notice that word, “and,” in more literal translations. It is bad English grammar to begin a sentence with “and” but it very precise Greek.  The little Greek word, “de,” occurs throughout the Gospels to demonstrate a “matter of fact occurrence.” Even the most mundane, chaotic events in our life our fraught with grand purpose.  Nothing in the life of the believer is without purpose—including both pain and pleasure.  Joseph and Mary, like perhaps thousands of others, were simply “going about their business.”  They would quickly find their business had a very significant purpose—and that is a great understatement!

Every soul that enters this world is created with PURPOSE. It doesn’t matter whether you are born rich or poor, famous or obscure, or whether anybody outside of a few close friends or family ever know you existed—you have a God-given purpose for being born.

Consider Joseph and Mary.  I’m not sure you could have found a more ordinary couple in all the world.  Joseph was a hard-working carpenter and Mary was a teen-ager probably not more than 16 or 17.  They were from a very obscure village called Bethlehem.  This place is so small and obscure some scholars doubted for years whether it even existed.  But, of course it does.

I doubt when Mary was born that her parents thought:  “one day, Mary will give birth to God!”  Now, I know parents can have great hopes and aspirations for their children—and parents should have great hopes and aspirations for their children—but, “giving birth to God” probably never crossed their minds.

And, what about Joseph.  He was just a lowly, blue-collar, dirt-under-his-fingernails-craftsman.  Do you think his parents said when he was born, “One day, he’ll be the step-father of God!”  Wow!  I get chills just thinking about that.

Parents want the best for their children. Out of five siblings, I was the academic one. My parents hoped I would become a doctor.  My grandfather went to WVU to become a surgeon.  The Depression hit and he ran out of money.  Instead, he retired as a meat-cutter and butcher—that’s kinda’ like being a surgeon, I guess.  I remember when I called my Mom from Pearl Harbor to tell her I felt called to become a preacher, she was less than thrilled. She finally came around and secretly held out hope I would be Billy Graham’s replacement.

The purpose parents have for their children may be different than God’s purpose for us—but everyone has purpose.  Joseph was just a carpenter going to pay his taxes, but he was a carpenter with a purpose—perhaps the grandest purpose of any man ever born.  Not only does the love of God make you “valuable,” but it makes you “purposeful.”  Everything we know about the universe demonstrates that it is “highly designed” from the atom—a  t o m—to Adam—A d a m.  Everything has a purpose, especially human beings.   Everything about Christmas demonstrates the highly purposeful, greatly detailed plan of God at work.  Joseph didn’t meet Mary by accident.  It was all part of God’s plan before the foundations of the world were created.

Ephesians 2:10 spells it out clearly,  For we are His creation, created  in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

Did you catch those words, “prepared ahead of time!”  I have a little sister named Becky.  She is the baby of the family and, according to my Mom, she came as quite a surprise.  Many children come as a “surprise” to the parents, but I want you to know that “nobody comes as a surprise to God.”

Every person on earth is created to fulfill a unique purpose.  Do not forget that.  God makes this clear to Joseph in a dream because Joseph was having a little trouble with Mary’s story.  Let me give you Mary’s story in a paraphrase.  One strategic moment Mary came to Joseph and said, “Joseph, I have something very important–and very strange to tell you.  Please hear me out.  Please don’t get angry.”  Everything we see of Joseph in the Word of God (which is not much) indicates that he was a very kind and gentle man. Joseph replied, “Yes, dear.  What is on your heart?  You can tell me anything.  I love you more than life itself.”  Mary continued, “I’m pregnant.  But, it’s not what you think!  I’ve not been unfaithful.  I’m still a virgin.  This is God’s child.  It’s a miracle.”

Well, for a devout young Jewish man, this was devastating news. How many men would have bought Mary’s story?  Not many I suppose—including Joseph.  So, God intervened to reassure Joseph that all this was according to the purpose God had for Joseph’s life.

