Genesis 11:27 begins a new division in the book of Genesis. The book of Genesis can be structured by tracing four great events and four great people. The four great events are laid out in chapters 1-11: Creation, Fall, Flood, and Nations. The four great people complete the book in chapters 12-50: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The point being: God’s first concern is all the people of the world (Gen 1-11), but the focus of Genesis (and the rest of the Pentateuch) is on God’s choice and care of His chosen people, Israel (Gen 12-50).

This sovereign choice begins with the call of Abram. The book of Genesis covers more than 2,000 years and more than 20 generations; yet, it spends almost a third of its text on the life of this one man (11:27-25:18). What a reminder that God truly cares about people and considers individuals valuable. This passage is going to challenge us to live a life of faith.

At the core of this story is the principle of God’s sovereign choice of an individual. God’s call to Abram was pure

grace. There is no evidence in the text that God chose Abram because he merited favor. On the contrary, God chose Abram from a family steeped in idolatry. He did this so that He might receive all the glory for what became of Abram.

In Genesis 11:30, Moses makes an emphatic remark that Abram’s wife, Sarai, “was barren; she had no child.” Sarai’s infertility tests Abram’s faith and drives the whole story.

God appears to Abram…God tells him what he going to do: Faith steps out (12:1-3). ¹  The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

The famous call of Abram in 12:1 was a command to go away from three things and unto one thing. The three things that God called Abram to forsake were natural sources of security for any ancient, Near Eastern nomad. God lists the three in rapid succession, each succeeding item narrowing the base of personal support and security:

(1) His country (or “land”) was his nationality and was the largest group in which Abram moved.

(2) His people (or “clan”) was smaller than his tribe, but larger than his immediate family. Such groups in ancient tribal societies provide personal identity and security.

(3) His father’s household referred probably to a call to give up his right of inheritance in his extended family.

To abandon his father’s house would certainly involve giving up his economic security. God removed anything that might weigh him down or prove to be unnecessary for a trek through the woods.

The term “go” is literally “go by yourself” and can emphasize loneliness, isolation. Abram needs to find his own place and his own identity by disassociating himself from the familiar and the group.

Put yourself in Abram’s sandals. I’m sure there was a good part of Abraham that would have just liked to stay in Haran or perhaps move back to the home he knew in Ur, where he married his wife and where all the family could be together. The only promise from God was that He would reveal the path to Abram. There was no visible certainty of his future. Abram was to follow the command of the Lord to leave Haran and go to a land he had never seen before. He is to step out in blind faith…a land God would show him.

Would you have gone? Are you willing to obey the voice of the Lord when He goes against all that makes sense and feels? When everything screams in you against it, are you willing to leave your job for the uncertainties of a higher calling? Faith steps out in obedience. Abraham made the choice to trust God and God blessed him exceedingly.

In these three verses, we see the inauguration of God’s covenant with Abraham. This covenant is everlasting (13:15; 17:7-8, 13, 19), unconditional (15:9-12; 17-18), and literal. It involves a land (12:7; 13:14-15, 17; 17:8), a seed (12:2; 13:16; 15:4-5; 15:18; 17:4-6), and a blessing (12:3; 17:2, 6; 18:18).

In these verses, God gave Abram a seven-fold promise. The call had two imperatives, each with subsequent promises. The first imperative was to go (“Go forth from your country…to the land which I will show you”), and the second imperative was to be (“and so you shall be a blessing”). Abraham’s obedience would bring great blessing. Also notice that five times in these verses you will see the phrase, “I will…” Everything is from God Himself.

1. “I will make you a great nation” (12:2). This promise is connected to the “seed” promise of 3:15. Since the fall of man, God chose certain lines of human descent to carry forward the promise that He would send a deliverer to crush Satan. That line now flowed through Abram to the Hebrew people (13:16; John 8:37), to the descendants of Ishmael (17:18-20), and eventually to all believers (John 8:39; Rom 4:16; Gal 3:6-7, 29). When God called Abram to separate from his family and his country, He did so with the purpose of producing from Abram a great nation.

As the founder of the Jewish nation, Abram was appointed by God to be a witness to the rest of mankind concerning God (Isa 44:8). Further, that race was to be a storehouse of divine revelation (Rom 3:2) and a channel of blessing to the world (15:8-12). The ultimate objective in God’s choice of Abram was to prepare the world for the coming Messiah and Savior of that world (Isa 53). Do you see how God carefully unfolds His program through individuals? Have you asked Him to reveal His plan for your life?

2. “I will bless you” (12:2). The word “bless,” which occurred five times in chapters 1-11, now occurs five times in 12:1-3. God wants to bless his people. In fact, if you remember, this goes right back to creation where God blessed Adam and Eve (1:28) and then, later, that original blessing was repeated in 5:2. God also blessed Noah and restated the mandate in creation, namely, that man rule (9:1-2). God’s plan is to bless the world.

Indeed, the term “blessing” (barak) includes God’s gracious provisions of personal well-being, long life, wealth, peace, abundance of food and crops, children, and personal knowledge of Himself and His ways. Yes, God’s plan is to bless the world. When God blesses someone, He intervenes in their life to do good things. God’s blessing to Abram caused him to prosper in all that he did. He was blessed both temporally (13:14-18; 15:18) and spiritually (15:6; John 8:56).

