The Unjust Judge and the Widow Who Wouldn't Accept 'No"

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to Him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’  ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”  ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night?  Will He delay long over them?  ⁸ I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

Once spinach was a delicious green leaf and eating it made Popeye strong.  Now through the wonders of modern science, spinach can be a white leaf and Popeye’s already too fat.

But time teaches us that change is inevitable.

Pastor Charles Swindoll said, “We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

Jimmy Dean said, “I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

From C.S. Lewis, we get “Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”  He is unchangeable in His love for us. 

Today’s lesson, based on a short parable about a widow and an unjust judge, urges us to persevere before God, for His love for us never changes.  In our difficulties and even in our blessings, perhaps we give up too soon, and God is waiting to hear from us.  The purpose of today’s lesson is to teach that God honors patience, persistence, and persevering prayer.  In this lesson, persistence is both required and rewarded.

18:1 And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ;¾ This means that prayer should be persistent; we should persevere in prayer.  We are not to faint, meaning not to lose heart or give up. Why? Because there are great rewards, for God always answers with the right answer at the right time!

18:2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ¾ Jesus tells them there was a judge in a city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t care what others thought of him.

18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, “Avenge me of mine adversary.”  This widow lady came to him asking for justice with her of her adversary (her enemy).  But he would not for a while. This was the time for persistent prayer to come in.

18:4-5  ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”  This widow had become such a trial and trouble to this judge, that for his own reasons he decided to give her what she demanded.

Now, this judge thought he had truly made up his mind before, yet, there was another force at work!  He said, Yet because this widow’s persistence troubled him he would act on her behalf.  This meant that the judge honored her request because she continued to come and come, plead and plead, and would not let him rest. She would not be silent!

18:6  And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.”  But on the other hand, Jesus calls him an "unjust judge." Why?  Because he had no fear of God, and cared even less of what other men said.  He took bribes and gave favors to persons who held position and authority. He didn’t care for conscience or law, even though he was a judge. Jesus told them to hear what the unjust judge said. Let this sink in of what he said of himself.

18:7 And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night?  Will He delay long over them?  ¾ So if he was an evil, unjust judge who was able to be worn down, "Don’t you think that God will surely give justice to His people who plead with Him day and night?"

The point is: God avenges His own elect which means when an enemy is coming against the elect, and the elect perseveres in prayer, crying out day and night, Jesus wants His disciples to know that if a widow goes and receives justice from a wicked unjust judge, how much the loving heavenly Father is there to avenge her adversary.

God is known for being longsuffering with unbelievers coming to Him for salvation, He also bears long with His elect.

18:8  I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

God will avenge His elect speedily, meaning in His time He will act suddenly, quickly, and without hesitation. But then Jesus asks "will He find faith on the earth" when He returns?  We have building in our society a great tragedy, that few men of faith and prayer will be found when He returns to earth. He’s looking for faith; faithful men and women who persevere in prayer.

Now let’s look at a quick summary here:

You will notice that the Parable starts off with "Men ought always to pray and not faint."  Persistent prayer is required from the saints; we should persevere in prayer. We are not to be faint, meaning not to lose heart or give up.  Why? Because there are great rewards, for God always answers with the right answer at the right time! (18:1).

Jesus goes on to discuss this "judge in a city who didn’t fear God, and neither regarded man" (18:2).

A widow kept coming, wanting justice against her adversary (18:1-3).

The judge didn’t want to.  But even though he didn’t fear God nor man (18:4), yet this judge who thought he had truly made up his mind before, now, there was another force at work!  He said "Yet because this widow troubles me (her persistence troubled him), I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me" (18:5).

This judge honored her request because she continued to come and come; plead and plead, and would not let him rest. She would not be silent! It doesn’t matter how long before the answer. Saints have to be persistent to receive the answer from the One who can give the answer. His reward is great! (18:4-5).

But on the other hand, Jesus calls him an "unjust judge." He had no fear of God, and cared even less of what men said. He took bribes and gave favors to persons who held position and authority. He didn’t care for conscience or law, but even an evil unjust judge was able to be worn down.

Haven’t you run into people like this?  From the context this judge seems to be arrogant, proud and condescending.  Although he probably saw himself as superior to others in every way, there is the chance that others experienced this judge as a kind of knucklehead. 

Right here in Nashville, the past year or so, we’ve had a couple of judges removed from office because they overplayed their hand with their devious ethical behavior.  It became evident that in truth they lacked wisdom.  But we should not be surprised at that, because we read in Proverbs 1:7 that “wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.”  And again in Job 28:28, “Look, the fear of the Lord is wisdom.”