Mat 1   ¹⁹ an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. Then, look at God’s purpose revealed in verse 22: ²² Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord . . . .

Christmas is about the transforming power of God’s love.  God’s love makes us purposeful.  God had a purpose for Joseph (and everyone else in the Christmas Story), and God has a purpose for you.

3.  God’s love draws us to WORSHIP

Some of the most interesting characters in the Christmas Story are the Three Wise Men, or the Three Kings from the East.   Matt. 2   ¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship [proskuneo] Him.”

Quite a bit of folklore has arisen in regard to these strange travelers.  They have even been given names.  "according to Western church tradition, Balthazar is often represented as a king of Arabia, Melchior as a king of Persia, and Gaspar as a king of India."   Of course, this is nothing more than folklore.  The Bible doesn’t name the Wise Men.  In fact, the Bible doesn’t even say there are three of them.

Most scholars feel that “from the East” refers to Persia, or modern Iran.  There is a very old tradition that these “Wise Men” (magi, in Persian) came from Chaldea, or modern day Iraq.  The Israelites had at one time been captives to both these countries. 

Regardless of the exact homeland for these travelling men of influence, they travelled very far.  By the time they arrive in Bethlehem, Jesus is no longer a “brephos,” or infant, but a “paidion,” or toddler.  The Holy Family is no longer in a stable but in a house.  So the journey was very long.

Whatever their origin, the reason for travelling to Bethlehem was crystal clear.  Verse 2 says the Wise men, “came to worship him who was born the King of the Jews.”

Worship is a translation of the word, προσκυνῆσαι, which means to “bow in honor or adoration.”  It reflected the custom of the orient to bow and kiss the feet of a nobleman.  Worship, though, is not so much something we do, but it is an attitude that we have toward God.  It is an all-consuming desire to interact with and work for Almighty God.  I define worship as the attitude, “All of me, all about Him, All the time.”  True worship is something only a true believer can give.  It transcends “religion” and involves a deep and abiding relationship with God because of Who He is—the King of the Jews, the Christ, or the Messiah.  All these terms refer to Jesus Christ as being Almighty God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. The worshipped Jesus as God Almighty. 

When someone comes to recognize Who Jesus really is, that person cannot help but want to worship. A desire to interact with God and serve Him becomes the all-consuming passion of those who come to realize that Almighty God loves us.  The key is, “all-consuming.”

The transforming love of God makes us Worshipful.  The power of God’s love as demonstrated in the Christmas story makes us valuable, purposeful, worshipful, and most importantly of all:

4.  God’s transforming love makes us ETERNAL

For most people, in America especially, Christmas is just a date on the calendar and an occasion for fun activities.  But, Christmas is more than lights on the tree, treats baking in the oven, or even the annual presentation of a church Christmas pageant.

Christmas is about Christ.  This may shock you but Christmas is not so much about the “birth” of Jesus as it is the “death” of Jesus.  Unless one comes to understand “why” Jesus was born, then Christmas loses the most important aspect of it’s wonderful, transforming love.

Christmas is not about a baby being born, but it’s really about you being “born-again.” Look at Luke 2:11:  Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.

The angel could have identified Jesus in many ways:  Teacher, Healer, Miracle-Worker, or Prophet, among others.  But, in the inaugural message of Jesus’ birth, Jesus is identified as “Savior.”  There is no article (a, or the) in the original text, which is a means by which Greek puts an emphasis on a noun.  The most important designation for God the Son Who became a man was “Savior.”

The word, “savior,” from “soter,” refers to someone who delivers others from peril.  It was often used for medical workers in the first century, doctors if you will, because they delivered people from disease.  It was even used of philosophers who would deliver people from ignorance.  The most often employment of the word was for a military general who would deliver people from an enemy.

In the Christmas sense, it is used of Jesus who would be, as John the Baptist declared, “the Lamb of God Who would die to take away the sins of man” (Jn. 1:29).