3. “I will make your name great” (12:2). To be given a great name is to have a good reputation and a secure identity. The builders of the Tower of BAbraml tried to make a name for themselves (11:4) and thereby gain power and prestige before the world and in the face of God. On the other hand, Abram’s power and prestige was to come directly from God.
4. “You shall be a blessing” (12:2). The Hebrew text says, “Be a blessing,” not “you shall be a blessing.” This was a command rather than a prediction. However as Abram blessed others he would become a blessing. God chose the family of Abram through which He would channel His blessings to the nations of the world, thereby drawing all nations to Himself (cf. Gen 10). We never experience God’s best for us until we are used to touch the life of someone else. Who can you bless today?
5. “I will bless those who bless you” (12:3). Now God moves from personal blessing to global blessings. Those who honor Abram and his God will be blessed.
6. “The one who curses you I will curse” (12:3). Unfortunately, not everyone in the world wants God’s blessing, or the way He has chosen to carry it out. There will be people who will curse or level insults and accusations against Abram and in so doing bring a curse from God on their heads. They will be cut off from the hope of blessing.
7. “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (12:3). This is the great messianic promise fulfilled in Abram’s descendant, Christ (John 8:56-58; Gal 3:16).

Faith experiences obstacles. Genesis 12:4-6 (NIV) ⁴  So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.
⁵  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
⁶  Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Abram demonstrated phenomenal faith in light of God’s call and was thoroughly blessed for it. So it is with us as well when we trust in Christ. But that does not mean everything in our lives will run smoothly. Quite the opposite actually. Did Abram know he was headed to Canaan (12:5)? Apparently not. Hebrews 11:8 states that “he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

Moses goes on to inform us that “Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” Though he lived to 175 years old, Abram was no spring chicken when he decided to follow the Lord to Canaan. Age is no hindrance to faith and taking bold steps for the Lord. It’s never too late. Despite Abram’s age, responsibilities, and various commitments, he stepped forward in a venture of faith, in obedience to God. Fortunately, this principle remains true today.

In 11:30, the text had gone out of its way to point out that Sarai was barren, that she didn’t even have a single child. Then, in 12:2, God says He’s going to make a great nation out of Abram. Well, it’s obvious that it won’t be through Sarai—she’s barren. So it must be through someone else. But here in 12:5 we learn that there isn’t a “someone else.” We are told that Abram took his wife Sarai. In spite of the obvious tensions, Abram must have believed God’s promise.

Sometimes we forget what childlessness meant in the ancient Near East. It involved shame, social ridicule, and implied that the woman/couple were not in the favor of the gods. Why then should they trust the Lord when He makes “promises about a nation; they don’t even have a single child.

Sometimes, some of our greatest struggles believing God and His good promises center in one way or another around our kids. So it was with Abram and Sarai. Certainly they made mistakes along the way, but overall they trusted the God who loves to do the impossible. What are you trusting God for that only He can do? In order for faith to grow it must see beyond the obstacles and pain to the God of our circumstances.

Faith is not just believing God for great things and responding to His promises, it also involves a commitment to live as He desires in light of the circumstances He permits in our lives. Faith builds character; so also Abram. He knew that God had called him to go to this new land, even though he didn’t know where he was going. His faith gave him the courage and determination to live for God in a pagan land.

By faith he overcame the struggles and trials of leaving family, the barrenness of his wife, and the hostilities of living in a foreign land. By faith he gained an exemplary character and did not succumb to the unbelievers around him…His life matched his words, so to speak.

Hebrews 11:8-12 (NIV) By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
⁹  By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
¹⁰  For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
¹¹  By faith Abraham, even though he was past age–and Sarah herself was barren–was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.
¹²  And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

God can be trusted (Gen 15)

We know that God is trustworthy, he does not lie. However, God wanted us to understand this…He does something remarkable: He obligates Himself: Genesis 15:17-18 (NIV) ¹⁷  When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.
¹⁸  On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates–

Whenever make agreement, business, sale, lease, etc. You make a contract. If not, may cause problems later on. Sense of assurance that will be true to agreement…if not, can do something about it.

God has made a contract with us…not because he cannot be trusted. God is true, and does not lie. He did it to assure us who struggle in our faith.

God is Able to do all things (Genesis 17:15-21 (NIV) ¹⁵  God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.
¹⁶  I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
¹⁷  Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”
¹⁸  And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
¹⁹  Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
²⁰  And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
²¹  But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”

Abraham is ready to be a great, great-grand parent. Abraham laughs.  Why? 90 & 100 year-olds don’t go around having children! Did he rush home and eagerly tell Sarah?

Genesis 18:9-15 (NIV) ⁹  “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said.
¹⁰  Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.
¹¹  Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.
¹²  So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
¹³  Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’
¹⁴  Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”
¹⁵  Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Obviously Abraham did nothing. Otherwise, she would have said, “so that’s what’s gotten into him lately.”

Nothing is impossible for God, even if we struggle to believe

God desires faithful obedience

Genesis 22:1-10 (NIV) ¹  Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
²  Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
³  Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
⁴  On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
⁵  He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
⁶  Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,
⁷  Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
⁸  Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
⁹  When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
¹⁰  Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

God is faithful, and expects us to be faithful as well. Notice the drama: And they walked . . .and they walked…had to be most difficult thing for him…first he had to send Ishmael away, now this! But God was testing his loyalty and faithfulness: Genesis 22:11-15 (NIV) ¹¹  But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
¹²  “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
¹³  Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
¹⁴  So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
¹⁵  The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time

Abraham passed! Genesis 22:16-19 (NIV) ¹⁶  and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
¹⁷  I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
¹⁸  and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
¹⁹  Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

God swore by Himself to bless him…Faith is not about mental agreement, but faithfulness. Sometimes God calls you to do things that not make sense. May be very, very difficult…But God will bless your faithfulness.

