Life's Ultimate Security
9.30am
Sunday 29 April 2007
Readings:
Psalm 23; John 10:22-30; Revelation 7:9-17
There is a lot of emphasis on
security today. Governments over the
years have provided incentives to make it easier for people to buy their own homes. But for an increasing number of New
Zealanders that possibility is becoming more and more remote. As
Wednesday's NZ Herald reported the
current average wage cannot buy an Otara house.
The mortgage repayments would be too high for people on that level of
income.
The same article reported
that home ownership rates in the Auckland region
have plunged in the last 15 years from 72.7 per cent in 1991 to just 59.3 per
cent last year.
There is also the security that comes from
regularly putting aside money for the future.
However, over the past twelve to eighteen months concern has been
expressed over the amount of debt and the lack of savings of the average New
Zealander.
'One News' carried an
article last September that reported, "New Zealand's credit card debt
stands at a whopping $4.5 billion" of which $3 billion incurred interest last
July at an average of 18.8%. This means
that in the past year New Zealanders have paid about $540 million in interest
charges alone. The credit card is a
handy piece of plastic, particularly in this age of internet and phone
shopping, but it can get out of hand so quickly and people find themselves in a
liquidity crisis. The same programme
quoted Darryl Evans from the Mangere Budgeting Service in South
Auckland as saying that the average person they see has about
$43,000 worth of debt - and multiple cards.
This has led to the Government introducing
what will become a compulsory savings programme through
Kiwi Savings
Accounts. The plan is for these to
be lifetime savings accounts, and eventually held by every New Zealander.
On establishment of the scheme, Kiwi Savings Accounts will be created
automatically for all who are earning taxable income. The scheme will be set up in such a way that
4% of everyone's
taxable income will be saved in this way, including those who are receiving
welfare benefits. Individual accounts will be established automatically at birth, with
a $500 endowment by the government. Repeat endowments of $500 will be
made at age 5 and 10.
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However, while we know that these are
good and will benefit many, they do not provide ultimate security. Economies can be very fickle, and the value
of one's savings can change dramatically overnight. Governments can only do so much, and whatever
they do is temporary. It cannot sustain
us long-term. Life brings crises that
owning a home or having a healthy bank balance will not help. Something more, something greater, something
unaffected by the change and chance of life is needed at these times.
The Bible affirms that there is a God who
is infinitely just and good over-ruling the universe, that this God is not an
impersonal being uninterested in the affairs of humankind, but one who is
intimately aware of our predicament, a God who has in the past, and continues
in the present, to act on our behalf.
It was this kind of faith that sustained
God's people during the time of the events that led to the establishment of the
Feast of Dedication of which we read in John's Gospel this morning. This morning's reading began
with the words,
"Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter..."[1] The Feast John is
referring to here dates back to the second century B.C. when the Syrian ruler,
Antiochus
Epiphanes IV, came to power over what is now Israel-Palestine in 175
B.C. He was one of the Seleucids who
in succession to
Alexander the Great built a realm in Syria and
adjacent lands. Epiphanes' name means
God made manifest.
He sought to force Greek culture and manners (Hellenism) on the
Jews. In doing this Epiphanes was but
following out the intentions of his predecessor,
Alexander, whose dream
was to create an empire, not by the sword but by culture. By introducing Hellenistic cults, Epiphanes
tried to put an end to the Jewish religious community. This had a measure of success among the 'free
thinking' section of the Jewish priesthood, but there were a hard core of
priests and people who refused to abandon the faith of their forefathers and be
'westernized'.
In 170 B.C. a law was announced requiring all
citizens to present themselves four times a year to pay formal homage to
Antiochus
Epiphanes as the senior god of the Seleucids. The day chosen for these
periodic submissions was Shabbat, when Jews preferred not to leave their homes,
this being their day of prayer. Epiphanes was met by revolt and the setting up
of a small state in which the high priest was the central figure. In 168 BC
Antiochus Epiphanes dared to occupy Jerusalem, enter the Holy of Holies in the
temple, desecrate the sanctuary by offering unclean animals upon the alter of
burnt-offerings, pollute the whole building by sprinkling it with water in
which flesh had been boiled. On top of
all this he dedicated the Temple
itself to Jupiter Olympius, and erected the statue of that deity and plundered
the temple treasures. This led to the
Maccabean uprising in 167 B.C. The
severe measures Antiochus employed to put down the uprising merely brought the
matter to a head and the revolt followed.
The uprising was initially led by the priest Mattathias. When he was killed his son, Judas Maccabaeus
continued the revolt.
Judas received
a vision from God in which he saw Onias, the former high priest, praying and the prophet Jeremiah appear and present a gold sword to him with the words,
"Accept this holy sword
as a gift from God;
with it you shall crush your
adversaries."[2] Inspired by this vision the Jewish forces defeated armies far
greater than their own, and eventually led to their
recapturing the temple from
the Syrian occupying forces in 164 B.C.
Listen to the account given 1 Maccabees 4 of their entry into the
temple.