I’m sure there are a lot of things you think you need this Christmas—and you are probably correct.  But your greatest need cannot be filled with anything material, or temporal, or of this world.  Your greatest need is “Eternal.”  God’s transforming love makes you Eternal—that is gives you eternal life.  In a sense, everyone is “eternal” the moment one is born.  Everyone will continue forever.  Death is the end of the body, but not the soul.  Everybody will be going one of two places after death—an eternal heaven, or an eternal hell.

Christmas is about God’s plan to give you eternal life.  That first Christmas God gave us all the most important gift He could ever give – The Savior.  We are all condemned by our sin.  We are all in bondage to sin.  We need a Savior, a Deliverer, A Rescuer, a Messiah.  Jesus is that Savior, Deliverer, Rescuer, and Messiah.

Christmas is about a lot of things I suppose, but right up at the top of the list, Christmas is about the Wonderful Love of God.  I’m afraid that within a week, for most people, Christmas will be boxed up and put away for another year.  That is a great tragedy.  Christmas is not about a “day,” but about a Wonderful, Loving God Who came to earth to invite us to heaven.

In March of 2008, 55 years old, Annamarie Ausnes ordered a vente latte and a kidney at Starbucks.  On that day Annamarie Ausnes struck up a conversation with 51 years old, Sandie Anderson, the local Starbucks barista (server).  Annamarie had been a longtime Starbucks customer.  Annamarie Ausnes told Sandie Andersen, that she needed a kidney translplant.  During the casual conversation Annamarie explained that her husband and son were not matches, meaning that they could not donate their kidneys to her to save her life.  So, Sandie Anderesen gave Annamarie her double latte and without any hesitation offered to give her a kidney, too. Without hesitation, Andersen took a blood test to see if she matched the customer. She ended up being a perfect match. Andersen donated her kidney to Ausnes and in a few weeks, she was expected to be 100% back to normal. That’s the power of love! It saves lives.

This story parallels the Christmas Story. It demonstrates the truth that we are in peril and God acted in a loving, selfless love to send us a “Soter,” or a rescuer, deliverer, Messiah.  The sacrificial, loving act of sending Jesus, His Only Son, to earth changed everything for anyone who would accept that Christmas Gift.  The Wonderful Love of God changes everything.  Let it change you!

The Key to Power

 

November 8, 2020                     NOTES NOT EDITED

The Key to Power
Luke 18:1-8

SIS—Changing hearts, minds, and circumstances require a power that can only come from persistent praying.

There are numerous examples of men who were great prayer warriors throughout history, but on that list is a name that stands out as if in bold print. That name is George Mueller.  Mueller, born in 1805, grew up in Prussia, today’s Germany. By age sixteen he was a liar, a thief, a swindler, a drunkard, and in jail. (from Wikepedia). Yet, God worked a miracle in his soul. Mueller became a humble, life-long, (and long life it was, dying at the age of 93), servant of God and the poor.  The following story from Mueller’s journal is an example of how Mueller moved mountains with no shovel but persistent prayer.

The orphan children all had their dinners and were ready for bed. They always felt loved and cared for in the Bristol orphanage; little did they know that the orphanage had no money and there was no food for breakfast the next day. Though he did not know how, George Mueller was confident the Lord would provide for the orphans--after all, wasn't God a "Father to the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5)? Mr. Mueller went to bed, committing the care of the orphans to God. The next morning he went for a walk, praying for God to supply the orphanage's needs. In his walk he met a friend who asked him to accept some money for the orphanage. . . Mr. Mueller thanked him, but did not tell the friend about the pressing need. Instead, he praised God for the answer to prayer and went to the orphanage for breakfast. (Christianity.com). This would be Mueller’s modus operandi for nearly 7 decades of ministry and work with orphans.  Never in all those years of pulpit and charity work would George Mueller ever make a public appeal for money.  In fact, for the nearly seven decades of ministry George Mueller would never accept a salary but simply trust God to provide daily for his needs.