So if an unjust judge can be turned, Jesus asks, "Don’t you think that God will surely give justice to His people who plead with Him day and night?"  The point is: God avenges His elect who persevere in prayer; crying out day and night when an enemy comes against them (18:7).

His retaliation will be speedily for His elect, meaning in His time He will act suddenly, quickly, and without hesitation. The question Jesus asks "will He find faith on the earth" when He returns? He’s looking for faith, faith that perseveres in prayer (18:8). (18:6-8).

Perhaps another way to put this is that in Christ we are all brothers and sisters, all equal, all deserving of the same love and the same justice.  In Christ, we are all one, so if you mess with one, you mess with us all.  And don’t think the enemy doesn’t understand that.  He does, which is why he is so intent on dividing us, separating us, finding ways to split us up.  But so long as we remain in Christ, he can’t.  We are all one in Jesus Christ, and it is Jesus Christ who tells us that fervent, persistent prayer is important.

          There is a story about former President Ulysses S. Grant, fighting his last campaign with cancer at Mount McGregor, and meeting with General O.O. Howard, who had earned the nickname of “The Christian Soldier”.  Howard spoke for a time with Grant about some of the battles and campaigns of the American Civil War, in which both men had played so well-known a part.

          It is said that Grant listened for a time and then, interrupting him, said, “Howard, tell me what you know about prayer.”  Face to face with death and the mysterious, the question of prayer was of greater interest to the dying former President and General than the reminiscences of his battles.

          Some folks think of prayer as sweet, well-spoken words addressed to God to do our will, a time to present to God our petitions of what we want.  When Jesus spoke of prayer, He suggested what Fred Craddock describes in a sermon titled “Praying Through Clenched Teeth.”

          Prayer is not so much prayer retreats, meditation, or having proper words or posture.  No, according to Jesus, prayer is more like beating on heaven’s door until someone answers.  It is prayer that is so persistent that even the most reluctant finally surrenders because he or she knows the one knocking is certainly not going to give up or give in.  Prayer is the persistent widow!

          Our need with respect to prayer is to see prayer from all angles.  In order for us to understand prayer, we need to remove it from a strictly stained-glass light.  Prayer is us putting on the working clothes of love and mercy in Jesus’ name.

          In the movie “Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid,” Bob Dylan sings the theme song called “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.”  Part of the lyrics go,

“Mama, take this badge off of me

I can’t use it anymore

It’s getting’ dark, too dark to see

I feel I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door.

Knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door.”

          But laying on your deathbed is almost too late to think about knocking on heaven’s door.

          The easiest thing we will ever do is pray, and depending on the context, the hardest thing we will ever do is pray.  Sometimes we just don’t know where to start.  Even one of Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

          Many people simply give up before they try to pursue some worthy goal.  Prayer takes discipline and persistence.  Too many quit before they get started.  But prayer is one of many Christian disciplines, such as worship, Scripture reading, meditation, service, self-denial, reflection, and fasting.  It is prayer that helps condition or train our inner life so that we can best engage the world as disciples of Jesus.       

          It is often prayer that will keep us from being too timid or shy about doing what Jesus has said we must do.  From prayer we get the boldness to reach out and share the love He shares with us from the Father.

          Jesus knows about our human tendency to give up.  When He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, surrender was one of His own temptations.  In Matthew 26:39 we read, “Then He went a short distance farther and fell on His face and prayed, ‘My Father, if it’s possible take this cup of suffering away from Me.  However – not what I want but what You want.’”

          It is when we are ready to quit, when we are ready to give up, when we are ready to surrender, earnest prayer to God takes the focus off of us and our circumstances and places it squarely on God where it belongs.

          Persistence is the key to so many areas of life.  Whether we are learning to play the piano, taking on school as an adult, trying to overcome an addiction, or digging out of a financial quagmire, persistence is the key.

          I was Jesus who “in His anguish He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground”, it says in Luke 22:44.  Jesus knows about prayer, as do many of you, I believe.

           Remember that the point of Jesus’ parable here is not that persistent prayer guarantees you anything you desire, but rather the parable unmistakably teaches that believers’ prayers are to offset timidity and cowardly resignation in the face of life’s hazards.  But remember the persistent widow, she would not take no for an answer.

          I’m going to ask us to consider once again these verses from Luke 18:1-8, in the light of of these questions:

1.    What does this text say about God?

2.    What does this text say about people?

3.    And what does this text say about the relationship between God and people.

          

And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 

² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 

³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to Him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 

⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 

⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”  

⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 

⁷ And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night?  Will He delay long over them?  