This is an example of what faith is all about. You believe in God? Question should be:  Are you faithful and obedient?

  

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In recent months, several natural and unnatural calamities have struck our country and community. Terrorists destroy buildings and lives; planes fall from the sky; evil people have given ‘hate mail’ a new meaning. Periodically, hurricanes ‘huff, and puff, and blow our East Coast houses down,’ and earthquakes ‘shake, rattle, and roll’ our West Coast structures. A little closer to home, fires often destroy neighborhood houses, storms ‘leave us in the dark,’ and auto accidents injure those we know.

Usually, upon finding out that no one was injured, we immediately ask, ‘Were they covered?’ We are interested in whether victims had insurance and sympathize the more with those who did not. It multiplies the sorrow of misfortune if there is no ‘starting over’ check.

Insurance companies provide a valuable service and most of us have been wisely counseled by informed agents. They always advise people to ‘take out some coverage-you never know when you might need it.’  Though we do not like to pay the premiums, most of us realize that the potential benefits are worth the price to be ‘covered.’ We often advise our children to take out a policy ‘just in case.’

There is a spiritual angle to the ‘insurance business.’

GOD IS IN THE INSURANCE BUSINESS.

There is a sense in which God is in the insurance business. He promised Moses that He would ‘cover’ him as He passed by (Ex. 33:22), and Moses promised the tribe of Benjamin, ‘…the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders’ (Deut. 33:12). In a beautiful word picture, the Psalmist describes God’s protection:  ‘Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler’ (Psa. 91:3, 4).

From His vantage point, God can see an impending disaster worse than any hurricane or earthquake. It will not destroy just one house, or even town-but the whole earth (2 Pet. 3:10). It will not involve only a few hundred or thousand people, but all the people of the whole earth (2 Cor. 5:10). God is providing coverage for those willing to ‘pay the premiums.’ Jesus put it this way:

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Lk. 14:28-33).

CHRISTIANS ARE INSURANCE AGENTS.

If God is in the insurance business, then we are His agents. We seek to ‘cover’ our friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, fellow citizens, and, actually, all our ‘brothers come down from Adam.’ Love motivates us. Gratitude sends us. When Noah was uncovered in his tent, Shem and Japheth took a garment and went backwards to cover their father’s shame (Gen. 9:23). They did what love always does-cover the shame of sinners. The Bible teaches us to do just that:

•  ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes; but love covereth all sins’ (Prov.10:12).
• ‘A fool’s wrath is presently known; but a prudent man covered shame’ (Prov. 12:16).
• ‘He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends’ (Prov. 17:9).
• ‘And above all things have fervent charity among your-selves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins’ (1 Pet. 4:8).

Love does not ‘sweep sin under the rug.’  In younger days, our older brothers or buddies from school occasionally pressed us to ‘cover for them’ to keep them from the wrath of parents or teachers. It never worked. The truth came out and then we looked as bad as they did. Sin is like a rubber tire-it won’t stay buried (Num. 32:23; 1 Tim. 5:24, 25). So, then, what does the Bible mean when it says that ‘love covereth all sins?’ We cover sins by assisting sinners in getting rid of them. James wrote: ‘Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins’ (5:20).

ARE YOU COVERED?

It does no good to cover one’s sins so that others do not know of them. Children may hide things from their parents, husbands and wives may hide things from each other, and workers may hide things from their employers, but no one hides anything from God (Heb. 4:13). ‘He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy’ (Prov. 28:13).

The only way to cover one’s sins is to have them erased from the mind of God (Heb. 8:12). For sinners this is done through faith in His Son (Jn. 3:16), repentance (turning from sinful behavior) (Lk. 13:3), confession of faith (Rm. 10:9, 10), and immersion in water to have sins blotted out (Acts 2:38). For erring Christians, sins are covered by repentance, confession, and prayer (Acts 8:22).

‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered’ (Psa. 32:1).

  

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Leadership is influence, the ability of one person to influence others. One man can lead others only to the extent that he can influence them. This fact is supported by definitions of leadership by men who have themselves wielded great influence.

 Lord Montgomery defines it in these terms: “Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose, and the character which inspires confidence.”

 Dr. John R. Mott, a world leader in student circles, gave as his definition: “A leader is a man who knows the road, who can keep ahead, and who can pull others after him.”

 President Truman’s definition is: “A leader is a person who has the ability to get others to do what they don’t want to do, and like it.”…

 Lord Montgomery enunciated seven ingredients necessary in a leader in war, each of which is appropriate to the spiritual warfare:

(1) He should be able to sit back and avoid getting immersed in detail.
(2) He must not be petty.
(3) He must not be pompous.
(4) He must be a good picker of men.
(5) He should trust those under him, and let them get on with their job without interference.
(6) He must have the power of clear decision.
(7) He should inspire confidence.

 Dr. John R. Mott moved in student circles and his tests covered different territory:

(1) Does he do little things well?
(2) Has he learned the meaning of priorities?
(3) How does he use his leisure?
(4) Has he intensity?
(5) Has he learned to take advantage of momentum?
(6) Has he the power of growth?
(7) What is his attitude to discouragements?
(8) How does he face impossible situations?
(9) What are his weakest points?