Persistent prayer makes stuff happen, and George Mueller is but one of a myriad of examples throughout history.  Perhaps the greatest quote I’ve ever read on prayer is one that has “Unknown” listed as the source:  “Prayer moves the Hand of the One that moves the universe.” How prayer moves God’s Hand is a great mystery; the fact it does move God’s Hand is the very essence of prayer.

John Wesley, the Father of the First Great Awakening, said, “God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it.”

 Oswald Chambers, a beloved preacher and author of the perennial best-selling devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.”

Indeed, there is no greater work to be done, than the work of prayer, and no great work ever accomplished, but that which is birthed and nourished with prevailing prayer. I sadly confess that my desire to be effective in prayer far outweighs my commitment to prayer.  I often grow weary and more than I want to admit, I’ve been discouraged with what perceive as an ineffectiveness in my prayer life.

I want more than anything to change this fact in my life.  I want to learn what it means to “come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). Throughout the Bible, we are given many examples on how to “pray until something happens.”  One of those examples will serve as our guide this morning.  She is referred to as the “Persistent Widow.”  Our Bible reading earlier spoke of this Widow (LUKE 18:1-8).

In order to learn how to “pray until something happens,” you must understand several truths about prevailing prayer.  First,

1. Persistent prayer requires a measure of DESPERATION (2-4)

Verses 2-4 give the brief outline of a person in desperate circumstances.  First of all, she is a woman.  Women had very little standing in first century society.  They were slightly more than the property of a father or husband.  There is some debate as to the extent women were denied equal rights in both Roman and Jewish societies in the first century, but the inequality was quite evident.  Second, this woman was not just “a woman,” which was desperate enough, but she was a “widow.”  She was without the covering, protection, and financial support of a man in a society already slanted against women.  Third, she had a legal matter and the judge she had to bring her case to was ungodly, unjust, unkind, and from verse 4 and 5, he was unprincipled, acting out of his best interests not that of others. 

In a word, she was “desperate.”  She was, “frantic, anxious, despairing, worried, and distracted,” all synonyms for “desperate.”  her circumstances were not good.  There is an extreme danger that desperate circumstances often lead to paralyzing discouragement.  In fact “desperation, discouragement, and despair” are, as I pointed out, synonyms. 

Jesus taught his disciples, as the Word teaches us today, that “prayer” is the antidote for desperation or discouragement.  Look at verse 1, which gives the context for this parable on persistent prayer:

He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged.

Pray or be discouraged.  These are the choices when circumstances in life become desperate.  Jesus had in mind a very specific time of desperation between His first coming and His second coming.  Notice the little word, “then.”  This is an adverb in English that describes a chronological relationship.  In Greek it is a coordinating conjunction that ties this passage into the passage that goes before.  Here’s what Jesus says about the coming times of desperation (Lk. 17:26-36):

²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah,  so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: ²⁷ People went on eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage  until the day Noah boarded the ark,  and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot:  People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building. ²⁹ But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ It will be like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed.  ³¹ On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back. ³² Remember Lot’s wife!  ³³ Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  ³⁴ I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding grain together: One will be taken and the other left. [³⁶ Two will be in a field: One will be taken, and the other will be left.]”³⁷ “Where, Lord?”  they asked Him. He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there also the vultures  will be gathered.”

Jesus presented the teaching of the Persistent Widow in the context of the desperate days before the end of the earth.  Vultures hovering were a sign of a dead body.  The vultures are hovering over our nation as I speak.  We are in these “Last Days” now.  I see desperate people everywhere I go.  I see an increasing hostility toward Christianity.  I see judges sitting on courts, like the Supreme Court, who “don’t fear God or respect man.” 

The first lesson about persistent praying is very important:  persistent praying always involves a measure of desperation.  It is often said in business, “Things will never change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing.”  It is a truth verified by human history:  people won’t persist in prayer until they perceive they are desperate.  As long as a person thinks he or she has some other place to go, they will never go to God in persistent prayer.  Oh, from time to time we may throw up a “hail Mary” prayer hoping to when the celestial lottery, but until we are desperate, until we come to realize we have no place to go BUT to God, we won’t keep “praying until something happens!”  There is a second truth to consider in regard to “persistent prayer.”