⁸ I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

          What are your thoughts God, people, and our relationship?

         

         

          Let us close then by reciting this prayer I’ve passed out.  Our lesson begins with prayer and ends in justice.  So let us close by reciting this prayer from Steven W. Manskar, director of Wesleyan Leadership at Discipleship Ministries, joins these two important concepts.

“God of compassion, You suffer in the grief of Your people, and You are present to heal and forgive.  May the sun of Your justice rise on every night of oppression, and may the warm rays of Your healing love renew each troubled mind; for You are the God of salvation and new life, made known to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.”

Circumcision

Sunday's Sermon: Circumcision

September 10, 2017

Pastor Ed Evans

Prayer:

“Father, we bring You praise for the time and place to come before You with open minds and open hearts for what You have for us this morning. For we would learn what it means to be trustworthy, to be committed to a promise. In the world around us today such social frameworks and business practices such as a man’s word, a woman’s word, seems to have lost the bond it once had. May that not be the case in our commitments to You, O Lord.

We would learn from history this morning of Your promises, liberation, of Your God-given power to so love You and others with everything of our heart, mind and soul. We ask these things in the name of Him who loved us first, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen.”

Scripture:

Genesis 17:1-14

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make My covenant between Me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall My covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

Now, since we’re dealing with circumcision this morning, I was tempted to suggest to you ladies we wouldn’t be needing your attention for the next half hour, but the Lord in His wisdom corrected that when He brought to my attention certain verses in Colossians. So, you’ll just have to pay attention, after all. Be patient, we’ll get there.

Now, this Old Testament covenant in Genesis is pretty specific, so let’s begin by talking about its impact on Christians today.

Circumcision is the surgical removal of the male foreskin. The word “circumcise” literally means “to cut around.” It was a religious rite, required of all of Abraham’s descendants as a sign of the covenant God made with him. Mosaic Law repeated that requirement, and Jews throughout the centuries have continued to practice circumcision.

But New Testament Christians are no longer under the Old Testament Law, and circumcision is no longer required. We find this in a number of New Testament passages (Acts 15; Galatians 2:1–3; 5:1–11; 6:11–16; 1st Corinthians 7:17–20; Colossians 2:8–12; and Philippians 3:1–3). Our deliverance from sin is the result of faith in Christ; it is Christ’s finished work on the cross that saves, not the observance of an external religious rite. In salvation, Galatians 2:16 tell us the works of the flesh accomplish nothing.

You may often hear it said that Jesus did away with the Old Testament laws of Moses and the prophets. But He didn’t. Jesus came to fulfill the law and what was prophesied. Some will claim our problems with God today are because we don’t keep the old laws, but I don’t see them wearing phylacteries or blue threads in tassels on their garments, nor do they advocate the destruction of a home when mildew is discovered.

It isn’t the old laws that are important. It was never about the laws, but about our commitment to worship the one God.

Hebrews, Chapter 10 is a golden chapter for explaining what is going on here, how, and why. I want to read you here just verses 10 through 14, but I encourage you to go back and read that entire chapter on your own. For some it may be a life-changing chapter.

Hebrews 10:10-14 reads: “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body have you prepared for Me;

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings

You have taken no pleasure.

7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book.’”

8 When He said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then He added, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” So ends the reading from Hebrews 10.

When the Israelites came out of captivity, and back to the ruins of Jerusalem, with its broken walls, the old temple where not one stone rested on another, it was necessary to remind them who they were, and whose they were. So Nehemiah had the people listen to the readings from Moses’ Torah, for seven days. On the eighth day, Nehemiah gathered them together, had them stand up and read together the following prayer, from the book of Nehemiah, Chapter 9, verses 5-8:

5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be Your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

6 “You are the LORD, You alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You. 7 You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before You, and made with him the covenant to give to his offspring the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite. And You have kept Your promise, for You are righteous.” So ends the reading.

Notice the prayer begins with the admonition, “Stand Up!” The footnote in the Common English Bible says, “Their devotion to God was expressed physically. The people felt so moved that they couldn’t worship God by sitting still.” The reference to Abraham and God’s covenant with him in the prayer recall one of the reasons for their hope and enthusiasm.

This 17th Chapter of Genesis we are studying is organized around five divine speeches. We find those speeches in verses 1-2, 4-8, 9-14, 15-16, and 19-21. This is where God tells Abraham what He, God, is about to do, and what is expected of Abraham.