J. O. Sanders in Spiritual Leadership, pp. 19-24

  

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Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV)
³³  “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’
³⁴  But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
³⁵  or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
³⁶  And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
³⁷  Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

The passage we are considering is about oaths and vows. It may seem a little anticlimactic after all the discussion in 5:21-32 about murder, adultery, eye-plucking and hand-lopping. But the issue Jesus is addressing here goes to the very core of a person’s character – to the heart of what it means to live as a child of God.

We live in a culture in which the truth is often the first casualty of interactions between men. We have an incredibly elaborate system of lawyers and contracts and notaries and binding signatures to ensure that we do what we say we will do, at least when it’s perceived to be important enough.

And none of it makes people any more truthful. In fact, most people don’t even believe truth is an objective reality!

Changes in Moral Standards

• Biblical Morality (1800s-early 1900s) “Certain things are right and wrong, and I know why.”
• Abiblical Morality (1900-1950s)      “Certain things are right and wrong, but I don’t know why.”

Changes in Moral Standards

• Immorality (1960-early 1970s)         “Certain things are right and wrong, but I don’t care.”
• Amorality (late 1900s)                            “There’s no such things as right and wrong!”

(Fran Sciacca, Generation at Risk, 117.)

A study by Barna Research found that only 22% of adults in America believe there is even such a thing as absolute moral truth.

But the real kicker was what the study found related to those who profess to be “born again” Christians. They defined “born again” Christians as “people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus as their savior.”

Among that specific group, only 32% of adults and only 9% of teenagers said they believe moral truth is unchanging or absolute.

The study was entitled “Americans Are Most Likely to Base Truth on Feelings”

Less than one out of three born again Christians adopt the notion of absolute moral truth. The surveys also found that few Americans turn to their faith as the primary guide for their moral and ethical decisions.

Truth Is Relative, Say Americans

In two national surveys conducted by Barna Research, one among adults and one among teenagers, people were asked if they believe that there are moral absolutes that are unchanging or that moral truth is relative to the circumstances.

By a 3-to-1 margin (64% vs. 22%) adults said truth is always relative to the person and their situation. The perspective was even more lopsided among teenagers, 83% of whom said moral truth depends on the circumstances, and only 6% of whom said moral truth is absolute.

The gap between teen and adult views was not surprising, however, when the adult views are considered by generation. While six out of ten people 36 and older embraced moral relativism, 75% of the adults 18 to 35 did so. Thus, it appears that relativism is gaining ground, largely because relativism appears to have taken root with the generation that preceded today’s teens.

Moral Decision-Making

The surveys also asked people to indicate the basis on which they make their moral and ethical decisions. Six different approaches were listed by at least 5% of the teenagers interviewed, and eight approaches were listed by at least 5% of adults. In spite of the variety communicated, there was a clear pattern within both groups. By far the most common basis for moral decision-making was doing whatever feels right or comfortable in a situation. Nearly four out of ten teens (38%) and three out of ten adults (31%) described that as their primary consideration.

Among adults, other popular means of moral decision-making were on the basis of the values they had learned from their parents (15%), on the basis of principles taught in the Bible (13%), and based on whatever outcome would produce the most personally beneficial results (10%).

Teenagers were slightly different in their approach. One out of six (16%) said they made their choices on the basis of whatever would produce the most beneficial results for them. Three alternative foundations were each identified by one out of ten teens: whatever would make the most people happy, whatever they thought their family and friends expected of them, and on the basis of the values taught by their parents. Just 7% of teenagers said their moral choices were based on biblical principles.

What It Means

These figures were cited by George Barna, whose firm conducted the research, as a major reason underlying the data he released in a controversial recent public presentation about the moral views and behaviors of Christians.

In that forum Barna noted that substantial numbers of Christians believe that activities such as abortion, gay sex, sexual fantasies, cohabitation, drunkenness and viewing pornography are morally acceptable. “Without some firm and compelling basis for suggesting that such acts are inappropriate, people are left with philosophies such as ‘if it feels good, do it,’ ‘everyone else is doing it’ or ‘as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, it’s permissible.’ In fact, the alarmingly fast decline of moral foundations among our young people has culminated in a one-word worldview: ‘whatever.’ The result is a mentality that esteems pluralism, relativism, tolerance, and diversity without critical reflection of the implications of particular views and actions.”

Barna emphasized the importance of the data related to the views of teenagers and the born again population. “Just one out of ten of our country’s born again teenagers believe in absolute moral truth – a statistic that is nearly identical to that of non-born again teens. Christian families, educators and churches must prioritize this matter if the Christian community hopes to have any distinctiveness in our culture. The virtual disappearance of this cornerstone of the Christian faith – that is, God has communicated a series of moral principles in the Bible that are meant to be the basis of our thoughts and actions, regardless of our preferences, feelings or situations – is probably the best indicator of the waning strength of the Christian Church in America today.”

The researcher stated that the difference in truth views between born again and non-born again adults was statistically significant, but not much to cheer about. “When a majority of Christian adults, including three out of four born again Baby Busters, as well as three out of four born again teens proudly cast their vote for moral relativism, the Church is in trouble. Continuing to preach more sermons, teach more Sunday school classes and enroll more people in Bible study groups won’t solve the problem since most of these people don’t accept the basis of the principles being taught in those venues. The failure to address this issue at its root, and to do so quickly and persuasively, will undermine the strength of the church for at least another generation, and probably longer.”