2.  It requires a measure of PERSPIRATION (3-5)

³ And a widow  in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps pestering me,  I will give her justice, so she doesn’t wear me out  by her persistent coming.’ ”

Have you ever worked at something until you were absolutely “exhausted?”  Notice that this widow not only worked so hard that she was exhausted, but she worked at it so hard that the unjust judge was getting “exhausted.”  He granted her request to get some rest!

I have learned that persistent prayer is one of the hardest activities a person can undertake.  Prayer is far from an “easy fix” for hard circumstances.  Prayer that will lift one out of desperation is prayer that results in perspiration.

Prayer is a weapon of spiritual warfare.  There is nothing “easy” about war.  Interestingly, the word translated “pester” actually refers to the area under the eye.  In common language it would translate, “she is giving me a black-eye.” Prevailing prayer has a physical component.

I’m not talking simply about physical perspiration, but more so, spiritual perspiration.  Perspiration results from exerting your physical muscles.  Spiritual perspiration results from exerting your faith.  Spiritual exertion is every bit as difficult as physical exertion, perhaps moreso.  The Word of God says (1Tim. 4:8),

the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Thomas Alva Edison stands as the most prolific inventor of the modern era.  In fact, without Edison’s work, there would be no “modern industrial era,” or the “information era” we experience them today.  His greatest development would arguably be the electric lightbulb.  It is well known that much trial and error went into finding a filament that would be suitable and stand up to the flow of continuous electricity.  But, the filament was only part of the process of developing the light bulb.  Seven separate theories leading to seven necessary systems were needed to make the light bulb a success.  Edison kept trying and never gave up, even after hundreds of failures.

Edison and his assistants worked feverishly and tirelessly on his inventions.  One of his most famous quotes says, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

It takes hard work to be a success at anything—and this includes prevailing prayer.  Prayer makes stuff happen, but it is not easy.

A quote attributed to C.K.Chesterton states, “Prayer has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and never tried.”

When Paul is summing up his message to the Church at Colossae, he lists several who were stellar champions in the cause of Christ.  One person Paul mentions is the devoted soldier of Christ, Epaphrus. 

^{Col. 4:   12} Epaphras,  who is one of you, a slave of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always contending for you in his prayers,

The word translated, “contended,” comes from the word meaning, “pain.”  We get the word, “agony,” from this Greek word.  Prayer is referred to as “agony.”  The word can mean, “fighting, racing, or struggling,” among other things.  The KJV describes prayer as “laboring fervently.” 

3.  It requires most of all, INSPIRATION (6-8)

In order to “pray until something happens” you need faith, which only comes from the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in your life (Rom. 8:9).  “Inspiration” literally means, “In the Spirit” or the “Spirit within.”  This is the essence of “faith.”  Look at verses 6-8

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night?  Will He delay to help them?  ⁸ I tell you that He will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on earth?”

Will the Lord find faith?  How would the Lord recognize we have faith, according to this passage?  The Lord would find faith by finding his disciples involved in “persistent, prevailing, importunate praying.”

Notice that “inspiration” is related to intensity.  Verse 7 says,

  Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night?

The word for cry is an intense word, sometimes describing a death cry, or even the loud shrieking of demons as they are forced to exit a human host.  The intensity of the cry is compounded by the words, “day and night.” Persistent prayer is intense in quality and duration. 

The Apostle Paul describes the deepest level to which one can press  into the valley of prayer.  Romans 8:26:

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should,  but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us  ^e with unspoken groanings. 

There are those times, and those matters, that are so urgent, and so pressing, that words fail us in our time of prayer.  In all times we need the Spirit’s guidance in our prayer, but in these moments of such intensity and urgency, the Spirit actually prays for us in “groanings too wonderful for words.”  It’s this type of “Spirit-inspired” prayer that “makes stuff happens.” Prevailing prayer moves mountains. 