Haven’t you ever wished God would just get with you and give you a heads-up on what He’s about to do? C’mon, God, let’s huddle-up here, You tell me what’s coming and I can be ready to do what You want me to do. Right?

But it didn’t make any difference with Abraham, did it? Here was a very holy man, in God’s eyes, and yet as time goes by and God acts in Abraham’s behalf – in behalf of mankind, actually – Abraham still steps sideways and messes up what God’s doing. He has a child out of wedlock, embarrassing his wife, Sarah; he goes into foreign lands and claims Sarah is his sister, not his wife, and almost gets his head lopped off when other royalty wants to take Sarah for a wife.

Doesn’t really do us much good to know what God’s up to, then, does it? Maybe that’s why God and His angels keep their own council.

I was always puzzled as to why God changed Abram’s name from Abram to Abraham, until I learned that Abram means “exalted father”, and he was, and Abraham means “father of many” or “of multitudes”, which he was about to become; a patriarch of millions.

The name “Sarah” means “princess”, already appropriate as the future mother of royalty. But the Bible notes many other name changes: Jacob was renamed Israel; Simon became Cephas; Saul became better known as Paul (which was both a Latin and Greek variation of the Hebrew Saul); and of course, Jesus of Nazareth became known as Jesus Christ.

What about some of your names? Were you named for a favorite family member? Does your name have a linguistic significance? In my case, I’m of English, Irish, Scot and Welsh ancestry, and the name Edward means “Guardian”. I’m told I was named after a rich uncle who left us nothing.

Here in the south it’s a tradition to use your middle name instead of your first name. Mine is “Marshall”. As a child we moved a lot so at one school I decided to use Marshall instead of Edward. I heard every Marshall joke there was: Marshall, where’s your horse; Marshall, where’s your badge; Marshall, where’s your gun. And then from the girls, “Marshall, are you going to arrest me?” But I was just too young for that nonsense. At the next school I was Edward again. Nobody knew me and that was fine with me.

But as with Abram and Abraham, do you see how your name can be a reflection of who you are? What about you? Does your name reflect who you see yourself to be? [Are you really a Mavis? You are definitely a Kay, I think. I think Oscar fits. Are you sure you are Dorothy? Donna?]

God’s covenant with Abraham involved not only a name change, but it bound Abraham and his descendants to God in an intimate way; that they were chosen could never be forgotten.

The name change also suggested that Abraham would have the responsibility not only of reproduction and physical molding, but also the responsibility of transmitting to his descendants that faith was the sacred obligation that undergirded everything in God’s covenant. It was about faith.

And were we to make a personal application here, it would be to ask the question, what is the spiritual legacy you are leaving to your children, or to the grandchildren or others who you influence? Do they see Christ in you? In your actions? In your words?

The intentions and applications of God’s covenant with Abraham are pretty clear to us. That covenant covered all of Abraham’s extended family and all of his household servants and slaves. But what about those outside that covenant. The intent of that covenant has guided Jews, and today continues to guide the Jewish nation, down through the ages. On the eighth day after birth, a Jewish boy child is both circumcised and named.

But unlike Adam and Noah, Abraham was not the sole patriarch on the earth at that time. And there are millions today outside the requirements of that covenant. Does it have any impact on them?

Just as circumcision signified initiation into God’s covenant with Abraham, his household, and his descendants, in the same way baptism in the Christian tradition represents the Christian’s initiation into the church. In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Chapter 2, verses 9-11, he used the concept of circumcision to explain how the Christian is united with Christ in baptism.

Let’s take a look at the Colossians verses: “9 For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…”

“Made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh…” Isn’t that interesting? And at this point I rush to dip just my toe into one of my favorite verses of scripture, Galatians 5:28, which reminds us, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

I just want to do a little dance down the street like King David did, when I read that verse, for it rises Christ up into the heavens far above any other religion or belief!

I know I don’t need to tell you, for you already know it, but the followers of Jesus Christ are the ONLY ONES guided by the love and forgiveness of their sacrificing savior, Jesus Christ, who loved us even before we knew Him.

He paid our debt on that cross for every sin we have ever committed, or have yet to commit, long before we ever knew who He was.

The covenant of circumcision reminded Abraham and his heirs that they had been drawn into a covenant relationship with God Almighty. The sign of the rainbow reminded God of God’s promise to the earth. The sabbath reminded the people of Israel that God had made them holy. And their history reminds you and I of the commitment, the love, the forgiveness of our God, El Shaddai, God Almighty; Adonai, Master and Lord.