Barna also reported that compared to a similar study his firm conducted a decade ago, the basis of people’s moral and ethical decisions these days is more likely to be feelings and less likely to be the Bible.

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The words we are considering were spoken by the One who declared Himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) – The One whose Word IS TRUTH (Psalm 119:160). And He presents us with a standard of truthfulness that is infinitely higher than the standards of men.

James seems to echo the words of our Lord in his epistle, and he puts special emphasis on this command, introducing it with the words, “above all.”

James 5:12 (ESV) ¹²  But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Our Lord’s approach to teaching does not often hand us His essential point without any mental effort on our part. Jesus uses forceful words – words that pierce into us and turn our traditions and assumptions on their heads, and He makes us think about things as we would never think about them apart from the influence of His Word.

As the writer of Hebrews says, God’s Word is… able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:12-13).

Some Christians have taken Matthew 5:33-37 to teach that we must not, under any circumstances, utter an oath or vow. So they refuse to take an oath in a court of law, in a marriage ceremony, or in any other situation. Is that our Lord’s point here – to create a new prohibition that didn’t exist under the Law of Moses and thereby to overcome men’s tendency to be untruthful? Part of me would love for it to be that simple, but I do not think it is.

Oaths and vows show up remarkably often in both testaments, and the Law addresses them a great many times. It is strikingly consistent that, aside from this passage and James 5:12, the rest of the Scriptures does not prohibit oaths. Indeed, the Law specifically commanded God’s people to swear their oaths in His name.

Deuteronomy 6:13-14 (the “Hear, O Israel” passage): “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name. You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you” (emphasis mine).

Deuteronomy 10:20: “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.”

These commands have in view the first and second commandments of the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:1-5 (ESV) ¹  And God spoke all these words, saying, ²  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ³  “You shall have no other gods before me. ⁴  “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,

God’s people were to worship and serve Him alone, and were to swear by His name alone, because He is the One True God. God’s people were never to create or bow down to any image in the form of any created thing, because God alone is sovereign over all. To worship or serve anyone or anything except YAHWEH, the One True God, is to put that person or thing in God’s place. And to swear by any created thing is to make it an idol.

Leviticus 19:12 says, “And you shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the Lord.”

This prohibition against swearing falsely by the name of God is critically tied to the third commandment of the Ten Commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain (Exodus 20:7).

To take His name in vain means to invoke His name emptily, lightly, or profanely – to use it without humbly acknowledging the holy character of the One whose name you are invoking. To invoke the name of God in an oath or vow when your statement is false or when you do not intend to honor your words is a direct violation of the third commandment. And to invoke the name of God over a trivial or inconsequential matter is also a violation of the third commandment, because taking the name of the Lord in vain includes taking it lightly – treating it as common or trivial.

Hebrews 6:16 speaks of the first purpose of oaths, saying that with men, “an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.”

I find nothing in Matthew 5:33 that fails to match up with clear statements contained in the Law. The error of the Pharisees that Jesus is addressing here was not in misstating the Law; it is in mishandling the Law. They missed the point of the Law. We will come back to that shortly.

“But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black” (Matthew 5:34-36).

What is the significance of swearing “by” someone or something?

In the Old Testament, when you swore by someone, you were invoking that person as: (1) a corroborating witness to attest to your words; and (2) a judge against you if your words were found to be untrue. You were invoking the name of one whose witness is reliable and trustworthy, to testify to the trustworthiness of your words. At the same time, you were acknowledging your accountability to that person, agreeing that you expected to be judged by Him if you were found to be speaking falsely. This is why, as Hebrews 6:16 says, “men swear by one greater than themselves” – i.e., one to whom they are accountable.

The Jews of Jesus’ day had put an interesting twist on all of this. They had trouble telling the truth consistently, just like you and I do, so in order to guard themselves against being found guilty of swearing falsely by the name of God, it seems that they had firmly established the habit of swearing by everything EXCEPT God. They wanted to add some kind of force to their promises to make their words more credible, but they didn’t want to incur the judgment of God by swearing something in His name when they didn’t fully intend to make it good or when it was not entirely true. They wanted to have their moldy cake and eat it, too. So they created what was in effect a lesser class of oaths – oaths that were bound to various parts of God’s creation rather than to God Himself. James Montgomery Boice refers to this practice as “evasive swearing.”[1]

As Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:34-36 point out, instead of swearing by God, they swore by “the heaven,” or by “the earth,” or by Jerusalem, or even by their own heads. Apparently, it got pretty silly. Oaths became like contests to see who could bind the most impressive object to his statements to give them the greatest force.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 23 show how absurd this all had become:

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’

17 “You fools and blind men; which is more important, the gold, or the temple that sanctified the gold?

18 “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering up on it, he is obligated.’

19 “You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

20 “Therefore, he who swears, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

21 “And he who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it.

22 “And he who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.”

Do you see where the scribes and Pharisees had taken this, and how Jesus stands their foolish logic on its head? They were coming up with all sorts of mental acrobatics to insulate themselves from accountability to God, and Jesus told them you cannot get away from your accountability to God by invoking things, because God is sovereign over all things!

You think that in swearing by the temple you avoid accountability to God to speak words of truth? It is the shekinah glory of God that makes the temple what it is – the dwelling place of God! You think that in swearing by heaven you insulate yourself from being seen by God in your lies? Heaven is the very throne of God!

Paul acknowledges that our “yes” must be “yes” and our “no” must be “no,” and yet, he employs an oath to affirm the genuineness of his motivation for changing his plans. From 2 Corinthians 1:

17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or that which I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yes, yes and no, no at the same time?