In these times of deep need and desperate urgency our prayers are like the woman with an issue of blood (Lk. 8:43).  When she touched the hem of the Lord’s, virtue, or power, flowed from His life into hers.  That’s what happens when a saint gets ahold of God through prayer—power begins to flow and stuff begins to happen.

There is a big difference that must be noted between God in heaven, and this unjust judge.  God’s character is perfect and His ways are always just, but beyond that, God is infinitely compassionate and eternally gracious.  Unlike the unjust judge in this story, God delights in granting justice and giving great gifts.  At a point when the prophet Jeremiah faced bitter disappointment and discouraging circumstances because of the disaster into which his people were about to fall, Jeremiah concludes:

^{Lam. 3   22} Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. ²³ They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

Above all else, persistent prayer, requires faith which comes only from the Spirit of God taking up residence in the human heart.  Only when God’s Spirit has filled a person, can that person truly experience prayer that makes stuff happen.

Without true, transforming faith through a relationship with God, provided by Jesus Christ on the cross, and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13), any real power through prayer is an illusion. The only true prayer that “makes stuff happen” must be Spirit inspired

Prevailing, persistent prayer requires a measure of desperation, a measure of perspiration, and mostly a large measure of inspiration.

A few years ago I came across a fascinating lesson from God’s creation, on perseverance or persistence.  Perseverance or persistence is really the out-working of one’s trust in God. I have used the lesson of the Moso Bamboo Tree before because it illustrates the virtue of perseverance and the practice of prevailing prayer so well.  The story of the Moso Bamboo begins when a farmer plants a tiny shoot completely in the ground.  Then, every day that tiny shoot must be watered—365 days of the year.  If you miss a day, nothing will happen.  Then after carefully watering the tiny shoot for 365 days, suddenly—nothing happens.  You must water it, fertilize it, and weed it for another 365 days.  Then . . . nothing happens.  You can inspect the spot from every angle and you will see no evidence of any growth.  You must water, weed, and fertilize it for another 365 days.  That’s a total of 1095 days.  Then you will see that . . . nothing happens!  Another 365 days of weeding, watering, and fertilizing must be given.  Then, after the fourth year . . . nothing happens.  By now, it would be quite easy to give up, as there is absolutely no evidence that your efforts are producing anything, but personal frustration and disappointment.  But, you press on another year.  Another 365 days of watering, weeding and fertilizing and then, after about 1825 days, something happens.  The Moso Bamboo shoot sneaks up above ground.  That tiny shoot will grow two to three feet every 24 hours, until it grows to a height of 90 feet in about six weeks.  So, how long does it take a Moso to grow to 90 feet?  Some would say, six weeks.  But, it really takes five years.  All those times that it looked like the farmer’s efforts were wasted—even foolish—the tree was putting down roots that would allow it to grow tall and majestic.  The Moso Tree Farmer persists and something happens—and when it happens, it is marvelous, even miraculous.

The key to success for a Moso Bamboo farmer is “persistence.”  This is the key to real success in any venture, but most certainly it is true of spiritual success.  Like the story of the Moso Tree, the story of the “persistent widow” shows us that the key to spiritual victory is persistent, prevailing prayer.  Someone clever has described this type of prayer with the acrostic, P.U.S.H:  “Pray Until Something Happens!” All great men and women of faith throughout history, whether the great benefactor of children, George Mueller, or Susannah Wesley, the mother of the great preacher, John Wesley, or missionaries like David Brainerd, the key to spiritual victory is “persistent prayer.”

Let me summarize the teaching of the Persistent Widow as it relates to unlocking the power of prayer.  First, the ANALYSIS:  In life, circumstances are seldom going to be what we’d like them to be (v2). Second, the ALTERNATIVE:  “We can pray, or we can be discouraged (v1).” Third, the APPLICATION:  “Just pray . . . and don’t stop until something happens!”