Let us close by reading in unison the prayer found on page 607 of the United Methodist Hymnal, “A Covenant Prayer in the Weslyan Tradition.”

“I am no longer my own, but Thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom Thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by Thee or laid aside for Thee,

exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O Glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Thou art mine, and I am Thine.

So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth,

Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”

Called to Break Down Barriers

Called to Break Down Barriers

August 13, 2017

Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Acts 8:26-39

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter

and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he opens not his mouth.

33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who can describe his generation?

For his life is taken away from the earth.”

34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

PRAYER

Dear God, by Your grace You have brought us together for fellowship and study. Grant us Your wisdom to recognize Your voice and understand Your Word. Teach us Your ways and empower us with Your Spirit. Help us to open our hearts to Your love, mercy, and grace, and give us the compassion to share these gifts with others; in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Let me state at the outset that I hope you have read today’s lesson, a very interesting and informative one, but I’m not going to delve much into the lesson itself, because the lesson lends itself to a much wider discussion.

Now, one of the most difficult things for you and I to do is often to step outside our safety zone. We prefer – that is, we feel at ease – when we are interacting with people who look like us, talk like us, and think like us.

Anything else and we’re just not all that comfortable. Our subject today, Philip found himself in that situation, led there by God.

Philip was one of the seven Greek-speaking deacons selected by the church in Jerusalem about 35 AD. And he is led to strike out on a deserted desert road on the way to Samaria. On that lonely journey he meets an Ethiopian official reading scripture and needing someone to interpret it for him so he can understand.

In explaining it to him, Philip marks a major turning point in the history of the church of Jesus Christ. For this marks the unhindered spread of the gospel throughout the world.

Back in Jerusalem the Chief Priests and Roman officials are desperately attempting to throttle any attempt to spread the gospel. But it has never mattered what men intended, outside of the plans of God, nothing is going to stop what God has ordained to happen. So we see new Christian Deacon Philip, and a Christian Ethiopian eunuch, on their way to building a Christian church here in Hermitage, Tennessee; just part of the worldwide spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It took them a while to get here, but time means nothing to God.

A. W. Tozer, in one of my favorite quotes, pointed out, “For those outside of Christ, time is a ravenous beast. But for the sons of the new creation, time crouches and purrs and licks their hands.”

Notice Philip found this fellow on a desert, wilderness road. Philip probably would not have been out there except that an angel directed him out there.

Ever found yourself in a kind of wilderness situation? Somewhere you didn’t really want to be? Wondering why you were there? We just need to remember, if God sent you into it, He will bring you out of it.

In Saturday’s The Tennessean newspaper, in the first section on page 17A, there was an article written by a young man pursuing a B.S. degree in business administration and minor in philosophy at UT. The headline read: “We must have honest religion.” The young man’s name is Hancen A. Sale, a staff columnist at The Daily Beacon, which is the university’s editorial independent newspaper.

In part, he wrote, “Often when someone divorces themselves from a way of life, it is the start of a critical and reflective journey.

“I had meddled in the study of theology for a couple of years until it became very apparent to me no theology could corroborate my human experience. Thus, I left my church, my faith and my ideological safety net.”

“Religion was a dying breed in my mind, yet there still seemed to be much reverence surrounding it: religion has undoubtedly driven so many people to do so many things.”

He went on to talk about how much violence had been created in the world by religion; the Crusades, the twin towers during 911, the Jewish genocide, etc. Yet even though such tremendous evil lives on, religion persists, he wrote. He noted that “religion drove Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to proclaim his dream from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial; that religion inspired Mahatma Gandhi to lead the greatest human rights campaign; and that religious foundations continue to do so much good.”

He asks, “is ardently engaging and defending such a doctrine – within any religion – worth our time? For all the good religion has provoked, it has produced equal parts bad – perhaps, more.”

“Did the early pages of the Torah not demonstrate the dangers of violence? Did a Jewish prophet – Jesus – not proclaim from the Mount that the earth belongs to the meek? Did the Noble Eightfold path not command work for the good of others and opposition to evil? It is certainly evident: religion is the single greatest indication of how division and violence remain the most potent danger humanity will ever face.”

“Thus,” the writer says, “from the religious world to the secular world, we must all ask the question: is our participation – or non-participation – in religion contributing to the violence and division which currently plagues our world.”

“We must divorce ourselves – from our religion, our lifestyle, or our way of life – just long enough to face that question with a profound, resounding honesty.