18 But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no.

23 But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth (emphasis mine).

Verse 23 very much follows the pattern of the Old Testament oaths.

Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying (Galatians 1:20, emphasis mine).

For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:8, emphasis mine).

Paul repeatedly invokes God as his witness to emphasize the solemnity and the truthfulness of the things he is declaring, and he does so under the superintending of the Holy Spirit.

Was Paul violating the teaching of Jesus?

I don’t believe Jesus’ point in Matthew 5 is that oaths are evil or that an oath can never be legitimate. I believe His point is that the swearing of oaths as practiced by the scribes and Pharisees was evil, in its entirety – because they deliberately swore their oaths by everything EXCEPT God in a foolish effort to sidestep their accountability TO God!

Our Lord emphatically points out in Matthew 5 that God alone is sovereign over all things – heaven, earth, Jerusalem, even the hairs on your head. And you – you are sovereign over nothing, not even your own hair. No matter what you choose to swear by, it is God to whom you and I and every other created thing are accountable, and you’re accountable to Him whether you swear an oath or don’t swear an oath. You’re accountable to Him every time you open your mouth.

It would be better to swear no oath at all than to think you can contrive a way to avoid accountability before God to be a truthful person.

Our “Yes” must be yes and our “No” must be no. No oath can make that so. Being believed is nothing. Being a truthful person in the eyes of our heavenly Father is everything.

For us who are His children, our Father’s words show us how to live. May we desire to turn the light of His truth upon our own hearts first and foremost.

As you contemplate our Lord’s teaching regarding oaths and vows, I ask that you won’t focus exclusively on hashing out examples of how we fall short of God’s standard of truthfulness. I ask that you devote some time and thought to consideration of how we become truthful people – truthful from the heart.

I’m not saying our behavior doesn’t count. As children, we all start by learning how we are required to behave, then we hopefully learn to internalize the principles we have been taught. So the behavior can feed the heart, and the heart certainly feeds the behavior. But let’s focus on the goal of godly lives from godly hearts. We will not speak truth in our hearts if we are not in love with the One who is Truth.

• Brothers and sisters, let us be truthful people because we hunger and thirst for righteousness.
• Let us be truthful people because God re-created us to be pure in heart.
• Let us be truthful people because we desire to be salt and light in a world that desperately needs our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
• Let us be truthful people because we long to live out the lovely character of the One who gave us life at the cost of His own life’s blood.
• Let us be truthful people because we are our Father’s children.

That’s reason enough.

[1] James Montgomery Boice, The Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2002), p. 131.

  

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1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.	Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.	Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.	Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.	Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.	Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds	Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs	Fight for a few underdogs   anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.	Build anyway.
9. People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them.	Help them anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.	Give the world the best you   have anyway.

David Augsberger, When Enough is Enough, (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1984), pp. 109-130

    

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We have always been curious about seeing the invisible, so we create great microscopes so that we might see microbes and even atoms. We create telescopes so we can see the galaxies and stars so far away. There are, however, some things we can never see, at least with physical eyes. Some things can only be seen with the eyes of faith.

So much of what is best about Christianity cannot be seen by human eyes. When we do develop our spiritual eyes and are enabled to see what is of the greatest value, then we see that the visible is not worth comparing with the invisible.

1.The visible decay is not worth comparing to the invisible renewal (v. 16).

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Eventually the human body stops growing. Eventually, little by little, the body ages. As we age, sickness becomes more common. As we age, the pain becomes more intense. This decline never has to happen to our spirit.

2. The visible affliction is not worth comparing to the invisible glory (v. 17).

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

    The affliction we must face here is light. The affliction we must face here is temporary.

3. The visible existence is not worth comparing to the invisible existence (v. 18).

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

   This life is not all there is. As beautiful as it sometimes can be, God has promised a better place. This life is temporary. Everything we experience here will someday fade, but that which is eternal only grows more beautiful.  This life is not the best God has for us.

Conclusion

In April of 1988, a TV cameraman jumped out of a plane with some other skydivers.  His goal was to record the exciting jump of the skydivers as they fell to the earth.  What’s more, this footage was shown on the local TV news, but not for the reasons why the cameraman had originally recorded the event.

After several minutes of “free fall,” the cameraman then filmed the skydivers as they one by one opened their parachutes. Of course, the final skydiver was the cameraman himself and the time came for him to pull his parachute ripcord.

However, when the cameraman reached for his ripcord, he realized to his horror and shock that he had no ripcord.  It turns out that he had completely forgotten to put on his parachute.

This story is not only tragic, but it is also ironic.  Ironic because the cameraman took a plunge into what appeared to be an exciting and thrilling jump.  But tragically, in a moment of foolish carelessness, he made the worst mistake of his entire life: he jumped to his own death.  Yes, his faith had been based upon a parachute — a life support — that wasn’t there.

In the same way, if we based our lives upon anything other than faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, then we will make the biggest mistake of our entire lives as well.  That is, faith other than in Christ will lead to our spiritual deaths!  What’s more, this spiritual death will be for all eternity — forever and ever!

The most important things in life are things we cannot see. We trust a book, whose original we have never seen, to help us learn about a man we have never met, to save us through an event we have never seen, and take us to a place we have never visited. Nevertheless, we believe.

    

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From the human point of view, nothing seems more permanent and durable than the planet on which we live. When we say that something is “as sure as the world,” we are echoing Solomon’s confidence in the permanence of planet Earth. With all of its diversity, nature is uniform enough in its operation that we can discover its “laws” and put them to work for us. In fact, it is this “dependability” that is the basis for modern science.

Nature is permanent, but man is transient, a mere pilgrim on earth. His pilgrimage is a brief one, for death finally claims him. At the very beginning of his book, Solomon introduced a topic frequently mentioned in Ecclesiastes: the brevity of life and the certainty of death.

Abraham Lincoln had ten guidelines by which he lived and governed his life. He followed these guidelines until the day he died:

1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
2. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
3. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
4. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
5. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
6. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
7. You cannot further the brotherhood of men by inciting class hatred.
8. You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
9. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.
10. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

We must begin with some widely repeated verses from the Old Testament: Exodus 20:5 “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me.”

Exodus 34:6-7 “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Is God saying that the children and the grandchildren of the father would have to pay for the sins of their father?  What does God mean by this?  Especially since Deuteronomy 24:16 says “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin” and that “The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself” (Ez 18:20).

The idea that the sins of the father will be laid on the son, grandson, and other generations has long been understood and misunderstood by many Bible students.

Certainly, the lessons we teach by word or deeds are often repeated by family members, and that just reminds each of us to be careful what we teach AND do.

As the Father Goes, so Goes the Family

But we also need to listen to the repeated lessons from Ezekiel 18:1-32 (ESV).
As you read this chapter, you find the prophet answering the erroneous statements the Jewish exiles were making about God and their difficult situation (vv. 2, 19, 25, 29). God knew what His people were saying and so did His prophet. Ignoring the inspired Word of God, the people were building their case on a popular proverb: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” In other words, “Our fathers have sinned and we, their children, are being punished for it.” Their philosophy was a kind of irresponsible fatalism. “No matter what we do,” they argued, “we still have to suffer because of what the older generation did.” The Prophet Jeremiah quoted the same familiar proverb and preached the same truth that Ezekiel preached: God deals with us as individuals and punishes each of us justly for what we do (Jer. 31:29-30). He is a just and righteous God who shows no partiality (Deut. 10:17; 32:4). If He withholds punishment, it’s only because of His grace and merciful longsuffering. (from the Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament – The Bible Exposition Commentary – The Prophets.)

It seems that these ideas might have come from a proverb often repeated: “The word of the LORD came to me: ²  “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

A new time is now made known from God: “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴  Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. ⁵  “If a man is righteous and does what is just and right— ⁶  if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, ⁷  does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, ⁸  does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man, ⁹  walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD.

¹⁰  “If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things ¹¹  (though he himself did none of these things), who even eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife, ¹²  oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, ¹³  lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.

¹⁴  “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: ¹⁵  he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, ¹⁶  does not oppress anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, ¹⁷  withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live.

¹⁸  As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity. ¹⁹  “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live.

²⁰  The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. ²¹  “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²²  None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live.

²³  Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? ²⁴  But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.

²⁵  “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? ²⁶  When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. ²⁷  Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. ²⁸  Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹  Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

³⁰  “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. ³¹  Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? ³²  For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

The conclusion of this message was an invitation from the Lord for the people to repent (change their minds), turn from their sins, cast away their transgressions like filthy garments, and seek a new heart and a new spirit. God promised them a new heart if only they would seek Him by faith (Ezek. 11:19; see 36:26). This was one of the key themes in the letter Jeremiah had sent to the captives in Babylon (Jer. 29:10-14), but the people hadn’t taken it to heart. God made it clear that He found no delight in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23, 32), but if the wicked found delight in their sinful ways and would not repent, there was nothing the Lord could do but obey His own covenant and punish them.

Does the one with the most toys really win?

Success is an elusive commodity. It is pursued by many, but achieved by few. But what is true success? It certainly is definite in numerous ways in our society!

To some, success is seen as the power of a Wall Street ‘mover and shaker.’

Others look to TV personalities or sports heroes. As we move through the Bible, it looks quite different, doesn’t it?

The acquisition and use of power has motivated people throughout the centuries. Power is a curious thing. It can be abused certainly. But it can also be used for good. Jesus exemplified the constructive and compassionate use of power when he healed people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But what is power really, at its root? Domination over others? The skill of making things happen? Force that cannot be resisted? The ability to effect miracles? The secular view of power has to do largely with the idea of dominance. The New Testament view of power is quite different. It involves action that springs from a place of weakness not from a place of superiority.

When you were 12 years old, who had the most powerful influence in your life? (Check two) __ your mother            __ your father    __ your grandmother   __ your grandfather __ your sister/brother  __ a teacher __ a friend                __ a minister/youth leader __ a neighbor            __ a TV/movie star

Which of the following do you feel are the most common ways people pursue happiness? (choose two) a. By achieving social status         b. By acquiring knowledge c. By having a loving family and friends d. By getting rich                         e. By serving others f. By living in harmony with nature g. By pursuing their spiritual beliefs h. By achieving successful careers i. By maintaining good health

We want to look at a well-known event in the life of Jesus. As we work through the verses, ask yourself constantly: who is the successful person in God’s view of things? Is it the one who uses power to dominate others or the one who relinquishes personal power for the sake of others? Read Matthew 4:1-11 and discuss your response to the following questions with your group.

1. How would you describe the power struggle going on here? a. This is the classic struggle between good and evil b. Satan is trying to conquer Jesus when he seems weak and powerless c. This power struggle is no different than the ones we face daily d. Satan is trying to conquer Jesus by tempting him on the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual levels	2. What was the devil attempting to do with Jesus? a. He was trying to physically kill Jesus b. He was trying to play “mind games” with Jesus c. He was trying to get Jesus to worship him d. He was trying to enlist Jesus as an ally
3. What tactics did Jesus use to counter Satan? a. He called on an army of angels to help him b. He quoted Old Testament Scripture as authoritative rebuttals c. He changed the subject d. He appealed to a higher authority or power	4. In verse 3, why did the devil challenge Jesus to change stones into bread? a. He wanted to see if Jesus could really do it b. He wanted to exercise some control over Jesus c. He was mocking and daring Jesus d. He knew Jesus was very hungry and vulnerable
5. In verse 3, why did the devil challenge Jesus to change stones into bread? a. He wanted to see if Jesus could really do it b. He wanted to exercise some control over Jesus c. He was mocking and daring Jesus d. He knew Jesus was very hungry and vulnerable	6. In these verses, what do you learn about Satan? a. He also knows and can quote Scripture b. He is able to change his tactics as circumstances dictate c. He is easily frustrated d. He tries to tempt at a point of weakness
7. Why didn’t Jesus give in to this temptation? a. He knew Satan’s ultimate agenda was to have Jesus worship him?   b. He didn’t want to interfere with his reason for coming to earth? c. He knew that, in the end, he would defeat Satan?	8. What can be learned from the way Jesus handled this power struggle? a. That even in a moment of weakness, we should fight back? b. That power is exerted with the “Big Picture” in mind? c. That power struggles should be avoided at all cost? d. That power can be used without annihilating others? e. That God is ultimately in control?

 

During World War I, a British commander was preparing to lead his soldiers back to battle. They’d been on furlough, and it was a cold, rainy, muddy day. Their shoulders sagged because they knew what lay ahead of them: mud, blood, possible death. Nobody talked, nobody sang. It was a heavy time.

As they marched along, the commander looked into a bombed-out church. Back in the church he saw the figure of Christ on the cross. At that moment, something happened to the commander. He remembered the One who suffered, died, and rose again. There was victory, and there was triumph.

As the troops marched along, he shouted out, “Eyes right, march!” Every eye turned to the right, and as the soldiers marched by, they saw Christ on the cross. Something happened to that company of men. Suddenly they saw triumph after suffering, and they took courage. With shoulders straightened, they began to smile as they went. You see, anything worthwhile in life will be a risk that demands courage. [1]

We certainly want to avoid the charge being leveled toward us that we were neutral at a crucial point of our life. Dante said in the 13^th century that “the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. “

Today our culture is far less likely to raise up heroes than it is to exalt victims, individuals who are overcome by the sting of oppression, injustice, adversity, neglect or misfortune. … Success, as well as failure, is the result of one’s own talent, decisions and actions. Accepting personal responsibility for victory, as well as for defeat, is as liberating and empowering as it is unpopular today.[2]

Ed was a motion picture producer who had finished his most recent film. During the next year as every independent film producer does, he had been working hard to try to sell his picture to one of the majors.  Being unsuccessful in his attempts to sell the majors, he had then approached many of the minor motion picture distribution companies.  He had finally aroused some interest in a smaller motion picture distribution company and had arranged for a showing of his picture to their top executives.

At the conclusion of the showing, the president of the motion picture distribution company turned to Ed and said, “There is nothing particularly wrong with your picture.  The story is all right, the quality is fine, the acting is acceptable, but if it is going to be a money maker there are three changes that need to be made.  There are three different locations in your film where we need to add sex scenes so that the picture will have some kind of box office appeal.  With the addition of these three scenes, we can assure you of a million dollars in profit for your share of what this picture will gross when released by us.” 

Ed needed to make a sale badly because of the current conditions in his own company, but he responded by saying, “Thank you for looking at my film.  I appreciate your taking time to consider this as one of your projects for distribution, but I am sorry that we will not be able to make the changes that you have suggested.”  Ed knew to whom to say “No.”

He had the courage to act on his convictions.

However, taking a stand against the crowd is not easy. This is a struggle that exposes our strength or weakness. In past years South Africa was a climate of racism and black men often suffer humiliation from white inhabitants.  A Bantu was sent to the theater to get tickets for his  white employer.  There was a single line and upon inquiry he was told to get in the white man’s line although in South Africa this is forbidden. Suddenly a black haired youth elbowed him out of line.  This haughty action was followed by similar actions of a teenage girl.  Then a real bull of a man with closely cropped hair seized the native and hurled him into the street. 

The theater manager told him to get back in line, but again he was thrown out. Then a voice sounded clear above the rumble of the complaints.  A man of about fifty, with whitened temples and in the open neck attire of a farmer, shouted with a voice ringing with threat and authority,  “Let this fellow in. What’s the matter with you?”  The crowd cowered and the lowly native was placed in front.

The South African farmer risked his reputation and the crowds disapproval, but he stood firm.  This is goodness.  And, it costs. Contrast this with the Indiana teenagers arrested for shoplifting.  They admitted they did not need the merchandise, but stole it because everybody was doing it.  Investigation revealed they did not feel they had done wrong since the crowd had placed a sanction on it.

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[1] Gordon Johnson, “Finding Significance in Obscurity,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 82.

[2] U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in a speech at Regent University, quoted in the Christian Leader (Oct. 1996), Christianity Today, Vol. 41, no. 2.

 

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