"There they found the
sanctuary a wilderness, the altar desecrated, the gates burnt down, and
vegetation growing in the courts as it might in a wood or on some mountain,
while the storerooms were in ruins. They
tore their garments and mourned bitterly, putting dust on their heads. They prostrated themselves on the ground, and
then when the trumpets gave the signal they cried aloud to heaven."[3] It was a heartrending spectacle.
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Judas
enlisted his men and selected priests to purify the sanctuary. After restoring and dedicating it, Judas
"and all the assembly of Israel"
decided the event should be remembered annually "with joy and gladness for
eight days," now observed each December as
Hanukkah (Hebrew for
"to dedicate"). In the ensuing years, Judas fended off enemy attacks,
liberated captive Jews in Galilee, evaded a kidnapping attempt, made an
alliance with Rome,
and died fighting Syrian forces.
Lights have always been an
important aspect of this Feast. The
reason for this is that when Judas Maccabaeus and his forces recaptured the
temple, the priests found only one small cruse of consecrated oil, just enough
to feed the lamp of God's presence one day.
However, the lamp miraculously burnt for eight days until more
consecrated oil could be prepared. This
is why the festival lasted eight days.
Not only in the temple did the lamp burn, but in every godly home a lamp
was lit for each person of the household.
The really zealous householders added a light every night for every
individual, so that if a house with ten people living there began with ten
lights, it would end with eighty! It was
a time of great celebration, so much so that no fast or mourning, on account of
any calamity or bereavement, was permitted to commence during the festival.
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This is
the background to the Feast of Dedication when Jesus walked in Solomon's
Colonnade. It was a time when the people
remembered and celebrated the amazing victory over their enemies and the
restoration of true worship in their temple.
We need to remember that when the events in John 10 took place, they
were again a subject people, this time under Roman rule. They longed for the day when their Messiah
would appear, because they believed he would free them from every foreign
power. This was in all probability what
led to the Jews gathering round Jesus and asking,
"How
long will you keep us in suspense? If
you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." To which Jesus replied,
"I did
tell you, but you would not believe. The
works I do in my Father's name testify about me, but you do not believe because
you are not my sheep."[4]
Jesus then uses their question
to teach about the characteristics of those who do belong to him. There are several things we can note from
what he says.
1.
The
crucial importance of BELIEVING that he is the Son of God. In the verses immediately preceding those that we read this
morning Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd" who lays down his life for
the sheep.[5] Those who were listening would have
immediately recognised who Jesus was claiming to be because God was their true
shepherd. Many of the Messianic
prophecies, such as the one referred to in Revelation 7, use this imagery. Isaiah prophesied, "See, the Sovereign
Lord comes with power ... He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries
them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."[6] In calling himself the Good shepherd Jesus
was very clearly stating his Messianic identity, but the Jews refused to
believe. That's why Jesus answered their
question by saying, "I did tell you" who I am "but you do not believe." Twice he says, "you
do not believe," and then states the reason, "because you are not my
sheep." You don't belong to me.
Those who belong to Christ, believe in him. It may not happen all at once. It is often a growing conviction. It happens with children growing up in a
Christian home. Like as was mentioned
last Sunday, many parents can testify that as their children have seen them
live out their faith, and as they speak and teach about it whenever there is
opportunity, gradually faith has awakened in their children and they quite
naturally want to know Christ as their friend and follow him, too. It is also true of adults. As they keep company with God's people,
worshipping with them, observing how they live, being able to ask questions and
receive answers, faith develops until they begin to discern the shepherd's
voice for themselves, and eventually come to the place where they can say, "I
believe." It is a journey. Even though the Disciples lived in the
company of Jesus for three years they did not believe he was the Son of God
straight away. It took time for them to
come to that realisation. But as they
were part of his company, listened to his teaching and watched him as he
ministered to the sick and demon-possessed, they gradually came to that place
of absolute certainty where Peter could say on behalf of them all, "You are the
Messiah, the Son of the living God."[7] The ultimate goal is to believe but, more
often than not, belonging comes before belief.
Some, however, deliberately choose not to believe despite
the evidence. The Jews were like
this. They had heard Jesus'
teaching. They had seen the miracles he
performed. But in no way would they
follow him; that is, apart from Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night. He knew there was something different about
this man. Nicodemus knew that Jesus
could never have done what he did unless God was with him. The little we hear about Nicodemus after that
leads us to understand that he did believe.
God desire is that everyone believes in his Son. This is why John wrote his account of Jesus'
life, so that people would believe in Christ and through believing receive
eternal life.[8] It is why the word 'believe' or 'believing'
is found fifty times in John's Gospel.
It is why Jesus invites us, as he did two of John's disciples, to "Come
and see,"[9] because as we keep company with him and his
people, we come to believe he is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
The certainty God desires for us is not just an intellectual
belief. That is we believe that Jesus
really did live on this earth and walked the dusty roads of Palestine at the beginning of the first
century teaching and ministering to people along the way. It may, and often does, start like that, but
it does not stop there. Nor is it just
believing in the sense that we pray to him when we have a need. We may of course do that, and receive an
answer to our prayers.
The belief God is looking for is a complete trust in his Son
for our past, our present and our future.
We trust him as the One who through his crucifixion won for us forgiveness
for our sins, past, present and future, so that we are able to stand before Him
just as if we had never sinned. It is a
believing whereby we surrender our lives to him on a daily basis, allowing his
Spirit to live his life in and through us.
It is a believing that leads to a life-long process of being
changed to become more and more like him.
It is a believing that shows itself in an ever-increasing evidence of
the fuites of he Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - in our lives. It is a believing that makes our greatest
longing the desire to please him and do what he requires, to let him set the
agenda for our lives. It is a believing
that puts him and his concerns uppermost in our lives. It is a believing that entrusts the future to
him, knowing that the gift of life he gives us is a life that encompasses both
time and eternity, a life over which death has no power. It is a believing by which absolutely nothing
can ever separate us from the love of God revealed in him.[10]
2.
Jesus
gives
two characteristics of those
who believe and belong to him.
a)
They
HEAR him. "My sheep listen
to my voice."[11]
They put themselves where they can hear him,
whether it be by reading the Scriptures themselves, or listening to it read and
expounded. It isn't the kind of
listening where what is heard goes in one ear and out the other. It is a listening that allows his Word to
penetrate beneath the surface of our lives to transform the way we live, our values,
our attitudes and actions. It is a
listening where we approach his Word with reverence and respect, knowing that
this brings life because it is the word of the Living Word himself. It is a word that shows us the right way in
life, because it is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path,
[12]
as we sung a few moments ago. It is a
word that will never pass away
[13]
or be irrelevant. It is a word that will always accomplish what God desires and
achieve God's purposes.
[14] It is a word that
"is alive and
active. Sharper than any double-edged
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it
judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."[15] It is a word that is able to make us
"wise
for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." It is
"useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training" in the way God wants us to live so that we will
have all we need to do the tasks God has for us.
[16]
And
secondly Jesus said his sheep not only hear him.
b)
They HEED him. "My sheep ... follow me." That is, they do what he says. They both hear and heed. Implicit in the words 'heed' and 'follow' is
obedience. It is not a listening that
falls on deaf ears. It is a listening
that leads to action, that is quick to obey.
The great people in Scripture were those who were prompt and complete in
their obedience. Several times in the
story of Noah we read, "Noah did everything just as God commanded him"[17]
and his family and all the creatures in the ark were spared. As soon as God told Abraham to leave his
country and people we read, "So Abram went, as the Lord told him..."[18] When God said to him that every male was to
be circumcised as a sign of his covenant with them we read, "On that very
day Abraham took his son Ishmael and ... every male in his household, and
circumcised them, as God told him."[19] When God told him to sacrifice Isaac, his
only son, we read, "The very next morning Abraham ... took ...his son
Isaac" and "set out for the place God had told him about."[20] The Bible also tells of many who heard but
did not obey with tragic consequences, men like King Saul and also King
Solomon.
3.
Jesus
then says
two things about himself
in relation to his sheep.
a)
"I
KNOW them..." This is a very intimate knowing. Earlier in this chapter Jesus helps us see
the depth of this knowing when he says he knows his sheep just as the Father
knows him and he knows the Father. When
we think of the unity of heart and purpose within the Godhead it is profoundly
humbling to think that that is the depth of knowledge with which our Lord knows
us. He even knows the number of hairs on
our heads. We should not be surprised at
this because it is affirmed throughout Scripture, especially in the
Psalms. As Psalm 139 informs us, his
knowledge of us goes back to before we were born. Paul says that those whom
"God foreknew he
also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son..."[21] No wonder Paul is inspired to make statements
such as:
"Oh the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of
God! How unsearchable his judgments, and
his paths beyond tracing out! 'Who has
known the mind of the Lord? Or who has
been his counsellor?' For from him and
through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever!
Amen."[22]
b)
It
is a knowing that leads to eternal life.
"I give them eternal life." Note that it is a gift. It cannot be earned or deserved. It can only be received by faith. Jesus said that eternal life involves
knowledge. He said,
"Now this is
eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you
have sent."[23] This is no superficial knowledge. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13, our
knowledge now is only partial, but at the end of time we
"shall know fully,
even as (we are)
fully known."[24]
4.
Note
the
two blessings that come from
receiving this gift of
"eternal life." First, those who belong and believe
a)"shall
never perish." Note the certainty about
it. There is no might or maybe. It is definite. They shall never be lost or destroyed. They will always be in his care. And secondly,
b) they shall never be "snatched" from either his or
the father's hand. Those
who put their trust and confidence in
Christ experience life's ultimate security.
They will never be disappointed, and will be joined by a great company. Those who believe will so be many that they cannot be counted.[25]
The Message version of the Bible tells us that God's harvest
is 'huge,' and he wants his house 'full.'
We are to pray and work that it will be so, and to do so with
perseverance and not give up.[26]
The important question is, have you believed? Will you be among that company?