“Hopefully, that candor will behold a light strong enough to bind all of humanity.” That’s the end of his article.

Now, before I open it up for discussion, I would make several points.

First, it is evident from his passages that like so many this young man knows of Jesus who is the Christ, but he has no relationship with Jesus.

Second, his understanding of history is incomplete. Referring to the Crusades – they were Christian crusades – ignores the 300 years of Muslim ravages across parts of Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The Crusades were called for by the Catholic Popes, who depended upon the European kings for the money and manpower to rescue sacred Christian lands, and free people from brutal and vicious Islamic rule.

And third, he speaks solely about religion, almost as if it were a force of nature. You might say, but God invented religion. Sorry, but God invented mankind, mankind invented religion.

• Before I continue, any thoughts or comments on this article?

Nowhere in the Bible can you find a relationship with God through religion. Religion is a works theology, man thinking he can please God with his works; “if I can do enough, say enough, pray enough, give enough, sacrifice enough perhaps God will show me favor”. Religion is a roadblock to a relationship with God. The writer’s entire approach is based on false assumptions and a misunderstanding of what God wants from us.

In Isaiah 1, Amos 5 and Micah 6, again and again God has told His people what He didn’t want from them in the way of worship, and we have ignored Him. And He doesn’t make it that difficult. In Micah 6:8 we find the words, “…what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Where is the division and violence in that?

The stated purpose of this lesson is, quote, to grasp the importance of and commit to ministering to the marginalized.

This writer is part of that marginalized. Many of the people around you in your daily life are the marginalized. They don’t have to be poor, or homeless or disabled, they simply have to be outside of God, maybe even strapped down with false religion. You can be that bright and shining light of God to them, allowing Jesus Christ to work through you with a kind word, a smile, a refusal to condemn them.

Personally, I’ve often found many people are not outside of God because they want to be, they simply don’t understand. God doesn’t hate them. God isn’t against them. Listen to these words from God in Isaiah 54 to those who had turned their backs on Him, but now come out of Babylonian slavery:

“For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer.

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but My steadfast love shall not depart from you, and My covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”

Perhaps the problem for most of us is, how do we tell them that God has not forgotten them without offending them? Sometimes you have to just follow God’s leading.

In recruit training our Marine Corps drill instructors would shout at us: “Do something even if it’s wrong!” They would later explain that they could fix mistakes, but they could not fix it if we were not willing to at least risk a mistake.

Now, understanding that “wrong” here does not mean “sinful,” do you agree there are times when you need to “do something, even if it’s wrong”?

Have there been situations in your life when this was true? How often as parents do we have to apply doing something, even if it’s wrong? What do you think?

# # #

In 1920, Robert Frost published his wonderful poem, “The Road Not Taken,” which ends:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence;

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

What about you? Have you ever come to an important fork in the road where you had a great deal of difficulty deciding which road to take or you had trouble getting up the courage to take the right road? How did you decide? How did you find the courage for your decision? What do you think?

Perhaps you recall from a previous lesson that Philip was among those selected as a deacon to parcel out available resources and ensure the widows were treated fairly. It seems by this time Philip no longer needed to fulfill that role, but he seemed ready and willing to take that desert road less traveled by. Any thoughts on why he was so willing to do that?

[He had a great deal of faith in God. Philip trusted God to take care of him as long as he faithfully did what God asked him to do. Moreover, each time he was obedient, he found that God faithfully kept His promises, which increased his faith even more.]

• The Ethiopian seemed to have no problem asking Philip for help, and Philip had no problem responding. But might there not have been social barriers between these two?

• Has anyone here worked with people of different cultural backgrounds, with social barriers? How did you overcome them, and how did that experience enrich you?

• Are there any barriers that exist between us in this church and those in our community, those we would lie to reach for Christ?

[Racial, cultural, economic, educational, generational barriers?]

• If so, how do we go about breaking down these barriers?

[Personal relationships.]

• Are there actions we can take to make strangers feel more welcome when they visit our church, or even our class?

[Freshly microwaved banana bread, at one church.]

[Experience at Presbyterian Church after one visit, and a follow-up visit; during illness, brought dinner.]

[Other experiences?]

Are there any other comments or questions about today’s lesson?

If not, let us close with prayer.

Gracious God, make us sensitive to those around us who may feel as though they cannot approach You. Give us the right words to say so that they understand all You have done for them through Jesus Christ to build a bridge to You. Use us to overcome barriers so that the message of Jesus Christ reaches everyone; in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen